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By Emil C. Noguera, Correspondent
CUBAN Ambassador to the
Philippine Jorge Rey Jimenez assured on Friday that he will do his
best to help find a topnotch Cuban coach for the RP boxing team.
Philippine Sports Commission
Chairman Butch Ramirez said Jimenez will look for a high-caliber
coach who will handle the training of the Filipino boxers gearing up
for the Olympic qualifying tournaments in Thailand and Kazakhstan.
The Amateur Boxing Association of
the Philippines is choosing among Cuban national coaches Sarvelio
Fuentes Rodriguez, Carlos Mena, Julio Gonzales Cidenio and Pedro
Luis Benitez.
“He [Jimenez] committed to give
his best to bring in any of four coaches [if not veteran mentor Raul
Liranza]. We really want the best for our boxing team,” said
Ramirez, who had a luncheon meeting with Jimenez, boxing Godfather
Manny Pangilinan and ABAP President Manny Lopez.
“In fact, we even solicited the
help of Philippine Ambassador to Havana George Reyes, who happily
obliged to help in our negotiations for the Cuban coach that we will
select,” added Ramirez.
The 52-year-old Liranza was
credited for the silver medal finish of Mansueto “Onyok” Velasco
in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.
So far, only Harry Tanamor has
earned a slot in the Beijing Olympics after winning a silver in the
2007 AIBA World Championship in Chicago, Illinois.
Two more Asian Olympic qua–lifying
tournaments are scheduled this year. The first will be held from
January 25-February 3 in Bangkok, Thailand and the second in Almaty,
Kazakhstan in March.
Candidates for the Bangkok-bound
RP team are Violito Payla and Godfrey Castro (51kg), Joan Tipon and
Junel Cantancio (54kg), Orlando Tacuyan Jr. and Charlie Suarez
(57kg), Genebert Basadre and Joegin Ladon (60kg), Fil-Am Adam Feihl
Bigornia and Delfin Boholst (64kg) and Wilfredo Lopez and Larry
Semillano (69kg).
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