Last week I predicted that Jhonny Gonzalez would be way ahead after six rounds against the smaller and older Gerry Penalosa. That Gonzalez would avoid the fate that befell him against Israel Vazquez, who overcame a slow start to thrash him a few months ago.
While I was right that Gerry would be out of sorts and outboxed, I couldn’t have been more wrong about his chances to turn the fight around. One brutal left hook to that long body made nonsense of my theory and made the Filipino the comeback king of 2007.
35-year-old Penalosa, who previously held the WBC super flyweight title ten years ago, won his second weight world title with one of the most sudden and unexpected shots of the year.
The marvellous fighter, who was there at the start of the Filipino boxing boom, is still going strong as the movement is peaking. But while the Philippines trounced Mexico five wins to just one, the one loss was a real setback.
Young Rey “Boom Boom” Bautista was dispatched with sudden impact thanks to the left hand of WBO super bantamweight titlist Daniel Ponce de Leon, who was fired up above even his usual standards by the poor fortune of his countrymen.
It was far too early for the talented, energetic but raw Filipino, who was flattered by his WBO ranking and the need for fresh stars on the heels of the great Manny Pacquiao.
It was hardly the smartest of ideas to put a 21-year-old who’d been down in his last fight in with a murderous puncher with a penchant for one-punch KOs. Despite one crazy piece of matchmaking (and the fact that they’d hardly chosen the cream of Mexico for the undercard action), boxing would be better off with more World Cups.
The key will be to build on the Filipinos’ big win – which has entrenched them as a force to be reckoned with on the world scene – and to rebuild Bautista – one of their finest prospects.
While Japan would pose the strongest challenge – with world champions at straw, fly, bantam, super feather and ex champs in the super fly and junior fly divisions – and the best range of big fights, they recognize neither WBO nor IBF belts, which is what the best of the Philippines currently hold.
Venezuela have a fine talent pool of wandering warriors, with names like Edwin Valero (WBA super feather champ), Jorge Linares (WBC interim feather titlist), Lorenzo Parra (former WBA fly king) and Alexander Munoz (current WBA super fly boss) making them a force to be reckoned with and a prime candidate for a future world cup team.
But fights with, say, Parra and Linares could leave Gerry an ex champ and Bautista ruined before he’s had his day in the sun. The best matchups for the Philippines would seem to herald from Thailand, who despite losing the first World Cup to Mexico in 2005, would match last Saturday’s headliners remarkably well, and provide compelling matchups to the likes of Z Gorres, AJ Banal and company.
Given the vested interests of rival promoters, certain fights will be hard to make. But below is a taster of some excellent encounters that could be made in an era of boxing in which international borders are constantly coming down, over the next couple of years:
Gerry Penalosa (52-6-2 35 KOs, Philippines) vs Veeraphol Sahaprom (57-3-2, 41, Thailand) – Bantamweight: A match between old masters, pitting men with similar records and ample skill. Despite losing his WBC title two years ago to Hozumi Hasegawa in a close, 12-round epic after 14 defenses, Thailand’s Veeraphol is still highly regarded (World Boxing Media have him at #3, The Ring have him as high as #2). At 38, the two-time titlist (he also won the WBA version in his 4th pro fight and lost it in his 5th) is due one more big fight. Newly crown WBO bantam champ Penalosa should be the send-off.
Both proud old warriors have shown vulnerabilities against younger men – Penalosa was outsped by Gonzalez until the seventh and outworked Ponce de Leon’s busy style; Veeraphol was blown away in a 2006 bid to win his title back from Hasegawa. But against one another, they’d be able to pit their superlative skills at a pace manageable to both little titans. With Sahaprom ranked #2 by the WBO, there’s no reason why it shouldn’t happen.
Rey “Boom Boom” Bautista (23-1, 17, Philippines) vs Somsak Sithchatchawal (52-2-1, 41, Thailand) – Super Bantamweight: Why would anyone want to pit the 21-year-old “Boom Boom” against another ferocious southpaw? Though Sithchatchawal won the mother of all wars against Mahyar Monshipoor last year, his real abilities can be gauged by a third round KO loss to Celestino Caballero, which cost him his WBA belt months later. Daniel Ponce de Leon he’s not, and following his punishing last two fights he could be on the slide, making it a pick ‘em fight.
If, over the next year or two, Bautista is moved along with sense and purpose, there’s no reason why this can’t happen. As proven in victory over unbeaten Sergio Daniel Medina, Bautista can beat a live opponent. If he develops a defense to match his energy and handspeed, the Filipino should be making his name against decent ex champs, which the 30-year-old Thai – who’s won six on the trot – certainly is.
Sod Looknongytanoy would be another good one for Bautista, but could remind him of past traumas – the Thai was blasted out by de Leon last year and dropped a decision in 2005.
Z Gorres (27-2-1, 15, Philippines) vs Poonsawat Kratingdaenggym (29-1, 20, Thailand) – Bantamweight: For a World Cup event to truly thrive, even money fights need to be made. Few would be harder to pick than this one, between contenders who have fallen just short at the top level. Gorres’ recent loss to WBO super flyweight titlist Fernando Montiel was no shame, considering the 25-year-old narrowly lost to perhaps the finest pure boxer in the lower weight classes.
Likewise, Kratingdaenggym, 26, has acquitted himself honourably at the highest level. Though technically outclassed, he pushed WBA bantam holder Wladimir Sidorenko close (on two of the cards at least), in Germany, making a mess of the home fighter’s face. Both have resumes strengthened by world class wins– while Poonsawat holds a win over top ten bantam Ricardo Cordoba, Gorres stopped former WBC super fly champ Eric Ortiz on last Saturday’s World Cup. With both guys having persistent styles and being in their absolute primes, this pick is a no-brainer for a fight up at bantamweight.
Eagle Kyowa (18-1, 6, Thailand) vs Rodel Mayol II (23-2, 18, Philippines) – Strawweight: While it’s tempting to suggest a WBC/IBF unification between Kyowa and newly crowned IBF strawweight champ Florante Condes (from the Philippines), a title unification merits its own, grander stage. And with Kyowa being based in Japan, where IBF belts aren’t recognized, it sounds like a non-starter to begin with. However, few would object to another battle between Kyowa and Mayol, who gave us one of the fiercest bouts of 2006.
Since surviving Mayol for a points win, Kyowa, 28, has notched two quality defenses of his WBC belt and is building a reputation as being the finest fighter from Thailand.
Seen most recently getting starched by IBF junior flyweight champ Ulises Solis on the Morales-Diaz undercard, Mayol, 26, is still an exciting fighter. He had Solis on the floor before succumbing himself, and is still a threat. How about a move back down to his natural weight against his old foe for Kyowa’s green belt?
AJ “Bazooka” Banal (14-0-1, 11, Philippines) vs Wandee Singwancha (52-8-1, 11, Thailand) – Super Flyweight: While the Bautista lesson tells us that caution is necessary for even the best of prospects, there’s nothing wrong with a calculated risk – when the time is right. Only 18, Banal doesn’t need throwing in the deep end, but will surely be eager to follow up last Saturday’s World Cup experience, when he halted the 9-3-3 Jorge Cardenas, who sprained his ankle after getting dropped in the third. It was an easy fight that certainly aided the Filipino cause, so how about stacking the decks more evenly?
Singwancha, 27, is hardly world class, having lost every time he fought anyone near the top 10 down at flyweight. He can’t crack either, judging by his paltry KO ratio. But he has experience enough to make it a learning fight for the Filipino southpaw, whose speed, heavy hands and killer instinct mark him as one to keep an eye on.
