EVEN if Rafael ?El Torito? Concepcion lost his World Boxing Association interim super flyweight crown, ALA boy AJ ?Bazooka? Banal still wants to have a rematch with the Panamanian slugger in the near future.
Banal (17-1-1, 14 KOs) desires to reclaim his lost glory after suffering his first professional defeat to Concepcion (11-3-1, 7 KOs) who stopped him in the 10th round of their championship battle last July 26 at the Cebu Coliseum.
?We are really looking at a rematch with Concepcion. That?s what AJ wants that?s what everybody wants,? ALA Promotions President Michael Aldeguer told Sun.Star Cebu.
Concepcion suffered the same fate as Banal last Sept. 15 in Mexico City because he was beaten by Mexican brawler Jorge ?El Travieso? Arce (50-4-1, 38 KOs) via a referee stoppage at the end of the ninth round after the ring physician said that the Panamanian wasn?t fit to continue.
Aldeguer believes they will not rush things for Banal and take it one step at a time before they pit the 19-year-old Cebuano with his tormentor.
?We?re going to give AJ one or two more fights and then assess how prepared he is mentally and physically to fight Concepcion,? said Aldeguer. ?We?re going take this little by little. He must win convincingly in his comeback fight. We are still talking with Golden Boy on who we will match up with AJ.?
Talks
ALA Promotions are continuously having talks with Golden Boy Promotions and are planning to have Banal?s return bout in the US, in the Friday Night Boxing fight card on the eve of the much-anticipated Dec. 6 dream battle of two ring icons, Filipino boxing superstar Manny ?Pacman? Pacquiao and legendary boxer ?Golden Boy? Oscar De La Hoya.
?That?s our plan to put Banal in the Dec. 5 fight card but its not confirmed yet. We are still continuing our talks with Golden Boy,? said the ALA Promotions President.
When the time will come when Banal will once again step foot in the ring with Concepcion, Aldeguer assured that the venue of their rematch will still be here in Cebu City.
?If they will have a rematch it would definitely be here in Cebu. AJ wants redemption. He hasn?t fully recovered from his defeat. He feels that he let everybody down and he wants to redeem himself in front of his fellow Cebuanos.? (EKA)
