Pat on the back: Gaspi dedicates life chasing Olympic boxing gold

F or more than 36 years, Patricio “Pat” Gaspi has devoted his life to amateur boxing.

But before his rise to the top of the coaching ladder, Gaspi, now 64, represented the Philippines in various international tournaments, fighting several times in the Southeast Asian Games and Asian championships and calling the shots for national standouts in all competitions, including the Olympic Games.

When told that he had been to all the continents, Gaspi laughed that he’s never been to Antarctica.

Actually, Gaspi has visited every continent except Antarctica and South America, although he’s been to Latin America a few times, too.

Apart from events, Gaspi also made frequent visits to Europe and elsewhere to take part in clinics and seminars as he continues to expand his knowledge of the sport that continues to evolve.

“Coaching is a never-ending process,” Gaspi, who became a part of the think tank in 1990, told DAILY TRIBUNE.

A native of Barangay San Ramon in Bulan town, Sorsogon, Gaspi took up Commerce (Major in Accounting) at the Far Eastern University and was a part of the school’s fabled boxing and athletics squads.

He also became a part of the Philippine Army, holding the rank of technical sergeant before retiring in 2018.

With the Los Angeles Olympics taking place in less than two years, Gaspi is once again at the forefront of the country’s elusive hunt for that gold medal.

“That’s the reason why I became a coach and the reason why I am still here. I made a vow to help in winning that Olympic gold,” said Gaspi, who is married to Roda Esguerra Gaspi, a nurse by profession and currently working in a luxury ship.

They have two children: Patricia Marie and Patrick John, who got their education from De La Salle University-Manila and Saint Benilde.

“I also made a promise to myself that I will retire once we finally win that Olympic gold,” he said, noting that LA28 promises to be a watershed event.

“What makes coaching enjoyable and very satisfying is the coach’s role in leading a boxer to glorious moments. The feeling is different because you know that you had a hand in making a boxer’s life better.”

“It’s an inspiring story and that gives me chills whenever I think about them,” he said, noting that he owes his comfortable life to his stint in the national team.

But reaching his status as the current head coach of the Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines (ABAP) wasn’t easy.

He had to work hard for it.

During his heyday, Gaspi, who stands 5-10, fought at welterweight up to middleweight although he did start at light-welter because of his sheer size.

He took bronze medals in the 1981 Manila Southeast Asian Games and 1983 Singapore edition.

But his biggest achievement was placing second in the light-middle class during the 1987 Asian championships in Kuwait when he was beaten by Park Si Hun of South Korea.

Park became immensely popular and notorious later on as he defeated Roy Jones Jr. for the gold in the 1988 Seoul Olympics. It was Olympic boxing’s greatest robbery ever.

“Like me, Park also became a coach later on in Korea,” Gaspi, often soft-spoken, said with a smile, fully aware of the incident that grabbed headlines across the globe because of the magnitude of the scandal.

Presently, Gaspi is presiding over the blueprint for LA28 as he and the inner circle are discussing the plans for 2027 and beyond.

“Right now, the main focus is to have as many qualifiers in Los Angeles,” said Gaspi, whose ring idols include Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Leonard, Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao in the pros and Cubans Teofilo Stevenson and Felix Savon, Vasyl Lomachenko of Ukraine and local talents Marcial and Paalam in the amateurs.

Carlo Paalam, who was the silver medalist in Tokyo in 2021, and recent Asian Games silver medalist, leads the aspirants alongside fellow Olympic silver medalist Nesthy Petecio and Paris bronze medal winner Aira Villegas.

However, the recent performance in Nagoya wasn’t something to be very proud of.

In fact, it raised the alarm bells anew as the ABAP bids to join weightlifting and gymnastics as Olympic gold producers.

“That’s where we are looking at,” said Gaspi, noting that two events in 2027 could produce early qualifiers.

But then again, qualifying is one thing. Winning the gold is another.

Since 1932 in Los Angeles, the Philippine boxing team has won a total of ten medals, four silvers and six bronzes.

The biggest haul came in Tokyo when Paalam and Petecio took silvers and Eumir Marcial bagged bronze. In the next edition, Petecio and Villegas got bronzes.

The others were delivered by Jose Villanueva (bronze, 1932), Anthony Villanueva (silver, 1964), Leopoldo Serantes (bronze, 1988), Roel Velasco (bronze, 1992) and Onyok Velasco (silver, 1996).

The odds are stacked heavily against Gaspi and the entire ABAP.

But Gaspi could finally realize his lifelong dreams.

With Paalam and the rest aware that 2028 could be their last chance, the hunt might soon come to an end.

And once that happens, Gaspi will be happy to call it a day.