Next up: Gerry Pe?alosa.
The spotlight is now on Pe?alosa as the 36-year-old veteran tries to make it three-for-three for Filipino boxers gunning for world titles in a span of two weeks.
Pe?alosa, current owner of the WBO bantam belt, challenges unbeaten Puerto Rican Juan Manuel Lopez for the WBO superbantam strap on Saturday (Sunday in Manila) at the latter?s own hometown in Bayamon, Puerto Rico.
Known for his durability and technical skills, ?Fearless” Pe?alosa (54-6-2) has his hands full against the 25-year-old Lopez (24-0, 22 KOs), who has vowed to send the Filipino down for the first time in his illustrious career.
But Pe?alosa believes he can get the job done against the favored Lopez.
?They say I?m old and my days are numbered?then we?ll see in this fight with Lopez,” Pe?alosa said in an interview with Filipino scribe Dennis Principe. ?I know he is a tough fighter and fights toe-to-toe but I think he is still young. At this stage of our careers, I feel I am capable of beating him.”
Trainer Freddie Roach agreed.
?I believe Gerry has a good shot of beating Lopez. Lopez is strong but Gerry is smart so we’ll see,” Roach said in a report at PhilBoxing.com.
Roach, who will leave the training camp of another prized pupil, Manny Pacquiao, to be at Pe?alosa?s corner, noted that the longer the fight takes, the better the Pinoy ageless warrior?s chance of pulling off a W.
?We’ll fight our fight and after the 5th round, he’s ours,” he said.
Lopez, however, countered that a long fight would be to his advantage as it would give him more time to inflict punishing blows on his rival.
?Though a lot of people believe that the longer it lasts, the worst it is for me, I think that as the rounds go by, it will be worst for him. Since he receives so many punches as the rounds go by, he is going to get hurt. I don?t think this fight will go the distance. I believe this fight will end by knock out,” Lopez told Boxeo Mundial.
Lopez added that Pe?alosa would not be able to handle his speed and power.
?I believe it?s going to be my hand speed primarily; also my ring generalship and waist movements. Above all since he receives so many shots, we?re going to have the ability to land our straight left and right hook. Those are punches he gets hit with often and they are part of my arsenal. I believe those punches are going to do a lot of damage to him,” Lopez said.
?He lasted against Ponce de Leon and Johny Gonzales, but they?re both fighters with styles different than mine. They?re not boxers that land their punches with the speed and power than I do,” he added.
Pe?alosa makes his title bid exactly a week after Donaire successfully defended his IBF flyweight title with a 4th round TKO of Raul Martinez and Viloria snared the IBF light fly crown with an 11th round TKO of erstwhile champ Ulises Solis at the Araneta Coliseum.
The fourth Filipino fighter and the biggest of them all – Pacquiao – will get his turn on May 2 against Ring Magazine and IBO junior welterweight kingpin Ricky Hatton.
