THE new man at the helm of the Philippine boxing team gets his first acid test at the 20th Asian Games.
Kevin Smith will work the corner for the compact, seven-man boxing team seeking to end a 16-year gold medal drought in one of the sports closest to the hearts of the Filipino people.
The 62-year-old British-Irish coach has begun his work as head coach in major boxing tournaments last July, taking over the job of one-time assistant Don Abnett, who remains as grassroots program director of the Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines (ABAP).
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The country has not won a boxing gold since Rey Saludar ruled the men’s 52kg division in the 2010 Asiad in Guangzhou, China.
“That’s one of the changes,” said ABAP president Marcus Jarwin Manalo of the adjustment the boxing team made heading to Nagoya.
Smith has been a familiar name in Philippine amateur boxing previously.
ABAP actually has been eyeing Smith as early as the Tokyo Olympics, according to Manalo, but unfortunately was beaten to the draw by Australia.
At the 2020 Olympics, Smith guided Harry Garside to the bronze in the men’s lightweight division, ending Australia’s 33-year medal drought in the Summer Games.
Even then, the Philippines remained close to the heart of Smith.
“Even in Tokyo, he’s been helping us scout kasi naging assistant niya naman si coach Don (Abnett) sa Australia before. And we have kept a positive relationship with him,” Manalo said of Smith.
Following his stint with Australia, Smith served as technical director for Saudi Arabia, before eventually ending up with ABAP.
“Buti naging available siya kasi we’ve been eyeing him,” said Manalo of Smith. “And now nasa atin na siya.”
Although less than three months into the job, Manalo believes Smith is capable of delivering.
“Very confident ako sa capacity ni coach Kevin Smith to bring us to greater heights,” said Manalo, while not totally discounting the tremendous work done by Abnett with the team including producing a silver medal courtesy of Marcial during the Hangzhou Asiad four years ago.
“Yung maiba lang 'yung timpla ng training, scouting, yung team environment. Malaking bagay na, e.”
ABAP has won five medals in the last two Olympics in Tokyo and Paris, making Manalo confident about ending the country’s Asiad gold medal drought.
“While we’ve been saying Asia has vastly improved, hindi rin naman natin siguro maa-underestimate that we’ve won five (Olympic) medals in the past two Olympics,” said Manalo.
Four Olympic medalists will banner the compact seven-man boxing team, made up of Nesthy Petecio (60kg), Aira Villegas (51Kg), Riza Pasuit (54kg), Carlo Paalam (55kg), Junmilardo Ogayre (60kg), Norlan Petecio (70kg), and Eumir Marcial (80kg).
Petecio, Villegas, Marcial, and Paalam all won medals at the 2020 Tokyo and 2024 Paris Olympics, respectively.
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