Sydney
Olympics
Filipino BoxersBoxers take a bow
By JAIME K
PIMENTEL
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| Ring announcer introduces the Philippine
Olympic boxing team before a wrestling card at Fairfield RSL Club, after a sparring
session at Cabramatta. Photo Jaime K. Pimentel |
Sydney,
August 19. TWO WEEKS into training in
Australia, the Philippine Olympic boxing team took a bow before a professional
wrestling card in the Sydney south-western suburb of Fairfield.
More than 300 cheering spectators gave the Filipinos a
rousing ovation as they were introduced in the ring by well known boxing-wrestling
announcer Trevor Singleton.
The brief appearance followed a torrid sparring session at
nearby Cabramatta Police-Community Youth Club, a hub of amateur boxers in the Sydney's
south-west.
Cabramatta, a suburb notorious as Australia's crime and
drug capital, did not bother the Filipinos.
A feature of the sparring sessions was light-welterweight
Romeo Brin's four rounds with local champion Mark Hipwell.
 |
| Romeo Brin (right) after
sparring with Mark Hipwell, the NSW State welterweight champion at Cabramatta
Police-Community Youth Club. Photo Jaime K Pimentel |
Hipwell, a rugged welterweight, took the
fight to Brin, but the Filipino had too much ring savvy to back away.
They toe-to-toe for a full four rounds, pleasing even
hard-to-satisfy Cuban Raul Leranza.
Each boxer of the Philippine team took on two Australian
opponents.
One Aussie went two rounds apiece against one Filipino,
exactly as ordered by Leranza.
The best of the best
The Cabramatta club's boxing coach Steve Chester was all
praise for the Philippine team.
"I told the my boys that they were sparring against
the best of the best in Asia," Chester told Amateur Boxing Association of the
Philippines president Manny Lopez, who accompanied the team to the sparring sessions.
"After watching your boys, I am convinced they're the
best.
"My boys have learned a lot from sparring with them.
"I hope we get more opportunities to learn some more
while the team prepares for the Olympic Games."
Invited on short notice, the team proceeded to Fairfield
RSL Club, a modern sports-entertainment complex where a wrestling card was to take
place.
Immediately on the team's arrival, the six Filipino
Olympians were called to the ring and introduced individually to a receptive crowd of
families from across Sydney's south-west region.
On their way out, the Filipinos were stopped by admirers
for photographs.
Lopez reward the team with a Chinese dinner before heading
home.
 Jaime K. Pimentel is
a Sydney-based journalist and sub-editor with Fairfax Ltd. He has a bachelor's degree in
Journalism from Ateneo and a master's degree in Advertising and Newspaper Management from
Northwestern University (Chicago). He was previously a lecturer in Journalism at San Beda
and UST. Jimmy is also a scriptwriter and producer of Dramatic Philippines.
He loves and practices the sports he writes about. He was a boxing gold medallist during
his Ateneo days, an official of the Amateur Boxing Association of the Philippines as a
referee and judge, and an Ateneo instructor in P.E. (boxing and swimming). In Australia,
he was also an amateur boxing referee. emanila team |
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