SINGAPORE: BOXING - Aspiring young Filipino boxers give up Olympic gold chances to earn money on the professional circuit

Record ID: 330737

  • Title: SINGAPORE: BOXING - Aspiring young Filipino boxers give up Olympic gold chances to earn money on the professional circuit
  • Date: 16th May 2012
  • Summary: SINGAPORE (RECENT - MAY 4, 2012) (REUTERS) SINGAPORE'S MARINA BAY SANDS WEIGH IN FOR MARINA BAY SANDS BOXING EVENT, DRAGON FIRE VARIOUS OF FILIPINO BOXER, LORENZO VILLANUEVA, CHALLENGING FOR THE VACANT IBO (INTERNATIONAL BOXING ORGANISATION) FEATHERWEIGHT WORLD TITLE, STEPPING UP ON SCALE VACANT IBO FEATHERWEIGHT WORLD TITLE BELT VARIOUS OF VILLANUEVA AND OPPONENT, INDONESIAN BOXER, DAUD YORDAN, POSING FOR PICTURES
  • Embargoed: 31st May 2012 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Singapore
  • Country: Singapore
  • Topics: Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVAAHSJFPD4KYYHXAA9Q5BCR5BKR
  • Story Text: The success of Manny Pacquiao has delivered a knockout blow to Filipino dreams of a first Olympic gold medal, with young boxers fast-tracking to the professional ranks in a desperate bid to escape poverty and emulate the success of their hero.
    That is the view of Manny Pinol, a former governor of North Cotabato and current manager of boxers through his Braveheart Boxing stable, who feels the success of the eight-division world champion is hindering the amateur Olympic programme at home.
    Pinol was in Singapore with one of his fighters, Lorenzo Villanueva, who was attempting to win the vacant IBO featherweight title in a bout with Indonesian Daud Yordan on Saturday (May 5).
    For the slight 26-year-old Villanueva, whose father was murdered when he was 14 and his mother left shortly after leaving him to raise his brothers and sisters, fighting professionally may allow him to accumulate enough money to send his siblings to college.
    "This story of Lorenzo actually is a story of how he was attracted to boxing, how many other young boys from the Philippines, born in poverty, look at boxing," Pinol says.
    "I think, if I win, my family will have a better life," Villanueva added.
    In the Philippines, the rags to riches story of Pacquiao, who came from a poverty stricken broken home to become the first man to win world titles in eight divisions and then be elected a congressman, inspires a nation.
    His fights in America have earned him millions and regularly bring the Philippines to a standstill as his compatriots stop work and flock to numerous big screens across the country to support him.
    His guaranteed purse for his June 9 bout against undefeated American Timothy Bradley is 25 million U.S. dollars, according to media reports, with more expected to come from television money which is counted after the fight.
    In 2009, the government statistics agency said 27 percent of Filipinos lived below the poverty line, leading many young fighters and pushy parents to sidetrack the unpaid amateur game, where skills are honed and lessons learnt, to chase the wealth that Pacquiao commands in Las Vegas.
    Despite boasting a population of over 100 million, whose love affair for the sport has spawned current world champions Pacquiao, Nonito Donaire and Sonny Boy Jaro, the Philippines will send just one boxer to the London Olympics later this year - the same amount as the tiny Seychelles.
    "And I think, this is what, actually, Manny Pacquiao's success is hurting our amateur boxing programme, because every young boy now would like to become Manny Pacquiao. They don't want to turn amateur because there is simply no money in it, it's just a dream of a (Olympic) gold and it's actually more difficult to win than a world boxing championship," Pinol said.
    A few of Pinol's fighters would have made great amateur fighters, he thinks, but the desire of boxers and their families to turn professional is too strong.
    "It's sad that up until today the Philippines, my country, has not won a world boxing title (Olympic gold) in spite of the fact that we have produced so many boxing champions, great boxing champions, not just boxing champions," he added.
    But the path to greatness is a long hard road with no shortcuts.
    While promising talents may possess the punching power of the 33-year-old "Pacman" Pacquiao, not all can boast his boxing skills.
    Villanueva, a silent, timid but powerful puncher knocked down his opponent within 20 seconds of the first round of his fight. But his inexperience showed and he was knocked out in the second after swinging aimlessly for a final punch.
    Pinol retains hope that the 26-year-old man he calls "Thunderbolt", who first came to his boxing camp shortly after his father was killed, can achieve his aim of a world title.
    "One loss does not end a boxing career. This was a learning experience for Lorenzo, it was a sad learning experience, but it was a learning experience. He showed that he really had the raw power, but he is inexperienced," he said after the fight.
    Pinol has a few ideas for boosting amateur boxing in the Philippines, such as the establishment of boxing academies for boys who show potential as Olympic fighters, which would allow them to study and train in the same environment.
    All the while Pacquiao is supporting a private group who are raising funds to train local fighters with the aim of winning gold at future Olympic Games.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2012. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register