AT RINGSIDE it was difficult to discern what precipitated the abrupt downfall of Alejandro Barrera, but television replays revealed that Rey Bautista landed a short sneaky left to the liver that knocked the wind out of the game Mexican.
Barrera gamely managed to get up at the count of six and started his retreat towards the ropes, but Bautista was on him like Charlie Sheen on cocaine.
Another follow-up barrage later had Barrera sagging against the ropes, the fight beaten out of him in the third round.
COUNTERPUNCHER. Barrera came here looking for a knockout win and boldly predicted a fifth-round stoppage.
Perhaps emboldened by the mild success he had in the last round of their first fight, Barrera immediately came wading in as the aggressor. He found his range early and was landing hooks and straights on Bautista, who at first seemed pretty tight and tense.
Bautista caught some of the blows on his gloves as he seemed content to initially cover up and fire some counters.
There were two unintentional headbutts in the first round, but thankfully, none of them were fight-altering. To close, Bautista landed a stinging left jab and some hooks, but the round was easily Barrera?s.
At the start of the second, Barrera continued his offensive state of mind, but Bautista began to box more fluidly and was landing with effective counter-left hooks.
He started targeting the body of Barrera, which would pay dividends almost immediately.
I?ve always considered body punching as one of the aces in Boom-Boom?s arsenal and on this night, he did not disappoint. Those body blows slowed down Barrera?s offensive spurt and allowed Bautista to set up his combinations.
At around the 1:30 mark, Barrera?s nose started dripping blood, and while he was still landing his fair share of leather, it was an ominous sign that the tide was beginning to turn.
Both fighters exchanged combinations to close the round but the more precise and accurate blows came from Bautista who clearly won the second. Who knew the kid could counterpunch as well?
In the third, Bautista began finding a home for his stinging left jab and for good measure cracked the Mexican with some hard rights. In contrast, Barrera seemed flat and was flailing wildly at times.
The crowd started getting into it as well and as if on cue, Barrera wilted and faltered. The official time was 2:56 of the third.
PERSPECTIVE. All told, it was a huge win for Bautista and it certainly shored up his confidence level. More importantly, it reaffirmed the belief that he was a much better fighter than the Alejandro Barreras of the boxing world and this comes as a relief to his fans.
However, taken in perspective, this was no championship bout and Barrera was probably nothing more than a speed bump or a pothole that Bautista had to negotiate in order to get back on track.
Bautista?s record shows that the two losses on his record transpired when he fought in the United States and both times against better competition.
At age 24, perhaps more seasoning is in order. Till then, the script for Bautista?s rise to boxing stardom still has room for more rewriting.
TUMBA SI SUMBA. Is it just me, or did ABS-CBN?s Diane Castillejo really blurt out the words ?Superman strength? during the post-fight interview of Jason Pagara after the latter?s blowout of the hapless Billy Sumba of Indonesia?
I guess she was just giddy and garrulous about the spectacular stoppage?
A monstrous left hook which landed on Tumba?s er?Sumba?s jaw like a ton of bricks left the latter sprawled on the canvas for almost five minutes. It was indeed impressive and would certainly pad Pagara?s highlight reel resume and serve him well in future bouts in the hype department when he is matched up against top tier fighters.
LAST ROUND. It?s on my sis-in-law Claudine Navarro who celebrates her birthday this weekend. Cheers!
