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I’LL be
back.
These
were the words that came out of the mouth of Rey “Boom
Boom” Bautista when asked about his future following his
failed bid for the world super-bantamweight crown.
The
21-year old Bautista debunked reports about his supposed
retirement which spread like wildfire moments after his
devastating first-round knockout loss to world
super-bantamweight champion Daniel Ponce de Leon of
Mexico.
“Sinabi
ko lang sa mama ko na magpapahinga lang ako sa
boxing. Ang pagkakaintindi niya hihinto na ako kaya
nu’ng na-interview siya sa TV, nasabi niya
na magre-retire na daw ako,” said an amused
Bautista.
The
Bohol-native planed in yesterday morning from Los
Angeles along with fellow boxers AJ Banal, Michael
Domingo and one-time world title challenger Z Gorres.
“Bata
pa ako at dapat din matuto akong tumanggap ng pagkatalo.
Hindi naman lahat ng oras panalo ako,” said Bautista
who was welcomed at the airport by parents Alberto and
Susan. “Nagulat ako kasi ganu’n pa din ang suporta ng
tao sa akin kaya pangako ko, lalaban pa din.”
Except
for Bautista, the four who arrived yesterday along with
newly crowned world bantamweight king Gerry Peñalosa won
over their Mexican rivals and score a 5-1 tally in the
unique six-bout Boxing World Cup tournament staged last
weekend at the Arco Arena in
Sacramento,
California.
The
35-year-old Peñalosa scored the most dramatic win after
he knocked out Jhonny Gonzalez in the seventh round with
a single left hook to the right side of the body to take
the Mexican’s World Boxing Organization (WBO) crown.
Peñalosa
is due to arrive today from
Los Angeles
along with American trainer Freddie Roach.
Bautista’s benefactor, Tagbilaran City Mayor Dan Neri
Lim told BusinessMirror in a separate interview that
Bautista may take two to three meaningful fights before
aspiring for another shot at the world title.
Bautista’s manager Tony Aldeguer, however, added that it
will still all depend on their American partner Golden
Boy Promotions insofar as charting the immediate future
of the Boholano is concerned.
“If you
will ask me I want to promote Bautista’s next fight here
in the Philippines to also gauge how his loss affected
his popularity,” said Aldeguer.
Bautista
now has a record of 23-1, with 17 knockouts.
Batawang
title crack
LIGHT-flyweight challenger Bert Batawang was supposed to
be the seventh fighter to participate in the World Cup
event but his bout against Mexican Gerardo Verde was
scrapped because of an eye injury suffered by the
Mexican days before the duel.
Devastated at first because of the scrapping of that
bout, the 35-year-old Batawang is again pumped-up after
learning that his next bout will now be a world title
fight.
According to Michael Aldeguer, son of the revered ALA
Gym owner, international matchmaker Sampson Lewkowicz
was able to arrange for Batawang a crack at the
International Boxing Federation (IBF) light-flyweight
crown versus defending champion Ulises Solis of
Mexico.
“Bert is
still in
Los Angeles to continue his training which will now be for the world
title,” said the young Aldeguer.
The
12-round bout will be held on September 16 at the Hard
Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.
The
25-year-old Solis (25-1, 19 knockouts) is the same
Mexican fighter who stopped Filipino challenger Rodel
Mayol with a single punch to the jaw in the eighth round
on August 4 at the AllState Arena in Rosemont, Illinois.
Although
considered old at 35, Batawang is turning out to be a
late bloomer as he has scored 12 knockouts in 12 wins in
his last 14 fights.
He won
the vacant World Boxing Association (WBA) Pan-African
light-flyweight title November 2004 via a seventh-round
stoppage over African Sithembele Kibiti in Cape Town,
South Africa.
Batawang,
with a record of 50-6 with 34 knockouts, is targeting to
join Peñalosa as the oldest Filipino world champions.
Batawang,
apart from trying to become the country’s fourth world
champion, hopes to win back the IBF crown once held by a
Filipino, Tacy Macalos who reigned from November 1988 to
May 1989.
The
Philippines is again having another golden era in boxing
with three current world champions in Peñalosa, IBF
minimumweight Florante Condes and IBF flyweight Nonito
Donaire Jr. |
