Select boxing personages in the country have one thing in common as they celebrate Christmas and prepare to welcome the new year.

They all wish that Philippine boxing, which struggled in 2024, would get off the floor and score a big knockout in 2025.

JC Mananquil, whose Sanman Boxing based in General Santos City is home to topnotch talents, is wishing that “more Filipino fighters are given chances to fight for a world title.”

Mananquil’s talents didn’t actually fare badly given that one of his boxers actually won a world title and got to make a mandatory defense.

Melvin Jerusalem bagged the World Boxing Council minimumweight title in March in Nagoya by topping Yudai Shigeoka and soundly beat Mexican mandatory challenger Luis Castillo on home soil in September.

But one of his main men — flyweight Dave Apolinario — botched a bid to win a world title in Mexico City in August.

Still, Mananquil has one wish.

“My No. 1 wish is for Filipino boxing fans to be respectful and knowledgeable (about the sport),” he added amid the non-stop bashing by so-called boxing fans on social media.

Edito “Ala” Villamor, a two-time world title challenger and formerly the head coach of Tony Aldeguer’s boxing factory in Cebu, echoes Mananquil’s sentiments about golden opportunities to fight for the world championship by way of regular staging of boxing shows.

“More world (title) promotions in our country through the help of TV, private individuals and the government itself,” said Villamor, now aligned with Bohol’s PMI Boxing.

For former national team mainstay Delfin Boholst, there is one wish he’d like to share.

“A world title fight for Charly Suarez.”

Boholst trains and handles the unbeaten Suarez, who is aching to be granted a chance to vie for the world crown.

Suarez had a terrific 2024 as he won two fights on American soil but remains crownless.

Brix Flores, the 1986 Seoul Asian Games bronze medalist who runs the PCF Boxing Academy in Mandaue City, likewise wants to “see more big promotions here at home and also would be happy to see more Filipino boxers not just fighting but winning world titles and becoming world champions.”

Aside from Jerusalem, the only other Filipino world champion is Pedro Taduran, who reigns as the International Boxing Federation minimumweight titlist.

Two-division world champion Gerry Paulose was on the same page with his fellow ring masters.

“I just wish that the private sector and the government support Philippine boxing,” he said.