EXPECT a war in Bohol this Saturday as AJ Banal takes on Big Yoo at the Carlos P. Garcia Sports Complex in Tagbilaran City, Bohol.
ALA Promotions president Michael Aldeguer is anticipating an action-packed main event in the boxing event dubbed as “Sandugo: Labanan ng mga Kampeon” as both fighters have the ability to score a knockout.
“Yoo’s style is, he comes in to fight. He’s a pressure fighter and has a body punch. He has nothing to lose and everything to gain which is dangerous,” Aldeguer told Sun.Star Cebu yesterday.
Banal has a 21-1-1 record with 17 knockouts and a 73 percent knockout rate, while Yoo, a South Korea-based Japanese, is 16-2 with 11 stoppages and a 61 percent knockout clip.
Both fighters are off from knockout victories; Banal stopped Mexican Cecilio Santos in the fourth last January, while the 25-year-old Yoo had a fifth round technical knockout over Filipino BJ Dolorosa.
Although Yoo is relatively unknown in the Philippines, Aldeguer said Banal shouldn’t take him for granted because he might score an upset.
“He (Banal) must be aware of that. He must be mature enough to handle the pressure,” said Aldeguer.
Banal suffered his first loss against a practically nameless fighter, Rafael Concepcion, who knocked him out in the 10th round in their interim World Boxing Association flyweight bout at the Cebu Coliseum in 2008. Banal ran out of gas after Concepcion manhandled him with body punches.
In the undercard, prospect Jason Pagara is up against the towering Young Bin Kim of South Korea, while James Bacon faces fellow Filipino Eric Macas in the undercard.