JAPANESE star Naoya Inoue brings back ALA boys Albert Pagara and KJ Cataraja into his training camp as sparring partners in preparation for his world title unification bout with Filipino star Johnriel Casimero on April 25, 2020, at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas.
Pagara, the World Boxing Organization (WBO) No. 1 ranked super bantamweight, returns for the second time after helping out Inoue back in October for his preparation against Nonito Donaire Jr. in the World Boxing Super Series (WBSS) bantamweight tournament finals. Cataraja, on the other hand, has already helped out Inoue in two training camps.
Pagara and Cataraja left for Japan on Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2020.
Both young promising fighters take this opportunity as a learning experience to further improve their skills and their technique by sparring with one of the best fighters in the world.
“For me, I will learn a lot from him because he’s strong and quick. If I’ll be facing a fighter of his caliber, I can already adjust quickly,” said the 24-year-old Cataraja, ranked No. 12 in the WBO super flyweight division. (EKA)