Peñalosa faces Mexican for NABF crown

World Boxing Council International super flyweight champion Gerry Peñalosa battles hard-hitting Mexican Oscar Andrade in a North American Boxing Federation title fight on May 24 at the Feather Falls Casino some 70 miles from Sacramento, California.

Peñalosa, who is rated No. 1 by the WBC, will have two tune-up fights in the US before a mandatory title shot at the world crown currently held by Japan-born North Korean Masamori Tokuyama, according to his manager, lawyer Rudy Salud. Should he beat Andrade, well-known promoter Don Chargin told Salud in an overseas telephone conversation yesterday that he would line up another worthy opponent for Peñalosa by the end of July or early August.

Peñalosa and IBF super bantamweight champion Manny Pacquiao left for Los Angeles last week and are currently training under American ace Freddie Roach at his Wild Card Gym near Hollywood. Salud said that Roach has been "very impressed with Peñalosa" and believes he has what it takes to be a world champion once again.

Peñalosa has been sparring with Carlos Madrigal who lost in his NABF title fight with Andrade via a second round TKO. It was a stunning defeat for Madrigal who went into the title fight with an 18-2 record. Madrigal believes Peñalosa is too good for Andrade.

But Salud and Roach are not taking the Mexican lightly after his April 26 second round KO victory in his first title defense against Jorge Luis Gonzalez who had a solid 13-1 win-loss record. Andrade has also scored impressive victories over undefeated Debind Thapa and knocked out Trinidad Mendoza, another undefeated fighter in eight rounds. Mendoza had earlier been lined up to fight Peñalosa.

A former NABF light flyweight champion, Andrade lost to Alex Sanchez in a WBO minimumweight title fight in Sept. 1994 and also in an IBF minimum weight title fight against Ratanachai Sor Vorapin in Sept. 1996. Andrade has a ring record of 29-21-1 with 17 KO’s while Peñalosa has a record of 44-4-2 with 30 KOs. The 27-year-old Andrade, who stands 5-5, is ranked in the top 10 by the WBC.