Boxing Community Joins Manny Pacquiao in Mourning as Coach Loses Cancer Battle Despite Last-Minute Efforts

Some battles are harder than the ones in the ring. And sometimes winning such a battle is not possible. Earlier this month, boxing’s only eight-division champion, Manny Pacquiao, came to the aid of his long-time trainer and former WBC International flyweight champion Jonathan Peñalosa Sr. as the latter battled Stage 4 colon cancer. 

The boxing legend urged his fans across the globe to pray for his former trainer, as Peñalosa Sr. was confined to a Bacolod City hospital after undergoing surgery. Despite Pacquiao’s plea and prayers flooding in from the fans, the 57-year-old seems to have lost the fight to colon cancer, Manny Pacquiao revealed on Instagram hours earlier. 

Manny Pacquiao pays tribute to old friend

46-year-old Pacquiao, who is running for a Senate seat in next month’s national elections, shared his recent visit to Peñalosa Sr.’s hospital earlier this month. He shared a plethora of pictures from his visit to the hospital alongside pictures from the past, as Pac-Man and Peñalosa Sr. trained together in the Philippines and at the Wild Card gym in Hollywood, California.

Peñalosa Sr. was part of the battery of trainers, part of the Penalosa boxing clan, who helped Pacquiao train for his numerous fights, including title bouts against Tim Bradley, Jeff Horn, and Lucas Matthysse, and others. Reportedly, the 57-year-old was also part of Pacquiao’s training team when the boxing legend trained for his six-round exhibition match against South Korean martial artist DK Yoo in 2022.

Peñalosa Sr. himself fought on the world level as a pro between 1985 and 1993. He even vied for the WBA flyweight title in 1992, but lost the fight via sixth-round knockout to Yong Kang Kim at the Incheon Indoor gymnasium in South Korea. Boxing seems to run deep in the family, as Peñalosa Sr.’s father, Carl Penalosa, was a two-time Philippine super-lighweight champion.

His two brothers, Dodie ‘Boy’ Penalosa and Gerry Penalosa, were also boxers and had become two-time world champions. The 57-year-old had managed to amass a record of 15-4-1 (7 KOs) during his tenure in the sport and fight the likes of former world champion Chatchai Sasakul and Manny Melchor, ex-OPBF champ Jess Maca, and former world title challenger Emil Romano.

After his unfortunate passing, Manny Pacquiao shared another message with the fans who prayed for Penalosa Sr.’s recovery. “Rest in peace, Coach Jonathan Peñalosa,” Pacquiao wrote on Instagram while sharing pictures of them together. “You were not just my coach; you became a brother to me in the fight and in life.”

“Thank you so much for all your sacrifices and love for me and my family. We will never forget you. Our prayers are with the Peñalosa family. We will forever miss you, Coach,” Pacquiao added. 

This is a developing story, stay tuned to learn more. 

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