Peñalosa faces ex-WBA champ

A flamboyant former world champion who fancies himself as the Japanese version of Naseem Hamed is next on Gerry Peñalosa’s plate.

Peñalosa stakes his World Boxing Council (WBC) International superflyweight title and No. 1 rating against Keiji (Prince) Yamaguchi on May 5 at the Araneta Coliseum in a blockbuster card promoted by Viva head honcho Vic del Rosario.

Peñalosa’s manager Rudy Salud confirmed the match yesterday.

Salud said he’s not waiting for WBC President Jose Sulaiman to decide on whether or not to sanction WBC 115-pound titlist Masamori Tokuyama’s defense against In Joo Choo on May 20 despite his protest.

Earlier, Salud agreed to postpone Peñalosa’s mandatory challenge because Tokuyama was to face Cho in Pyongyang, a historic first in boxing history as no title fight has ever been held in North Korea. But when news leaked that the fight would be staged in Seoul instead, Salud objected, arguing that his reason for stepping aside was no longer valid.

But as Cho’s manager Ku Sung Lee has the option to Tokuyama’s next defense, it is likely the WBC will sanction the Seoul bout on condition the winner must put the crown on the block against the No. 1 contender within 90 days.

So Peñalosa can’t afford to lose to Yamaguchi. A loss will erase his hopes of regaining the title he lost to Cho on a disputed split decision in 1998.

Salud said regardless of Sulaiman’s decision, Peñalosa will definitely fight Yamaguchi. "If Sulaiman decides to scrap the Tokuyama fight against Cho and orders a mandatory defense against Gerry, we’ll go for it — anytime, any place even if it’s the day after Gerry fights Yamaguchi," added Salud.

Peñalosa arrived in Manila last Friday from his Davao home to begin training for Yamaguchi. His weight is up to 124 pounds but under nutritionist Dr. Sanirose Orbeta’s guidance, he shouldn’t find it difficult to hit 115 for the fight.

Yesterday, Peñalosa went to the gym for a light workout. He starts heavy training and sparring in two weeks.

Yamaguchi, 27, has a record of 29-6-1, with 11 KOs, compared to Peñalosa’s mark of 42-3-2, with 26 KOs. Yamaguchi’s list of victims includes a dozen Filipinos, including Lee Escobido, Rudy Idano, Texas (Mug) Gomez, and Jojo Torres. Nine of his 12 Filipino victims survived the distance, indicating the Japanese stylist may not be much of a hard hitter.

In 1996, Yamaguchi became a Japanese hero when he outpointed Carlos Murillo to claim the World Boxing Association (WBA) junior flyweight title. He created a cult image by dying his hair blond, wearing leopard-striped trunks, and calling himself the Prince like Hamed.

Last year, Yamaguchi relocated his training camp to Seoul where he toughened up sparring with hardened Korean gladiators.

Peñalosa, 29, said he’s not taking any chances against the flashy Yamaguchi. He’s scored two straight knockouts since losing another controversial split decision to Cho in a rematch early last year.

There’s no turning back for Peñalosa. No Filipino reigns as world champion today. Peñalosa hopes to do something about that but first, the Prince must fall.