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ONE of
the top boxing patrons in the country called for the
head of the Amateur Boxing Association of the
Philippines (Abap) to step down.
In the
aftermath of the country’s utterly disappointing
finishes in two Olympic qualifiers, Manny Piñol said it
is time for changes in local amateur boxing and it
should start with Manny Lopez.
“It is
time for [Lopez] to throw in the towel,” Piñol said in a
radio interview Wednesday morning.
Only
Harry Tañamor is going to the Beijing Olympics after a
crack team of five Filipinos including Asian champion
Joan Tipon came up empty-handed in a recent qualifying
tournament in
Kazakhstan.
It was
another sorry result by the Filipinos, following a
similar zero-for-five performance in the Thailand
qualifiers last January.
The
Philippines hasn’t sent a single-boxer entry to the
Olympics in 40 years.
“Through
the years [under Lopez’s leadership] they’ve always
blamed officiating, or that their boxers weren’t lucky,”
Piñol added, “but they can’t point fingers at other
factors every time they fall short.”
Piñol
noted the timing of the hiring of two Cuban coaches
(“It’s a bit late for the Olympics.”); the Abap top
brass’s misconception of outsider suggestion (“They
always think somebody’s out to get their positions.”);
and a shallow amateur pool (“They don’t want to gamble
on the young guns.”) as some of the reasons for the
country’s subpar showing lately.
Stressing the need to cultivate new talent, Piñol said
he would like to see the talent wheel spin more
actively.
“After
the Olympics, whether you’re good or not, you should
move out unless you’re really exceptional,” Piñol said.
“If
you’re so-so, you must give others a chance to bloom,”
the former sports scribe and current vice governor of
North Cotabato continued.
Since
the World Championships in late 2007 in Chicago, the
Abap has sent 10 boxers in the hopes of cracking
multiple slots to Beijing. Nine of those hopefuls
failed, leaving only light-flyweight Tañamor flying to
the Olympics in August.
Not even
appearances in all three available qualifiers held in
Chicago, Thailand and Kazakhstan could help two
boxers—Joan Tipon and Genebert Basadre—crack the Olympic
team.
While he
lauded Tañamor’s Olympic berth, Piñol said he would have
stricken Tañamor off his roster for the Beijing Games.
“It’s
good that [Tañamor] qualified but if I was running the
program, I would’ve scouted for young boxers instead and
let him go as early as after the Athens Olympics.”
Meanwhile, Philippine Sports Commission chairman William
Ramirez figured the solitary entry in boxing could be a
blessing in disguise.
“The way
I look at it, Abap will now focus more on [Tañamor’s]
training,” Ramirez said.
“With a
very good exposure and preparation, he may be the only
one left, but he may be the sure winner,” Ramirez added. |
