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2 Cotabato Boxers Want to Fight Bernabe Concepcion on Dec. 17 PhilBoxing.com Mon, 27 Oct 2008 Kidapawan City - News that the handlers of North American Boxing Federation (NABF) superbantamweight champion Bernabe Concepcion are looking for an opponent for a tune-up fight for him on Dec. 17 in Manila has caused a lot of excitement to two upcoming junior featherweights from North Cotabato. Former amateur standouts Rolando Magbanua and Reynaldo Belandres, both 23 years old, have indicated they are willing to face Concepcion in a 10-round bout should any one of them be offered the fight. "I hope they will take the local boys for Concepcion," said Magbanua, a former Philippine amateur boxing team member who dropped out of college recently to pursue a career in professional boxing. Magbanua, an Ilonggo born in Pigcawayan town in North Cotabato, is an orthodox fighter called "Smooth Operator" for his fluid boxing style and sound boxing basics fine-tuned by Cuban boxing coach Honorato Espinosa who stayed in the province for 18 months. Standing 5' 5", Magbanua holds a record of 11 wins without a loss with 7 knockouts after three years as a professional. He dropped out of the University of Southern Mindanao where he was taking up a course in agriculture early this year to concentrate on his boxing career. Belandres, also 5' 5" and a former member of the Philippine amateur boxing team like Magbanua, said he too would be willing to test Concepcion. "Maski sino sa aming dalawa ni Rolando ang mapili," he said. (They could choose between me and Rolando.) Also a college student taking up criminology, Belandres, from Dalapitan, Matalam, North Cotabato, has to suspend his schooling to focus on his boxing career. Called the "Boy of Steel," Belandres has a record of 9 wins with 7 knockouts and one technical draw. Belandres fought the rugged Jun Eraham for the vacant Philippine Boxing Federation (PBF) jr. featherweight title recently but a cut suffered by the North Cotabato boxer in the 4th round following a headbutt by Eraham ended the fight in a technical draw. North Cotabato Vice Gov. Manny Pinol, who has nurtured the two boxers since they were amateurs, said that the projected fight against Concepcion would be a tough test for either Magbanua or Belandres. "But it is time to test their mettle. There has to be a time in the career of our boxers when we really have put them on a tough crucible for us to know whether they have it or not," he said. For Concepcion, who is being touted as the next Manny Pacquiao, taking on a boxer with an outstanding amateur boxing record like Magbanua or Belandres would help determine if he has the skills to fight the likes of Stephen Luevano, the WBO superbantamweight champion, said Vice Gov. Pinol. "Win or loss, this fight will be very educational for both boxers," Vice Gov. Pinol said adding that he has relayed his interest for the Concepcion fight to the NABF champion's manager, Aljoe Jaro. Magbanua and Belandres are two of about a dozen professional boxers of the Braveheart Boxing Club of North Cotabato who are all products of a grassroots amateur boxing program started in 1998 when Vice Gov. Pinol was the Governor of North Cotabato. The other Braveheart Boxers are featherweight Glenn Gonzales (7 wins, 4 KOs, 1 draw), bantamweight Jundy Maraon (10 wins, 8 KOs, 1 technical draw), bantamweight Glenn Porras (16 wins, 12 KOs, 2 losses), jr. flyweight Edrin Dapudong (12 wins, 6 KOs, 2 losses), miniflyweight Rommel Asenjo (9 wins, 7 KOs, 2 losses), bantamweight Rey Juntilla (6 wins, 4 KOs), miniflyweight Jermie Jabel (6 wins, 4 KOs) and several 4-round campaigners. Gonzales, a cousin of Vice Gov. Pinol from M'lang town, and Maraon, originally from Suminot, Zamboanga del Sur, have signed up with Top Rank and are now in Salinas City, California.  |
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