Tokyo Olympic silver medalist Carlo Paalam leads a seven-strong ABAP lineup at the World Boxing Championships in the M&S Bank Arena, Liverpool, on Sept. 4-14 and while it may be tough to land a podium finish, hopes are high that the delegation will bring home honors. It will be the recently IOC-recognized international federation World Boxing’s inaugural World Championships, considered a dress rehearsal for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
The ABAP team is made up of five men and two women. The men are 50kg Jay Bryan Baricuatro, 55kg Paalam, 60kg Junmilardo Ogayre, 65kg Mark Ashley Fajardo and 70kg Ronald Chavez, Jr. The women ae 48kg Ofelia Magno and 60kg Riza Pasuit. The fighters arrive in Liverpool today with coaches Don Abnett, Ronald Chavez, Reynaldo Galido and Roel Velasco.
ABAP chairman Ricky Vargas said the competition is in preparation for the Olympic qualifiers. “Learning and adjustments “ he added. “It’s a test for our boxers. Confidence-building. Potentially, we should do well but unsure of winning a gold, happy with a bronze.”
ABAP secretary-general Marcus Manalo said Paalam, Chavez, Jr., Pasuit and Paris Olympic bronze medalist Aira Villegas trained at a boot camp in Sheffield before moving to Liverpool. Villegas, however, is still recovering from a shoulder injury and won’t compete. Baricuatro and Ogayre prepared for Liverpool at a camp in Xinjiang. Fajardo took a bronze while Magno reached the quarterfinals at the recent Asian Boxing U22 Championships in Thailand then trained in Baguio before leaving for Liverpool.
“This is the inaugural World Championships for World Boxing so it’s a big event,” noted Manalo. “It’s the highest level of competition outside the Olympics so it will be tough to get to the podium. Unfortunately, our Paris Olympic medalists couldn’t compete but we’re excited for Carlo’s return to the ring. We’re also excited for our up-and-coming young boxers like Baricuatro, Fajardo and Magno who are all U22.” The draw is scheduled tomorrow.
More than 550 boxers from over 65 countries will compete in 10 weight categories for men and 10 for women. World Boxing was formed in 2023 and has grown to a membership of 118 countries. Early this year, IOC granted World Boxing provisional recognition as the international federation within the Olympic movement governing the sport at the world level. The recognition preserved boxing in the LA Olympic calendar after it was removed in the wake of alleged questionable governance by the previous federation.
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