Bautista, Z Gorres seal US bouts in May

ALA Boxing Gym stars Rey "Boom Boom" Bautista and Z "The Dream" Gorre will see action in the United States this May most probably against Mexican opponents.

"It’s confirmed. We’ve just signed the contract this morning (yesterday) for Bautista and Gorres to fight in the US this May," said ALA top honcho Antonio "Bidoy" Aldeguer.

But contrary to earlier reports, Bautista and Gorres will see action on different fight dates.

Bautista, the reigning WBO Asia Pacific bantamweight champion, will see action in the undercard of Marco Antonio Barrera’s WBC super featherweight title defense against Rocky Juarez on May 20 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California.

Gorres, on the other hand, will show his stuff in one of the supporting bouts in WBO bantamweight title defense of Jhonny Gonzalez against Fernando Montiel on May 27 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.

In what could be a major breakthrough in his career, Bautista’s upcoming US ring appearance, his fourth overall, has been included in the pay-per-view, meaning it will be broadcast live all over the world.

For Gorres, a world title fight is in the offing as Aldeguer said that if Montiel succeeds in dethroning Gonzalez, the flashy Mandaue City warrior, presently ranked No. 2 115-pounder by the WBO, is likely to challenge top contender Martin Power of England for the vacant WBO super flyweight crown.

Meanwhile, Bautista leapfrogged from No. 11 to No. 7 among bantamweight contenders in the latest rankings released by the World Boxing Council (WBC).

Bautista’s got a big boost in his WBC ranking after his sensational triumph over Gerardo Espinoza on Christmas eve last year at the Sycuan Resort and Casino in El Cajun, California.

In that eventful fight, the top-ranked WBO 118-pounder Bautista survived a second round scare en route to a stirring unanimous decision win over the durable Mexican. That stretched the Candijay, Bohol fighter’s unbeaten record to 19-0, with 14 knockouts.