Bautista, 19, a native of Candijay, Bohol, made his debut in the super bantamweight division and had no trouble disposing off the 31-year-old Bonilla, a fighter who has fought several world title hopefuls in the past.

Bonilla’s end came at 2:36 of the third round when he collapsed on the canvas after receiving vicious punches capped by a hard left to the body. Referee Pat Russell counted him out as Filipinos in the crowd cheered.

Bautista, the reigning World Boxing Organization (WBO) Asia Pacific bantamweight champion, opened with a good right hand shot and weathered the initial aggression of Bonilla before nailing the Nicaraguan with two right hands.

Early in the second round, the two fighters’ heads came together, with Bonilla suffering a cut on his scalp. Russell asked the Nicaraguan to continue fighting and Bautista pounced on him with a series of punches, including an uppercut that snapped Bonilla’s head.

Bautista was slapped a one-point deduction after landing a low blow in the third round. After Bonilla was given enough time to recover, Bautista resumed his attack, using his hand speed to connect with a barrage of punches.

Bautista, who went into the fight weighing 121 1/2 pounds, improved his undefeated record to 20-0 with 14 knockouts, while Bonilla absorbed his eighth defeat against 23 wins.

Oscar De La Hoya of Golden Boy Promotions, now promoting Bautista, was all smiles when he congratulated the Filipino after the fight.

Bautista entered the ring to the tune of “Pilipinas Kong Mahal” preceded by a huge Philippine flag. He was accompanied by Freddie Roach, Filipino trainer Edito “Ala” Villamor and former Cebu resident and Las Vegas boxing man Tony Martin, who served as cut-man.

Bautista, rated No. 1 in the WBO at 118 pounds, is set to move up to the junior featherweight division, according to his handlers, who are looking to set him up for a duel with Daniel Ponce de Leon, WBO’s champion in the 122-pound division who was at ringside in Bautista’s match with Bonilla.

De Leon defends his title against unbeaten Alejandro Barrera next Saturday.

“I thank God that Bautista’s hard work finally paid off. He deserved the victory,” said Bautista’s manager Antonio “Bidoy” Aldeguer.

Boxing superstar Manny Pacquiao, on the other hand, went to the dressing room to personally congratulate Bautista.

“I really appreciate the gesture of Manny Pacquiao going to the dressing room and congratulating Bautista. He’s really a true champion,” said Aldeguer.

Even before the bout was over, Bautista earned words of praise from the American sportscasters who covered the bout. One said that “he’s the best 19-year-old fighter I’ve seen for a long time,” while the other described Bautista’s bombardments on Bonilla as “high quality landing shots.”

The fight served as one of the undercards of the World Boxing Council (WBC) super featherweight championship match between reigning champion Marco Antonio Barrera of Mexico and American Rocky Juarez that ended in a controversial win for Barrera.

Barrera and Juarez left the ring believing they had fought to a draw and so did the crowd that had cleared out of the arena.

The fight was initially declared a draw, with judge Duane Ford scoring it 115-113 for Juarez, Anek Hongtogkham giving Barrera the edge 115-113, and Ken Morita scoring it even at 114-114.

It was announced some 15 minutes later, however, that Morita’s scores had been tallied wrongly, and that his correct total was 115-114 in Barrera’s favor to give the champion a split decision.

Even the score announced for Ford’s card turned out to be 115-114 for Juarez instead of having him winning by two points, although that didn’t affect the outcome.

San Beda basketball league slated on July 15

WALNUT, Calif. — The 2nd San Beda Basketball League of California is scheduled on July 15, 2006 to be held at the City of Walnut gym.

This event is participated by over 100 Bedan players that formed into eight teams. Few more players are needed by two teams.

This is open for all Bedans who attended a minimum of two years at San Beda Mendiola or Alabang.

Please join the Bedans in this camaraderie game.

The address is 21003 La Puente Rd., Walnut, CA 91789. (There is no admission fee.)

A picnic is also scheduled for June 3, 2006 for all Bedans and their families to be held at Cameron Park in West Covina.

This is an opportunity for non-playing Bedans to enjoy the company of Bedan players who were former Philippine Basketball Association (PBA), Red Lions and Red Cub players.

For more information or to register to play, contact Teddy Relatos via e-mail at sanbedabasketballleague@yahoo.com

Philippine team advances to beach soccer World Cup 2006 Asian qualifier in Dubai

MANILA — The Philippine beach soccer team continues to chase its dream. The World Cup at most; or, play with the world’s best, at least.

The team gets that rare shot when it competes, for the first time, at the Asian qualifying round of the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup 2006 on May 22 to 26 at Jumeirah Beach in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Six Asian nations — Bahrain, China, Iran, Japan, Philippines and United Arab Emirates — will compete for three slots in the prestigious FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup 2006 scheduled Nov. 2 to 12 at Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

First played in 2005, the World Cup is the most important competition in beach soccer.

In 2006, 48 teams will compete in the qualifiers, which will be played around the world. Only 16 teams will play at the World Cup.

“While we might not have the fanfare, hype and cheerleaders of the Super Bowl, the game is no less intense in preparation, passion and performance,” said Ahmed Athab, head coach and financier of the Philippine beach soccer team. “Passion is the fuel that keeps us going as we focus at the big prize.”

Popularly known as “Coach Mike” in the local sports circle, Athab pioneered the promotion and development of beach football in the Philippines since 1995. He was also head coach of the University of the Philippines varsity women’s soccer team (1994 –2004).

The team is composed of Ian Araneta, Joebel Bermejo, Richard Betita, Luisito Brillantes, Philip Cesar Caballero, Emelio Caligdong, Wilson Dela Cruz, Arnel Fernandez, Ali Bernard Rojas Go, Nestorio Margarse Jr., Edward Sacapano, Winnie Subere and Victorino Troyo.

The Dubai trip is supported in part by the Philippines Sports Commission and the Philippine Football Federation. The rest is covered by contributions from team leader Coach Mike, friends and families of team members.

In Dubai, the six teams will be divided into two groups of three teams each.

Group A is composed of Bahrain, China and the United Arab Emirates.

Group B is composed of Iran, Japan and the Philippines. 

Teams play round-robin inside their groups and the top two from each will advance to the semifinals.

“How much do we value an Asian or world championship? It goes beyond trying. It is about chasing a dream, perfecting the game, competing with the best; and of course, winning as a team. More than a collection of individual accomplishments, it is also about national pride. That the Philippines will be taken seriously and earn a well-deserved respect in one of the fastest growing professional sports in the world.”

According to beachsoccer-online.com, the sport demonstrates most spectacular aspects of modern football: skill, agility and, above all, goals within a beach lifestyle atmosphere.

A compact pitch measuring 28 x 37 meters gives players license to shoot from virtually anywhere. With an average of 60 attempts at the goal in a single game (one every 30 seconds!), goalkeepers are tested to the absolute limit.

Teamwork is also key, with five players per team (four plus the goalkeeper) and unlimited substitutions to get them through the three 12-minute periods.

For more information or sponsorship opportunities, contact Mike Athab at +63 917 794-4584 or send e-mail to bfap10@yahoo.com

Visit the websites www.fifa.com  or www.beachsoccer.com  for the schedule of games.