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Saturday, July 01, 2006
Sayson: BoomBoom’s sad episode ends well
By Homer Sayson
Secondovertime
CHICAGO — It was only 9 a.m., but like clockwork, Antonio L. Aldeguer, the genius behind the world-renowned ALA boxing stable, was already at his office in the sprawling Aldeguer Group of Companies compound in Nasipit, Talamban.
Aldeguer tackled last Wednesday like any other. He greeted the sunrise at five, ran a few miles at six, had some hearty, healthy breakfast around seven, before darting off to work after eight.
All seemed just another day in the life of Cebu’s most accomplished, most famous, and most likeable boxing patron. But it really wasn’t.
The past few days have been a blur, a series of unfortunate events.
WHIRLWIND. And when the whirlwind stopped, the painful reality quickly sank: Rey “Boom-Boom” Bautista won’t be able to fight against Felix Alejandro Montiel in the undercard of the Pacquiao-Larios fight this July 2 at the Araneta Coliseum.
“I’m so depressed,” Aldeguer told me. “Manny (Pacquiao) personally handpicked Boom-Boom to be in the main undercard of the Larios fight and I feel bad that Rey couldn’t make it. What a wonderful opportunity it would have been for Boom-Boom to showcase his talents before the entire Filipino nation at the historic Araneta Coliseum.”
But nobody in this episode is sadder than Rey himself.
“Rey looks up to Manny as both a big brother and an idol,” Aldeguer explained. “He made a personal commitment to fight in Manny’s promotion this Sunday and Boom-Boom is devastated by the cruel turn of events.”
Rey first fought in a Pacquiao undercard last Sept. 10, 2005 at the Staples Center, where PacMan dispatched Hector Velazquez in six rounds. On that same evening, Boom-Boom formally introduced himself to the world stage by scoring a brutal three-round knockout over Felix Flores.
Shortly thereafter, Rey’s and Manny’s friendship blossomed, fast and furious.
I was in the Team Bautista locker room moments after Boom-Boom’s three-round stoppage of Roberto Bonilla last May 20 at Staples. PacMan was in attendance and he interviewed the beaming Boholano for a news segment on ABS-CBN.
It was fun watching the two together, one already a legend, the other an idol-in-the-making. Their mutual respect and admiration sparkled inside a dimly-lit room. They exchanged lethal boxing secrets, laughed and poked fun at each other. They were like kindred souls, just having a blast.
Deep in his heart though, Bautista knows that the path towards a world title doesn’t have to go through the Araneta Colisuem. But it would have been so much more fun to do so, and to do it side-by-side Manny Pacquiao. This explains Rey’s melancholy, the understanding that he’s missing something great.
“Although there will be other chances in the future, we feel sorry for the fans and especially to Manny. PacMan really opened the gates for Pinoy fighters to be duly-recognized in the States and around the world. We can’t thank him enough for that,” Aldeguer offered.
PERSONAL REQUEST. Bautista, meanwhile, is well on his way to recovery. Antibiotics and aggressive medication had eased the bacterial flu out of his system.
The medication has weakened his knees, his foundation, and he wouldn’t be able to train the next few days.
But this sad Bautista saga has a sweet ending.
According to my good friend Salven Lagumbay of Philboxing.com, Boom-Boom will see action in the undercard of the Barrera-Juarez rematch this Sept. 16 at the MGM Grand. “Dela Hoya personally requested it to happen,” reports the hardworking Salven, a veteran of countless international boxing coverage.
Felix Alejandro Montiel is a possible foe, but whoever pairs with Boom-Boom on Sept. 16 will be in for a rude awakening. Rey is anxious to let off some steam, and we’ve seen how violent he can be when he has an axe to grind.
(homsay@hotmail.com)
For Bisaya stories from Cebu. Click here. (July 1, 2006 issue)
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