PENALOSA?S HOPES FOR A TUNE-UP FIGHT WITH RUIZ ARE DASHED
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Sun, 11 Jan 2009
WBO bantamweight champion Gerry Penalosa?s hopes for a possible tune-up fight against Heriberto Ruiz have been dashed.
Respected boxing writer Rick Reeno of boxingscene.com reports that Ruiz (40-7, 23 KO?s) who recently scored an impressive eight round decision over WBO super bantamweight No.1 ranked Rey ?Boom Boom? Bautista last November and is scheduled to face Mauricio Martinez (35-8, 23 KO?s) on March 20 in Toronto, Canada.
It turns out that while the giant broadcast network had shown interest in putting a Penalosa-Ruiz fight on a card it will telecast on February 21 from Cebu City, the network?s vice president for Sports Peter Musngi said there was nothing finalized and no figures were even mentioned contrary to a report in one of the Manila newspapers.
According to Reeno international matchmaker Sampson Lewkowicz advised him of the Ruiz-Martinez deal.
Penalosa was hoping for a tune-up fight against Ruiz prior to a possible WBO super bantamweight title fight against Juan Manuel ?Juanma? Lopez planned for April 4 in either New York or Las Vegas.
Top Rank promoter Bob Arum told www.insidesports.ph, Standard Today and Viva Sports that he had met with Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer and that they had agreed to offer Penalosa who has been calling out Lopez, the title shot.
Arum said time was running out on the 36 year old Penalosa who needed to make up his mind and be reasonable in terms of the purse for fighting Lopez. Penalosa had previously turned down three fight offers including one against Lopez because he felt the purse was too small.
Penalosa was offered $125,000 plus $25,000 training expenses for a title defense against Nestor Rocha and $175,000 to fight Lopez. But the veteran world champion who once also held the WBC super flyweight title wanted $250,000 and the fight fell through.
With apparently no interest among promoters in a Purse Bid called for his mandatory bantamweight title defense against former WBA flyweight champion Erik Morel, both time and options appear to be running out for Penalosa.
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