PSC not giving up on boxing
By Marc Anthony Reyes
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 05:46:00 08/15/2008
MANILA, Philippines—Let’s pick the pieces up from that monumental fall.
Gamely accepting Harry Taņamor’s first-round failure in the Beijing Games, the Philippine Sports Commission said it will push for a project where the top 20 young boxers in the country will train under Cuban coaches.
PSC chair Butch Ramirez Thursday said it is time to be more aggressive with the development of the sport following Taņamor’s 6-3 loss to Ghana’s Manyo Plange in the first round of their light flyweight bout Wednesday.
“We should not stop there,” said Ramirez through a conference phone call from the Chinese capital Thursday. “It’s a very painful defeat.”
The PSC chair said he will not criticize the way Taņamor fought Wednesday night but instead “salute him for fighting for 85 million Filipinos.”
Ramirez said he won’t readily hold the Amateur Boxing Association of the Philippines accountable for the debacle but will ask its officials to explain.
Nevertheless, the PSC chief said all sports officials from the national sports associations, Philippine Olympic Committee and the PSC must take full responsibility for what happened.
“I agree heads must roll, including ours,” added Ramirez. “We must share responsibility and accountability.”