PENALOSA TO FIGHT IN MEXICO IN JANUARY
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Mon, 10 Nov 2008
WBO bantamweight champion has a fight lined up in Mexico City in January according to his manager Billy Keane.
In an overseas telephone conversation with www.insidesports.ph, Standard Today and Viva Sports, Keane said he had used his good relations with Oscar De La Hoya?s Golden Boy Promotions to be able to get the fight.
Keane said they are now looking for a suitable opponent for Penalosa who has returned to Manila from Los Angeles.
Penalosa said he had been informed by Keane about the planned fight but there was no definite date as yet and that details had to be finalized.
Penalosa is expected to get a purse of around $125,000 plus Philippine television rights.
The WBO champion missed out on fights against Nestor Rocha and on December 6 against WBO super bantamweight champion Juan Manuel Lopez because Penalosa wanted a bigger purse than what was offered him.
Top Rank promoter Bob Arum who is co-promoting the ?Dream Match? between Filipino ring idol Manny Pacquiao and ?The Golden Boy? Oscar De La Hoya said the Lopez fight didn?t push through because he claimed Penalosa was asking for a bigger purse than Lopez who is champion in a higher weight division.
The title defense against Rocha also fell through after Penalosa rejected the purse offer of $125,00o as being too little. He attempted to stage the fight in Tubod, Lanao del Norte but peace and order problems in the region forced the cancellation of the planned fight card.
Penalosa?s last title defense was against Thai veteran and former world champion Ratanachai Sor Vorapin over whom he scored an eighth round TKO at the Cebu Coliseum on April 6, 2008.
Penalosa won the 118 pound crown with a sensational one-punch, 7th round knockout over Mexico?s Jhonny Gonzalez on August 11, 2007. He earlier dropped a unanimous twelve round decision in a WBO super bantamweight title fight against Daniel Ponce De Leon which was much closer than reflected in the scorecards of the three judges.
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