LAS VEGAS, Nevada -- Bernabe Concepcion is the only Filipino boxer who will see action in the undercard of the ?The Battle of East and West? featuring International Boxing Organization (IBO) and Ring Magazine junior welterweight titlist Ricky ?The Hitman? Hatton versus challenger Manny ?The Pacman? Pacquiao for 12 rounds on May 2 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, here.
The 21-year-old reigning World Boxing Council (WBC) international featherweight ruler from Virac, Catanduanes, will debut in the lightweight division in an 8-round aperitif against Yogli Herrera (21-8, 15 KO?s) of Sucre, Colombia.
Concepcion (28-1-1, 17 KO?s), formerly a North American Boxing Federation (NABF) super bantamweight king, is fresh from a fifth-round technical knockout (TKO) win against African Sandi Otieno at the Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City on January 11, 2009.
He was penciled to challenge World Boxing Organization (WBO) super bantamweight champion Juan Manuel Lopez underneath the Pacquiao-Oscar De La Hoya 12-round tussle on Dec. 6 here but his manager Aljoe Jaro begged off in the eleventh hour saying Concepcion was moving up to the 135-lb division.
Lopez kept his diadem recently with a 9th-round TKO win over another Filipino Gerry Penalosa in Puerto Rico.
Concepcion is expected to roll past the 26-year-old Herrera who is on a four-match losing skid.
In his most recent outing on March 21, 2009, Herrera lost Alejandro Lopez in an 8-round scrapper in Beverly Hills, California.
He had been promised a crack at the legitimate world crown if he disposes of the Colombian trail horse.
Before yielding to Lopez, Herrera had been beaten by Victor Fonseca (12-rd unanimous decision for IBA bantamweight title), Santos Marimon (10-rd UD), and Rafael Valenzuela (8-round majority decision).
Meanwhile, one-time Pacquiao would be foe Humberto Soto (47-7-2, 30 KO?s) of Los Mochis, Mexico defends his WBC super featherweight belt against Benoit Gaudet (20-1, 7 KO?s) of Quebec, Canada in a 12-round encounter prior to main event.
Unbeaten Daniel Jacobs (15-0, 14 KO?s) of Brooklyn, New York fights Michael Walker (19-1-2, 12 KO?s) of Chicago, Illinois for 8 rounds in the middleweights. Another undefeated prospect Matt Korobov (4-0, 4 KO?s) of Orotukan, Russia faces Rodrigo Aguiar of Las Vegas for 4 rounds also in the middleweights.
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