WORLD Boxing Organization bantamweight champion Gerry Peñalosa insists he hasn’t relinquished his 118-pound title, even though he is moving up in weight in a planned title fight against WBO super bantamweight champion Juan Manuel “Juanma” Lopez.

Top Rank promoter Bob Arum told Standard Today that the fight against Lopez is scheduled for April 25 in Puerto Rico and that the fight contract was on the way to Peñalosa through his manager Billy Keane. The veteran southpaw should receive it by the weekend.

The only hitch, according to both Arum and Keane, is that Peñalosa had wanted to acquire the Philippine television rights for the Lopez fight and offset the rights fee with a corresponding reduction in his purse.

But Arum said this is impossible, because he reportedly has a deal for Top Rank fights with Solar Sports.

The problem that has surfaced is that Peñalosa signed a two-fight TV rights deal with the giant broadcast network ABS-CBN and at present, cannot deliver on the Lopez title fight. But Peñalosa hopes to be able to resolve the problem amicably.

The world champion, who is now training in the summer capital of Baguio alongside world flyweight champion Nonito Donaire, told www.insidesports.ph, Standard Today and Viva Sports that he was not relinquishing his title to fight Lopez. Ronnie Nathanielsz