Rey Bautista
Encyclopedia
Reynaldo Bautista more commonly known as Boom Boom Bautista, is a Filipino
professional boxer
, currently residing in Tagbilaran City
, Bohol.
.
, Philippines, Bautista made his professional debut. He won a shutout, unanimous decision (UD) through six rounds against Reyco Compendio. At only 17 years of age, Bautista showed much potential.
After winning his next seven fights, Bautista compiled an undefeated record of eight wins, and 0 losses (8-0). With only eight fights under his belt, the young Bautista campaigned in Indonesia
, South Korea
, and Japan
for his next three fights. Impressively, he won all three bouts. Bautista defeated Indonesia
n, Hengky Wuwungan when the referee stopped the fight to prevent Wuwungan from receiving any further damage. Bautista then faced South Korean, Hwi-Jong Kim, whom he defeated by a split decision (SD) through ten rounds. Then Bautista followed that up by traveling to Japan to defeat Hirokatsu Yamazaki, when the Japanese
retired from the bout right after the third round.
Following the Yamazaki fight, Bautista had the opportunity to fight for his first regional title. On August 17, 2004, in the Sports and Cultural Complex in Mandaue City
, Cebu, Bautista defeated Thai
fighter, Saensak Singmanasak by second round TKO for the then vacant WBO Asia Pacific bantamweight
title. Bautista defended that title once (against South African, Vuyisile Bebe, whom he defeated by a UD through twelve rounds) before he got his first big break in the sport, a chance to show many others his true potential.
in Los Angeles
, California
, Bautista fought in the undercard of Manny Pacquiao
's and Erik Morales
' respective fights with both Héctor Velázquez
and Zahir Raheem
. The then undefeated Bautista was able to defeat his Colombia
n opponent (Felix Flores) by a third round KO, impressing many people, which led to him fighting on U.S. soil for the majority of his next few fights. But before he was able to make his three fight campaign in the United States
, Bautista needed to defend his WBO Asia Pacific bantamweight title from Tanzanian, Obote Ameme. Bautista was able to do just that, defeating Ameme by a second round TKO.
Three months later, Bautista started that three fight campaign by defeating Mexican
, Gerardo Espinoza by a UD through eight rounds. Five months later, Bautista continued his success in the states by defeating Nicaraguan
, Roberto Bonilla by KO in just three rounds. He finished off the successful "road-trip" by defeating Brazil
ian, Giovanni Andrade, after Andrade retired from the bout after 4 rounds of action.
After one fight in the Philippines (where he defeated Mexican, Marino Montiel for the then vacant WBO Inter-Continental and Asia Pacific Youth super bantamweight
titles), Bautista fought in The World Awaits undercard, when his promoter at the time, Oscar De La Hoya
of Golden Boy Promotions
, allowed Bautista to fight in the undercard of his bout against Floyd Mayweather. This was a big step in Bautista's career, since the fight was titled as a WBO Super Bantamweight Title Eliminator.
On May 5, 2007, in the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas
, Nevada
, Bautista faced and defeated the then undefeated Argentine
contender Sergio Manuel Medina (28-0) by UD. Bautista, although defeating Medina, too suffered a knockdown. On the eleventh round, "Medina clearly staggered Bautista with a solid combination and the Filipino held on to the ropes to apparently keep himself from going down". But nonetheless, "in the end, it was the unabated aggression of Bautista which accounted for the big margins on the scorecards of the judges, as he connected with several solid combinations to win most of the close rounds (of the bout)". The win gives Bautista his first world title shot, against the then WBO Super Bantamweight World Champion, Daniel Ponce de León
of Mexico
.
in Sacramento
, California, Bautista headlined the boxing World Cup staged by Golden Boy Promotions: Philippines vs. Mexico. Bautista, to the disappointment of the many Filipino fans in attendance that night, failed in his first attempt at a world title, when he suffered a first round TKO loss to the hands of Daniel Ponce de León, suffering his first ever loss as a pro. The Mexican proved to be too strong, knocking down Bautista twice in the first round, forcing the referee to stop the bout.
On November 22, 2008, after administering three more wins to build his confidence following his first round knockout loss to Ponce de León, Bautista was vanquished by Heriberto Ruiz of Mexico, who had a record of (39-7-2) coming into the bout. Bautista lost by scores of 80-70, 78-72 and 77-73, all in favor of the Mexican.
,. On October 16, 2009, Bautista made his long-awaited ring return. There, he took on respected Marangin Marbun of Indonesia, whom he defeated by a seventh round TKO, awarding Bautista the then vacant interim WBC
International Featherweight title, which he relinquished on January 19, 2010.
Bautista fought Thailand's Saichon Sotornpitak for a 10 round non titled fight on April 24, 2010 in Dubai. The bout headlined the card "Philippines vs The Rest of the World, which is presented by KO Promotions in association with ALA Promotions. In this event, two other Filipino boxers, Milan Melindo
and Larry Canillas, won their respective bout. Bautista stopped Sotornpitak in the sixth round and improved his record to 28-2, with 21 knockouts. On August 28, 2010, Bautista fought Mexico's Alejandro Barrera (cousin of Marco Antonio Barrera
) at the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel in Cebu. The Filipino pugilist won the match by TKO in the 4th round, after the referee stopped the fight due to a bad cut over Barrera's left eye, caused by a punch.
On January 29, 2011, the Filipino boxer knocked out Barrera in the third round of their rematch, which took place at the Cebu City Waterfront Hotel & Casino in Cebu, Philippines.
Rey 'Boom Boom' Bautista suffered three cuts due to head butts before the fight was stopped at 0:56 of the seventh round. Heriberto 'Cuate' Ruiz of Mexico effectively defused Bautista's aggressiveness with timely clinches, an effective jab and lateral movement in the early rounds.
Just like in their first fight, Bautista was cut by a clash of heads in the third at the corner of his right eyebrow. Bautista continued to charge forward which resulted in heated exchanges. In the fifth, Ruiz' survival skills showed as he landed a low blow and effectively clinched. Another headbutt opened a cut on Bautista's scalp. Referee Danrex Tapdasan had a hard time controlling the extra-curricular activities.
Bautista was surging and landed the cleaner and harder blows in the 5th and 6th rounds. Ruiz was fading but another clash of heads opened a cut on Bautista's right eyebrow. The ring physician, Dr. Jose Unabia, recommended the fight stoppage. The scores read – Judge Bruce McTavish 69-65, Judge Muhamad Rois 68-65 and Judge Rey Danseco 68-65 all for Bautista.
Bautista won the IBF International featherweight title but a section of the crowd voiced their displeasure. The sportswriters at ringside also had an animated discussion about the outcome.
Per IBF rules, no points were deducted due to the headbutts.
Filipino people
The Filipino people or Filipinos are an Austronesian ethnic group native to the islands of the Philippines. There are about 92 million Filipinos in the Philippines, and about 11 million living outside the Philippines ....
professional boxer
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
, currently residing in Tagbilaran City
Tagbilaran City
Tagbilaran City is a 2nd class component city in the island province of Bohol, Philippines and serves as its capital. Tagbilaran lies on the southwestern part of the province, and has a total land area of 32.7 km², with about 13 km of coastline...
, Bohol.
Early life
Bautista spent his early childhood in the fields, growing rice with his family. Craving to live a better and more successful life, he turned to boxing at a very young age. Bautista, at the time, was discovered by Nemi Monton (ABAP Region VII president and chair for Boxing Development of the Bohol PSC), who allowed the young Bautista to fight in amateur bouts, within the island province of Bohol. Fed up with poverty, Bautista turned pro just a week shy before his 17th birthday, hoping to find success in the sport of boxingBoxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
.
Early career at Bantamweight
On June 12, 2003, in the Gaisano Country Mall in CebuCebu
Cebu is a province in the Philippines, consisting of Cebu Island and 167 surrounding islands. It is located to the east of Negros, to the west of Leyte and Bohol islands...
, Philippines, Bautista made his professional debut. He won a shutout, unanimous decision (UD) through six rounds against Reyco Compendio. At only 17 years of age, Bautista showed much potential.
After winning his next seven fights, Bautista compiled an undefeated record of eight wins, and 0 losses (8-0). With only eight fights under his belt, the young Bautista campaigned in Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
, South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
, and Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
for his next three fights. Impressively, he won all three bouts. Bautista defeated Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
n, Hengky Wuwungan when the referee stopped the fight to prevent Wuwungan from receiving any further damage. Bautista then faced South Korean, Hwi-Jong Kim, whom he defeated by a split decision (SD) through ten rounds. Then Bautista followed that up by traveling to Japan to defeat Hirokatsu Yamazaki, when the Japanese
Japanese people
The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...
retired from the bout right after the third round.
Following the Yamazaki fight, Bautista had the opportunity to fight for his first regional title. On August 17, 2004, in the Sports and Cultural Complex in Mandaue City
Mandaue City
The City of Mandaue is a city in the province of Cebu in the Philippines. It is one of the three urbanized cities in the island and forms a part of the Cebu Metropolitan area. Mandaue City is located on the middle eastern coastal region of Cebu, bordering to its right-side are Mactan Island where...
, Cebu, Bautista defeated Thai
Thai people
The Thai people, or Siamese, are the main ethnic group of Thailand and are part of the larger Tai ethnolinguistic peoples found in Thailand and adjacent countries in Southeast Asia as well as southern China. Their language is the Thai language, which is classified as part of the Kradai family of...
fighter, Saensak Singmanasak by second round TKO for the then vacant WBO Asia Pacific bantamweight
Bantamweight
Bantamweight is usually a class in boxing for boxers who weigh above 115 pounds and up to 118 pounds . However, in Mixed Martial Arts it is 134-136 pounds . Wrestling also has similar weight classes including bantamweight...
title. Bautista defended that title once (against South African, Vuyisile Bebe, whom he defeated by a UD through twelve rounds) before he got his first big break in the sport, a chance to show many others his true potential.
Super Bantamweight
On September 10, 2005, in the Staples CenterStaples Center
Staples Center is a multi-purpose sports arena in Downtown Los Angeles. Adjacent to the L.A. Live development, it is located next to the Los Angeles Convention Center complex along Figueroa Street. Opening on October 17, 1999, it is one of the major sporting facilities in the Greater Los Angeles...
in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, Bautista fought in the undercard of Manny Pacquiao
Manny Pacquiao
Emmanuel "Manny" Dapidran Pacquiao, PLH is a Filipino professional boxer and politician. He is the first eight-division world champion; having won six world titles, as well as the first to win the lineal championship in four different weight classes. He was named "Fighter of the Decade" for the...
's and Erik Morales
Erik Morales
Érik Isaac Morales Elvira is a Mexican professional boxer. He is the first Mexican born boxer in history to win a world title in four weight classes and is the current WBC Light Welterweight Champion...
' respective fights with both Héctor Velázquez
Héctor Velázquez
Héctor Velázquez , is a Mexican boxer. He fights in the featherweight division.-Career:Velázquez began his professional career on 16 December 1993, beating fellow debutant José Guardado.-External links:...
and Zahir Raheem
Zahir Raheem
Zahir Raheem is an American boxer. Known as "Z-Man", his current professional record stands at 30 wins, 3 losses with 17 knockouts....
. The then undefeated Bautista was able to defeat his Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
n opponent (Felix Flores) by a third round KO, impressing many people, which led to him fighting on U.S. soil for the majority of his next few fights. But before he was able to make his three fight campaign in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Bautista needed to defend his WBO Asia Pacific bantamweight title from Tanzanian, Obote Ameme. Bautista was able to do just that, defeating Ameme by a second round TKO.
Three months later, Bautista started that three fight campaign by defeating Mexican
Mexican people
Mexican people refers to all persons from Mexico, a multiethnic country in North America, and/or who identify with the Mexican cultural and/or national identity....
, Gerardo Espinoza by a UD through eight rounds. Five months later, Bautista continued his success in the states by defeating Nicaraguan
Nicaraguan
Nicaraguans are people inhabiting in, originating or having significant heritage from Nicaragua. Most Nicaraguans live in Nicaragua, although there is also a significant Nicaraguan diaspora, particularly in Costa Rica and the United States with smaller communities in other countries around the world...
, Roberto Bonilla by KO in just three rounds. He finished off the successful "road-trip" by defeating Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
ian, Giovanni Andrade, after Andrade retired from the bout after 4 rounds of action.
After one fight in the Philippines (where he defeated Mexican, Marino Montiel for the then vacant WBO Inter-Continental and Asia Pacific Youth super bantamweight
Super Bantamweight
Super bantamweight is a weight division in professional boxing. The maximum weight for this division is 122 pounds, or roughly 55.34 kilograms....
titles), Bautista fought in The World Awaits undercard, when his promoter at the time, Oscar De La Hoya
Oscar de la Hoya
Oscar De La Hoya is a retired American boxer of Mexican descent. Nicknamed "The Golden Boy", De La Hoya won a gold medal at the Barcelona Olympic Games shortly after graduating from Garfield High School. De La Hoya comes from a boxing family. His grandfather Vicente, father Joel Sr., and brother...
of Golden Boy Promotions
Golden Boy Promotions
Golden Boy Promotions, Inc. is a combat sport promotional firm started by former boxer six-division world champion Oscar De La Hoya...
, allowed Bautista to fight in the undercard of his bout against Floyd Mayweather. This was a big step in Bautista's career, since the fight was titled as a WBO Super Bantamweight Title Eliminator.
On May 5, 2007, in the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas
Las Vegas Strip
The Las Vegas Strip is an approximately stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard in Clark County, Nevada; adjacent to, but outside the city limits of Las Vegas proper. The Strip lies within the unincorporated townships of Paradise and Winchester...
, Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
, Bautista faced and defeated the then undefeated Argentine
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
contender Sergio Manuel Medina (28-0) by UD. Bautista, although defeating Medina, too suffered a knockdown. On the eleventh round, "Medina clearly staggered Bautista with a solid combination and the Filipino held on to the ropes to apparently keep himself from going down". But nonetheless, "in the end, it was the unabated aggression of Bautista which accounted for the big margins on the scorecards of the judges, as he connected with several solid combinations to win most of the close rounds (of the bout)". The win gives Bautista his first world title shot, against the then WBO Super Bantamweight World Champion, Daniel Ponce de León
Daniel Ponce de León
Daniel Ponce de León is a Mexican professional Boxer in the Featherweight division and was a member of the 2000 Mexican Olympics team...
of Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
.
First and second career loss
On August 11, 2007, in Arco ArenaARCO Arena
Power Balance Pavilion is an indoor arena, located in the Natomas area of Sacramento, California. It is the home of the NBA's Sacramento Kings.-Background:...
in Sacramento
Sacramento
Sacramento is the capital of the state of California, in the United States of America.Sacramento may also refer to:- United States :*Sacramento County, California*Sacramento, Kentucky*Sacramento – San Joaquin River Delta...
, California, Bautista headlined the boxing World Cup staged by Golden Boy Promotions: Philippines vs. Mexico. Bautista, to the disappointment of the many Filipino fans in attendance that night, failed in his first attempt at a world title, when he suffered a first round TKO loss to the hands of Daniel Ponce de León, suffering his first ever loss as a pro. The Mexican proved to be too strong, knocking down Bautista twice in the first round, forcing the referee to stop the bout.
On November 22, 2008, after administering three more wins to build his confidence following his first round knockout loss to Ponce de León, Bautista was vanquished by Heriberto Ruiz of Mexico, who had a record of (39-7-2) coming into the bout. Bautista lost by scores of 80-70, 78-72 and 77-73, all in favor of the Mexican.
Featherweight
Bautista and his handlers decided to move up one weight division, up to featherweightFeatherweight
Featherweight is a weight class division in the sport of boxing. There are similarly named divisions under several Mixed Martial Arts organizations and in Greco-Roman wrestling.-Professional boxing:...
,. On October 16, 2009, Bautista made his long-awaited ring return. There, he took on respected Marangin Marbun of Indonesia, whom he defeated by a seventh round TKO, awarding Bautista the then vacant interim WBC
World Boxing Council
The World Boxing Council was initially established by 11 countries: the United States, Argentina, United Kingdom, France, Mexico, Philippines, Panama, Chile, Peru, Venezuela and Brazil plus Puerto Rico, met in Mexico City on February 14, 1963, upon invitation of the then President of Mexico, Adolfo...
International Featherweight title, which he relinquished on January 19, 2010.
Bautista fought Thailand's Saichon Sotornpitak for a 10 round non titled fight on April 24, 2010 in Dubai. The bout headlined the card "Philippines vs The Rest of the World, which is presented by KO Promotions in association with ALA Promotions. In this event, two other Filipino boxers, Milan Melindo
Milan Melindo
Milan Melindo is a Filipino professional boxer and current WBC Youth Intercontinental flyweight champion....
and Larry Canillas, won their respective bout. Bautista stopped Sotornpitak in the sixth round and improved his record to 28-2, with 21 knockouts. On August 28, 2010, Bautista fought Mexico's Alejandro Barrera (cousin of Marco Antonio Barrera
Marco Antonio Barrera
Marco Antonio Barrera Tapia is a Mexicanprofessional boxer. He has won numerous world titles in three different weight classes; he is a former two-time WBO super bantamweight , WBC, Lineal, & The Ring featherweight , and WBC & IBF super featherweight champion...
) at the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel in Cebu. The Filipino pugilist won the match by TKO in the 4th round, after the referee stopped the fight due to a bad cut over Barrera's left eye, caused by a punch.
On January 29, 2011, the Filipino boxer knocked out Barrera in the third round of their rematch, which took place at the Cebu City Waterfront Hotel & Casino in Cebu, Philippines.
Ruiz-Bautista Rematch
June 12, 2011, after suffering a loss in 2008, Bautista defeated Ruiz by Technical decision.Rey 'Boom Boom' Bautista suffered three cuts due to head butts before the fight was stopped at 0:56 of the seventh round. Heriberto 'Cuate' Ruiz of Mexico effectively defused Bautista's aggressiveness with timely clinches, an effective jab and lateral movement in the early rounds.
Just like in their first fight, Bautista was cut by a clash of heads in the third at the corner of his right eyebrow. Bautista continued to charge forward which resulted in heated exchanges. In the fifth, Ruiz' survival skills showed as he landed a low blow and effectively clinched. Another headbutt opened a cut on Bautista's scalp. Referee Danrex Tapdasan had a hard time controlling the extra-curricular activities.
Bautista was surging and landed the cleaner and harder blows in the 5th and 6th rounds. Ruiz was fading but another clash of heads opened a cut on Bautista's right eyebrow. The ring physician, Dr. Jose Unabia, recommended the fight stoppage. The scores read – Judge Bruce McTavish 69-65, Judge Muhamad Rois 68-65 and Judge Rey Danseco 68-65 all for Bautista.
Bautista won the IBF International featherweight title but a section of the crowd voiced their displeasure. The sportswriters at ringside also had an animated discussion about the outcome.
Per IBF rules, no points were deducted due to the headbutts.