DODIE BOY JR.

CEBU CITY — Once the toast of Philippine boxing, ex-world champion Dodie Boy Peñalosa will have another opportunity to get his share of the spotlight.

Peñalosa, whose real name is Diosdado, announced that his son, whose real name is Dodie Boy, will debut as a professional next week.

“Dodie Boy talaga ang pangalan niya pero madalas siya tinatawag na junior kaya Dodie Boy, Jr. na din gagamitin niyang ring name,” said Peñalosa.

The young Peñalosa gets his baptism of fire against a still-to-be-determined opponent beneath the double world title card headlined by world champions Brian Viloria and Donnie Nietes on Jan. 23 at the Cuneta Astrodome.

Nicknamed Dodspen, the 19-year-old Peñalosa was once recruited by the new leadership of the Amateur Boxing Association of the Philippines (ABAP) to be part of the young turks of the national team camped in Baguio City.

But some differences of opinions with ABAP people on where and how to train the Cebu-based teen fighter eventually led to the elder Peñalosa’s decision to allow his son to turn professional.

“Hindi ko na din mapigilan. Mas gusto niya kasi mag-pro lalo na pag nakikita niya si uncle Gerry niya,” Peñalosa told the Bulletin Friday before training at the IPI Gym.

A managerial offer from no less than Filipino pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao also gave the Peñalosas more reasons to shift to prizefighting despite their willingness to remain an amateur and take the lead in the sport’s aim of bagging its first ever Olympic gold.

“Boxer din ako at sa estado ng anak ko, ayaw kong madaliin lahat. Kung maka-gold siya sa Olympics, mas magiging maganda pa ang pasok niya sa professional. Pero hindi talaga yun siguro kapalaran ng anak ko,” said Peñalosa.

Despite his supposed inconvenience of suffering from polio, the elder Peñalosa became the first-ever Filipino to win world crowns in two different divisions.

Peñalosa, 47, won the light flyweight and flyweight crowns in 1983 and 1987 then called it a career in 1995. He then helped his late father-trainer Carl, a former RP lightweight champion, in guiding younger brother Gerry to also become a two-division world champion.