Bago City: Philippines' Boxing Capital Trains Olympians

Bago City in the Philippines, known as the 'boxing capital,' hosts a gym where children from poor families, aged 10-18, train for their Olympic boxing dreams, with hopes of escaping poverty. This gym has produced eight Filipino Olympians, with boxers enduring challenging conditions like training under old electric fans in oppressive heat. Despite hardships and limited job opportunities in Bago, boxing serves as a pathway to a better life, with aspirations to follow in the footsteps of boxing icon Manny Pacquiao. The city mourns the loss of past Olympians like Leopoldo Cantancio while nurturing new talents like AJ Vicente, aiming to achieve success on the national and international stage.