Philippines, 12 Jul 2025
  Home >> News

 


BOXERS

CURRENT CHAMPIONS 

FORMER CHAMPIONS   

RATINGS                       

NEWS           

FORUM        

FIGHT GALLERIES        

RING CARD GIRLS        


 
 
News  


Olympic Boxing Final World Qualifier Quandaries


PhilBoxing.com




The hope of the Philippines to advance more boxers in the rescheduled 2020 Tokyo Olympics through the final world qualifier tournament, originally set last May in Paris, France but suspended and yet to be decided on, has hit a snag.

There are still no official word from the IOC Task Force which has been created to handle Olympic boxing in lieu of the discredited AIBA when the final qualifier will be held or if it will still be held at all.

Two options are being evaluated at the moment for that final world qualifier tournament. One is to push through with the world final qualifiers after the conclusion of the European and Americas zone tournaments. And the other is to just dispense with it and automatically seed select fighters who nearly missed the cut in the zonal tournaments and from "under-represented countries".

But also casualties of the pandemic are the zone qualifiers for Europe and the Americas originally set starting second half of March in London and Bogota, Colombia respectively. These will be rescheduled though as they are integral to the process. The organizers in London are in fact looking at moving the European zone tournament to the outskirts of Paris.

The Asia-Oceania and the African zones have managed to stage and complete their qualifying tournaments before the pandemic caused a halt and suspension of all sports activities across the globe.

The Philippines through the ABAP has qualified two fighters for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in Eumir Felix Marcial who topped the men's middleweight division and Irish Magno who managed to earn a spot by winning in the box off for the last two of the six slots allotted for the zone in the women's featherweight class in the last Asia-Ocania qualifying tournament held last March in Amman, Jordan.

This has equaled the feat achieved in the last Rio Olympics where ABAP also managed to advance two fighters, flyweight Rogen Ladon and lightweight Charly Suarez through the qualifiers.

ABAP is hoping to advance Nesthy Petecio, Carlo Paalam and three others of their teammates who fell short in their bids in Amman through the final world qualifiers.

Petecio, the 2019 world championship winner and the 2019 Manila SEA Games gold medalist in the women's featherweight class was the tournament top seed in Jordan. But she faltered losing to Japan's Sena Irie, the same fighter she beat in the semis of last year's worlds, in the Amman zonal quarterfinals, 4-1.

Meanwhile Paalam who also won the SEA Games gold in the men's flyweight, dropped two consecutive heart breaking decisions to Indian ace Amit Panghal in the quarterfinals and to Uzbekistan's Saken Bibossinov in the box off and went home empty handed.

Featherweight Ian Clark Bautista lost to familiar Thai tormentor Chatchai Decha Butdee, women's lightweight Riza Pasuit was out of her depth against six time world champion Mary Kom of India and James Palicte had the misfortune of being pitted very early in the tournament to eventual topnotcher Elnur Abdulraimov of Uzbekistan.

India, with nine, topped the list from Asia but Japan, Taiwan and Thailand have advanced more boxers than the Philippines.

Given the fluidity of the final world qualifier situation, perhaps the ABAP could buttress our chances by inviting Charly Suarez to rejoin the national team if and when that tournament becomes a certainty.

Suarez was at the last Olympics in 2016 Brazil and won his third straight gold medal in the last 2019 Manila SEA Games. Though already a pro, there is no prohibition for Suarez to fight again in the amateurs, including in the Olympics.

The author Teodoro Medina Reynoso is a veteran boxing radio talk show host living in the Philippines. He can be reached at teddyreynoso@yahoo.com and by phone 09215309477.


Click here to view a list of other articles written by Teodoro Medina Reynoso.


Recent PhilBoxing.com In-House articles:

  • Taylor vs. Serrano Trilogy: Can Amanda Get The Nod?
    By Chris Carlson, , Sat, 12 Jul 2025
  • BERLANGA-SHEERAZ, STEVENSON-CEPEDA, MORELL-KHATAEV MAKE WEIGHT IN NEW YORK
    By Dong Secuya, , Sat, 12 Jul 2025
  • Johnny Spell Takes on Chancellor Batttenberg on Saturday, July 19th at the Hollywood Casino at the Meadows in Washington, PA
    , Sat, 12 Jul 2025
  • JV Tuazon, Ador Torres, Lemuel De Barbo, Jomar Fajardo Make Weight for Brico Santig's Highland Show in Thailand
    By Carlos Costa, , Fri, 11 Jul 2025
  • Philippine Under-12 Girls Team Shines Bright, Clinches Multiple Medals at 23rd ASEAN+ Age Group Chess Championships in Penang
    By Marlon Bernardino, , Fri, 11 Jul 2025
  • Kenneth “Llover Boy” Takes on “El Nica” Concepcion Aug 17 on Gerry Peñalosa’s Show @ the Winford Resort and Casino Manila (Analysis)
    By Carlos Costa, , Fri, 11 Jul 2025
  • Undefeated junior middleweight prospect Anthony Velazquez won’t be Boxing’s best kept secret in 2026
    , Fri, 11 Jul 2025
  • Undefeated Gabriela Tellez Returns July 18 at “Night of Champions” Live on DAZN
    , Fri, 11 Jul 2025
  • Dushanbe hosts stacked fight card with Bakhodur Usmonov and Christopher Mouafo headlining IBA.Pro 8
    , Fri, 11 Jul 2025
  • Shakur vs Zepeda & Morrell vs Khataev Fight Analysis
    By Ralph Rimpell, , Thu, 10 Jul 2025
  • Peñalosa To Test "Lover Boy" Llover Versus Accomplished Panamanian Veteran Concepcion
    By Teodoro Medina Reynoso, , Thu, 10 Jul 2025
  • USA Boxing Youth High Performance Team Begins Brandenburg Cup Prep Camp
    , Thu, 10 Jul 2025
  • Dream Fight: “Bam” Rodriguez vs “Puma” Martinez on the Horizon
    By Carlos Costa, , Thu, 10 Jul 2025
  • Perez vs Vivas Headlines All Star Boxing's Prueba de Fuego Card on July 25
    , Thu, 10 Jul 2025
  • Christy Martin Promotions & Ringside Ticket Inc. Present ‘Lopez Vs. Vargas’ Welterweight Battle
    , Thu, 10 Jul 2025
  • Vegas Fight Experience Where Authentic Sparring Meets Cinematic Vegas Energy
    , Thu, 10 Jul 2025
  • 4 Division World Champion & Hall of Famer Erik Morales Confirmed for Eighth Annual Box Fan Expo, During Mexican Independence Day Weekend, Saturday September 13, in Las Vegas
    , Thu, 10 Jul 2025
  • SALITA PROMOTIONS SIGNS FORMER WORLD CHAMPION TONY HARRISON
    , Thu, 10 Jul 2025
  • FIGHT EMPIRE! TUAZON, ADOR, DE BARBO, JOMAR, AND MORE ARE READY FOR ACTION IN BRICO SANTIG'S EXCITING SHOW JULY 12 IN THAILAND
    By Carlos Costa, , Wed, 09 Jul 2025
  • Shakur Stevenson and David Morrell Face "Crossroad Fights" This Saturday in Queens
    By Ralph Rimpell, , Wed, 09 Jul 2025
  • Christy Martin’s “Mayhem in Music City 2” to Feature Undefeated Vic Hernandez Facing Jayvon Garnett for NABA & Jr. NABF Featherweight Championships
    , Wed, 09 Jul 2025
  • James Perkins & Anthony Andreozzi Headlines “Oceanside Prize Fights”
    , Wed, 09 Jul 2025
  • GORST PURSUES GOLDEN GLORY IN JEDDAH, DEFENDING WORLD POOL CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE IN SAUDI ARABIA, 21–26 JULY
    , Wed, 09 Jul 2025
  • Hovhannisyan and Barrientes Set for High-Stakes Showdowns July 18 on DAZN
    , Tue, 08 Jul 2025
  • UNBEATEN PROSPECT KENNETH LLOVER TO FACE FORMER TWO-DIVISION CHAMPION LUIS CONCEPCION IN MANILA
    , Mon, 07 Jul 2025




  •  



     
    PhilBoxing.com has been created to support every aspiring
    Filipino boxer and the Philippine boxing scene in general.
    Please send comments to feedback@philboxing.com


    PRIVATE POLICY | LEGAL DISCLAIMER
    developed and maintained by dong secuya
    © 2025 philboxing.com.