It was far from the sweet science, but Rey “Boom Boom” Bautista’s sixth round stoppage of Miguel Angel Mendoza of Mexico Saturday night was a brutal thriller.
Throwing caution to the winds, Bautista engaged the Mexican knockout specialist in wild exchanges and eventually proved that he’s the heavier puncher to the delight of a capacity crowd at the Hoops Dome in Lapu-Lapu City.
Bautista’s confidence grew when he caught Mendoza with snappy short lefts and dropped the stunned Mexican twice in the first round, according to a Philboxing report.
Ignoring blood flowing from his nose, Mendoza launched a furious assault in
the second and had Bautista, one of Ala Promotions’ star fighters, reeling two times in the round.
The protagonists continued trading punches in the third, leaving Mendoza with a gash on the left eyelid while Bautista’s face began to turn red.
A low blow sent Mendoza to the canvas in the fourth and he was given time to recuperate. He kept up his attack in the fifth, but Bautista got the better of the exchanges, targeting the cut, which grew worse following an accidental clash of heads.
Mendoza finally ran smack into a left hook and was counted out by referee lawyer Danrex Tapdasan, 1 minute and 20 seconds into the sixth round
The 24-year-old Bautista raised his record to 32 wins (24 by KO) against two losses. Mendoza, on the other hand, lost for the first time after knocking out his first 17 opponents.