WBO bantamweight champion Gerry Pe?alosa isn?t taking any chances when he defends his crown against Ratanachai Sor Vorapin of Thailand at the Araneta Coliseum this morning.
That?s because he knows Vorapin is a hungry fighter and will enter the ring with a do-or-die attitude.
?He has nothing to lose,? said Pe?alosa. ?He was the former WBO champion and wants the title back. He?s a tough opponent because he?s strong and experienced. But he?s not like (Jhonny) Gonzalez. He won?t move away from me like Gonzalez did. Vorapin will come straight up and that?s what I like. He?s a southpaw like me and since he?s not tall, I?ll use short power punches from close range. I can?t afford to be overconfident. Have to fight my best to win.?
Pe?alosa wrested the WBO crown from Gonzalez via a seventh round KO last August. Gonzalez won the WBO belt from Vorapin, also by a seventh round stoppage, three years ago.
Pe?alosa and Vorapin are no strangers to each other. They faced off in 2000 with Pe?alosa scoring a sixth round KO at the Casino Filipino Amphitheater. Vorapin got careless and stuck out his chin, as if to mock Pe?alosa in a showboating antic reminiscent of Sugar Ray Leonard. Pe?alosa took advantage of the opening and unleashed a vicious left hook that flattened Vorapin for the count. Vorapin waited eight years for the opportunity to avenge the defeat.
Pe?alosa, 35, and Vorapin, 31, are veteran gladiators with 141 bouts between them. The San Carlos City lefthander has figured in 60 bouts, compiling a 52-6-2 record, with 35 KOs, while Vorapin?s slate is 72-9, with 48 KOs.
Pe?alosa said in five weeks of training at the Wild Card Gym in Hollywood, he worked on his speed, power, conditioning and footwork for defense. ?I feel stronger at bantamweight (118 pounds) than when I won my first world title as a superflyweight (115),? said Pe?alosa. ?I?m very comfortable in this division. I don?t even have to diet to make the weight. But after Vorapin, I plan to give up the throne and challenge (Daniel) Ponce de Leon again for the superbantamweight title.?
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ALA Boxing Gym owner Tony Aldeguer said what could steal the thunder from the Pe?alosa-Vorapin main event is the undercard fight between two unbeaten superflyweight southpaw prospects, A. J. (Bazooka) Banal and Uruguay?s Caril Herrera.
?This is a big test for A. J.,? said Aldeguer. ?Herrera fights like (former WBF minimumweight champion) Ronnie Magramo. He?s rough but he isn?t a dirty fighter. He throws a lot of punches and I expect him to pressure A. J. But I?m not sure about his ability to take a punch. His weakness is when he comes charging in, he leaves himself open. It?s up to A. J. to show what he can do against a brawler like Herrera.?
Aldeguer?s other star-on-the-rise Rey (Boom Boom) Bautista is also booked in the undercard. He takes on Mexico?s Genaro Camargo who?s coming off two wins by KO.
?Camargo comes from the same stable as Boom Boom?s last opponent (Antonio) Meza so I?m sure he got tips on how to fight Boom Boom,? said Aldeguer. ?We received a video of Camargo last Monday so we know what to expect.?
Aldeguer said he plans another fight for Bautista in the country before letting him loose once more abroad to campaign for a world title.
?Boom Boom and A. J. are ready,? said Aldeguer. ?If they lose, there will be no excuses.?
Aldeguer?s son Michael, who now runs the ALA stable, said Golden Boy Promotions has big plans for both fighters but everything will depend on their performance this morning.
?We want to know for sure how far they can go,? said Michael. ?They?re both physically and mentally prepared to fight. If A. J. wins, he?ll become the IBF?s No. 1 contender and earn a mandatory title shot. Two years ago, (Golden Boy matchmaker) Sampson (Lewkowicz) singled out A. J. as the next Filipino world champion. He was only 17 then. Now, he?s 19 and we?re eager to find out if he?s ready for a title fight.?
Pe?alosa?s manager Billy Keane, 36, is a former Hollywood actor who has appeared in several TV shows, including ?Cold Feet.? He met his best friend Freddie Roach in the gym where Manny Pacquiao?s coach trained another actor Mickey Rourke some 20 years ago.
?My father used to promote boxing shows in Chicago so I guess I?ve been around boxing all my life,? said Keane. ?Freddie and I live close to each other outside L. A. We hang out a lot and talk about boxing. We?ve traveled all over the world together for boxing and we?ve been involved in about 20 world title fights.?
Keane said Roach is busy training Bernard Hopkins for his April 19 fight against WBA, WBC and WBO supermiddleweight champion Joe Calzaghe.
?He took off from Hopkins? camp to be with Gerry,? said Keane. ?Freddie leaves on a Philippine Airlines flight back to Los Angeles on Monday night. I don?t think Calzaghe has fought anyone quite like Hopkins who at 43, is a superbly conditioned athlete.?
If Calzaghe?s style is to come forward, he?ll end up trying something different because Hopkins is just going to wear him down.?
Keane manages six fighters, including IBF superflyweight champion Dimitri Kirilov of Russia. One of his promising talents is Scottish middleweight Craig McEwan who has a 10-0 record, with six Kos.
