So I spent 3 months earlier this year in the Philippines trying to start a business. I found myself with a lot of free time so I decided to check out some local boxing shows. I was able to watch some pro and amateur boxing matches and what stuck out to me was the raw natural talent that a lot of these guys had. They weren't necessarily the most polished fighters, but you could see a lot of potential in some of them. I decided to check out some of the gyms in the area and each one had the same comments for me. They would mention that if such and such fighter from this gym would go overseas then he would be a champion. I was really surprised by the lack of reputable trainers there. Since it's the land of Pacquiao, I imagined it would be like Mexico in a sense that there would be some good established gyms there that would crank out fighters. I even met with some of their amateur trainers and they too were aware of the situation of their fighters. The Philippines should have a good amateur program, but have fallen far behind their other Asian counterparts. For all intents and purposes the future of Filipino fighters relies heavily on if they can make it to the U.S., Mexico, Thailand, or Japan to train. Unfortunately, many do not have this opportunity. It's a waste because there is a lot of talent there. I'm just wondering if any foreign trainers have thought about setting up shop there?
