CONDES GETS IBF TITLE SHOT

Hard-hitting southpaw Florante Condes, the Philippines minimum weight champion get a mandatory shot at IBF champion Muhammad Rachman of Indonesia in April.

Rachman had been planning on a unification bout with WBO champion Ivan Calderon but the IBF stepped in and directed the champion to first defend his title against the heavy-handed Condes who is 26 years old and has a record of 20 knockouts in 21 wins with three losses and one draw.

Rachman will be coming off a seventh round TKO over Benjie Sorolla last December 23although the Filipino’s handlers claimed the stoppage was premature. Rachman is 35 years old and has a record of 61-5-5 with 20 knockouts.

A devastating puncher, Condes won the Philippine minimum weight title on December 10, 2005 with a sixth round knockout over Philip Parcon who was dropped in rounds four and six before being put away for the full count. However, among Condes’ losses was a split decision defeat at the hands of Sorolla in May 2005.