New faces to banner SEAG bid

MANILA, Philippines - Don’t expect to see the country’s top amateur boxers vying in this year’s Southeast Asian Games in Indonesia.

Instead, it will be the new faces, the younger ones, those out to make a name for themselves, who will try to win the gold for the Philippines.

“Hopefully we will see new faces in the SEA Games,” Amateur Boxing Association of the Philippines president Ricky Vargas told yesterday’s PSA Forum at Shakey’s along UN Avenue.

The reason, the ABAP chief said, is that they want the country’s finest boxers to focus on qualifying to the 2012 London Olympics, and maybe hand the Philippines the elusive gold. 

“We’re focused on that,” said Vargas, who was joined in the forum also sponsored by Pagcor, Accel and Outlast Battery by ABAP secretary-general Pato Gregorio, executive director Ed Picson and coach Pat Gaspi.

“The goal is to qualify as many boxers as we can so we can enhance our chances of winning our first gold. I’m now saying the SEA Games is not important but we may bring in new boxers or first timers to see and test their mettle,” he added.

Vargas said the Olympics is the greater goal.

“What does it profit us if we win a gold in the SEA Games if after that we do not qualify a single boxer to the Olympics? We want to qualify as many boxers to the Olympics,” the ABAP chief said.

The Philippines won five gold, one silver and three bronze medals in the 2009 SEA Games, a very big jump from the boycott-marred 2007 SEAG in Thailand where the FIlipinos won a single gold courtesy of Annie Albania.

The gold winners in Laos were pinweight Bill Vicera and featherweight Charly Suarez in the men’s side, and pinweight Josie Gabuco, lightfly Alice Aparri and flyweight Annie Albania in the women’s side.

Rey Saludar won the flyweight gold and his younger brother the lightfly silver medal in the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou.

Picson said the Philippines hopes to qualify seven boxers to the Olympics.

“If we can send seven boxers then we’ll be happy,” said Picson, adding that ABAP will send two groups of boxers for training in Mongolia and Australia, leading to a box-off and the selection of the best team.

Then they will compete in the first Olympic qualifier for Asians in Azerbaijan in September, and then in Kazakhstan next year. All quarterfinalists in Azerbaijan will earn Olympic slots while only the gold and silver medalists in Kazakhstan will make it.