After a rousing debut in the US mainland last Sunday, reigning World Boxing Organization Asia-Pacific bantamweight champ Rey “Boom Boom” Bautista will arrive here tomorrow amids a hero’s welcome from his fellow Boholano fight fans.
The 20-year-old world boxing prospect who hails from Can-olin, Candijay along with four-time division champion Manny Pacquiao and Fil-Am Brian Viloria shocked the boxing world by disposing off their respective foes during last Sunday’s historic “Double Trouble” card at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
The unbeaten ALA boy Bautista needed only three rounds of the scheduled 8-rounder to send Columbian Felix Flores Murillo to dreamland in the undercard.
Pacquiao on the other hand, annex the vacant WBC International super featherweight crown with a smashing 6th round KO win over Mexican Hector Valesquez, while the Hawaii-raised Viloria whose parents hails from Narvacan, Ilocos Sur, captured the WBC light-flyweight title with a shocking KO victory in the first round over erstwhile champion Eric Ortiz of Mexico.
Boxing patron Antonio “Bidoy” Aldeguer, who charts Bautista’s career, is arriving with his ward at the city insular wharf tomorrow morning. He is widely known in Bohol as the man behind the meteoric rise of Bautista to boxing stardom.
The arrival here tomorrow of Bohol’s newest ring idol was confirmed by Nemesio Monton, president of ABAP-7, who is closely coordinating with the provincial and city governments and the Provincial Sports Commission chaired by Senior Board Member Dionisio Balite in welcoming home our boxing hero.
Bautista is expected to arrive in Manila at 5:30 p.m. today together with his trainor Edito “ALA” Villamor and takes a connecting flight to Cebu City.
Monton also bared that Bautista is slated to make a prayer of thanks at the St. Joseph Cathedral from the city wharf before paying separate courtesy calls to Tagbilaran City’s boxing patron Mayor Dan Neri Lim and the Sangguniang Panlungsod and then to members of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan led by his avid fan Vice Gov. Julius Caesar Herrera. Gov. Erico B. Aumentado is with the Presidential party in the US.
The provincial government of Bohol is also considering the promotion of the ALA teenage sensation’s next defense of his WBO Asia-Pacific bantam title. Aldeguer bared that he got a call the other day from Atty. Balite conveying their intent to put up Bautista’s title defense in Bohol before the year will end. This was reported first by The Freeman sports editor Emmanuel B. Villaruel.
Bautista’s parents Alberto Sr. and Susana came a long way from Barangay Can-olin, Candijay to welcome home their son who had to cut short his stay and skip another fight in the US this October because he’s feeling homesick after his fight with Murillo. The former amateur boxing champion parades an unblemished record of 17 wins, spiked with 13 knockouts.
