Due to rising C-19 cases in India

THE last big international boxing tournament scheduled ahead of the Tokyo Olympics will most likely be scrapped in the wake of the worsening health condition in India, including the capital city of New Delhi.

Boxing Alliances of the Philippines (ABAP) secretary-general Ed Picson answered in the affirmative when asked if the Asian Elite Men and Women Boxing championships slated May 21-31 in New Delhi will be cancelled because of what everyone called as COVID-19 ‘tsunami’.

“More or less yes, (the event is off),” Picson said.

A total of 32 countries including the Philippines are supposed to participate in the prestigious meet, the first boxing competitions for Asia in 2021 that serves as a tuneup for fighters seeing action in the Olympics which kick off in Tokyo on July 26.

According to Picson, the Asian Boxing Federation, of which he’s a member, has started looking at alternative host cities, with Dubai or Bahrain as possible replacements as host.

“We will know in a few days,” the ABAP official was quoted as saying by veteran sportswriter Manolo Pedralvez

Four Olympic-bound Filipino boxers in Eumir Marcial, Nesthy Petecio, Carlo Paalam and Irish Magno were supposed to see action in the Asian slugfest as the final chapter of a long, tedious buildup for the Olympics where the boxing team is highly expected to deliver the country’s first ever Olympic gold medal.

The rest of National team boxers were also scheduled to go in the Indian capital city from Thailand, where they’re holding camp for almost two months now.

Paalam, Petecio and Magno are training at present in Bangkok, while Marcial was supposed to join the team in New Delhi after a visit to his sick father in Zamboanga City. Marcial arrived last week from Los Angeles where he has trained since last year under Hall of Fame coach Freddie Roach.

“Eumir wants to see his father in Zamboanga first,” Picson said.

Rio Olympic Games veteran Rogen Ladon, Junmilardo Ogayre, Ian Clark Bautista, Jaime Palicte, Marjon Pianar, Aira Villegas and Riza Pasulit plus coaches Nolito Velasco, Ronald Chavez, Reynaldo Galido, Elmer Pamisa and Australian consultant Don Abnett are in the Bangkok camp, which forms part of the team’s buildup for the 31st Southeast Asian Games in Vietnam this December.

Picson said the Philippines squad has been in Bangkok since April 10 after spending 10 days in the resort island of Ko Samui with the Thai boxing squad.