Strong abs are important- but the belly pooch is fat. Clean eating and cardio, resistance training to build muscle are your weapons. There are lots of great abs exercises, but no one exercise will get rid of belly fat.
Crunches, reverse crunches, weighted crunches, v-ups, lots of general weight work on a stability ball or bosu, hanging crunches, planks, side planks, pikes, rollouts, Russian twists, leg and hip-ups, etc...all build strong abs. Losing the fat helps you see them
Mel