ALA Boxing Promotions may end up having another world champion in its stable should negotiations for newly-crowned world champion Marlon Tapales to join the Cebu-based firm turns out to be successful.
Trainer Edito Villamor, who also acts as ALA Promotions’ matchmaker, recently met with Rex ‘Wakee’ Salud to talk about plans of Tapales becoming the latest addition to the long-established boxing empire from the South.
The meeting took place even before Tapales fought Punluang Sor Sinyu for the World Boxing Organization (WBO) bantamweight title belt in Ayyuthaya, Thailand.
The 24-year-old Filipino rose from two knockdowns in the fifth round to stop Sor Sinyu in the 11th and capture the 118-lbs title belt on Wednesday.
Tapales, a native of Lanao del Norte, arrived to a hero’s welcome on Thursday afternoon, and immediately proceeded to catch a connecting flight to Cebu City.
If ever Tapales joins ALA Promotions, he’ll serve as the second current world champion of the stable after WBO light-flyweight title holder Donnie ‘Ahas’ Nietes.
The recent international ventures the boxing outfit led by Michael Aldeguer, had undertaken recently should augur well for Tapales, whose stocks certainly rose with his impressive victory over Sor Sinyu, the same man who stopped former ALA Promotions star AJ ‘Bazooka’ Banal in their fight for the then vacant WBO bantamweight championship in 2012 at the Mall of Asia Arena.
ALA Promotions successfully staged fights in Dubai and the U.S. starting last year, and will hold another one at the StubHub Center in Carson, California two months from now when Nietes stakes his 108-lbs. title belt against Mexican Moises Fuentes.