Juan Manuel Lopez vs. Rey Bautista possible for December

Image: Juan Manuel Lopez vs. Rey Bautista possible for DecemberBy Chris Williams: Former two division world champion Juan Manuel Lopez (31-2, 28 KO’s) could be fighting WBO International featherweight champion Rey Bautista (34-2, 25 KO’s) in December, according to Philboxing.com. Lopez, 29, hasn’t fought since being stopped by WBO featherweight champion Orlando Salido in a 10th round TKO loss March in Puerto Rico.

Lopez subsequently received a year suspension for making comments about the referee Roberto Ramirez Sr. after the fight. However, Lopez’s suspension will be reduced so that he can return to the ring in December and the World Boxing Organization has already agreed to give Lopez a ranking.

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Ruiz Defeats Bautista

Image: Ruiz Defeats BautistaBy Jim Dower: In another huge setback for his once promising career, top rated super bantamweight contender Rey Bautista (26-2, 19 KOs) was defeated by an eight-round unanimous decision by journeyman Heriberto Ruiz (40-7-2, 23 KOs) on Saturday night on the undercard of Ricky Hatton vs. Paulie Malignaggi at the MGM Grand, in Las Vegas, Nevada. Bautista, 22, who was stopped savagely in a 1st round TKO defeat to Daniel Ponce de Leon in August 2007, found his chin betraying him once again when he was dropped in the 3rd round by a hard left-right combination from Ruiz.

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Bautista Destroys Marquez; Nietes Stops Castro

bautista2244242.jpgBy Francisco Chantengo: Making his third appearance since being destroyed by Mexican Daniel Ponce de Leon in a 1st round blowout last year in August, number #2 ranked World Boxing Organization super bantamweight challenger Rey Bautista (26-1, 19 KOs) stopped Mexican Eden Marquez (16-4-3, 12 KOs) at 1:08 of the 2nd round of a scheduled 12-round bout on Saturday night at the Cebu Waterfront Hotel & Casino, Lahug, in Cebu City, Philippines.

After getting off to a slow start in the 1st round and giving up the round due to inactivity, Bautista, 22, came out on fire in the 2nd round, and knocked Marquez down with a left hook. Marquez would make it up before the count of ten, but shortly after that he was put down for good with a powerful right hand from Bautista that sent Marquez down flat on his back on the canvas. The fight was then stopped immediately at 1:08 of the 2nd round with Marquez still on his back and badly hurt.

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Rey Bautista & AJ Banal: Are They Future Champions?

aj-banal5.jpgBy Francisco Chantango: Recently, after seeing several fights of Filipino boxing stars super flyweight AJ Banal (17-0-1, 14 KOs) and super bantamweight Rey Baustista (25-1, 18 KOs) I’ve started to wonder whether each of these two young southpaw phenoms will eventually be future title holders in their perspective divisions. Banal, only 19, looks to be slightly the better of the two prospects, although Bautista isn’t far behind him in terms of overall talent and drive. I fully realize that Baustista was blown out in one vicious round by 27 year-old WBO super bantamweight champion Daniel Ponce De Leon (34-1, 30 KOs) in August 2007, yet I don’t hardly believe that Baustista, then only 18 years-old, was ready for such an important match as this at this early stage in his career.

In spite of his immense talent that Bautista had shown previous to that bout, beating fighters such as Giovanni Andrade, Marino Montiel, Sergio Manuel Medina, Gerardo Espinoza and Roberto Bonilla, none of these fighters could prepare him properly for the kind of all out slugging that a fighter like Ponce De Leon would be bringing into a fight with Baustista. Mainly, because Ponce De Leon is so unorthodox as a fighter. He doesn’t fight in a normal manner that most fighters do, instead he goes all out throwing punches from all angles nonstop from the opening bell until the final round of the fight.

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