FLORANTE CONDES’ key to success is a terrific work ethic.
Aljoe Jaro, the newly-crowned International Boxing Federation (IBF) minimumweight champion’s chief handler said yesterday that Condes derives his awesome punching power from hard work.
Condes confirmed this saying, “Ensayo lang ng ensayo.”
But Jaro goes further in letting it known how hard his prized puncher trains.
“One night around 11 p.m., I heard a commotion downstairs and thought something was wrong but when I opened the door, I saw Florante working out a sweat pumping iron,” said Jaro who thought his ward was already in bed sleeping.
“Condes loves to train hard and even after every fight, he doesn’t want to stay inactive so he goes back to the gym after three or four days,” said Jaro. “You can’t tell him to stop training.”
But after Condes’ sensational triumph in Jakarta last July 7, gym work momentarily took a back seat and his life took a new turn.
Days after his arrival, Condes was besieged with requests for interviews, meetings with TV bigwigs and companies like San Miguel and No Fear, whose products boxing icon Manny Pacquiao also endorses, opened initial discussions for possible endorsements agreement.
Meanwhile, the race to promote Condes’ first defense of the title is on.
Pacquiao also promised Jaro that he will use whatever influence he has to put Condes in the undercard of his Oct. 6 rematch with Marco Antonio Barrera in Las Vegas.
“We even saw each other yesterday (Thursday) at the Wild Card Gym owned by Mr. Rod Nazario in Para?aque and Manny told us that he will do his best to put Condes and another one of my top fighters, super-bantam Bernabe Concepcion, in the undercard,” said Jaro.
If it doesn’t happen, Jaro said Manila is more than willing to host Condes’ first defense possibly against a Latino challenger probably in a tie-up with Solar Sports and former Pacquiao business manager Rod Nazario, one of the country’s leading promoters.
The camp of Muhammad Rachman, the Indon slugger Condes mauled to snatch the IBF 105-lb title is also keen in having a rematch in Jakarta sometime in December.
“I have made my demands known to them so I will just wait for their reply,” said Jaro
