CEBU City?s topnotch amateur boxers will try to earn national glory as they wage war against the country?s cream of the crop in the 2014 PLDT-Amateur Boxing Association of the Philippines (Abap) National Championships, which starts today in Digos, Davao del Sur.
Five Cebu City boxers led by POC-PSC National Games gold medalist Junriel Jimenez will join the 128 fighters who qualified during the three-area elimination tournaments.
They will be fighting for the gold medals and a possible shot at the national team.
?We?re happy to partner with Cong. Manny Pacquiao and Gov. Claude Bautista to relive Manny?s amateur days as an amateur boxer in Digos. He (Pacquiao) wants to create opportunities for young hopefuls in the sport by hosting the National Championships.
It just feels so right,? Abap executive director Ed Picson told Sun.Star Cebu.
Although Pacquiao is a congressman from Sarangani Province, his amateur days were spent in Digos City, where he built a new boxing gym to provide a facility for young boxers to use.
The tournament also coincides with the 47th Founding Anniversary of Davao del Sur.
Jimenez, who was denied with the Youth Boys Light flyweight gold medal by Cresan Paul Diacamos of Bago City in the Visayas Area elimination round held in Maasin City last Feb. 28 to March 3, is hoping to win his second national gold medal this year.
Joining Jimenez are brothers Marvin (Jr. Boys Pinweight) and Marco (Jr. Boys Light flyweight) Pomar, Kit Ceron Garces (Jr. Boys Flyweight) and Jorge Edusma, who will be fighting in the youth boys bantamweight division.
Marco and Garces were the gold medal winners for Cebu during the Visayas elimination while Jimenez, Marvin and Edusma finished with silver medals.
One of the teams that Cebu City might get into trouble were the perennial powerhouse squad ALA Boxing Gym who will be representing Mandaue City.
ALA fighters, who qualified to the nationals are Youth Boys bantamweight Kevin Jake Cataraja, Youth Boys lightwieght Vicente Casido Jr., Youth Boys flyweight Kenneth Paul Gentallan and Junior Boys bantamweight Jeffrey Estella.
