DUBAI – The Pinoy Pride boxing program, a brainchild of Filipino boxing patrons Tony and Michael Aldeguer, has truly come a long way since it put up its first card on Oct. 30, 2010 at the Waterfront Hotel in Cebu.
Five years later, Pinoy Pride is into its 32nd edition, here in the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates. It’s actually the second Pinoy Pride card in Dubai since September last year.
In October, Pinoy Pride, in its continuing partnership with giant network ABS-CBN, will make its debut on US soil. The card is set Oct. 17 at the StubHub Center in Carson, California.
It will be the first of what the Aldeguers are hoping to be a series of cards in the US.
This early, they’re looking at the potential card, and if the Pagara brothers, Jason and Albert, deliver as expected here in Dubai, there’s a chance for them to headline the US card.
Albert Pagara, flashy and undefeated in 23 fights, could be the fighter to watch, according to the younger Aldeguer.
“Definitely this fight is very important for Albert,” said Michael, now president and CEO of the ALA Boxing Promotions, of the boxer who was scheduled to face Mexican Jesus Rios at the Dubai World Trade Center late last night.
Jason takes on another Mexican, Ramiro Alcaraz, in a junior-welterweight contest.
Albert, at 21 the younger of the two Pagaras, is now ranked No. 8 by Ring Magazine in the junior-featherweight division, where the likes of Guillermo Rigondeaux (No. 1), Nonito Donaire (No. 4) and Genesis Servania (No. 7) reside.
“If he wins impressively here in Dubai then he can be in that California card in October,” said the ALA president, who has WBO light-flyweight champion Donnie Nietes under his wings.
Albert has never been to the US, and this Dubai outing is his first overseas. He’s just getting ready for the big stage.
Aldeguer said their first Dubai card was such a big hit that it didn’t take long for them to think of a second one, and more to come.
“The fans here are tremendous. We haven’t seen anything like it,” he said of Dubai fans, mostly made up of Filipinos, which represent around 20 percent of the entire Dubai population.
There are close to 450,000 Filipinos in Dubai alone and a couple hundred-thousands more scattered around the UAE.
“We’re excited to be back here in Dubai. There’s no question about fan support in the Middle East. That’s why we’re also looking at Doha in Qatar,” said Aldeguer.
It’s always been the dream of the Aldeguers for Pinoy Pride to go places.
“That’s what we said nearly six years ago. We wanted to show the world that we Filipinos can host world-class boxing events,” said Michael.
He said it took them four years to earn a license in California, and now that they have it, they want to make the most out of it.
“We could be looking at three or four boxing cards in the US in 2016,” he said.
Pinoy Pride is moving on as planned.