Eight-division world champion Manny Pacquiao believes boxing could end the country’s medal drought in the Olympics hence his partnership with the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) for the PSC-Pacquiao Amateur Boxing Cup that begins Saturday in General Santos City.
“We will be fighting opponents of the same weight that is why I believe we would win gold in the Olympics soon through boxing. There are lots of good Filipino boxers,” Pacquiao said during a news conference on Tuesday.
“I believe that we can discover good boxers that can compete in the Olympics SEA and Asian games through this tournament of the PSC,” Pacquiao added.
The boxer and senator also promised to roll off a new grassroots program sanctioned by the Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines.
Last week, Pacquiao went to China to establish a boxing academy in the country with the aim of discovering new Chinese boxing stars.
Asked if he is going to exert the same effort in his PH grassroots project, Pacquiao said he just wants to inspire the athletes of both countries.
Pacquiao said that he wants to share the talent of Filipinos in boxing with China and inspire the Chinese to popularize the sport.
PSC Chairman William Ramirez said all winning boxers would be included in the pool after the national championship. The preliminaries will be held on April 14 to 15 in Mandaluyong, the quarterfinals on April 21-22 in Bohol, and the semifinals on April 28 in Tagum, Davao del Norte.
The finals will be held on May 5 in General Santos.
There will be a qualifying round from December 16, 2017 to April 7 for the national championship.
