Marcial eyed to head Phl pugs to Youth Games

MANILA, Philippines - The Amateur Boxing Association of the Philippines has started identifying prospects for the national pool it will train for the second Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing, China in 2014.

ABAP secretary-general Patrick Gregorio said world juniors champion Eumir Felix Marcial looms as the top candidate to make it to the elite roster of the Phl team seeing action in the quadrennial event for athletes 18 years old and below.

“Junior world champ Eumir Marcial is a prime candidate,” Gregorio told The STAR yesterday.

The 15-year-old Marcial beat Turkey’s Cengiz Onat to win the light bantamweight gold in the AIBA Junior World Boxing Championship last July in Astana, Kazakhstan, the first Filipino to win in the prestigious tournament.

ABAP executive director Ed Picson said they are also considering the top performers in the recent national finals of the Batang Pinoy national finals.

“The boxers who performed well in the Batang Pinoy in Naga City will definitely be candidates for YOG slots,” said Picson.

The Jalnaiz brothers – Roberto Miguel and Rafael, sons of former two-time Olympian Roberto – made quite an impression in Batang Pinoy and could well be considered for spots in the national pool.

Roberto Miguel, 14, topped the paperweight division while Rafael, 13, took the minimumweight crown.

Roberto Miguel used his height and reach advantage to overwhelm a smaller Cebu pug Hipolito Banal Jr., younger brother of former WBO Asia Pacific Youth super flyweight titlist AJ “Bazooka,” with a 9-1 win while Rafael scored a second round stoppage of Tayabas’ EJ Nares.

“The Jalnaiz brothers are doing great too because of the good boxing program put up by Misamis Oriental Gov. Oscar Moreno,” said Gregorio.

Other boxing winners were light pinweight Junrel Jimenez of Cebu, Kit Ceron Garces of Talisay (mosquito weight), Mario Bautista of Himamaylan (light paperweight), Jessie Diaz of Tayabas (lightfly) and Angelou Plania of General Santos (flyweight).