ONE of the main players in the local boxing scene ended last week its successful run as Cebu-based ALA Boxing decided to close down.
In an announcement released last week, ALA Boxing, which includes ALA Promotions and ALA Gym, said it will cease to exist after 35 years of furthering the sport of boxing and being home to some of the top fighters in the land.
ALA Boxing cited as reasons, among other things, the effects of the coronavirus pandemic and the closure of long-time broadcast network partner ABS-CBN.
For local combat sports analyst Nissi Icasiano, ALA Boxing’s closure was an unfortunate turn of events and was a huge hit to the local boxing scene considering the kind of impact the group had.
“It’s a big blow to the Philippine boxing scene. Since the mid-2000s, ALA Boxing has been the gold standard. I won’t deny that I was surprised. Like any other organization, I was just expecting them to regroup and wait for the right time to resume operations. I didn’t expect the promotion to completely fold,” said Mr. Icasiano in an interview with BusinessWorld.
“It’s just a proof that this pandemic spares no one. It’s disheartening because ALA plays an enormous role in the boxing ecosystem of the country. It’s the end of an era. But for sure, their legacy will live on,” he added.
Established by Cebu businessman Antonio Aldeguer in 1985, and later on headed by his son Michael, ALA Boxing was very active in pushing for the sport in the country, holding many events in different parts of the country.
It also built a solid stable of fighters who succeeded on various levels and became world champions, including the likes of Donnie Nietes, Melin Melindo, Mark Magsayo, Albert Pagara and Gerry Peñalosa.
The group was behind the highly successful “Pinoy Pride” boxing series, which was well received locally as well as abroad.
“ALA is simply the most successful boxing promotion. It simply started out as a just platform for up-and-comers, but eventually made it possible to bring world-class boxing action to our doorstep,” Mr. Icasiano said.
“I just hope with the closure of ALA, it doesn’t hinder the progress of boxing. Other promoters have a lot of work to do to fill in the absence of ALA,” he added. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo
