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Philippines, 06 Feb 2026 |
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GAB CHAIRMAN GUANZON SPEAKS ON BARRIGA AND SUAREZ ISSUE PhilBoxing.com Mon, 02 Mar 2015  Guanzon. There has been questions going on whether outstanding Filipino amateurs Mark Anthony Barriga and Charly Suarez, who now fights in the AIBA sponsored boxing tournaments, are to be considered professionals. Below is Games and Amusements Board (GAB) Chairman Juan Ramon Guanzon's stand on the matter. -- Ed. GAB CHAIRMAN GUANZON SPEAKS: GAB never threatened to go to court and seek a hold order on fighters Barriga and Suarez. When ABAP Executive Director [Edgardo] Piczon asked what does GAB intend to do if ABAP boxers who participate in AIBA Pro Boxing Tournament do not get license from GAB. I just gave him an honest answer, i told him that since there are no APB tournament scheduled in the Philippines but only outside, we can only inform DOJ and BOI that Pro boxers Barriga and Suarez will be fighting in a professional tournament outside the country without professional licenses and are therefore violating a law. There are several factors that led GAB to declare Barriga and Suarez as Professional Boxers: 1) They have fought at least 6rounds and even up to 12 Rounds. 2) They will not be protected by head gears during the fights. 3) The scoring system is the professional system 4) They have lucrative 5 year contracts with AIBA. 5) And contrary to claims by executive Director Piczon that they have no promoters and managers, GAB believes otherwise, AIBA is the promoter because it wil make money out of the APB tournament. ABAP is the manager because it decides where and when the boxers will fight, and they get a certain percentage (20%) out of the boxers gross earnings. I have several questions which Executive Director Piczon has failed to answer in the 2 dialogues that I had with him: 1) If his position is that the 2 Pro boxers are not under the GAB jurisdiction because they have not applied for a Pro Boxing License, does he think that all existing pro boxers can avoid regulation and supervision by GAB if they dont apply for professional licenses? Because if that is the view we take, I believe no new aspiring pro boxer will apply for licenses and no one will re?ew their licenses at the start of each year. 2) The format of the APB Tournament is spread over an undisclosed period of time wherein you only make the weight, and fight 6-12 rounds once then go home and rest for several weeks. In the ASEAN, ASIAN and olympic tournaments the boxers will have to make the weight everytime they fight for 3 rounds in a 2 week long tournament. Does ABAP even know the preparation and training for these different formats are also different? 3) Barriga has fought for an Italian team and Suarez has fought for Mumbay and Italy in the APB Tournament. Is that even proper given the fact that they are Filipino Athletes and infact receiving monthly allowances from the Philippine Government? 4) APB is open to all pro boxers with less than 20 fights. But according to AIBA and ABAP, Pacquiao and Klitzcho are qualified and are therefore exceptions. What rule exempted these 2 future hall of fame boxers? Or does AIBA even have written and published rules for exemptions? 5) Incidentally, Executive Director Ed Piczon claims that AIBA PRO boxing Tournament is not a professional boxing tournament. I told him that all my life in sports I always believe that "PRO" in the context of sports, is a shortcut for professional. He claims that it is not professional and at the same time, it is not amateur, then what is it? Furthermore, why did ABAP drop the word "amateur" from the Amateur Boxing Association of the Philippines and changed it to Association of Boxing Alliances of the Philippines. The bottomline for GAB is that we have declared these boxers to be Pro boxers and have done everything within our legal mandate. If the rest of the country and most especially the DOJ and BOI believe otherwise, at least GAB is free from culpability just in case anything unpleasant happens as a result of the ABAP refusal to have their pro boxers regulated and supervised like the rest of all professional athletes especially the pro boxers. Chairman Guanzon  |
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