GERRY Pe?alosa, inactive since last November, was all primed up to see action again on American soil. What he encountered, instead, was heartache following a botched bout.
The former World Boxing Council superfly king was slated to meet his Colombian foe Reynaldo Hurtado for the first time yesterday during the official weigh-in of a card to be held at the Club Cinema in Pompano Beach, Florida. The Filipino ex-champ, however, was told the fight was off about 24 hours before leathers were set to start flying.
The bout would have been Pe?alosa’s first under the promotional arm of Murad Muhammad and his first under new trainer Buddy McGirt. As it turned out, it might as well have been his last.
Sportsman Tony Aldeguer, who discovered and raised Pe?alosa into an outstanding fighter, revealed that the southpaw was on his way to the weigh-in yesterday when he received a phone call that Hurtado wanted more money to face him. Pe?alosa volunteered that half of his agreed purse be given to Hurtado so they could fight. Despite the offer, however, Hurtado’s camp still pulled out of the fight.
