Phl boxers heading for German camp

Light-heavyweight Eumir Marcial and female punchers Nesthy Petecio and Aira Villegas will set up camp in Saarbrücken, a German city near the French border as their final runup for the 2024 Paris Olympics, the Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines (ABAP) said on Friday.

Of course, Marcial and company are also hoping that there would be additional qualifiers from the second Olympic Qualification Tournament taking place starting next week in Bangkok.

“It’s going to be a multi-nation camp from 4 to 20 July,” ABAP secretary general Marcus Manalo said amid the Philippine team’s buildup for the Olympic qualifiers scheduled 23 May to 3 June.

Heading the four-man squad is Tokyo Olympics silver medalist Carlo Paalam, veteran internationalist Rogen Ladon, pro fighter Chriztian Pitt Laurente and female bet Hergie Bacyadan.

Marcial earned an Olympic berth after placing second in the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games while Petecio and Villegas secured their respective berths during the first Olympic Qualification Tournament in Italy several months ago.

They are all now in Thailand getting ready for the last qualifying event after spending some time in Colorado Springs in the United States.

The decision to train in Saarbrücken is ideal given its proximity to the French city of Metz, where the Filipino athletes competing in the Olympics would be housed before proceeding to Paris.

The Paris Games get going on 24 July and will run until 11 August with the boxing competitions happening from 27 July until 10 August.