A battle that Bautista cannot afford to lose

Tagbilaran City, Bohol— A defining fight. A battle that Rey “Boom-Boom” Bautista can’t afford to lose.
This is how Michael Aldeguer described Bautista’s fight against battle-tested Genaro Garcia of Mexico in the Pinoy Pride 12 “Bakbakan Sa Bohol” slated tomorrow at the Carlos P. Garcia Sports Complex.
“Boom-Boom has been yearning for a rematch against Ponce de Leon. But he has to go through some tests first,” said Aldeguer in a press conference yesterday at the Bohol Tropics.
“Against a veteran like Garcia, this would be a tough fight for Boom-Boom. This fight will tell it all. If he wins this fight, we will try to put him in an eliminator or fight against the top 10 contender in his division,” said Aldeguer, president/CEO of ALA Promotions.
Bautista himself knows what’s at stake in this fight where a loss is not an option. Not in front of his fellow Boholanos.
“I wanted to fight here to give pride to Bohol and I want to give inspiration to the young Boholanos who aspire to excel in boxing,” said Bautista, who has 32 wins with 24 KOs and two losses.
Bautista, the reigning IBF Featherweight champion, last fought in Bohol in Nov. 19, 2005 where he scored a resounding second round knockout against Tanzanian Obote Ameme.
“I’m prepared. I started training right after my fight against Miguel Mendoza last Dec. 10,” said Bautista, winner of six straight fights, winning all but one by way of knockout.
Bautista’s last loss was against Heriberto Ruiz, who scored a unanimous decision against the Boholano Nov. 22, 2008 in Las Vegas Nevada.
SIX STRAIGHT WINS
Bautista rebounded from that loss with six straight wins, including a technical knockout win against Ruiz in a grudge rematch last June 11, 2011 at the Waterfront Hotel and Casino.
And stretching that winning run will definitely shove Bautista closer to a world title shot.
“I’ll do everything I can to beat Garcia. I know Garcia is a tough fighter. I won’t promise a knockout but if there’s a chance, I’ll go for it,” said the 24-year-old fighter.
Odds are definitely stacked against the 29-year-old Garcia.
He is two inches shorter than the 5-foot-6 Bautista and will be fighting without his trainer, who fell ill just when they were about to fly in.
Plus, there’s the homecourt disadvantage that Garcia will try to overcome. Close to 50,000 spectators are expected to troop to the venue to watch the non-title, 10-rounder fight presented by ABS-CBN Sports and ALA Promotions.
Garcia said he’s been in tougher situations before and expressed confidence of scoring a victory.
Garcia has 37 wins under his belt with 21 KOs. The Mexican boxer has eight losses in a career that saw him fight eight world champions, winning three of them including a second knockout win over Rafael Marquez.
“Bautista is a good fighter. He’s fast and he’s strong. He’s up there in the top level but I came here to win,” said Garcia through interpreter Mike Lopez.
Garcia said Bautista’s height advantage won’t be a problem neither the hometown crowd.
“I’ve sparred with taller opponents. And the absence of my trainer won’t be a problem since I’ve been training for two months. I know what to do inside the ring,” said Garcia.
UNDERCARDS
Lined up in the undercards is an equally explosive encounter between ALA Gym’s unbeaten stalwart Genesis Servania and Africa’s Nick Otieno.
Servania has yet to lose in 16 fights with six KOs. Otieno has nine KOs in his 21 wins and seven losses.
The other fights pit Jayson Pagara vs. Indonesia’s Frans Yarangga; Michael Domingo vs. Marvin Tampus; Mark Acub vs. Freddie Martinez; Juren Labordo vs. Junel Busado; Jimmy Paypa vs. Royroy Sumugat; Rey Morales vs. Jordan Catubay; and Pedro Balaba vs. Jerome Casas.