Peñalosa ready for Ponce de Leon rematch – at the right price

How much would it take to make reigning World Boxing Organization (WBO) bantamweight champion Gerry Peñalosa face WBO super-bantamweight titlist Daniel Ponce De Leon? Nothing less than $350,000, Peñalosa said in Friday's SCOOP sa Kamay on Padre Faura Street in Manila. "Dahil my belt na ako, siyempre dapat mas mataas na ang purse na involved," Peñalosa said. Peñalosa had been advised by no less than eminent boxing-sportsman Rudy Salud to at least steer clear of the hard-punching Mexican champion at the moment, Ponce de Leon being too big and too powerful for the 34-year-old Filipino. Salud and Peñalosa are no strangers to each other. Salud, former World Boxing Council (WBC) secretary-general and Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) commissioner, once acted as handler of the former WBC super-bantamweight champion. But the Cebuano boxer insisted it may be difficult to heed the advice especially if his asking purse is given. "Siyempre kung malaki ang prize, baka kalimutan ko na `yung advice," Peñalosa said with a grin. Ponce de Leon scored a 12-round unanimous decision win over Peñalosa when they met last March in the undercard of the Marco Antonio Barrera-Juan Manuel Marquez title fight. That was before the World Cup of Boxing, where Peñalosa unleashed stunning seventh round knockout of Mexican Jhonny Gonzales to snatch the WBO 118-pound title. That event, held last August 11 in Sacramento, California, saw the Philippines winning 5-1 over Mexico. At the World Cup, Ponce de Leon easily dispatched Filipino prospect Rey "Boom Boom" Bautista in the first round, opening the door for a possible rematch with Peñalosa. The WBO champion admitted he preferred a rematch against Ponce de Leon rather than face Gonzales again. "Mahirap na kung si Gonzales, baka bumawi pa," Peñalosa said. "At saka mas malaking posibilidad na matuloy `yung laban ko kay Ponce de Leon. At least by December." In his first meeting with the Mexican titlist from Chihuahua City, Peñalosa only got a prize money of $60,000. Should the fight pushes through, Peñalosa will again challenged Ponce de Leon for his WBO 122-pound crown. - GMANews.TV