By Dennis Principe

21.08 - WBC International superflyweight champion Gerry Peñalosa of the Philippines displayed his newfound confidence and readiness to reclaim lost glory by stopping Seiji Tanaka of Japan in the 7th round at the Neil Blaisdell Arena in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Peñalosa toyed with his opponent for most of the fight and opened a gash above Tanaka’s left eye in the sixth round. Due to Penalosa’s constant pounding Tanaka later decided to quit before the start of the eight round.

The win served as a moral booster for Peñalosa who is also preparing for a title rematch with WBC champion Masamori Tokuyama of Japan on November 8.

Tokuyama is scheduled to defend his title this Sunday against Mexican Erik “Bam Bam” Lopez in Saitama, Japan.

Peñalosa is set to arrive in the Philippines and stay for about a month before resuming his training at the Wild Card Gym of Freddie Roach in California.

The win improved Penalosa’s record to 46 wins, 4 losses, 2 draws with 31 KO’s.

Meanwhile, WBC International light-flyweight champion Juanito Rubillar scored a third round technical knockout over Takayuki Korogi of Japan in their 10-round non-title fight.

IBF superbantamweight champion Manny Pacquiao made mincemeat of Hawaii boxing Hero and former WBA champion Jesus “Hawaiian Punch” Salud in their three-round exhibition. Salud later told the press he was not in shape and had only one week to train.