CONCEPCION VS. LUEVANO PROMISES THE GOODS
by TED LERNER
Bernabe "Abe" Concepcion is one of the brightest prospects in Philippine boxing. His May 2nd showdown with Steve Luevano on the undercard of Pacquiao-Hatton will be his toughest test to date.
(Manila)– Boxing fans rightfully complain that, in recent years, the under cards of major pay-per-view fights have been about as exciting as watching dust collecting on an old windowsill. Prospects with decent records are invariably placed inside the ring with bums who look like they were plucked out of a lineup of broke busboys at a local restaurant. Lately many of the fights on the undercards of big shows have been so bad, I notice most people would rather talk about the runny scrambled eggs in the buffet line, than watch these fights.
Thankfully this sorry state of affairs is about to change on May 2nd. Much has already been written about Manny Pacquiao and Ricky Hatton. But another fascinating matchup that has been locked in on the undercard of the May 2nd schedule at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas has gone practically unnoticed. But I can guarantee that this fight is sure to garner lots of attention. And deservedly so.
Actually, the intriguing matchup between WBO featherweight strap holder, and the Ring’s number two featherweight, Mexican-American Steve Luevano, and the Philippines young rising star Bernabe Concepcion, is not contractually a done deal. But by all accounts, it’s already set in stone. Luevano’s manager Cameron Dunkin told ESPN’s Dan Rafael on Monday that the fight is on, only that he hasn’t received a contract yet. Concepcion’s manager Aljoe Jaro said the same thing to me on Monday. Bob Arum, who promotes both fighters says the fight is a go, and it’s posted on Top Rank’s schedule on the company’s website. Even Freddie Roach, who trains Concepcion, confirmed to me that the fight is on.
The 21 year old Concepcion has started to turn heads in the last two years, especially in his native Philippines, where the thirst for someone, anyone, to step up and replicate, even just a little, the success of Pacquiao has become somewhat of an obsession among local boxing fans. Much of the Filipino fans exuberance has led to major disappointments as upstarts like AJ Banal, Rey “Boom Boom” Bautista and Z Gorres were pushed beyond their current abilities and either suffered humiliating defeats or just didn’t have the goods.
Concepcion, (28-1-1, 16 KO’s), on the other hand, has quietly built himself an impressive resume, fighting mostly in the States in Mexico. After winning the PABA Jr. Featherweight belt in February,2006, Concepcion took a handful of fights in the Philippines before heading off to Los Angeles to train under Freddie Roach. Once there Concepcion became fast friends with none other than Pacquiao. Concepcion trained alongside Pacquiao at the Wild Card Gym, became Pacquiao’s morning running partner and even lived with the Pacman in his LA apartment.
Seven out of Concepcion’s next eight fights took place in either the US or Mexico, and some of them were on the undercard of Pacman’s fights in the States. In August, 2007 Concepcion grabbed the NABF Jr. Featherweight title with a 4th round KO of Gabriel Elizondo. He even defended that belt twice, winning both by impressive knockout.
It’s this kind of old fashioned boxing work ethic that has Filipino fans looking to Concepcion to deliver. But the task at hand this time is going to be by far his toughest test to date.
“The fight with Luevano is a major step up for Concepcion,” said Nigel Collins, the editor of the Ring Magazine. “Luevano doesn’t look like much when you look at him. He’s a skinny kid and he doesn’t punch that hard. But this kid can box. He’s smart. And he knows how to win. There’s a reason he’s the Ring’s number two featherweight. If Concepcion wins this fight, he could be on the road to the big time.”
Indeed the odds will definitely favor the 27 year old Luevano (36-1-1, 15KO’s). He’s fought his entire nine year career at featherweight, while Concepcion has had just one fight at feather. And Luevano hasn’t lost in eight fights, going back to 2005.
“He’ll(Concepcion) be a small underdog,” admitted Roach. “Bernabe’s a great puncher and a good boxer too. Luevano’s a boxer but not a great puncher. We’re going to put in eight good weeks of training, come up with a game plan, and I expect him to win.”
Roach admitted that Concepcion hasn’t been as active as he’d like him to have been. After fighting incessantly over the last four years, sometimes taking fights once a month, Concepcion took four months off before returning to the Philippines to defeat Kenyan Sandy Otiene, an opponent that Roach was not impressed with.
With only one fight at featherweight, it did seem surprising that Concepcion would take a such a huge risk and agree to a fight with a fighter the caliber of Luevano. The only explanation would be that Arum wanted the fight because fights between Mexicans and Filipinos these days sell tickets. And perhaps he’s been hearing the gripes from disgruntled fans who’ve had enough of lousy undercards.
There is, however, another intriguing story line that could very possibly unfold with a Concepcion victory on May 2nd. Should the Filipino win, he’ll instantly replace Luevano at the number two spot in the Ring featherweight ratings. The number one contender is Indonesia’s Chris John. Should John get by Rocky Juarez at the end of February, that would put the two fighters on a collision course to contend for the Ring Featherweight championship. According to the Ring’s championship policy, when the numbers 1 and 2 square off and the title is vacant, as it is now, the fight is for the Ring Championship.
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