IN Rey ?Boom-Boom? Bautista and Mexican Alejandro Barrera’s first encounter, the fight didn’t go the distance and ended in controversial fashion in favor of the Filipino fighter.
Although Bautista believes he won the first fight, he wants to prove that he is the better boxer as he plans to beat Barrera again in their rematch on Jan. 29 at the Waterfront Hotel and Casino in ?Pinoy Pride 3?The Rematch?.
?I believe I won the first fight. If he didn’t spit the mouthpiece, he was going to be knocked out,? said the 24-year-old Boholano pug. ?I believe that I can beat him (again).?
Bautista beat Barrera, who is the cousin of Mexican great Marco Antonio Barrera, by a fourth round technical knockout after the Mexican suffered a huge cut on his left eyelid last Aug. 28.
Bautista is serious about beating Barrera and won’t be taking a break for the holidays.
?In the first fight, we didn’t see any clips of him but now we have an idea of how he fights and our mistakes,? said Bautista’s trainer Edmund Villamor.
Villamor said Bautista was tagged with Barrera’s counter-punches because his ward fails to cover up after a strong jab. But Villamor said they have worked on that mistake.
ALA promotions president Michael Aldeguer feels Bautista isn’t ready for a world title fight just yet.
?That’s far-fetched yet. He’s still a work in progress. Let’s see how it goes. This will be a crucial fight for Boom-Boom. We will focus on this and see what level he is right now,? said Aldeguer.
Jason Pagara will trade leathers with Indonesian Billy Sumba in the main supporting bout. This will be an important fight for the 19-year-old phenom as it will be his proving ground if he is ready for the next level.
?He is young. If an offer to fight abroad comes, we’ll take it,? said Aldeguer. ?Jason still needs the time and exposure,? said Aldeguer.
Pagara was invited this year by Bob Arum’s Top Rank promotional outfit to train in Las Vegas.
Also included in the card are former World Boxing Council Silver flyweight champion Edrin Dapudong, Pan Asian Boxing Association bantamweight titlist Roli Gasca and fan-favorite Jun Intor.
Dapudong takes on tough Indonesian Sofyan Effendi in a 10-round bout, Gasca faces fellow Filipino Joash Aparecio in an eight-round fight while the wacky Intor is fighting Albert Villacampa in a four-round war.
Published in the Sun.Star Cebu newspaper on December 18, 2010.
