Rey “Boom-Boom” Bautista, the World Boxing Organization Asia Pacific bantamweight champion, will leave tonight for the US to continue his training at the Wildcard Gym of Freddie Roach for his Dec. 23 fight against Gerardo “Locomotora” Espinoza of Mexico.
Bautista and ALA Gym chief trainer Edito “ALA” Villamor will leave tonight at 10 for LAX Airport in Los Angeles, California from Manila.
Boxing patron Antonio Lopez Aldeguer, also the manager of the Boholano phenomenon, will join his ward on Dec. 10 in the US.
Bautista will fight in the co-main event of the Fernando Trejo-Urbano Antillon 10-round match that was originally set at the Edgewater Hotel-Casino in Laughlin, Nevada.
However, Villamor said that Bob Arum changed the venue from Nevada to Sycuan Resort Casino in El Cajun, California.
Before leaving for the US, Aldeguer, Villamor, Bautista and Tagbilaran City Mayor Dan Neri Lim went to see PLDT president and CEO Manny V. Panglinan.
“MVP asked us what he could do to help. We just gave our due respect since he was one of our major sponsors in Tagbilaran. In the future we will try to make him our patron,” said Lim.
Holding a perfect 17-0-0 win-loss-draw with 14KOs ring record, the WBO No.1 and WBC No.10 ranked Bautista will take on a fighter known to be a slugger and knockout puncher. The 24-year-old Espinoza holds a 28-9-0 (26KOs) record. He has a three-inch height advantage over his Filipino foe.
