Peñalosa outpoints Andrade, captures NABF title

It wasn’t an impressive showing as Gerry Peñalosa bucked a bad cut over the left eye and a swollen left hand to score a unanimous 12-round decision over Oscar (Pajarito) Andrade of Mexico at the Feather Falls Casino in Oroville, 70 miles from Sacramento, California, last Friday night.

Peñalosa, 30, appeared sluggish in wresting the North American Boxing Federation (NABF) superflyweight crown but was hardly threatened by the rugged Andrade. An accidental headbutt opened a deep wound over Peñalosa’s left eye in the eighth round and it was the only damage Andrade wrought.

Ring scholar Joe Koizumi reported that the judges’ scorecards weren’t close–119-109, 117-112, and 115-113. Koizumi corrected an early report by Steve Roper in the website fightnews.com that Andrade beat Peñalosa in an upset to retain the NABF title. Koizumi, who is in Tokyo, said he received a telephone report on the fight and confirmed that Peñalosa won. Koizumi told fightnews.com to correct Roper’s report to save its reputation. Koizumi has an interest in Peñalosa because he is the matchmaker of the Nov. 8 bout between the Filipino and World Boxing Council (WBC) superflyweight champion Masamori Tokuyama in Osaka

Peñalosa’s wife Goody, who is in Manila, told The STAR yesterday that she spoke to her husband on overseas phone in the dressing room as a doctor stitched his cut minutes after the fight. She said Peñalosa complained of pain from the cut and the swollen hand. He usually doesn’t complain of pain, she noted, so the cut and the swelling had to be severe. She said several Filipinos were at ringside to cheer for Peñalosa. The crowd included lawyer Rudy Salud and his son Chito, former Rep. Luis Asistio, promoter Rod Nazario, and International Boxing Federation (IBF) superbantamweight champion Manny Pacquiao.

Salud’s son Chito phoned his mother Pampin in Manila to confirm Peñalosa’s win. He indicated that Peñalosa had to do a lot more training under Freddie Roach to beat Tokuyama in November.

Peñalosa and his entourage drove back in three cars to Los Angeles after the fight in Oroville.

Peñalosa was paid $5,000 for the fight. He will face another opponent in the US before returning home to be reunited with his family in August.