HALL of Famer Manny Pacquiao finds himself adrift by his lonesome despite his noble intentions to help develop Filipino boxers through his involvement with the International Boxing Association (IBA).
‘I warned him [Pacquiao],’ Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) President Abraham ‘Bambol’ Tolentino told BusinessMirror on Tuesday. ‘The IBA has been ostracized by the IOC and all members of the IOC Family are forbidden from getting involved with that organization.’
The International Olympic Committee expelled the IBA-formerly AIBA for International Amateur Boxing Association-in June 2023 because of ‘governance, financial transparency and integrity.’
The IOC also cited issues on IBA’s ‘dependence on a single sponsor and a lack of reform in its refereeing and judging processes.’
World Boxing is now the IOC-recognized international federation of the sport to which the national association-Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines-is affiliated with its chairman, Ricky Vargas, being a founding director of the new organization.
‘We don’t know why and how he [Pacquiao] got involved with IBA, but we told him that its no longer supported by the IOC,’ Tolentino.
Pacquiao announced that he was appointed vice president of the IBA during one of the celebrations of the 50th anniversary of the ‘Thrilla in Manila’ at the Araneta City in Cubao.
IBA officials were in town to bestow the position on Pacquiao, who said that his goal with IBA is to further promote and develop boxing especially in the grassroots.
Tolentino said that he was shocked when he learned that the 46-year-old former senator was named IBA vice president saying Pacquiao ‘didn’t get sound advice from his inner circle.’
‘It’s up to him-what he will do with that, but we informed him that we cannot support any disassociated Olympic international federation,’ Tolentino said. ‘That’s moot and academic.’
On being in the same event with Pacquiao and the IBA officials, Tolentino said: ‘I was there to support Eumir [Felix Marcial] because he’s our Olympic bronze medalist.’
‘I had no idea that IBA was there,’ he added.
Marcial beat in his first 10-rounder Venezuela’s Eddy Colmenares to snatch the World Boxing Council International middleweight title-it was his seventh straight win as a pro.
The ABAP has also stressed it can’t support Pacquiao as IBA vice president, otherwise the body will be sanctioned by World Boxing and the IOC.