Dodie Boy Peñalosa Jr. ready for first foreign foe

MANILA–Five fights, five wins, five knockouts.

Dodie Boy Peñalosa Jr. has lived up to hype as a sure-fire boxing prospect owing to his lineage.

This Saturday, Dodie Boy Jr. will get his first international litmus test when he fights Thai Kong Kiapracha Gym in the featured eight-round bantamweight tussle of the “Laban ng Lahi: Dugong Kampeon” fight card at the Mandaue Sports Complex in Cebu.

The son of former International Boxing Federation two-division champion Dodie Boy and nephew of World Boxing Federation and World Boxing Organization two-division champ Gerry, Dodie Boy Jr. is expected to win convincingly.

“I’ll give everything in my power to please my supporters and be worthy of my name,” the 21-year-old Dodie Boy Jr. said in Filipino during yesterday’s press conference at the GMA Network Center in Quezon City.

Gerry, promoter of Laban ng Lahi through his GerryPens Promotions, said Dodie Boy Jr. has the skills and the heart to excel in the sport, owing to his hot start in the pro ranks and an unblemished (27-0) record as an amateur.

‘According to Gerry, his nephew will also appear in the undercard of Manny Pacquiao-Juan Manuel Marquez III on Nov. 12 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

And if he performs well enough, the 5-foot-7 Dodie Boy Jr. would be given a crack at the world youth title in January, during Cebu’s 2012 Sinulog Festival.

Convinced that Dodie Boy Jr. will be able to beat the 34-year-old Kiatpracha (5-8-1), Gerry said he has offered to double the Thai’s purse if he lasts the distance.

Dodie Boy said he’d made adjustments to his son’s training regimen to protect a cut on his left eyebrow, which reopened during a sparring session in Cebu.

Dodie Boy Jr. sustained the cut during his fight in June with Jeffrey Jimenez whom he stopped in four rounds. Dodie Boy Jr.’s first four fights all ended within two rounds.

Also appearing in the fight card backed by GMA 7 are former World Boxing Council light flyweight champion Rodel Mayol and world-rated Jimrex Jaca.

Laban ng Lahi will be aired on Sunday at 10:10 a.m. and simulcast over Super Radyo dzBB, according to Rikki Escudero, GMA 7 vice president for regional TV.