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Philippines, 10 May 2025 |
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INSIDE SPORTS: ABS-CBN's COVERAGE AND BAUTISTA'S HEART By Ronnie Nathanielsz PhilBoxing.com Tue, 08 May 2007 While we all enjoyed the superb hype of Golden Boy Promotions and HBO for ?The World Awaits? mega-buck fight between Oscar De La Hoya and Floyd Mayweather Jr we were honestly far more interested and awaiting the fights of emerging Filipino ring sensations Rey ?Boom Boom? Bautista and AJ ?Bazooka? Banal because that indeed was where our hearts were as we desperately search for fighters to provide the kind of excitement that Manny Pacquiao brings. Regrettably, our friends at ABS-CBN failed to carry the Banal fight which was not on the pay-per-view card and would probably have cost the network additional money. However, considering the remarkable talent of Banal and the fact that those of us who have covered his fights and seen him in action are convinced he is the real deal, ABS-CBN should have considered it an investment for the future since it is becoming clear the network is now high on sports, particularly boxing. We hate to say this because some of our friends may get offended but there was no imperative need to send local commentators to cover the fights because for sure they couldn?t match the Americans especially when it came to the De La Hoya-Mayweather fight. We can understand the need to cover the Bautista-Sergio Medina fight from the perspective of local audiences but once again ? unfortunately ? the coverage was done mostly in English which may have defeated the purpose of sending a local crew although we do admire the work that Dyan Castillejo has been doing. Clearly, the young lady has learned a lot about the sport and certainly knows how to put some interesting and visually compelling reports together. Besides, we have to admire her ability to travel extensively from one part of the world to another in her ? and the network?s desire - to bring a huge nationwide audience every aspect of the fights and the fighters involved. We must salute her also for doing her homework. Our longtime friend Sev Sarmenta has carved a name for himself as anchorman alongside analyst Moy Lainez on the weekly local boxing show ?In this Corner? but no matter how good Sev - or anyone else for that matter is in covering boxing - the international arena is something different. While covering the fights in Pilipino may allow a segment of the audience to feel a little more comfortable with the medium the fact remains that Filipinos know the language of the sport just as they know the language of basketball so the local language doesn?t make a compelling difference. Besides, what about the people in the Visayas and Mindanao, many of whom would be far more comfortable listening to a coverage in Cebuano. Beyond that we pride ourselves as being the best site for business investments because our workforce is fluent in English yet, in a way, we are not strengthening our facility in the language given the opportunity to do so. As for the fights themselves, Bautista he was every bit the fighter we believe he would be. Like Pacquiao, he has an incredible fighting spirit and a heart that knows no fear. Beyond that he has all the fundamentals except that he probably needs to hone his skills and undoubtedly the best man ? if what he did for Pacquiao is any indication ? is celebrated trainer Freddie Roach. Bautista needs to learn to move his head to avoid punches and confuse his opponent which is what Mayweather showed in abundance. He also needs to learn that boxing is not just moving forward most of the time and then backward when in trouble. He needs to master his lateral movements and pick his moments. Bautista also has an instinct that when he gets hit he wants to retaliate right away and tends to get caught with some solid blows when he does that. Medina proved that more than once in Sunday?s fight. But you got to love this kid and admire him for what he is, aside from being a future world champion. His love for his parents and his concern for his family is an example for all young men ? and women ? to emulate. When he was hurt in the fight against Medina he said the insults his parents suffered when he was a boy and they lived in poverty flashed across his mind and he vowed then, in the ring, he could never let them go back to those painful days. He couldn?t allow it to happen. And so he fought with the indomitable courage of his 20 year old Filipino heart ? and triumphed in the end. It?s a story worth telling over and over again because of its emotional dimensions and its inherent qualities of goodness, respect and love which our esteemed friend and boxing patron Tony Aldeguer has nurtured in the prized fighters of the ALA Gym. It was indeed fitting that the homily at Mass on Sunday was about how much God loves us. We are sure that He must love Rey Bautista more than ever before. Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ronnie Nathanielsz.  |
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