Getting a call on the carpet for loathly accepting a red carpet saunter with two legitimate Filipino boxing champions won’t deter Boholano phenom Rey ‘Boom Boom’ Bautista from moving on with his rosy boxing career.
And tonight, Bautista stakes his World Boxing Organization (WBO) bantamweight regional crown against Tanzanian combatant Obote ‘Thunder” Ameme in a 12-round fight at the Carlos P. Garcia Sports Complex in Tagbilaran City.
The 18-year-old Bautista, with a record of 17-0, 13 KO’s, plans to use this fight as another meaningful experience in sussing out flaws of his still unsanded boxing attributes.
‘Our goal tonight is to make Bautista improve on the psychological aspect of fighting African fighters. We also want to keep him busy and sustain the hype he achieved in his last fight’ Said Buatista’s benefactor Tony Aldeguer.
Bautista is looking forward at getting more earnest fights abroad to prove that he deserves being lined-up alongside Filipino boxing heroes Brian Viloria and Manny Pacquiao.
The Candijay-native Bautista last saw action on September 10, scoring a scintillating 3rd round KO win over Colombian Felix Murillo at the Staples Center which served as one of the undercards of the Manny Pacquiao-Hector Velasquez mainer.
“I know there are people who raised their eyebrow regarding my inclusion in that parade. And I want to prove that I deserved that honor.” said Bautista yesterday, referring to his inclusion in a recent courtesy call of Pacquiao and Viloria in Malaca?ang.
According to Aldeguer, Bautista is slated to appear in another non-title fight on December 23 in Las Vegas versus Mexican campaigner Gerardo Espinoza.
But first things first.
Bautista, who in yesterday’s official weigh-in tipped the scales at 117 lbs., needs to put Ameme to sleep tonight in order to formally corner another consequential US sojourn next month.
And that may be easier said than done since the 27-year-old Ameme (118 lbs.) is poised to pose a serious threat to Bautista’s plans as the 36-fight veteran Tanzanian has scored 22 knockouts out of his 27 wins.
Ameme however suffered nine losses in his seven-year career but most of them were against world-class fighters namely one-time Pacquiao foe Nedal Hussein, ex-WBO champ Ratanachai Sor Vorapin and unbeaten Spanish fighter Sergio Blanco.
“My boxer is not worried of the fight because he has a lot of experience. I don’t think it’s going to be a long fight because Ameme will knock out Bautista in two rounds,” said Emmanuel Mlundwa, manager of Ameme. In the undercard of this multi-million extravaganza jointly supported by Tagbilaran City Mayor Dan Neri Lim and provincial Governor Erico Aumentado, Bautista’s stablemate Czar Amonsot guns for the vacant WBO Aspac superfeatherweight title versus Indonesian Victor Mausol in a 12-round slugfest.
Expected to grace this free-to-the-public event are PBA Commissioner Noli Eala, Manila Mayor Lito Atienza and a host of Manila and Cebu-based boxing writers and columnists.
