EXCITEMENT BUILDS UP OVER BANAL, AMONSOT RETURN
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Mon, 19 Jan 2009
Excitement is building up over the return to the ring of promising AJ ?Bazooka? Banal and Czar Amonsot who fight worthy opponents aimed at testing whether the two ALA Gym fighters have what it takes to make an impact on the world boxing scene.
Banal battles Indonesia?s super-flyweight champion Nouldy Manakane in Banal's first appearance after his stunning 10th round KO loss to Rafael Concepcion of Panama last July 26 at the Cebu Coliseum. At the time of the KO Banal was well ahead on the scorecards of all three judges and would have won the WBA Interim title if he merely held on in the last couple of rounds.
Learning from the mistakes made in that fight Banal and trainers Edito ? Ala ? Villamor and Edmund Villamor are eager to prove their worth in the showdown at the Island City Mall car park in a fight card that has the total commitment of popular Tagbilaran City Mayor and passionate boxing fan Dan Neri Lim.
Manakane who is Indonesia ?s super flyweight champion won the title with a unanimous decision over compatriot Jemmy Gobel on March 18 last year and has won six fights in a row after dropping a close decision to WBO No. 1 ranked Promansak Posuwan of Thailand in a WBO Asia-Pacific championship fight.
Posuwan, the WBO No. 1 ranked Thai is scheduled to face Jose ?Carita? Lopez of Puerto Rico for the WBO 115 pound title vacated by Fernando Montiel who can no longer make the weight. Montiel is moving up to fight mandatory challenger Erik Morel for the WBO bantamweight interim title as Gerry Penalosa is scheduled to move up to take on Juan Manuel ?Juanma? Lopez for the WBO super bantamweight crown in a title fight planned for April 4 in New York.
ALA Promotions President, youthful Michael Aldeguer concedes that Banal?s comeback fight against Manakane "is a big risk but he has to be tested for all to know whether he still has the potential to be a world champ?.
One of the Banal believers is former WBC founding secretary general Rudy Salud who is convinced that despite the loss to Concepcion he still has faith and confidence in Banal?s ability to bounce back and eventually win a world title.
The 20 year old southpaw has a record of 17-1-1 with 14 knockouts and is ranked No.8 by IBF and No. 10 by WBA and despite his upset loss to the Panamian Concepcion is regarded as one of the country?s brightest hope for a world title.
Besides Banal, there will be considerable attention given to the come-backing southpaw Amonsot who has been cleared to resume his boxing career following an MRI conducted at the Cebu Doctors University Hospital and tests conducted by a well-known Manila neurosurgeon Dr. Almario Jabson.
The hard-hitting Amonsot is anxiously looking forward to his return to the ring when he takes on Indonesia ?s No. 2 lightweight contender Zoel Fidal.
Amonsot put on a gallant stand against Australian warrior Michael Katsidis in their bloody and bruising WBO interim world title encounter last July 2007 in Las Vegas where both men lay side-by-side in a Las Vegas hospital after the fight. It was when routinary tests were conducted on Amonsot that doctors discovered a spec of blood outside Amonsot?s brain. But several subsequent tests showed no sign of any problem and the eager Amonsot who has been training hard was cleared to fight again.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ronnie Nathanielsz.
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