BAUTISTA MAKES MEXICAN BOLA?OS QUIT
By Salven L. Lagumbay
PhilBoxing.com
Sun, 12 Jun 2005
MANDAUE CITY--Reigning WBO Asia Pacific bantam king Rey "Boom Boom" Bautista figured in a fight, but gutted it out to knock down Mexican Gilberto Bolanos in the third and forced him to say "no mas" in the sixth round of their scheduled 10-rounder topbilling the "El Gran Combate" card Saturday night.
Both fighters appeared tentative in the opening round, opting to size up each other with the Candijay, Bohol-raised Bautista pressing the action a bit as Bolanos kept pace by using his lateral skills and jabs.
The Freddie Roach-trained Bautista, however, jumped on Bolanos in the second round, this time connecting to the midsection of the Mexican fighter. Midway through the round, both fighters exchanged heavy punches to the delight of the standing-room crowd who jampacked the arena.
Appearing more confident, Bautista then continued pressing the action in the third round, peppering the game Mexican with combinations to the head and body. A big right uppercut in the dying seconds of the round put Bolanos on one knee, prompting referee Teddy Alivio to administer the count. As action resumed, Bautista went in for the kill only to find a furious Bolanos countering him punch-for-punch.
Bautista, aching for an early knockout, continued his attack on the fourth, while the Mexican gamely fought back with shots of his own. By the end of the round, however, Bolanos was already cut and bloodied from what the referee declared as a legal blow.
Bautista continued his assault in the fifth, digging to the body well as Bolanos backpedalled each time the young warrior got inside. By the end of the round however, Bolanos' trainer Rogelio Baldenegro summoned the referee and signaled that his ward has had enough.
"I dedicate this win to my family and fellow Boholanos. I thank God for this important win. I will be better next time," said Bautista at ringside, referring to the Boholanos who came to see him perform.
The win improved the WBO no. 3 Bautista's perfect record to 16 wins with 11 KO's, and gives him a chance to move up in the rankings.
WBO Asia Pacific chairman Leon Panoncillo, watching from ringside, said he would recommend Bautista to the WBO ratings committee in Puerto Rico.
BATAWANG, CAITOM VICTORIOUS
In the chief support, WBA no. 7 junior fly Bert Batawang easily demolished Elmer Muyco as the latter refused to come out for the second round after suffering from a broken left arm, awarding the SGG fighter Batawang a TKO win.
Muyco's manager Lito Mondejar said his ward could not continue as the arm broke following an exchange of bombs in the opening frame.
ALA Boy Caesar Amonsot took a hard-earned majority decision win over the tough-as-nails Jun Paderna over ten.
Debuting ALA Boy Rey Caitom, meanwhile, proved par to his billing as he easily knocked down fellow amateur gold medallist Reymund Legaspi with a right in the opening round, bloodied his foe's nose and outclassed the latter en route to a unanimous decision win.
Two other debuting ALA Boys, meanwhile, saw their opening campaigns end in a stalemate as they figured in draw verdict against separate foes.
Rashid Bacus took a unanimous draw verdict with veteran Rex Madrid, while AJ Banal saw his dominance come to a screeching halt after he suffered a cut and was declared unfit to continue.
In a battle of young talents, Manny Pacquiao-managed Orlan Enriquez prevailed on a technical knockout over Cliff Smart's Robert Allanic. A headbutt in the opening round cut Allanic, but the Bicol-based Enriquez let in some shots in the ensuing rounds thus winning the fight.
Journeyman Cris Alag upset Japanese Nori Iwatani via unanimous decision; while John Carlos escaped from the throes of defeat to earn a third-round TKO over Villy Bullecer.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Salven L. Lagumbay.
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