The close to nine-year wait for a world title had to end somewhere for grizzled ring warrior Gerry Peñalosa, 35. In between those trying years, the southpaw from San Carlos City went on a heartache-induced two-year sabbatical, returned to the ring with aplomb, before he was once again stopped on his tracks in his daring foray in the tough 122-lbs division. Yesterday, he finally got what he had longed for since losing the WBC flyweight crown in January 2000.
"Oh my God. Thank you Lord!," Peñalosa exclaimed as he basked in the glory of his seven-round conquest of Mexican Jhonny Gonzalez in their World Boxing Organization bantamweight (118-lbs.) title fight in Sacramento, California Saturday night (Sunday morning in the Philippines). The San Carlos City-born pug unleashed a mind-boggling left body shot to Gonzalez, dropping the Mexican to the canvass for good at the 2:35 mark of round seven.
Peñalosa was trailing in the judges' scorecards up until that point in a slow, tactical fight, where the Mexican champion utilized his jabs as he fought from a distance. At the start of the seventh round, Peñalosa got winded by a Gonzalez body shot.
But the Negrense's resilience that characterized the most part of his 18-year career came to the fore, providing a victorious ending to a long, arduous journey back to the pinnacle of the sport. "Gerry Peñalosa has shown remarkable courage and skill in winning his title," President Gloria Arroyo said in a statement.
The win improved Peñalosa's record to 56-6-2 (35 KOs).
"I made a mistake," Gonzalez said in a report posted at maxboxing.com. "I dropped my right hand and he hit me with a beautiful body shot. The pain was so great, I couldn't get up," he added. "I want a rematch, but at 122 pounds. I'm too weak at 118 pounds these days," the Mexican said.
Peñalosa, who yielded the WBC super flyweight crown to South Korean In Joo-Cho in Jan. 1, 2001 in Seoul, proved to be the biggest star on a night when four other Filipino fighters prevailed over Mexicans in a team-styled card dubbed the World Cup of Boxing.
Rey "Boom Boom" Bautista's shocking knockout loss at the hands of Daniel Ponce De Leon was the lone dark spot for the Filipinos' campaign.
Despite Bautista's loss, the Filipino crew goes home with the crown and the $500,000 gem-studded trophy, beating the Mexicans, 5-1.