PAGARA CRUSHES MERLIN BUT IS NOT IN A RUSH FOR STARDOM
By Maloney L. Samaco
PhilBoxing.com
Tue, 22 Jan 2013
?Prince? Albert Pagara of the famed ALA Gym showed why he is the most promising Aldeguer boxer by stopping Jilo Merlin in the third round of the main event of the ?ALA-Cobra Tunay na Lakas Sinulog Boxing? last Sunday at the Gaisano Country Mall Carpark.
According to Dr. Rene Bonsubre, Jr. of GAB-Visayas: ?After a probing first round, Pagara found his range and landed heavy hooks to the body and head. In the third, Pagara cornered Merlin and unleashed left and right hooks to the abdomen that sent Merlin crumbling in the neutral corner. He tried to get up but could not beat the count of Referee Ben Necessario, who signalled the end at 1:38.?
Pagara?s record ascended to 15-0-0 with 11 KO's while Merlin plummeted to 12-15-2 with 2 KO's. An international champion in the making, ALA Gym management is making it a step by step journey to stardom for this young boxer from Lib-og, Maasin City. Michael Aldeguer, ALA promotions president, said they do not want Pagara to suffer the same fate as experienced by the other ALA boxers who were forced to fight world championships right away.
When asked what?s his next move, the teenage boxing sensation said, ?I gave my manager the choice to determine my next opponent as I entrust to him my boxing career especially when will I fight for the title.?
There are strong clamors from fans for him to fight for a regional title, probably the Orient Pacific Boxing Federation title or the WBO Asia-Pacific Youth crown. Prince Albert is now ranked No. 33 in the whole world in the bantamweight division by Boxrec.com. He is listed as the No. 34 bantamweight boxer in the whole world by the International Boxing Organization. He is rated No. 8 superflyweight contender by the Orient Pacific Boxing Federation.
?Albert is still very young and still has a lot to learn. We don?t want to rush him like what we did with Boom-Boom (Rey Bautista) and (AJ) Banal. A young fighter with a traumatic experience will find it harder to come back. So as the promoter of Albert, we will give him time to grow up and learn more before he fights for a regional title,? Aldeguer told Sun.Star Cebu.
?It depends on what he shows in every fight. If he shows consistency in his next three fights, then maybe as his promoter, we can open the doors for discussion with ALA Gym management team if Albert is ready for a regional title shot,? added Aldeguer.
This writer suggests that he will aim for the Philippine championship first. But he must fight with more big-named boxers before engaging in the Games and Amusements Board Philippine bantamweight title of which he is the number three contender.
The website boxingprospects.info had this to say about Albert: ?Sometimes in this sport we can get ahead of ourselves and feel that a fighter is nailed on to be a megastar and this might be the case for 18 year old Filipino "Prince" Albert Pagara though we can't help but think that Pagara probably will be a boxing star. The younger brother of (world rated) Jason Pagara is thought of as being one of the best boxers under the age of 20 and is tipped for a long and successful career?He was no longer ?Jason Pagara's baby brother? he was a fighter who was making a serious impression in his own right.?
Albert Pagara (L) poses with the author.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Maloney L. Samaco.
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