|
WBO
to 'strip'
Peñalosa The
World Boxing Organization has threatened to strip Filipino Gerry Peñalosa
of his world bantamweight belt if he failed to agree terms for his mandatory title
defense against a Puerto Rican fighter.
WBO
president Francisco Valcarcel told fightnews.com he has no other option but to
punish Peñalosa (53-6-2, 36 KOs) for continuing to ignore the organization's
order to fight top contender Eric Morel (40-2, 21 Kos).
"The
next course of action is for us to petition the WBO to step in and strip him of
his title if he's not going to honor his mandatory defense," the boxing website
quoted Valcarel as saying as saying.
| | | "It
really shouldn't even come down to this as we've been very professional about
the negotiations and have made a fair offer."
Ivan
Rivera, of fight promoter Puerto Rico Best Boxing, said Peñalosa's camp
has not been cooperating with the WBO mandate.
"We
have made several attempts to contact Penalosa's team without success," said
Rivera in the same article. "His team is being very difficult. Morel earned
the right to a title fight." | The
36-year-old Peñalosa won the WBO crown from Mexico's Jhonny Gonzalez whom
he dethroned in a seventh-round knockout in Sacramento, California, in August
last year.
Valcarel
appointed Morel, nicknamed "Little Hands of Steel," as Peñalosa's
next foe during a recent WBO convention.
"We
only want Peñalosa to do the right thing and honor his mandatory defense
against Morel," said Valcarel. (PDI)  | 
