North American Boxing Federation (NABF) superbantamweight champion Bernabe Concepcion of Virac, Catanduanes, is being lined up to fight the winner of the Sept. 15 interim WBC title bout between No. 2 Toshiaki Nishioka of Japan and No. 3 Nagapol Kiattisakchokchai of Thailand but manager Aljoe Jaro said yesterday he must beat Adam (El Torito) Carrera convincingly in Las Vegas next weekend to seal the deal.
Jaro leaves for Los Angeles tonight to rendezvous with Concepcion who stays in Manny Pacquiao?s apartment at the Palazzo in the La Brea district near Hollywood. They will motor to Las Vegas early next week for Concepcion?s 10-round bout against Carrera in the undercard of the Miguel Cotto-Antonio Margarito mainer at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on Saturday (Sunday morning, Manila).
Jaro said he expects Concepcion to win but isn?t taking Carrera lightly.
?This is a crucial fight for Abe because Top Rank will evaluate his performance to decide whether he?s ready for a title shot,? said Jaro. ?Carrera hasn?t fought in a year but his record is scary. He beat Juan Ruiz who gave Abe a hard time before losing a decision.?
Carrera, 25, has a 19-3 record, with eight KOs. He?s a former NABF and WBC Fecarbox titleholder with a knockout win over four-time world title challenger Julio Gamboa. Carrera has compiled streaks of eight and 10 straight wins in a career that started in 2001, three years before Concepcion turned pro.
Concepcion has been in Los Angeles over a month, training with Freddie Roach. He came back to Manila for two weeks last May then Pacquiao asked him to join his morning runs while preparing for David Diaz.
Jaro said Roach committed to focus on Concepcion after Pacquiao disposed of Diaz. Strength and conditioning coach Alejandro Ariza was assigned to look after Concepcion, too. ?Abe was in Manila when Manny called long distance from LA,? said Jaro. ?He told me to send Abe back so they could run together. Manny advised Abe to stay in LA so he could continue training.?
Jaro said a proposed fight against IBF 122-pound champion Steve Molitor of Canada fell through.
?Molitor has problems with his team,? said Jaro. ?His advisers don?t want him to fight outside of Canada. But I spoke with Bob Arum and his matchmaker Bruce Trampler who both assured me if Abe performs well against Carrera, they?ll give him a big break, maybe in the undercard of Manny?s next fight in Las Vegas this November.?
Concepcion, 20, is ranked No. 5 by the WBC and No. 8 by the WBO. Jaro said Concepcion might be picked to challenge newly crowned WBO champion Juan Manuel Lopez, who knocked out Daniel Ponce de Leon in one round for the title. Lopez is promoted by Top Rank.
Another option is to face the winner of the Nishioka-Kiattisakchokchai interim championship fight with the survivor earning the right to become WBC titlist Israel Vazquez? mandatory challenger. Nishioka and Kaittisakchokchai will meet in Kanagawa, Japan, on Sept. 15. Vazquez is taking a rest after battling Rafael Marquez in his last three fights, winning twice. Last March, Vazquez scored a split 12-round decision over Marquez to retain the WBC belt.
Jaro said he will be in Concepcion?s corner for the Carrera fight.
?I don?t know what is Abe?s purse but I leave that up to Manny and Michael (Koncz),? said Jaro. ?They?re taking care of Abe. My arrangement with Abe is we split the net purse.?
Jaro said Concepcion, whose record is 25-1-1, with 14 KOs, is ripe for a title crack. He is unbeaten in his last 20 outings and hasn?t lost since dropping a majority verdict to Mark Sales five years ago. Concepcion has won all his five overseas assignments so far, the last two in Mexico.
Jaro said with his ring earnings, Concepcion, one of nine children, has put up a piggery for his father Serafin and brother Dondon, a retired fighter, to manage in Virac. Another brother Benjie, also a former pro, is now a trainer in a Manila fitness gym.
