BACOLOD?Former two-time world champion Dodie Boy Pe?alosa Sr. and Amateur Boxing Association of the Philippines (Abap) president Ricky Vargas met Thursday night to discuss plans for the future of promising boxing star Dodie Boy Jr.
The elder Pe?alosa said the new officers of ABAP, headed by communication tycoon Manny V. Pangilinan, agreed to support his son while he trains for the RP national team in preparation for the 2012 London Olympics.
Dodie Boy Jr., who is considered one of the best prospects for an Olympic gold, was supposed to turn pro last month and already had a fight scheduled. However, his pro debut was scrapped after Vargas and Abap appealed to keep him in the amateur ranks.
Though the former IBF mini-flyweight titlist refused to divulge the amount they agreed on, sources said MVP agreed to give at least P15,000 a month to the younger Pe?alosa, who is currently in the Baguio City training camp with his uncle Gerry and Nonito Donaire Jr.
The amount excludes what Dodie Jr., a two-time Abap national champion and a Sportswriters Association of Cebu awardee, will receive from the Philippine Sports Commission, which is also approximately P15,000.
?Yes, we have agreed and I have seen already the draft of the contract. Maybe this week we will have the official signing of the agreement,? said Dodie Boy Sr., also a former WBC flyweight champion.
London Olympics
Apart from what Dodie Boy Jr. will receive from Abap and the PSC, an additional amount is also being considered as soon as he will be enlisted with the Philippine Navy, according to the source.
?We have agreed that my son will not turn professional until the London Olympics,? said Dodie Boy Sr. Aside from the financial assistance, what prodded the senior Pe?alosa to accept the offer was that he will get to train his son himself.
?What interested me most is our agreement that my son will be trained by me in Cebu at the Abap training center in the Cebu City Sports Center,? said Pe?alosa Sr.
Another prospect
Aside from his namesake, another son is also making a big name for himself in the amateur ranks, along with a Fil-Australian.
Dave Pe?alosa and Fil-Ausralian Robin Pelileo, both 16, served notice of their presence by providing sensational victories in separate finals bouts at the end of the week-long competition participated by more than 600 amateur boxers from all over the country.
Dave stopped local bet Elijah Ray Guanzon in 1:23 of the second round to win the gold in the youth?s bantamweight division.
The youngest of two boxing sons of the former world champion flattened Guanzon with a hard straight to the face to win via stoppage, his third straight referee-stopped contest in the competition.
Not to be outdone, Pelileo, who traveled from New South Wales, Australia just to try his luck for the RP national team, made North Cotabato?s Arnel Gepollano seem like a punching bag en route to a convincing 16-2 triumph in the featherweight class of the youth category.
?I?m happy I won here. I traveled far because I wanted also to represent our country in the London Olympics. I hope I can make it to the RP team,? said Pelileo, a discovery of former Olympian Ricardo Fortaleza, who is now a resident in Australia.
Meanwhile, the powerhouse Philippine Army regained the men?s elite division, while host Bacolod won the overall title.
