MANILA, Philippines - Three of the five fighters who represented the Philippines at the 16th World Amateur Boxing Championships in Baku are shoo-ins to be retained in the national pool for developmental purposes, said ABAP executive director Ed Picson yesterday.
Lightflyweight Mark Anthony Barriga, flyweight Jenno Cabugngan and bantamweight Ricky Dulay were singled out by Picson as the coaches’ picks to continue training with the national team.
The two simonpures left out will likely be released although no decision has been finalized. They are featherweight Nathaniel Montealto and lightweight Michael Delorino.
The five fighters are scheduled to arrive in Manila from Baku today. Barriga came closest to gaining an outright ticket to the Youth Olympics in Singapore on Aug. 14-26, falling a win shy of a sure bronze medal. He reached the round-of-8 quarterfinals before losing a disputed 6-4 decision to Ireland’s Ryan Burnett who was awarded four penalty points by Morocco referee Zoubid Hassan last Friday. Barriga previously eliminated China’s Zhang Liang, Thailand’s Tanes Ongjunta and Russia’s Nikita Fedorchenko.
Barriga was the only Filipino to break into the win column in Baku. The others were beaten in their first bouts. Cabugngan and Dulay, however, showed promise despite their early setbacks.
It was the first overseas trip for Barriga, Dulay, Montealto and Delorino. Cabugngan made his foreign debut at the Asian Youth Championships in Iran last March, posting a 1-1 win-loss record.
“The boys are admittedly still wet behind the ears,” said Picson. “We got four of them from the National Open only last January. But the lessons and the experience are invaluable. While we’ve been trying to get taller boxers, we made an exception with Barriga because of his guile and guts.”
Picson said Montealto and Delorino were last-minute choices to travel to Baku even as coaches Elmer Pamisa and Sonny Dollente felt they weren’t prepared to compete.
“We were ready to just send three fighters but in the end, the decision was to bring five,” said Picson. “It was a way for us to determine whether Montealto and Delorino had potential. We eventually found out they still have a long way to go. Delorino, for instance, has serious stamina problems. He can’t jog with shoes because he’s used to running barefoot. He’s always last to finish in sprints.”
Pamisa said Cabugngan and Dulay may be developed because of their raw power. “The coaches like Dulay and told me if he had trained two more months with the national team, he would’ve brought down some favorites in Baku,” he continued. “Cabugngan has been with the pool for two years so he’s our veteran. But clearly, the most promising of them all is Barriga.”
Picson said he will lobby for Barriga’s inclusion as a wildcard entry at the Youth Olympics. There are 20 wildcard slots available. The IOC will choose the countries to be awarded the slots and AIBA will select the specific fighters. Picson said POC spokesman Joey Romasanta, speaking in behalf of POC president Jose Cojuangco Jr., has promised to lobby for Barriga. AIBA executive director Ho Kim will be contacted by Picson to express the ABAP’s support for Barriga.
“Baku was a learning experience,” said Picson. “Clearly, there’s no short-cut in boxing. Four of our five fighters have trained with us less than a year. We faced a very tough field in Baku. Our coaches know what must be done to move forward. They’ve learned from the foreign coaches we’ve hired in the past and they’re ready to take us to the next level.”
ABAP secretary-general Patrick Gregorio said the thrust of discovering talents at the grassroots level will remain a priority.
“From Day 1, since we assumed the leadership of ABAP last year, grassroots development has been our main thrust,” he said. “The five fighters who were in Baku are a testament to what we have been preaching all along. We must give our young boxers and their families a fighting chance in life. Four of the five traveled abroad for the first time to represent our country and we’re proud of them.”
Gregorio was upset that Barriga lost to Burnett in the quarterfinals because of penalty points. “We should raise this concern before the AIBA,” he said. “I hate to make excuses when we lose but in Barriga’s case, it’s no excuse but a valid issue to question. Burnett didn’t score a single scoring punch in the last round and won because of penalty points. I wonder if his conscience is bothering him.”
Gregorio paid tribute to ABAP chairman Manny V. Pangilinan, ABAP president Ricky Vargas and ABAP vice president Manny Lopez for their unconditional support of the national boxing program. He also thanked PLDT and Philippine Sports Commission chairman Harry Angping for their backing.
The Baku delegation’s 3-5 win-loss record matched what the national team posted in the same tournament in Guadalajara two years ago. But the Baku conclave was much more competitive, bringing in 466 fighters from over 100 countries.