SEA Games MVPSF Recap: Boxing

BOXING

The Philippine Boxing program is known for its consistency in producing medals and being the country’s hope for medals in almost every international sporting event be it the Olympics, Asian Games or South East Asian Games.

Coming into the 2017 SEA Games, the ABAP (Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines) targeted six medals out of the six boxers competing in this edition of the SEA Games. In the end, they produced 5 medals – 2 Gold, 1 Silver, 2 Bronze for the biennial event. This was a very strong finish considering that the lone non-medalist was a Junior World medalist who lost to the host country despite dominating the match.

The competition was also highlighted by the emergence of the new face of Filipino boxing—light heavyweight boxer John Marvin. The Fil-Brit boxer proved to be a promising bet as he shone brightly in his first competition as a Filipino. He breezed through the competition and scored an epic 21-second victory in the Final en route to the Gold Medal. As if learning from the previous result of his compatriot, Marvin did not leave anything to chance and immediately pummeled his Malaysian foe thus earning the TKO victory and avoiding the dangers of letting the judges decide the winner of the match.

Meanwhile, perennial medal performers Eumir Felix Marcial (GOLD), Mario Fernandez (SILVER), Ian Clark Bautista (BRONZE), and Charly Suarez (BRONZE) all racked up podium finishes for the Philippines. Rest assured, come 2019 the ABAP will once again have our boxers ready to perform their best on home soil. 

Since its inception, the MVP Sports Foundation has supported the ABAP in its efforts to maximize the potential of Philippine Boxing and to continue to provide ample training and exposure to our boxers. The MVPSF remains committed as we strive to produce the first Philippine Olympic Gold Medal.