By Ryan Maquiñana
After a disappointing showing in Las Vegas last May, former world title challenger Bernabe Concepcion will meet fellow featherweight Aaron Garcia on Oct. 27 at San Manuel Casino in San Bernardino, Calif., according to Garcia’s manager, Vince Parra.
Concepcion (28-5-1, 15 KOs), originally from Rizal, Philippines, is at the crossroads after consecutive televised losses to then WBO 126-lbs. champ Juan Manuel Lopez on Showtime and veteran Juan Carlos Martinez on ESPN2.
Garcia (10-2-2, 2 KOs), from Vista, Calif., is coming off two strong outings, the first being an upset of recent Teon Kennedy conqueror Alejandro Lopez in February and a majority decision loss to the unbeaten Abraham Lopez (no relation) that many observers felt could have gone either way.
Ryan Maquiñana is the boxing correspondent at Comcast SportsNet Bay Area. He’s a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and The Ring’s Ratings Advisory Panel. E-mail him at rmaquinana@gmail.com, check out his blog at www.maqdown.com or follow him on Twitter: @RMaq28.