Lessons From Wasted Youth in Boxing: The Sad Boxing Saga of Rey Bautista, AJ Banal and Ciso Morales
By Teodoro Medina Reynoso
PhilBoxing.com
Wed, 09 Apr 2025
Boxing aficionados, including some Japanese fans who have seen how rising Filipino star Kenneth Llover created mayhem inside the ring, swear to having been reminded of a young Manny Pacquiao.
Not only because both Llover and Manny are southpaws and carry bombs in their left hands but also due to the impetuousness and controlled brutality they go about their business inside the square arena at their respective comparable age.
Youth has been an advantage in competitive fight sport, especially when complemented by adequate experience and proper training and preparation, including realistic assessment of chances vis-à-vis the opposition.
Though still in his late teens then, Manny Pacquiao had logged more than enough exposure and experience to go with his phenomenal qualities as a fighter that made him more than ready to take on and beat the older and even bigger beasts.
At 22, Llover can be considered no longer as a juvenile lion, but with barely 14 pro bouts (though all wins, 9 by KOs), there remain some questions as to his readiness to tackle the adult lions if he is to establish his own pride and kingdom.
His promoter Gerry Peñalosa is therefore well justified in putting the breaks on any immediate world title crack for his prized ward following his euphoric conquest of the OPBF bantamweight title via consecutive first-round stoppage wins over Japanese fighters in Japan.
Gerry Peñalosa (L) with rising star Kennet Llover.
As reported here the other day, Gerry, a long time challenger before he became two-division world champion in the 2000s, wanted a couple more "test" fights for Llover to truly gauge his readiness to bang with any of the four Japanese fighters currently holding the major championships in the bantamweight division.
Indeed, we have to learn from the sad saga of three then youthful Filipino fighters not too long ago who were rushed to world championships that all ended in disasters.
At around the same time Gerry Peñalosa was still fighting, those three world title seekers, namely Rey "Boom Boom" Bautista, AJ Banal and Narciso "Ciso" Morales were thrust into what now can be called as "untimely" sojourns which they all lost in disastrous manner, after which they were never the same full of hope fighters again.
Incidentally, Morales, Bautista and Banal all fought in and around the 118 lbs class.
Alas, youth was wasted in the haste, enthusiasm and almost blind plunge into opportunities to fight for and bring home a world boxing crown ASAP.
I deliberately lifted accounts en toto of their boxing careers from Wikipedia but added some details and my own annotations in parentheses to bring home the theses.
Narciso "Ciso" Morales: Way, Way Too Soon
Barely 20 years old, Morales made his professional debut on February 16, 2007, defeating Ramil Nunez at the Sports Complex in Gusa, Cagayan de Oro, Misamis Oriental. After winning his next 13 bouts, Morales compiled an undefeated record of 14 wins (Mostly by knockout, making him a local boxing sensation).
On November 13, 2009, fellow Filipino boxer Z Gorres earned a title shot defeating Luis Melendez of Colombia by unanimous decision. Gorres was scheduled to fight Fernando Montiel of Mexico for the WBO title in 2010. However, he collapsed shortly after the fight due to swelling on the left side of his brain; due to this injury, he could not box anymore. As a result, Ciso was chosen as the substitute for the bout.
(The disparity between the fighters was borne by the fact that Montiel was already a 12-year veteran with about 40 bouts compared to Morales who was barely three years in prizefighting with a baker's dozen bouts, mostly held in the Philippines.)
The Morales-Montiel fight was one of the undercards of Pinoy Power 3. Morales was trained by Nonito Donaire Sr., father of interim WBA super flyweight champion Nonito Donaire Jr.; just like Donaire Jr. Morales faced Fernando Montiel (39-2-2) on February 13, 2010, at the Las Vegas Hilton in Paradise, Nevada. Montiel eventually defeated Morales via KO in the 1st round, ending Morales' undefeated streak.
In the final moments of the first round, a combination to the body landed by the Mexican fighter sent Morales down for the full count. As he was hit by a solid punch in the liver, Morales couldn't get up and continue to fight.
Morales went on hiatus following his defeat to Montiel but came back later the same year.
(He was not the same fighter he was before the Montiel fight though and would lose seven of his next thirteen bouts, some via knockout, with one draw. He would retire in 2018, barely 31 years old.)
Rey "Boom Boom" Bautista- Too Soon and Too Much
On June 12, 2003, in the Gaisano Country Mall in Cebu, Philippines, Bautista made his professional debut. He won a shutout, unanimous decision (UD) through six rounds against Reyco Compendio. At only 17 years of age, Bautista showed much potential.
After winning his next seven fights, Bautista compiled an undefeated record of eight wins, and 0 losses (8-0). With only eight fights under his belt, the young Bautista campaigned in Indonesia, South Korea, and Japan for his next three fights. Impressively, he won all three bouts. Bautista defeated Indonesian, Hengky Wuwungan when the referee stopped the fight to prevent Wuwungan from receiving any further damage. Bautista then faced South Korean, Hwi-Jong Kim, whom he defeated by a split decision (SD) through ten rounds. Then Bautista followed that up by traveling to Japan to defeat Hirokatsu Yamazaki, when the Japanese retired from the bout right after the third round.
Following the Yamazaki fight, Bautista had the opportunity to fight for his first regional title. On August 17, 2004, in the Sports and Cultural Complex in Mandaue City, Cebu, Bautista defeated Thai fighter, Saensak Singmanasak by second-round TKO for the then vacant WBO Asia Pacific bantamweight title. Bautista defended that title once (against South African Vuyisile Bebe, whom he defeated by a UD through twelve rounds) before he got his first big break in the sport, a chance to show many others his true potential.
Super Bantamweight
On September 10, 2005, in the Staples Center in Los Angeles, Bautista fought in the undercard of Manny Pacquiao's and Erik Morales' respective fights with both Héctor Velázquez and Zahir Raheem. The then undefeated Bautista was able to defeat his Colombian opponent (Felix Flores) by a third-round KO, impressing many people, which led to him fighting on U.S. soil for the majority of his next few fights. But before he was able to make his three-fight campaign in the United States, Bautista needed to defend his WBO Asia Pacific bantamweight title from Tanzanian, Obote Ameme. Bautista was able to do just that, defeating Ameme by a second-round TKO.
Three months later, Bautista started that three-fight campaign by defeating Mexican, Gerardo Espinoza by a UD through eight rounds. Five months later, Bautista continued his success in the states by defeating Nicaraguan, Roberto Bonilla by KO in just three rounds. He finished off the successful "road-trip" by defeating Brazilian, Giovanni Andrade, after Andrade retired from the bout after 4 rounds of action.
After one fight in the Philippines (where he defeated Mexican, Marino Montiel for the then vacant WBO Inter-Continental and Asia Pacific Youth super bantamweight titles), Bautista fought in The World Awaits undercard, when his promoter at the time, Oscar De La Hoya of Golden Boy Promotions, allowed Bautista to fight in the undercard of his bout against Floyd Mayweather. This was a big step in Bautista's career, since the fight was titled as a WBO Super Bantamweight Title Eliminator.
On May 5, 2007, in the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, Bautista faced and defeated the then undefeated Argentine contender Sergio Manuel Medina (28-0) by UD. Bautista, although defeating Medina, also suffered a knockdown. In the eleventh round, "Medina clearly staggered Bautista with a solid combination and the Filipino held on to the ropes to apparently keep himself from going down". But nonetheless, "in the end, it was the unabated aggression of Bautista which accounted for the big margins on the scorecards of the judges, as he connected with several solid combinations to win most of the close rounds (of the bout)". The win gave Bautista his first world title shot, against the then WBO Super Bantamweight World Champion, Daniel Ponce de León of Mexico.
First and second career loss
On August 11, 2007, in ARCO Arena in Sacramento, California, Bautista headlined the boxing World Cup staged by Golden Boy Promotions: Philippines vs. Mexico. Bautista, to the disappointment of the many Filipino fans in attendance that night, failed in his first attempt at a world title, when he suffered a first-round TKO loss to the hands of Daniel Ponce de León, suffering his first-ever loss as a pro. The Mexican proved to be too strong, knocking down Bautista twice in the first round, forcing the referee to stop the bout.
On November 22, 2008, after administering three more wins to build his confidence following his first-round knockout loss to Ponce de León, Bautista was vanquished by Heriberto Ruiz of Mexico, who had a record of (39-7-2) coming into the bout. Bautista lost by scores of 80-70, 78-72 and 77-73, all in favor of the Mexican.
Featherweight
Bautista and his handlers decided to move up one weight division, up to featherweight. On October 16, 2009, Bautista made his long-awaited ring return. There, he took on respected Marangin Marbun of Indonesia, whom he defeated by a seventh-round TKO, awarding Bautista the then vacant interim WBC International Featherweight title, which he relinquished on January 19, 2010.
Bautista fought Thailand's Saichon Sotornpitak for a 10-round non-titled fight on April 24, 2010 in Dubai. The bout headlined the card "Philippines vs The Rest of the World, which is presented by KO Promotions in association with ALA Promotions. In this event, two other Filipino boxers, Milan Melindo and Larry Canillas, won their respective bouts. Bautista stopped Sotornpitak in the sixth round and improved his record to 28-2, with 21 knockouts. On August 28, 2010, Bautista fought Mexico's Alejandro Barrera (cousin of Marco Antonio Barrera) at the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel in Cebu. The Filipino pugilist won the match by TKO in the 4th round, after the referee stopped the fight due to a bad cut over Barrera's left eye, caused by a punch.
On January 29, 2011, the Filipino boxer knocked out Barrera in the third round of their rematch, which took place at the Cebu City Waterfront Hotel & Casino in Cebu, Philippines.
Ruiz-Bautista Rematch
On June 12, 2011, after suffering a loss in 2008, Bautista defeated Ruiz by technical decision.
Rey 'Boom Boom' Bautista suffered three cuts due to head butts before the fight was stopped at 0:56 of the seventh round. Heriberto 'Cuate' Ruiz of Mexico effectively defused Bautista's aggressiveness with timely clinches, an effective jab and lateral movement in the early rounds.
Just like in their first fight, Bautista was cut by a clash of heads in the third at the corner of his right eyebrow. Bautista continued to charge forward which resulted in heated exchanges. In the fifth, Ruiz' survival skills showed as he landed a low blow and effectively clinched. Another headbutt opened a cut on Bautista's scalp. Referee Danrex Tapdasan had a hard time controlling the extra-curricular activities.
Bautista was surging and landed the cleaner and harder blows in the 5th and 6th rounds. Ruiz was fading but another clash of heads opened a cut on Bautista's right eyebrow. The ring physician, Dr. Jose Unabia, recommended the fight stoppage. The scores read – Judge Bruce McTavish 69-65, Judge Muhamad Rois 68-65 and Judge Rey Danseco 68-65 all for Bautista.
Bautista won the IBF International featherweight title but a section of the crowd voiced their displeasure. The sportswriters at ringside also had an animated discussion about the outcome.
Per IBF rules, no points were deducted due to the headbutts.
WBO International featherweight title
On October 20 Bautista won against Daniel Ruiz for the vacant WBO International featherweight title via split decision. The fight took place at the Mall of Asia Arena and was headlined by Bautista's ALA teammate AJ Banal.
Retirement
Bautista attempted to defend the WBO International featherweight championship against José Ramírez on April 20, 2013 but lost by split decision. Moments after the bout, he announced his retirement, but he returned briefly for 2 more fights during 2014.
(Boom Boom Bautista entered boxing a very young 17 with overflowing potentials to accomplish big things and left it an "old" 31 year old with sadly, nothing much to show. But without a doubt he thrilled many a Pinoy boxing fans that his name became a household name ALA Manny Pacquiao at the peak of his career)
Alex John Banal: Never Came to Being Truly a World Beater
Super flyweight
Banal, aspiring to succeed in the sport, turned pro during the year of 2005 (also barely 17 years of age). His first opponent being unheralded Sonny Saguing. The bout ended with a technical draw, with Banal suffering a big cut on his eyebrow due to an unintentional headbutt. Banal was very disappointed in the outcome of the fight, and aspired to keep his then undefeated record intact.
Banal underwent a huge change in competition in only his second year as a pro. He faced tougher opposition, compared to the fighters he previously faced at the time, fighting prospects, who like him, were undefeated. Banal had a record of 7–0–1 when he faced undefeated Indonesian prospect Ali Rochmad (13–0), whom Banal easily defeated with a 5th-round knockout (KO). Two months later, he faced undefeated Thai prospect Janesuk King Sports (11–0), who retired from the bout after the sixth round. And just a month after fighting the then undefeated Thai, Banal fought and defeated highly rated Indonesian contender, Angky Angkota, who sported a record of 17–3 before he lost to Banal by unanimous decision (UD).
Super flyweight contention
After winning his next five fights, including his U.S. debut, Banal then had a chance to collect his first regional belt, facing Esau Gaona of Mexico. Banal easily defeated the Mexican, winning the bout with a first-round KO with a powerful straight to the jaw, winning the then vacant WBO Asia Pacific Youth super flyweight title. He then defended his title for the first and last time against Mexican Jovanny Soto, whom he defeated with a ninth-round technical knockout.
After the Soto bout, Banal had an opportunity to fight for the mandatory contender spot in an IBF super flyweight title eliminator. On April 6, 2008, in Quezon City, Philippines, Banal fought the then undefeated Caril Herrera of Uruguay (21-0) for this challenge. Banal, not to disappoint, defeated the then undefeated fighter with a fourth-round TKO, earning a shot at the IBF super flyweight title.
First career loss
Although he won a chance for the IBF title, Banal turned down the opportunity in order to fight under another sanctioning body. On July 26, 2008, in the Cebu Coliseum in Cebu City, Banal fought for the interim WBA super flyweight title. Despite leading in all three judges' scorecards, he lost by knockout to Panama's Rafael Concepción. Banal took a right hand to the temple region in Round 10 from Concepción, after being knocked down, he then took a knee throughout the referee's count, marking his first-ever defeat in his professional career.
Bantamweight
Following his knockout loss to Concepción, Banal moved up one weight class, to the bantamweight division. On January 31, 2009, in Banal's bantamweight debut, he faced Indonesian Nouldy Manakane, whom he defeated by knockout in just four rounds of action. He then faced Tanzanian Mbwana Matumla, four months later, who he defeated in just two rounds. Following his two knockout wins over Manakane and Matumla, he faced rugged Mexican Jose Angel Beranza in the undercard of Brian Viloria's first title defense of his newly won IBF light flyweight title, in Honolulu, Hawaii. Banal was unable to knockout the always forwarding Mexican, but was able to prevail by UD, with scores of 99–92, 98–92, and 99–91, all in favor of AJ "Bazooka" Banal.
On January 14, 2010, Banal defeated a former 4-time world title challenger in Cecilio Santos of Mexico. Banal, cheered by his hometown fans in Cebu, was hesitant to begin the fight. But in the following two rounds, Banal began to hit his mark. And finally, in the 4th round of the bout, Banal was able to land his dangerous left hook to the temple, followed up with his trademark aggression, eventually sending Santos to the canvas. The Mexican, with all his might, just couldn't continue, and was eventually counted out in the 35-second mark of the 4th round, further pushing Banal to hopefully another world title fight.
Banal fought Japan's Big Yoo (16–2; 11 KO) on July 17, 2010, at the Carlos P. Garcia Stadium, Tagbilaran City, Bohol. The Filipino fighter won the bout by KO in the 5th round.
On October 31, 2010, Banal won by disqualification against the veteran Luis Alberto Perez. Banal won the first 6 rounds of the fight until round 7, the veteran Perez came back and gave heavy blows that staggered Banal. After the referee broke them, Perez clinched a punch on Banal and made Banal unable to continue. Banal won by DQ.
World title shot
On October 21, 2011, Banal lost to Thailand's Pungluang Sor Singyu with the latter taking the vacant WBO bantamweight title, with a ninth-round TKO. The fight took place at the Mall of Asia Arena (MOA).
(Like Bautista, he thrilled and captured the imagination of many Pinoy boxing fans at his peak. But in the final analysis, AJ Banal never came to being a truly world beater despite his record and exposure starting from such a young age.)
The author Teodoro Medina Reynoso is a veteran boxing radio talk show host living in the Philippines. He can be reached at teddyreynoso@yahoo.com and by phone 09215309477.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Teodoro Medina Reynoso.
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