By Ronnie Nathanielsz
AJ “Bazooka” Banal, the hard-hitting protege of the famed ALA Gym of respected boxing patron Tony Aldeguer will fight for the WBA super flyweight title left vacant by Alexander Munoz who dropped a close decision to Christian Mijares over the weekend in Mexico.
In an email, well-known matchmaker Sampson Lewkowicz said that after Mijares, the reigning WBC champion unified the titles after following a close win over Munoz WBA executive secretary Gilberto Mendoza Jr and Championships Committee chairman Oliver Gomez “declared Mijares a ‘super champion’ thus creating a vacancy in this division and hence the opportunity for Banal.”
Lewkowicz informed youthful Michael Aldeguer who has assumed the mantle of his father in the boxing business that Banal will fight Panama’s Rafael “El Torito” Concepcion for the vacant crown.
Lewkowicz said that from the first day he saw Banal in action he was confident he would become “ the youngest champion ever from the Philippines.”
Filipino ring idol Manny Pacquiao who was born on December 17, 1978 won the WBC flyweight title from Thai hero Chatchai Sasakul on December 4, 1998 some two weeks before his 20th birthday. Banal who was born on December 28, 1988 is likely to get his crack at the WBA title sometime in July which, if he wins, would
Make him the youngest ever world champion from the Philippines.
Concepcion is a 25 year old southpaw with a record of 10-2-1 with 6 knockouts according to boxrec.com and is rated No. 6 by the WBA while Banal is ranked No. 3.
In his last fight on March 27, Concepcion scored a third round TKO over Jean
Piero Perez Banal on the other hand scored an impressive fourth round TKO win over previously undefeated WBC No.2 Caril Herrera of Uruguay at the Araneta Coliseum last April 6. In his email to the young Aldeguer, Lewkowicz said thank your respectable father, you and the entire ALA boxing family for allowing me to guide AJ Banal and bring great pride to the people of the Philippines.”
