17/08/2026
π’πππππππ π¦π§ππ§ππ ππ‘π§
APEX BOXING GYM β MONSOON SEASON
First of all, I want to personally address the concerns, comments, and feedback that came out after our recent event.
I know there were things that people were not happy about, and I understand that everyone has their own side and perspective. I am not posting this to argue with anyone or to point fingers. I just want to explain what actually happened from the organizerβs side, because sometimes we only see one part of the story.
I hope everyone can take a few minutes to read this before making conclusions or comments.
π₯ππππ₯πππ‘π π§ππ π¨π‘ππ«π£πππ§ππ ππ‘ππ¨π₯π¬
This is probably the most important thing I want to address.
There was a local participant who was not originally registered and was not included in the official bout list. I initially did not allow him to participate, even when he asked if he could have an exhibition match.
He went home, but after around an hour, he came back and continued asking to be allowed to fight. He kept following me around the venue and repeatedly asked for a chance to compete.
At that point, there were two players from the Espinosa Team who were already on the official list but no longer had an opponent. I eventually allowed the participant to choose between those two boxers, knowing that he had very limited boxing experience.
However, after around five minutes, the Espinosa Team approached me and the boxer they were preparing to fight was not one of the two boxers originally presented to him. The boxer was more experienced.
As the organizer, I initially did not allow the match because I knew it could be a mismatch.
The participant was also aware that his opponent had more boxing experience. Despite that, he continued to express his willingness to fight.
I eventually made the decision to allow the bout to proceed.
Looking back, I take responsibility for that decision.
During the bout, the participant was hit, became dizzy, and fell. He was brought to the hospital, and we are currently coordinating with his family regarding his situation and whatever assistance or support he may need. I will do my best to help in whatever way I can.
First and foremost, we sincerely hope for his recovery. His health is more important than any result or any event.
I also want everyone to understand that this participant was already 19 years old and legally an adult, and he repeatedly expressed his willingness to participate despite being informed that his opponent had more experience.
But as the organizer, I still recognize that I had the final decision to allow the bout, and I am sorry that I allowed it to happen despite my initial hesitation.
This is something I will personally learn from moving forward.
For future events, we will be much stricter with registration, experience level, matchmaking, and safety requirements, especially when a participant is not part of the original official list.
Please also understand that there was a whole story behind what happened. I hope we donβt judge the situation based only on what was seen during the fight.
π₯ππππ₯πππ‘π π§ππ π’ππππππππ¦, ππ¨ππππ¦ & π₯ππππ₯πππ¦
I have also seen several complaints regarding the officials, judges, and referees.
First, I want to make it clear that the officials who worked during the event were experienced amateur boxing officials and they know the rules and responsibilities of their positions.
In fact, some of them are the same officials who handle student athletes before CLARAA competitions.
Of course, we understand that not every decision will be agreed upon by everyone. There may also be moments where an official can make a mistake. They are human too.
But I donβt think it is fair to immediately attack or disrespect them because of a decision that we personally disagreed with.
They gave their time and effort to make sure that the bouts were properly officiated and that the event could continue.
If there is a disagreement regarding a particular decision, let us address it properly and respectfully with the officials involved instead of immediately bringing it to social media.
At the end of the day, the judges and referee are the ones assigned to make those decisions inside the ring.
π₯ππππ₯πππ‘π π£πππ¬ππ₯π¦ πͺππ’ πππ π‘π’π§ ππ§π§ππ‘π
Before the event, I already reminded the coaches and teams that once registration was closed, we would no longer be able to easily replace players.
There were still many boxers who wanted to participate but could no longer register because the registration was already closed.
That is why I was asking everyone beforehand to please inform us as early as possible if a boxer could not attend.
When a player does not show up without enough notice, it doesnβt only affect their own bout. It affects the opponent, the coach, the matchmaking, and the entire flow of the event.
Some players traveled all the way to Tarlac expecting to fight, only to end up with a Winner by Default because their opponent did not attend.
For future events, I hope we can all be more professional about this. If a boxer cannot attend, please inform the organizer as early as possible so we can still try to find another suitable opponent.
π₯ππππ₯πππ‘π π§ππ πππππ π¦ π’π ππππ¦
This is something I really want to clarify.
I am the organizer and owner of Apex Boxing Gym, but I have never made it a practice to simply give my own boxers an easy win.
If anything, many of our own Apex boxers lost during the event.
So if the event was really biased toward Apex, then I think that alone should already tell us something.
Yes, some Apex boxers were part of the main events. But that doesnβt mean that they were automatically going to win.
In fact, I want my boxers to face good opponents because thatβs how they learn. I want to know their actual level and where they still need to improve.
During the main event, I even moved away from the side of the ring and stayed near the stage because I didnβt want to be beside the ring and give the impression that I was influencing anything.
And to be very clear:
I never instructed any judge or referee to make my boxer win.
I would never do that.
A win is a win.
A loss is a loss.
If my boxer loses, then they lose. We learn from it and move forward.
If they win, then we respect the decision of the officials.
I also understand that coaches and boxers worked hard and traveled far to participate. I respect that. My own boxers also trained, traveled, got tired, and worked hard for their fights.
Thatβs why if there is a concern about a decision, letβs discuss it properly with the officials instead of immediately accusing the organizer of bias on social media.
π§π’ ππ©ππ₯π¬π’π‘π πͺππ’ π£ππ₯π§ππππ£ππ§ππ
I want to sincerely apologize for the things that were lacking during the event.
I know there were problems.
There were things that were not as organized as they should have been. There were delays. There were bouts that did not happen. There were matchmaking concerns. There were decisions that some people disagreed with.
I acknowledge those things.
This was my first time organizing an event of this size, and honestly, I was handling a lot of things almost by myself.
Iβm still young, still learning, and still trying to build something that I hope can contribute to the boxing community here in Tarlac.
I didnβt organize this event because I wanted to prove that I was better than anyone.
I organized it because I love boxing, I believe in our local boxers, and I want Tarlac to have more opportunities for athletes to compete and grow.
So if there were shortcomings, I sincerely apologize.
But at the same time, I hope we can also remember the good things that happened.
The boxers who stepped inside the ring.
The coaches who supported their athletes.
The teams who traveled to Tarlac.
The officials who gave their time.
The people who helped behind the scenes.
The sponsors and supporters who trusted us.
And everyone who simply came to watch and support the sport.
I appreciate every single one of you.
I also hope that as coaches, athletes, and people involved in boxing, we can show the same discipline outside the ring that we expect from our boxers inside it.
If there is a problem, letβs talk.
If there is something that needs to be corrected, letβs correct it.
If there is something we can improve, letβs improve it together.
Hindi naman kailangan na mag-away tayo dahil lamang sa isang event.
At the end of the day, we are all part of the same boxing community.
This event may not have been perfect, but I am genuinely grateful that you all became part of the APEX BOXING GYM β MONSOON SEASON.
Thank you for trusting us, thank you for coming to Tarlac, and thank you for giving our boxers the opportunity to compete.
This is only the beginning.
We will learn from what happened, improve what needs to be improved, and hopefully come back stronger and better next time.
Thank you to everyone who supported Apex Boxing Gym. π₯
β Ricell John Teofilo
Founder / Organizer
Apex Boxing Gym
