BERT Batawang was a fight away from completing his dream of a world championship bout.
And he was four days away from arranging a titular showdown against IBF light flyweight champion Ulisses Solis when the nightmare came.
Making matters worse, he didn’t do anything wrong and all the blame lies on his opponent Gerardo Verde.
The Mexican “Diablito” was found to have detached retinas the other day and organizers were forced to forgo the Batawang fight in the World Cup Boxing this Sunday.
With so little time left, the Golden Boy Promotions was forced to cancel the event, leaving Batawang frustrated and in deep emotional stress.
The 35-year-old Cebuano knockout artist was originally scheduled to fight Jose Francisco Rosas for the IBF light flyweight title eliminator match.
The winner would have earned the right to fight the IBF champion.
But just two weeks ago, Rosas was replaced by Verde for an unknown reason.
The scrapping of the Batawang fight is just one the latest drama and twists in the World Cup has.
Just last week, Z Gorres was almost stricken out of the card after a tear in his eye was discovered. However, after he was cleared, his scheduled opponent, Gerson Guerrero, was the one who could not fight after the Mexican fighter was also found to have detached retinas.
Now comes the news on Verde’s.
No replacement
Everything was okay before Wednesday, when the medical checkup revealed Verde’s conditions. If Verde had taken a medical earlier, GBP would have had enough time to find a replacement.
However, because of this latest twist, Batawang, who has been waiting for his chance to fight for a world title will have to wait some more.
In a career that started in October 1990, the 35-year-old Batawang rose to prominence before he hung up his gloves in 1995 following his frustrating defeat to Korean Yo Sam Choi.
He decided to return to the ring when he found a home at the SGG Stable in October 2000.
Batawang then racked up 28 wins, including 22 knockouts, and five losses since 2000. (RCM)
