ALJOE: CONDES WILL KO RAHMAN IN THREE OR FOUR ROUNDS
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Fri, 25 May 2007
Philippine minimum weight champion Florante Condes who battles reigning IBF champion Muhammad Rachman in a mandatory title fight on June 16 in Jakarta is confident that he will catch the champion in three or four rounds and after that, according to his manager Aljoe Jaro, himself a former boxer, “it will be over.”
The prediction was made following reports from Jakarta that the 35 year old champion was training hard and running in the sand to be in top shape for the fight. But Aljoe Jaro was confident that while Rachman could run for a few rounds sooner or later Condes who is regarded as a devastating puncher in the mould of Filipino ring idol Manny Pacquiao would nail him. The manager told Viva Sports/Manila Standard Today that Rachman “can run for three or four rounds but then Condes will catch him and it will be all over.”
Condes earned the mandatory title shot for being the available contender following indications that none of the top fighters were willing to travel to Jakarta to fight Rachman because of alleged hometown decisions.
In his last title defense against Filipino Benjie Sorolla on December 23 last year the fight was stopped in the seventh round and Rachman was awarded a TKO win which was vehemently protested by Sorolla’s manager Marty Elorde who claimed the stoppage was premature. But even Elorde’s appeal to the IBF didn’t work.
Aljoe Jaro believes the 27 year old southpaw Condes who has a record of 20 knockouts in 21 wins with only 3 losses and 1 draw won’t be bothered by the possibility of a hometown decision because he will win by a knockout against Rachman who is eight years older.
Condes has already sparred 106 rounds and according to Aljoe Jaro will go twelve rounds in his next session against flyweights Sonny Boy Jaro and Danilo Lerio and bantamweight Roberto Lerio. Condes’ manager says his fighter will be in “200 percent condition” when he leaves for Jakarta on June 11, five days before the fight.
Rachman who has never fought outside his native Indonesia has a record of 61-5-5 with 31 knockouts with his most impressive win coming in his first mandatory title defense against Mexican Omar Soto when the Indonesian scored a sixth round KO on May 6, 2006.
Condes in virtually a tune-up fight last December 9 won a unanimous eight round decision over Julius Alcos after earlier scoring an impressive sixth round TKO over Fabio Marfa in a title defense on September 17 last year.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ronnie Nathanielsz.
Recent PhilBoxing.com In-House articles:
Crawford Not the First Lightweight to Distinguish Himself at Super Middleweight
By Teodoro Medina Reynoso, Tue, 16 Sep 2025SAMBO Pilipinas is Southern NSA of the Year 2025
By Lito delos Reyes, Tue, 16 Sep 2025Kingsley “The Black Lion” Ibeh To headline historic “Legacy Nights” Inaugural Pro Boxing event in El Salvador
Tue, 16 Sep 2025Smarts over power
By Joaquin Henson, Tue, 16 Sep 2025HALL OF FAME FLIES FLAGS AT HALF-STAFF FOR TWO-DIVISION CHAMPION RICKY HATTON
Tue, 16 Sep 2025Kazakhstan tops the medal table at the inaugural World Boxing Championships 2025 thanks to victory in the final bout of the competition
Tue, 16 Sep 2025THRILLA IN MANILA GOLDEN ANNIVERSARY 13: JOE FRAZIER’S HUMBLE BEGINNINGS AS AN AMATEUR FIGHTER
By Maloney L. Samaco, Mon, 15 Sep 2025A New King, A New Challenger: Turki Alalshikh Proposes Crawford-Benavidez While Canelo Alvarez Faces Defeat with Humility
By Dong Secuya, Mon, 15 Sep 2025Highly Questionable Title Eliminator
By Teodoro Medina Reynoso, Mon, 15 Sep 2025Yoseline Perez Earns Silver Medal at Inaugural World Boxing Championships
Mon, 15 Sep 202521-year-old Filipino wins at Germany rapid chess tournament
By Marlon Bernardino, Mon, 15 Sep 2025Nagoya Nightmare: Naoya Inoue Notches One-Sided Decision over Murodjon Akhmadaliev
Mon, 15 Sep 2025Inoue’s Philippine Connection: Which Pinoy Super Bantamweight Could Challenge “The Monster?”
By Carlos Costa, Mon, 15 Sep 2025Yoseline Perez Advances to the Finals at the World Boxing Championships Perez Set to Face Chinese Taipei’s Hsiao-Wen Huang for 54-Kilogram World Title
Mon, 15 Sep 2025Canelo Gets Outboxed, Loses Undisputed Title to Crawford
By Carlos Costa, Sun, 14 Sep 2025