Mexican invaders vow stun hosts

MANILA, Philippines - If Mexican fighters Heriberto Ruiz and Juan Carlos Gallegos keep true to their word, fans are in for a shock when they face Filipino opponents in a war of one-upmanship at the Waterfront Hotel and Casino in Cebu City tonight.

Ruiz will take on Rey (Boom Boom) Bautista in a 12-round rematch for the IBF International featherweight crown while Gallegos tests the mettle of rising star Jason Pagara in a 10-round superlightweight tussle. Both Mexican invaders promised to dispose of the hometown fighters.

Ruiz, 33, is out to prove that his victory over Bautista in 2008 was no fluke. Nobody disputes that Ruiz was clearly the superior fighter in their first meeting in Las Vegas. Ruiz floored Bautista en route to scoring an eight-round win on points with the judges scoring 80-70, 78-72 and 74-73. But Bautista wasn’t his usual self as he held back his left hand that was wracked with pain because of a shattered bone in the wrist. After the loss, Bautista underwent surgery to repair the damage and took an 11-month layoff.

Now, Bautista is pain-free, healthy and totally focused on getting back on track in his quest for a world title. He has won four in a row since losing to Ruiz and his priority is pay back. 

Ruiz said Bautista’s vaunted power doesn’t scare him. “I’ll walk through his punches,” he boasted. Ruiz’s confidence is buoyed by a history of battling former world champions Cristobal Cruz, Jorge Lacierva, Eric Morel, Irene Pacheco, Rafael Marquez, Jackson Akisu and Victor Rabanales. Ruiz implied that if he didn’t back down in facing world titlists, he won’t back down against Bautista.

“Beating Bautista again will be tough but I know I have what it takes to beat him,” said Ruiz. “I did it before and I’ll do it again.” Bautista, however, isn’t impressed. He knows that if he wants to make headway in his boxing career, the stain Ruiz put on his record has to be wiped clean.

Bautista’s record is 30-2, with 23 KOs, compared to Ruiz’ mark of 46-10-2, with 28 KOs. Danrex Tapdasan has been designated referee for the bout with Bruce McTavish, Rey Danseco and Muhammad Rois the judges.

Although he’s only 24, Bautista has become a wiser man since his loss to Daniel Ponce de Leon in a frustrated bid for the WBO superbantamweight crown in 2007 and the setback to Ruiz. He has learned that there is no substitute for prudence and patience. Even in his life outside of boxing, Bautista is more mentally mature. He is preparing for the future and now runs his own rent-a-car business in his home province of Bohol when not training in the gym. 

Gallegos is a warrior in the typical Mexican mold with a 16-4 record, including 10 KOs, nine inside three rounds and four in the first. He’s coming off a loss to Ivan Alvarez for the WBC Youth Mundo Hispanico lightwelterweight title but before that, had won four straight. Gallegos is an acid test for Pagara who turned pro at the age of 14 in 2006.

ALA Promotions president Michael Aldeguer called Pagara “the next big thing in Philippine boxing.”  Pagara, 18, has a record of 26-1, with 15 KOs. “He still needs time but is very mature for his age,” said Aldeguer. 

Pagara started fighting as an eight-year-old simonpure and after over 60 bouts, turned pro with a decision over Tatar Tadena. He bagged the Philippine Boxing Federation lightweight title at 15 and the WBO Youth lightweight crown at 17. Early this year, Pagara scored a stunning first round knockout over Billy Sumba of Indonesia and last April, annexed the WBO Youth Asia-Pacific superlightweight crown via a second round disposal of Deon Njiku of Tanzania. In his last five outings, Pagara has notched knockouts in either the first or second round.

With their KO records, there’s no doubt the Pagara-Gallegos fight will not go the full route. It will be a slam-bang encounter with no quarters given or taken.

In another fight in the Waterfront bill, former WBC silver flyweight champion Edrin (The Sting) Dapudong meets Indonesia’s Benja Loemoli in a 10-rounder. In June last year, Dapudong knocked out Mexico’s Jesus Jimenez in a single round to bag the WBC silver title in Mexico. But in his first defense, he lost to Mexico’s Wilbert Uicab on points. Last January, Dapudong regained his bearings to halt Indonesia’s Sofyan Effendi in the seventh. 

Dapudong, who holds a knockout win over veteran Bert Batawang, has a record of 21-3, with 12 KOs.