Boom-Boom: A Warrior Reborn; “Steel Yard Brawl” Set For Fireworks Tonight!

Broken bones when healed are much, much stronger at the point of break. The same is true with defeat…in life as well as in boxing. After his first-round defeat in the hands of World Boxing Organization (WBO) super bantamweight champion Daniel Ponce de Leon, reigning WBO Inter-Continental super bantamweight premier Rey “Boom-Boom” Bautista is coming back A stronger and better fighter than ever.

Born and raised in Candijay, Bohol, the 10th largest island in the heart of the Visayas, Bautista grew working in rice paddies together with his parents and is no stranger to the difficulty of life in rural Philippines. Feed up with poverty, he turned pro a week shy of his 17th birthday and won his first contest by unanimous decision. From then on, he has developed into a powerful juggernaut and defeated 18 of his 26 opponents by KO.

Bautista turned out to be a well-traveled pugilist in his very young career. With just eight fights in his belt, he campaigned outside the Philippine shores and fought against warriors in Indonesia, South Korea, and Japan. And he won all three.

He became the WBO Asia Pacific bantamweight champion in Aug 2004 by stopping Thai fighter Saensak Singmanasak. He defended the title twice until he let it go in 2007 when he snatched the vacant WBO Asia Pacific Youth title. At the same time, he took over the vacant WBO Inter-Continental super bantamweight crown.

At age 22 and more than five years in professional boxing, Boom-Boom Bautista kept the flame of his Boholano spirit and has defended his regional super bantamweight rule successfully against two onslaughts against warriors who ended their bids in a note of defeat. The last contender Genaro “Duro” Camargo of Mexico dropped into the canvas in less than a minute in round 2.

August 30 will find him facing a third challenge on his claim of the WBO Inter-Continental super bantamweight crown against an older foe Eden “Anestecista” Marquez of Mexico, who also defeated Camargo in Feb 2007.

Defeat has taught Rey “Boom-Boom” Bautista very well. The danger of not losing is to assume invulnerability that leads to the weakening of that hunger that pushes warriors such as Filipino icon Manny Pacquiao to unprecedented heights or to underestimate a hungry opponent with fatal results.

The Bautista-Marquez card will also see action with ALA Gym’s first world champion WBO mini flyweight Donnie “Ahas” Nietes in his first title challenge from Nicaraguan Eddy Castro.

The boxing event is brought by ALA Promotions and ABS-CBN Sports.

“Steel Yard Brawl” Set For Fireworks Tonight!

GARY, IN (August 1, 2008) On Saturday August 2nd, Octavius James’ One In A Million Boxing present “Steel Yard Brawl” an evening of world class boxing at the USS Steelyard, One Stadium Plaza in Gary, Indiana home of the Gary Southshore Railcats baseball team. For the first time in its seven year history, the USS Steelyard will play host to professional boxing.

The Steelyard Brawl is quite significant as it marks the fifth year OIAM has been putting on great boxing events in Northwest Indiana. Five years ago, Octavius James had a vision to bring some of the quality boxing to the Northwest Indiana/Chicagoland area. Five years later his dream has become a reality. In addition to creating several stars from the OIAM stable, outstanding fighters such as the current WBC Lightweight Champion David Diaz and Marty Jakubowski former world title contender have at one time stepped into a OIAM ring. The “Steel Yard Brawl” on August 2nd features some of the brightest and fastest rising stars in boxing today.

The Main Event features Gary’s very own and the current NABC World Champion Mary McGee 14-0 (8KOs) as she battles veteran Tonya Gallegos 4-8 (2KOs) in a light welterweight showdown. McGee is looking to continue in her dominance in the light welterweight division. At only 21 years of age, McGee realizes that she must bring her best on August 2nd. Gallegos out of Denver Colorado is looking for the biggest win of her career and knows a win over McGee will catapult her to bigger and better things.

Also, heavyweight prospect Michael “Quiet Assassin” Parker 5-0 (4KOs) faces his toughest challenge to date as he takes on “Irishman” Scott Conner 11-4 (3KOs) in a heavyweight special attraction. Parker will have to overcome a significant height disparity of 5 inches as Conner stands in at 6ft5. Despite the height difference, Parker is primed and ready to show Conner why he is nicknamed the Quiet Assassin.

In addition, Gary native Jermaine “Too Sweet” White 16-3 (8KOs) goes one on one with Reggie Nash 9-19 (2KOs) in a welterweight contest. White has been in the OIAM since 2004 and has had some of the most captivating moments in the company’s history. Always a fan favorite, White is determined to showcase his skills on August 2nd in front of the fans who have adored him for years.

Plus, the new crop of OIAM stars such as featherweight sensation Evette Collazo 3-0 (2KOs) and welterweight Ed Ochoa 4-0 (4KOs) will be striving to display their talents before a great crowd at the USS Steelyard. Michigan City native Marcus Thompkins 2-0 looks to continue moving up the welterweight ranks as he battles Derrick Hill. To begin the evening, the newest middleweight in the OIAM stable Josh Crouch will be making his professional debut against Jarred Lockett.

Be sure not to miss OIAM’s Steel Yard Brawl on August 2nd beginning at 8PM at the USS Steelyard in Gary, Indiana. Gates open at 7PM. Tickets start for as low as $15. With this being the 5th Anniversary of OIAM CEO Octavius James has cut the price of general admission tickets in half to $15. It’s going to be a historic night of boxing at the USS Steelyard. Fireworks will follow the fights. For ticket information visit oneinamillionboxing.com or call 219-882-2255 or 866-438-7372.

STEELYARD BRAWL TICKETS: $100 VIP Field, $75 Premiere VIP, $50 Diamond Box and 5th YEAR ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL – $15 General Admission, are available from Railcats Baseball box office, by calling (219-882-2255) or (866-438-7372) or on line at www.railcatsbaseball.com