DODIE BOY PENALOSA JR MAY STEAL LIMELIGHT FROM THE MAIN EVENT
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Wed, 24 Dec 2008
Dodie Boy Penalosa Jr who is making his professional debut on Saturday in a fight card full of promising young boxers in the same gymnasium where Filipino ring icon Manny Pacquiao carved a name for himself, may steal the limelight from the main event in which featherweight Michael Farenas takes on Sunan Thosen of Thailand on Saturday.
The Mandaluyong Gym will be the venue for the launching of the son of former two division world champion Dodie Boy Penalosa who decided that his 18 year old son and prot?g? turn pro because of the apparent lack of a future as an amateur.
Newly elected president of the Philippine Amateur Boxing Association Ricky Vargas expressed disappointment over the decision of the 18 year old Penalosa, a two-time national champion, to turn pro. Vargas said he and PLDT-Smart owner Manny Pangilinan who is the new chairman of the ABAP were prepared to invest substantial resources in a well-crafted amateur boxing program in the quest for an elusive Olympic gold medal.
Vargas told www.insidesports.ph, Standard Today and Viva Sports that if the deciding factor was the need to earn, that could have been discussed with the new ABAP leadership and wouldn?t have been a problem.
When WBO bantamweight champion Gerry Penalosa raised the issue with us we informed him of the potential for Dodie Boy Penalosa Jr to have a rewarding amateur career by setting his sights on an Olympic gold in London in 2012 but we were informed that the youngster?s father had made up his mind for him to turn pro although it was clear that it would take a few years and a lot of hard work before he could become a worthy contender in the pro ranks.
Fight fans will get a chance to see the potential of the young Penalosa when he meets John Henric Dones who is also making his pro debut in a fight card promoted by Gerry Penalosa in cooperation with Mayor Benhur Abalos. The fights will be telecast by Viva Sports on its top-rated weekly boxing show ?The Main Event? sponsored by Tanduay, the No.1 Rhum and Pagcor on Saturdays at 1:00 p.m. over CS/9, right after Solar Sports ?live? coverage of the NBA Games.
Hard-hitting southpaw Farenas who has a record of 23?2-2 with 20 knockouts has had three fights in the US, winning all three impressively. He made his US debut with a 2nd round TKO of Arturo Valenzuela at the Mandalay Bay Resort Hotel and Casino on October 6, 2007 and followed with a 3rd round TKO over Baudel Cardenas at the same venue on March 15, 2008. In his last fight on May 17, Farenas scored a unanimous eight round decision over Fermin De Los Santos in Aguascalientes, Mexico.
In his last fight which was also at the Mandaluyong Gym, Farenas made short work of a Thai patsy identified as Sorachet Tongmala winning by a 1st round knockout. This time around Penalosa said Farenas? Thai opponent, Sunan Thosen, is reportedly a tough opponent with a record of 18-4.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ronnie Nathanielsz.
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