TOKYO Olympics silver medalists Carlo Paalam and Nesthy Petecio lead a 12-member national team to the Asian Boxing Confederation (ASBC) Asian Elite Men and Women’s Competition from October 30 to November 13 in Amman, Jordan.
Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines (ABAP) national training director Don Abnett told BusinessMirror that six male and six female boxers are vying in the event with flyweight Paalam returning to active status since the Tokyo Olympics as he fully recovered from a shoulder injury.
“It’s no longer a problem,” said Abnett of Paalam’s shoulder. “He also continuously trained in Cagayan de Oro City and he’s in good form and I don’t think that there’s going to be a problem when it comes to his conditioning.”
Petecio, on the other hand, stayed in camp and was part of the team to the Vietnam 31st Southeast Asian Games last May but couldn’t defend her women’s featherweight title and settled for a bronze medal.
The Amman competition, Abnett clarified, is not a qualifier for the Paris 2024 Olympics but forms part of the ABAP’s program for the 19th Asian Games in September in Hangzhou, China.
“Even though it is not an Olympic qualifier, the Asian Elite will be a big boost to prepare our boxers for big competitions ahead,” Abnett said.
Also in the team are women’s light flyweight Althea Pores, bantamweight Aira Villegas, Tokyo Olympian flyweight Irish Magno and middleweight Hergie Bacyadan.
Completing the men’s team are light flyweight Mark Lester Durens, flyweight Rogen Ladon, bantamweight Ian Clark Bautista and Mario Fernandez, featherweight Paul Bascon, light welterweight James Palicte and Samuel Dela Cruz and welterweight Marjon Piañar.
The team’s already in Amman for a two-week training camp.