No problem for Gerry

Displaying razor-sharp form, World Boxing Council (WBC) International superflyweight champion Gerry Peñalosa stopped Japanese contender Seiji Tanaka in the seventh round to retain his crown at the Neal Blaisdell Arena in Honolulu last night.

It was Peñalosa’s fourth defense of the so-called "International" title he won on a sixth-round stoppage of Pone Saengmorakot two years ago. The victory sealed Peñalosa’s third attempt to regain the WBC 115-pound crown he lost to In Joo Cho in 1999.

Tanaka, 25, slugged it out until the bitter end. He was badly outclassed as Peñalosa zipped combinations from all angles and dazzled his opponent with nifty footwork. A badly battered Tanaka failed to answer the bell for the eighth round.

There were no knockdowns in the scheduled 12-round bout but Peñalosa had Tanaka, a southpaw, on the verge of collapse on several occasions. Referee Abe Pacheco signaled the end of the contest as Tanaka surrendered on his stool.

The win raised Peñalosa’s record to 46-4-2 with 28 KOs. Tanaka’s card dipped to 11-5-3, with two KOs.

Promoter Gabriel (Bebot) Elorde Jr. told The Star in an overseas phone call yesterday Peñalosa dominated the one-sided fight with his aggressive style and lightning-quick combinations. He said Tanaka fought just like his stablemate, WBC titleholder Masamori Tokuyama, and was a perfect tune-up opponent for Peñalosa.

In the undercard, WBC International lightflyweight champion Juanito Rubillar knocked out Takayuki Korogi of Japan in the third round.

Peñalosa is booked to face Tokuyama for the WBC diadem in Osaka on Nov. 8. But the fight is contingent on Tokuyama beating Mexican challenger Erick Lopez in Saitama, Japan, next week.

Peñalosa, 30, left Manila last April to train at Freddie Roach’s Wild Card gym in Hollywood. He honed his skills under Roach’s supervision and went through grueling sparring sessions with the likes of Mexican Carlos (El Terrore) Madrigal and Hawaii-born Filipino Brian Viloria.

Roach, who also trains International Boxing Federation (IBF) superbantamweight titlist Manny Pacquiao, predicted Peñalosa will beat Tokuyama in their rematch. Peñalosa lost to Tokuyama on a disputed 12-round decision in Yokohama last year. Peñalosa’s manager Rudy Salud protested the verdict, pointing out that referee Larry O’Connell failed to penalize Tokuyama for repeated headbutting. WBC president Jose Sulaiman upheld the protest and ordered Tokuyama to stake the crown once more against Peñalosa in a mandatory defense.

What stole the show in Elorde’s card was the rousing three-round exhibition between Pacquiao and former World Boxing Association (WBA) junior featherweight champion Jesus (The Hawaiian Punch) Salud. Both brawlers, wearing headgear and sparring gloves, mixed it up from start to finish, much to the delight of the sellout crowd. — Joaquin Henson