UNDERSTANDABLY, THERE’S a lot of excitement being felt in Philippine boxing circles these days. With Manny Pacquiao being toasted as one of the most exciting ring personalities in the world today, other Filipino boxers are thrust into a fair share of the limelight.
Just last week, two of boxing icon Oscar de la Hoya’s trusted lieutenants flew to Cebu City to sign up a couple of Filipino pugilists for fights in the United States. Now Rey ‘Boom-Boom’ Bautista and Z “The Dream” Gorres have no less than Golden Boy Promotions as their official promoters in the U.S.
Golden Boy Vice-President Eric Gomez and matchmaker Sampson Lewkowicz personally signed the contracts on behalf of the U.S.-based promotions outfit. De la Hoya himself joined the press conference last Friday at the Cebu Sports Club by tele-conference despite the late hour in Puerto Rico (12:30 a.m.) where he is training for his upcoming fight against Ricardo Mayorga.
And now, Boom-Boom and Gorres are assured slots in the undercard of the Marco Antonio Barrera-Rocky Juarez fight on May 20 at the famed Staples Center in Los Angeles, California against still to be named opponents. But the chance to fight in a high-profile card such as this certainly augurs well for the two wards of Tony Aldeguer’s ALA stable.
Gomez and Lewkowicz were also enthusiastic about a planned RP-Mexico “World Cup” which they are also putting up late this year in the United States. Golden Boy actually staged a similar card last year which pitted Mexican Boxers against Thais. The Mexicans won that one 4-1. The Philippines hopes to fare better. After all, Pacquiao and the likes of Gorres, Bautista, Viloria, Jaca et al have recently made victims out of their respective foes from Mexico.
So things are certainly looking up for Philippine boxing. How we wish we could say the same for basketball. But that’s another story we hope to tackle soon
