‘Prince’ Albert annihilates Mexican foe in one round

DUBAI — Unbeaten ALA Boxing Gym stalwart 'Prince' Albert Pagara strongly feels that it's only a matter of time before he becomes a world champion.

And he showed it in decisive manner before thousands of OFWs (Overseas Filipino Workers) here in this oil-rich Emirate.

In a swift and easy win, Pagara (24-0, 17KOs) needed only one round to destroy the overweight Mexican Jesus 'Chito' Rios (31-8, 25KOs) to successfully defend his IBF junior featherweight title in the main event of the "Pinoy Pride 32: Duel in Dubai 2" fightcard late Friday night (early Saturday Phl time) at the full-packed Dubai World Trade Center.

Pagara though was already assured of keeping his belt even before he could throw a punch against Rios as the Mexican failed to make the 122-pound weight limit during the official weigh-in last Thursday.

Nevertheless, the 21-year-old Pagara still showed some class. After sizing up his foe, the young 'Prince' connected with a crushing right straight to send Rios down on the canvass.

Rios quickly got up only to receive another wave of brutal attack by Pagara, forcing referee Bruce MacTavish to intervene and wave off the bout exactly two-minute mark of the opening round, although a bit little as the Mexican was already out of his senses while hanging on the ropes at the time of the stoppage.

"I wanted to be patient but when I saw an opening, it's hard for me to not take it," said Pagara. "When I scored the first knocked down, I knew from that moment that I'm going to finish him off."

The resounding victory bolstered Pagara's chances to be included in ALA Promotions' maiden venture in the United States on October 17 at the Stubhub Center in Carson City, California.

"For me, I really think that I am ready for a world title shot but it will still depend on my manager," said Pagara. "I am excited to fight again this October in the US and hopefully from there, I can go one step closer to my dream of fighting for a world title."

ALA Promotions President and CEO Michael Aldeguer was elated with Pagara's showing, but he believes that his ward still needs more exposure especially fighting outside of the country to better prepare him for a world championship match.

"We know that he has the potential now to go places, but we still have concerns because this is his first fight abroad. His next fight in the US will be something and we will look for someone who can give him a big test," said Aldeguer. "We thought Rios was someone who can give a test, but Albert finished him quick."

While Albert had an easy time, his older brother Jason 'El Nino' Pagara (36-3, 22KOs) had to go through a tough fight against Ramiro 'Xixime' Alcaraz (15-5, 9KOs) before winning by seventh round technical decision.

It was an ugly bout from the start as Alcaraz was immediately deducted a point in the first round due to a headbutt that opened a gash on Pagara's right eye.

With blood flowing profusely from the cut, Pagara's vision was somehow impaired the rest of the way. Inspite of that, Jason pressed on the attack using head and body combinations. In round five, Alcaraz was again deducted a point for hitting Pagara after the bell.

As the 25-year-old Jason gained momentum after hitting Alcaraz with some solid shots round six another, clash of heads happened in the seventh round that aggravated Pagara's injury, prompting ring doctor Nasser Cruz to stop the fight.

The official scores were 77-73, 78-72, and 76-74, all in favor of Pagara.

"I still want to fight but they stopped it," said Jason. "He didn't hurt and I know I can take him but I must admit that the cut really affected my performance."

In the undercard, Jimrex 'Executioner' Jaca (40-8, 22KOs) survived a scary fourth-round knockout to eke out a unanimous decision win over Mexican Pablo Lugo Montiel (21-6, 17KOs), while the Dubai-based Pinoy boxer Larry Abarra (4-0, 3KOs) needed just 58 seconds to dismantle Indonesian Tony Arema (3-5, 3KOs). (FREEMAN)