With its pugs not in shape, PH out of Worlds

Fresh from its best-ever Olympics showing, the Philippines will be a notable absentee in the cash-rich World Boxing Championships next month.

Alliance of Boxing Associations of the Philippines (Abap) secretary general Ed Picson said the country will not field a “token” contingent in the meet slated in Serbia in late October and would rather not send a contingent at all.

“If we’re not going to send the best we have, we’d rather not send at all,” Picson told the Inquirer as he admitted that the national pugs—all of them, from the Tokyo veterans and medalists to the second-tier group—are out of shape.

“We are doubtful about sending them, they have no training since Tokyo and they are busy,” added Picson, referring to silver medalists Carlo Paalam and Nesthy Petecio and bronze winner Eumir Felix Marcial as well as Irish Magno, who have been on a break since the Japan Summer Games.

Picson admitted that the Abap had thought of participating in the Aiba (International Boxing Association)-run event and they had set a Sept. 20 deadline for the pugs to return. But even that, Picson said, wouldn’t have been enough.

“One month [of training] wouldn’t be enough,” Picson said.

Those who didn’t see action in Tokyo, meanwhile, have resumed camp less than two weeks ago as training after Thailand camp was hampered by the lockdowns imposed in various parts of the country.

The rest of the national team, which is in Baguio City, will instead focus their efforts for the big competitions next year like Asian Games and Southeast Asian Games. INQ