By Ronnie Nathanielsz
ALA Promotions and the fighters under its banner are dedicating their upcoming “Pinoy Pride 4” promotion and fights to the late Rodrigo “Rudy” Salud, the founding secretary general of the World Boxing Council as well as the former PBA Commissioner.
Close friend and respected boxing patron Antonio “Tony” Aldeguer said “I feel the grief and sorrow of the Salud family’s loss. I have beautiful and wonderful memories of Rudy when we joined hands in managing Z Gorres’ career.”
The late sportsman Salud had close ties with the Aldeguer group as he once with Aldeguer co-managed classy Z “The Dream” Gorres.
Michael Aldeguer, President and CEO of ALA Promotions said “I would like to send my sincerest sympathies to the Salud family. He was a great man and we at ALA Promotions would like to dedicate PINOY PRIDE 4 to him.”
The ALA CEO said he had a very high respect for the former secretary general and chairman of the WBC Ratings Committee who the present WBC president Don Jose Sulaiman referred to as his mentor.
Aldeguer said he had “always followed Mr. Salud’s career ever since he was with the Philippine Basketball Association and with that he has taught me one thing very important. He taught me integrity not just in the world of sports but in life as well.”
Former super flyweight title challenger who was one of Salud’s favorite boxers said “Sir Rudy and his family are one of the kindest and helpful people I have been with. I wish him well wherever he is and my family sends our condolence to them.”
ALA Promotions said they will be honoring “one of the most distinguished and honorable men of Philippine sports” during the PINOY PRIDE 4 event set at the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel and Casino on March 19, 2011 in cooperation with ABS-CBN.
The blockbuster fight card will be headlined by the flyweight battle between undefeated, Milan Melindo (23-0, 7 KO’s) who is ranked No. 4 by the IBF, No. 9 by the WBA and No. 11 by the WBC and Rosendo Vega (16-6, 11 KO’s).
Also on the card will be OPBF flyweight champion Rocky Fuentes (28-6-2, 18 KO’s) who is ranked No.3 by the WBC, No. 6 by the WBA, No. 6 by the WBO and No. 7 by the IBF. The hard-hitting Fuentes clashes with Jemmy “Boom Boom” Gobel (16-12-5, 12 KO’s) while bantamweight AJ “Bazooka” Banal who is ranked No. 3 by the IBF, No. 4 by the WBA, No. 6 by the WBO and No. 13 by the WBC takes on Tanzania’s Francis Miyeyusho.
Also on the card is exciting and undefeated Canadian light welterweight Steve Claggett (11-0-1, 6 KO’s) who battles rugged Romeo Jakosalem ( 11-4-1, 5 KO’s).
