No disrespect to JuanMa Lopez who is clearly one of the brightest young stars on the sport. On paper, this really appears to be in favor of Lopez, he who belongs to 122 naturally, has devastating power and youth on his side. IMO, his power will not be that much of an issue, as Penalosa's chin is made of stern stuff. With his trump card out of the picture, Lopez will have to rely on his boxing ability to win. I just feel that when it comes to boxing, JuanMa has not been tested on an elite level while Gerry has been in there with a lot of good guys. I see Gerry taking this deep while evading Lopez firepower and he will deal enough damage to take a points win. I know my opinion is in the minority, maybe even in the minority in the Philippines, but hey, even old guys can make one last great performance.
I hope he does win. It would be a storybook ending to his career. Although I got to say, JuanMa isnt just a brawling brute with dynamite in his fists. The guy can also box. Certainly better than Ponce De Leon, at least.
I know..I'm just messin' around...I think JuanMa wins but not by stoppage..Penalosa is one tough SOB..:good
He's tough and he's experienced. And let's not forget, before DPDL JuanMa was a prospect - and pretty much unanimously regarded as an underdog in that fight. So he obliterated Ponce and Ponce UD'ed an old Gerry. This is the sport where A beats B beats C means nothing. If Gerry isn't totally shot he can pull this out. Presumably he'll bring a sharper game than he did for Jhonny knowing that this kid is to be taken seriously. With a fully concentrated effort, I wouldn't rule out the upset.
If Lopez tries to box outside, Gerry's chances of winning go much lower. He's always had some problems closing the distance against tall, lanky, mobile, defensive minded, pure boxers. It makes it hard for him to rally back when he's behind on points, and his oppoent just jabs and moves in the final rounds. He's just a little too small to close the gap effectively. But if JuanMa decides to be more aggressive, Gerry will have a better chance of pulling off an upset. Also a higher chance that he'll get caught with a bomb and he'll get KO'd, but that's a risk that he's always been willing to take.
If Juanma tries to run and make Gerry follow him, theres a big chance he might win but not by stoppage. If Juanma tries to come forward in any reason, It's all Gerry.
JuanMa is a very sharp boxer though, his KO's werent hayemakers with him looking to land a big sht, they were laser sharp precision punches and he obviously has 1 punch KO power. Penalosa is a easy to hit and has been outboxed before. At this age and this late in his career JuanMas power could spell the difference. I dont plan on a KO but I do think JuanMa will dominate the fight and likely win a wide UD by at least 10-2
Its Juanma who I see has the most chance atm, But not likely a wide UD. More of a Split Decision or a Close UD. But of corz I want Penalosa to go for his 3rd belt!
slim chances for penalosa to win this fight but if juanma makes a mistake by fighting toe to toe then he can be counter by penalosa's bomb...