BAUTISTA LANDS IN TAMPA, FLORIDA!
By Salven L. Lagumbay
PhilBoxing.com
Tue, 28 Nov 2006
TAMPA, FLORIDA--Undefeated World Boxing Organization (WBO) no. 1 superbantamweight Rey 'Boom Boom' Bautista has arrived here today from Los Angeles healthy and ready to do battle as he gears up for his December 2 showdown with Brazilian Giovanni Andrade at the St. Pete Times Forum, home of the Stanley Cup holders, the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Bautista was accompanied in the trip by trainer Edito Villamor, while American trainer Freddie Roach joins the group on the eve of the fight.
Rey "Boom Boom" Bautista (second from left) arrives at the Hyatt Regency in Tampa, Florida together with trainer Edito Villamor (left). Promoter Sammy Gello-ani (second from right) with PhilBoxing.com's Salven Lagumbay (right) and Dong Secuya (not in photo) who were coming from Dallas, Texas, rendezvous with Bautista and Villamor at Tampa airport.
Bautista and Villamor then met up with top Filipino promoter Sammy Gello-ani, Philboxing.com's Dong Secuya and this writer who arrived earlier on an American Airlines flight from Dallas.
Bautista and his group were then immediately whisked away on a stretch limousine, and were brought to the magnificent Hyatt Regency Tampa Downtown where they are billeted. The official weigh-in also takes place in the hotel on Friday (Sat in the Philippines).
Bautista had his last training session at Roach's Wild Card Gym last Saturday where he hit the mitts and spent two rounds pounding on the heavy bags.
Villamor informed that prior to the weigh-in on Friday, Bautista will only do light workouts which consist of the mitts, shadow-boxing, light running and skipping rope.
For the Andrade fight, Bautista has logged more than 100 rounds of sparring at the ALA gym in Cebu and Wild Card gym in Los Angeles.
"I am looking forward to this fight. It's been a long time since I was on the ring for a fight," Bautista said in Los Angeles.
The Bautista-Andrade showdown will be one of the undercards to the Winky Wright-Ike Quartey 12-round showdown.
Top photo caption: From left, Villamor, Lagumbay, Gello-ani and Bautista enjoy their stretch limo ride from Tampa airport to the Hyatt Regency. Photo by Dong Secuya.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Salven L. Lagumbay.
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