Boxing stars of the future stake lofty billings tonight

“Prince” Albert Pagara of the ALA Boxing Gym poses with his Nicaraguan opponent Yesner Talavera after their weigh-in yesterday. Both will dispute the WBO Intercontinental junior featherweight belt. (CDN PHOTO/CHRISTIAN MANINGO)

With lucrative fights expected to make a beeline should they win their respective fights tonight, two of ALA Boxing Gym’s rising prospects know that losing is never an option.

Unbeaten “Prince” Albert Pagara and Mark “Magnifico” Magsayo carry that heavy burden on their shoulders when they climb into the ring tonight as they co-headline Pinoy Pride 35: Stars of the Future at the Pacific Grand Ballroom of the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel and Casino in Lahug.

Both heavy-fisted bombers passed the first hurdle — the official weigh-in held yesterday at the Robinsons Galleria Cebu.
Now comes the real battle.

Pagara (25-0, 18KOs), who is the reigning WBO Youth  Intercontinental junior featherweight champion, weighed in at 120lbs while his Nicaraguan opponent, Yesner Talavera (15-3-1, 4KOs) tipped the scales at 121.5lbs for their 12-round duel for the WBO Intercontinental junior featherweight title in the main event.

“This fight is going to be great,” said the 23-year-old Pagara. “The fans should watch how he’s going to eat my punches. We’re both confident and very well prepared for this fight which is very important for me because I am scheduled to fight in the US and I want to win impressively so that my promoters will be convinced to send me there. But rest assured, I am not pressured and I am very focused for this fight. I hope that if I win, I can finally fight for a world title because I am very ready for that.”

Magsayo (12-0, 10KOs) and Mexican Eduardo “Fierita” Montoya, on the other hand, both weighed  125lbs for their WBO Youth Featherweight title showdown in the co-main event.

“I have to impress everyone. I’ll show them everything I got especially to Chris Avalos who is rumored to be my next opponent. I’ll show him that I am capable of knocking my opponents out, too,” said Magsayo.

The undefeated Avalos (26-4-0, 19KOs) of the United States has been rumored to be Magsayo’s next opponent and  already there are plans emerging these past couple of weeks that the two unbeaten boxers will collide in the undercard of WBO super-bantamweight champion Nonito “The Filipino Flash” Donaire’s fight against Hungarian Zsolt Bedak here in Cebu on April 24.

Kevin Jake “KJ” Cataraja (2-0, 2KOs) and his Mexican foe Tony Rodriguez (3-1, 1KO) both came in at 113lbs for their eight-round showdown under the flyweight division while former world champion Florante Condes (27-9-1, 23KOs) weighed in at 106.5lbs while his foe Melvin Jerusalem (8-0, 7KOs) tipped the scales at 105.5lbs.

The other fighters’ weights: Jeo Santisima (122lbs) vs. Marco Demecillo (122lbs); Elmo Traya (140.5lbs) vs. Romeo Jakosalem (138lbs); Muhammad Radhwin (127lbs) vs. Melchor Roda (126.5lbs) and Vic Ejercito (107.5lbs) vs. Esneth Domingo (107.5lbs).
The first bout will start at 6 p.m.