Gerry Penalosa Continues To Wait on Juan Manuel Lopez

By Ronnie Nathanielsz

The waiting game continues for WBO bantamweight champion Gerry Penalosa who hasn’t received his contract as yet for his scheduled title fight against WBO super bantamweight champion Juan Manuel "Juanma” Lopez set for April 25 in Puerto Rico..

Penalosa’s manager Billy Keane told BoxingScene.com, insidesports.ph, Standard Today and Viva Sports from Los Angeles “ I spoke to Bob (Arum) today and he told me the contract would come over on Monday or Tuesday, so we’ll see.”

Arum who promotes the Puerto Rican sensation Lopez who won the title with a stunning first round KO of Daniel Ponce De Leon told us last week that Keane would receive the contract in one or two days and the details would be finalized this week. Arum told us “we are ready to do the fight. I will get a contract to Billy Keane (Penalosa’s manager) and he’s going to get it to Penalosa, hopefully by Friday.”

But it didn’t arrive and Keane told us he didn’t know what was going on even as he claimed that Juanma Lopez hadn’t signed the contract which was holding things up.

Keane said that should Penalosa beat Lopez  “he’ll be fine but if he loses he needs to go right back down and fight the winner of Fernando Montiel (38-2-1, 28 KO’s) vs Eric Morel (40-2, 21 KO’s)” who clash for the WBO bantamweight interim title on March 28 in Tijuana, Mexico.

Morel was the mandatory challenger for Penalosa’s title but since the Filipino was moving up to challenge Lopez and the 29 year old  Montiel was relinquishing his WBO super flyweight title and up to bantamweight since he couldn’t make the 115 pound limit, the interim tile fight against the 33 year old Morel was approved by WBO president Francisco “Paco” Valcarcel with Penalosa mandated to defend his title against the winner.

Meantime, Penalosa continues training in Baguio City along with IBF/IBO flyweight champion Nonito “The Filipino Flash” Donaire who will defend his title against undefeated Raul “Cobra” Martinez at the Araneta Coliseum on March 22 in a card that will also feature former WBC lightweight champion Brian Viloria in a title fight against reigning IBF champion Ulises Solis.

Keane also told us that should WBC/WBA/IBF super flyweight champion Vic Darchinyan who scored an 11th round TKO victory over Mexican warrior Jorge Arce wish to move up and fight Penalosa, the veteran Filipino southpaw “would knock Darchinyan out.”