MANILA, Philippines – Two-time world boxing champion Gerry Pe?alosa said yesterday there?s no way Mexican warrior Antonio Margarito will defeat Manny Pacquiao in their 12-round bout for the vacant WBC superwelterweight title at the Cowboys Stadium on Nov. 13 because the Filipino icon is just invincible at his prime.
?It?s Manny?s time,? said Pe?alosa. ?He?s the world?s No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter. Nobody can beat him in his division. The key is his quickness. I don?t think Margarito can touch him. He?s too slow for Manny. I?m not worried about his height. Manny has beaten fighters who were taller than him, like Oscar de la Hoya. Manny will turn Margarito into a punching bag.?
Pe?alosa said because Margarito will likely enter the ring outweighing Pacquiao by 10 pounds, he may not go early although it?s a possibility.
?You can?t underestimate Margarito,? said Pe?alosa who?s deep in training for his Oct. 10 farewell appearance against Thailand?s Yodsaenkeng Kietmangnee in Zamboanga City. ?He?s big and tough. But Manny?s a volume power puncher who doesn?t get tired. I think Margarito will get knocked out or the fight will be stopped in the late rounds, between nine and 12 but if Manny catches him early, I wouldn?t be surprised if he stays down. Margarito is perfect for Manny because he likes to come forward. I can just see what will happen. Pupulbusin ni Manny si Margarito. It?s hard to predict what round it will end but you can be sure Margarito isn?t going to win.?
Pe?alosa said he will be at ringside for the fight. A slot has been reserved for his superfeatherweight prot?g? Michael Farenas in the Pacquiao-Margarito program. Farenas will take on Korea?s Jung Hoon Kim in the Pe?alosa-Yodsaenkeng undercard and if he wins convincingly, his reward will be a trip to Dallas. Farenas stopped Indonesia?s Simson Butar Butar at 2:19 of the second round in his most recent outing in Mandaluyong two months ago.
?I?m confident Manny will beat Margarito,? said Pe?alosa. ?Manny will be ready for a hard fight. Whatever Margarito brings to the ring, Manny will be able to handle. I don?t think Margarito has the ability to stop Manny from moving. He?s Manny?s kind of opponent because he?ll go in there to engage, not like (Joshua) Clottey. We?ll see an exciting, action-packed fight.?
Pe?alosa, 38, was offered to fight Mexican Olympian Abner Mares in the Sugar Shane Mosley-Sergio Mora undercard at the Staples Center in Los Angeles last Saturday but turned it down.
?My dream was to retire a world champion,? he said. ?Fighting Mares wouldn?t get me closer to making my dream come true. I wanted (Fernando) Montiel or at least a warrior like Jorge Arce but the big-name fighters stayed away. I don?t know why they?re avoiding me.?
With time catching up on Pe?alosa and a world title shot nowhere in the horizon, Pe?alosa decided to end his career in a fight that he will produce for TV on Oct. 10 with the assistance of Zamboanga Rep. Erbie Fabian. Pe?alosa will not receive a purse for the fight, in the traditional sense; instead, he acquired the TV rights.
?This is definitely my last fight and I want to make it meaningful by giving the earnings to Z Gorres,? said Pe?alosa, referring to the Mandaue contender who survived a brain operation in Las Vegas last year and is now undergoing occupational therapy in Cebu. ?Sen. Lito Lapid is supporting the project. We want to help our boxers after their careers are over. We are timing our project with the celebration of the fiesta of Nuestra Senora La Virgen del Pilar in Zamboanga City.?
Another Filipino favorite in the undercard is lightweight Jimrex Jaca who battles Korea?s Jong Yoon Choi.
Pe?alosa is coming off back-to-back losses to Juan Manuel Lopez in Aguascalientes, Mexico, and Eric Morel in Las Vegas. He has figured in only four fights the last 2 1/2 years. Before losing to Lopez in April last year, Pe?alosa had won three in a row, including a dramatic seventh round disposal of Mexico?s Jhonny Gonzalez for the WBO bantamweight belt. His record is 54-8-2, with 36 KOs.
Yodsaenkeng, 22, was only nine months old when Pe?alosa turned pro in 1989. The former WBC Youth lightflyweight titleholder, nicknamed ?The Robot,? has never been beaten by a Filipino, defeating the three whom he has met ? Ni?o Suelo, Robert Rubillar and Richard Garcia. His record is 12-2, with eight KOs.
?I love boxing,? said Pe?alosa. ?It?s my life. But I also want to spend more quality time with my wife Goody and two kids. I?ve decided to finally retire and my farewell fight will be against Yodsaenkeng for the benefit of Gorres. It?s the best way I know how to end my career.?
