Saturday, March 31, 2007 Banal surges to No. 13 in WBO March rankings
THE young Alex John “Bazooka” Banal stormed into the top 15 ratings of the World Boxing Organization (WBO) super flyweight rankings in its March 2007 release.
WBO website ranking listed the undefeated Banal (12-0 one draw, 10KOs), who is now No.13. However, Fightnews.com, which also posted rankings from the four sanctioning bodies that listed Banal at No.14.
Banal is scheduled to make his US debut on May 5 at the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Z “The Dream” Gorres got double black eye following his controversial split decision loss to Mexican Fernando Montiel last Feb. 24 here in Cebu City.
Broken promise
Gorres dropped to No. 4 from No.1 despite the promise of WBO president Francisco Valcarcel that the Mandaue City fighter will keep his ranking because of the debatable defeat.
Valcarcel told Gorres’ handlers right after the announcement was read that the fighter will stay as No.1 on the next monthly rating but it did not happen.
Thailand’s Pramuuansak Phosuwan, the Asia-Pacific champion and the erstwhile No.2 ranked fighter replaced Gorres in the ratings followed by Jose Navarro of USA and Martin Castillo of Mexico.
Aside from Banal, Cebuano Malcolm Tuñacao also barged into the WBO website ranking as a bantamweight.
Former champ
Tuñacao is ranked No.10 and another Filipino, the American-based Nonito Donaire, the champion of the North America Boxing Organization, is occupying the No.6 spot.
Tuñacao, the former WBC flyweight champion is no longer ranked by WBC on its top 15 rating, after losing his OPBF bantamweight title to Rolly Mashushita. WBA has also stricken Tuñacao’s name from its ratings while IBF listed him at No.12.
After winning the WBO Asia-Pacific lightweight title last month, Boholano Czar Amonsot made it back to the world ranking, occupying the No.9 spot in the 135lbs division held by Acelino Freitas
Amonsot was going at the No.1 when he lost his WBO Asia-Pacific super featherweight title last September.
The new WBO AsPac 130lb champ Jimrex Jaca also made it to the No.8 after stopping Indonesian Simson Butar-Butar last Feb. 24. (RCM)
