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By:  Dale G. Rosal / Photos taken from ALA Boxing Facebook /

ALA BOXING Gym stalwarts Merlito “Tiger” Sabillo and Donnie “Ahas” Nietes on Wednesday led a group of ALA Boxing Gym boxers in helping relief efforts for the typhoon victims in the Visayas.

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The WBO minimumweight champion Sabillo and WBO light flyweight champion Nietes are set to face different opponents this Nov. 30 in the Pinoy Pride XXIII: Filipinos Kontra Latinos at the Araneta Coliseum. Both are supposed to be busy training for the fight but they took time helping volunteers at the ABS-CBN complex in Jagobiao, Mandaue City repack and load the goods to be transported to the typhoon affected areas in Northern Cebu and in Eastern Visayas.

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Sabillo even called on other aspiring boxers to help, saying what they were doing was actually a good training for the sport.

Sabillo will fight Nicaraguan Carlos Buitrago while Nietes will be defending his title against Sammy ‘Guty’ Gutierrez.

Joining the two champions were trainer Edito Villamor, WBO Asia Pacific and Intercontinental super bantamweight champion Genesis “Azukal” Servania and WBO International and Asia Pacific superflyweight champion “King” Arthur Villanueva. They were also joined by world title contender Milan “El Metodico” Melindo, who will also be fighting in the undercard of Pinoy Pride XXIII.

IDOL Boxing Series’ “Prince” Albert Pagara, Mark Bernaldez and Mark Gessel Magsayo also helped along with his brother Jason “El Nino” Pagara, Rey Bautista, Rocky Fuentes, Jimrex Jaca, Juren Labordo and Roli Gasca.

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According to Villamor, ALA Boxing Gym founder Antonio L. Aldeguer donated relief goods for the typhoon victims. /CORRESPONDENT DALE G. ROSAL

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Melindo vows to avenge Viloria’s loss

By Dale G. Rosal –

WBO Intercontinental flyweight champion Milan “Metodico” Melindo (29-0,12KOs) described WBO and WBA World Lightflyweight champion Juan Francisco Estrada (24-2, 18KOs) of Mexico as an average boxer whose style perfectly fits his.

The two tangle on July 27 at The Venetian in Macau, China got the Mexican’s dual titles.

The unbeaten Melindo, of the ALA Boxing Gym said he is confident of beating Estrada who snatched the two world titles of Filipino Brian “Hawaiian Punch” Viloria last April in the very first major boxing event staged in Asia’s gambling capital.

“I am expecting the same fight like what I encountered before. The big difference is that there are two world titles at stake”  Melindo told Cebu Daily News Monday during a lull in his training at the ALA Boxing Gym in Talamban.

“Yes, he is a champion but for me, he is just an ordinary boxer who can punch hard.”

Melindo said Estrada’s pressure fighting style fits his counter-punching prowess. “I love my opponents who pressure me because no matter how many punches they throw at me, I know I can stop them with one punch,” said Melindo who vowed Estrada is in for a big surprise on fight night.

Melindo also revealed that he is nearing tip-top shape with just a month left in his rigid three-month training under the watchful eyes of veteran trainer Edito Villamor.

“Right now I’m focussing on improving my power, speed and especially my footwork and agility,” said Melindo.

He mentioned that his spar mates, OPBF flyweight champion Rocky Fuentes (35-6-2, 20KOs) and undefeated super flyweight prospect Melvin Gumban (14-0, 6KOs) were a big help in his pursuit to become a world champion.

He claimes to have finished more than 50 rounds of sparring.

SERVANIA EXCITED ABOUT FIRST  FIGHT ABROAD

Meanwhile, undefeated WBO Asia Pacific Superbantamweight champion Genesis “Azukal” Servania (21-0, 8KOs), is  excited for his first fight abroad against Japanese Konosuke Tomiyama (23-5-1, 8KOs) in the undercard of the Melindo-Estrada’s showdown.

“We are training very hard for this fight because we all know that Japanese boxers are very tough,” said Servania.

“I’ve seen his fight tapes, he is a good fighter but he lacks defense, that’s why I have to be very aggressive” he added. “This is a very big opportunity that ALA Promotions have given me and I am very thankful for that.”

Tomiyama is a former OPBF super flyweight champion.

Both Servania and Melindo are flying to Manila to process their travel documents for their planned training in the US.

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Photo:  cebuislandlive.com

By James Goyder –

Jason Pagara will make the second defence of his WBO International Light Welterweight title against Albert Herrera in the main event of Pinoy Pride 20 at the Cebu Waterfront Hotel on May 25th.

Pagara (30-2) is one of the top prospects fighting out of the ALA gym and won the belt by beating Rosbel Montoya in a rematch last year. He has won the majority of his recent fights with early KOs and will be looking to continue that streak against Herrera (20-1), a Mexican who won the lightly regarded WBC Mundo Hispano lightweight title in 2011.

Also on the card will be Pagara’s ALA Gym stable mates Jimrex Jaca and Genesis Servania with the former going up against another Mexican in a 140 lbs match up and the latter taking on an opponent from Indonesia in a super bantamweight fight.

Jaca (37-6-3) has been resurgent of late, bouncing back from three straight losses in 2008, and will be looking for his tenth consecutive win when he takes on Jose Emilio Perea (22-14-2) in a fight which will have the vacant WBO Oriental light welterweight title at stake.

Servania is penciled in for the July 27th Top Rank card in Macau and will be hoping to emerge unscathed from his matchup with Isack Junior. The Indonesian has lost his last couple of fights and will be moving up two weight classes to face the reigning WBO Asia Pacific super bantamweight champion in a non title bout.

Pinoy Pride is firmly established as the premier boxing promotion in the Philippines and has provided a platform for ALA Boxing Gym standouts such as Milan Melindo, AJ Banal, Donnie Nietes and Merlito Sabillo to perform in front of the Filipino fans.

http://www.boxingscene.com/pagara-faces-herrera-on-25-pinoy-pride-20–65265