In a bid to further develop local potential talents in the field of boxing, Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines (ABAP) President Edgar Picson and Secretary-General Marcus Darwin Manalo paid a courtesy visit to Mayor Rolando "Klarex" Uy on Thursday, January 26, 2023.

 

According to Picson, Cagayan de Oro City is the most active and successful local government unit when it comes to sustainable boxing development program.

 

"We have always had a very productive partnership with Cagayan de Oro for the past 15 years in regards to boxing and we've had very significant success," Picson said.

 

Just yesterday (January 26, 2023), Aaron Jude Bado, a boxer from Cagayan de Oro, grabbed the men’s flyweight (51kg) gold medal in the ASBC Asian U22 Boxing Championships in Bangkok, Thailand.

 

Two other Kagay-anon boxers, Jericho Acaylar and Mark Lester Durens, have also won bronze in the men’s featherweight (57kg) and men’s minimumweight (48kg), respectively.

 

"We're very happy that Mayor Klarex has expressed his full support behind the [boxing] program and we're here to discuss with him how to move forward," Picson said.

 

 

The ABAP president and secretary-general discussed with Mayor Klarex Uy how Cagayan de Oro can be more involved in bigger projects in the field of boxing, both locally and internationally.

Moreover, Manalo said they are planning to hold an international boxing tournament here in Cagayan de Oro as host city.

 

"We'll try and see how we can bring some foreign teams here so that your boxers can have better exposure with international athletes. This is to raise the level of skills of your boxers," Picson said. (JAS/Photos by Kim Zaldivar-CIO)