Gerry Pe?alosa achieved history by himself. But with four of his countrymen stepping up to the challenge, the Philippines as a nation chalked a landmark victory after local fighters banded together to beat Mexico, 5-1, in the Boxing World Cup Saturday at the Arco Arena in Sacramento, California.
Pe?alosa posted the most dramatic victory among the five registered by the Filipinos after the 35-year-old?a world champion 10 years ago?stopped the heavily favored Jhonny Gonzalez in the seventh round that had the Cebuano wearing a world championship belt anew?the World Boxing Organization bantamweight title.
Rey ?Boom-Boom? Bautista, the main event in what was looking like a walk in the park for Team Philippines, could have followed up Pe?alosa?s feat. Instead, Bautista would become minced meat to Daniel Ponce de Leon who kayoed the erstwhile unbeaten Filipino in the first round of their own world-title fight.
Bautista?s loss sent a mild shock wave through RP boxing fandom, but four earlier victories by their countrymen seemed enough to cushion the devastating blow that was Bautista?s stunning Round-One defeat.
Super-flyweight Z Gorres stopped former world champion Eric Ortiz in the eighth round to win the International Boxing Federation Intercontinental crown. Teen sensation AJ Banal beat Jorge Cardenas in three rounds of another super-fly match, while bantamweights Diosdado Gabi and Michael Domingo posted decisions.
The southpaw Pe?alosa, considered by observers as ?an insurance? for Mexico to notch one sure win in their World Cup defense, churned out what is probably the best performance of his illustrious career.
Chastised for lacking the aggressiveness of a champion despite being considered having superior boxing talent, Pe?alosa started the fight as the aggressor and stalked a backpedaling Gonzalez.
Pe?alosa caught the bigger Gonzalez with a left straight that forced the Mexican to exchange flurries in the final 10 seconds of the opening canto.
The second round went almost like the previous round as Pe?alosa continued to haunt Gonzalez until another body shot forced the Mexican to slug it out with Pe?alosa in the waning seconds.
In the third, Pe?alosa?s counterpunches started to find their mark, with one catching Gonzalez on a stiff left straight.
Gonzalez became more active in the fourth, peppering Pe?alosa with jabs and combinations. Instead of retreating, Pe?alosa showed more eagerness to move inside and land a haymaker.
Gonzalez had his best round in the sixth as he connected a stinging double hook to the body that momentarily stopped Pe?alosa on his tracks. Proving that he is in great shape coming into the fight, Pe?alosa later on tried to move in but had several near misses with his vaunted countershots.
?Gerry, you need to be busier. He?s coming one way all the time. Use your jabs and movements,? were Freddie Roach?s instructions in between the sixth and seventh rounds.
Behind on points, Pe?alosa continued to pursue Gonzalez who he thought was already starting to fade halfway through the 12-round bout.
?Alam ko pagod na siya. ?Yun talaga ang game plan namin na pasukin siya at pagurin,? said Pe?alosa in a postfight interview with BusinessMirror via overseas call in his Vagabond Inn room in Sacramento.
As Gonzalez missed a combination, Pe?alosa seized the short moment Gonzalez carelessly opened up his defense, as Pe?alosa unleashed a brutal left hook to the right side of Gonzalez?s body.
Gonzalez took two steps backwards then immediately crumpled and knelt in front of the neutral corner with both hands on the canvass.
??Yun ang game plan namin, sa katawan talaga atakihin si Gonzalez. Mahirap kung sa ulo lang kasi masyado siyang malaki,? said Pe?alosa who had a slight gash below his left eye and on the bridge of his nose.
Gonzalez remained bended over until referee Pat Russell completed the count to officially seal the title conquest of Pe?alosa.
As Russell waved off the fight, Pe?alosa went down on his knees and kissed the canvass in the middle then whooped hard-earned but brilliant victory up.
?Oh my God, thank you Lord! I?ve been waiting for this for so many years!? said an ecstatic Penalosa after the official verdict was announced.
The time of the stoppage was 2:35 of the seventh round.
Pe?alosa?s win gave the Philippines a 5-0 win going into the Bautista bout. Pe?alosa improved to 52-6-2, with 34 knockouts while Gonzalez fell to 34-6, 29 KO?s.
Pe?alosa, who celebrated his 35th birthday on August 7, may consider this historic feat a perfect present for himself.
In winning the World Boxing Council (WBC) super-flyweight crown back in February 1997 from Hiroshi Kawashima in Tokyo, Japan, Pe?alosa and older brother Dodie Boy became just the first Filipino siblings to win world titles.
But Saturday?s conquest cemented another memorable achievement for Philippine boxing as the Pe?alosa brothers are the only Filipino fighters to win two world crowns in two different divisions.
The polio-stricken Dodie Boy is the first Filipino to become dual world champion by first winning the vacant International Boxing Federation (IBF) light-flyweight crown via 12th-round TKO win over Satoshi Shingaki in December 1983 in Osaka, Japan.
After three successful defense of his IBF 108-lb crown, the older Dodie Boy moved up in weight and captured the IBF flyweight tiara behind enemy lines, stopping Korean Shin Hi Sup in the fifth round in February 1987 in Inchon, South Korea.
The younger Gerry, meanwhile, is the fourth double world champion of the country after Luisito Espinosa (WBA bantamweight, WBC Featherweight) and current boxing sensation Manny Pacquiao (WBC flwyweight, IBF super bantamweight).
Pe?alosa captured the World Boxing Council (WBC) superflyweight crown from Hiroshi Kawashima in February 1997 and defended it three times before losing it to Korean In Joo Cho in 1998.
The Negros-born Pe?alosa had three botched title hunts, losing by close decisions to Cho in 2000 and Japanese adversary Masamori Tokuyama in 2001 and 2002, forcing the stylish southpaw to go into a 21-month hiatus.
Pe?alosa ended his retirement with an undistinguished second round stoppage of Thai patsy Samingkao Chautipol in Cebu. He won the fringe World Boxing Federation (WBF) superflyweight belt in November 2004 at the Casino Filipino Amphitheater in Para?aque, disposing of Thai Bangsaen Sithpraprom in seven rounds
Before fighting Gonzalez, Penalosa lost a controversial 12-round unanimous verdict loss against Ponce De Leon last March beneath the Marco Antonio Barrera vs. Juan Manuel Marquez WBC superfeatherweight bout at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.
