PENALOSA CONFIRMS HE?LL TRAIN DONAIRE
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Tue, 30 Dec 2008
WBO bantamweight champion Gerry Penalosa has confirmed that he will train IBF/IBO flyweight champion Nonito ?The Filipino Flash? Donaire for his scheduled March 15 title fight against WBO super flyweight champion Fernando Montiel at the Araneta Coliseum.
Penalosa who is himself preparing for a mandatory title defense against former WBA bantamweight champion, said he had been asked by Donaire to train him and would leave for the summer capital of Baguio City which is some 5,100 feet above sea level on January 4.
Penalosa said that his older brother and former two division world champion Dodie Boy Penalosa would join them in the training camp.
Donaire said he would spar with Penalosa and help him by emulating the style of Morel who he said moves a great deal and throws lots of punches.
Meantime, there?s been no word on the Purse Bid which the WBO will hold on January 12 at the organization?s head office in Puerto Rico with WBO president Francisco ?Paco? Valcarcel presiding.
Penalosa?s manager Billy Keane told www.insidesports.ph, Standard Today and Viva Sports while en route to the Los Angeles airport to catch a flight for a South American vacation that he was hoping both Golden Boy Promotions and Top Rank would enter the purse bid for the Penalosa-Morel mandatory title fight which is expected to take place sometime in April.
Penalosa had been hoping to get a tune-up fight possibly with Mexico ?s Heriberto Ruiz who had beaten Rey ?Boom Boom? Bautista but the prospects appear dim for a non-title fight in late January on two counts.
The first would be to get the WBO to approve a non-title fight so close to the mandatory defense and second the inability to get a network or sponsor to underwrite the cost of staging the fight in the Philippines where advertising money is generally not released until the end of the first quarter in March.
There was also hint of disappointment over Donaire?s decision not to train under Freddie Roach at his Wild Card Gym in preparation for the Montiel fight which is expected to be a tough one considering Montiel?s record and the fact that Donaire would be moving up in weight.
Since his controversial split decision win over Z ?The Dream? Gorres in a title fight in Cebu in February 2007, Montiel has won four title defenses in a row ? one by knockout, three by TKO and in his last fight on November 2, 2008 Montiel won a ten round unanimous decision over Juan Alberto Rosas.
Rosas is the same fighter who dropped an eight round unanimous decision to AJ ?Bazooka? Banal on May 5, 2007 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ronnie Nathanielsz.
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