AVID boxing supporters in Mindanao spearheaded by former North Cotabato Governor Manny Pi?ol have banded together to give the sport a major boost in Davao Region.
The fraternity, called the Philippine Boxing Brotherhood (PBB), aims to sustain the search for new boxing stars in the country, somebody who will follow the footsteps of world eight-division champion Manny Pacquiao.
The PBB will realize this by staging a monthly dinner boxing, which starts in July in a posh venue in Davao City.
Pi?ol said they are eyeing either Apo View Hotel or the Pinnacle as venue of the monthly boxing card to be called “Tomorrow’s Champions”.
Pi?ol said boxers who will display exceptional talents in the sport will be linked up with world-caliber trainers in the United States where their boxing skills get to be sharpened.
Not only this, boxers who will travel to the US can be booked with bigtime American promoters to give them the break to stardom.
“We all beamed with pride as boxing icon Manny Pacquiao overwhelmed a much bigger opponent in Shane Mosley and successfully defended his World Boxing Organization welterweight title proving to the world that a Filipino athlete could dominate sports given the opportunity,” said Pi?ol, who is president of the Braveheart Boxing Club.
“Hardly do we realize that the happy days of Manny Pacquiao’s victories will soon be over. Manny is 32 years old and it is safe to say that within the next two to three years, he will hang up his gloves,” Pi?ol added.
The former governor called boxing promoters and managers to a luncheon meeting Saturday at the Yellow Fin Restaurant where he presented his project. He got an overwhelming support from stakeholders, including former Jose Abad Santos mayor Alexander Wangkay.
To show their full support, the promoters and managers named Pi?ol as the interim chairman of the Philippine Boxing Brotherhood. Wangkay was elected vice chairman.
As agreed upon by the group, each member of the PBB will pay a monthly fee of P1,000 to help stage the boxing tournament whose fights will be shown on local cable and TV channel.
