ABAP in full swing

It’s back to the battlefield for ABAP as a five-strong team will represent the country at the U19 World Boxing Championships over 10 weight categories for men and women in the Pueblo Convention Center, Colorado, on Oct. 25-Nov. 2 after which ABAP chairman Ricky Vargas and secretary-general Marcus Manalo will attend the World Boxing Congress in Colorado Springs on Nov. 3.

The ABAP team is made up of Nick Anjelo Payla (50kg), Jerome Lopez (55kg) and John Steven Demaisip (60kg) for men and Xian Baguhin (51kg) and Clowe Tabastabas (57kg) for women. Manalo said after the U19 World Championships, ABAP will send a team to compete at the ASBC Asian Elite Boxing Championships in Amman, Jordan, on Nov. 30-Dec. 12. The lineup is still to be finalized.

ABAP participated in the first World Boxing event in Asia last Sept. 23-26 in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. World Boxing is gaining ground as a globally-recognized international federation and once accredited by IOC, will spearhead efforts to reinstate the sport in the Olympic calendar for Los Angeles in 2028. Vargas was elected as a World Boxing Executive Board member last year.

In Mongolia, the Philippines was represented by Aaron Jude Bado (51kg), Ian Clark Bautista (57kg), Mark Ashley Fajardo (63.5kg) and Tyler Tanap (71kg) for men and Ofelia Magno (50kg) and Riza Pasuit (60kg) for women. Bado defeated Germany’s Miles Okay via a 4-1 split decision in his first bout then scored a split 3-2 technical verdict over Italy’s Alessio Camialo after the quarterfinal match was halted with a minute left in the opening frame due to a cut on his right eyebrow inflicted by an accidental headbutt. Bado was ruled unfit to fight in the semifinals and settled for the bronze.

Bado’s teammates failed to book a single win as Bautista lost a split 4-1 decision to Mongolia’s Ganbold Dobjnyambuu, Fajado was blanked, 5-0, by Japan’s Shion Nishiyama, Magno bowed to Mongolia’s Nomin Erdene Battsetseg on a 4-1 split verdict, Pasuit dropped a 4-1 split judgment to Mongolia’s Namuun Monkhor and Tanap was swept, 5-0, by Mongolia’s Byamba Erdene Otgonbaatar. Host Mongolia topped the medal standings with four gold, four silver and 13 bronze. The tournament was held over seven men’s and six women’s weight classes and featured 170 boxers from Mongolia, Philippines, Japan, China, Germany, Italy, Australia, UK, South Korea, Wales, Peru and Singapore.