Rey “Boom Boom” Bautista Is Back With A Vengeance
After 11 months “hibernation” from the boxing ring, the pride of Bohol is back with a vengeance.  On his fight for the vacant interim WBC International featherweight title at the Waterfront Hotel ballroom in Cebu last Friday night, Boom Boom proved both to his fans and doubters that he still has the “BOOM!”
Rey “Boom Boom” Bautista was away from the boxing ring for 11 months because of the fractured scaphoid – the bone of the thumb side of the carpus that is the largest in the proximal row – while sparring with Gerry Penalosa two years ago and never revealed the injury until losing to Mexico’s Heriberto Ruiz on points last November.  Just this February, Bautista underwent surgery to repair the damage of his left hands.  Bautista endured five months of daily therapy before resuming his training.
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.  Many had doubted and even ridiculed the pride of Bohol when he suffered his first, and probably the most humiliating loss, to Daniel Ponce De Leon way back in 2007 in a WBO super bantamweight title duel.  His loss was the only defeat of the Philippine team at the Boxing World Cup, which would have been clean sweep for the country and making it even more embarrassing for Boom Boom.
His fight last Friday night is an acid test for Boom Boom.  Does he still have what it takes to be in the boxing ring?  And indeed Baustista has proven once again that he is still the world-class boxer that once dominates foes in the “square” ring.
Fighting with restored confidence after the successful surgery to repair a fractured left hand, Boom Boom Bautista scored a spectacular knockout over Indonesia’s tough boxer Maragin “Dinamita” Marbun at 1:25 of the seventh round to claim the vacant interim WBC International featherweight title.
According to Tony Aldeguer of ALA Boxing Gym, Bautista performance last Friday night was eight in a scale of 10.  “He won it with his left hand,” he said. “The left has always been his main weapon and it wasn’t there for him when he fought Ponce de Leon and Ruiz. Now, the left is fine and you can expect a lot more from Boom Boom. He still has to work on his defense particularly when coming in. But he’ll make the adjustments. Two more tune-ups and he’ll be ready for the big ones out there.”
With his win last Friday, Boom Boom has scored the 20th knockout in 27 wins, and is firmly back on the road to world contender status. Watch out for the return of Boom Boom in the boxing arena.  Meanwhile, brace yourself for the upcoming Pacquiao vs. Cotto fight which is scheduled on November 14.
