THE Amateur Boxing Association of the Philippines will keep its top guns out of this year’s Southeast Asian Games so it could concentrate on their bid to qualify to the 2012 London Olympics.
“It’s very important to surpass or even equal our achievements in the Laos SEA Games. But we’re more focused on the Olympics,” said ABAP president Ricky Vargas in last week’s Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) Forum at Shakey’s UN Avenue.
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 edition 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 Albania (flyweight) in the women’s side.
Rey Saludar, a product of Brgy.Una Boxing Program in Panabo City, won the flyweight gold and his younger brother the light-fly silver medal in the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou.
Vargas said as much as the Philippines wanted to keep its flag hoisted in the SEA Games, the bigger goal up ahead is the Olympics, and the hope that the country finally wins the elusive gold medal.
“We’re focused on that,” said Vargas, who was joined in the forum also sponsored by Pagcor, Shakey’s 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 not saying the SEA Games is not important but we may bring in new boxers or first-timers there to see and test their mettle,” he added. [PR]
“We will focus on 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. [PR]
