‘Bazooka’ Banal aims gun at ‘Poison’ Cardenas in Boxing World Cup

Rising ALA Boxing Gym star AJ “Bazooka” Banal will face a new foe in Jorge Cardenas in a six-round super flyweight duel underneath the keenly-awaited Philippines vs. Mexico Boxing World Cup this Sunday (RP time) at the Arco Arena in Sacramento, California.

Initially, the 18-year-old Banal was set to take on former WBC light flyweight champion Eric Ortiz but Ortiz was summoned to take on Cebuano Z “The Dream” Gorres, whose original opponent Gerson Guerrero was scrapped from the card due to illness.

Nicknamed “Veneno” which means poison, Cardenas holds a 9-3-3 win-loss-draw record spiked with 6KOs. The 25-year-old Los Mochis fighter knocked out Trinidad Mendoza in round seven in his previous fight last April 21 at the Gimnasio Municipal in Guaymas, Sonora, Mexico.

Banal, on the other hand, is unbeaten in 13 fights that include one draw and 10 victories via stoppage. The Corella, Bohol ring gladiator scored a hard-earned unanimous decision victory over Juan Alberto Rosas the last time he fought which also marked his maiden ring appearance in the US last May 5 at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. — EBV