GOOD things come to those who wait.
Trailing behind on the scorecards and once again facing a dancing, moving foe much taller than him, Gerry Penalosa bided his time and waited for the right opportunity to pounce.
And pounce he did, with a lethal shot to the liver in the seventh round that shocked the boxing world and earned him the WBO bantamweight title at the expense of Mexican Johnny Gonzales,
Entering the ring with a relaxed and confident gait knowing that Team Philippines had already snared the World Cup courtesy of four exemplary performances earlier dished out by his teammates, Gerry was eager to put a stamp on his compatriots? dominance over their Mexican counterparts.
Gerry began the bout stalking his lanky opponent who towered over him by more than three inches.
Expectedly, Gonzales decides to move and box off his back foot. Gerry begins to target the body. At the end of round one, Gonzales decides to stand still and engaged Gerry toe to toe. No meaningful punches land, but this final 10-second spurt of action from Gonzales would set the pattern for his strategy of trying to steal rounds.
Ahead by four
In rounds 2 and 3, Gonzales peppers Gerry with a snappy jab and occasional right hands while continuously moving around the ring. Gerry continues to plod and patiently waits for openings.
Gonzales continues to score in the middle rounds, utilizing his reach to full advantage, but Gerry catches him with occasional left hooks and begins to time his punches better. Gonzales is ahead on my scorecard by four points.
At the start of round seven, Freddie Roach instructs Gerry to get busy and he responds by flurrying whenever Gonzales came within range. An accidental head butt momentarily stops the action as the referee steps in to remind the protagonists to be careful.
When action resumes, Gonzales continues to rely on his effective left jab-right straight combo. Suddenly from out of nowhere, Gerry deftly sidesteps a right cross from Gonzales and unleashes a wicked left hook to the Mexican?s exposed ribs.
It was short, swift and brutal. A near perfect punch if there ever was one.
The damage does not register immediately with Gonzales but a split second later, he steps back and takes a knee near a corner. Gerry is beside himself with anticipation, but Gonzales does not beat the count and Gerry Penalosa is a world champion once again.
At 35 years of age, many considered Gerry to be past his prime, but Gerry proved that he still has a lot left in his tank. Gerry still ranks among the best fighters out there. Fearless and peerless.
