By Rey Danseco
FILIPINO fighter Bernabe “Kamaong Llave” Concepcion and Kenyan boxer Sande Otieno clash tonight to become the first owner of the WBC International featherweight title from their respective countries.
Concepcion, known as Kamaong Llave due to his strong fists being like steel, is favored to win the scheduled 12-round contest for having the better knockout percentage and more experience. The fight takes place at Araneta Coliseum here in Manila.
But Otieno, who also aims to avenge his lost in Davao City in southern Philippines in October, is optimistic of carrying the day despite of his expectation of facing the hardest fight of his career.
The 20-year old native of Catanduanes said he might stop the 33 year old pride of Kenya inside of nine rounds.
“If I'll have a chance to hurt him early in the fight, I will put all the pressure and hit him hard as I can. KO win is better than decision,” said Concepcion who found his name rated No. 3 by the WBC.
Otieno believed his one month training St Teresa's Gym in Nairobi for his back-to-back fights in the Philippines will be enough to win the gold and green belt of the WBC.
“I know he enjoys a better global ranking than me but he surely must fight on the match day,” a report from Kenya Otieno was quoted.
Concepcion is coming off in hard-earned technical knockout win over Mexican super bantamweight champion Giovanni Caro in California to extend his unbeaten run to 20 and improved his record to 27-1-1, 16 KOs.
Otieno (17-1, 7 KOs) lost his WBC International super bantamweight crown to another Filipino Balweg “Davao Hitman” Bangoyan last September by unanimous technical decision in round 5.
In yesterday's weigh in, Concepcion was exactly at the limit at 126 pounds while Otieno, who also fights for the first time in featherweight class, tipped the scale at 124.5 lbs.
The triple main event card promoted by Jaro International Promotion in cooperation with Aim Global, will also showcase former world light flyweight challenger and Oriental Pacific champion Sonny Boy “The Bullet” Jaro and RP miniflyweight titlist Denver “The Excitement” Cuello against separate foreign foes.
Jaro takes on Thailand No. 7 contender Nanpayyak Sakkipin while Cuello faces his counterpart from Indonesia, Yanus Emaury.
