MikeLigalig.com

Five Philippine boxers will be leaving from Havana heading straight to the World Boxing Championship in Milan this Friday.

The rest of the team will return to Manila for further training in preparation for the Laos Southeast Asian Games in December.

Amateur Boxing Association of the Philippines executive director Ed Picson, said another trip is under negotiation with the Philippine Sports Commission to include women boxers for China.

Bandrolled by PSC chairman Harry Angping and PLDT-Smart top honcho Manny V. Pangilinan, also the ABAP head, the national boxers, supervised by head coach Pat Gaspi and Cuban consultants Enrique Steyners and Dagoberto Scott, have gone toe-to-toe with top-rate Cuban and Venezuelan fighters right after they arrived.         

Leaving Manila in two batches via Singapore and Paris last Aug. 7, the Filipinos, flew in after more than 36 hours in transit, and had a Sunday off spent hearing mass at the old Virgen de la Merced Church in Havana Vieja and a having sumptuous Cuban lunch at Cojimar District, where the famous writer Ernest Hemingway was said to have spent many days enjoying the nearby beach.

The following day, Olympian Harry Tanamor, Joan Tipon, Genebest Basadre, Joegin Ladon, Charly Suarez, Rey Saludar, Aston Palicte, Jameboy Vicera and Gerson Nietes buckled down to work at the Bolleros gym, a rundown district with no electricity, poor ventilation and dilapidated facilities.

The Cuban national team trains there daily under the watchful eyes of their experienced coaches, led by acting head coach Honorato Espinosa, who was once worked with North Cotabato Vice Gov. Manny Pinol on his boxing program.

Raul Fernandez Liranza, another Cuban coach who spent time with the RP team, also welcomed the national boxers on their arrival. Liranza holds class at the University of Sports and has also returned to be part of the Cuban coaching staff, Picson said. - the Bohol Chronicle

Linkback: https://tubagbohol.mikeligalig.com/index.php?topic=21867.0