BSCP targetting final showdown between Bata Reyes, Earl Strickland for January

Two of the greatest players in billiards history, Efren “Bata” Reyes and Earl “The Pearl” Strickland, are set to battle it out one last time.

The Billiards and Snookers Congress of the Philippines (BSCP) has announced plans to hold a tournament in the country featuring legends of the sport.

Speaking on Off The Court, BSCP president Aristeo Puyat confirmed that talks are underway with Matchroom Pool to hold the event as soon as January in the iconic Smart Araneta Coliseum.

“We will do it in January. We actually wanted it in December, but we don’t have a venue because we have a lot of Christmas programs,” Puyat said. “Hopefully, we can have it in the Smart Araneta Coliseum if it’s available, and we will broadcast it to the world.” 

“People want it to happen again because this might be the last time that the billiard world will see Efren and Earl Strickland play against each other,” he added.

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Congratulations “The Magician”

MSN USA 2025 hails Efren “Bata” Reyes as the undisputed GOAT of Billiards.

Best Filipino sports player EVER for me.

He’s a national and global treasure. The world will flock to the Philippines if ever we built a statue for this guy. pic.twitter.com/CaXRtnp5Lg

— ChibaBaby🇯🇵 (@chibababy1) November 2, 2025

When speaking with Matchroom, Puyat emphasized the number of Filipinos in America who will surely watch the final match between Reyes and Strickland.

“When we were pitching the idea to Matchroom, we told them there are 2,500,000 Filipinos in America,” Puyat said.

Reyes and Strickland have had a long rivalry in billiards, highlighted in the Color of Money event that saw the Filipino icon outlast The Pearl in a close race-to-120 challenge.

Their rivalry lasted from the 1990s up to the 2000s, and was one of the reasons billiards became popular in America.

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