PE?ALOSA: I AM READY AND CONFIDENT
By Winchell Campos
PhilBoxing.com
Fri, 16 Mar 2007
LAS VEGAS--Oozing with confidence and excitement, former world champion Gerry Pe?alosa believes victory is almost within reach when he faces Daniel Ponce De Leon for the WBO super-bantam title Saturday night (Sunday morning in Manila) at the Mandalay Bay Arena here.
The 34-year-old Filipino did some light workout Thursday afternoon at the IBA gym and was already within the 122-pound limit when he weighed in at an unofficial scale, flashing a smile.
"I am ready and I am confident that I will become world champion once again," said Pe?alosa, the heartbreak kid of Philippine boxing, after he failed four times in the past to win over opponents who benefitted from notorious hometown decisions.
"I believe the fight (with Ponce-De Leon) will not go the distance," said the Cebuano, who won the WBC super-flyweight title more than a decade ago. "I know I must win convincingly in order to take the title and winning by knockout will eliminate all other complications."
Inspired by his wife and two kids who flew in with him Monday here, Pe?alosa believes his boxing skills and style will offset the size and strength advantages of his opponent, eight years his junior.
"I feel very good and I think this is the fight that will define my career. I have never trained harder than for this fight and I have prepared long and hard for this one. This is the fight that I have been waiting for," added Pe?alosa.
While his chief trainer and manager begged off from being at ringside, Freddie Roach, speaking by long distance phone call from Puerto Rico, wished Pe?alosa well. "Without a doubt, Gerry will become champion," said Roach.
"He will kill the guy (Ponce De Leon)," added Roach, who also believed that the Mexican does not possess advantages that will help him keep back his title. "Gerry is still one of the best pure boxers out there and he will prove it to everyone come fight night."
For his part, Ponce De Leon welcomed the challenge and believes that the spirit of his ancestors will help him retain his crown. A former Mexican Olympian, Ponce De Leon comes from a Mexican-Indian tribe from Chihuahua.
"I am bigger and stronger," said Ponce De Leon in Spanish, who also laughed as he revealed that his three-year-old son is also named Geronimo, the same name of Pe?alosa.
"I respect him because he is a former champion and I know he has excellent boxing skills. But I have prepared hard for this fight too and this calls for a very exciting finish. I also think I will win by knockout."
The Pe?alosa-Ponce De Leon fight will be beamed live all over the world via HBO pay-per-view and is the main supporting bout underneath the Marco Antonio Barrera-Juan Manuel Marquez title fight.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Winchell Campos.
Recent PhilBoxing.com In-House articles:
THE PAST WEEK IN ACTION 15 SEPTEMBER 2025: Crawford Snatches Canelo's Undisputed Crown at 168 Lbs; Inoue Defeats Akhmadliev to Retain 4 Superbantam Belts; Crocker Outpoints Donovan
By Eric Armit, Wed, 17 Sep 2025TICKET NEWS: EUBANK JR-BENN II ON SALE FROM THIS WEDNESDAY
Wed, 17 Sep 2025“Night of Champions” Returns to Caribe Royale Resort in Orlando on September 19
Wed, 17 Sep 2025Canelo-Crawford: The Consolidation of Boxing’s New Commercial Empire
By Gabriel F. Cordero, Wed, 17 Sep 2025A New Era for Boxing: Canelo vs. Crawford Shatters Global Viewership Records on Netflix
By Dong Secuya, Wed, 17 Sep 2025Crawford Not the First Lightweight to Distinguish Himself at Super Middleweight
By Teodoro Medina Reynoso, Wed, 17 Sep 2025Kurt Scoby and Josh Popper Headline Boxing Insider Card September 19 in Times Square
Wed, 17 Sep 2025Green and Gold 2025: Amateur Boxing’s International Gathering in Bolivia
By Gabriel F. Cordero, Wed, 17 Sep 2025Pakistan's Sameer Khan Set to Battle for UBO Youth World Title in Brico Santig’s Sep 27 Show in Thailand
By Carlos Costa, Tue, 16 Sep 2025SAMBO Pilipinas is Southern NSA of the Year 2025
By Lito delos Reyes, Tue, 16 Sep 2025Kingsley “The Black Lion” Ibeh To headline historic “Legacy Nights” Inaugural Pro Boxing event in El Salvador
Tue, 16 Sep 2025Smarts over power
By Joaquin Henson, Tue, 16 Sep 2025HALL OF FAME FLIES FLAGS AT HALF-STAFF FOR TWO-DIVISION CHAMPION RICKY HATTON
Tue, 16 Sep 2025Kazakhstan tops the medal table at the inaugural World Boxing Championships 2025 thanks to victory in the final bout of the competition
Tue, 16 Sep 2025THRILLA IN MANILA GOLDEN ANNIVERSARY 13: JOE FRAZIER’S HUMBLE BEGINNINGS AS AN AMATEUR FIGHTER
By Maloney L. Samaco, Mon, 15 Sep 2025