ABAP builds up for new year

Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines (ABAP) secretary-general Marcus Manalo said yesterday the national pool of 43 is taking a break from joining competitions until possibly the Thailand Open in May but will continue to train and build up for the new year with the World Boxing Championships in Liverpool in September and the SEA Games in Bangkok in December the highlights of a busy calendar.

- JOAQUIN HENSON

"We're not joining anything from January to early March as our focus will be on building up from the break," said Manalo. "We have a training camp in Korea in April then the Thailand Open in May and the Elorda Cup in Kazakhstan in June. But those tournaments are yet to be finalized. The main competition this year is the World Boxing Championships in Liverpool on Sept. 4-14." The Liverpool event will be the first elite-level global affair staged by World Boxing, the international federation established in April 2023 seeking IOC recognition to restore the sport in the LA Olympics.