PENALOSA WARNED, ROCHA IS DANGEROUS
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Wed, 23 Jul 2008
WBO bantamweight champion Gerry Penalosa has been given a timely warning by internationally known matchmaker Sampson Lewkowicz that his next opponent Nestor Rocha is tough and Penalosa won?t have an easy fight in his title defense in Tubod, Lanao del Norte on September 20.
Lewkowicz said Rocha who is a Mexican and fights out of Texas is ?very, very tough. Like a nail.? Stating that Penalosa ?will have a problem? Lewkowicz said that ?if anybody thinks Penalosa has an easy fight they are totally wrong.? He said Rocha was an excellent amateur fighter, moves well and can fight.
At the same time he praised the Philippines and Filipino fighters for being ?very well educated? in the sport of boxing and ?taking only good challengers.? He said the Penalosa-Rocha fight was a ?good occasion to demonstrate a good challenger.?
Lewkowicz stressed that boxing was not always about money, commending Filipino boxing icon Manny Pacquiao for defending his IBF super bantamweight title against Jorge Eliecer Julio for a $45,000 purse on the undercard of the superfight between heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis and Mike Tyson in Memphis, Tennessee in June 2002.
Lewkowicz recalled that he told Pacquiao?s promoter at that time, Murad Muhammad, and business manager Rod Nazario that they had to consider ?the opportunity to shine and you cannot look at how much. They understood, as well as Manny who is very special. He?ll fight anyway.?
He said that ?regardless of the millions of dollars he (Pacquiao) will make fighting Oscar De La Hoya, he will fight anybody because he is a smart businessman. He knows what he can bring to the table. He did it (took the $45,000 Julio fight) and see where he is today. I can guarantee you that Manny will take advantage of the opportunity and then the money.?
Lewkowicz appeared to be disappointed that Penalosa didn?t consider the major exposure he would have received in the US fighting on the undercard of the Juan Manuel Marquez ? Joel Casamayor world title fight in a Golden Boy Promotions card. Instead he settled for a fight which Lewkowicz said would ?give him more dollars and cents but no great exposure.?
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