MANILA, Philippines - ABAP executive director Ed Picson said yesterday the adjustment to fight in unfamiliar divisions should be no problem for Charly Suarez and Eumir Marcial who were forced to move up in weight because SEA Games organizers reduced the boxing events from 11 in Singapore two years ago to six.
Suarez fought as a lightweight in the Rio Olympics last year but will campaign as a lightwelterweight in the SEA Games while Marcial, who took the welterweight gold in Singapore, will see action as a middleweight. Officials of the SEA Games struck out the lightweight and welterweight divisions in men’s boxing and the entire women’s program. A surprise addition was the lightheavyweight category. Two years ago, all 10 Filipino fighters, male and female, brought back medals from Singapore, in a haul of five gold, three silver and two bronze medals.
Aside from Suarez and Marcial, the other Filipino boxers in the SEA Games are lightflyweight Carlo Paalam, flyweight Ian Clark Bautista, bantamweight Mario Fernandez and lightheavyweight John Marvin. Bautista, 22, and Fernandez, 24, are back for a repeat in the same divisions where they hit paydirt in Singapore. Paalam, 19, and Marvin, 24, are SEA Games rookies. Suarez, 29, won gold in the 2009 SEA Games as a featherweight and in the 2011 SEA Games as a lightweight. Marcial, 21, was one of five Filipino gold medalists in Singapore.
“It’s hard to predict how many medals we’ll bring back,” said Picson. “But let’s put it this way, we wouldn’t be sending our boxers to Malaysia if we didn’t think they could win the gold. Three of our boxers are defending SEA Games champions – Ian, Mario and Eumir. Charly is an Olympian and Carlo won the President Cup gold in Kazakhstan this year. John is a two-time UK Armed Forces champion. It’s a solid lineup and we’re confident of our chances.”
Picson said as usual, he expects Thailand to be the biggest stumbling block. “The Thais told us they’ll be happy with two golds, that they’re looking to the future and bringing newcomers to Malaysia in a fresh start,” he said. “But the Thais are wily. I’m sure they’re out for more than two golds. I know they’ve got a deep pool with about 100 kids in training camp in Korat.”
Picson said he’s not worried about Suarez and Marcial scaling up. “Charly started as a flyweight and he’s gradually moved up to featherweight and lightweight,” he said. “Now that he’s fighting as a lightwelterweight, I think it’s a natural progression. He’s very confident. I think his disadvantage is height. He’ll be fighting bigger opponents in his new division. As for Eumir, height and weight won’t be a problem. He started out at 52. He won the gold at 69 two years ago. Now at 75, it shouldn’t be a problem for Eumir who’s 5-9.”
Marcial qualified as a welterweight for the AIBA World Championships in Hamburg on Aug. 25-Sept. 3 but ABAP decided to send him to the SEA Games instead. The Philippines will be represented in Hamburg by lightflyweight Rogen Ladon and flyweight Daniel Maamo.
The boxing competition in the SEA Games will be staged over four days at the MATRADE Exhibition and Convention Center in Segambut, a constituency in Kuala Lumpur, starting tomorrow. The finals in the six divisions are scheduled on Thursday, Aug. 24.
Picson said striking out the women’s program was the organizers’ prerogative since Malaysia isn’t competitive in that department. But it meant a cutback in the Philippines’ medal hopes as in Singapore two years ago, the country bagged a gold, two silvers and a bronze in women’s boxing.
Paalam could be the boxing team’s surprise package. The San Isidro, Bukidnon, high school graduate claimed the gold at the Batang Pinoy Championships in Bacolod in 2013, the PLDT-ABAP National Championships in Digos in 2014 and the PNG in Lingayen in 2016. He was a bronze medalist at the ASBC Youth Championships in Kazakhstan and the AIBA World Youth Championships in St. Petersburg last year. Paalam is the only teener in the six-man team.