Dodie Boy's revenge

When Nonito Donaire Jr. beat Panama’s Rafael Concepcion for the interim WBA superflyweight title in Las Vegas recently, Dodie Boy Peñalosa was all smiles from ear to ear.

Peñalosa was with younger brother Jonathan and conditioning coach Mike Bazzel in Donaire’s corner but he was clearly the happiest in the team after ring announcer Michael Buffer declared the Filipino Flash the winner on points.

“I finally got my revenge,” beamed the 46-year-old Peñalosa who captured two world titles in different divisions despite handicapped by a limp caused by a shorter and thinner left leg due to polio.

“Concepcion kept boasting that no Filipino has ever beaten a Panamanian in a title fight,” said Peñalosa. “That was when I remembered losing to (Hilario) Zapata in 1986. It was a painful loss because I disappointed the Filipino fans who came to watch at the University of Life stadium. With Nonito’s victory, I now have my revenge on Panama.”

Zapata, one of Panama’s ring legends, flew to Manila to stake his WBA flyweight crown against Peñalosa who moved up to the 112-pound division after destroying three challengers in defending his IBF lightflyweight crown. Peñalosa lost a unanimous 15-round decision.

“I was told Zapata was a fighter, that he would engage,” recalled Peñalosa. “But all he did was run. That was the only way he could beat me because I couldn’t chase him down.”

A year later, Peñalosa went to Inchon and knocked out Hi Sup Shin in the fifth round to capture the IBF flyweight title. He surrendered the throne in his first defense to Chang Ho Choi on an 11th round stoppage at the Araneta Coliseum. Peñalosa then racked up five wins in a row to set up a duel with Dave McAuley for the IBF flyweight diadem at the Wembley Arena in London in 1989.

* * *

“The fight with McAuley was postponed thrice,” related Peñalosa. “I told my manager Wakee Salud to cancel the fight because it was difficult to stay in peak condition after so many delays. I left the gym and stayed in Cebu. But Wakee later picked me up and brought me to Manila. We went to the GAB (Games and Amusements Board) office where I was informed the fight was back on. I told GAB chairman Joe Macachor I wasn’t ready to fight. Then, I was taken to a remote Quezon City hotel so I wouldn’t be accessible to media.”

Before Peñalosa knew it, he was on board a plane for London. He was promised a purse of $10,000 but when the final accounting was done, his take-home amounted to only $3,000.

“I didn’t know about TV rights but someone told me I should’ve gotten a share,” said Peñalosa. “I was surprised I lasted 12 rounds with McAuley who wasn’t really a good fighter. I picked up my training for just a few weeks and arrived in London three days before the fight.”

McAuley defeated Peñalosa by split decision. Filipino judge Pascual Ingusan generously scored it 117-112 for Peñalosa. Danish judge Torben Hansen saw it 119-113 and English judge Dave Parris had it a shutout, 120-109, both for McAuley. Peñalosa didn’t protest the verdict.

Peñalosa continued to fight and strung up six straight wins before dropping a decision to Rolando Bohol, another Filipino world champion, in 1992. He also lost to two more Filipino world titlists Tacy Macalos and Rolando Pascua before hanging up his gloves.

Then, Peñalosa was persuaded to make a comeback in a Cebu promotion where another brother Gerry headlined the main event. It was a promoter’s dream to feature the Peñalosa brothers on the same card. Peñalosa’s opponent was Julius Tarona, known for his unsavory tactics in the ring.

As it turned out, Tarona used every trick not in the book to bully Peñalosa and it sparked a riot in the coliseum. Chairs flew and someone even pulled out a gun as the fans vented their ire on Tarona. Peñalosa’s father Carl, who worked his corner, grabbed Tarona from the back and the Peñalosa brothers, including Dodie Boy, took turns kicking and punching the roughhouser.

The GAB levied stiff penalties on the rioters. Peñalosa’s father was suspended as a trainer for a year. Dodie Boy was slapped a six-year suspension but said he didn’t care. Dodie Boy was finally through with boxing and retired with a record of 31-7-2, with 13 KOs, in 1995. The southpaw had been a pro since 1982.

* * *

There has to be some recognition for Peñalosa in the International Boxing Hall of Fame for his achievements. He was the first Filipino to win more than one world title and campaigned for 13 years to win two world titles despite a major leg handicap.

Today, Dodie Boy keeps busy taking care of his family. His oldest Dodie Boy, 19, is about to turn pro and another son Dave, 17, is an outstanding amateur prospect. His youngest is a daughter.

“My son Dodie Boy trained with the national team in Baguio but it didn’t work out,” said Peñalosa. “He wasn’t picked to fight in the Kings Cup in Bangkok and decided to go back to Cebu. His allowances weren’t coming in regularly, often late and in partial amounts. He’s excited to turn pro and I’m helping him out to make his dream of becoming a world champion come true.”