WORLD Boxing Organization (WBO) bantamweight champion Gerry Pe?alosa will leave no stone unturned when he makes his mandatory title defense against Thai Ratanachai Sor Vorapin in February next year.
Pe?alosa, who is already setting his sights on a grudge rematch with WBO super-bantamweight king Daniel Ponce de Leon, had to hold his reins as the boxing body ordered him to fight his No.1 contender.
?It (championship fight) is already agreed and signed, Gerry has to defend his belt against Vorapin,? WBO Asia-Pacific chairman Leon Panoncillo Jr. told Sun.Star Cebu.
?The fight will be on February but there is no definite date yet. The promoters Golden Boy Promotions and SGG Sports Promotions are looking at Feb. 24.?
Despite being tagged as an ?easy? fight for Pe?alosa, the 35-year old Cebuano will start his training on Dec. 20 at the Wild Card Gym before he will return to the Philippines two weeks prior to the fight.
Pe?alosa already defeated Vorapin via sixth round TKO back in November 2000 in Para?aque for the WBC super flyweight title.
Since then, Vorapin has fought 36 times, winning 32 fights, 17 by knockouts. He also had 11 victories over Filipino boxers.
The 31-year old Vorapin has a record of 71-9, including 47 knockouts.
Defeats
Among his achievements during the seven-year stretch were winning the WBO bantamweight title in May 2004 over Cruz Carbajal, defending the belt over Gun Tinularinand and winning the WBO Asia-Pacific 118-lb. belt against Johnny Lear.
His four losses were from a challenge for the IBF bantamweight title against Tim Austin in 2001 and against Johnny Gonzales in the 2005 Boxing World Cup for the WBO 118-pound title.
Pe?alosa (52-6-2, 35KOs) on the other hand, is 10-3, 6 KOs since their first meeting. Two defeats were handed by Masamori Takayama in his effort to reclaim the WBC super flyweight belt (September 2001 and December 2002) and against De Leon last March for the WBO super bantamweight belt.
Pe?alosa won his title after beating Gonzales in the World Cup last August.
