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Wednesday, December 15, 2004
Bautista to defend title v. ‘dangerous’ S. African slugger
By Rommel C. Manlosa
Sun.Star Staff Reporter
AFTER a trying search for a challenger, Rey “Boom-Boom” Bautista will finally defend his WBO Asia-Pacific bantamweight belt against Vuyisile Bebe on Jan. 29 at the Mandaue City Sports and Cultural Complex.
It took some weeks of speculation and a painstaking hunt for a suitable challenger before international promoter Sammy Gello-ani found a rugged, iron-jawed South African to test the mettle of the teenage champion.
Bebe is a short and stocky 28-year-old ring veteran of 20 fights, holding a 15-5-0 win-loss record with six knockout wins.
Bebe is the third to be chosen to fight Bautista, who was originally pitted against Australian Matt “Heyes” Powell, then Zolani Mbelekani.
“I have seen Bebe fight and he is a dangerous opponent. Tony Aldeguer, the manager of Bautista, insisted on getting a challenger who has never lost by knockout in order to really test the power of the champion,” said Gello-ani.
None of the knockout victims of the 18-year-old Cebu-based Boholano has gone beyond three rounds, and the African is expected to bring Bautista to his limit.
The vastly experienced Bebe won the South African light-flyweight title on Oct. 29, 2000, with a 10th-round stoppage of defending champion Ndoda Mayende.
He lost the crown due to weight problems and moved up to 118 pounds, where he recently outpointed one of the top contenders, Mzumkhulu Funde, in the undercard of the Batawang-Kibiti Pan African championship on Nov. 20.
A star-studded supporting cast is still being lined-up, featuring some of the upcoming ALA Boys and a Philippine welterweight championship fight between titleholder Dondon Sultan and challenger Ramil Caballes of the Wakee Salud Stable.
(December 15, 2004 issue)
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