AND SO with the rest of the world, we waited and waited and nothing much happened. Word was some people coughed up as much as ,000 for a ringside seat at the MGM Grand to watch what could have been a song-and-dance routine had Floyd Mayweather Jr. broken out into his rap-version of the DC 5?s “Catch Us if You Can”.
The acknowledged “hero” ? Oscar De La Hoya ? tried his damnedest to tag the slick “Pretty Boy” of boxing, but the Mayweather speed and guile was just too much. Mayweather ducked, sidestepped, parried and pretty much just stayed away from harm the whole time, just as he was expected to. After all, he didn?t earn the moniker “Pretty Boy” by feeding his face to his opponent?s fists.
PBF threatened to massacre the Golden Boy but didn?t inflict anything resembling even slight physical injuries. Obviously, the big promise was part of the huge campaign hype for the fight. Perhaps he?s also thinking of running for congress or something?
But for 12 rounds, the world stayed glued waiting for something to happen. Most hoping that it would be De La Hoya unleashing his mighty left hook to put the cocky Mayweather in his place. Alas and alack, Oscar just couldn?t get his target to stand still long enough for him to land his haymakers.
While there have been some disagreements as to the judging, it was obvious that neither fighter was able to convince us that what we were waiting for ever arrived last Sunday. And I swear they could never persuade me to look forward to a rematch between these two multi-millionaires, who should now be very busy counting the tons of greenbacks they earned for making us wait.
Then again, I could probably also run for congress.
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Many observers were, however , glad that they were able to witness the Rey “Boom-Boom” Bautista fight which proved to be anti-climactic. Only half of the MGM Grand was filled when the 20-year-old Boholano sensation slugged it out with Argentinean Sergio “Rocky” Medina. Woe to the unfortunate late-comers.
That fight was marked by knockdowns inflicted by and suffered by both fighters, with Boom-Boom getting the edge in that department, 2-1. They exchanged damaging punches, but again, Bautista showed more power and better timing to outlast his opponent and earn a runaway unanimous decision.
With his win, the Tony Aldeguer prot?g? has earned the right to challenge the WBO Super Bantamweight champion Daniel Ponce de Leon. Already, negotiations are reportedly underway for the fight which is to be the topbill of the much-awaited World Cup of Boxing between the Philippine and Mexico.
It is said Gerry Pe?alosa, whom Ponce de Leon decisioned last March will possibly face WBO Bantamweight champion Jhonny Gonzalez ? happily, someone Gerry?s own size, unlike de Leon. A rematch between Fernando Montiel and Z Gorres would also be nice, and if they could find a suitable opponent for him, AJ “Bazooka” Banal would surely help in packing in the venue. They are looking at the Araneta Coliseum as the setting for the affair in September.
And speaking of Bazooka Banal, it was too bad that the local television coverage was unable to show his fight against Juan Alberto Rosas. It would certainly have been more welcome to Filipino viewers than the Rocky Juarez-Jose Hernandez dream sequence.
Banal, who won by unanimous decision, was fighting for the first time outside the Philippines (heck, it was his first time outside Cebu or Tagbilaran) and he is one fighter every Filipino boxing fan has been following. He was up against a formidable opponent and we would have wanted to see how he fared in as grand an atmosphere as the whole world waiting.
Well, there?s Boom-Boom and there?s Bazooka and there?s the “World Cup of Boxing”.
Let?s wait for that.
