Reigning WBO Asia Pacific bantamweight boss Rey “Boom Boom” Bautista will finally get the chance to fight an Aztec warrior when he trades leathers with Mexican Gilberto Bolanos in the main event of the “El Gran Combate” on June 11 at the Mandaue City Cultural and Sports Complex.
Bolanos, a native of Ciudad Obregon in Mexico, will make history as the first Mexican fighter to see action in Cebu.
“If Cebuano boxing fans were thrilled to the bones when the durable, iron-jawed African Vuyisile Bebe went the distance against the teen-aged sensation, it will be a nail-biting bombshell when Bautista collides with the equally thunderous punching Mexican,” said promoter Sammy “Don King” Gello-ani, who is putting up the show.
Gilberto Bolanos of Ciudad Obregon, Mexico is reputedly a dangerous trial-horse among world-rated contenders who has a record of 10-8-1 win-loss-draw with 10 knockouts. His biggest win came when he knocked out Manny Pacquiao sparmate Karen Harutyunyan, the reigning WBO NABO superbantam champ, in the seventh round last year in California.
The WBO no. 3 Bautista and Bolanos were originally slated to face each other last April 8, 2005 at the Orleans Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada but Bautista’s manager, Tony Aldeguer, opted to cancel the bout and elected to have Bautista concentrate on his training with Freddie Roach at his Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles, California.
Bautista’s trainer Edito “Ala” Villamor, in an interview, has revealed that his ward is leaving no stone unturned in preparing for the fight, sparring against Danny Boy Bontilao, Reman Salim, Pedro Malco, Edwin Gastador and Alex John Banal at the famed ALA Gym in Cebu.
“Our target is to log in between 80 to 100 rounds of sparring before this big fight ahead of us,” informed Villamor.
The undefeated Bautista (14-0, 10 KO’s) is fresh from a fifth-round technical knockout win over Thai Aree Phosuwangym last March 11 at the Neal Blaisdell Arena in Honolulu, Hawaii.
May 9, 2005.
