Cebu City’s pride ALA Boxing (ALA Promotions and ALA Gym), which took 35 years to build up, got knocked out in 6 months by the coronavirus.
Once the country’s biggest and most successful boxing outfit, ALA bowed out of operations on Tuesday, August 18.
In an official statement, ALA Boxing said the COVID-19 pandemic, coupled by the closure of its longtime broadcast partner ABS-CBN, “has affected the overall situation and future of the company.”
As such, all ALA fighters, which include four-division world champion Donnie Nietes, world-ranked Prince Albert Pagara and Melvin Jersulam and prime prospect KJ Cataraja “will be released so they can look for greener pastures for their respective careers.”
Other prospects are Jeo Santisima, Regie Suganob, Christian Bacolod and Go Hosaka.
Prominent products of the stable started by Antonio Lopez Aldeguer and passed on to his son, Michael, include two-division world champion Gerry Peñalosa, former world champions Milan Melindo, Malcom Tunacao, Noel Tunacao and Rodel Mayol.
Also from ALA Boxing, which on its heyday held the highly successful Pinoy Pride series which even staged events in the United States and the United Arab Emirates, are AJ Banal, Jonas Sultan, Jason Pagara, Arthur Villanueva, Rey Bautista, Michael Domingo, Edito Villamor, Z Gorres and Mark Magsayo, now with MP Promotions.
Peñalosa now owns several boxing and fitness gyms, while Mayol, Domingo and Villamor found their calling as trainers.
Nietes’ career took a direct hit as he opted to vacate his World Boxing Organization super flyweight throne rather than tangle with fellow Filipino Aston Palicte again early last year.
Inactive for more than a year, Nietes has been removed from the list of rated challengers from all major sanctioning bodies. – Rappler.com
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