By Ronnie Nathanielsz
WBO bantamweight champion Gerry Penalosa gets nowhere near the attention that Filipino boxing icon Manny Pacquiao receives at the Wild Card Gym of celebrated three-time “Trainer of the Year” Freddie Roach but those who work with him say he is in amazing shape for his April 25 battle with WBO super bantamweight champion Juan Manuel “Juanma” Lopez.
With some three weeks to go before he climbs into the ring in Puerto Rico to take on hometown hero and undefeated KO artist “Juanma” Lopez continues to spar with a variety of fighters in preparation for undoubtedly the biggest challenge of his career.
Conditioning expert Alex Ariza who was instructed by Roach to work with Penalosa besides Pacquiao told us that the 36 year old southpaw was “one of the strongest runners I can honestly say I’ve ever seen. That guy is something special.
Ariza said he took Penalosa to the Santa Monica stairs yesterday morning which had 200 flights of stairs which is where British lightweight Amir Khan trained for his fight against Mexican legend Marco Antonio Barrera. He said Penalosa did the routine nine times until Ariza asked him to stop although he could have done more.
Ariza said Penalosa “looked great” even in sparring Thursday when he went four rounds with a taller lightweight with Penalosa working on his defense and occasionally exploding with combinations.
Penalosa’s manager Billy Keane said he was pleased with Penalosa’s condition and believes “Juanma” may be in for a big surprise on fight night.
The venue will be the 13,000 capacity Coliseo Ruben Rodriguez in Bayamon which is one of the biggest indoor sporting arenas in Puerto Rico .
The Penalosa-Lopez title fight will be telecast in the Philippines by Solar Sports as one of three blockbuster weekends beginning with the "Fast and Furious" headlined by IBF/IBO champion Nonito "The Filipino Flash" Donaire's title defense against undefeated Raul "Cobra" Martinez on April 19, followed by the Penalosa-Lopez title fight on April 26 Manila TNime and the Manny Pacquiao-Ricky Hatton showdown on Sunday, May over Solar Sports and GMA 7.
