BERNABE CONCEPCION IS NOT QUITE READY FOR A TITLE FIGHT
By Ed de la Vega, DDS
PhilBoxing.com
Sat, 27 Sep 2008
El Cajon, CA -- Bernabe Concepcion last night at the Sycuan Casino Resort has to muster all his skills and strength to finally win over Giovanni Caro, the Mexican Super bantamweight champion.
Although Concepcion scored a flash knocked down during the second round, a KD that surprised Caro more than hurt him and finally scored a KO in the 8th, with a flurry of urgently needed punches, Concepcion needs a lot more work before he is fully ready for a world title fight.
Perhaps, he needs as much as two or three more close fight as he had with Caro before he should be matched with any of the alphabet champions.
I know that many fans will disagree with me, but I believe Concepcion, at this point and time is a good and gutsy fighter, but is not yet in the same league as Juan Ma Lopez or Rafael Marquez.
Buboy Fernandez and Nonoy Neri in a conversation with this writer at the Sycuan Casino after the fight indicated that Concepcion is good but ?hindi pa siya hinog? ( he is not quite ripe for the title).
Concepcion?s fight with Caro indeed proves that both Fernandez and Neri are right.
Although Caro is the Mexican super bantamweight champion, his record, 11-5-4 , (9 KO) is not really that impressive. In fact except for one other fight where he lost to Olivier Lontchi via a 6 round UD at Montreal, Canada in September 30, 2006, most of his fights where in Mexico and to non-descript fighters. He does not have much international exposure much less, experience.
The fact that he gave Concepcion all he can take, including a badly swollen left eye as early as the second round and a cut on the same area, before finally going down for the count, shows at this point and time where Concepcion is really at - a very good fighter still on the way up to the peak. He is not yet there, but with a few more fights, he soon will be.
Concepcion?s defense is ample, but there are loopholes that open him to right hand shots. If he is to be perfectly ready for the title, Freddie Roach and Aljoe Jaro should coordinate and find a solution. Otherwise, he may end up on the short end of the stick when he goes for the title in a year or two.
Concepcion is young, thus he can have more fights before he goes for the title. I only hope that his local managers recognize this fact and not rush him. Patience is a virtue, and that is exactly what is needed now if Concepcion will follow his idol Manny Pacquiao to the throne.
Top photo: Giovanni Caro (R) tags Bernabe Concepcion with a right straight during their fight Thursday night at the Sycuan Casino.
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