Gerry faces stiff odds in title bid

Gerry Peñalosa said yesterday he’s not intimidated by World Boxing Organization superbantamweight champion Daniel Ponce de Leon’s knockout record and expressed confidence he will dethrone the hard-hitting Mexican in their 12-round title bout at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on March 17.

Peñalosa, 34, said he knows the odds are stacked against him but with time running out, it’s a chance he has to take to win another world crown. The heaviest he has scaled for a fight was 119 pounds and the superbantamweight limit is 122.

De Leon, 26, boasts a 30-1 record, with 28 KOs — nine in the first round. Since winning the vacant title, he has turned back three challengers, all by knockout. His only loss was a decision to Celestino Caballero two years ago. De Leon has won his last six bouts.

Peñalosa, a southpaw like de Leon, leaves alone for Los Angeles to train at the Wild Card Gym tomorrow. He hopes to be joined in two weeks by brother Jonathan and sparmate Mike Farenas who are applying for US visas.

Peñalosa said he watched de Leon stop Al Seeger in a title defense in El Paso last October. The San Carlos City fighter halted Mauricio Martinez of Panama in the undercard.

"Freddie (Roach) and I watched de Leon closely when he fought Seeger," said Peñalosa in Pilipino. "I told Freddie I want to fight that guy. He can punch but he has no skills. I think I can beat him easy. So I asked him to arrange the fight for me. Since I can’t get the two bantamweight champions (Rafael Marquez and Jhonny Gonzalez) to fight me, I’ll just go for de Leon."

A week ago, Roach phoned from Los Angeles and told Peñalosa if he wanted to fight de Leon, he could make it happen.

"It’s what I’ve been waiting for," said Peñalosa. "But I asked Freddie for time to think it over. I promised to get back to him in three days. I called up Mr. (Tony) Aldeguer and Attorney (Rudy) Salud, who have supported me all these years, for their advice and blessing. They warned me about de Leon being bigger and stronger. Still, I think I have a big chance of winning. I’m determined. I can’t wait any longer for another title shot."

It didn’t take Peñalosa three days to call back Roach. After a day, he phoned to confirm the fight.

Peñalosa said it will be his second of five bouts in 18 months under Golden Boy Promotions. Each match has a guaranteed purse of at least $30,000. But Peñalosa said Roach mentioned he will not receive less than $50,000 plus a share of pay-per-view net revenues. He said the Philippine TV rights are not his for the asking because he’s not in the main event and Golden Boy has preference. The main event will feature Marco Antonio Barrera defending his World Boxing Council (WBC) superfeatherweight crown against Juan Manuel Marquez.

"This is good exposure for me being in the top supporting fight under Barrera-Marquez," said Peñalosa. "After de Leon, I will go back to 118 pounds and do two or three more fights, hopefully with a world title at stake. I’ll be ready for de Leon. If I train hard, I know I can beat him. Right now, I weigh 130 pounds so I don’t have to reduce so much. I’ve been training the last three weeks and sparred thrice. My wife Goody and our two children will join me five days before the fight."

Peñalosa once held the WBC superflyweight title and has a record of 51-5-2, with 34 KOs. He has won his last five fights and his five losses were all on points, four by split decision.