PE?ALOSA WANTS TO BE CHAMPION ONE MORE TIME
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Sat, 09 Jun 2007
While esteemed boxing patron Tony Aldeguer was announcing the staging of the World Cup between the Philippines and Mexico during a luncheon news conference in Cebu City on today, former world super flyweight champion Gerry Pe?alosa was having lunch in our home precisely discussing the World Cup.
The World Cup would be headlined by the WBO super bantamweight championship battle between undefeated Rey “Boom Boom” Bautista and reigning champion Daniel Ponce De Leon and the WBO bantamweight title fight between Pe?alosa and Johnny Gonzales.
Veteran Bert Batawang clashes with Mexican Francisco Rosas in an IBF light flyweight eliminator for the right to fight champion Ulises Solis who has a record of 24-1-2 with 18 knockouts.
Flashy southpaw Z “The Dream” Gorres who is probably still hurting from the fact that he was robbed of the WBO world title in a battle with champion Fernando Montiel in the classy presentation at the Cebu Sports Complex last February is likely to be matched against Isidro Garcia while AJ “Bazooka” Banal is being lined up to fight the dangerous Gerson Guerrero.
Philippine bantamweight champion Michael Domingo will take on Miguel Roman in a super bantamweight bout while WBO Asia Pacific lightweight champion Czar Amonsot may also be included in the seven-fight card where the country that wins the most fights will retain the $500,000 diamond encrusted gold trophy until the next World Cup encounter. The handsome trophy owned by Golden Boy Promotions is currently placed in the vault of the prestigious Union Bank in Cebu.
In a lengthy conversation with Viva Sports/Manila Standard Today, Pe?alosa said he is most comfortable fighting as a bantamweight even as he noted that super bantamweight champion Ponce De Leon to whom he lost a controversial decision was too big.
Pe?alosa said Gonzales was “a very good boxer who moves well, is quick and strong” but that he enjoyed an advantage because he was “very hungry” adding “I want to be a champion again, defend my title once and then retire. I will do whatever needs to be done to win and bring home the WBO belt this time.”
Noting that all his losses had been controversial, including his defeats at the hands of In Joo Cho of Korea, Masamori Tokuyama of Japan and Ponce De Leon, Pe?alosa said he was hoping that this time it won't reach the point of depending on the judges and he will “win by knockout so they have no reason to deny me.”
Pe?alosa feels that since Gonzales is tall he has a problem making the 118 pound limit and that “after five or six rounds he will weaken” which would be to his advantage. Pe?alosa said he is leaving on June 25 to step up training under celebrated trainer Freddie Roach at his Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles. Pe?alosa will be accompanied by his brother Carlos.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ronnie Nathanielsz.
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