Banal's Mexican foe due

CEBU, Philippines – Mexican power-hitter Raul Hidalgo is scheduled to arrive here tonight, three days before his keenly awaited showdown with WBO Asia-Pacific bantamweight champion AJ “Bazooka” Banal headlining the “Pinoy Pride XII: Road to Glory” this Saturday at the Pacific grand ballroom of Waterfront-Cebu City Hotel and Casino.

 “My team and I are very excited for this bout. Mexicans always fight to win and I will make sure to win in any way possible. I hope to excite the fans when they come to watch us fight this Saturday,” said Hidalgo.

 ALA Promotions vice president Dennis Cañete said Hidalgo will be with trainer Ivan Herrera and fellow Mexican boxer Javier Franco (19-6, 10 KOs), who will slug it out with OPBF flyweight titlist Rocky Fuentes (32-6, 19 KOs) in the supporting main event.

 “I hope the Cebuanos will come and support Pinoy Pride because it gives our boxers an opportunity to shine on the international stage,” said Cañete. “On our end, we constantly upgrade ourselves in promoting the event. We try to reach new level to come up with a much better world-class boxing show.”

– Emmanuel Villaruel/Freeman News Service

 The main protagonists of the fight card backstopped by ALA Promotions and ABS-CBN Sports will meet face to face for the first time during the pre-fight news conference at noon tomorrow at the Aegean room of the posh hotel. The official weigh-in is set at 11 a.m. on Friday at The Event Centre of SM City-Cebu.

 Hidalgo boasts of a 16-5 win-loss record spiked with 12 knockouts. Boasting a high KO percentage of 55 percent, he stopped seven of his opponents within two rounds, something that Banal should be wary of.

 Hidalgo once vied for the WBA International super flyweight title, but lost by first round knockout to Japan’s Daiki Kameda on Sept. 24 last year in Cozumel, Quintana Roo, Mexico. He won three of his last four fights, the most latest was via second round stoppage of Macario Leyva last February 25 at the Palenque de la feria in his hometown Chihuahua.

 Banal (26-1-1, 19KOs), on the other hand, is on a nine-fight winning streak since absorbing the first and only defeat of his career via 10th round TKO to Panamian Rafael Concepcion in their interim WBA super flyweight title bout on July 26, 2008 at the Cebu Coliseum.

 Banal won the WBO AsPac bantamweight crown with a fifth round knockout of Hayato Kimura on July 17, 2010 in Tagbilaran City. He defended his throne the times, the last was by a lopsided unanimous decision over Mexican Mario Briones on Oct. 8 last year at the University of St. La Salle Coliseum in Bacolod City.

 Banal is hard-pressed to score a victory so as not to jeopardize his impending world title shot either in the WBO, where is the rightful challenger to reigning champion Jorge Arce, or the IBF, where he has a pending offer to fight for the vacant title.

 Also featured in the “Pinoy Pride XIII” are the undefeated ALA mainstays Albert “The Prince” Pagara (10-0, 8KOs) and Arthur “El Matador” Villanueva (17-0, 12KOs).

 Pagara will slug it out with Thai Phupha Por Nobnom (10-7, 9KOs), while Villanueva will go up against Rey Migreño (15-18, 13KOs) of La Trinidad, Benguet. – Emmanuel Villaruel/Freeman News Service