You have to keep fighting.
That is the philosophy of Association of Boxing Alliances of the Philippines (ABAP) executive director Ed Picson, when asked about once again going for a breakthrough gold medal win for the country?s first Olympic gold medal in the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games this year. Picson credits the tireless determination of his bosses, ABAP chair Manny V. Pangilinan and ABAP president Ricky Vargas, for continually pushing him, the coaches and boxers in their quest for an Olympic gold. So far, light flyweight Rogen Ladon and lightweight Charly Suarez have already qualified. But as Picson relates, Vargas then upped the ante, challenging Picson to deliver two more qualifiers and give the Philippines a better chance at going all the way.
In January of 2009, Picson received an invitation from Pangilinan and Vargas through PLDT executive (and now former PBA chairman) Pato Gregorio to join them as they made their first rounds of boxing facilities of the country as ABAP?s new top officers. Picson joined them, and the group was pleasantly surprised that he knew many of the coaches and boxers, and spoke Cebuano, Waray and a smattering of Ilonggo. (The great majority of amateur boxers come from the Visayas and Mindanao.) Soon after, while producing the TV coverage of the ABAP national championships in Bacolod, Picson received an offer. Ed, a boxing fan since the 1960?s and a broadcaster of the sport since the 1980?s, was initially interested in doing public relations for the boxing body, but was offered the position of executive director, instead.
?I said I?d never worked behind a desk in my life,? laughs Picson, recalling the moment, ?It was always before a microphone or a camera. So I said, I don?t think so.?
But after a visit to the ABAP training facility in Baguio, and some prodding from Vargas and Gregorio, and a vote of confidence from Pangilinan himself, Picson consulted his family, and took the job, thinking he would give it a try until the 2012 Olympics. Ed felt that the easiest but a very important first step was to make sure the boxers had the proper training equipment, shoes and even competition uniforms. In the 2007 World Championships in Chicago, the boxers all had different jackets and ill-fitting shorts which not only lowered their confidence, but even hampered their performance in the ring.
From there, the new ABAP leadership conducted a performance audit among the coaches and boxers, to release those who were not improving or were unworthy of having a spot in the national pool. In a surprising move, Picson reviewed the accomplishments of the team?s two Cuban coaches, and did not renew them. Picson asked for a chance to do things his way, and they parted amicably. So far, the Filipino coaches have been delivering results in the Asian Games and Olympic qualifiers without foreign coaches? help. Dean’s Corner ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1
?I told the Filipino coaches that this was a challenge for them,? Picson elaborates. ?I?m no boxing technician, but I?ve seen enough bouts in my life to appreciate what?s happening, and I saw a big change when they took over. I also slowly started culling from the ranks. There were some boxers we wanted to help because they had nowhere else to go, but not at the expense of the national team. It was part of the job. And I was being questioned because everyone else had foreign coaches.?
At the London Olympics, Picson met Brit Kevin Smith, who was coaching Nigeria?s boxing team. Smith held various academic degrees in sports science, engineering and others, and was easy to get along with. Smith joined the Philippine team, and helped not only with the training, but joined forces with the coaches in building homemade equipment that further boosted the boxers? preparedness. Smith was also a great teacher, but after a year, took an offer to coach Australia.
ABAP also found a way to upgrade Filipino referees and judges, accrediting an initial batch through AIBA?s help four years ago. Twelve referee-judges received a one-star rating. Now, the country has three three-star referee-judges, and representation in the upper echelons of AIBA itself. Picson?s wife Karina is on the AIBA Women?s Commission, and is an accredited fight supervisor. ABAP is waiting for the appointment of Filipino referees to the Rio Games.
What the vast majority do not see is all the hard work that goes on for years behind the scenes. Vargas and Picson attend all the international gatherings of AIBA, sometimes just overnight trips to other continents. Ed spends weeks on end with the boxers in remote, culturally opposite places where the food is sometimes just horsemeat and some unidentifiable soup, stew or goulash, and where nobody speaks English. The team often brings its own canned food and medicines to protect the boxers? digestion. And unlike other national sports associations where travel can be exciting, in boxing there is almost never a chance to explore. The team has their meals together, trains, sleeps, then fights, period. Even local television programming is in Russian or some other language unintelligible to Filipinos.
?There?s really no opportunity for sight-seeing,? reveals Picson, who also covered the PBA Games until he began running ABAP?s programs. ?We go to some very isolated places, mostly former Soviet countries because they?re the ones who spend on these events. And the boxers would rather sleep. Sometimes, they have a rest day, but it?s usually after the quarters or before the finals, so they?d stay in. Many times, we also leave early the morning after.?
This year, AIBA completes its rule changes, save for the number of rounds and some other institutionalized regulations. The reasoning is to take care of the boxers from the start to end of their careers, since the path to professional boxing is the natural path for a boxer. Picson cites the case of 2012 Olympian light flyweight Mark Barriga, who suddenly decided to turn pro, laying to waste years invested in him by ABAP. The new policies being drafted by AIBA would prevent national federations from losing prized pugs, but instead be able to help guide their careers even when they turn pro. And to give money is not the motivator, AIBA will not deduct from their future prizefighters? purses, but instead, receive a separate 15 percent fee, while still paying for the boxers? travel and other expenses. In effect, the national federation serves as the boxers? manager.
?We?ve seen what happens to most of the amateurs who turn pro, which means, nothing,? Picson explains. ?They?ve developed several graduated programs for the boxers from Olympic-style to team events to the AIBA Pro Boxing, which is almost exactly like professional boxing as we know it. AIBA thinks we can take better care of the boxers.?
As for the invitation to pro boxers, and the possibility that incoming senator Manny Pacquiao follows through on his expressed interest to represent the country as an AIBA wild card entry into the Olympic Games, some analysts have their doubts, because of both Pacquiao?s schedule, and the challenge of maintaining weight for the two weeks of the Olympic tournament, something pro boxers are no longer used to. But Ed is a bit more optimistic.
?Manny?s said he?s interested. He can fight at 140 (pounds),? says Picson, who covered Pacquiao?s earlier world title fights. ?And then there?s the intimidation factor. Imagine getting into the ring against him.?
But whatever happens, ABAP?s leadership will not rest until the country can proudly boast of a gold medal, and hear the ?Lupang Hinirang? played on the Olympic stage.
