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Promising Abe Concepcion and Beibut Shumenov Title Bound
Nonito Donaire against Rafael Concepcion for the WBA interim super flyweight title at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas is the main fight this weekend. Donaire recently relinquished his IBF flyweight title to move up in weight and draw closer to a highly anticipated sequel against his former knockout of the year victim, Vic Darchinyan. Most of the focus will be on Donaire’s bout against the Panamanian slugger but in its undercard and halfway around the world are two promising challengers that can steal the limelight from the “Flash”.
USA’s Steven Luevano [36(15)-1(0)-1] vs. Philippines’ Bernabe Concepcion [29(16)-1(0)-1]
Luevano‘s WBO Featherweight (126 lbs.) title
August 15 (Saturday) – Las Vegas, NV
Top Rank PPV for $34.95 (9:00 PM ET)
This fight was originally scheduled in the undercard of the Manny Pacquiao-Ricky Hatton clash last May but an injury to Luevano’s torso forced the postponement. Luevano will defend his title for the fifth time against the number 1 ranked mandatory challenger, Concepcion. In the lower weight classes, Luevano is considered as one of the better skilled fighters but the knock against him is his limited power. He moves well and consistently uses his jab from the southpaw stance to score at will. He may not be that exciting but he gets the job done. If there is a blueprint in defeating the Los Angeles native, the closest is his controversial draw against Mario Santiago last year. Santiago often tagged Luevano with straight lefts and was busy majority of the fight. If the Puerto Rican did not let up in the final round, it could have been him defending the title this weekend.
Concepcion may not be as seasoned as Luevano but still has a respectable jab to speak of. He may not be that far behind, skill-wise, but because of his length disadvantage he still cannot afford to stay in front of Luevano. He needs to bob and weave to get inside and make it a phone booth fight. His stamina will play a big role as he needs to make this a brawl. He cannot outlast Luevano nor leave the decision to the judges. His only chance against a technically proficient fighter is to knock him out. If he can withstand Luevano’s average power then he has more than a decent chance of capturing his first world title and gives the Philippines its third active champion.
Prediction: The normally busy Luevano has not fought since October and my gut feeling is that will be a factor against an active and well conditioned Concepcion. I am going against the odds and take Concepcion via late stoppage.
http://www.8countnews.com/news/125/A...009-08-12.html
Nonito Donaire against Rafael Concepcion for the WBA interim super flyweight title at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas is the main fight this weekend. Donaire recently relinquished his IBF flyweight title to move up in weight and draw closer to a highly anticipated sequel against his former knockout of the year victim, Vic Darchinyan. Most of the focus will be on Donaire’s bout against the Panamanian slugger but in its undercard and halfway around the world are two promising challengers that can steal the limelight from the “Flash”.
USA’s Steven Luevano [36(15)-1(0)-1] vs. Philippines’ Bernabe Concepcion [29(16)-1(0)-1]
Luevano‘s WBO Featherweight (126 lbs.) title
August 15 (Saturday) – Las Vegas, NV
Top Rank PPV for $34.95 (9:00 PM ET)
This fight was originally scheduled in the undercard of the Manny Pacquiao-Ricky Hatton clash last May but an injury to Luevano’s torso forced the postponement. Luevano will defend his title for the fifth time against the number 1 ranked mandatory challenger, Concepcion. In the lower weight classes, Luevano is considered as one of the better skilled fighters but the knock against him is his limited power. He moves well and consistently uses his jab from the southpaw stance to score at will. He may not be that exciting but he gets the job done. If there is a blueprint in defeating the Los Angeles native, the closest is his controversial draw against Mario Santiago last year. Santiago often tagged Luevano with straight lefts and was busy majority of the fight. If the Puerto Rican did not let up in the final round, it could have been him defending the title this weekend.
Concepcion may not be as seasoned as Luevano but still has a respectable jab to speak of. He may not be that far behind, skill-wise, but because of his length disadvantage he still cannot afford to stay in front of Luevano. He needs to bob and weave to get inside and make it a phone booth fight. His stamina will play a big role as he needs to make this a brawl. He cannot outlast Luevano nor leave the decision to the judges. His only chance against a technically proficient fighter is to knock him out. If he can withstand Luevano’s average power then he has more than a decent chance of capturing his first world title and gives the Philippines its third active champion.
Prediction: The normally busy Luevano has not fought since October and my gut feeling is that will be a factor against an active and well conditioned Concepcion. I am going against the odds and take Concepcion via late stoppage.
http://www.8countnews.com/news/125/A...009-08-12.html