AJ Banal will face top rated WBC #5 Superfly and WBC Latino Superfly champ, Caril "El Raton" Herrera of Montevideo, Uruguay according to a reliable source. Herrera also a southpaw has undefeated record of 21-0-0 with 13 KO's will be the third undefeated prospect that AJ Banal will face. First it was Ali Rochmad (13-0-0), then Sing Carryboy (11-0-0) both of them didn't reach to the final bell. This bout will be an undercard of Gerry Peñalosa's (52-6-2) first title defense of his WBO bantamweight belt against Ratanachai Sor Vorapin (48-9-2) this March 2, 2oo8 in Araneta Coliseum, Manila.
After an impressive year last 2007, 6 total fights with 5 brutal KOs, Banal’s hard work paid off. The latest rankings in all boxing governing bodies show AJ Banal breaks 10 rankings except for WBC.
IBF Dimitri Kirilov 1 Not Rated 2 Not Rated 3 Martin Castillo 4 Pramunsak Posuwan 5 Vic Darchinian 6 Z. Gorres 7 Jorge Arce 8 Jose Navarro 9 Diosado Gabi 10 Alex John Banal
WBO Fernando Montiel 1 Pramansak Phosawan 2 Z Gorres 3 Martin Castillo 4 Kahramon Arzykulov 5 Diosado Gabi 6 Vic Darchinyan 7 Juan Mercedes 8 Alex John Banal 9 Raul Martinez 10 Marat Mazimbaev
AJ Banal patiently waiting for openings unleashed a well-timed counter right hook that sent Jovanny Soto to the canvas in round 9. Soto was able to beat the 10 count, but Banal continued his non-stop assault to the defenseless Mexican warrior that forced the referee to halt the fight.
AJ Banal controlled the entire fight using his superior speed and footwork. In the early rounds Banal punished Soto with straight lefts to the center before mixing with bodyshots and crisp hooks.
Banal still undefeated, improved to 16-0-1 with 13 KOs, while Soto dropped to 25-8-2.
Manila - Pinoy prospect AJ "Bazooka" Banal and his Mexican counterpart Jovanny "Bambino' Soto easily make weight at the superflyweight limit of 115 lbs for WBO Asia Pacific Youth superflyweight title tomorrow.
The Banal-Soto bout is the main undercard of Rey Bautista's comeback fight against Antonio Meza of Mexico.
In the epic rivalry between Mexico and Puerto Rico, the fight of Salvador Sanchez vs. Wilfredo "Bazooka" Gomez, is one of the most anticipated fight in the early 80's. Both of them are arguably the best fighter in their nation.
Gomez dominated 122 division and moved up to 126 to challenge Sanchez, the best featherweight and the WBC 126 champion during that time. The fight was held in a sold out crowd in CaesarsPalace, Las Vegas.
Gomez is an all out aggressor, mostly initiated the war while Sanchez used his technical brilliance and height advantage to box and mix his money punch against Gomez. The fight was very close till Gomez was downed and was stopped by Sanchez in the 8th round.
Back to the present, a rising prospect emerged. Abner Mares from Guadalajara, Mexico is considered the next Salvador Sanchez by the boxing experts due to his fighting style. He fights at Bantamweight division (118lbs) and has an impressive record with 14 wins (9KO) and 0 losses. He is steadily developed under Golden Boy Promotions.
Now enter AJ "Bazooka" Banal (15-0-1-12KOs) who was named from legendary Wilfredo "Bazooka" Gomez due to his explosiveness in the ring. Banal campaigns at Super-flyweight (116 lbs) is being eyed by the Golden Boy Promotions as a potential talent.
A fight in the future between these two prospects is surely attractive and a must see match up since both them already have a fan base. It will also bring back the memory of the two legendary fighters, Salvador Sanchez and Wilfredo "Bazooka" Gomez.
Below is the video of the classic fight of Sanchez and Gomez.
Superflyweight (115 lbs) is one of the best divisions in the boxing world in which AJ Banal also campaigns. Here are the list of 10 best Superfly by Ring Magazine (October 29, 2007).
1) MARTIN CASTILLO 32-2 (17) Mexico
2) ALEXANDER MUNOZ 31-2 (27) Venezuela - WBA Champion
After an impressive 1st round TKO win over Gaona last month, AJ "Bazooka" Banal (15-0-1 with 12 KOs) will face tough Mexican Jovanny "Bambino" Soto (25-7-1, with 19 KOs) this December 8 in Araneta Coliseum, Quezon City. The fight will be an undercard for Rey Bautista's comeback fight after suffering his first lost last August 3, against Daniel Ponce Deleon.
Banal - Soto bout was originally scheduled last month but never materialized because the Mexican Boxing Federation did not allow Soto due to his scheduled defense. This fight was said to be an eliminator for WBO 115 champ Fernando Montiel.
