Sixteen years is a long time to wait for gold, and Philippine boxing hopes the road to Aichi-Nagoya ends with a return to the top of the Asian Games podium.
Boxers have won 15 of the Philippines' total of 71 Asian Games gold medals, but none since Rey Saludar won the 52kg division at the 2010 Guangzhou Games in China.
The Philippines has since collected three silver and five bronze medals in Asian Games competition, including Eumir Marcial's 80kg silver at the 2022 Hangzhou edition.
The 16-year wait for gold has given the Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines (ABAP) plenty of reason to aim higher.
ABAP president Marcus Manalo knows the assignment will be difficult, but he believes the delegation has the talent to accomplish a breakthrough.
"We have seven boxers," Manalo said at the Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum last week.
"It's going to be a really tough task, and the boxers know that. But I'm very excited for them."
That optimism is built around a group with considerable international experience.
The roster features Olympic medalists Nesthy Petecio (60kg), Aira Villegas (51kg) and Carlo Paalam (55kg), alongside Riza Pasuit (54kg), Junmilardo Ogayre (60kg) and Norlan Petecio (70kg).
But the delegation's final composition remains unsettled.
Tokyo Olympics bronze medalist Marcial, the lone Filipino boxer to win a medal in Hangzhou, is scheduled to fight professionally in Temecula, California, on Sept. 19, but the boxing draw is set for the following day -- leaving a narrow window for the hard-hitting Zamboanga City native to recover and travel across the Pacific.
"We're hoping that [Marcial] will be fit to box and fresh after his pro fight, so he can fly straight from Los Angeles to Nagoya," Manalo said.
Weljon Mindoro, who could have replaced Marcial, was barred from competing after suffering a knockout loss to Mexican opponent Carlos Ocampo in a professional bout on Aug. 29.
The squad completed a two-week training camp in Thailand before arriving in Nagoya last week for its final preparations ahead of the boxing competition, which begins on Sept. 21.
Asian nations won nine of the 13 boxing gold medals at the Paris Olympics, with Uzbekistan taking five, China three and Chinese Taipei one, so the road ahead will be unforgiving.
"If you look at the gold medalists in the Paris Olympics, 70% are from Asia," Manalo said.
That depth makes the Philippines' Olympic pedigree a double-edged sword. The four medalists bring proven credentials, but their reputations also make them targets.
"We have our Olympic medalists, but that could work for or against you because if you're a competitor, that's the one you want to beat," Manalo said.
"But I'll still bet on the Olympic boxers."
For Manalo, the goal is not complicated. After years of coming close, even one gold will be enough to make the wait worthwhile.
"We've had zero gold medals in the past 16 years, so even just one would mean a lot to be at the top of the podium," he said.
