a.j.banal defeats raul hidalgo march 24 by TKO

A.J. "Bazooka" Banal, 23, of Cebu City, Philippines trades punches tonight at the Cebu Waterfront Hotel and Casino versus Mexican Raul Hidalgo who brought with him a fight record of 16 wins, 5 losses, and 12 knockouts. Banal has 26 wins, 1 loss, 1 draw, and 19 knockouts. Banal's handlers say he's one victory away from another shot at world title. Banal next foe if ever he wins this one will be one of the following: Jorge Arce, Thai Pungluang Sor Singyu or South African Vusi Malinga. (FLASH1 Results: AJ Banal defeated Hidalgo via first round TKO)

Past boxing activities of Pacquiao, Melindo and Banal

A. Manny 'Pacman' Pacquiao vs Juan Manuel Marquez 3, November 12, 2011 at MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada.. Pacquiao retained his WBO welterweight title with the referees' score of 114-114, 115-113 and 116-112. The bout lasted 12 rounds with nobody going down the canvass. Some say the fight result was controversial. Click video here.

B. Melindo defeats Rosas in Pinoy Pride 8. Milan Melindo stopped Mexican Francisco Rosas and captured the vacant WBO Inter-Continental flyweight crown Saturday night, September 10, in the main event of “Pinoy Pride 8 - Philippines vs. Mexico” at the Cebu Waterfront Hotel and Casino.

Melindo, 23, crushed Rosas’s defense and dominated the fight with his speed and well-placed combinations.

Referee Bruce McTavish stopped the fight at start of the 11th after seeing Rosas hesitant to continue after absorbing punishment from the previous rounds.

Melindo improved to 25-0 with 9 KO’s while the 31-year-old Rosas fell to 22-9-2 with 13 KO’s.

Melinda is from Cagayan de Oro City, Misamis Oriental, Philippines while Rosas is from Neza City, Mexico. Click video URL here.

C. AJ Banal upsets Mario Briones

AJ Banal 117 3/4 lbs beat Mario Briones 117 lbs by unanimous decision in a contest of 12 rounds staged at the University of St. La Salle Coliseum, Bacolod City, Negros Occ., Philippines on Oct. 8, 2011. The 3^rd man in the ring was Ref. Bruce McTavish with assigned judges Salven Lagumbay, Edward Ligas and Edgar Olalo who after the action-packed 12-round scored the bout 118-107, 115-110 and 117-108, respectively. This is the 3^rdsuccessful defense by Banal of his WBO Asia Pacific Bantamweight Title. AJ “Bazooka” Banal is a 23-year old Filipino who was born at Bukidnon but residing at Ermita, Cebu City, Philippines while Mario “El Maca” Briones, 25, is a Mexican who was born in Zacatecas, Mexico. Banal has won 26 fights, 19 by KOs, lost 1 by KO with 1 draw; Briones has piled 13 wins by Kos, lost 1 and draw 1. Click video here.

D. Donnie Nietes defeated Ramon Garcia Hirales in 12. The 29-year old Filipino pugilist from Bacolod City, Negros Occidental, Philippines Donnie "Ahas" Nietes defeated his opponent, also 29 years of age, from La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico Ramon "Principe" Garcia. Ahas (Snake) Nietes outsmarted the quick-footed Garcia in 12 solid rounds with a unanimous decision, winning the WBO light-flyweight belt from the Mexican Ramon Garcia. The bout was main event of a boxing card held at the University of St. La Salle Coliseum, Bacolod City, Negros Occ., Philippines on Oct. 8, 2011. Nietes boxing record is 29 (KO 16) + lost 1 (KO 0) + drawn 3 = 33, while that of Garcia is 16 (KO 9) + lost 3 (KO 0) + drawn 1 = 20. Click video here.

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FAMOUS BOXING QUOTES

1. "If you screw things up in tennis, it's 15-love. If you screw up in boxing, it's your ass." - Randall Cobb

2. "I'm scared every time I go into the ring, but it's how you handle it. What you have to do is plant your feet, bite down on your mouthpiece and say, 'Let's go.' " -Mike Tyson

3. "A champion shows who he is by what he does when he's tested. When a person gets up and says 'I can still do it', he's a champion." - Evander Holyfield

4. "To me, boxing is like a ballet - except there's no music, no choreography, and the dancers hit each other." - Jack Handy

5. "Sure there have been injuries and deaths in boxing - but none of them serious." - Alan Minter

6. "You have to know you can win. You have to think you can win. You have to feel you can win." - Sugar Ray Leonard

7. "That's my gift. I let that negativity roll off me like water off a duck's back. If it's not positive, I didn't hear it. If you can overcome that, fights are easy." - George Foreman

8. "Fighting, to me, seems barbaric. I don't really like it. I enjoy out-thinking another man and out-maneuvering him, but I still don't like to fight." - Sugar Ray Robinson

9. "I have always adhered to two principles. The first one is to train hard and get in the best possible physical condition. The second is to forget all about the other fellow until you face him in the ring and the bell sounds for the fight." - Rocky Marciano

10. "All the time he's boxing, he's thinking. All the time he was thinking, I was hitting him." - Jack Dempsey

A news-conference was scheduled at Cowboy's Stadium, Arlington, Texas to officially announce the March13 PACQUIAO-CLOTTEY pay-per-view (PPV) boxing bout. It was attended by the 7-division world champion Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao, trainer Freddie Roach, former Welterweight world champion and Number 1 contender Johua Clottey, Dallas Cowboy's Owner Jerry Jones and Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum.

Clottey said: "I have never been in a stadium like this. I like Manny. He's my favorite fighter. It's going to be a great fight". Clottey added that he'll hire a new conditioning coach to help him get ready. Manny thanked the organizers after which- he laughingly announced: "I feel like a football player. Please come March 13. It will be a great fight. Clottey is a tough fighter. But I will do my best to make people happy". Michael Buffer- Master of Ceremony- called that presscon, "the most amazing press conference I've seen in 28 years".

GORRES was cleared and discharged Jan. 15, 2010 from the University Medical Center in Las Vegas. He is completely out of danger and on the way to his miraculous recovery. He was sent off by the hospital staff and well wishers. He and his wife- Datches- will stay temporarily in Richard's house so Gorres can undergo rehab in Dr. Calderon's Clinic. Richard is a member of Dr. Calderon's staff and a boxing fan of Gorres as well. Gorres and Datchess are set to enplaned for the Philippines on February 4 almost 3 months after he collapsed in the ring following his unanimous win versus Columbian Luis Melendez at the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino House of Blue on Nov. 13, 2009.

Related Hub: http://hubpages.com/hub/Filipino-Boxer-After-Winning-a-Bout-in-Las-Vegas-Collapse-in-Coma

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