By Rey Danseco
WBO Asia Pacific bantamweight champion Rey “Boom-Boom” Bautista plans to vacate his title in order to campaign in the next higher division.
Citing his difficulty in making weight, Bautista will campaign in super bantamweight class. He will aim for a crack against current WBO 122-pound champion Daniel Ponce de Leon, instead of WBO bantamweight king Johnny Gonzales.
Bautista, who turned 20 years old last month, fought in his career heaviest weight at 121 ½ in his previous appearance when he disposed Roberto Bonilla in the third round at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California last May.
On September 16, Bautista will make another bout at the 122-lb limit. He will face reigning Chilean super bantamweight champ Moises “Matador” Gutierrez in a non-title fight on undercard of the rematch between World Boxing Council (WBC) super featherweight king Marco Antonio Barrera and Rocky Juarez at MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
The hard-hitting Candijay-native has an unblemished 20-0 recordswith 15 knockouts in his three-year career. Bautista plans to come back to his American trainer, Freddie Roach’s fold very soon in order to prepare for Gutierrez.
Gutierrez is coming off a six-round unanimous decision win over Diego Herminio Alejandro Sananco last July to improve his record to 15-3, 6 KOs.
Bautista captured his belt on Aug. 17, 2004 in Mandaue City where he demolished Saensak Singmanasak of Thailand with countering left uppercut in the second round. He defended the title twice agaist South African Vuyisile Bebe and Tanzanian Obote Ameme.
Bautista’s manager Sammy Gello-Ani admitted his 5-foot-5 boxer is more comfortable fighting at super bantamweight.
