JAPANESE EX-WORLD CHAMP TRAINS AT ALA GYM
By Salven L. Lagumbay
PhilBoxing.com
Thu, 29 Apr 2010
Former WBA and WBC minimumweight champion Katsunari Takayama has continued his rigid preparation at the ALA Gym accompanied by his Japanese trainer, and is looking extremely sharp as he heads to his first foreign outing on May 22 against Filipino Jayson Rotoni at the Mandaue City Sports Complex.
"We have chosen Cebu and the ALA Gym as the venue of his training due to its world-class facilities and readily available sparmates," said Ken Matsumoto, Takayama's manager, in a previous interview.
Takayama (23-4, 9 KO's) will be returning after almost one year of hiatus following his defeat at the hands of Roman Gonzalez on July 14, 2009 for the WBA minimumweight title.
This time, the 26-year-old fighter is set to move up into the junior flyweight division, where he hopes to regain the luster that made him one of Japan's most popular fighters.
Takayama's Cebu outing will also mark his entry into the ALA Promotions, which will now help promote his fights in the Philippines.
ALA Promotions president Michael Aldeguer announced to the media on Monday evening their intention to go global, and to start promoting fighters not just in the Philippines but also in Asia and the rest of the world.
Ex-world boxing champ Katsunari Takayama poses with his Japanese trainer and ALA trainer Edmund Villamor in a chance meeting at the Hongkong airport en route to Cebu last Sunday
--photo by Salven Lagumbay
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