End of an era: ALA bows out

MANILA, Philippines — The fabled ALA Boxing stable is down for the count with chief TV backer ABS-CBN’s closure and the curse of the pandemic wreaking havoc on the viability of the Cebu-based group that was established by Tony Aldeguer in 1985 to rekindle Pinoy pride in the ring.

Through the years, Aldeguer never took credit for the achievements of the ALA fighters. Boxing was his way to bring honor to the country and inspire the poor to climb out of poverty. As a successful businessman, Aldeguer set the stage for others to succeed with his support. He was hands-on from the start, watching over the boxers while they trained at the gym in the Talamban, Cebu, complex of the family’s garment business. Aldeguer built a reputation of integrity and was like a father to his brood. Three years ago, Aldeguer left the stable for his son Michael to manage.

There were ups and downs in ALA’s fascinating storybook. Fighters who won world titles coming from the ALA woodwork included Donnie Nietes, Noel Tuñacao, Malcolm Tuñacao, Milan Melindo, Gerry Peñalosa, Rodel Mayol and Joma Gamboa. Some became champions wearing ALA’s black-and-red colors while others moved on to ascend the throne under new management. But their roots were clearly etched in ALA’s handprints. Aldeguer had his share of heartaches as ALA proteges Edito Villamor, Andy Tabanas, Z Gorres, Rey Bautista, Jeo Santisima, AJ Banal, Jonas Sultan and Melvin Jerusalem failed in world title bids. A big blow was when Gorres underwent brain surgery after a Las Vegas fight in 2009 and never fought again.

ALA made history by taking the bold move of promoting big-budget events here and abroad. Its long-running Pinoy Pride series on ABS-CBN provided the opportunity for Filipino fighters to showcase their skills on a global platform. Today, three ALA fighters are in the world top 10 ratings – No. 7 WBO superbantamweight Albert Pagara, No. 9 WBC lightflyweight Milan Melindo and No. 1 WBC, No. 4 IBF and No. 5 WBO minimumweight Jerusalem. The stable also includes Nietes, Santisima, KC Cataraja, Manuel Formentera, Regie Suganob, Esneth Ray Domingo, Danny Villafuerte, Arthur Villanueva and Christian Bacolod. With the disbandment of the ALA stable, the fighters are now free agents.

“Lucky whoever gets Donnie and Jerusalem,” said Aldeguer. “I believe both will receive many offers now that the word is out they’ve been released. Melvin’s a good dedicated kid. In fact, he was caught in our gym during the hard lockdown and went home just a few days ago. We are continuing our ALA Fitness Gym but retaining only two branches. We recently re-opened our branch in Banilad Cebu and we also intend to re-open the gym on Balete Drive. We’re not sure if we’ll re-open the other branches. We’ll have to wait and see.”

Aldeguer’s son Michael confirmed that ALA “will be totally out of boxing.” Even the Talamban gym, where foreign fighters used to visit and train, will be shut down. “The gym space will be used for our other businesses and the dorm will be for our stay-in employees,” he said. “We have about 14 pros and three to six amateurs. The fighters and trainers will all be released.”

ALA’s chief trainer Villamor said it’s not sure if he and the others in ALA’s coaching staff will be hired when the ALA fighters are signed by new managers. “Depende na sa manager kung sino ang trainer nila,” he said. “Hindi namin alam sa mga boxers kasi nag-trabaho lang sila at pag-iba na ang manager, depende na kung magkasundo sila.”

GAB chairman Baham Mitra said ALA’s closure is sad news for the sports industry. “The ALA group will be sorely missed,” he said. “We hope that new promoters with similar dedication can fill in for ALA’s absence.” MP Promotions head Sean Gibbons said ALA had “an amazing run” and called Aldeguer’s son Michael a wonderful person. “Their legacy lives on with Mark Magsayo,” said Gibbons, referring to the featherweight contender who came from ALA and is now with MP Promotions.