THE Muay Thai Association of the Philippines and the Samahang Kickboxing ng Pilipinas will hold a Muay Thai and kickboxing tryout for young Cebuano athletes on July 26, 2025, at the Cebu City Sports Center (CCSC).
The session, starting at 2 p.m. at the CCSC boxing gym, will be supervised by Yaw-Yan Ardigma Cebu founder and CEO Master Benigno “Ekin” Caniga Jr. along with his son Ian Caniga, GM Emiliano “Zapata” Dacuyan Jr., Kru Robert Serdone Jr. and John Ian Nisnisan.
Caniga Jr. is inviting all interested athletes aged 12 to 17 from various gyms in Cebu City to join the tryout.
Selected athletes will compose the roster of Team Cebu City for the upcoming 2025 Batang Pinoy National Championship: “Husay ng Bagong Manlalaro” on Oct. 25-31 in Gen. Santos City.
“We want athletes who are not lazy in training and are doing good in school. That’s what’s important for our athletes,” Caniga Jr. told SunStar. “We want tough and dedicated athletes.”
Interested individuals should bring an original Philippines Statistics Office birth certificate, a school ID (original and photocopy) and a parent’s consent.
“We don’t have a target number of athletes. We’ll choose qualified athletes. Ian and I will handle the training. We will be sending the best of the best in Cebu City,” said Caniga Jr.
Team Cebu City has been one of the top teams in the country in Muay Thai, thanks to the leadership of Caniga Jr. The team is looking for another strong finish this year.
“I will do my best to prepare and train the kids. I won’t promise anything, but we’ll do our best to win gold medals for Team Cebu City,” said Caniga Jr. “Our Muay Thai team has always ranked No. 2 next to Baguio. Baguio has always been No. 1 in contact sports. This will be the first time for Cebu City to join kickboxing. It’s a new sport that the PSC (Philippine Sports Commission) has included.” / EKA