US trainer predicts Peñalosa comeback

American trainer Freddie Roach has predicted that Gerry Peñalosa will "walk out of the ring in November a world champion once again." The ace trainer of IBF junior featherweight champion Manny Pacquiao said Peñalosa, who began training at his Wild Card Gym near Hollywood since last May, "works very hard, is very dedicated" and he was "very happy about the sacrifices he makes."

Roach was speaking to well-known boxing writer Fiona Manning about Peñalosa, who is training for a Nov. 8 mandatory rematch with Japan-born North Korean Masamori Tokuyama in Osaka.

Roach’s conditioning coach Justin Fortune has been putting the Filipino southpaw through a tough regimen since he started working with him. Peñalosa said the exercises "hurt a lot but I see the results and everybody in the gym feels it. They make you feel very confident."

Fortune told Manning that he is impressed with the way Peñalosa had thrown himself into every aspect of a hard training program. Fortune said Peñalosa "is willing to learn new tricks" and indicated he knew how distressed the former world champion was with the controversial decision in his title fight with Tokuyama last year.

The trainer pointed out that "you can go one of two ways with a bad decision. You can be obsessed for years or you can take that anger and beat the hell out of the guy the next time and that’s exactly what Peñalosa is going to do."

Peñalosa has had some great sparring sessions with Filipino flyweight Brian Viloria who represented the United States in the 2000 Sydney Olympics and talented Carlos Madrigal. Peñalosa said Madrigal was very good for him because he is big and strong and keeps him moving.

Peñalosa said he does not expect a fair decision in Japan but stressed that this time he will "not only convince the judges but anybody watching will have no doubt who the true champion is." Peñalosa complained that in his last title shot against Tokuyama he fought his heart out and had six cuts on his head and face and was the more aggressive fighter but Tokuyama "was the one who walked away a champion."

The rematch was ordered by WBC President Jose Sulaiman after he reviewed a tape of the fight following a protest filed by Peñalosa’s manager lawyer Rudy Salud, the founding secretary general of the world organization over the referee’s failure to penalize Tokuyama for repeated head-butts and low blows.