PINOY PRIDE XVII: BANAL AND SOR SINGYU FACE TO FACE IN CEBU
By Rene Bonsubre, Jr.
PhilBoxing.com
Mon, 27 Aug 2012
CEBU CITY ? WBO Oriental bantamweight champion Pungluang Sor Singyu of Thailand and WBO number one contender AJ ?Bazooka? Banal sized up each other and gave their predictions for their upcoming fight for the vacant WBO world bantamweight championship.
The 24 year old Pungluang, who arrived yesterday, complimented the Filipinos for their hospitality.
?This is my first time here in the Philippines,? Pungluang said, speaking through interpreter Michel Do, representative for One Songcai Promotions. ?I would like to thank the sportswriters for coming. Thank you for the opportunity.?
Pungluang (42W-1L, 27 KO's) cited Filipino boxers Eden Sonsona and Marvin Tampus as his toughest opponents. He beat Sonsona by unanimous decision in 2009 and Tampus by 6th round TKO last year.
?I am happy for the chance to fight here in the Philippines. I will fight the same way I fight in Thailand.? Pungluang started as a Muay Thai kickboxer when he was eight years old. He shifted to conventional boxing after winning as a substitute for his brother who was ill.
He has already seen many fight films of Banal. ?He is a strong fighter, good technique, but I can beat him.? Pungluang said, ?I have been training for a month now. My advantage is that I am a stronger puncher than Banal. I have fought more than ten southpaws. Left handed, right handed, no problem. This will be a hard fight but I can win by knockout.?
Sor Singyu's lone loss was by split decision against Stephane Jamoye in Belgium three years ago.
The 23 year old Banal (20W-1L-1D, 2O KO's) feels that his experience and quality of competition will lead him to victory.
?My endurance will no longer be a problem.? Banal said, ?I have to pace myself. I have fought world class opponents. When I was a teenager, I already beat Angky Ankota and Juan Alberto Rosas.?
?We will see inside the ring. I will try my best, I can knock him out also.? Banal added. ?He is an obstacle to my plan to fight again in the U.S. I will have to clear this obstacle.?
This will be the inagural boxing rpomotion for the Mall of Asia Arena, which can seat 18,000 for a boxing event. Banal vs Pungluang will be fought on October 20.
Set to appear on the undercard is Rey 'BoomBoom' Bautista against a still to be named opponent. The likes of Michael Domingo, Jason Pagara and Genesis Servania are also being considered to add to the star power of this event.
Also attending the press conference were ALA Promotions CEO Michael Aldeguer, ALA gym trainer Edmund Villamor, and WBO Asia-Pacific Vice Pres. Leon Panoncillo.
Aldeguer once again talked about the difficult negotiations and high cost of staging this title fight.
?Banal will face the best in his division if he wins this fight.? Aldeguer said, ?But, first things first, he has to win this fight.?
Panoncillo talked about the increasing role and influence of the WBO here in Asia. ?We are not here to present trophies. We are here to give boxers the opportunity to fight for titles and rankings. A boxer from this region, Manny Pacquiao, is earning millions fighting for titles in the U.S. This is the kind of opportunity we would like to give to the boxers.?
?Only the WBO President will appoint the officials.? Panoncillo added, ?The officials assigned will all be international judges. No referee or judges from Asia will be assigned to this title fight.?
The protagonists will be in Manila on Tuesday and meet the sportswriters in our capital city and shoot promotional videos before going back to their respective training camps.
L-R: Trainer Edmund Villamor, ALA President Michael Aldeguer, AJ Banal, Pungluang Sor Singyu, WBO Vice-President Leon Panoncillo and Onesongchai rep Michel Du.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Rene Bonsubre, Jr..
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