Gerry Pe?alosa is determined to come back a world champion and wife Goody said the other day he changed his departure out of Los Angeles for Manila from March 28 to 22 to celebrate his victory at home earlier.
“No premonition,” said Goody. “He’s just very confident. He always texts that God-willing, he’ll become a world champion again. He’s ready to give it his all. He has trained long and hard for this chance.”
Pe?alosa, 34, faces WBO superbantamweight champion Daniel Ponce de Leon of Mexico in a 12-round title fight at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on March 17. It’s in the undercard of the Marco Antonio Barrera-Juan Manuel Marquez main event promoted by Golden Boy.
Pe?alosa was given a round-trip ticket by Golden Boy with a Los Angeles exit of March 28. Now, he wants to spend only five more days in the US after the fight.
Goody and their two children, J. C. Boy, 7, and Julienne Gayle, 5, leave for Los Angeles tomorrow. Pe?alosa wraps up his training at the Wild Card Gym on Monday then will drive to Las Vegas with his family.
Last week, Pe?alosa passed a compulsory medical test and was proclaimed fit to fight. He is now staying at the Palazzo townhomes in La Brea with fighter Diosdado Gabi and writer Winchell Campos.
Pe?alosa flew to Los Angeles last Feb. 4 and began training for de Leon with Freddie Roach the next day. Last Monday, Justin Fortune took over as Pe?alosa’s trainer when Roach left for Puerto Rico to work with Oscar de la Hoya.
“Gerry’s in good hands,” said Goody. “Freddie’s best friend Billy (Keane) makes sure he’s taken care of and Justin is closely supervising his workouts. Freddie will join Gerry in Las Vegas on Thursday and will be with him until after the fight.”
Pe?alosa has worked as many as 22 rounds in a day at the Wild Card Gym and is ready for a grueling bout. Roach prepared Pe?alosa for de Leon by bringing in bigger and stronger sparring partners.
De Leon, 26, has a 30-1 record with 28 KOs, nine in the first round. The heaviest Pe?alosa has scaled for a fight was 119 pounds and the superbantamweight limit is 122. Because he’s moving up in weight, Pe?alosa was installed an underdog by oddsmakers who like de Leon’s chances as a natural superbantamweight.
Pe?alosa’s advantage is his experience with 27 more fights than de Leon. His record is 51-5-2, with 34 KOs. He said he can beat de Leon easily because the Mexican has no skills.
It was Pe?alosa who asked Roach to arrange the fight against de Leon after they fought separate opponents on the same card in Texas last October.
“I have a big chance of winning,” said Pe?alosa. “I can’t wait any longer for another title shot. I can’t get the two bantamweight champions to fight me so I decided to just go for de Leon.”
Pe?alosa is seeing action in his second of five bouts under contract with Golden Boy. Each fight carries a guaranteed purse of $30,000. But Pe?alosa will receive at least $50,000 plus a share of pay-per-view revenues for taking on de Leon.
Pe?alosa said if and when he dethrones de Leon, he will relinquish the crown and drop back to the bantamweight division.
Expected to be at ringside for the fight are Manny Pacquiao, Pe?alosa’s brothers Jonathan and Carlos, Jr. and fighters Rodel Mayol and Mike Farenas. Pacquiao is scheduled to leave for the US on Wednesday and on the same flight will be Pe?alosa’s in-laws Rudy and Virgie Llido. Pe?alosa’s friends from Japan, Yasuo and Gina Matsuoka and Kosuke Washiyo, will also plane in to witness the bout.
