Don’t dwell on old issues: Aldeguer

ALA Promotions president Michael Aldeguer assured that Hekkie Budler will be here in Cebu City for his world championship fight with International Boxing Federation (IBF) light flyweight champion Milan Melindo next month.

This was after a South African tabloid, The Citizen, reported that Budler's promoter Rodney Berman threatened to pull out his ward from his Sept. 16 bout with Melindo in the main event of Pinoy Pride 42 at the Waterfront Hotel and Casino.

"This issue was weeks ago, it has been addressed already," Aldeguer told SunStar Cebu.

The Citizen's report dated Aug. 26 said that Berman is threatening to pull out from the fight because Budler was "being accommodated in an obscure hotel, there is no gym in close proximity, and he and his team will have to navigate Cebu by taxi."

The report added, "What's more, the local promoter is paying only for two rooms. The IBO champion must shack up with trainer Colin Nathan while cornermen Vusi Mtolo and Bernie Peilman would have to double up."

Easily solved

Aldeguer said that it was a very small issue that was easily ironed out.

"I was surprised because it's a small issue that we go through all the time, that's why our office told Rodney that all it needed was to respond to the email and mention what hotel they prefer. That's all it needed," he said.

"We have been in the boxing business for 25 years and worked with Top Rank and Golden Boy Promotions and other well known promoters around the world but this is the first time we encountered a very small issue like this that went to the media as we never heard of Golden Gloves and Rodney Berman before."

The blockbuster show also features an IBF super flyweight title eliminator between former world champion Johnriel Casimero and Jonas Sultan.