Unique boxing tournament assembles finest flyweights

The newly-established Philippine Pro-Boxing League (PPBL) wants to be different from the other boxing tournaments this country ever had.

It’s in the format–patterned after the NBA playoffs–that lies the distinction.

It can be done, according to long-time boxing promoter Lito Mondejar and project proponents I-Sports Action Television and Solar Sports, the very reason why they are in the thick of preparations for the grand launching of the event beginning June 28.

"The unique attraction of the PPBL is its novel stepladder format similar to the NBA playoffs. You lose, you go home," said Mondejar, who guested with Jet Manibay and Mon Liboro of I-Sports Action in the PSA Forum yesterday at the Manila Pavilion.

"There have been other boxing tournaments before, but the PPBL is the biggest such effort in terms of number of boxers, length of tournament, prize money and TV coverage," Mondejar added.

For starters, the tournament, which runs for four months, will feature 16 of the finest flyweights in the country today including former RP champions Jovan Presbitero, Eugene Gonzales and Alfred Nagal.

The cream of the country’s top boxing stables – L&M gym (Manila), ALA boxing gym (Cebu), Vic Cabalo stable (Cagayan de Oro), Contayoso stable (Kidapawan), Jass Taguiling stable (Baguio), Polding Correa stable (Zambales), Mandaluyong boxing stable, among others – are set to see action and will compete for over P500,000 in cash prizes.

Under the four-phase format, the 16 boxers will be trimmed to eight after a single-match first round, four after the second and two after the third. The survivors then slug it out for the PPBL flyweight championship.

The tournament is to be broadcast by Solar Sports for 17 consecutive Thursdays on IBC-13 from 8-9:30 p.m. beginning July 3, with the championship fight to be aired Oct. 23. Nazario-Mondejar Promotions is promoting the event.

"Ang boxing, along with billiards, ay pangalawang humahakot ng tao after basketball dito sa atin. Ganoon ang potential ng boxing sa bansa," said Manibay in the same forum sponsored by Red Bull, Agfa Colors and PAGCOR. "Basically what we’re here for is to duplicate the success of basketball in the country and at the same time, bigyan ng pagkakataon lahat ng boxers to pursue their dreams."

Four fights at the Mandaluyong gym kicks off the tournament, with Presbitero battling Roger Maldecir, Nagal vs Jimboy Rodriguez, Arman Defensor vs Elmer Muyco and Danilo Pena vs Jun Eraham.

The PPBL is also set to stage its junior bantamweight championship in February next year.