Make or break

For Gerry Peñalosa, there will be no tomorrow if he loses to World Boxing Council (WBC) superflyweight champion Masamori Tokuyama at the Osaka Castle Hall tonight.

That’s putting it mildly. What’s at stake for Peñalosa isn’t just the title. What’s on the line is his future as a fighter.

Peñalosa’s manager Rudy Salud has done everything imaginable to give the fighter an opportunity to reclaim the WBC crown he once held. This is, in fact, his third chance to regain the throne. If Peñalosa loses tonight, it’s strike three and he’s out.

But Peñalosa isn’t thinking of losing. To him, that’s not in the realm of the possible. Peñalosa is confident of beating Tokuyama. He knows what he did wrong in their first meeting. He knows what he could’ve done to win but didn’t. Not that he deserved to lose. Tokuyama won a unanimous decision but if the Japanese transplant from North Korea had been slapped a deduction for repeated headbutting and referee John O’Connell counted a clear knockdown instead of a slip, Peñalosa would’ve eked out a split verdict. That’s how close it was.

For Salud, it’s now or never. He’ll withdraw as Peñalosa’s manager if Tokuyama wins. If Peñalosa wants to continue fighting in the event he loses tonight, Salud won’t get in his way but there will be a sure parting of ways.

Peñalosa said when he trained at Freddie Roach’s Wild Card Gym in Hollywood for five weeks, defense was not in the agenda. Roach wasn’t concerned about Tokuyama’s offense. What he concentrated on was teaching Peñalosa how to attack and stop Tokuyama from moving around.

At the Wild Card Gym, Peñalosa vented his frustrations on sparmates. He banged away at Carlos Madrigal, Jose Navarro and Akihiko Nago, leaving them battered and bruised. Nago, who lost a decision to Tokuyama, said there’s no doubt in his mind Peñalosa is a better fighter than the North Korean.

Another Roach protégé Brian Viloria, a Hawaiian flyweight of Filipino descent, had his turn sparring with Peñalosa and couldn’t cope. Peñalosa held back his punches but pressured Viloria from the first bell.

Whenever Peñalosa sparred, the gym filled up with spectators. Word had spread of Peñalosa’s skills and Hollywood fight fans trooped to Roach’s facility to watch the Filipino in action. Roach said he was scared that Peñalosa would kill somebody because he was so focused in his work.

In Hollywood, Peñalosa did nothing but train. He woke up at six every morning, ran for 45 minutes before breakfast, napped, worked out in the gym in the afternoon, and slept early each night. The routine was boring but that was Peñalosa’s sacrifice. He didn’t go to Hollywood to see the stars. He was there to prepare for war, nothing else.

The original plan was for Peñalosa to fly to Osaka straight from Hollywood with Roach and brother Erbing. But when his father died, the plan changed.

Peñalosa spoke to his father Carl in an overseas call the day before he passed away. The day of his death, Peñalosa phoned asking to speak to his father but nobody could break the news. It took two more days before finally, Peñalosa was told his father was gone.

Peñalosa then asked Roach if he could go home for the funeral. Roach assessed Peñalosa’s progress, saw he was safely on track, and gave his go-signal. Peñalosa promised not to sleep late and continue working out in Manila.

Peñalosa said while he would’ve wanted to see his father alive after fighting Tokuyama, the death won’t dampen his spirits. If at all, it will inspire him to fight harder because he knows his father will be in Osaka, too. It was his father’s dying wish for his son to win back the world title.

Roach, quoted by writer Fiona Manning in the website boxingtalk.net, spoke about Peñalosa: "He has this calm, this controlled rage. He is the best boxer in the gym. He is an amazing technician and truly talented fighter. I think the younger guys are learning when you have this anger, you can’t get emotional. You have to focus it, you have to control it. You have to fight smart, the smart fighter is the one who is going to win. When Gerry came to me, he was willing to learn, willing to go through anything to get back his championship. That’s another thing he has taught the other fighters here. When you lose a fight, especially when you’re robbed of a decision, you want to kill everybody. A good champion just gets back in the gym. That’s what it’s all about."

Peñalosa said he often conferred with Roach on strategy and tactics when not working out. Once, he asked him how to stop Tokuyama from moving to his right. Roach watched the tape of the North Korean fighting then came back with a plan that’s sure to work. Peñalosa wouldn’t divulge the details of Roach’s plan which he said is top secret.

Peñalosa told Fiona that he will not rely on the judges and hope to win on points. "What I have to do is to knock him out," he said. "That’s what we have been preparing for. I have been working on my strength, speed and my power. I have to box, box, box, box. Then I have to knock him out."

Tokuyama, making his sixth title defense since wresting the crown from In Joo Cho two years ago, isn’t easy to hit. He’s as slippery as an eel. He’s taller and rangier than Peñalosa. He’ll use his jab to stave off the Filipino. But if Peñalosa is as prepared as he claimed he is, there’s no way he won’t be back without the belt.

Roach will accompany Peñalosa back to Manila if he wins. His brother Pepper was here for Manny Pacquiao’s fight against Fahprakorb Rakkiat-Gym last October. When he returned to the US, Pepper spoke lavishly of the Philippines and the warm hospitality he got. Now, every trainer at the Wild Card Gym wants to come to the Philippines. That’s extra motivation for Roach who was promised a ticket to fly here only if Peñalosa prevails.

The fight will be shown at 9 p.m. tonight on IBC-13 with Pagcor as main presentor and San Miguel Beer as major sponsor.

Postscript. More prizes for our Christmas contest. From Philippine Basketball League (PBL) chairman Chino Trinidad, a Konica camera. From Sta. Lucia Realty’s Buddy Encarnado, a P5,000 gift certificate. From And 1, eight Kevin Garnett CD-ROMs, not yet available in the market. From Adidas, gym bags and socks. From Purefoods, six gift packs valued at P500 each. There’s much, much more like two Motorola cellphones from Talk ‘N’ Text, equipment from Nike, apparel from No Fear, Coleman jugs from Alaska, Agra film, Red Bull, San Miguel products, Shark, an Accel travel bag from the PBL, pizza from Little Caesar’s, ball and shirts from Dunlop, magazines from Emerald Headway, and gifts from the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). Write your name, address and telephone number on each entry and your answers to these questions:

1. Who will be the PBA’s MVP this year?

2. Who will win the All-Filipino Cup? One entry, one envelope. Send as many entries as you wish to "The X’Mas Treat," A Sporting Chance, 13th and Railroad Streets, Port Area, Metro Manila. Deadline for entries is tomorrow, Dec. 21, or the day before Game 3 of the All-Filipino Finals. We will pick 26 lucky winners. Join now.