TAGBILARAN, Bohol ? Rey “Boom Boom” Bautista bludgeoned a soft and overmatched Obote Ameme with blazing blows to the body to score a second round knockout and retain his WBO Asia Pacific bantamweight title here last night.
Bautista, 18, initiated a sorry mismatch midway in the opening round by dominating his older but fightless foe before going for the kill to the chant of a mammoth crowd at the CPG sports complex.
It was a dull bout as Obote, who had been knocked out four times previously, turned out to be a cheap, tasteless offering to hometown Bautista fanatics who again failed to savor their idol’s true brilliance.
Bautista, dubbed the next Manny Pacquiao, has admitted he’s both thrilled and honored by the comparison to the world boxing superstar from General Santos City.
Bautista told the Inquirer, while undergoing final body massage before the bout, that he’s inspired by Pacquiao’s great exploits.
Bautista, usually shy in public, turns into a raging bull (like Pacquiao) inside the ring where he has proudly displayed his inborn fighting gifts, anchored on courage, power and fierceness.
Now carrying an unblemished 18-0 (14 KOs) record, Bautista said he would not hesitate if and when he suddenly gets a crack at a world crown. He’s ranked No. 1 bantamweight by the WBO and No. 10 by the World Boxing Council.
BoomBoom, who got P250,000 for the Obote bout, had his mother and father fetched from their place in Candijay, 80 kilometers from here, so they could be at ringside. He had a lunch of vegetable-fish soup, fried milkfish and noodles, before taking an early siesta.
Edito “Ala” Villamor, chief trainer in Tony Aldeguer’s ALA Gym, said there are plans for another US outing in Nevada for Bautista before Christmas, possibly against Mexican Genaro Espinosa.
