Atlanta Olympics silver medalist Mansueto (Onyok) Velasco said the other day he is optimistic that with Manny V. Pangilinan and Ricky Vargas taking over the ABAP helm, the country will finally produce a Filipino fighter to capture the elusive gold at the 2012 London Games.
Velasco, 35, was in Bacolod to witness the semifinals of the six-day National Open that drew 655 boxers and officials at the Negros Occidental Multi-Purpose Activity Center last week. He was impressed with the turnout and quality of competition.
?It will be different with Mr. Pangilinan in charge,? said Velasco. ?We are assured of support and a program to address what we must do to prepare for London. We can do many things with PLDT and Smart backing us up. We can go abroad for exposure and host international championships. To win in the Olympics, our level of confidence must be high and that can only happen if we are regularly exposed to foreign competition.?
Velasco said after hitting paydirt at the 1994 Hiroshima Asian Games, he was offered to turn pro by promoters in Japan, the US and the Philippines. His brother Roel, who brought home a bronze medal from the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, was also offered.
?We decided to stay amateur,? said Velasco. ?We don?t like the pro style. If I turned pro in 1994, I wouldn?t have been able to get the silver in Atlanta. I was promised many things after taking the silver. The government promised a P2.5 million bonus but although Congress approved it, the Senate never did because the Senate presidents kept changing. Still, I have no regrets.?
Velasco is now a Philippine Sports Commission consultant monitoring the progress of athletes in several designated sports, including wushu, pencat silat and judo. Other consultants are retired athletes Elma Muros, Eddie Pacheco and Enrique Beech.
??We look after the athletes in the sports we are assigned,? said Velasco. ?We try to solve problems before they reach the chairman. It?s a full-time job. I still do TV work and appear as guest in shows. I did a regular sitcom with Aga Muhlach, ?OK Fine,? for over three years. I also play basketball with the Celebrity All-Stars and we go all over the country. My teammates include Ian Veneracion, Gene Padilla, Joko Diaz, Jestoni Alarcon and Dennis Padilla with Philip Salvador and Boyet de Leon as playing coaches. Sometimes, we are on tour for a week, playing everyday. We are invited to play in places like Cebu, Davao and Samar and we get paid, too.?
Velasco has four children but his only boy, 5-9 MVJ, 13, doesn?t like boxing and plays basketball instead with the San Sebastian College high school varsity Team B. His other children, aged 14, 10 and 2, are girls and aren?t interested in boxing.
?We?ve got a lot of talent in our national pool,? said Velasco. ?But there?s still nobody better than Harry Ta?amor at lighflyweight. He?ll still be eligible for London but I?m not sure if he can stay at 48 kilograms. Maybe, we should concentrate on training up-and-coming fighters to be ready for London.?
Velasco said he is in favor of retaining Cuban coaches for the national pool. Raul Fernandez, a Cuban, was in his corner when he took the silver in Atlanta.
?We can learn a lot from the Cuban coaches,? he said. ?Our Filipino coaches can work together with them. Our Cuban coaches (Enrique Steyners and Dagoberto Rojas) are competent. Rojas is an expert in grassroots development and training the youth while Steyners is for the elite program. The Cubans can teach us technique, footwork, defense and how to prepare for the Olympics.?
Velasco said pros like Z Gorres and Gerry Pe?alosa could?ve won Olympic medals if they stayed amateur.
?It?s good Mr. Pangilinan is reaching out to our best amateurs and convincing them to stay for the Olympics,? he said. ?The opportunity to turn pro will always be there. But once you turn pro, you can never go back and fight in the Olympics. There are fighters like Manny Pacquiao who are suited for the pros. Manny wasn?t lucky as an amateur but in the pros, nobody is better. Manny improved his skills with more experience. If we can give our amateurs the exposure and experience, they?ll be ready to win the gold in London.?
