Statement of the Amateur Boxing Association of the Philippines

It was a painful experience to witness Mark Anthony Barriga, a young and promising boxer who worked so hard and fought with a big heart only to lose due to a controversial call by the referee which gave two bonus points to his much taller opponent.

 

We felt we owed it to Mark to place the fight under protest, to fight for him as he fought for us. Unfortunately, the Competition Jury did not entertain it, not even reviewing the tape of the fight.

 

It seems in the battle of "giants" justice is more difficult to attain for a small country like ours.

 

Despite this painful experience, we will persevere and work even harder to achieve our Olympic quest.

 

We may have lost a boxing match in London, but definitely NOT our Filipino pride. — Ricky Vargas, ABAP president