Boxing superstar Manny Pacquiao is a national hero in the Philippines because of his success in the international boxing arena. He’s the latest in a long line of champion boxers produced by the Philippines, going back to world flyweight champ Francisco “Pancho Villa” Guilledo in the 1920s.
Earlier this month, the University of San Francisco hosted a group of Filipino boxers who hope to uphold that legacy — the Philippine Olympic boxing team, which is training for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.
This week on Pinoy Pod, we talk to Angelo Merino, who as head coach of USF’s club boxing team helped set up the first ever International Boxing Invitational pitting the Philippine fighters in exhibition matches with an all-star team of boxers from the Hilltop and other colleges in Northern California and Nevada.
Merino and The Chronicle’s Benny Evangelista discuss how the event came about, the legacy of Filipino boxers, Pacquiao’s influence on aspiring young boxers and whether the sport can regain some of its flagging popularity.
Also, we hear from Pat Gaspi, head coach of the Philippine national team.
