By Alex Vidal
"When I’m old and wise, bitter words mean little to me" ALLAN PARSONS PROJECT
The knockout victory scored by "The New" Geronimo "Gerry" Peñalosa over top rated Mauricio Martinez in the 9th round at the Don Haskins Center in El Paso, Texas last week, was considered an upset win. The Panamian dynamo was rated No. 1 in the World Boxing Organization (WBO) bantamweight (118 lbs) division where Mexican Johnny Gonzalez is champion.
Although many Filipino fans believed Peñalosa was capable of trouncing the dangerous Martinez, they didn’t expect him to win by knockout as he was coming off a lackluster unanimous decision win over lanky Mexican Tomas Rojas last July in Manila while Martinez has won 12 of his last 13 fights.
At this early, Peñalosa’s publicists have started to make a noise. They are saying that the win could qualify the 34-year-old native of San Carlos City, Negros Occidental for a title shot the next time he enters the square-jungle.
Easier said than done. Although Peñalosa may have dislodged Martinez from his current position owing to his scintillating win, rushing him to fight champion Gonzalez is not a good management decision as the Mexican is much younger, undefeated and a knockout artist to boot.
FEEDING HIM TO THE LIONS
There is no doubt that Gonzalez is the superior boxer and Peñalosa’s handlers are smart enough to feed their ward to the lions.
For sure, he will make mincemeat of the "old" Peñalosa despite being a former World Boxing Council (WBC) superflyweight crown holder himself.
There are also talks that he might directly shoot for the WBO super bantamweight crown being worn by Daniel Ponce de Leon who successfully defended his title against Al Seeger in the main event of the Peñalosa-Martinez appetizer.
I suggest that Peñalosa’s handlers give the Ilonggo pugilist another tune-up fight before rushing him to the world title shot so as not to put a quick ending in his roller coaster career which was ruined when he lost back-to-back WBC title fights to Masamori Tokuyama in 2001.
Moreover, more tune-up fights mean more bucks for the stylist Filipino lefty who, along with his friend Manny Pacquiao, was able to ink a seven-fight deal with the Golden Boy Promotions of Oscar dela Hoya.Normally, Filipino boxers who are already 34-years old and above are not anymore allowed to revive their fistic careers for their own obvious protection. Boxers in the Philippines who are passed 30 are already considered over-the-hill and are candidates for permanent disability once they suffer fatal injuries.
Former world champions Flash Elorde and Rolando Navarette were forced to retire by the Games and Amusement Board (GAB) because they continued to defy odds by insisting they could still win another title even if their performance and battered faces spoke otherwise.
UNFAZED BY A SWOLLEN LEFT HAND
Meanwhile, at 34, Peñalosa, despite fighting with a swollen left hand as a result of his powerful delivery of a straight that knocked down Martinez right at the end of the first round, Peñalosa showed the heart of a champion and the vast experience that won him the WBC super flyweight crown nine and a half years ago. Peñalosa cut his Panamanian opponent’s right eye in the third, scoring effectively with right hooks and sparingly dishing out his left straights. He also knocked down the durable Martinez in the fourth, using his potent right hand right in front of his new promoter Oscar De La Hoya of Golden Boy Promotions.
Peñalosa, now fighting at 118 lbs., scored his 51st victory and his 34th knockout in a career that spans 17 years but still, his skill and defense impressed a huge crowd as well as his good friend Manny Pacquiao who watched via pay-per-view television. Pacquiao, who was instrumental in convincing Peñalosa to make a comeback and dream of another world title, promised to give the San Carlos City native a sizeable amount as his bonus even before he faced Martinez.
"Talagang inspired ako sa ensayo at sa laban na ito sa tulong ng pamilya ko at mga kaibigan. I offer this victory to God and my countrymen," said Peñalosa, who brought with him his wife Goody and in-laws to the border city west of Texas.
With Hall of Fame trainer-turned-manager Freddie Roach and corner man Buboy Fernandez mapping out a game plan that negated Martinez’s vaunted jab-straight punches, Peñalosa unleashed a barrage of punches in the ninth capped by a straight to the body and to the head that knocked Martinez out cold.
ECSTATIC TRAINER
Also ecstatic with the win was Raides Neri of Davao, who helped out in the pre-fight conditioning as well as the nutritional diet that made Peñalosa’s comeback a reality. Peñalosa, who was cloistered in the apartment of Pacquiao and his brother Bobby as well as other boxers Ernel Fontanilla and Diosdado Gabi, thinks he could still win another world title.
"I will enjoy a brief vacation with my family but I will return back to training camp soon, maybe before the end of the year. I might get the chance to challenge for the world title and that depends on my manager (Roach) and promoter (Golden Boy Promotions)," said Peñalosa.
It will not look good if Peñalosa will suffer a brutal defeat in another world title fight as his name is already enshrined in the portals of Filipino boxing greats being a former two-time world champion.
But if his handlers are determined to give him a final stab at the world boxing crown, they must see to it that he is prepared to face the consequences of this dangerous mission. /MP mailto:madyaas_pen@yahoo.com
No comments:
Post a Comment