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Philippines, 21 Feb 2026 |
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GELLO-ANI SAYS BAUTISTA DESERVES THANKS FOR MAKING WORLD CUP HAPPEN By Emmanuel B. Villaruel PhilBoxing.com Sat, 18 Aug 2007  After his devastating defeat to WBO super bantamweight champion Daniel Ponce de Leon, Rey "Boom Boom" Bautista drew flak and howls of criticisms from some disgruntled quarters. But instead of chastising Bautista for his failure to live up to the expectations of his Filipino countrymen, well-known international promoter Sammy Gello-ani said Bautista's critics should even thanked the youthful Boholano boxing icon because without him, there would be no World Cup opportunity for the Philippines. "The World Cup was done because of Boom Boom. Although he lost, we should thank him because without Boom Boom, this thing could not have happened," said Gello-ani in a press conference late the Wednesday night at the Marriott Hotel. "Also, we should thank Mr. Aldeguer (Tony) for leading the way." After Bautista was knocked out by Ponce de Leon in the very first round of their scheduled 12-round duel last Sunday at the Arco Arena in Sacramento, California, ring pundits presented a couple of underlying causes of his heart-breaking debacle. Some quarters remarked that Bautista's management team may have made a mistake in pitting Bautista against a dangerous champion at this early stage of his career because he still lacks experience and ring maturity, while others think that the Boholano has a very weak defense and possesses a 'glass" chin. While he took these sentiments judiciously, Gello-ani said there's no turning back for them because the fight was already scheduled, Bautista was the mandatory challenger and above all, they feel that the Candijay, Bohol fighter has all what it takes to dismantle Ponce de Leon. "What happened was that Boom Boom was the mandatory challenger and we have to fight. We can't wait for another chance," said Gello-ani. "Boom Boom learned his lessons the hard way, but I'm happy that this happened at this early stage of his career. Knowing Boom Boom well, he will come back a better, stronger fighter." Gello-ani honestly feels that Bautista stills lacks experience and ring maturity and has to improve on his defense at this point of his career, but he is highly confident his ward would still become a world champion someday. "Boom Boom is just 21 years old. He's still very young. I believe the future remains bright for him. He just have to work hard on some aspects of his fighting ability for him to succeed in achieving his goal of becoming a world champion ,"said Gello-ani. Click here to view a list of other articles written by Emmanuel B. Villaruel.  |
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