MORE FOCUSED SERVANIA GEARS UP FOR "EL TORITO"
By Rene Bonsubre, Jr.
PhilBoxing.com
Tue, 08 Oct 2013
CEBU CITY - Genesis "Azukal" Servania showed blazing hand speed and a variety of punishing combinations during his public sparring session against Jeo "Santino" Santisima inside the ALA Gym at the Banilad Town Centre Tuesday evening.
The unbeaten Servania (22-0, 8 KO's) will be the main event boxer for the first time in the very popular 'PINOY PRIDE' series this October 26. The card appropriately named PINOY PRIDE XXII: REVENGE will test Servania against former WBA interim superflyweight champion Rafael "El Torito" Concepcion of Panama (18-6-1, 8 KO's), who gained fame and notoriety here in Cebu in 2008 after stopping AJ Banal in ten rounds.
Servania was shaky in his last fight in Macau against Konosuke Tomiyama, a fight that saw Servania deck the Japanese in the opening round but the Bacolod City native was dropped twice in his eagerness to finish the fight early. Servania would knock down Tomiyama again in the third and the fight ended with a technical decision in Servania's favor in the 9th.
Servania spars with Santisima.
Servania hits the heavy bag.
"I was too jittery, too eager to knock him out," Servania told this writer after his sparring session. "That was my first overseas fight. I had a lot of unnecessary movement, a lot of wasted motion. I was trying hard to impress. Aside from being a sparring partner in Japan, that was the first time I fought outside the country."
"I have seen films of Concepcion, his fights with Banal, Montiel and Donaire." Servania added, "I will be ready for him."
Servania is the reigning WBO Asia Pacific superbantamweight champion.
Concepcion won his two fights this year in Panama by unanimous decision against Alejandro Corrales and German Lara.
"King" Arthur Villanueva was also very sharp during his sparring session against Brian Lobitania. Villanueva showed that he was already in top from when dropped Lobitania with a quick one two combination in the opening seconds of their exhibition.
The undefeated Villanueva (23-0, 13 KO's), who holds OPBF and WBO regional belts, will face Jose Cabrera (23-3-2, 10 KO's) of Mexico, who lost in his bid to dethrone WBO superflyweight champ Omar Narvaez last year.
Villanueva counters Lobitana.
Villanueva floors Lobitana.
MARK VS MARK
The most interesting sparring session of the evening was between unbeaten ALA prospects Mark "Magnifico' Magsayo (3-0, 2 KO's) and Mark 'Machete' Bernaldez (11-0, 7KO's).
Magsayo (R) tags Bernaldez with a right.
Magsayo's best move was when he faked a left and smacked Bernaldez with a right uppercut in the opening round. Bernaldez continued his pressure in the subsequent rounds and engaged Magsayo in close quarter exchanges;Bernaldez had a lot of "spare change" in the form of his left hook.
Overseeing the session were ALA gym trainers Edito and Edmund Villamor and conditioning coach Abet Biagan, who recently bagged top honors in the centerpiece Standard category of ?Hunat Sugbo" Triathlon in Oslob, Cebu.
PINOY PRIDE XXII will be held at the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel. The card will also feature former OPBF and PABA titlist Roli "Zuma" Gasca, who will face Lande Olin of Indonesia.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Rene Bonsubre, Jr..
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