By Ronnie Nathanielsz

When hard-hitting Filipino Bernabe Concepcion takes on WBO featherweight champion Steven Luevano at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas on Sunday, Manila Time, it will be a match-up between the power of Concepcion and the skill of Luevano.

Luevano is making the fifth defense of the vacant title he won with an 11th round knockout of Nicky Cook at the Millenium Dome in London  on July 14, 2007 after Mexico’s Juan Manuel Marquez had relinquished the title.

A fine boxer,  Luevano is coming off a fairly long layoff after a unanimous twelve round decision over Australia’s Billy Dib in a fight that was a major disappointment mainly because of the way Dib fought and an injury sustained in training for the Concepcion fight originally scheduled for May 2 on the Manny Pacquiao- Ricky Hatton fight card.

Concepcion has been training at the Wild Card Gym of Freddie Roach and has been sparring with world-rated southpaw AJ “Bazooka” Banal among others. A snafu involving Pacquiao adviser Michael Koncz who also handles Concepcion resulted in the Filipino failing to show up for an earlier affair in Las Vegas although his manager Aljoe Jaro was there, having flown directly to Las Vegas from Manila.

That situation was corrected and Concepcion showed up Friday at the Top Rank gym along with Koncz for a public workout along with Luevano.

Nonito Donaire Sr who steered his son Nonito “The Filipino Flash” Donaire to a sensational 5th round stoppage of Vic Darchinyan to win the IBF/IBO flyweight titles said “its not going to be easy for Bernabe Concepcion because Luevano is a really slick fighter. He is not strong but he’s slick.”

He said that while Concepcion “is a little slow but he’s stronger than Luevano” and that could make the difference.

Respected boxing analyst Moy Lainez whose weekly boxing program “In This Corner” which is produced by a group is led by original Team Pacquiao members headed by former manager Rod Nazario, boxing manager Lito Mondejar and  Gerry Garcia celebrated its 9th anniversary on Friday said “the only way Concepcion can win is if he hurts Luevano badly or knocks him out because Concepcion can punch. Otherwise, he will be out-boxed by the champion who is also quicker than Concepcion.”

Southpaw Luevano who has a record of 35-1-1 with 15 knockouts has a three inch height advantage over Concepcion whose record is 29-1-1 with 16 knockouts.

Concepcion scored a 6th round unanimous decision over Yogli Herrera last May 2 when Luevano pulled out with an injury suffered in training and before that scored a 5th round technical decision over tough Sande Otieno to win the vacant WBC International featherweight title forcing Otieno’s corner to stop the fight after Otieno was badly cut on the right eye and his nose was also battered and bloody, last January 11.

IBF light flyweight champion Brian Viloria who will do the TV coverage of the fights along with Al Bernstein and Mario Lopez before flying to Honolulu for his August 29 title defense against Jesus Iribe was also at the public workout .