MANNY Pacquiao, the eight-time champion boxer elected to the Senate last May on the promise that he would devote his full time to his new job, broke that promise when he suited up for the PBA.
Now, the ambitous politician wants to be the president, not of the Republic of the Philippines, thankfully, but of Abap, the governing body for amateur (is there still a distinction) boxing in the Philippines.
But unlike his other part-time jobs, this one is something I can throw my hat into.
Amateur boxing is evolving, and while its experiment of inviting pros in the Rio Olympics was a big disaster, I think in the 2020 Olympics the move will be more defined and the rules clearer. Pros in the Olympics will be a regular thing.
And who is better as president of Abap than the country?s biggest and most famous pro fighter? Manny Pacquiao has been the face of pro boxing for close to a decade and he can help raise the plight of our fighters in the national team. With the distinction of pros and amateurs being raised, heck one possibility is to have our national pool members fight in Top Rank?s events, so they can hone their skills and earn money at the same time.
Pacquiao?s PBA stint is more of a joke, a publicity stunt for a league struggling to attract bodies in the stands. But this man could be a move that redeems the part-time senator in the eyes of the many who are pissed off at the way he treats his job at the senate.
By the way, lost in the losses of the Pinoy boxers in Rio is a welcome change in the PHL sports landscape, one that I hope could be emulated by other NSAs. Abap president Ricky Vargas resigned after Charly Suarez and Rogen Ladon lost, to give way to young minds with new ideas.
?We need new leadership to refresh Abap and inspire our next generation of boxers in the pool…We had our share of success in the SEA Games, Asian Games and World Championships but of course the standard is the Olympics and we have been unsuccessful there,? he said.
And in my 19 years in the business, that?s a first. No NSA president ever resigns willingly; some padlock their offices or fight attempts to unseat them with lawsuits all the way to the Supreme Court.
Vargas simply left even before the first call for change was uttered.
The NSAs for swimming, volleyball, table tennis and what-have-you better learn from boxing; a smooth transition bodes well for the sport. Unless of course these NSA officials want to stay in power not for the sake of their sport but for the sake of the junkets that come with their positions?
I hope they can find the Ricky Vargas in them.
