PHILIPPINE news PHILIPPINE newsMay 6, 2007 Sunday
Reynaldo
"Boom Boom" Bautista of the Philippines won a 12-round unanimous decision
over Argentina's Sergio Manuel Medina here Saturday in a showdown of unbeaten
super bantamweights at Las Vegas, Nevada.
Bautista was one of four winners among five unbeaten fighters from outside North
America fighting on the under card of the Floyd Mayweather-Oscar de la Hoya
super-welterweight showdown.
Bautista knocked down Medina for the second time in the fight midway into the
11th round and judges awarded him the victory by scores of Dave Moretti scored
the bout 116-108, CJ Ross saw it 115-109 while Paul Smith penned the bout 115-109
all in favor of the power-punching Bohol fighter, who never seemed to loss stamina
all throughout the contest. Bautista suffered a one-point deduction for low
blows in the fifth round but responded by knocking down Medina late in the sixth
round.
Medina answered with a infuriated flurry in the seventh round, hammering the
Filipino fighter against the ropes twice before Bautista clinched twice and
reached the end of the round, never to be so put at risk again.
Alex Banal, an 18-year-old Filipino southpaw, improved to 13-0 with a draw with
a unanimous junior bantamweight decision over Mexico's Juan Rosas by scores
of 78-73, 78-73 and 76-75.
Despite a one-point deduction for low blows in the third round, Banal won his
first fight outside his homeland while Rosas fell to 25-3.
Australian junior lightweight Billy Dib remained undefeated, the 21-year-old
Sydney southpaw improving to 16-0 with a unanimous decision over Mexican Jose
Gonzalez by scores of 78-74, 78-74 and 77-75. Gonzalez dropped to 14-4.
Unbeaten English lightweight John Murray, 22, improved to 21-0 by stopping Lorenzo
Bethea after 28 seconds of the seventh round, his 11th triumph inside the distance.
The American slid to 6-5.
English southpaw John O'Donnell, 21, suffered his first loss after 15 victories,
being stopped by Mexico's Christian Solano 1:50 into the second round of their
welterweight bout. Solano improved to 20-11 with four drawn.
The two fighters Bautista and Medina hugged each other after the fight.