MANILA, Philippines – For businessman Tony Aldeguer, boxing is his way to bring honor to the country and inspire the poor to climb out of poverty. Aldeguer never takes credit for the achievements of his fighters ? he refuses to enter the ring to celebrate a victory or accept an award, preferring to stay in the background. It?s not about him, Aldeguer says, it?s about Pinoy pride.
Tonight, one of Aldeguer?s prized prot?g?s A.J. Banal battles Pungluang Sor Singyu of Thailand for the vacant WBO bantamweight crown at the MOA Arena. A victory by Banal will be the fulfillment of a life-long dream for Aldeguer. Banal was only nine years old when an uncle Joselito Campana, a former boxer, brought him to Aldeguer?s gym in Cebu to train as an amateur. Now, Banal is 23 and a win away from becoming a world champion.
Aldeguer says he leaves Banal?s fate in God?s hands. ?When I pray, I always ask God if I?m doing the right thing,? he says. ?Whether A.J. wins or not, it?s up to Him. Of course, it?s very fulfilling for me if A.J. wins, now that I?m in my twilight years. My involvement in boxing is not for me. This is not for my ego. I?m just an instrument for my fighters to achieve their goals, that?s all. A.J. is special to me because he started training in our gym as a boy and grew up as part of my family. When he fights on Saturday, my whole family will be there, my wife, children, grandchildren.?
Aldeguer, who turned 71 last Monday, has passed on the job of supervising the boxing business to his son Michael, a chip off the old block. ?I got involved in boxing in 1986 with fighters like Brix Flores, Rey Cosep and Edito Villamor,? says Aldeguer. ?When the fighters retire or move on, I employ them in my companies. Today, there are about 30 former fighters, both amateurs and pros, working with us. My son Michael takes care of the promotional side and our vision is to establish the Philippines as a site for world-class boxing events. We want ALA Promotions or any other Filipino group to be like Mexico?s Zanfer Promotions which is linked to the biggest names in Mexican boxing or the Puerto Rico group that handles the top Puerto Rican fighters.?
Aldeguer says ALA Promotions isn?t exclusively for his fighters. ?We work with fighters from different stables,? he says. ?We?re grateful to Manny Pacquiao for opening doors for Filipino fighters. Because of Manny, foreign promoters now treat us with respect, they see us differently from before. As Filipino promoters, we need to step up our efforts in establishing the Philippines as a strong base for world-class events. This will make it easier for us to link up with foreign groups in promoting boxing shows and Filipino fighters abroad.?
Aldeguer hopes to expand his stable of world champions. Reigning WBO lightflyweight titleholder Donnie Nietes was the first in the ALA stable to capture a world crown. Banal could be the second. Another prot?g? Rey (Boom Boom) Bautista lost in a bid for the WBO superbantamweight title in 2007, bowing to Daniel Ponce de Leon via a first round knockout.
?It?s partly our fault,? says Aldeguer, referring to Bautista?s setback. ?We rushed him too early. We believed what people were telling us, that he was ready for a title shot. Now, we know not to rush things, to make our fighters mature before we arrange a title shot. Boom Boom fights in the undercard this Saturday and if he wins, maybe we?ll do a title fight after two or three more tune-ups. Boom Boom is injury-prone and has hurt his collarbone, hands and feet. But he?s ready for Saturday, let?s see how he progresses.?
Michael, 40, will leave for the WBO convention in Florida the morning after Banal?s fight. His mission is to explore more opportunities for Filipino fighters. ?We?re talking to Top Rank and if A.J. wins, he might be included in a future Top Rank show,? says Michael. ?Milan (Melindo) is the mandatory challenger of WBO flyweight champion Brian Viloria but we?re not excited about pitting a Filipino against another Filipino. Brian is scheduled to face WBA champion Tyson Marquez in a unification bout. If Brian wins, maybe he?ll relinquish the WBO title so Milan can fight for the vacant throne. Donnie will do a tune-up in November then defend his title in February.?
Aldeguer says Banal won?t leave anything to chance against Pungluang. ?The Thai is tough and we?re lucky to hold the fight here because it?s very difficult to beat a Thai in Thailand,? he says. ?Everybody has a 50-50 chance of winning in a fight. Thais always give you a good fight. Pungluang?s record shows he has beaten 15 Filipinos in 16 fights so that?s an indication of his capability.?
