BRIONES NOT IMPRESSED WITH BANAL
By Rene Bonsubre, Jr.
PhilBoxing.com
Thu, 06 Oct 2011
Bacolod City - Mario ?Maca? Briones of Mexico is in Bacolod City together with countryman and defending WBO light flyweight champion Ramon ?El Principe? Garcia Hirales for the highly anticipated Pinoy Pride 9. Briones, who will fight WBO Asia Pacific champion AJ ?Bazooka? Banal, was at the SM Bacolod Events Center together with Team Garcia to meet and greet the host city?s fight fans.
They invited the audience members to watch the fights this Saturday. Fans then gathered around and posed for photos with the visiting fighters.
Briones spoke with this writer and bared his thoughts about the fighter from Ermita, Cebu.
?Yes, I have seen Banal?s fights,? Briones said, ?I am not impressed. He has lost already.?
The 25 year old Briones (20W-0L-1D, 14 KO?s) is not worried about risking his undefeated record here in the Philippines .
?It is not a risk, I will lose nothing and gain everything, I will beat him.?
Briones is at least two inches taller than the 22 year old Banal (25W-1L-1D, 19 KO?s), ?I will use my reach, my jab and I will punish him with hooks to the body.? He said.
He also enjoys being in the host city, ?Bacolod is very green, it is a very beautiful place, except for the heat. ?
Garcia Hirales and his team spoke to the fans and said that they are confident that they will return to Mexico with two belts as he will retain the title against challenger Donnie Nietes and Briones will also take Banal?s belt.
Nietes (28W-1L-3D, 16 KO?s) will be going after his second world title. He reigned as WBO minimumweight champion since 2007 until he gave up the title this year to pursue a championship belt at 108 lbs. Garcia Hirales (16W-2L-1D, 9 KO?s) will be making the first defense of his title. He has been in Cebu for two weeks to prepare for this fight.
The fights will be held at the University of St. La Salle Gymnasium.
(Many thanks to fellow boxing writer Carlos Costa for assisting in the Spanish translation of the brief interview)
BELOW ? Briones with the author
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