Friday, August 10, 2007 World Cup attention anchored on Bautista
THE Boxing World Cup may have six fights that highlight the rivalry of the Philippines and Mexico but most of the attention will be focused on the fight between Rey “Boom-Boom” Bautista and Daniel Ponce de Leon.
Six fighters from each nation will determine who will win the cup made by Icelink that is worth $500,000.
De Leon will put his WBO super bantamweight belt at stake on this fight and he is hoping to add the Filipino rising star to his list of victims.
Bautista, on the other hand, has a greater mission—to become the next boxing icon and to bring to his home province, Bohol, a world title.
But aside from their individual goals, the two fighters are also seeking the attention from their promoter--the Golden Boy Promotions.
Edge
Bautista, however, already has the edge over de Leon in getting the eye of GBP owner and founder Oscar dela Hoya as the 21-year-old Boholano has proven a lot of times that he is the favorite and not the 28-year-old Mexican warrior.
De Leon is also out to prove that he is equal to his compatriots Israel Vasquez and Rafael Marquez after getting criticized for his fighting style and boxing abilities and even his hairstyle.
De Leon recently shaved his head for the Bautista fight.
Though he got appreciated for scoring three straight brutal knockouts in his title defenses, he got doubted after he was pushed to the limit by the older Gerry Peñalosa last March. In that fight he had to revise his game plan to win.
Even that win was doubted as most who saw the match saw Peñalosa winning.
Bautista is also an exact opposite of Peñalosa as the 21-year-old Bautista is a very strong orthodox fighter. The Boholano is also powerful and is a heavy puncher and has an ability to pick up from where he lacks through sheer heart and unrelenting offense.
De Leon (31-1, 28KOs) who has been asking GBP to fight Bautista for over a year now, will finally get his chance to test the caliber of the undefeated Bautista (23-0, 17KOs).
A win of the Philippines over Mexico will not be complete if Bautista loses his bid for the world title. (RCM)
