The bravery of Boom Boom

CEBU City – It is one thing to just get into the ring and risk serious permanent injury for a living, it is another to survive being vilified in your own bailiwick. For months, Rey “Boom Boom” Bautista endured being doubted at the least, and being savaged at worst. For 11 months, he had been away from the ring, where he loved to be, recovering not only from surgery, but also from deeply wounded pride.

In 2007, Bautista suffered his first loss, a crushing defeat in the first round at the hands of deeply experienced Daniel Ponce de Leon in a WBO super bantamweight title duel. Bautista got careless, and was outclassed by the much older Ponce de Leon, barely beating the count, but losing by TKO nonetheless. The worse part of it was it was the Philippines’s lone defeat at the Boxing World Cup, staining what would have been a clean sweep for the country and making it even more embarrassing for Boom Boom.

Bautista started feeling pain in his left wrist, but still trained after that. With his power diminished by the pain, Bautista went into the ring against world title contender Heriberto Ruiz in Las Vegas last November, and lost an eight-round decision. People started to think he was washed up. Worse, they started to write it until it became a standard refrain.

The 23-year-old Bautista had a defective bone in his left wrist that required a bone graft from his hip last February. He was given clearance to get back into the gym after three months of restless recuperation.

It was similar to the wrist injury that briefly limited Isaiah Thomas at the height of his career with the Detroit Pistons. But more than that, Boom Boom doubted that he could throw it effectively, and wondered if he might hurt himself again.

“I felt I wasn’t me when I wasn’t fighting in the ring,” Boom Boom declared at the press conference for the fight. “But now, I have two hands again. I’m ready.”

Bautista also moved up in weight to face his first opponent in the featherweight class, for the vacant interim WBC international featherweight belt. The fight card was aptly named, “Hamon sa Kampeon”, a challenge to Bautista as a boxer, and as a man. His opponent, Marangin “Dinamita” Marbun (19 wins, 5 losses, one draw and seven KOs), has been Indonesian champion and ranked before also moving up in weight. Though he drew his last fight, Marbun had won seven in a row before that.

At the press conference, Marbun vowed to not only win, but to knock Bautista out before his home crowd in the sixth round.

“If he makes it to the sixth round,” Bautista retorted.

One problem was that Bautista had never seen Marbun fight, not even videotape of his 10-round decision loss to Filipino Ciso Morales in Tubod, Lanao del Norte in February of 2008.

It almost cost him.

Coming into the ring focused like never before, Bautista tested his left repeatedly against a strong Marbun, who proved to be like a rock. Marbun gave as good as he got, with thundering combinations that also staggered Bautista a few times. In close, Marbun lived up to his nickname, but he also had a jab that frequently speared through Bautista’s peek-a-boo defense. As in the World Cup, all of Bautista’s stablemates had won their bouts, leaving it up to him to complete the sweep.

Bautista threw punches with a lot of variety, showing a lot of polish and incredible courage. Marbun was busy, brave and strong, staggering Bautista twice in the third round. Bautista held briefly, but pushed back to fight on. Early in the fourth, a left jab set up a couple of short punches that sent Bautista to the canvas as he was moving.

Veteran referee Bruce McTavish, who was sharp in calling the bout, ruled it a slip. Later in the round, Bautista threw left straight on the button, smack in the middle of Marbun’s face, and he went down.

The rest of the fight was an impressive display of technical boxing, and tension mounted in the Pacific Grand Ballroom of the Waterfront Hotel here, as Marbun pressed the attack, hurting Bautista, as the latter would later acknowledge.

But Marbun was also showing signs of wear, as both fighters’ eyes started to show welts. Boom Boom’s face was tomato red from repeated pounding, but his eyes blazed with determination.

In the seventh round, Bautista saw another opening, throwing a lightning-quick left straight that stunned Marbun, following it up with two blows that sent Marbun sprawling across the ring. Marbun was glassy-eyed and disoriented, and tried to get up but couldn’t.

Referee McTavish didn’t finish the count and waved off the fight, so medical personnel could rush in to save the fallen Indon.

“I didn’t want to lose again,” Bautista gushed. “He made me groggy a few times, but I just wanted to show that I can still fight. I’m very happy.”

The native of Candijay, Tagbilaran, Bohol registered his 20th knockout in 27 wins, and is firmly back on the road to world contender status.

And though he probably won’t, he can rub this win in the face of his doubters.