CONCEPCION EAGER TO SHOW HIS WARES AGAINST MEXICAN
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Wed, 24 Sep 2008
World rated super bantamweight Bernabe Concepcion, the reigning North American Boxing Federation champion is eager to show his wares when he battles Mexican champion Giovanni Caro in the main event of another Philippines-Mexican showdown at the Sycuan Resort and Casino in El Cajon,California.
Well-known WBC ring doctor Allan Recto informed www.insidesports.ph, Manila Standard and Viva Sports that Bernabe had ?prepared well and is excited about this fight? which is a joint promotion of MP Promotions of Filipino ring idol Manny Pacquiao and Sycuan Ringside Promotions.
Pacquiao himself is expected to be at ringside for his company?s first US promotion.
Dr. Recto said Concepcion left for San Diego from Los Angeles on Tuesday night (US Time) and said ?he is focused and hopes to win again to make his fans, especially the Filipino people proud and happy with him.?
Celebrated trainer Freddie Roach who has great hopes for the young Concepcion will work his corner along with conditioning coach Paul Mayorquin and Michael Koncz who is a partner of Pacquiao and Aljoe Jaro in the management team of Concepcion.
According to Dr. Recto, Aljoe Jaro won?t be at the fight since he has a far more important assignment in Mexico where his fighter, Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation light flyweight champion Sonny Boy Jaro battles Mexico?s Edgar Sosa for the WBC world title. Concepcion plans to return to the Philippines, leaving Los Angeles on September 27.
Roach told us recently that he didn?t think Concepcion was ready as yet for a world title shot but believes that after one or two more fights the hard-hitting Filipino would be ready for the big one.
At the same time Roach said Concepcion was certainly not ready to take on Juan Manuel Lopez who won the WBO title with a spectacular first round knockout of the menacing Daniel Ponce De Leon.
Concepcion is ranked No. 5 by the WBC and No. 6 by the WBO and has a record of 26-1-1 with 15 knockouts although Caro?s record is a far less impressive 11-4-4 with 9 knockouts it shows he has punching power based on the ration of knockouts to victories.
The 20 year old Filipino has been training at the Wild Card Gym under the watchful eye of Roach and this year alone won three fights. He scored a unanimous ten round decision against the rugged John Ruiz last February, then scored an easy 2nd round TKO over former US Olympic boxing team alternate Torrance Daniels in April and a third round TKO over the fancied and competitive Adam Carrera in July.
Pacquiao himself was quoted as saying that Concepcion has all the elements to make a great champion because ?he works hard and is focused only on boxing. He is improving all the time and we have very high hopes for him. If everything goes the way we plan it, he will fight for a world title very soon.?
But Caro is no pushover. He too has won his last three fights beating Ricardo Castillo, the younger brother of Jose Luis Castillo in Castillo?s hometown, scoring a sensational eleventh round TKO victory last May 2. Caro also won by a 9th round TKO over Oscar Ibarra on February 29 and in his last fight on July 30 defeated Gabriel Perez who retired in the 8th round.
Also seeing action on the undercard are junior welterweight Dennis Laurente (29-3-0, 15 KO?s) who faces Arturo Urena (20-15, 12 KO?s) and lightweight Mercito Gesta (13-0-1, 5 KO?s) who battles another Mexican Alain ?Conan? Hernandez (12-5-2, 7 KO?s) .
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ronnie Nathanielsz.
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