Mixed emotions

Former World Boxing Council (WBC) superflyweight champion Gerry Peñalosa was both happy and sad when he announced his retirement from the ring in a press conference arranged by his manager Rudy Salud at the Bayview Park Hotel on Roxas Boulevard the other day.

Happy because it meant the end of the anxiety of not knowing if he’ll come out of a fight with his faculties intact.

Sad because he failed to regain the WBC title in three attempts since moving to Salud’s camp in 1999.

Peñalosa, 30, was a picture of mixed emotions as he sat beside wife Goody, explaining his decision which came as no surprise to grizzled boxing scribes. He said the time had come to hang up his gloves because he felt it in his bones even if the urge to continue lingered in his mind.

A week after Peñalosa lost to Masamori Tokuyama in his third foiled bid to recapture the WBC crown in Osaka last Dec. 20, the San Carlos City native confessed he was 90 percent sure of calling it quits. What hung in the balance was Salud’s own disposition–Peñalosa withheld his final decision until he found out what Salud thought.

Last Sunday, Peñalosa and his wife visited Salud at his Quezon City home and they spoke for hours. It was an emotional reunion they hadn’t gotten together since arriving from Osaka before the holidays because Peñalosa wanted time off to think things over with his family.

When Salud intimated he had decided to withdraw as manager, it was like a big thorn was pulled out of Peñalosa’s side. That settled the issue.

Holding back his tears, Peñalosa apologized the other day for failing to bring back the world championship to the country. He tried his best, he said, and even if he thought he beat Tokuyama in their rematch, victory proved elusive. To his fans, however, there was no reason to apologize.

Goody said she’ll miss the excitement, tension and pressure of being at her husband’s side before a fight but that’s nothing compared to the consolation of knowing he’s retiring without injuries.

Peñalosa said he owed his career to the three men who guided him to the top of the boxing firmament–Tony Aldeguer, Rex (Wakee) Salud, and Rudy Salud. It was Aldeguer who polished Peñalosa’s skills in his formative years. Wakee Salud brought him to the WBC throne in 1997. And finally, Rudy Salud gave him the opportunity to learn from two of the fight game’s best trainers Alton Merkerson and Freddie Roach and to earn major purses in three world title bouts.

Any regrets? Peñalosa said only one. That was when he was forced to stake his WBC crown against In Joo Cho in Seoul in 1998. Apparently, Peñalosa was not privy to negotiations that his manager Wakee Salud concluded with Cho’s camp. He didn’t think he was ready to fight Cho but had no choice on the matter. Eventually, Peñalosa’s relationship with Salud–Wakee, not Rudy–got strained.

At hindsight, Peñalosa said he doesn’t hold anything against Wakee. "Swerte si Wakee-siya ang nagpapanalo sa akin ng world title," he noted. "Siguro, malaki lang ang tiwala niya sa akin at pumayag siyang ilaban ako kay Cho sa Korea."

In contrast, Peñalosa said his tie-up with Rudy Salud turned out to be not as lucky.

There were tell-tale marks on Peñalosa’s face from the Tokuyama fight as he announced his decision to the press. A cut on his cheek below the right eye was inflicted by a butt and was covered by a small band-aid. Another cut over the corner of his right eyebrow was also opened by a butt. Both cuts required four stitches to sew up. On his skull was a permanent L-shape scar, courtesy of a Tokuyama butt in their first fight.

Salud–Rudy, not Wakee–said he and Peñalosa are not abandoning boxing despite the fighter’s retirement. Salud bared plans of tapping diamonds in the rough and turning them into jewels in a renewed campaign to find a future world champion. Peñalosa will be Salud’s talent scout in the effort.

"Gerry will be going to the South to look for prospects," said Salud. "Freddie (Roach) told me he’s never seen a fighter as skilled as Gerry. So Gerry is the perfect measure of the kind of fighter we want."

Peñalosa said he’ll be on the lookout for fighters between 16 to 18 years old, tall, rangy, big-hearted, and strong–perhaps, in the lightflyweight or flyweight class so they could mature into bantamweights or featherweights. His first order is to seek an appointment with Aldeguer who has a reputation of discovering top-class prospects.

In a previous conversation, Aldeguer said it would be an honor for him to hook up with Salud.

"I am open to any kind of relationship with Rudy," said Aldeguer. "He could take over my fighters whom he would like to bring to Roach or we could work out a partnership agreement. It’s up to him. At the moment, I am taking care of two outstanding amateurs, both teenagers. One is a bantamweight from Bohol and he hits like (Rodel) Mayol. I am also taking care of two unbeaten pros whom I think could go all the way with proper training and guidance."

So it’s not the end of the story for Peñalosa. A chapter in his life has come to a close. But the next chapter is just about to start.