I?M a bit uneasy with all this sudden deluge of criticism raining down on Bernabe Concepcion.
Yes, he was outclassed totally by Mikey Garcia, losing via TKO in the seventh, but let?s be candid here–we all expected that, didn?t we?
I don?t know about you, but I do not ever recall anointing him as the next Manny Pacquiao or the next great anything for that matter.
Yet he is now being pilloried for losing as if greatness was his pugilistic birthright.
RECORD. Blessed with prodigious strength and power, Bernabe first came under our radar when he defeated Gabriel Elizondo in 2007 to win the vacant NABF super-bantamweight title.
He followed that up with several victories abroad against decent opposition, but his momentum got derailed with a DQ loss to Steven Luevano.
In that fight, Luevano was outboxing Concepcion when the latter shook the odds-on favorite with several chin-rattling hooks that had Pinoy fight fans in rapturous glee about a possible dramatic upset.
However, a blow thrown after the bell rang in the seventh that had Luevano on queerstreet was ruled as illegal.
After a decision win over Mario Santiago, Abe squared off against the biggest challenge of his career in Juan Manuel Lopez but was knocked out in two rounds in a wild and wooly affair that saw Lopez tasting the canvas once after sampling one of Abe?s brutal hooks.
He then lost to Juan Carlos Martinez in his next fight, but managed to eke out a split decision win over Aaaron Garcia. Then came the losing effort to Miguel Angel ?Mikey? Garcia last weekend.
EXPECTATIONS. Truth be told, Abe isn?t the most skilled fighter out there but he has enamored us with his take-no-prisoners approach.
His jab is more of a pawing, innocuous range-finder and he throws wide, looping punches.
He has decent speed, and his youth allows him to get away a lot of technical mistakes, but he will always have the proverbial puncher?s chance in any encounter.
So it boils down to the degree of expectation we demand from our local fighters. To my mind, Abe?s limited skills will always hamper his rise to boxing stardom, but precisely because I accept his limitations as a fighter and so I will not denegrate him for losing to technically superior opponents.
The problem is that some people were too eager to get on the bandwagon, but every time the rubber meets the pothole, some of them are the first to bail out.
The kid is only 24 years of age, with a record of 29-6, 15KOs. How can some people be calling for his retirement?
If there?s anything that Sonny Boy Jaro?s recent conquest over Thai legend Pongsaklek Wonjongkam has taught us, it is that you can never under estimate an opponent with several losses on his record.
The marvelous brawler that he is, Abe will always be a visceral feast to the eyes if he gets into a groove. It may not be the most effective of styles, but he certainly merits my respect for providing us the always intriguing possibility of a one-punch knockout.
To me that?s enough. I have higher expectations from the Pacquiaos and the Donaires of the boxing world, but for Bernabe Concepcion I am willing to appreciate what he brings to the table.
MARAVILLA. I hope Sergio Martinez puts on a better show today as he defends against Matthew Macklin for the WBC middleweight diadem. The last time around he struggled with Darren Barker before eventually finding a way to stop the English man in round 11.
Though his name is often bruted about as a possible Pacquiao opponent, I think this talented fighter may never get the chance given the weight disparity and other flotsam that often characterize negotiations for super fights.
At 37 years of age, he may not be around that much longer and I wish to see him display to the hilt his impressive boxing arsenal while he still can.
LAST ROUNDS. Are on Atty. Climaco Camiso who recently celebrated his ?senior? birthday, and on lovely couple Amado and Stela Ostrea who recently exchanged ?I do?s?. Cheers!
