Bacolod City ? The Smart National Amateur Boxing Championship, the first major event under the new leadership of the Amateur Boxing Association of the Philippines, unwraps today at the Negros Occidental Multipurpose Activity Center (Nompac) here.
Manny Pacquiao will usher in the inaugural weeklong tournament, which serves as the first official event organized by the new ABAP board chaired by Smart and PLDT chair Manny V. Pangilinan.
Pacquiao, considered the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world today, unwraps the event with a motorcade that would go through the city and its neighboring towns and culminate in the main venue.
There, Pacquiao, who flew to Manila from General Santos City yesterday and would fly early today to Bacolod aboard a private jet, would be greeted by officials, participants and thousands local folks alike.
?We?re excited because this is ABAP?s first official event under the new leadership of chairman MVP (Pangilinan) and president Ricky Vargas,? ABAP secretary-general and Smart sports chief Patrick Gregorio told The STAR.
Bacolod City Rep. Monico Puentevella, who is co-hosting the meet, said the event drew more than 400 participants, reportedly the biggest in the history of the annual event.
?We were expecting only 250 participants and we now have more than 400 joining this event. By tomorrow (today), there?s a big chance it may reach 500,? said Puentevella, who met with tournament officials yesterday to finalize matters.
?It?s giving us a headache right now but it?s a pleasant problem since it shows people are now more interested, which is good for the sport in general,? added the new Philippine Olympic Committee chair.
