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Gerry Penalosa Leads Undercard With Amazing Comeback To Win WBO Crown
The Filipino team might have walked away with the second Boxing World Cup, but the night belonged to WBO Junior Featherweight Champion Daniel Ponce De Leon, 32-1 (29). The champ retained his title last night in the main event from the ARCO Arena in Sacramento, California by destroying the previously unbeaten challenger Rey Bautista, 23-1 (17), in the first round.
After a minute of feeling each other out, Ponce De Leon exploded with power shots, throwing sweeping lefts and hard right hands. Bautista appeared a little flustered with the onslaught and began to retreat. Ponce De Leon then landed a big right, left combo that shook the challenger and sent him stumbling to the canvas.
Bautista barely made the count and the ref let him continue. But it wouldn’t last long, as Ponce De Leon jumped all over him, once again sending Bautista to the floor and prompting the ref to step in and stop the fight at 2:30 of the first round.
For Ponce De Leon, the night couldn’t have been better, a big statement on a big stage which could lead to bigger fights and bigger money. For the young Bautista, it looks like it is back to the drawing board and somehow try to build off of the loss.
On the televised undercard, the popular Filipino Gerry Penalosa, 52-6-2 (35), scored a major upset by winning the WBO Bantamweight Championship from Jhonny Gonzalez, 34-6 (29), in a stunning seventh round knockout.
After being dominated for almost every second of the first six rounds, Penalosa landed a perfect left to the body of Gonzalez late in the seventh round and the Mexican fighter was unable to make the count.
Using his height, reach and superior boxing skills, it looked to most observers that Gonzalez was going to run away with an easy twelve round decision. Gonzalez was landing great combinations and moving brilliantly until Penalosa ducked under a right and landed a perfect left hook to the liver.
It was over ten years ago that Penalosa won the super flyweight title, and with his win tonight, the 35 year old fighter seems to be getting his second wind at the perfect time.
The final tally for the evening saw the Filipinos win five of the bouts to only one for the Mexican fighters. Last year, the Mexicans won the prize and we can only hope to see the rubber match next year.
