Rough road for Pinoys in undercard

MANILA, Philippines - Three Filipinos are booked to see action in the Manny Pacquiao-Juan Manuel Marquez undercard at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas this morning (Manila time) and they’re all itching for a big win. Two are underdogs and only Dodie Boy Peñalosa Jr. is favored to pull through but in boxing, anything can happen and one punch is all it takes to turn a fight around.

Peñalosa, 20, totes a 9-0 record, with 9 KOs, and is making his US debut against Florida’s Jesus Lule in an eight-rounder. Peñalosa’s father Dodie Boy Sr. and uncle Gerry are both in Las Vegas, supervising his workouts with Buboy Fernandez, Nonoy Neri and Bobby Jalnaiz.  Peñalosa hasn’t been tested and seven of his nine KOs came inside three rounds. Lule, 28, has won five in a row although his record is an unimpressive 6-4, with 1 KO. If Peñalosa isn’t careful, he might be in for a surprise against Lule. Against Doniel Marcos last October, Peñalosa got off the canvas to post a third round stoppage so while he showed recuperative powers, his defense seemed a little shaky. Whether Peñalosa is up to the task will be known when he battles Lule. 

The two other Filipinos in the undercard are facing stiff odds. Mercito Gesta, 25, is challenging IBF lightweight champion Miguel Vazquez and it’s his first taste of quality opposition. Gesta has racked up an unbeaten record of 26-0-1 with 14 KOs and since relocating to the US, he’s been on a hot streak. The problem is Gesta hasn’t been severely tested by big-name opponents.

Fernandez, who is Pacquiao’s second-in-command after Freddie Roach in his corner, said Gesta has what it takes to win a world title but couldn’t comment on his chances because the Cebu southpaw trains in San Diego and Big Bear with Vince Parra. “He’s the one fighter MP Promotions should’ve kept but he slipped away,” said Fernandez. “But he’s up against a clever and awkward fighter, very tall, very rangy. This is his time, he’s got the opportunity. Now, it’s up to him to show what he has.”

Parra said he’s waited years for Gesta to get a title crack and now that it’s here, the battlecry is go for broke. Vazquez, 25, has a 32-3 record, with 13 KOs, and is making his fifth championship defense. His only losses were to Saul (Canelo) Alvarez twice and to Timothy Bradley – all on points. While Vazquez is used to battling top talent, he looked mediocre in hacking out a split decision over Marvin Quintero in New York last October. If Gesta catches Vazquez on a bad night, the Philippines will crown a new world champion.

Doug Fischer, writing in The Ring Magazine, named Gesta as one of 10 fighters ready to make a major breakthrough this year. He described Gesta as a “southpaw speed demon…with a flamboyant style.” Fischer listed Gesta’s strengths as “excellent hand and foot speed, power left, sharp jab, strong body punching, good footwork and killer instinct” and weaknesses as “sporadic offense, occasional lapses in focus, sometimes waits too much.”

Then there is Michael Fareñas who faces former WBA/IBF featherweight champion Yuriorkis Gamboa in a 12-rounder for the interim IBF superfeatherweight crown. Fareñas, 28, is a unidimensional slugger whose intent is to destruct and destroy. The question is whether he can land on Gamboa, a sleek Cuban who struck gold as a flyweight in the 2004 Olympics. Gamboa, 30, is coming off a 14-month layoff and Fareñas hopes the rust will muddle his timing. 

“If Michael connects, it’s over for Gamboa,” said Jalnaiz, a two-time Olympian who moved to the US from Cagayan de Oro last August with his wife Joy and their three children Asian Marie, 20, Roberto Jr., 15 and Rafael, 14. “Michael has to pressure Gamboa and not give him space to move around.” Jalnaiz’ inputs in the gym have come in handy as like Gamboa, he’s an Olympic veteran. 

“Dapat sagasaan ni Fareñas si Gamboa,” said Fernandez who will work his corner. “It’s a long shot because Gamboa is a great boxer who also hits hard. Farenas can’t afford to wait. As soon as the referee calls them together, Farenas must jump in and land the first punch. He has a chance but a slim chance. The only way he can win is to score a knockout.”

Gerry Peñalosa, who manages Farenas, said Gamboa’s glass jaw will crumble to pieces. “Gamboa hasn’t fought in over a year and he’s fighting as a superfeatherweight for the first time so we don’t know how the extra pounds will affect his movement,” said Peñalosa. “We’re ready for Gamboa. Michael was a late substitute for Gamboa whose original opponent backed out. But we knew all along Michael would fight in the undercard, we just didn’t know against whom until Top Rank offered us Gamboa. We negotiated for a $70,000 purse and signed the contract.”