BY NICK GIONGCO
Two-division world champion Gerry Peñalosa took on all comers during
his era, even going into the lion’s den in his daring quest to win a third world title in as many weight classes.
But the coronavirus is one opponent Peñalosa admits he is not willing to test.
Not even in a light sparring session.
In fact, Peñalosa is so intimidated by the virus that originated in Wuhan that he hasn’t been out of his residence in Paranaque in more than three weeks.
Peñalosa, now 47, and retired from the fight game since 2010, has even refrained from sneaking out the gate to check how the rest of the world is reacting to the pandemic.
“Delikado talaga (It’s really dangerous),” said Peñalosa.
Peñalosa, who left boxing with a 55-8-2 win-loss-draw record with 37 KOs and collected two world titlebelts — the World Boxing Council super-flyweight and World Boxing Organization bantamweight — has
assigned someone to buy the basic necesstities for his family.
Before the government ordered a lockdown on March 15, Peñalosa got a
tip from Manny Pacquiao.
“When I saw him in the second week of March, Senator Manny told me that the President (Rodrigo Duterte) was seriously considering to order a lockdown,” said Peñalosa.
Anticipating the mad rush to the supermarket by the public the moment an announcement is made, Peñalosa went on a shopping spree.
“I went to the grocery and got what my family needed for two weeks,”
said Peñalosa.
But it didn’t take long before Peñalosa used up his stockpile.
As his stash started to diminish, Peñalosa instructed his errand boy to reload.
Still, Penalosa feels for those who doesn’t have enough to load up on grocery items.
“Naaawa ako sa mga taong na-sideline ng pandemic (I feel for those workers who were sidelined by the pandemic),” said Peñalosa, who won the WBC 115-lb title in Tokyo in February 1997 and the WBO 118-b plum
in 2007 in Sacramento, California.
“Sa mundo ng boxing, kawawa ang mga boxers na umaasa lang sa bawat laban gaya rin ng mga trainers (In the world of boxing, I pity the boxers because they only depend on fights to earn a living just like
their trainers),” he said.
“Yung iba naman na kahit walang laban ay kahit paano ay kumikita kahit paano kasi nagtuturo sila sa mga fitness gyms (There are boxers who, despite not having scheduled fights, get to earn because they teach boxing in fitness gyms).”
But with the lockdown in effect and the government looking to extend it to at least 15 more days or until the end of the month, these gyms will continue to shut down temporarily.
In a show of bravado in 2009, Peñalosa ventured into hostile territory, meeting Puerto Rican power-puncher Juan Manuel Lopez in Bayamon and losing when Freddie Roach decided that the Filipino southpaw had absorbed too much punishment.
A victory over the Lopez would have given Peñalosa a third world title in as many weight divisions.
Over a decade later, and up against another formidable foe — COVID-19 —Peñalosa is not taking any chances and is keeping his hands up.
