By Rey Danseco
 
UNBEATEN boxer Rey “Boom Boom” Bautista is scheduled to leave for the United States to make his final preparations for his next fight later this year.

According to Bautista’s handler Sammy Gello-Ani in a telephone interview Tuesday from Cebu City, Philippines, the 20-year old fighter will be accompanied Wednesday night (Tuesday morning in the United States) by his trainer Edito Villamor from Cebu via Manila, going to the Los Angeles, California.

Bautista will face former Brazilian and Pan American super bantamweight champion Giovanni Andrade (52-9, 43 KOs) on the undercard of pound-for-pound icon Ronald “Winky” Wright versus Ike Quartey in a HBO event on December 2 at St.Pete Times Forum in Tampa, Florida.

Bautista has gone through rigid sparring sessions in the last two weeks in Cebu as part of his 45-day training since coming from injury, a fracture of the right clavicle.

“He engaged in torrid sparrings here in Cebu and showed he’s ready for the big fight again after he knockout one of his sparring partners,” said Gello-Ani referring in a public sparring session held last week at the Fight Club in Banilad, Cebu where Bautista stopped Leon Maratas by a left uppercut to the ribcage in the second round.

“Rey recovered from his injury,” said Gello-Ani, who added that the WBO No. 1 junior featherweight and WBC No. 4 bantamweight contender is walking around 130 pounds.

Bautista unaware, took the injury from sparring in Cebu and it was agrevated during his training at the Wild Card Gym for the scheduled Sept. 16 bout against Andrade sometime in the second week of August.

Bautista’s fast recovery was attributed to his obedience to the advice of Dr. Kee Wong of Orthopedic Medical Group and Athletic Rehabilitation Center, Inc. in California to take enough rest for six weeks before going to training in the last month.

Andrade is now 36-years-old and has won his last two fights. It will be Bautista’s first fight in the super bantamweight division.