CONCEPCION BELIEVES HIS POWER WILL PREVAIL
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Tue, 22 Jul 2008
Panama's Rafael ?El Torito? Concepcion believes his power will prevail in his WBA super flyweight title fight against AJ ?Bazooka? Banal at the Cebu Coliseum on Saturday.
However, there were indications that Concepcion was having a little problem with his weight as he wore a thermal jacket over a long-sleeved sweatshirt in a two hour workout at the ?Fight Club? owned by boxing patron Tony Aldeguer and located at the Banilad Town Center.
Concepcion skipped rope for over thirty minutes after limbering up and shadow boxing and later smashed the heavy bag with powerful punches while veteran trainer Hector Roca watched intently.
Roca said Concepcion had tremendous power and saying that because ?he hits too hard? they had to bring in featherweights as sparring partners aside from a roster of southpaws when they trained at Gleason's Gym in Brooklyn, New York.
Roca who has been a trainer for 49 years and handled such championsas Artuto Gatti and Buddy McGirt as well as the late Agapito Sanchez who fought Manny Pacquiao in a bloody IBF super bantamweight brawl said Concepcion was ?very, very powerful, very strong and in very good shape.?
Roca said ?he's mentally strong and fights tough. He is formidable? even as he stressed that Concepcion had ?no problems with southpaws because he's a fighter and it doesn' make a difference.?
The veteran trainer said Concepcion had trained for just over two months and was ?a really dedicated fighter. He never leaves the gym no matter if he has no fight.?
Roca predicted a very good fight and shared the belief of Concepcion who has a record of 6 knockouts in 10 wins with 2 defeats both of which he avenged by knockout in rematches that his punching power will decide the outcome.
After his gruelling workout Concepcion took time to speak to www.insidesports.ph in halting English. He said ?people say I have power which is correct. I have good hands and punch hard. I trained hard and am in very good condition.?
Concepcion said he doesnt believe that there's luck in boxing. He said ?you just have to train hard. The CEO of Optimum Sports Agency which handles Concepcion said Banal is such a good fighter and we have been trated so well that ?Rafael will gladly give Banal a rematch.?
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