AJ “Bazooka” Banal gets his first shot at bigtime boxing as the undefeated ALA ring star is slated to face Rafael “El Torito” Concepcion of Panama in a 12-round rumble for the vacant World Boxing Association (WBA) super flyweight title here in Cebu.
This was announced by ALA Promotions president Michael P. Aldeguer yesterday after getting confirmation from international matchmaker Sampson Lewkowicz that WBA executive president Gilberto Mendoza and WBA Championship Committee chairman Oliver Gomez have already given the green light for the Banal-Concepcion title bout.
“It is with great pleasure that I am informing you that A.J. Banal is officially mandated by the W.B.A. to take part in an official World Championship fight for the regular WBA World Title in the super flyweight division, he will challenge Rafael Concepcion of Panama, who is the number 6 rated contender,” stated Lewkowicz in an e-mail to Aldeguer.
The title has been left vacant after erstwhile crown-holder Alexander Munoz lost by split decision to WBC titlist Christian Mijares in their unification match last Sunday in Mexico.
Lewkowicz explained that although Mijares has unified the WBA and WBC 115-pound belts, the WBA has declared Mijares a super champion, thus, creating a vacancy in the division.
Aldeguer said as of the moment, they are still finalizing the fight date but they are looking for either June 21, July 12 or July 19. Among the venues being considered are the Cebu Coliseum and the Cebu City Sports Center.
“As of now we are still finalizing the date and venue, but the fight will be held in Cebu. That’s for sure,” said Aldeguer in a press conference at Patio Isabel.”I would like to thank Sampson Lewkowicz for making this happen. He is instrumental in putting these together and for believing in AJ Banal.”
Banal said he felt like he’s floating in cloud nine upon hearing the pleasant news.
“I’m so very happy when I received the news. Fighting for a world title is every fighter’s dream. I will just train hard and leave the rest to God,” said the 19-year-old Banal.
For ALA Stable chief trainer Edito Villamor, Banal is ripe and ready enough to embark on a world title fight because of the experience he gained from fighting top-caliber Latino foes here and in the United States.
“He’s ready for the bigtime. I believe in the talent of Banal. He has a very good style and is a complete fighter,” said Villamor, who is seeking to mint the second world champion from ALA Stable after WBO minimumweight titlist Donnie Nietes.
Banal holds an immaculate record of 17-0-1 spiked with 14KOs, while the 25-year-old Concepcion sports a 10-2-1 win-loss-draw card dotted with 6KOs.