Rey Bautista Returns To The Waterfront in February

Oct 18, 2009 • 12:00 AM ET

By Ronnie Nathanielsz

Rey “Boom Boom” Bautista (27-2, 20 KO’s), fresh from an impressive 7th round TKO win over tough Indonesian super bantamweight champion Marangin “Dinamita” Marbun (19-6-1, 7 KO’s) on Friday night at the plush Pacific ballroom of the Waterfront Hotel, will see action again in February.

Respected ALA Gym boxing patron Tony Aldeguer said Bautista who won the vacant WBC International interim title against Marbun will battle the reigning champion and former MuayThai fighter Rachamongkol Sor Pleonchit from Thailand who was injured and couldn’t fight Bautista.

Pleonchit who fights for the Kokiet gym won the the vacant WBC International title with a 6th round knockout of South Korea's In-Suk Song in Osan City, Korea last June 19. He is also the WBC Asian Boxing Council champion.

Plans are for the February fight card to be staged once again at the Waterfront Hotel where last Friday’s fight card titled “Hamon sa Kampeon” was telecast by the giant broadcast network ABS-CBN over Studio 23 and replayed also over the network’s pre-eminent channel 2, on Sunday as well as the global network of The Filipino Channel and beamed “live” to Thailand.

Aldeguer said Bautista had to get four stitches on a cut above his eye but was pleased that his left hand where he underwent surgery for a fractured bone some months back had held up well. However, Aldeguer said he was taking no chances and would have the hand x-rayed after Bautista returns from a four-day visit to his hometown of Candijay, Bohol.

Aldeguer’s son Michael who is president of ALA Promotions told BoxingScene.com, insidesports.ph, Standard Today and Viva Sports after Bautista’s successful return from an eleven month layoff due to surgery where a piece of bone from his hip was grafted onto his wrist to replace a fractured bone, that “Boom Boom” was eager to have a rematch with Daniel Ponce De Leon who knocked him out in the first round in a WBO super bantamweight title fight on August 11, 2007 at the Arco Arena in Sacramento.

However, both Aldeguer father and son said it was too early to look at fighters like Ponce De Leon and that they want Bautista to have at least three more fights before they match him against top world-rated fighters.