Jason was born in Cagayan de Oro, Misamis Oriental but grew up and learned his boxing fundamentals through his father Reynaldo in Maasin City, Southern Leyte where Jason’s mother came from. He would watch his father crush his opponents atop the ring and was greatly inspired by his boxing exploits.
Jason made his professional debut on September 29, 2006, at the age of 14, defeating Tata Tadena at Jagna, Bohol. On July 25, 2009, he defeated Simson Butar-Butar by unanimous decision in a 10-round bout at the Dao Public Terminal in Tagbilaran City, Bohol, Philippines.
Jason was awarded by the City Government of Maasin during its 11th Charter Day Celebration on August 10, 2011 with an Outstanding Maasinhon Award for Sports having won the WBO Asia Pacific Youth lightwelterweight title in April 2011 when he floored Tanzanian Deo Njiku thrice and scored a second round knock out. He also scored a fourth round knockout of Mexican Juan Carlos Gallegos before the first fight with Montoya.
Jason qualified for the award, his mother the former Sabrina Sotto Gerogalem being a Maasinhon from barangay Lib-og of Maasin City. He is the nephew of the Barangay Chairman of their village Hon. Walter Sepe.
Unfortunately, after receiving the award, Jason lost the title when he was outclassed by Rosbel Montoya on September 10, 2011. Montoya, who was not awarded of the crown because he was one pound over the weight limit.
When Jason lost to I was able to watch the bout at the Waterfront Hotel Grand Ballroom. He was the only defeated ALA boxer that time among the fighters of the main events. Later the following day, I was able to meet his father Reynaldo on board Cokaliong ship M/V Filipinas Dapitan for Maasin City.
The senior Pagara said that Jason suffered a fever prior to the fight with Montoya that is why he was not in good condition during the first tussle. He believed that Jason in fine physical form can easily defeat the Mexican “Lobito” Montoya.
This was different from media reports that Jason had a family feud with his father prior to the first Montoya bout which caused his mediocrity during their initial scuffle. Reynaldo stated that Jason was confident he could outdo the Mexican’s ability but succumbed to exhaustion in the later rounds of the first fight. Jason immediately asked for a rematch which the ALA Promotions granted on August 18, 2012.
He recovered by beating Frans Yarangga of Indonesia by second round TKO. Jason knocked him once in the first round and thrice in the second March 3, 2012.
On August 18, 2012, Jason dropped Montoya three times, one in the opening round and twice in the third round. Referee Danrex Tapdasan stopped the fight at 1:41 of the sixth canto when Montoya received enough blows from "El Niño" Pagara causing the Mexican to scowl in pain. Jason won the vacant WBO international junior welterweight championship.
After his loss, Montoya was all praises for Pagara. "My right arm was injured in the sixth round by a powerful punch to my right forearm near my elbow made me unable to continue the fight,” declared the Mexican. “Pagara was a much improved fighter from the first encounter that we had. He was faster, more powerful and was the better boxer.”
The “Hands of Stone from Barbados” Miguel Antoine is no match for the “El Niño of the Philippines.” But it was unlike what happened to Roberto Duran, the original “Hands of Stone” who cried “No más, No más (No more, No more)!” when he could no longer stand the stinging punches of Sugar Rey Leonard and turned his back to quit on the eighth round during their rematch on November 24, 1980.
Antoine dropped to the canvas right on the very first round courtesy of the solid punches of Jason Pagara during the Pinoy Pride XVII at the SM Mall of Asia on October 20, 2012. And the loss was worse than the infamous No Más fight.
Antoine bragged earlier that he will knock Pagara out because the ALA standout allegedly has not faced a boxer of his caliber. His trainer Samuel Gregory Layne even said his boxer fights and moves better than Floyd Mayweather, Jr. and wanted to face Manny Pacquiao after the Pagara fight.
But everything the Barbados team is crowing about is a bubble which burst right in the first round. The dream turned into a nightmare for Antoine. The Caribbean champion bragged that he will knock out Pagara and bring home the WBO international lightwelterweight title belt to his island country. But the Mayweather-like moves did not come out.
The end for Antoine came at 2 minutes 48 seconds of the first round. A body punch followed by a right to his face ended the fight early. Referee Bruce McTavish counted him out up to ten. He did not get up as if saying silently “No más.” It was a clean knockout. He just sat on the canvas and could not believe it was Pagara who has the “hands of stone" that night.
Pagara has defeated several other foreign foes like Thais Kondej Sithtrajtrakan, Decha Kokietgym and Sapapetch Sor Sakaorat, Young-Bin Kim of South Korea, and lots of Indonesians like Frans Yarangga, Billy Sumba, Simson Butar Butar, Heri Andriyanto, Eddy Comaro, and Hero Yauw Katili.
Antoine hasn’t fought outside of the Caribbean before the bout with Pagara. And as I have hinted previously, boxers in the Caribbean are not as tough as the Asian pugilists.
“I am confident I can win against him as I had a better training. I just wanted to end the fight early as the opportunity came in the first round,” declared Pagara. “I thank all those who supported me especially Sir ALA.”
“It’s a big boxing event because this is the first time that the Pagara brothers will be fighting in Maasin City,” said ALA Promotions President and CEO Michael Aldeguer as quoted by Freeman Cebu.
Jason was given a Special Award for winning the WBO international light-welterweight title before the main event featuring Albert versus Tawanrung Eausampan of Thailand at the Maasin City Gym. It was a reunion for the Pagara brothers, their parents and their siblings who were given special ringside seats by the city government.
Jason (32-2, 19KOs) still holds the WBO International light-welterweight title and Albert (19-0, 13KOs) is still undefeated since his amateur days.
Jason successfully defended his World Boxing Organization title on May 25 at the Waterfront Hotel and Casino in Cebu City. It was a convincing unanimous decision win over Aaron Herrera of Mexico.
"El Niño" also successfully defended his WBO belt with a lopsided unanimous decision over Vladimir Baez of the Dominican Republic. It was held during the mega boxing promotion Pinoy Pride XXIII at the Araneta Coliseum on November 30.
Brothers Jason and Albert Pagara did not fail the thousands of Maasin kababayans who trooped to the City Gym on April 11. They stopped their respective Indonesian opponents to the delight of the biased crowd who cheered lustily for the two sibling boxing heroes.
In the opening bell, Jason started the assault on Rusmin Kie Raha by throwing head and body punches. Raha retaliated and connected a hard left on Jason's face. The referee stopped the fight when the Indonesian complained of a low blow inflicted on him by Pagara. When the fight resumed Jason unleashed a flurry on the head of Raha.
Raha's counterpunching was very effected every time Jason would pin him on the ropes. The elder Pagara punched combinations with the tummy of the Indonesian as the target. But he absorbed some straights from Raha when the visitor was protecting himself from further punishment.
Raha dominated Jason in the fourth round and it seemed he was ready to frustrate the hometown crowd. He connected several blows on the head of Pagara and proved to be the only round which the former Indonesian champ dominated based on the scoring do the judges.
Jason intensified his body punches with target on the stomach of his visiting foe. Exchange of fists wowed the audience as both fighters tried to outpunch each other in the fifth and sixth rounds.
Finally Raha went down the canvas never to get up at the count of ten when Jason connected to the weakened body of the Indonesian. This caused referee Tony Peasons to count Raha out in 1:52 of the 7th round.
The crowd roared in approval and thunderous applause cheered the Maasin City hero with his hard-earned yet convincing KO of his tough Indonesian opponent.
"I really intended to cause damage on his body," said Jason after the ring victory. "My punches took a tool on Raha and he collapsed in the seventh."
On June 21, 2014, I was given a complimentary VIP ringside ticket by ALA Promotions to watch Pinoy Pride XXVI featuring Pagara Brothers versus Mexicans at the Waterfront Hotel and Casino, Cebu City.
Jason successfully defended his WBO international lightwelterweight title against Mario “Rocky” Meraz of Mexico. Pagara floored Meraz with a left and right combination to the head in the opening round. Meraz immediately got up and tried to match Pagara blow by blow.
The elder Pagara threw a barrage on Meraz but the Mexican just resisted and stayed on his feet in the succeeding rounds.
A brutal barrage from Pagara had Meraz reeling and seeking refuge on the ropes. Meraz was knocked down again after a series of power punches. Meraz's camp complained when referee Danrex Tapdasan stopped the fight with a second remaining in the 4th round after the Mexican got up following his second knockdown. But the referee insisted that Meraz was on wobbly legs and was hurt
The two Mexicans has impressive pro records prior to the fight card. They were no patsies. Both are dreaded knockout artists.
Meraz has 20 wins, 3 losses with 16 KO wins. In all his losses he was knocked out. But his KO win rate was 67%.
ALA Patriatch Antonio L. Aldeguer and ALA CEO Michael Aldeguer thanked me for my presence and I congratulated them for the successful staging of another Pinoy Pride.
Jason Pagara proved he has the dreadful "Fists of Fury" when he battered the Mexican boxer called "El Dolar." Cesar Chavez now lost 8 bouts all by knockouts and displayed a style which definitely was no match to the Filipino WBO international junior welterweight titlist.
Hungry for a world title fight, Jason stepped out of the shadow of his younger brother Albert, the undefeated IBF intercontinental junior featherweight champion. Both siblings were always compared with each other and The Prince was most of the time identified as the deadlier of the two because of his unblemished professional and amateur record.
But during the Pinoy Pride 29 in Davao City, Jason showed the boxing global communities he too is a world championship caliber by punishing the visiting Mexican and ending the visitor's agony in just 1:56 of the second round.
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