BY KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
ALA Boxing (ALA Boxing Promotions and ALA Gym) is throwing in the white towel.
After 35 years, the Cebu-based boxing promotion that has produced world-class pugs that include Donnie “Ahas” Nietes is shutting down due to the economic effect of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
The outfit, owned by Tony Aldeguer and his son Michael, also cited the closure of longtime broadcast partner ABS-CBN as a big factor that led to their decision of closing shop and ending decades of helping discover and nurture young boxers to become champions.
Some of its famous products aside from Nietes were Edito Villamor, Pagara brothers Jason and Albert, Arthur Villanueva, Jonas Sultan and Milan Melindo among others.
ALA Boxing thanked all the people who supported them the past decades, from boxers, trainers, office staff and sponsors.
Among the many accomplishments of the stable are the partnership with Golden Boy Promotions in 2006 with the staging of the Battle of Cebu featuring the WBO world title fight between Z Gorres against Fernando Montiel that attracted 25,000 spectators at the Cebu City Sports Complex, as well as the “Laban na Banal” WBA world title fight between AJ “Bazooka” Banal versus Rafael Concepcion in 2008 at the jampacked Cebu Coliseum.
They also launched the longest boxing series in Asia dubbed as “Pinoy Pride” in 2010, as well as staging with Top Rank in 2016 a fight featuring Nonito “The Filipino Flash” Donaire at the Cebu Sports Complex with over 20,000 spectators.
“All these memorable events and accomplishments would not have been possible without all of you… We would like to thank you all very much from the bottom of our hearts for all your support the past 35 memorable years. We cannot ask for more,” the statement read.
The stable also assured all their fighters will be released so that they look for more lucrative offers to further their boxing careers.
