Bago City is sending a strong signal to the boxing community in the country by training 32 young boxers from its barangays in preparation for the National Open Boxing Championships slated to start in Iloilo City May 4.

Ignacio Denila of the Bago City Sports office yesterday said they will field entries in the Kids (13-below), School boys (15-below), Cadets (17-below) and Juniors (18-below) categories and training for the boxers started two weeks ago after the inter-barangay tournament in the city.

Also joining the Bago City team and boosting its chances in the tournament are national training pool members Bagoeños Aston Palicpe and Jimboy Vicera, Denila said.

He added that the Bago City boys will have their hands full fighting the other boxers from other parts of the country, especially those from Davao who are known for their strong punches.

But the local boys will give them a good fight as the city government, led by Mayor Ramon Torres, has gone out of its way to support the team Denila said.

Last year, the combined squad of Philippine Navy and Bago City grabbed top team honors in the seniors category of the National Open held in Cagayan De Oro City.

Leading the honor roll in the 2007 competition was lightflyweight Albert Pabila who accentuated the Bagoeños supremacy with a referee-stopped-contest bout against his rival from Davao. The PN-Bago squad went home with five gold medals and a bronze plus the overall championship title.

Earlier, Mayor Torres had said that Bago is reviving the glory days of boxing in the city by holding inter-barangay tournaments.

He said the city brims with boxing talents and their skills can only be polished through competitions.

Denila also said that Olympic medalists, the Velasco brothers Roel and Mansueto Jr. (Onyok), who are based in Manila, assured the city government of their support for its boxing program.

Although their busy schedule makes it impossible for them to personally supervise the trainings of the young boxers, the Velasco brothers, especially Roel, who is member of the coaching staff of the national boxing team, committed to help them once they reach the training pool in Manila.*NAB

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