Japanese pugs test Phl boxers’ mettle

The national boxing team is set to spar with Japanese boxers in preparation for major international tournaments in the future.

Association of Boxing Alliances of the Philippines secretary general Marcus Manalo told DAILY TRIBUNE that the Filipino boxers will be having a sparring session with the Japanese punchers in March at their training facility at the Teachers Camp in Baguio City.

Leading the charge will be Paris Olympics bronze medalists Nesthy Petecio and Aira Villegas, who took home the President’s Award during the Philippine Sports Association Annual Awards Night at the Manila Hotel last Monday.

“We have established good relations with the Japan Boxing Federation. They’re the ones who reached out to us and asked if they can come over here and train,” Manalo said.

“We are very willing to do that. They have strong boxers also and they had Asian and Olympic champions in the past so it’s a very good opportunity for us.”

Despite 2025 not being an Olympic year, the Filipino boxers are facing a busy year ahead.

The Philippines will be joining tournaments in Thailand, Kazakhstan, Mongolia and Germany from May to July and a multi-nation training camp in Wales in August.

After that, the real battle starts.

From 4 to 14 September, the Philippines will compete in the World Boxing Championships in Liverpool, England before undergoing another training camp in October.

The Philippines will next compete in the 33rd Southeast Asian Games from 9 to 20 December in Thailand where it looks to surpass its 4-5-1 gold-silver-bronze medal tally in the previous edition in Cambodia.

Manalo said that the Philippines making it to the medal podium of the Summer Olympics for the second straight time is a testament to their consistency.

“It’s hard to make it to the podium of the Olympics, let alone qualify. There are still a lot of areas of improvement but we know that we can compete with the world’s best,” Manalo said.