By Ronnie Nathanielsz
Former WBA super flyweight interim champion Rafael “El Torito” Concepcion returns to the ring on November 26 in Panama.
Optimum Sports Agency headed by Damon de Berry who manages Concepcion informed insidesports.ph, Standard Today and Viva Sports that Concepcion will face Colombia ’s Santos Marimon at the Centro de Convenciones Atlapa, Panama City .
The fight will be Concepcion ’s first since he lost the interim crown to Mexican warrior Jorge Arce in a very entertaining back-and-forth bout last September 15 in Mexico City .
Prior to the Arce fight, Concepcion won the WBA interim title with a stunning 10th round knockout of the highly favored, previously undefeated Filipino southpaw AJ “Bazooka” Banal on July 26 this year at a jam-packed Cebu Coliseum.
Concepcion claims the elements were against him in the Arce fight with the high altitude playing a part as well as the fact that he was fighting in Mexico City on Mexican Independence Day although he gave full credit to Arce.
Concepcion said Arce is “a very experienced fighter and it was a good fight. My energy levels I think were affected by the altitude but I won’t make excuses. He won a great fight. I hope I get the opportunity to fight him again.
De Berry said the 26 year old Concepcion (11-3-1, 7 KO’s) is “looking forward to getting back into the ring. This fight (against Marimon) is just the first step to becoming champion again and we will take it one fight at a time.”
Although the 30 year old Marimon has a ring record of 10-9-1 with 7 KO’s winning seven of his last eight fights by knockouts, he didn’t beat anybody significant.
In his last fight on September 27, 2008 Marimon scored a six round decision over Edinson Jimenez who, according to boxrec.com, had a record of 1-31-2 while Marimon’s previous opponent Victor Peralta whom he knocked out in the 8th round had a record of 1-25-2 with 1 knockout.
