Bautista bout nearly scrapped

Now it can be told. Bohol bantamweight sensation Rey (Boom Boom) Bautista almost didn’t fight in the undercard of the Manny Pacquiao-Hector Velazquez and Eric Morales-Zahir Raheem double mainer at the Staples Center in Los Angeles last Saturday night (Sunday morning, Manila).

At the weigh-in on the eve of the bout, Bautista’s opponent Felix Flores-Murillo of Colombia tipped the scales at 120 pounds or two over the limit. Flores-Murillo said he would rather withdraw than sweat some more to reduce. The Colombian had already taken off five pounds before the weigh-in.

Instead of scrapping the match, the California State Athletic Commission allowed the overweight Colombian to see action but slapped a penalty of $100—half of which went to Bautista. The penalty is $100 a pound over the limit but Flores-Murillo was given a one-pound grace.

Although shorter than Bautista by about three inches, Flores-Murillo was stockier and heftier.

Bautista’s US agent Mike Koncz was credited for convincing Top Rank promoter Bob Arum to include the fight in the Staples Center card. Arum initially planned a compact card of only five fights and prioritized the bouts in the cancelled July 30 program headlining Lucia Rijker versus Christy Martin.

But Koncz persuaded Arum to make room for Bautista as a bonus to attract the Filipino fans in California. Arum wound up booking six fights and accommodating Bautista.

Bautista’s manager Tony Aldeguer did not fly to Los Angeles for the fight and was represented by chief lieutenant Sammy Gello-ani at ringside. He was in church for Mass in Cebu when Bautista’s trainer Edito Villamor texted the news of the win early Sunday morning. Aldeguer later saw the bout on TV.