By Ronnie Nathanielsz
Tagbilaran City, Carlos P. Garcia Sports Complex – Rey ‘Boom Boom’ Bautista (34-2, 26KOs) stopped the "false" Genero Garcia in a two round mismatch. Thousands of fans packed the venue to watch the contest. Garcia was decked twice in the second round. A right fron Bautista, which scored the second knockdown, put Garcia down for good as referee Bruce McTavish reached the count of ten at 1:24.
In a widely applauded decision, ALA Promotions father and son tandem of respected boxing patron Tony Aldeguer and his son, and ALA Promotions president Michael Aldeguer, have decided to refund the cost of tickets, since fans bought the tickets to watch a fight between Bautista and Genaro "Poblanito" Garcia, who had fought eight world champions that had been contracted to fight Bautista. Instead a switch move was pulled by a Mexican booking agent and lightweight Genaro "Panterita" Garcia showed up at Friday's weigh-in.
Michael Aldeguer told BoxingScene.com/Manila Standard "We have decided to refund the cost of tickets to be fair to our dedicated boxing fans since the fighter sent to us by the Mexican agent is not the fighter we asked and paid for and the fans bought tickets on the basis that Bautista's opponent was a fighter with a 38-8, 22 knockout record and not some one with a 10-11, 6 KO's record."
Aldeguer indicated it would be a major financial loss but that he and his father felt strongly that it would be unfair to charge the fans and at the same time not to tell them the truth which is basically that we are all victims of an unscrupulous individual in Mexico.
The agent in Mexico was identified as Victor Hugo Correa who is alleged to have done this switching of fighters in the past.
