By Ronnie Nathanielsz
Former WBC super flyweight champion Gerry Penalosa will fight Colombia’s Reynaldo Hurtado Arendo after all in the main event on ESPN’s popular Friday Night Fights in Lynn, Massachusetts on June 10.
Boxing man Akbar Muhammad informed Viva Sports/Manila Standard Today that Hurtado who pulled out at the last minute in a fight scheduled a few weeks ago just hours before the weigh in prompting a disappointed Penalosa to consider returning home, signed the contract to fight Penalosa confirming the fight would go on.
Penalosa who has been training under 2002 “Trainer of the Year” Buddy McGirt, a former two division world champion, has been eagerly looking forward to the fight although he did show concern over the fact that Hurtado’s listed height is 5’11”. Penalosa has a record of 48-5-2 with 33 knockouts and is hoping to win and clinch a spot on the undercard of the WBC featherweight title fight between champion Injin Chi and mandatory challenger Rocky Juarez in August.
International promoter Murad Muhammad who is handling Penalosa’s career in the US has promised Penalosa and OPBF super flyweight contender Z “The Dream” Gorres who also trained for several months under McGirt in Orlando, Florida, a spot on the Injin Chi-Juarez undercard.
Hurtado who is nicknamed “El Doberman” last fought on September 3, 2004 when he lost by a seventh round KO to former world champion Fernando Montiel after earlier losing a unanimous decision to Jose Navarro in a battle for the vacant IBA super flyweight title. Penalosa won the WBF super flyweight title with a seventh round KO over a badly overmatched Thai fighter Bangsaen Sithpraporn.
