The long road back stretches on for Bernabe Concepcion

Bernabe Concepcion is done. This is the popular opinion among Filipino boxing fans. Concepcion is just one of the many young Filipino pugs who had talent but failed to turn it into long-term success. Because of the path that Manny Pacquiao blazed, guys like Concepcion were given the chance to cash in early in their careers. More often than not, however, young Filipino boxers fall painfully short.

After facing champions such as Juan Manuel Lopez and Steven Luevano, Concepcion (32-6-1, 18 knockouts) is now scheduled to fight Richard Betos (20-6-1, 7 knockouts), a relative unknown. From fighting under the blinding lights of Las Vegas, Nevada, Concepcion now finds himself promoting a fight on July 27th at the Barangay San Dionisio Covered Court in Paranaque.

“Kung anong tingin ng ibang tao, di ko na lang pinapansin,” Concepcion said. “Pero sa akin, meron pa eh. Marami pa akong gustong marating. Di ko naman ginagawa ito para patunayan sa ibang tao. Ginagawa ko ito para sa sarili ko.”

A few years ago, boxing promoters were busy scouring the Philippines for the next Manny Pacquiao. They saw how crazy Filipinos were for boxing and more importantly they saw that there was money to be made in promoting them. Because of this, the local boxing scene exploded. Concepcion, Rey Bautista, Z Gorres, and many other were tabbed as the guys who will carry the cudgels for Philippine boxing after Pacquiao retired. They were introduced as future world champions but sadly very few reached that level.

Concepcion got his first world title shot against Luevano for the WBO featherweight crown back in 2009. During that time, Concepcion was 20-years-old. He was in the thick of things against Luevano, as he only trailed by a point in two of the scorecards while he was up by a point in the third.

By the tail-end of the seventh round, Concepcion’s inexperience cost him the match. Disappointed that he has not landed a power punch, Concepcion’s eyes grew wide open when he saw an opening. He landed a punch that knocked down Luevano, however, it came after the bell, and Luevano smartly stayed down to win by disqualification.

His second title try was even more disastrous. Instead of warming up and testing the waters, the Filipino carelessly attacked Lopez. He moved forward, walking straight into power punches from the Puerto Rican champion. He did manage to score a knockdown in the first round, but he was knocked out in the second. Again, he lost because he lacked the experience.

“Siyempre nung mga panahon na iyun, kukunin ko talaga yung title shot kasi bihira naman dumating yun e,” Concepcion explained. “Nagtataka yung mga taga-America kasi ang bata ko pa daw para sa title shot pero di ko inisip yun. Pero ngayon, pag iniisip ko yung nangyari sa career ko, siguro dapat di ko muna kinuha. Di pa ako hinog noon e. Sana hinintay ko na muna yung tamang pagkakataon.”

Concepcion lost two more times after that. He dropped a decision to journeyman Juan Carlos Martinez, then he was stopped by Mikey Garcia. After that, Concepcion’s career took a nosedive.

“Sa mga talo ko, may mga laban kasi ako na naghahabol ako ng training. Gustuhin ko mang makuha ko yung isang daang porsiyentong kundisyon ko, hindi ko makuha kasi nagmamadali ako,” Concepcion lamented.

“Ang dami kong problema sa training camp. Kaya pag tinawagan ako, dun pa lang ako magsisimulang mag-training. Di tulad ngayon na kahit walang laban tuluy-tuloy ang training ko.”

Luckily for Concepcion, a local promoter believed that he could still be a world champion. Anson Tui-Co, the owner of Baguio’s Shape-Up Boxing Gym signed him up and is now overseeing his career.
 
“I believe in second chances kasi,” Tiu-Co said. “And Bernabe is still young with no vices naman. I’d like to restore his faith in the sport that he loved.”

People wrote off Concepcion as a has-been but what many don’t realize is that he’s just 25 years old. Even with his past failures, Concepcion still has time to make his mark in Philippine boxing.

Now all he has to do is traverse the path that Tiu-Co has laid out in front of him, even if it involves fighting opponents who are not household names.

“Sa akin, pareho lang ang training,” Concepcion said. “Hindi ko iniisip na yung mga kalaban ko hindi masyadong kilala. Basta ako, kahit sinong kalaban, sisiguraduhin ko na mananalo ako.”

Though his name is no longer a hot commodity, with dedication and a bit of patience, it could be once more. As a whole, Philippine boxing has struggled in the past few months. Concepcion knows that a title shot will come and he’s willing to wait for that opportune moment.

“Sa ngayon, after ng laban na ito, sa palagay ko nakabalik na ako sa kundisyon ko. Hihintayin ko na lang na tumaas ako sa ratings para makalaban ulit ng world champion,” Concepcion said. “Sinisigurado ko na babalik akong mas malakas at mas gutom sa laban." - AMD, GMA News