Bautista easily dismantles wrong Mexican opponent

TAGBILARAN CITY, Philippines - As expected, Bohol's pride Rey 'Boom Boom" Bautista easily dismantled his 'fake' Mexican foe Genaro Garcia, who hardly showed signs he was a legitimate boxer - both in physical form and fighting style - to the dismay of some fans who witnessed the "Pinoy Pride XII:Bakbakan sa Bohol" last Saturday night at the Carlos P. Garcia Sports Complex here.

With just a minute gone by from the opening bell, a throng of spectators at the general admission area already headed to the exit upon seeing that the hapless Mexican, who was not the real Genaro Garcia contracted by ALA Promotions to give Bautisa a tough test, doesn't even know how to deliver a punch.

And perhaps out of pity, Bautista was just toying around with Garcia in the opening session. The reigning IBF International featherweight champion only came to work in the second round where he landed a big left to the paunch that flattened Garcia.

The Mexican quickly got up but a powerful right straight by Bautista again sent him down on both knees, prompting referee Bruce MacTavish to wisely intervene and wave off the bout at the 1:24 mark of round two.

Cheers broke out after Bautista's victory was announced, but it was overpowered by jeers from a relatively displeased crowd, most of them were already aware that the person Boom Boom was fighting wasn't the one originally booked to slug it out with their hometown idol.

"I seems to me that he (Garcia) is not a boxer. The way he throws his punches is very awkward," said a tricyle driver who refused to be named.

Bautista himself has mixed emotions over his win.

"I'm happy that I won, but disappointed at the same time because he's not the one I was supposed to fight. I really felt bad upon learning about it, but I have no other choice than to face him because he's already here. In the end, we're all victims here," said Bautista. "Inspite of what had happened, I'm still very thankful to my fans for coming over to watch my fight."

ALA Promotions President and CEO Michael P. Aldeguer admitted that the incident was a huge drawback for them, even as they poised to take legal action against Mexican matchmaker/agent Victor Hugo Correa for shortchanging them.

"It's really a big loss for us because it's a huge card. It's so disappointing but it happened. We have to go to the bottom of this. We can't take this sitting down," said Aldeguer. "We will communicate with the Mexican boxing commission and our contact (Correa) to find out what really happened. In our 25 years, this has never happened to us but we take full responsibility for it."

To make up from the mess as well as to satisfy the clamor of Boom Boom's diehard followers, Aldeguer said they are planning to bring the 'real' Genaro Garcia here to slug it out with the ALA Boxing Gym stalwart within the year.

"Of course, we would still like to bring the 'real' Genaro Garcia here. We will work on it because we owe it to the public," said Aldeguer.

The 25-year-old Bautista was originally scheduled to go up against Genaro "Poblanito" Garcia, a grizzled veteran who has fought eight world champions and with an impressive 37-8 (21 KOs) record.

Last Thursday, Genaro Garcia, complete with the necessary papers to travel and fight in the country, showed up but it was later found out by the promoters, through the help of the inquisitive members of the Cebu press, that he wasn't the real one.

The one who came was actually Genaro "Panterita" Garcia, a virtual unknown with a fight record of 10 wins and 11 losses.

Aldeguer said they already sensed something wrong when the Mexican told them during the pre-fight press conference that it was not him who appeared in the promotional posters. Also, he arrived alone and was four pounds overweight during the weigh-in.

Upon realizing that they got the wrong opponent for their prized ward, Aldeguer decided to push through with the event but it was opened free to the public and refund those who have already purchased tickets.

For ALA Boxing Gym big boss Antonio "Bidoy" L. Aldeguer, the heavy financial loss their promotional firm has incurred as a result of the incident is already immaterial as what is important to them is to keep their credibility intact.

But that doens't mean no one has to pay the price as ALA Promotions will take the necessary legal steps against the person responsible for the fiasco.

"We are taking legal action against the person behind this act of deceit. Integrity which we have upheld for decades is of utmost importance to ALA Promotions as we owe all this to our TV network partner, our sponsors and most importantly to the public," said ALA Promotions in an official statement sent to different media outlets yesterday. - THE FREEMAN