JASON PAGARA SETS NEXT TARGET - ALA KNOWS BEST
By Maloney L. Samaco
PhilBoxing.com
Mon, 27 May 2013
Jason Pagara successfully defended his World Boxing Organization (WBO) international light welterweight title. It was a convincing unanimous decision win over Aaron Herrera of Mexico. Pagara said it's all up to his boss Antonio L. Aldeguer to chart his future fights. But he is always prepared for any challenge that might come along the way.
It seemed that Pagara was on his way to a knockout victory as promised during the pre-fight press conferences. He knocked the Mexican down who touched the floor with his gloves and received an eight-count from the referee Bruce McTavish. But La Joya recovered and withstood the best punches the Filipino champion could slap on him.
The Mexican challenger had his moments of dominance in the middle rounds when the ALA standout seemed to run out of steam. But the impressive final three rounds proved to be the Filipino's selling point as he asserted his power over the visiting foe.
Pagara convinced all three judges to score a unanimous decision. The scores are 115-112 by Salven Lagumbay, 116-111 by Tony Pesons, but the 119-108 score by Arnie Najera may be too much.
El Ni?o traced his roots from Maasin City and honed up his skills in Cagayan de Oro City under the patronage of Misamis Oriental governor now CDO mayor-elect Oscar Moreno.
The quest for a world title is an uphill climb for this promising boxer. He is set to face a list of powerful cast in the hierarchy of his weight division. Prior to the fight, Pagara is ranked number four by the WBO in the world ratings. He is expected to be elevated to a higher level after the Pinoy Pride XX victory.
The junior welterweight division is full of superstars and big-named fighters. The WBO interim champion is American Mike Alvarado and the sub-champion is the Pacman detractor Mexican Juan Manuel Marquez.
The WBO top contender is the next Pacquiao foe Brandon Rios. The number two contender is undefeated American Karim Mayfield and the number three is Sehiy Fedchenko of Ukraine, who once fought and lost to Marquez.
If he intends to challenge the other organizations' titles then he has to contend with WBA and WBC champion Danny Garcia, who is also The Ring champion, or IBF champion Lamont Peterson.
The light welterweight division is overcrowded with talents. But Pagara is still young and has the great potential still waiting to be tapped. He has to train in the United States to be at par with the world class fighters of his category.
And during the post-fight interview over ABS-CBN, Pagara said "ALA knows best."
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Maloney L. Samaco.
Recent PhilBoxing.com In-House articles:
A New King, A New Challenger: Turki Alalshikh Proposes Crawford-Benavidez While Canelo Alvarez Faces Defeat with Humility
By Dong Secuya, Mon, 15 Sep 2025Highly Questionable Title Eliminator
By Teodoro Medina Reynoso, Mon, 15 Sep 2025Yoseline Perez Earns Silver Medal at Inaugural World Boxing Championships
Mon, 15 Sep 202521-year-old Filipino wins at Germany rapid chess tournament
By Marlon Bernardino, Mon, 15 Sep 2025Nagoya Nightmare: Naoya Inoue Notches One-Sided Decision over Murodjon Akhmadaliev
Mon, 15 Sep 2025Inoue’s Philippine Connection: Which Pinoy Super Bantamweight Could Challenge “The Monster?”
By Carlos Costa, Mon, 15 Sep 2025Yoseline Perez Advances to the Finals at the World Boxing Championships Perez Set to Face Chinese Taipei’s Hsiao-Wen Huang for 54-Kilogram World Title
Mon, 15 Sep 2025Canelo Gets Outboxed, Loses Undisputed Title to Crawford
By Carlos Costa, Sun, 14 Sep 2025A Masterpiece of Boxing: Terence Crawford Dethrones Canelo Alvarez in Historic Showdown
By Dong Secuya, Sun, 14 Sep 2025LEWIS CROCKER IS CROWNED THE NEW IBF WORLD WELTERWEIGHT CHAMPION
Sun, 14 Sep 2025Battle of Undefeated: Callum Walsh Vanquishes Fernando Vargas Jr.
By Dong Secuya, Sun, 14 Sep 2025Undercard Inferno: Mbilli and Martinez Deliver a Super Middleweight War Ending in a Thrilling Draw
By Dong Secuya, Sun, 14 Sep 2025Crawford to defy odds?
By Joaquin Henson, Sun, 14 Sep 2025Clash of Titans: The Final Predictions for Canelo Álvarez vs. Terence Crawford
By Dong Secuya, Sun, 14 Sep 2025Weigh-In Results: Naoya Inoue vs. Murodjon Akhmadaliev
Sun, 14 Sep 2025