Olympians to vie in Liverpool?

Nothing is set in stone but it's likely that Olympians Carlo Paalam, Nesthy Petecio and Aira Villegas will headline an all-star cast to represent the country at the World Boxing Championships on Sept. 4-14 at the M&S Bank Arena, Liverpool.

- By JOAQUIN M. HENSON

The conclave is particularly significant as it's the first elite-level global competition hosted by World Boxing which awaits final approval from the IOC General Assembly on March 20 to be recognized as the sport's new international governing body.

ABAP secretary-general Marcus Manalo said Paalam, Petecio and Villegas are expected to be in the lineup for Liverpool but the list has not been finalized.

Paalam, 26, took the silver medal in the flyweight division at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and came a win shy of a bronze at the 2023 Paris edition.

Petecio, 32, is a two-time Olympic medalist, bagging a silver in Tokyo and bronze in Paris.