MANILA, Philippines – After training over three weeks in Baguio City together, WBO bantamweight champion Gerry Pe?alosa and IBF flyweight titleholder Nonito Donaire Jr. will go separate ways in preparing for the fights of their lives.
Pe?alosa, 36, left last night for Los Angeles with brother Jonathan to set up camp at the Wild Card Gym. He?s getting ready to challenge unbeaten WBO superbantamweight king Juan Manuel Lopez at the Coliseo Ruben Rodriguez in Bayamon, Puerto Rico, on April 25.
Donaire, 26, returned to Baguio City last night with wife Rachel, Pe?alosa?s brother Dodie Boy and sparmates Marvin Tampos and Junel Molawin. He will continue training at the Cooyesan Plaza Hotel on Naguilian Road until about a week before his defense against undefeated Raul (Cobra) Martinez at the Araneta Coliseum on April 19.
They won?t be at ringside for each other?s fights but Pe?alosa and Donaire promised to stay connected in spirit. After their bouts, they?ll rendezvous in Las Vegas to watch Manny Pacquiao?s fight against Ricky Hatton on May 2.
Pe?alosa was busy working out in Cubao yesterday afternoon and his wife Goody said he?s been back in the gym three days after outpointing Mexico?s German Meraz in a tune-up in Cebu last Feb. 21.
?Gerry?s very excited and very confident,? said Goody. ?I haven?t seen him work so hard. He?s doing double practice. He knows Lopez is a tough opponent. But Gerry has a plan and he thinks he can bring back the title.?
Pe?alosa is shooting for his third world crown after the WBC superflyweight and WBO bantamweight titles. If he dethrones Lopez, Pe?alosa will be only the second Filipino to win more than two world championships in different divisions. The other is Pacquiao.
Pe?alosa will rely on his vast experience and boxing skills in trying to neutralize Lopez? bulldozing attack. Lopez was only five years old when Pe?alosa turned pro in 1989. Pe?alosa?s record is 54-6-2, with 36 KOs. He has logged 38 more bouts than Lopez who has a 24-0 slate, with 22 KOs.
Pe?alosa is scheduled to take a trip to Puerto Rico for a press conference tomorrow and will stay another day for a public preview before flying back to Los Angeles on Saturday. Former world heavyweight champion Michael Moorer, a southpaw, will supervise Pe?alosa?s training at the Wild Card Gym in Freddie Roach?s absence. Roach is in London for Amir Khan?s fight against Marco Antonio Barrera and is expected back in Los Angeles on Tuesday.
Pe?alosa?s prot?g? Michael Farrenas will fly to Los Angeles on Sunday to join the camp. He will be Pe?alosa?s primary sparring partner for Lopez because of their similar come-forward styles.
Goody will join Pe?alosa in Los Angeles three weeks before the fight.
As for Donaire, he said he?s ready to go against Martinez. Although the fight has been reset from March 14 to 22 and now, April 19, Donaire said the delay won?t matter.
?My weight is around 122 to 124 so I?m right on schedule to make 112,? said Donaire. ?For a while, I didn?t know if the fight was still pushing through. But I met with the Solar executives and they?ve assured me it?s a go. I?ve also signed a contract with Top Rank and received a good faith advance of my purse so it looks like the deal is sealed.? Donaire said his manager Cameron Dunkin conferred with Top Rank chairman Bob Arum and Solar chief operating officer Peter Chanliong to pin down a date for the fight and they agreed to postpone it to April 19. The delay will give the promoters more time to market the project.
A plan to go to the US and book a tune-up fight was scuttled after Dunkin clarified issues with Arum and Chanliong.
?We had a good talk with Junjun,? said Solar vice president Jude Turcuato. ?I think after talking to everyone, he realized we?re still his best shot at getting the fight done. We also advanced money as good faith that we?re committed to getting it done.?
An attempt was supposedly made by a newspaper reporter with vested interests to convince Donaire to shift to a rival TV network but the submarine effort went for naught. The writer had previously reported that the Donaire fight was off even as Solar had given a 100 percent assurance to get it done.
