By Ronnie Nathanielsz

WORLD Boxing Organization bantamweight champion Gerry Peñalosa has clarified his role in the training camp of International Boxing Federation/International Boxing Organization champion Nonito Donaire, who announced that he had decided to train in Baguio City and not under Freddie Roach at his Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles.

Peñalosa said his elder brother, former world champion Dodie Boy Peñalosa, will train Donaire, with another brother Jonathan handling the punch mitts, while he would make suggestions on strategy and other aspects during training.

He said Donaire was impressed when he saw Jonathan handling the mitts against featherweight Michael Fareñas.

“My role would be as a consultant, who would point out what he saw wrong. That would be my contribution,” said Peñalosa.

Top Rank promoter Bob Arum said he was scheduled to meet with Donaire’s manager Cameron Dunkin to check on whether they could convince Donaire to train at the Wild Card Gym.

Arum told Standard Today a couple of weeks ago that Roach showed interest in training the flyweight champion, who is moving up to 115 pounds to fight WBO champion Fernando Montiel on March 15 at the Araneta Coliseum.

But Donaire said he wants to train at the high altitude (5,100 feet) of the Philippine summer capital under Penalosa, who will also be preparing for a mandatory title defense against former World Boxing Association flyweight champion Erik Morel possibly in April.

The WBO has set a purse bid deadline of Jan. 12.

Donaire revealed that he would help Peñalosa train by approximating the style of Morel during sparring, even as he said Morel throws a lot of punches and moves a lot.

Donaire and Penalosa will prepare for their respective title fights at the training camp of the Amateur Boxing Association of the Philippines which Peñalosa used several years wgo when preparing for his world title rematch with South Korea’s In Joo Cho on Jan. 2, 2001 in Seoul, in which Penalosa lost by a controversial split decision.