Bernabe Concepcion
Encyclopedia
Bernabe "Abe" Concepcion (born 1988) is a Filipino
featherweight
boxer. Concepcion resides in Viga
, Catanduanes
, Philippines
. Being from a boxing-oriented family, he trained from a young age. He turned professional at the age of 16.
, carving out wins away from his homeland Philippines
He won his first title via KO in China against a Chinese hometown boxer, and gained his two recent belts in the United States against rated opposition. During this first professional bout, he gained his first knockdown, but was able to floor his veteran opponent as well in the early rounds of that fight (Concepcion was 17 years of age at the time). A year later, he won the WBC
youth
super bantamweight
title by scoring a unanimous decision win over a then undefeated opponent, Joksan "El Torito" Hernandez.
Bob Arum
immediately signed Concepcion up for Top Rank Boxing
following this win.
for the WBO featherweight title on August 15, 2009. Originally, the fight was supposed to be included in the undercard of the May 2, 2009 bout
between Manny Pacquiao
and Ricky Hatton
but Luevano pulled out due to an injury. Instead, Concepcion fought Colombian
Yogli Herrera that night and managed to eke out a 6-round decision.
Concepcion lost his title bout against Steven Luevano
via disqualification. Luevano was ahead on the scorecards when Concepcion landed late blows after the seventh round, resulting in a disqualification.
On February 13, 2010, Concepcion faced Puerto Rican
Mario “Principe Ponceño” Santiago at the Las Vegas Hilton
in Las Vegas
, Nevada
. The Filipino boxer won the 10-round bout by unanimous decision with the scores 98-91, 96-93, 97-92. Concepcion was also able to knock the opponent down in the 6th-round with a powerful right. This win brought Concepcion to a potential fight against Puerto Rican
sensation Juan Manuel López
.
Bernabe Concepcion fought for the WBO featherweight championship again on July 10, 2010. This time, he took on Juan Manuel Lopez
who won the belt from Luevano. In the opening round, Concepcion was floored by Lopez but rose back up to respond with a knockdown of his own. In the next round where the bout concluded, Concepcion was brought down by Lopez twice, prompting the referee to call a halt to the match. This was Concepcion's first defeat by stoppage. In response to the outcome of the match, Manny Pacquiao, who coached him in the days leading to the fight, blamed Concepcion for not taking his (Pacquiao's) advice.
Bernabe Concepcion is now going to fight Alejandro Perez
14-2-1 9KOs on the undercard to the showtime super fight between Juan Manuel Lopez vs. Rafael Marquez
.
Filipino people
The Filipino people or Filipinos are an Austronesian ethnic group native to the islands of the Philippines. There are about 92 million Filipinos in the Philippines, and about 11 million living outside the Philippines ....
featherweight
Featherweight
Featherweight is a weight class division in the sport of boxing. There are similarly named divisions under several Mixed Martial Arts organizations and in Greco-Roman wrestling.-Professional boxing:...
boxer. Concepcion resides in Viga
Viga, Catanduanes
Viga is a 4th class municipality in the province of Catanduanes, Philippines. According to the 2007 census, it has a population of 19,266 people in 3,431 households.-History:...
, Catanduanes
Catanduanes
Catanduanes is an island province of the Philippines located in the Bicol Region in Luzon. Its capital is Virac and the province lies to the east of Camarines Sur across Maqueda Channel. As of 2007, the population of the province is 232,757 people.-Etymology:"Isla de Cobos" was Catanduanes' first...
, Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
. Being from a boxing-oriented family, he trained from a young age. He turned professional at the age of 16.
Early life
Concepcion has two older brothers who were also professional boxers. They were his inspiration for having taken up boxing himself. He started boxing at an early age, watching his brothers at first and eventually training with them. He then went into amateur boxing but almost immediately turned professional when he turned 16.Super bantamweight
Having developed his boxing skill in his early life, by 2005, he was considered to be one of the most promising boxing talents to emerge from the Philippines. Today, Concepcion fights mainly in the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, carving out wins away from his homeland Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
He won his first title via KO in China against a Chinese hometown boxer, and gained his two recent belts in the United States against rated opposition. During this first professional bout, he gained his first knockdown, but was able to floor his veteran opponent as well in the early rounds of that fight (Concepcion was 17 years of age at the time). A year later, he won the WBC
World Boxing Council
The World Boxing Council was initially established by 11 countries: the United States, Argentina, United Kingdom, France, Mexico, Philippines, Panama, Chile, Peru, Venezuela and Brazil plus Puerto Rico, met in Mexico City on February 14, 1963, upon invitation of the then President of Mexico, Adolfo...
youth
Youth
Youth is the time of life between childhood and adulthood . Definitions of the specific age range that constitutes youth vary. An individual's actual maturity may not correspond to their chronological age, as immature individuals could exist at all ages.-Usage:Around the world, the terms "youth",...
super bantamweight
Super Bantamweight
Super bantamweight is a weight division in professional boxing. The maximum weight for this division is 122 pounds, or roughly 55.34 kilograms....
title by scoring a unanimous decision win over a then undefeated opponent, Joksan "El Torito" Hernandez.
Bob Arum
Bob Arum
Robert "Bob" Arum is the founder and CEO of Top Rank, a professional boxing promotion company based in Las Vegas. He also worked for the US Attorney's Office for the southern district of New York in the tax division....
immediately signed Concepcion up for Top Rank Boxing
Top Rank Boxing
Top Rank, Inc. is a Las Vegas based boxing promotion company founded by Jabir Herbert Muhammad and Bob Arum, which was incorporated in 1973. Since its founding, the company has promoted several world class fighters, such as Muhammad Ali, JI Penalver, Oscar De La Hoya, Roberto Durán, Joe Frazier,...
following this win.
Featherweight
For his first world title shot, Concepcion took on Steven LuevanoSteven Luevano
Steven Luevano was a Mexican-American boxer in the Featherweight division and is the former WBO Featherweight Champion. He was trained by the former IBF Super Featherweight Champion Roberto Garcia....
for the WBO featherweight title on August 15, 2009. Originally, the fight was supposed to be included in the undercard of the May 2, 2009 bout
Ricky Hatton vs. Manny Pacquiao
Ricky Hatton vs. Manny Pacquiao, billed as The Battle of East and West, was a boxing light welterweight superfight for the International Boxing Organization and The Ring light welterweight championship...
between Manny Pacquiao
Manny Pacquiao
Emmanuel "Manny" Dapidran Pacquiao, PLH is a Filipino professional boxer and politician. He is the first eight-division world champion; having won six world titles, as well as the first to win the lineal championship in four different weight classes. He was named "Fighter of the Decade" for the...
and Ricky Hatton
Ricky Hatton
Richard John Hatton MBE, more commonly known as Ricky "the Hitman" Hatton, , is a former British professional boxer, and currently a promoter....
but Luevano pulled out due to an injury. Instead, Concepcion fought Colombian
Colombian people
Colombian people are from a multiethnic Spanish speaking nation in South America called Colombia. Colombians are predominantly Roman Catholic and are a mixture of Europeans, Africans, and Amerindians.-Demography:...
Yogli Herrera that night and managed to eke out a 6-round decision.
Concepcion lost his title bout against Steven Luevano
Steven Luevano
Steven Luevano was a Mexican-American boxer in the Featherweight division and is the former WBO Featherweight Champion. He was trained by the former IBF Super Featherweight Champion Roberto Garcia....
via disqualification. Luevano was ahead on the scorecards when Concepcion landed late blows after the seventh round, resulting in a disqualification.
On February 13, 2010, Concepcion faced Puerto Rican
Puerto Rican people
A Puerto Rican is a person who was born in Puerto Rico.Puerto Ricans born and raised in the continental United States are also sometimes referred to as Puerto Ricans, although they were not born in Puerto Rico...
Mario “Principe Ponceño” Santiago at the Las Vegas Hilton
Las Vegas Hilton
The Las Vegas Hilton is a hotel, casino, and convention center in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is a joint venture between Colony Capital, which owns 60 percent, and New York City-based REIT Whitehall Street Real Estate Funds, which owns the remaining 40 percent...
in Las Vegas
Las Vegas metropolitan area
The Las Vegas Valley is the heart of the Las Vegas-Paradise, NV MSA also known as the Las Vegas–Paradise–Henderson MSA which includes all of Clark County, Nevada, and is a metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada. The Valley is defined by the Las Vegas Valley landform, a ...
, Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
. The Filipino boxer won the 10-round bout by unanimous decision with the scores 98-91, 96-93, 97-92. Concepcion was also able to knock the opponent down in the 6th-round with a powerful right. This win brought Concepcion to a potential fight against Puerto Rican
Puerto Rican people
A Puerto Rican is a person who was born in Puerto Rico.Puerto Ricans born and raised in the continental United States are also sometimes referred to as Puerto Ricans, although they were not born in Puerto Rico...
sensation Juan Manuel López
Juan Manuel López (boxer)
Juan Manuel "Juanma" López Rivera is a Puerto Rican professional boxer. As an amateur, Lopez represented Puerto Rico at numerous international tournaments including the 2002 Central American and Caribbean Games, 2003 Pan American Games and the 2004 Summer Olympics. López's professional career...
.
Bernabe Concepcion fought for the WBO featherweight championship again on July 10, 2010. This time, he took on Juan Manuel Lopez
Juan Manuel López (boxer)
Juan Manuel "Juanma" López Rivera is a Puerto Rican professional boxer. As an amateur, Lopez represented Puerto Rico at numerous international tournaments including the 2002 Central American and Caribbean Games, 2003 Pan American Games and the 2004 Summer Olympics. López's professional career...
who won the belt from Luevano. In the opening round, Concepcion was floored by Lopez but rose back up to respond with a knockdown of his own. In the next round where the bout concluded, Concepcion was brought down by Lopez twice, prompting the referee to call a halt to the match. This was Concepcion's first defeat by stoppage. In response to the outcome of the match, Manny Pacquiao, who coached him in the days leading to the fight, blamed Concepcion for not taking his (Pacquiao's) advice.
Bernabe Concepcion is now going to fight Alejandro Perez
Alejandro Pérez (boxer)
Alejandro Pérez is a Mexican American professional boxer in the Super Featherweight division.-Pro career:...
14-2-1 9KOs on the undercard to the showtime super fight between Juan Manuel Lopez vs. Rafael Marquez
Juan Manuel Lopez vs. Rafael Marquez
In addition, theirs will be yet another battle in the long-running rivalry between Mexican boxers and those from Puerto Rico, a fact that is lost on neither combatant....
.