WITH his right hand still swollen, World
Boxing Organization bantamweight champion Gerry Penalosa will
not be able to fight in the under card of the Shane Mosley-Zab
Judah slugfest on May 31 at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.
On the advice of Dr. Butch Penamante, the
family physician of the Penalosas, the two-time world champion
needs to rest to enable his right hand, which he injured while
training for his recent fight against Thai Ratanachai Sor
Vorapin, to heal.
The 35-year-old Filipino hurt his hand in a
sparring session with former world champion Kevin Kelly while
training in Las Vegas more than a month before his successful
title defense against Vorapin at the Araneta Coliseum.
Penalosa said he hasn’t told about his
decision to American manager Billy Keane.
"Hindi ko pa na-inform `yung American
manager ko tungkol sa desisyon ko. Pero sa advice nga ng
doctor ko i-pahinga ko raw muna ang kamay ko kasi medyo maga
pa hanggang ngayon," Penalosa revealed in yesterday’s Scoop
session at Kamayan Restaurant on Padre Faura St.
The rest, according to Penalosa, should
augur well for him should his looming rematch with WBO
super-bantamweight king Daniel Ponce de Leon finally push
through in August.
"Mas magandang maka-pahinga para maganda
ang kundisyon natin against Ponce de Leon," added the
soft-spoken champion in the session sponsored by Accel.
"Pero depende rin sa kalalabasan ng laban
niya (Ponce de Leon), although ang alam ko pumayag na siyang
mag-laban kami ulit," Penalosa said.
Ponce de Leon (34-1, 30 knockouts) stakes
his 122-pound belt against Juan Manuel Lopez of Puerto Rico on
June 7 at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
Penalosa lost a unanimous decision to the
fearsome Mexican when he challenged the WBO champion last year
in Las Vegas, Nevada.
"Kung manalo siya (Ponce de Leon), baka masama kami sa
undercard ng rematch ni Oscar Dela Hoya and Floyd Mayweather
Jr," said Penalosa, who is under the Golden Boy Promotions,
the boxing outfit owned by Dela Hoya.
