The Games and Amusements Board is pushing for more boxing events because it believes that it is the sport where the Philippines, especially Negros, could produce many world champions, GAB chairman Eric Buhain said Friday night.

"GAB prioritizes boxing because it firmly believes that the country, especially Negros, could produce world-class winners from the amateur to the professional level," Buhain said during his speech in the Sports Communicators Organization of the Philippines-Bacolod induction of officers at the Casino Filipino Hotel.

GAB is planning to come up with a progressive development program for pugilists from the amateur to the professional level so that their trainings will be continuous, Buhain, former Philippine Sports Commissioner, said. Buhain said GAB is pushing for more boxing events to be staged in the Philippines because it wants to give opportunities to Filipino boxers to fight in big bouts like icon Manny Pacquiao.

Monju Guanzon, president of the Negros Amateur Boxing Association, lauded GAB's projects.

"I'm happy with the projects of GAB because they will give more attention and opportunities to boxers to earn better by fighting in quality bouts," Guanzon said.

Buhain, who donned the colors of the RP swimming team in the 1988 Seoul and 1992 Barcelona Olympics, said GAB also hopes to build a professional boxing gym in Bacolod City after Zamboanga established its own pro-gym.

Negros, which is considered as the hotbed in producing great amateur boxers, should also have its pro-gym to continue generating world-class pugilists in the professional ranks, he said.

Guanzon, however, said that Negros has not produced great amateur boxers for the past 10 years except for Southeast Asian Games gold medalist Joan Tipon of Talisay City.

The aspiring Negrense amateur pugilists are also not able to practice because the NABA Gym at the Paglaum Sports Complex had been padlocked, he said.

Commissioner Alex Paglomutan said GAB will also go with the trend of promoting fights between female pugilists to attain global excellence in women's boxing.

GAB will also hold the Philippine Boxing Convention on April 19 to 22 at the Hyatt Hotel in Manila to honor the past and present amateur and professional boxers who have given honor to the country, he added.

Officials from the World Boxing Convention, World Boxing Association, World Boxing Organization and International Boxing Federation among others will give talks during the event to add up to the boxing knowledge of Filipino pugilists, he said. GAB will also sponsor boxing competitions dubbed "Rumble at the Bay" on April 21 at the Baywalk, he said, adding that the country will also host a boxing convention that will be handled by WBC next year.

Around 1,200 delegates from 190 countries are expected to attend the convention, which was last hosted in the Philippines in 1975, Buhain said. He said that GAB is also setting its eye on promoting muay thai, which is a fast growing sport. *CIT

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