Philippine Games and Amusements Board Commissioner Angel P. Bautista attended, as the Philippine representative, the 18th Annual Congress of the WBO (World Boxing Organization) held at the Luxor Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada from October 24-28, 2005 and pushed for more Filipino fighters to be rated by the WBO..
As of the convention date, nine (9) Filipino fighters were rated by the WBO. These are Manny Pacquiao (#1 junior lightweight), Rey Bautista (#2 bantamweight), Z Gorres and Malcolm Tu?acao (#5 and #11 junior bantamweight respectively), Rexon Flores and Diosdado Gabi (#4 and #15 flyweight), Bert Batawang (#5 junior flyweight), Rodel Mayol and Benjie Sorolla (#1 and #14 mini-flyweight).
During the convention, Bautista coordinated with WBO Asia-Pacific representative Leon Panoncillo (see photo) for the due recognition of deserving Filipino fighters by the WBO to open more opportunities for the fighters to vie for boxing glory. “I submitted the names and records of about 20 of our top boxers to the WBO ratings committee. I hope many, if not all, of them will be considered and rated so that chances to win world boxing titles for the country will be enhanced”, says Bautista.
“In the updated ratings, Rey Bautista moves up to #1, Diosdado Gabi improves by 2 rungs, and Benjie Sorolla rises 1 rung up in their respective divisions”, Bautista concludes.
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