Round by Round Coverage; World Cup of Boxing

By Rick Reeno

Back in 2003, nobody could have imagined that Manny Pacquiao's eleven-round destruction of Marco Antonio Barrera would jumpstart a competitive rivalry between two countries.

For decades it was the best of Mexico battling the best of Puerto Rico for national pride and geographical bragging rights. On the other side of the fence, the best of the Philippines was staging their own battles for supremacy with the best of Thailand.

After Terence Crawford Feud, Are Sanctioning Bodies Bad For Boxing?

In today’s episode, the crew breaks down one of boxing’s biggest debates after Terence Crawford went on his Instagram to complain about the WBC. Are sanctioning bodies simply part of the game, or have they completely lost control of the sport? We also take a hard look at the Ring title and ask whether it can still be considered legitimate if champions are not required to defend it.

Thursday | Dec 4, 2025

Since the Barrera-Pacquiao battle of 2003, the best boxers from Mexico and the Philippines have focused most of their attention on fighting each other. It's become rare to watch a major boxing card and not see a Filipino fighting a Mexican, or at least one or two fighters from either country being sprinkled on the card.

Unlike America, boxing is a mega-sport in both countries and the fans treat their fighters like movie stars. The fighters involved are not the only individuals to cash in on a good thing. Major promoters like Golden Boy and Top Rank have signed dozens of Filipino and Mexican prospects.

Later tonight, the rivalry between Mexico and the Philippines will continue in the Arco Arena in Sacramento, California. Golden Boy Promotions will pit the best of Mexico against the best of the Philippines in several marquee fights. The country with the most wins at the end of the night will win the coveted "World Cup of Boxing."

In the main event, WBO junior featherweight champion Daniel Ponce De Leon (31-1, 28 KOs) of Chihuahua, Mexico will defend his title against undefeated Rey Bautista (23-0, 17 KOs), from Cebu City, Philippines. Both of these guys can bang and I don't expect this fight to go the distance. If Bautusta wins, the 20-year-old scrapper will certainly live up to the hype as being the next great fighter from the Philippines.

In the opener, WBO bantamweight champion Jhonny Gonzalez (34-5, 29 KOs), from Mexico City, will take on former world champion Gerry Penalosa (51-6-2, 34 KOs), of Manila, Philippines.

Penalosa is a solid veteran with almost 18 years of experience on his back. In his last fight he gave a spirited effort while losing a twelve round decision to Daniel Ponce De Leon. Penalosa drops back down to 118-pounds to challenge one of the best bantamweights in the world. Penalosa is a live underdog, but I wouldn't bet on Gonzalez losing in this one.

Technically, Mexico is defending the World Cup of Boxing as the country won the first annual World Cup by trashing the best of Thailand in 2006

Round by Round Coverage begins at 10:00 PM Eastern Standard Time . Round by Round Coverage is for Registered Users only. Registration is 100% FREE . To register, please CLICK HERE.

Registered users can CLICK HERE to join the live Round by Round Coverage.