The number one trait I look for in a boxer is the attitude.

JERWIN Ancajas is one of the products of the hunt for the next Manny Pacquiao. AFP

In the boxing-obsessed Philippines, scores of young fighters dream of becoming the next Manny Pacquiao, but it takes a sharp eye and vast experience to pick out a potential world champion.

That expertise comes from the scouts and trainers who scour amateur matches at dusty town “fiestas,” rely on spotters’ referrals or size up hopefuls as young as eight training in well-worn gyms.

They are the lesser known but vital cogs in the Philippines’ boxing machine, which has produced dozens of world champion fighters, many of them were born into poverty.

It’s a risky way to make a living — some coaches have faced ruin when the fighters they have backed, pouring money into their training and upkeep, didn’t win.

But when victory comes, the pay-off can be big, or at least enough to keep going in the sport they love.

The shining example is, of course, Pacquiao.

Born to a poor family, he quit school at 14 years old and ended up on the streets. Pacquiao, now a Philippine senator, declared assets worth some $59 million in 2018.

His career, including an unparalleled eight world championships in different weight divisions, is a tempting incitement to boys born into similarly bleak circumstances.

While in real life they may be impoverished and ignored, in the boxing world they are a precious element to be forged into winners.

“We, the coaches, are looking for boxers who would become the next Manny Pacquiao so we teach them everything, including discipline and humility,” said Anthony Ornopia, a former boxer who is now a trainer.

Spotting them is more art than science, but the scouts are looking for more than just the ability to pummel opponents with their fists.

“The number one trait I look for in a boxer is the attitude,” trainer Joven Jimenez told AFP, saying his fighters need to be “determined, obedient and disciplined.”

“It’s a bonus if the boxer looks good, too,” he quipped, saying it helps in the promotion of a match.

A dozen fighters train under his guidance in a rough outdoor camp south of the capital Manila, spending hours a day sparring and lifting weights.

Jimenez’s star, and partner in the gym, is 27-year-old Jerwin Ancajas, who is set for an International Boxing Federation (IBF) junior bantamweight title defense in December.

The boxers are a significant investment — and gamble — as they are fed, housed and given a modest allowance.

Years of training expenses and no wins drained Jimenez’s savings, and by 2013 he was forced to sell his properties to stay afloat.

But exercising the same determination they demand of their fighters, Jimenez and Ancajas kept going — even if they had to train in vacant lots and in the street.

Then, in 2016 came what they had hoped and prayed for: Ancajas’s IBF junior bantamweight belt. A defense of the title a year later netted enough cash to invest in their gym.

The enormous popularity of the sweet science in the Philippines means scores of children gravitate to gyms, but just a handful stick it out.

“Out of 10 children, there will only be one or two of them who really wants to pursue boxing,” said trainer and coach Edito Villamor.

“I hope just one of two of them will (succeed),” he added. “Just one or two of them and we’re good.”