PAGARA BATTERS HIRALES TO RETAIN IBF INTERCONTINENTAL TITLE
By Maloney L. Samaco
PhilBoxing.com
Sun, 16 Nov 2014
The most applauded fight in the undercard of Pinoy Pride 28 ?History in the Making? was the supporting event featuring undefeated Pagara versus tough Mexican opponent Raul Hirales. It was considered by many as an acid test for the 20-year old ALA Gym sensation and he was able to hurdle it with flying colors last night at the Waterfront Hotel and Casino, Cebu City.
Pagara improved his fighting record to 22-0 with 15 KO wins and defended successfully his International Boxing Federation intercontinental superbantamweight crown by making a punching bag of Hirales who dipped to 22-4-1 with 11 KO wins. Prince Albert sent the Mexican to the canvas in the third unleashing several combinations to the head and body. But the Baja California Sur born visitor ably defended his body from further punishment as he coasted along not to lose by a knockout.
The Maasin City born local hero connected on all parts of the face and torso of the challenger but he just remained standing on his feet until the final bell. The Latin American fighter was cut in the eye by the powerful Pagara punches which The Prince kept targeting as the rounds go by. But a typical Mexican warrior that he was, Hirales covered from the stinging barrage and fought back to the delight of the crowd who was not bored of the title fight.
Pagara (R) connects with a right at Hirales.
Pagara downs Hirales in the 3rd round.
Pagara wins after a dominant performance.
Pagara received wild cheers from the fullhouse crowd while Hirales also got some adulation for putting up a good fight. Two judges scored all twelve rounds in favor of Pagara 120-107, while a third judge gave one round for Hirales at 119-108, enroute to a unanimous decision for the darling of the crowd Prince Albert.
?Hirales was really tough that I was not able to knock him out,? said the promising ALA Gym fighter. ?But I gave my all to satisfy my fans.?
I congratulated international referee Atty. Danrex Tapdasan for a good job acting as third man in the ring in the Pagara-Hirales title fight and he said he read my article in PhilBoxing.com prior to the fight to know Hirales well.
Pinoy Pride 28 was also a ?history in the making? for the young Pagara as it was the first time his fight went to full 12 rounds. His three previous fights that lasted 10 rounds were those against Gadwin Tubigon, Marvin Tampus, and Jessie Tuyor.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Maloney L. Samaco.
Recent PhilBoxing.com In-House articles:
A New King, A New Challenger: Turki Alalshikh Proposes Crawford-Benavidez While Canelo Alvarez Faces Defeat with Humility
By Dong Secuya, Mon, 15 Sep 2025Highly Questionable Title Eliminator
By Teodoro Medina Reynoso, Mon, 15 Sep 2025Yoseline Perez Earns Silver Medal at Inaugural World Boxing Championships
Mon, 15 Sep 202521-year-old Filipino wins at Germany rapid chess tournament
By Marlon Bernardino, Mon, 15 Sep 2025Nagoya Nightmare: Naoya Inoue Notches One-Sided Decision over Murodjon Akhmadaliev
Mon, 15 Sep 2025Inoue’s Philippine Connection: Which Pinoy Super Bantamweight Could Challenge “The Monster?”
By Carlos Costa, Mon, 15 Sep 2025Yoseline Perez Advances to the Finals at the World Boxing Championships Perez Set to Face Chinese Taipei’s Hsiao-Wen Huang for 54-Kilogram World Title
Mon, 15 Sep 2025Canelo Gets Outboxed, Loses Undisputed Title to Crawford
By Carlos Costa, Sun, 14 Sep 2025A Masterpiece of Boxing: Terence Crawford Dethrones Canelo Alvarez in Historic Showdown
By Dong Secuya, Sun, 14 Sep 2025LEWIS CROCKER IS CROWNED THE NEW IBF WORLD WELTERWEIGHT CHAMPION
Sun, 14 Sep 2025Battle of Undefeated: Callum Walsh Vanquishes Fernando Vargas Jr.
By Dong Secuya, Sun, 14 Sep 2025Undercard Inferno: Mbilli and Martinez Deliver a Super Middleweight War Ending in a Thrilling Draw
By Dong Secuya, Sun, 14 Sep 2025Crawford to defy odds?
By Joaquin Henson, Sun, 14 Sep 2025Clash of Titans: The Final Predictions for Canelo Álvarez vs. Terence Crawford
By Dong Secuya, Sun, 14 Sep 2025Weigh-In Results: Naoya Inoue vs. Murodjon Akhmadaliev
Sun, 14 Sep 2025