TOKYO Olympians Carlo Paalam and Irish Magno are back in training camp with 23 other national team members in Baguio City as they prepare for at least three major international competitions in 2022.
“We have to sustain our impressive performance in the Tokyo Olympics for next year’s big events,” Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines (Abap) Head Coach Pat Gaspi told BusinessMirror on Wednesday. “It’s back to basic, back to fundamentals and conditioning for the boxers.”
Paalam clinched the men’s flyweight silver medal while Magno became the first Filipina to qualify for the Olympics but only reached the flyweight quarterfinals in Tokyo.
Tokyo Olympics featherweight silver medalist Nesthy Petecio, according to Gaspi, is expected at the camp on December 5.
Men’s middleweight bronze medalist Eumir Felix Marcial, on the other hand, will be flying to the US to resume his pro career as soon as his wife Princess Marcial secures her US visa.
The three Olympians were together in Baguio City recently to receive scholarship privileges at the University of Baguio as part of their incentives for clinching medals in Tokyo.
Gaspi said that tops in the priorities of Abap, now headed by Ed Picson, are the Women’s World Championships in Turkey in March, Hanoi 31st Southeast Asian Games in May and the Huangzhou 19th Asian Games in September.
Gaspi said Paalam is undergoing therapy in his left shoulder but expects to be back in top shape soon.
Already in the Teachers Camp bubble are male boxers Mark Lester Durens, Flint Jara, Rogen Ladon, Ian Clark Bautista, Marvin Tabamo, Mario Fernandez, Junmilardo Ogayre, Jere Samuel de la Cruz, Paul Bascon, James Palicte, John Paul Panuayan, Norlan Petecio, Marjon Piañar, Billy Naelgas and Ernie John Garcia.
The women’s team is composed of Josie Gabuco, Ma. Alexandra Tinosan, Mary IC Sinadjan, Aira Villegas, Krystal Malecdan, Darlene Literal, Maricel de la Torre and Risa Pasuit.
The coaches are Roel Velasco, Ronald Chavez, Gerson Nietes, Mitchel Martinez, Reynaldo Galido and Joegin Ladon with training director Australian Don Abnett.