Veteran boxer Gerry "Fearless" Peñalosa will try to do the unexpected when he challenges WBO super bantamweight king Juan Manuel “JuanMa” Lopez on April 25 in Puerto Rico.

Peñalosa, the reigning WBO bantamweight champion, will summon all his strength and force JuanMa to go the distance when they clash at the Coliseo Ruben Rodriguez, in Bayamon.

"He better be ready to go some rounds," Freddie Roach, who trained Peñalosa alongside Manny Pacquiao, told MaxBoxing’s Steve Kim.

"I told Gerry that the first four rounds, it's the toughest fight you've ever had. You'll have to bite down and fight this guy,” he said.

Lopez, who remains unbeaten in 24 fights, usually finishes his opponents in the early rounds. In his last three matches, his rivals failed to reach the second round.

The only fighter who managed to hang with Lopez until the 10th round was Hugo Dianzo when they clashed in 2007. He lost by technical decision.

"The thing is, Lopez has been going in there blowing guys away and that's not going to happen with Gerry Penalosa,” said Roach.

Roach said they expect Lopez to start strong like he usually does. If they can make it through the early rounds, the fight will “get easier."

“The first four rounds will be really hard, but I believe the fight will get easier for us as we go on,” said the American trainer.

However, the 36-year-old Peñalosa will bring into the ring what JuanMa lacks: experience.

The Filipino southpaw said the 24-year-old Puerto Rican champion has never faced anyone as “good as himself”.

"Maybe [Daniel] Ponce [de Leon], but he was lucky that night, he caught him early in the first round. So Ponce could never give him a fight," said Peñalosa.

The Filipino said Lopez has exactly what every good counter puncher loves.

“He’s a good fighter, he's a puncher, he likes to bang, he comes forward. So it should be a good fight," said Peñalosa.