MANILA, Philippines – The Pe?alosa name evokes many fond memories for boxing fans.
For three generations the family has churned out fighters, beginning with the patriarch Carl Pe?alosa Sr, who was a stablemate of the great Gabriel ?Flash? Elorde during the 1960s. The next generation enjoyed even more success, with Dodie Boy Pe?alosa Sr winning the IBF junior flyweight and flyweight titles in the 80s, followed by younger Gerry Pe?alosa, who won the WBC junior bantamweight and WBO bantamweight titles in a career that lasted until 2010. A third brother, Jonathan Pe?alosa, challenged for the WBA flyweight title in 1992 during an 8-year career.
So far the third generation of fighting Pe?alosas has remained unblemished, with 24-year-old Dodie Boy Pe?alosa Jr holding a 12-0 (11 knockouts) record and 23-year-old Dave Pe?alosa being not too far behind at 8-0 (5 KOs).
This Saturday, July 26 the Pe?alosa brothers will once again be in action at the Mandaluyong Gym, with Dodie Boy Jr facing Indonesian Dicky Amtiran, a late replacement whom Boxrec.com lists at 3-8 (3 KOs), in a ten-round bout while Dave faces countryman Danilo Gabisay (5-2, 3 KOs) in a six-round bout.
Family tradition
Like their famous predecessors, both Pe?alosa brothers fight out of the southpaw stance. Both grew up in Cebu City and compete in the featherweight division and are naturally larger than the previous generations of fighters, improving their chances of generating interest abroad.
Neither is a lightweight intellectually, either. Dodie Boy Jr is one semester away from graduating from University of the Visayas in Mechanical Engineering while Dave has postponed studies after his second year of studying Information Technology at University of South Philippines to focus on his career and newborn baby.
Having a famous last name in boxing has its clear advantages, and distinct drawbacks as well.
On one hand, the young fighters have never known a life without the sport, having been constantly immersed in the culture from birth. Name recognition has also earned them a leg up in promotion, as fans of their family have followed their young careers.
