Cuban coaches start training RP boxers

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MANILA (Reuters) — The Philippines has parachuted in two Cuban coaches in a last-ditch bid to qualify more boxers for the Beijing Olympics in August.

The head of the Philippine Sports Commission William Ramirez said on Friday they were hoping to win two of 19 slots up for grabs in the last Asian qualifying tournament in Kazakhstan next month with the help of the new coaches.

Juan Enrique Steyners Tissert and Dagoberto Rojas Scott were whisked to the country’s main boxing training camp in Baguio, a northern mountain resort city, on Thursday, a day after arriving in the Southeast Asian country.

"We brought them immediately to the battlefield, to the firing line to work," Ramirez told Reuters in an interview on Friday.

"We’ve got 20 days before the second Asian qualifying.

We’re running out of time and we’ve got to produce the winners," said the 57-year-old former college basketball player and coach.

The Philippines, considered a regional boxing powerhouse and home to WBC super featherweight champion Manny Pacquiao, is mortified that only Harry Tanamor has so far qualified for Beijing despite Manila sending a team of promising hopefuls to a qualifier in Thailand last month.

Ramirez said the Cubans would be providing Filipino boxers a "brand new pair of eyes" to point out loopholes in fighting techniques as well as strengthening the local training programme.

China became an instant boxing power after it hired Cuban coaches, and now has the most number of fighters for this year’s Olympics.

India and Thailand have also benefited from Cuban expertise and the Philippines is hoping to build its long-term grassroot amateur boxing programme with their help.

Ramirez said the road to the Beijing Games has become tougher because several former Soviet republics, such as Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan, have started to compete in the Asian qualifying tournaments.

The Philippines has two silver medals and three bronze medals for boxing in the Olympics and dearly wants its first Olympic gold. It will send five boxers from a pool of 30 to fight in five weight divisions in Kazakhstan. "We’ve been so close to fulfilling our dream of winning a boxing gold medal in the Olympics, why should we stop now?"

Source:mb.com.ph

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