RUDY SALUD IMPRESSED BY BANAL?S PERFORMANCE
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Wed, 21 Jul 2010
The founding secretary general of the World Boxing Council, lawyer Rudy Salud, says he was impressed with the performance of AJ ?Bazooka? Banal who scored a 5th round knockout over game Japanese Hayato Kimura who fights under the name Big Yoo and represents Korea in the ring, before some 30,000 fans in Tagbilaran City last Saturday.
Salud who is an avid boxing fan and follows the fights on television regularly, told us Banal had improved considerably since his last fight in which he scored a 4th round knockout over former world title challenger Cecilio Santos of Mexico on January 14, 2010.
Salud noted that Banal threw a ?variety of punches and never rushed in but took his time before launching counter-attacks against the aggressive but raw Big Yoo.?
Salud was most impressed with the punch that knocked out Big Yoo for the first time in his ring career, a perfectly timed left uppercut. The boxing aficionado said Banal has ?a very good uppercut? which he described as ?a deadly punch.?
The man steeped in the sport who has seen many world champions during and after his stint with the WBC as he managed Z ?The Dream? Gorres in partnership with Tony Aldeguer of the ALA Gym and also handled the career of former two division world champion Gerry Penalosa for some time, predicted that Banal will be a future world champion.
It was the same prediction made in February 2007 by WBO president Francisco ?Paco? Valcarcel who told us in Cebu after watching Banal demolish his Thai opponent on the undercard of the Gorres-Fernando Montiel WBO super flyweight championship that Banal reminded him of ?a young Hector ?Macho? Camacho. He is terrific and I am sure he will someday become a world champion.?
Banal?s next fight will be in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates on October 29. Among those being considered as an opponent is former world champion Jose Luis Perez.
The ring announcer and press conference host when ALA Promotions in cooperation with KO Promotions of Dubai and ABS-CBN staged a fight card in Dubai last April headlined by world-rated Milan Melindo and former world super bantamweight title challenger Rey ?Boom Boom? Bautista said Filipinos in the United Arab Emirates were looking forward to the event.
With Banal and Bautista on the October card along with Melindo, Jeff Price said ?it certainly looks like a terrific card. ALA Promotions have been fantastic and tremendously helpful. We are really looking forward to a great future with ALA in the Middle East.?
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ronnie Nathanielsz.
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