While one should be able to gauge how far a boxer can go, it would be counter-productive to pit him against someone who could possibly wallop his career into oblivion in one fight.

So a good boxing manager should know how and when to pick his own punches. Even marquee fighters opt for a lighter assignment after a hard fight to keep active and also to earn his keep. It doesn’t mean fighting a tomato can, but one who doesn’t pose too much of a threat but could keep him in sharp fighting form.

So it was that there were some eyebrows raised when Rey "Boom-Boom" Bautista was ranged against little known Antonio "Barrio" Meza of Mexico after the former’s shock 1st round KO defeat at the hands of world champion Daniel Ponce de Leon last August.

I will confess to some anxiety on my part as to the abilities of the unknown hombre from Baja California but was pleasantly surprised when he turned out to be a tough cookie that gave ‘BoomBoom" some problems.

Although there was no doubt in my mind that Bautista won the fight, the tenacity and grit displayed by Meza was more than impressive. He took everything Bautista dealt, and sporadically had some bright moments himself.

In the end, I feel it was a good fight for Boom-Boom to build up his confidence. At the same time, he got a good 12-rounds of tough, competitive boxing.

We commend the father and son tandem of Tony and Michael Aldeguer for acting with restraint in getting Bautista back on track. Some people wanted to pit him against the big guns right away to once and for all settle the issue of whether indeed he is worthy of all the hoopla. Alas, that’s not the way it works.

Ditto for the fight between AJ "Bazooka" Banal and Jovanny Soto. Another tough Mexican hombre, the fans got more than what they bargained for when Soto absorbed Banal’s up-and-down attack before finally crumbling in the ninth round.

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Since we’re on commendation mode, kudos is definitely in order for the pioneering efforts of Third Force Promotions, the conglomerate headed by former PBA Commissioner Noli Eala, which staged Sunday’s event.

Again, I must admit I had my doubts as to the wisdom of holding a big fight card in the metropolis because by experience, we seldom see a successful promotion crowd-wise, in Metro Manila. Never mind if admission is free, it’s hard to gather a good crowd unless it involves Manny Pacquiao.

It’s a different story in the Visayas and Mindanao where fans are willing to shell out hard-earned cash for a good fight card. But Third Force amazed a lot of us who fidgeted for them. There were 7,601 warm bodies that trooped to the Big Dome last Sunday and countless more who watched on TV.

And the way the event was organized also drew praise as it was obviously well thought out and lived up to its claim of pomp and drama.

* * * *

Having said that, I relayed to Eala my only misgiving in the otherwise impressive program. I could never understand the penchant for hiring foreigners to do the ring announcing.

Amy Hayes may be an attraction and a novelty to Americans but she drew nothing but silence as she read her spiels with gusto last Sunday. Instead, she mangled several Filipino and Mexican names and places, mistakenly announced that there were world championships at stake, and generally gave most of us a feeling of unease.

As I told Noli, not even Michael Buffer or Jimmy Lennon could change my belief that Filipino announcers could do a better job. Announcing is being able to communicate to the audience clearly the salient information involved in an event. The Filipino talent would not only pronounce names and places accurately, they could also relate better to the audience because they can use the vernacular and if so desired, can also announce in English. And yes, they’re cheaper. But that’s another story.

And for those who think I may have a personal agenda in this, no, ring announcing is not my line. I am a broadcast announcer and have no interest whatsoever in getting into ring announcing.

Eala promises to rectify the situation. I intend to hold my friend to that promise.

Mabuhay si Mennie Godinez!