HE looked loose and bobbed, weaved and moved with fluidity. That occasional smile and swagger that he would show his opponents that he was in control: it was all there.
The ?Prince? Albert Pagara of old is back.
?I feel that my confidence is back,? Pagara said after a third-round stoppage of Ghanaian Laryea Gabriel Odoi in the main event of Pinoy Pride 44 ?Laban sa Leyte? last Saturday night in a sold-out Maasin City Gym. ?I want to emulate (Vasyl) Lomachenko. I want to focus on my movement and throw my punches while moving, just like him.?
After suffering his first career setback, an eighth-round knockout by Cesar Juarez in 2016 in the US, the 24-year-old Pagara looked tentative in his next three fights despite winning all three.
?Albert is coming back. This is just a step-up fight for him. Right now, he has to go back to his groove. He had to dominate Odoi because if he didn?t, we really wouldn?t know what his direction is. I think he showed what he can do and outclassed him. That?s still not his test, but right now I think he?s back, his confidence is back. So he should be back to the world level that we expect him to be,? said ALA Promotions president Michael Aldeguer. ?It took some time for him psychologically. He went through a lot personally so we saw what we wanted to see. Right now, at least he made a fight and outclassed his opponent . If he had not been competitive, then it would have been a question of Albert not being ready for the next level.?
Pagara dropped the 28-year-old Odoi, a former West African Boxing Union champion, twice before the Ghanaian?s corner literally threw in the towel in the 2:30 mark of the third. He won back the World Boxing Organization (WBO) Inter-Continental super bantamweight belt that he lost to Juarez.
?They have given me extra energy. When I entered and the crowd cheered, I felt stronger. All the anxiousness in my mind was gone,? said Pagara of the huge hometown crowd that came out to cheer him on.
Aldeguer said that Pagara, who improved to 30-1 with 21 knockouts, will most likely be back in action as one of the main supporting bouts of the all-Filipino world title fight between Donnie Nietes and Aston Palicte on Aug. 18 in Cebu City.
The long-term goal, however, is a rematch with Juarez.
?We would love that. That?s really the goal. He wants that rematch. He fought a great fight but he just got hit. Everybody knows that Juarez is a world-class fighter, he didn?t lose to just anybody. Juarez gave Nonito a tough fight. That?s the goal. What I?m pleased about now is that you can see Albert?s swagger is back. It may not be a test for him now, but you wanted to see if he could outclass Odoi, which he did. It should be a bigger step for him in his next fight,? said Aldeguer.
Jeo Santisima (16-2, 14 KOs) stopped Thai Likit Chane (16-7, 7 KOs) in the third round to win the vacant WBO Oriental super bantamweight strap, while Pagara?s older brother Jason Pagara (41-3-1, 26 KOs) destroyed Indonesian journeyman Wellem Reyk (19-19-4, 5 KOs) also in the third round. (EKA)
