By Keith Idec
Jose Peralta would just as soon forget about Saturday night.
Not only did the junior welterweight prospect from Passaic suffer a fracture in his right hand during a split-decision victory over Sammy Santana, he lost out on a huge opportunity.
Had Peralta escaped the tougher-than-expected, six-round bout unscathed, his handlers had arranged to send him to work with Manny Pacquiao during Pacquiao’s training camp for his June 9 welterweight title fight against Timothy Bradley in Las Vegas.
Peralta, 21, would’ve been one of Pacquiao’s sparring partners for nearly two months, mostly at trainer Freddie Roach’s Wild Card Gym in Hollywood, Calif. He is instead out indefinitely and won’t return to action June 1 in Bethlehem, Pa., as had been tentatively scheduled.
Peralta, a native of San Juan, Puerto Rico, who’s promoted by Totowa-based Main Events, defeated Puerto Rico’s Santana by split decision (59-55, 58-56, 55-59).