Florante Condes Discloses Details of Mishaps
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
Former IBF minimumweight champion Florante Condes returned home on Monday and told of how he was abandoned by promoter Sammy Gello-ani who accompanied him to East London but left some three days before the crucial IBF title eliminator against undefeated Nkosinathi Joyi in East London last Sunday, Manila Time.
Condes said Gello-ani told him he should understand the fact that he was needed in the US for the fight of Fernando Lumacad against Mexico ’s Jorge Arce “because he was the one who arranged the Lumacad fight.” Lumacad was knocked out in the third round with a single punch and has come under fire all around for showing a lack of the courage associated with Filipino boxers. Lumacad was branded even by Top Rank promoter Bob Arum, a quitter
Condes told BoxingScene.com, insidesports.ph, Standard Today and Viva Sports that he didn’t want to leave for South Africa without his trainer Joven Jimenez but that Gello-ani told him not to worry because he would accompany him for the fight.
Respected “International Promoter of the Year” Branco Milenovic informed us that he was told by Gello-ani that he had to return to Manila because of an unspecified “problem” but never informed him that he had to leave for Atlantic City for the Lumacad fight.
Condes claimed he couldn’t understand the instructions of Ortiz in-between rounds but praised him for doing an excellent job to stop the bleeding from a cut under his right eye and for taking care of him while he was there. Condes said he hadn’t received his purse for the fight but that Ortiz had given him $1,000 before he left.
Condes' purse is apparently with Gello-ani who is expected to pay the fighter on his return from the US.
The IBF No. 2 ranked Condes claimed that Joyi hit him twice with vicious low blows one of which really pained him and also head-butted him more than once. Condes showed us a huge welt and a cut under his right eye to prove his allegations. He also said that the knockdown called by referee Gil Clancy was not a knockdown. Condes explained that he completely missed with a haymaker and lost his balance and Joyi effectively slapped and pushed him down.
Condes revealed that he was underweight and came in at 103 pounds while Joyi was exactly 105. He also said he hurt his left hand in the third round which was swollen.
Despite his claims Condes conceded that Joyi was a terrific fighter. He said the South African was big and strong and taller than him and punched with awesome power and clearly won the fight.
Condes was praised by the South African media for his courageous performance against a skilled and undefeated fighter like Joyi who had an impressive record of 15 knockouts in 19 wins. The undefeated South African won by a unanimous twelve round decision.
Condes said that Joyi told him in a pre-fight press conference that he would last only two rounds and that when he entered the Orient Theater dressing room and later walked into the ring South African fans gave him the sign of “slitting my throat to signal that Joyi would kill me in the ring but I was deaf to everything they said.”
Condes said that once he was atop the ring he told himself “I will not leave or get knocked out. I will fight him all the way” which Condes did according to media reports from East London .
He revealed that there was only one Caucasian fan who applauded him during the fight and even accompanied him to his locker room and told him “Condes you have a very big heart.”
The uncle and aunt of Condes, Larry and Loy Valencia said that at first Gello-ani wanted to take Nonito Donaire Sr to South Africa as Condes’ trainer but Condes said he didn’t want any other trainer because he was comfortable with Joven Jimenez and had learned a lot from him.
They said that Gello-ani informed them that promoter Milenkovic provided only three tickets for Condes, manager Ortiz and himself which made them ask, if he used the ticket that could have been used by the trainer of Condes why did he abandon him three days before the fight?
