By Ronnie Nathanielsz
Australia’s former “Promoter of the Year” and popular TV host Peter Maniatis says he is sure AJ “Bazooka” Banal and Rey “Boom Boom” Bautista will one day be world champions” despite their stunning setbacks in their first attempt to win a world title.
Maniatis who filmed a four-part documentary on the famed ALA Gym for his weekly boxing show on Channel 31 in Australia on Tuesday nights with a replay at noon on Saturdays said he wished to thank respected boxing patron Tony Aldeguer and everyone at the ALA Gym for their help and support with the documentary.
The docucentary will be telecast on the Viva Prime cable channel which is also carried by Destiny Cable.
Maniatis who has traveled extensively because of his passion for boxing said the ALA Gym is “the best set-up I have seen anywhere in the world.”
Maniatis said that when he saw Banal in training one week before his WBA interim super featherweight title fight against Rafael “El Torito” Concepcion the 19 year old southpaw “looked awesome and if the fight was a week earlier I am sure Banal would have knocked out Concepcion.”
The Australian boxing man said he believes that Banal “over-trained and peaked a week too early” but gave Concepcion credit for fighting “a hell of a fight.”