PENALOSA MAY FIGHT EDUARDO GARCIA IN MEXICO
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Fri, 14 Nov 2008
WBO bantamweight champion Gerry Penalosa may fight Mexico?s Eduardo Garcia on January 30 in Mexico City in a tune-up bout before a mandatory title defense against former world flyweight champion Eric Morel.
Penalosa told www.insidesports.ph, Standard Today and Viva Sports Friday morning that he had discussed the fight date with his manager Billy Keane although we learned from Keane that nothing has been finalized as yet and he together with Golden Boy Promotions was looking at other options.
Garcia who is 28 years old and moves between bantamweight and super bantamweight has a record of 18-5-1 with 7 knockouts. In his last fight Garcia drew with Canada?s undefeated Olivier Lontchi (16-0-1, 6 KO?s) in a North American Boxing Association super bantamweight title fight last August 29.
Garcia scored a twelve round majority decision over Nick Otieno to win the IBF International bantamweight title last February 23. Otieno himself lost by a ten round shutout to Z ?The Dream? Gorres in a super flyweight bout in Cebu last May 31 but came back to score an 8th round knockout over former world flyweight title challenger Rexon Flores.
Garcia also battled tough Heriberto Ruiz in Las Vegas but dropped a ten round decision on June 10, 2005. He also lost by a twelve round unanimous decision in a WBA super flyweight title fight against undefeated Japanese Nobuo Nashiro (8-0, 5 KO?s) in Osaka on December 2, 2006. It was Garcia?s second fight in Japan having earlier lost a ten round unanimous decision to undefeated Makyo Sugita (12-0) in Nagoya .
Penalosa, nicknamed ?Fearless? who always stays in shape said he would leave for Los Angeles to watch the ?Dream Match? between good friend and Filipino ring idol Manny Pacquiao and Oscar De La Hoya at the MGM Grand on December 6 and then remain in LA to step up preparations for the Garcia fight at Freddie Roach?s Wild Card Gym.
Penalosa who has a record of 53-6-2 with 36 knockouts is 36 years old but hasn?t lost his desire to fight or his ability and said he was confident of defeating the Mexican and then defending his title against Morel.
Morel who is ranked No. 2 was elevated to mandatory challenger at the WBO Convention in Florida when current No 1 Abner Mares who has a retina problem which we reported much earlier, would step aside for Morel.
Morel, the former WBA flyweight champion who lost in his bid for the super flyweight crown by a twelve round unanimous decision to Martin Castillo at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas in 2005 quit the sport for some three years after running afoul with the law and returned to the ring this year and has won four fights in a row. In his last bout he won the vacant WBO Intercontinental bantamweight title with a twelve round unanimous decision over Heriberto Ruiz who fights Rey ?Boom Boom? Bautista, the No.1 WBO super bantamweight on November 22 in Las Vegas .
Morel who is 33 years old has a record of 39-2 with 20 knockouts.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ronnie Nathanielsz.
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