CONCEPCION READY TO FIGHT
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Fri, 11 Jul 2008
Panama?s Rafael ?El Torito? Concepcion who battles AJ ?Bazooka? Banal for the vacant World Boxing Association super flyweight title ?is ready to fight? according to his manager Damon de Berry of Optimum Sports Agency.
De Berry told Viva Sports/Manila Standard Today that Concepcion had watched a little of the fights of the undefeated southpaw Banal but that his trainers Pedro Romero, Hector Roca and himself have ?studied the tapes and are ready for whatever Banal brings? pointing out that the Panamanian ?can box and punch going forward and back.?
De Berry warned that Concepcion had ?good power in both hands and can hurt his opponent with either hand.?
By fight time at the Cebu Coliseum on July 26, Concepcion would have trained for ten weeks ? six weeks at the Gym Master Gomez in Panama and four weeks in the U.S. De Berry said that in Panama, Concepcion sparred with southpaw Ricardo Cordoba (33 -1-2, 21 KO?s), Panama?s super bantamweight champion and in the U.S with another super bantamweight who is also a southpaw, Mike Oliver (21-1, 7 KO?s) among others.
Asked whether Concepcion had fought any southpaws before, De Berry said he had fought four, stopping three of them.
Concepcion has a record of 10-2 with 6 knockouts. The 26 year old is coming off a third round TKO over Jean Pierro Perez last March 27 in a fight where Concepcion was dropped twice in the second round but came back to win in the following round. It was a rematch after Concepcion won the Fedelatin flyweight title with a ten round split decision over Perez on March 24, 2007.
The hard-hitting Panamanian also won the Fecarbox super flyweight title with a fourth round knockout of Ricardo olina on May 20, 2006.
Concepcion currently weighs 120 pounds and his handlers believe he won?t have any problems making the 115 pound limit. Team Concepcion which is made up of the Fecarbox champion, trainers Romero and Roca and De Berry is scheduled to arrive in Cebu on July 26th.
Banal meantime has been training rigorously at the famed ALA Gym in Cebu and was pronounced in top condition for the title showdown. The undefeated 19 year old has a record of 17-0-1 with 14 knockouts and is coming off a fourth round stoppage of WBC No,1 ranked Caril Herrera in an IBF title eliminator last April 6 at the Araneta Coliseum. Banal had previously scored a ninth round TKO over Mexico?s Jovanny Soto at the same venue on December 2, 2007. Banal has won his last four fights by KO or TKO.
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