VIVA, BAUTISTA!
By Salven L. Lagumbay
PhilBoxing.com
Wed, 15 Jun 2005
Viva, Bautista!
OPENING ROUND. Japanese boxing manager Yasuo Matsuoka, in an interview the other day, revealed that he is definitely quite stressed out for having two of the most popular fighters under him. The likeable Matsuoka said he might not be able to live up to people's expectations. "Dahan-dahan lang ako," Matsuoka, who is married to a Filipina, said in Filipino. Standby for the full interview..Japanese media is now agog over our very own Eriberto Gejon. A writer from Tokyo has emailed me to come up with a feature story on Gejon. Apparently, they want to get to know the fighter who will soon duke it out with their local hero Yutaka Niida for the WBA crown.
It sure was the most well-attended boxing event in Cebu in recent years. Heck, if the GAB were to choose a Card of the Year, that one should win hands down.
CROWD. The "El Gran Combate" card Saturday night must have attracted between 7,000 to 8,000 spectators from all over the country, understandably Bohol topping the out-of-town contingents. Bautista, the son of Candijay, Bohol, is a magnet for hometown support. Also visible at ringside were boxing fans from Manila, who flew just for the chance to see Bautista gut it out with a Mexican hombre. Also at the venue were some Mindanao boxing fans, although I wonder if the Viva Hot Babes were the come-on.
Even some Manila-based mediamen were on hand to cover the event. Ronnie Nathanielsz of the Manila Standard/Viva Sports, Dennis Principe of Manila Bulletin/Fightnews, and the well-respected Hermie Rivera were at ringside, possibly wondering how Manila could ever duplicate the charm of this 18-year-old wonder.
INTERNET MEDIA. Perhaps unknown to many, a major first in Philippine boxing transpired that evening. For the very first time in the history of Philippine boxing, internet media came to cover the event, as Manny Pacquiao.ph owner Dong Secuya attended the show with his camera clicking away at every bit of the action.
Secuya, the internet architect who has virtually made Pacquiao one of the most well-chronicled fighter on-line, told those at ringside, including sportsman Tony Aldeguer, that he will be coming up with his ambitious plan of chronicling all Filipino boxers as well. The project will aim to help everyone involved in boxing--fighters, managers, promoters, boxing media, matchmakers, trainers, boxing scholars, the GAB, etc--reach out to one another for the good of boxing.
"We will serve as the bridge for everyone involved in boxing to get-together on-line. This will be an ambitious endeavor, but this will have a tremendous impact on the sport," Secuya told me at ringside.
WALKING THE TALK. American lawyer Michael Koncz is one silent doer. Hereabouts, he's the man who has booked a fight for Bobby Pacquiao against Carlos Navarro on June 17 in California for the WBC Continental
Americas superfeatherweight title. And silently, he also helped facilitate the Bautista-Bolanos fight, having represented the sponsoring Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority.
A spokesman for the law offices of Jack H. Anthony in Santa Ana, California, Koncz is earning plaudits as a man of action, a trait sorely missed in boxing today. The latest reports have it that he is well on his way to cornering a fight deal for Bautista on American soil soon.
"He is a man of good deeds. And he's got a heart bigger than California," Buboy Fernandez, Manny Pacquiao's Filipino trainer, told me during the Friday weigh-in at the ALA Gym. Koncz, who once helped heavyweight Ike Ibeabuchi in his legal problems, is also the current business manager for top Mindanao prospect Diosdado Gabi.
Asked on his reaction to the Bautista-Bolanos fight: "It sure was one great fight as long as it lasted. Bautista certainly was never hit that much in his past fights. But Bautista is just too good."
Kudos to you, Mike!
END
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Salven L. Lagumbay.
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