Bautista’s next foe is cousin of Barrera

MANILA, Philippines—Former world super bantamweight title challenger Rey “Boom Boom” Bautista  faces a tough test when he battles Alejandro “Zorrito” Barrera, a cousin of Mexican legend Marco Antonio Barrera who has sparred with the three division world champion before, on Aug. 28 at the Waterfront Hotel and Casino in Cebu.   ALA Promotions president Michael Aldeguer, who is staging the fight in cooperation with ABS-CBN, told the Inquirer that Bautista (28-2-1, 21 KO’s) hopes to prove that he’s still a force to reckon with with a win over Barrera (20-3, 13 KO’s).   Aldeguer told the Inquirer that Bautista “went through a lot with his injury and we feel its time to go a step higher in fighting Barrera.   “We want to see whether ‘Boom Boom’ still has what it takes to become a world champion.”   Bautista, 24, underwent surgery to remove a rotten bone in his left wrist, which was discovered after his unexpected loss on points to Heriberto Ruiz in 2008. Bautista returned to the ring after an eleven month break to win the WBC International interim featherweight title with a seventh-round TKO of Marangin Marubin last year.   He then knocked Saichon Sotompitak out in six rounds in Dubai last April 23.   Also slated to fight in the card is an expectedly slam-bang bout featuring 21-year-old, world-rated bantamweight AJ “Bazooka” Banal (22-1-1, 18 KOs) and three-division champion Luis Alberto Perez of Nicaragua (26-4, 17 KOs).   Also, hard-hitting southpaw Jimrex Jaca battles Pipino Cuevas Jr., son of the former world champion Pipino Cuevas, Former IBF minimumweight champion Florante Condes, on the other hand, takes on PABA champion Sofyan Effendi. Milan Melindo battles Korean flyweight champion Jin-Man Keon.