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CONCEPCION, SONSONA LOOKING FABULOUS, DONAIRE STILL 3 POUNDS OVERWEIGHT By Ronnie Nathanielsz PhilBoxing.com Fri, 09 Jul 2010  Although he is no trainer, pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao?s adviser Michael Koncz who has been around the ?Fighter of the Decade? for the past few years has looked at WBO featherweight challenger Bernabe Concepcion and Philippine bantamweight champion Eden Sonsona in the final stages of training for the huge Pinoy Power/Latin Fury fight card at the Coliseo Jose Miguel Agrelot in San Juan, Pierto Rico and said ?they look fabulous.? Koncz said that based on how the two fighters who are handled internationally by MP Promotions of Pacquiao have looked so far ?if things don?t go our way on Saturday (Sunday in Manila) we have no excuses? even as he continued to praise trainer Restituto ?Buboy? Fernandez and assistant Nonoy Neri for having done a superb job with both young fighters. Concepcion goes after the WBO featherweight title of Puerto Rico?s extremely popular and likeable Juan Manuel ?Juanma? Lopez while Sonsona, the southpaw prot?g? of the late Rod Nazario, father figure and business manager of Pacquiao who is now managed by Nazario's son Rommel, clashes with another hometown boy in Jonathan Oquendo in a WBO super bantamweight title eliminator. Koncz said Sonsona was extremely quick, moved well and punched with power and that in contrast to what he saw of Oquendo, the Puerto Rican was ?slow and had no real power? and was not bigger than Sonsona despite being a natural super bantamweight and Sonsona a bantamweight. Koncz who had dinner with WBO president FRanciso "Paco" Valcarcel two nights ago said Valcarcel had predicted the Sonsona-Oquendo bout would be probably more exciting than even the main event between "Juanma" Lopez and Concepcion. According to Koncz a win by Sonsona will put him in line for a crack at the title currently held by another Puerto Rican, Wilfredo Vazquez Jr, son of the legendary former world champion Wilfredo Vazquez Sr who scored a crushing 4th round stoppage of Sonsona?s cousin and former WBO super flyweight champion Marvin Sonsona. The third Filipino on the fight card which will be telecast by the giant broadcast network ABS-CBN on its pre-eminent Channel 2 beginning at 10:00 a.m. with a replay on Studio 23 at 7:00 p.m. ABS-CBN reporter Dyan Castillejo who has been covering Pacquiao and the other leading Filipino boxers for some years now and is herself an all-around athlete and physical fitness buff was at the final pre-fight press conference and the workout of Concepcion and Sonsona and told us that Concepcion ?is much faster now and even looks a little bit like Manny (Pacquiao) now the way he moves. His body is also wider, muscle-tone is really good.? She said Concepcion told her this is like ?a chance of a lifetime for him so he really wants to win in front of the Puerto Ricans.? Castillejo said undefeated WBO light flyweight champion Ivan Calderon was at the workout and gave Concepcion a lot of tips. Calderon told Concepcion he needs to be ?aggressive throughout and look like you really want the title.? Castillejo said she hadn?t seen Donaire worked out but did see him on the treadmill at the hotel gym with his opponent Hernan ?Tyson? Marquez who happened to come at the same time, right beside him. Donaire said he still had to shed off three pounds before the official weigh in on the eve of the fight. Castillejo told us that Donaire who was some 6-8 pounds over the 115 limit a week before the fight and sounded tired and upset when we spoke to him over his inability to get a fight against a big name opponent at bantamweight, was ?looking much better? at the press conference. Juanma Lopez paid tribute to the Filipino boxers sating ?like Mexican fighters Filipinos are also brave. I have respect for Concepcion but we?ll resolve the matter in the ring. He throws punches from all angles, Pacquiao-style but Concepcion isn?t Pacquiao.? Informed that Pacquiao had given Concepcion some advice on how to fight him and that the Filipino had plans of spoiling Juanma?s planned fight with Rafael Marquez, the champion replied that only he and Concepcion will be in the ring ?but if Manny gets into the ring I?ll get ?Tito? Trinidad (the former world champion and one of Puerto Rico?s most revered champions) and we?ll be even.? Lopez said a Marquez fight was ?not on my mind right now. First I have to defeat Concepcion and then my promoters can talk to Bob Arum and Fernando Beltran to finalize a fight with Rafael Marquez.? Donaire who insists his fight with ?Tyson? Marquez will be his last at 115 noted that ?all Mexican fighters are brave so I don?t underestimate them. Marquez is coming off a loss at flyweight (against another Filipino Richie Mepranum last March in Dallas) and that makes him more dangerous, but we are prepared for everything.? Donaire told us earlier he was confident his speed and power will make the difference besides the fact that he is much taller than Marquez although well-known promoter Fernando Beltran warned Donaire not to take the Mexican lightly because he can punch and could well pull off an upset. Donaire also told us he has been aching to fight WBO/WBC bantamweight champion Fernando Montiel, super flyweight champion Jorge Arce who is moving up to bantamweight and Vic Darchinyan. Darchinyan bragged that Donaire was scared to face him in a rematch but the cocky Australian who suffered an embarrassing 5th round knockout to Donaire and lost his IBF/IBO flyweight titles backed out when he was offered the rematch some months ago. ?Tyson? Marquez said he knows he is facing a great champion but added, ?I have the desire, hunger and the ability to take the belt to Mexico. Like all Mexican boxers, I?ll die if necessary but I will be crowned on Saturday.? Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ronnie Nathanielsz.  |
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