Pacquiao to launch tourney to develop boxing champs

DAVAO CITY – World boxing icon Manny Pacquiao is out to develop boxing champions.
This will be done through the “Manny Pacquiao Presents National Boxing Championship” which will kick off next month in Manila in partnership with GMA TV Channel 7.

“It is an 8-division tournament with eight outstanding and upcoming professional boxers to be selected in each division for a total of 56 boxers,” said boxing writer-commentator and former North Cotabato Gov. Manny Pinol, who met with the different boxing managers and representatives of the boxing stables in Mindanao last week at the plush Royal Mandaya Hotel here.
The selected boxers will fight in a round robin competition with huge cash prizes, including the Manny Pacquiao Cup going to the champion.
“The champion will get P100,000 and will also be promoted by MPP and GMA 7 to become the next world champion,” said Pinol, who will next meet the boxing managers in Manila to discuss the same event which will be staged at the new Solaire Hotel and Casino at Manila Bay.
The boxers will have free transportation and an apartment to stay. They will also be provided a boxing gym for their training in Manila.
The tournament is expected to culminate in June next year.
“We need to promote our boxers and this is the solution for us to discover and develop the next Manny Pacquiao or the world boxing champions of the country,” said Pinol, who also handles world-caliber fighters from North Cotabato under his Braveheart Boxing Stable and Promotion.
The fights will all be held at the Solaire Hotel and will be telecast nationwide by the GMA 7 with the 8th-time world division champion Pacquiao as the host.
“Kami ni Chino (Trinidad) will only be pitching in if Manny (Pacquiao) will not be available,” said Pinol, who conceptualized the project that will provide an efficient system to discover and select the best young and upcoming Filipino boxers in eight weight categories.
The 8 divisions are the junior flyweight (108 lbs.), flyweight (112 lbs.), junior bantamweight (115 lbs.), bantamweight (118 lbs.), junior featherweight (122 lbs.), featherweight (126 lbs.), junior lightweight (130 lbs.) and lightweight (136 lbs.).
Qualified to join are boxers aging 28 years old or below and must have fought at least eight professional fights for the eight rounder and six professional fights for the six rounder.
He must have not loss more than 40% of his fights and has not won any regional or national title. The boxer must be represented by a boxing manager and will also agree to undergo further training and promotions outside the country and will also sign a contract that will not allow him to fight in any other boxing event or tournament.
“The MPP and GMA 7 will have the promotional rights on the boxers,” Pinol said.
Deadline of submission of entries is on June 30 at the Games and Amusements Board (GAB) in Manila and Davao.
At least five teams from Mindanao have already signified to join coming from Davao City, Bukidnon, Sarangani-General Santos City, South Cotabato-Sultan Kudarat and North Cotabato.
Present during the meeting were Mindanao Professional Boxing Association (Minproba) vice-president Vicente Adriano and secretary Willie Neri of Davao City, James Yap of Glan, Dr. Glorio Sajulga and Roel Kaamino of Bukidnon, Celso Forro of Sultan Kudarat and matchmaker Romy Fordaliza.
Also present were GAB representatives led by OIC Jimmy Mata and field officer Kenneth Improso.