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Philippines, 23 Nov 2024 |
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JUAN MANUEL LOPEZ GETTING THE BEST OUT OF GERRY PENALOSA By Granville Ampong PhilBoxing.com Tue, 21 Apr 2009  Oh, yes, here is the complexity of this match: Both men are southpaws and champions, coming from two unparalleled seasons of their careers - one a three-year pro at 25 and the other a twenty-year pro veteran at 36. And at the bell, Penalosa (54-6-2, 36 knockouts), WBO Bantamweight Champion, will enter the ring as the underdog challenging the undefeated son of Puerto Rico, Juan Manuel Lopez (24-0, 22 knockouts), in a 12-round of boxing for the WBO Super Bantamweight Championship to be televised live on HBO?s Boxing After Dark at 10 p.m. Eastern Time/ 7 p.m. Pacific Time, this April 25 at the Coliseo Ruben Rodriguez in Bayamon, Puerto Rico. Hailing from the same town for his upcoming fight, Lopez has become a very strong draw at the gate, coming off three sensational knockout wins respectively against Ceasar Figueroa (30-6-0) and Sergio Medina (33-1-0) and former WBO Super Bantamweight Daniel Ponce de Leon (34-1-0), whom Penalosa also fought on March 17, 2007 but loss by unanimous decision ? all in first round! Lopez, whose punch carries extreme menace and ill intentions to end the boxing career of Penalosa who snatched the WBO Bantamweight belt from Johnny Gonzales via TKO 7, remains the highly favored one to hand Penalosa his first professional knockout loss. This writer still has no clue as to how these two great fighters would intelligently be able to slip punches past their respective static guards. But, Gerry Penalosa, 5?4? in height and 65? in reach versus 5?7? in height and 68? in reach of Lopez, must bob and weave aggressively and effectively in an effort to avoid the Puerto Rican?s stiff jabs and sweet right hook. He must get in close to land his devastating body blows, hooks and uppercuts that have been the hallmarks of his boxing career ? arguably the best counterpuncher that the Philippines has ever shown! Conversely, if Penalosa's statement rings true, then Lopez may just be drawing the best out of the former. Penalosa, rated in the world as the No. 3 boxer in the super bantamweight division, delivers his cutting message: "I will have surprises for Juan Manuel Lopez." Top photo: Puerto Rico's Juan Manuel Lopez pose in front of a poster at the MGM Grand during the De La Hoya-Pacquiao fight on Dec. 6, 2008. Note: Granville Hayag Ampong is an L.A.-based journalist regularly writing for Maharlikan Times, a dynamic news service and public relations agency. You may visit his site at www.MaharlikanTimes.com. To send your comments, please e-mail them to granvilleampong@maharlikantimes.com. Click here to view a list of other articles written by Granville Ampong.  |
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