IT?S GOING to be the end of the road for Rey ?Boom Boom? Bautista if he loses to Mexican banger Antonio Meza this Sunday at the Araneta Coliseum.
“Bautista cannot afford to lose because if he does, he will join the company of ordinary boxers,” said Tagbilaran City mayor Dan Neri Lim, who is leading the consortium that is staging this weekend?s event that also features super-fly hotshot AJ Banal.
Banal collides with another Mexican, Jovanny Soto in the main supporting fight.
Lim brushed off criticism by some ringsiders that the Bohol-born Bautista needs some sort of a fight that will rehabilitate his career following the first-round knockout loss he suffered against Daniel Ponce De Leon last August in California, and not a duel against a tough rival in Meza.
“I don?t buy the idea that Boom Boom should have fought somebody who he is going to pick apart easily because sooner or later we will know anyway if he is indeed the real deal or not,” said Lim, who has followed Bautista?s career from Day One.
“We will only give false hopes to the boxing fans if we pit him against a patsy.”
Lim belongs to the inner circle of businessmen which forms the promotional outfit Third Force, who is being represented by former PBA commissioner Noli Eala.
Making up the group is TV tycoon Tonyboy Cojuangco and marketing man Eric Tagle.
Dubbed Payback, Sunday?s affair will have the ambience of a super-fight with the arrival of Amy Hayes, a renowned lady ring announcer from the US, and the tapping of Vina Morales, who will sing the national anthem.
While Payback certainly looks like an ambitious project, Lim said his group is not afraid to suffer financially.
“Who?s going to do it? We have to test the waters,” said Lim, who tapped the services of top Cebu boxing guru Tony Aldeguer to complete the card.
“We want to prove that a Filipino company can put up a big event.”
“We know these boxers have the potential and they ought to be given the opportunity to display what they?re made of,” said Lim.
The fights will be shown on Channel 5 and bigwigs from the world of politics and showbiz are expected to be at ringside to cheer for Bautista and Banal.
