Both young and deadly, super-bantamweight Rey Bautista and super-fly AJ Banal made a lot of heads turn with impressive abbreviated victories underneath the Gerry Pe?alosa-Ratanachai Sor Vorapin world bantamweight title duel at the Araneta Coliseum yesterday.
Bautista, who plans to appear once more in America before the end of the year, scored a brutal second round knockout of Genaro Camargo of Mexico while Banal needed four rounds to deal Caril Herrera of Uruguay his first loss.
Although both fights ended in dramatic fashion, it was Bautista?s disposal of Camargo that drew the louder cheers from the boisterous crowd estimated at 3,500.
Bautista decked Camargo twice in the second round after sending him to the floor once late in the first round and it was a classic left hook to Camargo?s jaw that got the job done.
As the referee was administering the count, Bautista made a slit-the-throat gesture using his hand as the fans went wild with the explosive ending.
Bautista came out swinging and Camargo responded in kind at the sound of the bell and just before the end of the opening round, Bautista dropped the visitor with a solid right to the jaw, the same blow that he had used many times in the past in building up his sterling record.
Banal?s showing was also as impressive and his latest display of power made Golden Boy Promotions excited but still cautious.
“We are not rushing AJ and there is still a lot of room for him to grow as he is barely scraping the top,” said GBP vice president Eric Gomez.
Michael Aldeguer, who manages Banal and Bautista, said the 19-year-old from Cebu will be ready for another fight by June.
“We know we had to take this risk and AJ just showed what he can do,” added Aldeguer, whose father Tony, is widely acknowledged in the boxing business in the country as the maker of world champions.
The win boosted Bautista?s record to 25-1-0 with 18 knockouts, while that of Banal also imrpoved to 17-0-1 with 14 knockouts.
