The Philippine boxing team is leaving little to chance in its bid to reclaim the top of the Asian Games podium.
With the 2026 Asian Games set for September 21 to October 2 in Aichi, Japan, the Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines (ABAP) has lined up an extensive two-phase overseas training program, believing thorough preparation will be key to ending the country’s 16-year wait for an Asian Games boxing gold medal.
“That’s our goal, of course,” Manalo said.
The Philippines has not produced an Asian Games boxing champion since Rey Saludar captured the flyweight gold medal in Foshan, China in 2010. Since then, the country has come close but has fallen just short of returning to the top step of the podium.
The closest finishes came through Charly Suarez, who settled for silver in the lightweight division at the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea.
Rogen Ladon duplicated the feat in the flyweight class at the 2018 edition in Jakarta, Indonesia, before Eumir Marcial added another silver in the middleweight division during the 2022 Games in Hangzhou, China.
Determined to rewrite that narrative, ABAP has arranged a pair of international training camps before the continental meet begins.
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“We are participating in the pre-Asian Games training camp arranged by Asian Boxing, which has two phases,” said Manalo referring to the first one in Bangkok, Thailand, and the other in Nishio City, Japan from next month to September.
The overseas camps are expected to give the national boxers valuable opportunities to spar against some of Asia’s top fighters while allowing them to acclimatize ahead of the Games in Japan.
Leading the Philippine campaign will be a battle-tested core composed of Olympic medalists Eumir Marcial, Nesthy Petecio, Carlo Paalam, and Aira Villegas, all of whom are expected to spearhead the country’s quest for podium finishes in Aichi.
Marcial, in particular, will now devote his full attention to the national team after the planned undercard appearance in the postponed Manny Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather event was put on hold.
“Even prior to the postponement, he has committed for the Asian Games,” said Manalo.
The presence of four Olympic medalists gives the Philippines one of its deepest boxing contingents in recent memory.
Petecio and Paalam have consistently delivered on the international stage, Marcial remains one of Asia’s premier middleweights, while Villegas continues to build on her breakthrough Olympic campaign as she prepares for another major test.
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