ROACH PREDICTS CONCEPCION WILL WIN BY KO
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Sun, 27 Jan 2008
Trainer Freddie Roach says NABF super bantamweight champion Bernabe Concepcion is ?looking great? and predicts a knockout in his next fight on February 2.
Concepcion who is managed by former boxer Aljoe Jaro and is working out under the celebrated trainer at his Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles alongside several other Filipino boxers headed by Filipino ring idol Manny Pacquiao and including WBO bantamweight champion Gerry Penalosa as well as bantamweight Diosdado Gabi and light flyweight Rodel Mayol.
The 20 year old Concepcion who has a record of 23-1-1 with 13 knockouts battles 29 year old Juan Ruiz who has a record of 21-4 with 6 knockouts and is coming off back-to-back losses according to boxrec.com. They clash on February 9 in Guanajuato, Mexico which is some 6,550 feet above sea level.
On December 5, 2006 Ruiz lost a twelve round decision to Antonio Escalante and on May 25, 2007 dropped a ten round unanimous decision to Adam Carrera. Concepcion, on the other hand, has won all his three fights in the US. He won a ten round unanimous decision over Benjamin Flores on April 14, won the NABF title with an impressive fourth round TKO over fancied Gabriel Elizondo on August 4 and then won by a ninth round knockout over Saldavor Garcia on October 4, 2007.
In an overseas telephone conversation with Viva Sports/Manila Standard Today, Roach said Concepcion is ?doing well? but may have a tough time mainly because of the altitude in Guanajuato which ?can give you problems.? Roach said however that Ruiz was ?a tough guy but he (Concepcion) will knock him out.?
Roach said Concepcion?s opponent was ?a good boxer but is not strong enough. Concepcion is just going to walk through him.?
Roach said both Penalosa who is slated to defend his title against mandatory challenger Ratanachai Sor Vorapin in Manila on March 2 and Gabi who battles classy Abner Mares on the Manny Pacquiao-Juan Manuel Marquez undercard on March 15 are both doing well.
At the same time Roach said he is ?trying to help Mayol get a fight.? He said Mayol trains every day.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ronnie Nathanielsz.
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