RP pugs leave for Turkey bash

A seven-man team leaves for Istanbul, Turkey today to participate in the AIBA ranking Ahmet Comert tournament set April 19-25.

The team, led by Liberato Reyna and coached by Boy Velasco and Vicente Arcenal, is composed of light flyweight Godfrey Castro, flyweight Warlito Parenas, bantamweight Joan Tipon, featherweight Junard Ladon, lightweight Genebert Basadre, light welterweight Mark Jason Melligen and welterweight Reynaldo Galido & R/J Dante De castro.

The team’s trip, made possible by the First Gentleman Foundation and San Miguel Corporation with support from Pacific Heights, is part of the association’s elimination for the composition of the team which will see action in the November Manila Southeast Asian Games.

"This is a strong team and hopefully the boys will again deliver," said ABAP president Manny Lopez who just arrived from Bangkok, Thailand where he led a six-man squad that had the comebacking Harry Tanamor winning the light flyweight gold medal.

"This trip will further boost our preparation for the Southeast Asian Games and will give the national coaching staff more input on the composition of the Philippine team," Lopez added.

"We had taken on the Europeans, particularly the strong boxers from countries comprising the former USSR, in Azerbaijan last March, we had our experience against the best Asians in Bangkok last week, and now we are taking on more Asians, Europeans and even Cubans in Turkey," he said.