ALA BOXING GROUP TIES UP WITH SOUTH KOREA'S BOXING PLAZA
By Emmanuel B. Villaruel
PhilBoxing.com
Fri, 27 Apr 2007
CEBU CITY --- In what could be another big boost to the Cebu boxing fraternity, Team ALA has entered into a business tie-up with South Korea's prestigious Boxing Plaza - a partnership aimed to further strengthen the boxing industry not only in the Philippines and Korea but also in the entire Asia-Pacific region.
"We are joining forces with these people from Korea," announced international promoter Sammy Gello-ani of the ALA Boxing Group in a news conference just hours ago at the Sampaguita Room of Marriott Hotel.
"This tie-up is for the upliftment of boxing industry in the Philippines and Korea as well as in the rest of the Asia-Pacific region. It is one step to make the industry bigger and bigger. The Koreans are the ones coming in so this big advantage and beneficial to us," added the SGG Sports Promotions big boss.
Also present during the brief presscon were Boxing Plaza manager Yong Min Park, promoter Lee Dong Gyu and planning manager Han Sang Ho.
As its initial project, Boxing Plaza in association with the ALA Boxing Gym and SGG Promotions will put up a triple WBO Asia-Pacific championship card on July 7 tentatively at the grand ballroom of Waterfront-Cebu City Hotel.
Among those being considered to headline the explosive triple-header are reigning WBO Asia-Pacific lightweight and super featherweight champions Yong Sung Kim and Czar Amonsot, respectively, and the fast-rising ALA prospect AJ "Bazooka" Banal.
Park started managing Boxing Plaza, one of South Korea's prominent sweat shops, handed to him by his father, who opened the business in 1966. His father, a member of the International Amateur Boxing Association (IABA), is an Olympic judge for many years including in the Mexico and Tokyo games.
"I belong to a family who had been into boxing for many generations," said Park. "I am happy to assume the mantle in carrying out the sports that is close to our hearts for generations to come."
For the past 30 years, boxing interest in Korea dwindled down. Park and his colleagues at Boxing Plaza have been all out in their effort to revive the sport among the South Koreans.
When they visited the Philippines early in 2004, Park and some BP executives were mesmerized by the intensity of the Cebuano boxing in the "Dream Fights" card at the Mandaue City Cultural and Sports Complex.
On April 13, 1991, Park brought to the Philippines In-Kyu Hwang, on of the only three fighters who survived the ring test against the legendary Edito 'ALA' Villamor, a former two-time world challenger and presently the chief trainer of ALA Boxing Gym.
Just last February 9, Boxing Plaza hosted a WBO Asia Pacific title bout billed as "KO Artist No. 5" at the Lotte Hotel in Seoul where Amonsot beat Da Woon Jung to wrest the WBO Asia-Pacific 130-pound crown.
Park hopes that the July 7 extravaganza will further cement the Cebuano-Korean boxing relationship.
"I am very happy to have this opportunity to work again with the ALA Boxing Gym of Mr. Tony Aldeguer and Gello-ani.
Hopefully, our joint project would yield positive results in the next few years," said Park.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Emmanuel B. Villaruel.
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