International Boxing Federation (IBF) minimum weight champion Florante Condes, relieved of the headaches posed by managerial and promotional conflicts from which he has been spared in recent weeks, says he is ?relieved and concentrating on training hard? for his mandatory title defense against undefeated Raul ?Rayito? Garcia in La Paz, Mexico in June.
Trainer Danny Bactol said he was working on the physical preparation of Condes who initially couldn?t jog for more than 30 minutes without suing for time but now ?runs for 45 minutes up the mountainside? in Cebu where well-known promoter Sammy Gello-ani is taking care of Condes who trains daily at the famed ALA Gym of respected boxing patron Tony Aldeguer.
Condes himself thanked all those who helped him train in Cebu free of unnecessary distractions. He said he was determined to not just retain his title but to reign as champion for a few more years.
The general consensus of Bactol, Condes? sparring partners and even Aldeguer was that the champion had tremendous punching power and once he gets into top shape, he?ll be hard to beat.
Condes told Viva Sports/Manila Standard Today that the unbeaten record of Garcia ?doesn?t bother me. I don?t even need to watch a tape of his fights. I will just concentrate on my own preparation.?
There were clear indications that Bactol is slowly bringing out the best in Condes who now moves so much better, puts together rapid-fire combinations and doesn?t rely solely on his power coming off a flat-footed stance.
IBF Championship Committee chairman Lindsey Tucker said ?it?s a shame that he (Condes) has not fought since winning the title last July? in Jakarta against Indonesia?s champion Muhammad Rachmann in a close and exciting bout where Tucker himself was the IBF supervisor.
Top photo: Florante Condes waves his hand to ackowledge the crowd when he was introduced during Saturday night's boxing event at the Cebu Coliseum in Cebu City.
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