ALA Gym star AJ Banal will have his hands full as he is set to face tough Mexican Victor Proa on Aug. 29 at the Blaisdell Center in Hawaii.
ALA Promotions recently received a call from Solar Sports, which is closely working with Bob Arum’s Top Rank Promotions for the card, and informed them that Banal will be facing Proa in a 10-round non-title bout.
“Proa has a good record and is world-rated. He will be a good opponent for AJ,” said ALA Promotions president Michael Aldeguer in an interview with Sun.Star Cebu yesterday.
Like Banal, who is 19-1-1 with 16 knockouts, Proa also has a striking record of 26 wins, a loss and two draws with 19 stoppages. Proa’s only loss was from Raul Martinez, who was demolished by Nonito Donaire Jr. last April.
Test
Aldeguer believes that this will be a tough test for Banal.
“AJ needs this kind of fight to see how ready he is,” said Aldeguer.
Although Banal is facing a tough opponent, Aldeguer is confident with his training at the Wild Card Gym under ALA gym trainer Edmund Villamor and Manny Pacquiao’s coach Freddie Roach.
“He has learned a lot. His progress is good. This is the kind of exposure that we want for him in the States,” he said. “Freddie watches him in sparring and gives him tips,” Banal was supposed to fight in a six-round bout in the undercard of the title defense of fellow ALA boy and World Boxing Organization mini-flyweight king Donnie Nietes, who was set to face interim champion Manuel Vargas on Aug. 1. But the boxing event was postponed after sponsors backed out.
