ABAP: Pinoy boxing coaches will do

Amateur Boxing Association of the Philippines (ABAP) president Emmanuel "Manny" Lopez has decided not to engage a Cuban coach to mentor the national boxers who are in a quest to win the Philippine's first gold medal in the Olympics. GMANews.TV learned that Lopez was piqued by the decision of the Cuban Ministry for Sports to lend provincial coaches rather than send their top boxing mentors. "If they will send provincial coaches, then I'll stick to our local coaches who are better," Lopez said shortly after learning from Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) chair Butch Ramirez of the Cuban decision last Monday. ABAP has asked the PSC to request the Cuban government to lend the services of Raul Fernandez Liranza and four other renowned Cuban boxing mentors. "We have forwarded a list of five coaches to the Cuban government, if they cannot give us any of these coaches, then we will just have to decline too," Lopez said. Lopez revealed that Liranza, who had helped prepare Filipino boxers in their recent Olympic campaign, was open to the idea of coming back to the Philippines. Lopez said that they were in touch with Liranza through e-mail exchanges and added that Liranza is willing to again visit the country if their ministry will agree. Liranza was the Cuban coach who mentored Mansueto Velasco to a silver finish in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. - GMANews.TV