The next Manny Pacquiao?

“Fists of Fury,” Pinoy Pride’s 29th edition held at USEP Gym in Davao City last Saturday, was delayed by a full hour because of strict security measures that had to be implemented in light of the recent Mamasapano massacre.

All the men who entered the venue were thoroughly frisked one by one, while women’s bags were subjected to tight inspection.

Never had the school gym been swamped with so many uniformed men of the Philippine National Police as it was that warm Saturday night when the boxing card almost went past midnight had the main event featuring WBO International junior welterweight champion Jason “El Niño” Pagara versus Mexican challenger Cesar “El Dolar” Chavez lasted more than two rounds.

Just as Pagara had predicted weeks before the event, he knocked out the former Mexican Pacific Coast light welterweight champion in the second of their 12-round bout.

Pagara just smiled when I asked him after the fight how he knew that things would end the second round.

Before the fight, ALA International president Michael Aldeguer said a win over Chavez would open the doors to a match in San Diego for Jason, the elder brother of the equally sensational, undefeated “Prince” Albert Pagara, current IBF Intercontinental super bantamweight champion.

The Prince’s next fight is scheduled at Mall of Asia Arena this March, with Nonito Doaire Jr. also being featured in this card, although not in the main event.

This edition of Pinoy Pride is being co-presented by ALA Promotions and ABS-CBN.

Of all the matches scheduled last Saturday, the showdown between Mark “Magnifico” Magsayo, youngest of the up-and-coming ALA protégés, and Thailand’s Sukkasem Kietyongyuth provided the most excitement to the jampacked crowd.

The aggressive, exciting style of the 19-year-old boy from Tagbilaran so impressed boxing experts like Salven Lagumbay and Philboxing’s Dong Secuya. They feel he could develop into another Manny Pacquiao.

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Tori Madrigal is a pretty 17-year-old basketball player of the Internatioal School Manila in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig. Despite the lack of basketball leagues for females here in the Philippines, she dreams of making a mark in basketball someday.

Colleagues who have seen her in action say she has the ability to play all positions, despite being only 5-foot-6.

For the past two years, Madrigal has been selected MVP of the Metro Manila Basketball League, which goes without saying that she has attracted the attention of several talent scouts from the UAAP.

Madrigal is only in third year high school at ISM.

According to her coach Doug McQueen, he was impressed the first time he saw her play.

“I already saw in her much potential. She has excellent skills and over the years, she has become even much better. She has become not only a star player but the leader of the team.”

Madrigal roots for Ateneo, her favorite team in the UAAP. Her father Gerard is an alumnus of the school, which is where she’ll likely end up playing.