Philippines, 18 Jul 2025
  Home >> News

 


BOXERS

CURRENT CHAMPIONS 

FORMER CHAMPIONS   

RATINGS                       

NEWS           

FORUM        

FIGHT GALLERIES        

RING CARD GIRLS        


 
 
News  


A Bitter Lesson


PhilBoxing.com


There was an air of disappointment and disgust as Rey "Boom Boom" Bautista, earlier reputed to be the inheritor of the Philippine boxing kingship now owned by Manny Pacquiao was brutally pummeled into submission by WBO Jr. Featherweight King Daniel Ponce de Leon.

Well, I think disappointment is an understatement. Early today, I met a Boom Boom fan, Gani Gascal of Davao City. He was heaving a deep and pained sigh. "I feel weak. What happened to Boom Boom?" he asked.

From the North, I received a text message from Commodore Toto Golez, another Boom Boom fan who shared with me his admiration for the young Bohol fighter during a golf game two weeks ago.

"Your analysis was right," he told me. I had earlier told him that Boom Boom is a heavy puncher but the boy has a very weak chin and he could not take a punch.

This was the same analysis I made following the jubilation over Boom Boom's knockout win over Felix Flores Murillo back in 2005. I wrote my views in my column titled "Whooah! Hold Your Horses."

In that column, I warned that it was still too early to hail Boom Boom as a boxing hero because there was still a lot of proving to do.

What followed next was a deluge of hate mails directed at me calling me an envious person who does not want to see a young boy attain greatness. There was even an open challenge hoisted to pit "the best of North Cotabato against the second stringers of ALA Boxing Gym."

I opted to stay silent.

I have asked Philboxing to reprint that October 2005 column and ask readers and boxing fans to understand the contents of that item in relation to the general feeling of disappointment that envelopes the country today following Boom Boom's loss.

I guess they will appreciate the column better now.

Now, let me just state very clearly that by asking for the reprint of the column I am not trying to rub it in and assume the posture of "I told you so." This is an effort to put things in their proper perspective.

The message is simple: Champions are made inside the ring not through press releases.

Here is that October 2005 column on Rey "Boom Boom" Bautista:

WHOA! HOLD YOUR HORSES

Whoever thought of including Rey "Boom Boom" Bautista in the elite group of boxing heroes to be honored by President Arroyo Monday must either be ignorant of boxing or involved in a grand scheme to take Filipino boxing fans on a great ride.

Manny Pacquiao is a boxing hero, no doubt. Because of him, people's interest in the sport heightened. Even my three-year-old son who could barely talk , would stand up, throw a left and shout "Manny Pacquiao" everytime he sees boxing on TV.

His strory serves as an inspiration to young boys who dream of rising out of poverty.

Brian Viloria is a boxing hero without any argument. Being the first Ilocano boxing champion, he has stirred the imaginataion of young Ilocano boys who now realize that good boxers do not only come from the Visayas or Mindanao. An Ilocano could also be a world champion.

I was in Vigan City in Ilocos Sur last Friday for a meeting of the National Executive Board of the League of Governors and I felt the immense pride of Ilocanos in Viloria's conquest of the world junior flyweight championship from Eric Ortiz of Mexico.

But Boom Boom Bautista a boxing hero? Maybe to the people of Candijay, Bohol or the whole province for that matter including Cebu City where he trains, Bautista is a hero.

However, his inclusion in the list of boxing heroes to be honored by the country's President is a bit over, a bit too soon.

Now, don't get me wrong. I like the boy. He looks nice. Maybe he will become a world champion someday. But the fact remains, he has not proven his worth yet as a boxer.

Even Manny Pacquiao shakes his head at the way Bautista's handlers are trying to project his reputation.

"Mukhang nauuna ang build up. Baka masyadong maniwala ang bata na magaling talaga siya dahil yan ang nababasa nya sa diyaryo," said Manny. (There's just too much media hype. It might lead the young boy to believe that he is really that good because that's what he reads in the papers.)

One magazine has written extensively about Bautista calling him the next Manny Pacquiao. Is he?

With an impressive record of 18 wins and 14 knockouts, Bautista is indeed fearsome. But what about the quality of his opponents? His last fight was against a Colombia journeyman Felix Flores Murillo, 31 years old.

A check with Boxrec, a website that carries the record of all professional boxers in the world showed that Murillo who now lives in Tampa, Florida has not won in his last five fights. Was his knockout in the hands of Bautista a basis in the selection of the youngster from Bohol as a boxing hero?

Is Bautsita really that good? That remains to be seen when he fights the kind of boxers that Manny Pacquiao has encountered inside the ring.

Indeed, Bautista can throw a punch but can he take a punch? I received reliable information that in one sparring match against Japanese bantamweight Hideyasu Ishihara who trained in Cebu City, Boom Boom was knocked out cold.

Let us put things in their proper perspective. We cannot call somebody a boxing hero simply because he fought in the undercard of a Pacquiao card and knocked out his opponent too.

Being a hero takes a lot more than just being the subject of overenthusiastic press reports and reviews.

A boxing hero must epitomize the struggle of the Filipinos to rise out of poverty and to overcome adversity.He must be able to inspire and stir the imagination of the whole nation.

Bautista has not reached that level yet and no amount of press releases churned out by his handlers can change that.

Boom Boom's handlers must learn their lessons from the way they built up the likes of Ala Villamor and Z Gorres. If only press releases and media reviews could make champions, these two fighters would have become boxing champions many times over.

But the truth is when they were pitted against the best in the business, they wilted.

Along with that is the feeling of disenchantment by ordinary fans who believed the media reports of these fighters' seeming invincibility.

Let us make boxing heroes inside the ring, not through press releases and media intterviews.



Click here to view a list of other articles written by Manny Piñol.


Recent PhilBoxing.com In-House articles:

  • Pacquiao’s Legacy in Motion: PacMan contra El Azteca
    By Emmanuel Rivera, RRT, , Thu, 17 Jul 2025
  • Blu Girls Crush Singapore 13-0, Set Sights on China in Asia Cup Showdown
    By Marlon Bernardino, , Thu, 17 Jul 2025
  • Laylo, Dableo to play in Baguio Open
    By Marlon Bernardino, , Thu, 17 Jul 2025
  • Pacquiao Shines in Final Press Conference: Can The Pacman Defeat Father Time and Barrios? (Analysis & Prediction)
    By Carlos Costa, , Thu, 17 Jul 2025
  • More lucrative fights await Manny Pacquiao
    By Leo Reyes, , Thu, 17 Jul 2025
  • Rumors about Pacquiao-Mayweather rematch
    By Gabriel F. Cordero, , Thu, 17 Jul 2025
  • Tapales, Laurente to help Inoue against MJ
    By Lito delos Reyes, , Thu, 17 Jul 2025
  • AL BERNSTEIN, CHRISTY MARTIN AND ERIC BOTTJER TO SERVE AS ALL-STAR COMMENTARY TEAM FOR THIS FRIDAY’S ‘LOPEZ VS. VARGAS’ EVENT
    , Thu, 17 Jul 2025
  • SALITA PROMOTIONS CONGRATULATES SUBRIEL MATIAS ON BECOMING THE WBC SUPER LIGHTWEIGHT WORLD CHAMPION
    , Thu, 17 Jul 2025
  • Gaisano Grand Cup Season 20 opens August 3
    By Lito delos Reyes, , Thu, 17 Jul 2025
  • 3 Division World Champion & Hall of Famer Shane Mosley Confirmed for Eighth Annual Box Fan Expo, During Mexican Independence Day Weekend, Saturday September 13, in Las Vegas
    , Thu, 17 Jul 2025
  • HALL OF FAMER MANNY PACQUIAO SET TO CHASE HISTORY YET AGAIN THIS SATURDAY NIGHT IN WORLD TITLE FIGHT AGAINST MARIO BARRIOS
    , Wed, 16 Jul 2025
  • Round 12 with Mauricio Sulaimàn: New York, a Special Place for Boxing
    By Mauricio Sulaimán, , Wed, 16 Jul 2025
  • Jake Paul-Anthony Joshua talking for a possible fight?
    By Gabriel F. Cordero, , Wed, 16 Jul 2025
  • Philippines Rolls Past Pacific Oceania in Davis Cup Group IV Opener as Cebuana Lhuillier Ambassadors Set the Pace
    , Wed, 16 Jul 2025
  • QUOTES FROM TONY HARRISON’S OPEN MEDIA WORKOUT TODAY IN DETROIT
    , Wed, 16 Jul 2025
  • 3-Time World Champion Miyo Yoshida is tired of playing Boxing’s dreaded waiting game
    , Wed, 16 Jul 2025
  • RP Blu Girls Dominate India to Strengthen Asia Cup Campaign
    By Marlon Bernardino, , Wed, 16 Jul 2025
  • Pacquiao-Barrios Betting Odds in Las Vegas: Where Are Bettors Placing Their Money?
    By Carlos Costa, , Wed, 16 Jul 2025
  • Because Comebacks Matter: Pacquiao Fights for Us All
    By Emmanuel Rivera, RRT, , Wed, 16 Jul 2025
  • FILIPINO OLYMPIAN EUMIR MARCIAL, HARD-HITTING CONTENDER OMAR SALCIDO & MORE ROUND OUT LOADED EVENT THIS SATURDAY, JULY 19 AT THE MGM GRAND GARDEN ARENA IN LAS VEGAS
    , Wed, 16 Jul 2025
  • Dumam-ag fights in Japan on July 20
    By Lito delos Reyes, , Wed, 16 Jul 2025
  • UNDEFEATED KO ARTISTS COLLIDE! ARMANDO MARTINEZ RABI SET TO FACE ALBEIRO PAREDES
    , Wed, 16 Jul 2025
  • Arca to compete in 9th Eastern Asia Youth Chess Championships 2025 in Zhuhai, China
    By Marlon Bernardino, , Wed, 16 Jul 2025
  • Sampson Boxing Announces Signing of Super Lightweight Prospect Jorge De Jesus to Promotional Contract
    , Wed, 16 Jul 2025




  •  



     
    PhilBoxing.com has been created to support every aspiring
    Filipino boxer and the Philippine boxing scene in general.
    Please send comments to feedback@philboxing.com


    PRIVATE POLICY | LEGAL DISCLAIMER
    developed and maintained by dong secuya
    © 2025 philboxing.com.