Kung hindi makikipag-usap si Gerry Peñalosa, ay nanganganib itong mahubaran ng kanyang world bantamweight crown.
Sa reklamo ni Ivan Rivera, tumatayong manager ni No. 1 contender Eric Morel, hindi sila pinapansin ng 36-anyos na si Peñalosa para ayusin ang pagdedepensa sa suot nitong World Boxing Organization (WBO) bantamweight title.
“We have made several attempts to contact Peñalosa’s team without any success,” ani Rivera. “Penalosa’s team is being very difficult. Morel has earned the right to a title fight. WBO president Francisco ‘Paco’ Valcarcel named Morel the mandatory challenger at the WBO Convention this past November.”
Tangan ni Peñalosa ang 53-6-2 win-loss-draw ring record kasama ang 36 KOs, habang nagdadala naman si Morel ng 40-2 (21 KOs).
Nagbabala si Rivera na kung patuloy silang iiwasan ni Peñalosa ay ipepetisyon nila ang 36-anyos na tubong San Carlos City Cebu sa WBO para pangatawanan ang kanyang mandatory title defense kay Moriel.
“The next course of action is for us to petition the WBO to step in and strip him of his title if he’s not going to honor his mandatory defense,” wika ni Rivera kay Peñalosa. “It really shouldn’t even come down to this as we’ve been very professional about the negotiations and have made a fair offer. We only want Peñalosa to do the right thing and honor his mandatory title defense against Morel.”
Ang hawak na WBO bantamweight belt ni Peñalosa ay nanggaling sa kanyang seventh-round stoppage kay Mexican Jhonny Gonzales noong Agosto 11 ng 2007 sa Arco Arena sa Sacramento, USA.
Matapos agawan ng korona si Gonzales, umiskor naman si Peñalosa ng isang eight-round TKO kay Thai challenger Ratanchai Sor Vorapin noong Abril 6 nitong taon sa Araneta Coliseum para sa kanyang unang title defense. (Russell Cadayona)