Tuesday, July 10, 2007 Piñol to get Cuban coach By Charles Raymond A. Maxey
AMATEUR boxing in North Cotabato got another major boost after Representative Bernardo Piñol Jr. vowed to continue the program started by his brother, former governor and now Vice Governor Manny Piñol.
Piñol, in an interview with Davao sportswriters Sunday, said his brother Bernardo will earmark part of his congressional funds to run the program starting this year.
Part of the program is the hiring of a Cuban coach who will train amateur boxers in the province and have them ready for national competitions.
"We will get another Cuban coach for North Cotabato. We will continue what we started," Piñol said.
It may be recalled that Piñol, when he was still the governor, hired a Cuban coach in the person of Honorato Espinosa last year to sharpen the skills of the province's fighters.
With Señor Espinosa's guidance, Piñol's boxers metamorphosed into highly skilled warriors, who later transformed into talented fighters in the professional ranks.
The rise of Glenn Gonzalez, Glenn Porras and Edren Dapudong, who scored sensational wins in a recent fight card in Kidapawan City, was a proof how effective was Piñol's boxing program.
With their successful campaigns in the country, Gonzalez, Porras and Dapudong are now set to leave for the United States in October to continue their training in Chicago.
