?IDOL? : SMALL CARDS TURN BIG
By Rene Bonsubre, Jr.
PhilBoxing.com
Wed, 11 Sep 2013
?IDOL", the latest boxing endeavor of ALA Promotions is set to air on September 14 Saturday on Studio 23 at 11:30 in the morning. This series shifts focus to young, up and coming prospects and to further boost the sport into the mainstream.
The inaugural bouts billed as ?IDOL 1? ? Philippines vs. Indonesia were held last August 24 at the Escalante City Coliseum. Hometown boy Melvin ?Topgun? Gumban served as the headliner against Indonesian John Bajawa in a 10-rounder.Mark Vincent Bernaldez fought Marangin ?Dinamita? Marbun, who once lost to Rey ?BoomBoom? Bautista in 2009.
Events like this, especially with the inclusion of foreign boxers, makes the usual ?out of town? fight cards ? staged in smaller cities and towns - into big events. Reports coming out of Escalante City stated that the response of the fans was tremendous. The 2-hour long telecast is a co-production between ALA Promotions and Studio 23.
Small fight cards, especially those offered free to the public, have maintained fan interest even during the lean pre-Pacquiao years. Fans have maintained their enthusiasm, even today.
As a boxing enthusiast, I considered myself fortunate to have seen the likes of Malcolm Tunacao and Rodel Mayol when they were amateurs. As a fledgling writer, I considered myself more fortunate to have seen Donnie Nietes fight in a small gym in Minglanilla, Cebu in 2008 and Merlito Sabillo win the Philippine title in Bacolod City three years ago. I?m sure fans who saw Manny Pacquiao fight in Mandaluyong City feel the same way.
?IDOL? will give fans the opportunity to see and follow rising prospects on television, even when they fight away from the traditional boxing venues. There are already six episodes lined up.
?This show will serve as a vehicle for young fighters to make a name for themselves and for the boxing fans to watch and pick their IDOLS?, said ALA Promotions President and CEO Michael Aldeguer during the IDOL press launch last August 8.
If an unknown boxer from the ?IDOL? series or one of the preliminary boxers fighting in obscurity in small towns winds up being a world ranked contender or even a world champion someday, fans who have seen them in their formative years can always brag to their friends that they saw these fighters before the rest of the country knew their names.
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