In an upcoming clash for the WBO featherweight title, Bernabe Concepcion will challenge undefeated champion Juan Manuel Lopez on July 10th from Puerto Rico. As of right now, most fans and critics say that Concepcion is a huge underdog with very little chance of scoring the upset. But there’s one factor that many are overlooking and that’s the Manny Pacquiao factor.
In a report by Ronnie Nathanielsz of PhilBoxing.com, Manny Pacquiao has stated that he would spend some time with Concepcion and advise him on how to fight Juanma. In my opinion, any time a boxer can spend some time with the pound-for-pound king and formulate a fight plan, then that fighter should definitely show promise. And if spending time with Manny wasn’t enough, Concepcion will be heading to the famed Wild Card gym at the end of the month to begin training.
Both Concepcion and Lopez are coming off victories from earlier this year. Juanma dominated former champion Steven Luevano in their January fight at Madison Square Garden. Lopez scored a 7th round TKO due to the ref stopping the fight.
In his last fight, Concepcion earned a Unanimous Decision in a solid performance over Mario Santiago on February 13th in Las Vegas. The judges scored the fight 98-91, 96-93, 97-92 in favor of Bernabe. Concepcion also fought Luevano but lost their fight due to disqualification back in August, 2009. Bernabe hit Steven after the bell ended the 7th round. Luevano was ahead 67-66 on all 3 of the scorecards.
Peter Garcia Sacramento, CA “Do you think Concepcion can pull off the upset over Juanma?” I know many people are counting him out. Some say he’s not ready for a fighter of Juanma’s caliber. Others say that Concepcion just isn’t a great fighter. I say, Freddie and Manny are going to be the “Wild Card” in all of this. I think that whatever assistance or guidance that Manny and Freddie give will make Concepcion a smarter and more dangerous fighter. I also think that Concepcion knows that this could be the career defining victory that every fighter looks for. I’m giving him a chance to pull off the upset, if for nothing else, because whatever Manny Pacquiao has set his mind on doing in 2010 he has turned into Gold.
