SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS — It pays to be in the company of the world’s best fighter. Somehow, his intensity and determination will rub off on you.
Bernabe Concepcion, given the golden opportunity to train alongside Manny Pacquiao, bucked an injured right hand to pound out a unanimous decision win over Texan Benjamin Flores and retain his WBC Youth super bantamweight crown in the opener of the Blaze of Glory card at the Alamodome here.
The 19-year-old find from Viga, Catanduanes, hurt his hand after hitting Flores with a straight followed by an upper cut in the second round. But he ignored the pain to earn the nod of the three judges, 97-93, 96-94, 97-93.
“I really learned a lot from Kuya Manny,” said Concepcion in Filipino. “Not only in fighting but also in training. He serves as my inspiration.”
Egged on by his corner, Concepcion even managed to stagger Flores with an upper cut in the fourth round but failed to deliver the killer follow-up.
“This victory is for my country and my countrymen,” said Concepcion, who stayed in Pacquiao’s apartment and trained with him at the Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles and at the Jesse James Lejia Gym here.
Concepcion said he is very grateful to Pacquiao for giving him valuable pointers and insights, not to mention vitamins and nutritious native food.
The 5-foot-4 Concepcion improved his record to 21 wins (11 knockouts) 1 draw and 1 loss.
“He told us his hand hurt, but we told him not to give up,” said Aljoe Jaro, Concepcion’s trainer-manager.
Flores fell to 14-3 (6 KOs).
