Barriga to join AIBA pro ranks

MANILA, Philippines - London Olympian Mark Anthony Barriga is set to join the AIBA Professional Boxing (APB) program in June but the 19-year-old lightflyweight fighter retains his eligibility to compete for the Philippines at the Rio de Janeiro Games in 2016 if he qualifies.

AIBA president Dr. Wu Ching-Kuo has assured APB fighters they will not lose their Olympic eligibility despite turning pro. The APB is AIBA’s next step to embrace the pro system after the international governing body launched the World Series of Boxing (WSB), a team-oriented pro league now on its third season. Dr. Wu said once a fighter signs up with the APB, he will be legally restrained from competing in bouts sanctioned by organizations like the WBC, WBA, IBF or WBO.

“If you look at the Olympic program, boxing is one of the very ancient ones but I think we are probably the only sport without professionals,” said Dr. Wu, quoted by Boxing News. “I made very clear my vision that AIBA should be the body to govern the sport of boxing in all its forms. The boxers enter junior, youth then the elite up to Olympic boxing. They achieve a very high level then what is the next step? We have to think they cannot go into professional without the proper protection. This is why we created the WSB. With the APB, they are inside the AIBA family.”

ABAP executive director Ed Picson yesterday confirmed Barriga’s decision to join the APB. “We are awaiting advice on where Mark will compete in the APB preseason competition from June to July,” said Picson. “He is guaranteed to fight twice in the preseason. The regular season will begin in September and the first cycle ends in December. Mark will again be assured of at least two fights in the regular season.”

Purses in the APB are dependent on fight results. In the preseason, a Tier 1 fighter who wins two bouts will take home the equivalent of P350,000 while a Tier 2 fighter who loses twice will receive a total of P160,000.

According to APB rules, fighters are classified in three tiers of four contenders each. A ranking system will determine the tier within which a fighter competes under the principle of the higher the tier, the higher the purses. In the regular season, a world champion will earn at least P850,000. The purses will escalate every year and in 2015, the APB intends to increase the world title prize by 50 percent.

Since the APB will stage championship fights at the continental and world levels, Picson said contenders like Barriga will no longer be allowed to participate in regional competitions such as the Southeast Asian Games. However, he will still be eligible to fight at the Asian Games. To compensate the national federation for training expenses, the APB will remit an amount equivalent to 30 percent of Barriga’s purses to the ABAP. The sum will not be deducted from Barriga’s purses and will come directly from the APB coffers.

The APB will cover the travel expenses for Barriga and coach Ronald Chavez. It is expected the ABAP will provide a monthly salary for Barriga and Chavez. Picson said the salary is in the form of their monthly allowances from the PSC.

Barriga impressed AIBA officials with his performance at the 2011 World Championships where he beat Romania’s Stefan Caslarov, 12-5, and Ireland’s Paddy Barnes, 20-12, before losing to China’s superstar Zuo Shiming, 12-5. At the London Olympics, the Panabo, Davao del Norte fighter repulsed Italy’s Manuel Cappai, 17-7, and dropped a highly disputed 17-16 verdict to Kazakhstan’s Birzhan Zhakypov.

Picson said the ABAP is committed to support AIBA’s professional initiatives through the WSB and APB. In the WSB, Filipino lightweight Charly Suarez is campaigning with Italy this season. The previous season, Suarez was with the India team. The WSB sets a limit of five rounds from the team competitions and seven for the individual championships. APB bouts will be for eight, 10 and 12 rounds. No headgear is used and the 10-point must-system of scoring applied in both the WSB and APB.

In the next Olympics, Dr. Wu said there will be an allocation for 70 APB and 30 WSB qualifiers. The age limit for Olympic boxing has been extended from 34 to 40.

Picson said the ABAP has registered a change of name with the Securities and Exchange Commission to reflect AIBA’s move towards professionalism. AIBA itself has been renamed International Boxing Association from the International Amateur Boxing Association. ABAP was formerly the Amateur Boxing Association of the Philippines – now it is called the Association of Boxing Alliances of the Philippines.