ALA BOXERS HEAT UP DUBAI IN AUGUST
By Rene Bonsubre, Jr.
PhilBoxing.com
Sun, 29 Jun 2014
Filipino athletes can count on the cheers of their countrymen almost anywhere in the world. We have the unending diaspora to thank for that. The Middle East has one of the largest concentration of Filipino workers on the planet.
Data from Wikipedia records more than 900 thousand Filipinos in the United Arab Emirates, more than a million in Saudi Arabia and also numbering in the hundreds of thousands in Kuwait and Qatar.
Four years ago, Filipino overseas workers in Dubai,UAE had the pleasure of witnessing boxers form the ALA Gym in action. Rey?BoomBoom? Bautista, together with stable mates Milan Melindo and Larry Canillas scored impressive stoppage wins.
Bautista will be making a return to Dubai this August 29 with Genesis ?Azukal? Servania, the undefeated WBO Intercontinental superbantamweight champion, as the card?s headliner.
ALA Promotions? first foray in Dubai was in partnership with Dubai-based KO Promotions. This time around, the Cebu-based promotional company will make their first solo International card with their television partner ABS-CBN. This underscores the incredible growth of the company and the very successful marketing of the Pinoy Pride boxing series.
ALA Boxing has developed a loyal and paying audience in Cebu. They have gathered sponsors and their partnership with the media has been very effective in bringing boxing into the mainstream. Boxing writers here in Cebu appreciate and acknowledge their effort in preparing for the post-Manny Pacquiao world. And the potential for further growth is still there with an ALA promoted fight card in California looming in the horizon.
In the main event of Pinoy Pride 27 ? ?Duel Dubai?, Servania will fight Jose ?Matador? Cabrera of Mexico.
Could this be the same Cabrera who was supposed to fight ?King? Arthur Villanueva here in Cebu last October on the undercard of Pinoy Pride 22?
Cabrera could not make the trip and was replaced by another Mexican, Edgar Martinez, who was subsequently knocked out by Villanueva in the first round.
?King? Arthur Villanueva will defend his WBO International superflyweight title against Henry ?El Crespo? Maldonado of Nicaragua.
Villanueva last saw action in March, winning a hard fought battle against Fernando Aguilar of Mexico by unanimous decision at the Solaire Resort and Casino.
Bautista, who maintains his popularity and name recognition with the casual fans, will face Mexican Juan Jose ?Piquet? Martinez in a ten round non-title superfeatherweight bout. Last may, BoomBoom got a hard fought unanimous victory against Sergio Villanueva at the Mall of Asia Arena.
Pinoy OFW's have been waving the flag cheering for the Azkals and Gilas Pilipinas when they play in various countries in that region. Labeling the Filipino audience in the Middle East as a potential gold mine would be quite an understatement.
Photo - left to right - Rey Bautista, Genesis Servania and Arthur Villanueva
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Rene Bonsubre, Jr..
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