By Andrew Lapachet
Primer Round Magazine
www.Profightnetwork.com

Floyd Mayweather proved once again who is King of this sport as he dominated Manny Pacquiao’s archrival Juan Manuel Marquez in a twelve round sparring match at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. A fight that was built on Floyd’s absence and Marquez’ skills took no part of what played out Saturday night. From the opening bell to the finishing one, Mayweather was on point like he never missed a day. If he wasn’t hitting Marquez with combos or jabs he was ducking five-punch combinations from Marquez making him look like an amateur. It was a brilliant return fight for the P-4-P Champion as he once again showed who was King of boxing.

 Say what you want about the weight issue, at the end it really didn’t matter because Marquez couldn’t even land a punch. The same man who lost by one single point in a 24 round slugfest with the current #1 P-4-P fighter couldn’t even compete with Mayweather who entered the ring after a two year lay-off and injury. Weight takes away from power – not from skills and on this night Marquez looked nothing like the man once described as the best technician in the game. That title, as well as best fighter in the world, now belongs to Floyd Mayweather and he proved it in more ways than fighting.

HBO just announced this week that the fight hit the million buy mark on the PPV charts making Floyd the most dominant figure on the PPV market right now. In his last three fights, the Money Man has brought in over 4 million PPV buys to HBO and over 1 and half million PPV buys internationally. Mayweather/Hatton did over a million for Sky Sports who were also telecasting this fight. (The numbers haven’t been released for this event yet.)  

Before this night, the buzz in the boxing world concerning Floyd’s rise in popularity was about the opponents he was being matched up with and not actually Mayweather himself. Many felt Pacquiao had become the bigger draw in the sport, when in fact the numbers show Mayweather, compared to any of Pac-Man’s super fights, always ends up ahead if not doubling his totals. In the Hatton fight, Pretty Boy beats Pac-man by a hundred thousand (+850,000/+950,000) and in both fights, Marquez (450,00/1million) and De La Hoya (1.2 mill/2.4 mill) show Mayweather doubles Pacquiao’s numbers.

A strong point was made this weekend on just how far the gap is between Manny and Floyd. First, look at the fight to see how Mayweather totally dismantled a style that gave Pacquiao back-to-back problems and secondly, HBO delivers PPV numbers Pacquiao/Marquez 2 could only dream of. Seriously, there’s not too much left in the arsenal for the Philippino Icon to stand on going into negotiations with the Money Man. He’s beat in almost every category and I’ll take it one step further: when you look at how much more money the Mexican fan base pays to see Mayweather rather than Pacquiao, is it even fair to call Pacquiao the Mexican Assassin?  Remember, he lost to Morales and many believe he lost to Marquez twice, where Mayweather beat Hernandez, De La Hoya, Castillo, Corrales and now Marquez. 
 
The scary part about this scenario is that the fight never gets made because neither side will budge on the money. In this case, I feel it has to be Team Pacquiao that gives a little in negotiating.  Mayweather is undefeated, has beaten the same list of fighters that made Pac-man a star and did it with twice as many people watching. The Marquez and Dela Hoya fights stand out the most because now Mayweather can say he brings twice as many Mexican fans than Pacquiao and while the numbers would agree, I don’t know if team Pacquiao does.   

If Pacquiao gets by Cotto in November, he’s going to have to make one of the biggest decisions of his career. Floyd made his statements through PPV and he’s going to stand behind those numbers all the way through. If this fight materializes, Pacquiao is going to have to come down considerably compared to the ridiculous initial offer of 60-40. I said it before and I’ll say it again:  Mayweather won’t even step into the building at that start point.
 
No matter what happens on November 14th, if Pacquiao’s PPV numbers don’t match Mayweather’s buys – neither will their checks…that is, if they ever do fight.

By Andrew Lapachet
Primer Round Magazine
www.Profightnetwork.com

Love it or hate it…what Sugar Shane Mosley did after Mayweather’s annihilation of J.M. Marquez last Saturday night was exactly what that match-up needed to get a buzz heard around the world. It was respectful, yet uncalled for, and Mayweather Jr. handled it with class. Now with that being said, I was with about 99% percent of the other media present who believe it’s time for Mayweather to give Mosley a shot at the P-4-P ranking. The fight made sense before Mosley stepped on Floyd’s return victory, now it should be personal.

Some feel Mosley went too far, I feel he didn’t play the line close enough. Too many times fighters who deserve shots at the P-4-P Champions get passed by because their name or fight never reaches the potential that will satisfy both men financially. I like the fact that Mosley was willing to put his license on the line to get a fight; it showed passion and determination. A fight that was once described as Hearns/Leonard is now being described as Hearns/Haggler 2. That’s what this single act created and if that’s what Mosley had to do to create that buzz, more power to him.

Mosley’s Antics Spreading In Boxing World
Caballero Planning Challenge at Latin Fury Oct 10th

WBA/IBF Jr. Featherweight Champion Celestino Caballero (32-2, 22 KO’s) thinks what Mosley did was productive because he already announced this week that he will be present ringside at Juan Manuel Lopez’s next fight to challenge him. Caballero has big wins against two former champions that were undefeated at the time they lost to him (Daniel Ponce De Leon and Steve Molitor) but somehow he lacks the star power that I. Vazquez and R. Marquez hold in the sport. Now with the help of Top Rank, who will be showing this fight live on PPV, Caballero will have the opportunity to let a lot of people know who he is and what his future should be. My only advice to Caballero’s team would be to make sure he doesn’t lose his license by doing something stupid. If the current top fighters won’t fight you now, it’s going to be even harder if you’re suspended.
Either way October 10th just got a little more intriguing.
 

By. Andrew Lapachet
www.primerround.com
www.profightnetwork.com

ESPN2 delivered the card of the summer, if not of the year, last Friday night when Tavoris Cloud (20-0, 18 KO’s) and Juan Urango (21-2-1, 16 KO’s) both separated themselves from prospects to legit champions. Its been a while since ESPN fight night brought a card where the co-main event and headliner kept people on their feet for a good part of twenty-three rounds, but that was what was delivered on Friday night. Cloud fought for his first world title (IBF) in the co-main event against former Light Heavyweight Champion Clinton Woods (42-4-1, 25 KO’s), and Juan Urango defended his IBF title for the first time against former WBO Jr. Welterweight Champion Randall Bailey (39-6, 35 KO’s) as the main event.

Both of the fights played the same storyline – youth & power vs. experience & precision. A storyline that usually guarantees drama; many experts expected drama and many experts were right. Both fights and all four fighters laid it on the line and delivered an instant classic for the network.

In the first fight, Tavoris Cloud fought for his first world title (IBF) against former Light Heavyweight Champion Clinton Woods (42-4-1, 25 KO’s). This was by far his toughest opponent to date as Woods entered the ring as a former champion who had fought the likes of Roy Jones Jr., Glenn Johnson, Antonio Tarver, and Julio Gonzalez. If Cloud wasn’t as good as his record showed then Wood’s would have exposed.

Early on, it looked as if Cloud’s youth was going to be too much for Woods. The young prospect came out blazing in the first couple of rounds trying to show the aged veteran who the boss was. For the most part it worked. Cloud was clearly winning the rounds by throwing combos that were more effective. The only bad thing about what was happening was his best shots weren’t even making Woods flinch, and he was throwing a lot of them. So many that you could see Woods waiting for when Cloud would get tired then he would counter.

This paid off for Woods from the third to the seventh round as he was trying his best to time the aggressive youngster. The power had left Cloud’s punches in these rounds and that gave Woods the opportunities to land his counter punches especially when Cloud would throw too many shots at one time. While it was impressive, there were times when you could see the last two punches of a five-punch combo were all arm punches. Woods noticed this too and was doing a great job of trying to land that single shot that would change the momentum of the fight. It almost happened at the end of the seventh when it looked like Cloud wobbled off a left hook at the end of the round. Maybe Tavoris was just getting bored because in the next round Cloud did a good job of recuperating, coming out one minute and putting in the best round of the fight.

In the eighth round, Cloud beat whatever thought Woods had of winning out of his mind. He totally pulled away throwing some thunderous power combos that finally had the granite chin of Woods cracking. How Woods stayed on his feet in this round was a miracle but at the end he did go back to his corner on Wiggle Street and it started to look as if the end was near.

To Woods credit, I was wrong for thinking he was almost out of this fight because in one of the most impressive demonstration of a fighter’s will to continue, Clinton went on to fight the next four rounds and hear the final bell. It wasn’t pretty at times when the veteran was spending a lot of time taking shots with his back on the ropes but it was still impressive to see a man take the shots that he did and continue to fight.

In the end, all three judge’s scorecards had Tavoris Cloud winning the fight at 116-112. I had the fight 118-110 for Cloud. I remember when this fight ended feeling how was main event going to live up to the performance we had just witnessed, and then Urango and Bailey answered by fighting in an all-out barnburner that saw both men going down a combined number of four times.

It didn’t take long for Juan Urango and Randall Bailey to take up where Cloud and Woods had left off because Urango only has one style and Bailey one punch. When the bell rang Urango came forward punching like he’s filming an action movie, while Bailey countered with his trademark right hand.

The fight was going Urango’s way for the first five rounds as the champion was being more active and throwing way more variety of combos. Bailey’s whole game plan was to counter and while he does have a great right hand, that style does not help you in the points category. He was taking a lot of shots just to land one of his own. The only bright side for Bailey is even at the age of 37 years, he probably still has the best right hand in the division.

In the sixth, all the waiting finally paid off for Bailey as he crushed Urango with a beautiful right hand. It was the perfect shot; he hit Urango so hard his cheek ripped open under his right eye. With two minutes left in the round, the situation did not look good for the young Champion; he was cut, bleeding, and wobbly. It looked as if the knockout king Bailey had struck again, but Urango refused to give in. He fought most of the round hurt, but survived and did it mostly by fighting back. I don’t think Juan knows what clinching is yet because right now he just seeks and destroys. Very impressive to see him last through this round showing signs of what makes a great champion.

Bailey sure wasn’t impressed with Urango’s recuperating skills because in round seven he totally switched up his approach and started to mix it up with the champ a lot more. It was a decision that Bailey would soon regret because while he was being more aggressive, it left opportunities open for Urango that he didn’t have when Bailey was playing counter puncher. By the end of the round, Urango had full control of the fight again as he swung freely to the body and head of a retreating fighter.

For the next three rounds, Urango would beat the former WBO Jr. Welterweight champion down – sending him to the canvas three times in route to a TKO victory. Bailey’s corner had seen their man take enough body shots in round eleven and threw in the white towel. It was a great stoppage by Bailey’s corner because they had given their man enough time to pull out the win but it just wasn’t going to happen, John David Jackson realized it and pulled the plug before somebody got hurt. Urango was killing his body to the point where Bailey could not even stand straight up. Immediately after the stoppage, Bailey collapsed in his corner showing how close the end was for him, no argument turned and went down.

It was a good win for Urango as the young Champion proved that he is a real threat in the Jr. Welterweight Division. His power lasted the whole fight, he never took a step back, and his chin while tested held-up in a back and forth power punching frenzy. Most importantly and most impressively was his body attack throughout this fight. If Urango brings that same game plan to his other fights, he’s not only going to be one of the most exciting fighters in the sport, he’s also going to be one of the hardest man to beat in the division.

All the way around, it was an impressive night of fights as you had a good show for free (hard to come by in boxing) and you had two talents separate themselves as prospects to Champions. If Cloud and Bailey keep fighting the way they did Friday, it won’t be long before HBO PPV comes calling.

In light of the CASC granting Nate Campbell his request to overturn referee David Mendoza’s decision from a victory for T. Bradley to a no-decision – Should Urango go ahead and do the same? He has video that shows a punch landed and then his opponent went down. Why shouldn’t his record show four knockdowns instead of three? It’s almost as pointless as Campbell saying he wanted his loss removed because he didn’t want his sixth loss on his record. Is there even a difference between five and six losses?

Just a thought….

Equally intriguing is the MMA vs. MMA counterattack waiting to happen. Last month, Strikeforce, the nearest competitor to UFC, signed top heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko. Last week, Strikeforce announced Fedor will fight undefeated Brett Rogers, most likely in late October or early November. The only open weekends in that time frame are Oct. 31, Nov. 7 and 28.
 
Might Strikeforce and co-promoter M-1 Global decide to test its newfound strength and go head-to-head with UFC 106 on Nov. 21, “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 10 Finale on Dec. 5, or UFC 107 on Dec. 12? Unclear. UFC president Dana White hinted at Thursday’s UFC 102 news conference that he just might put together a third show for November.
 
In today’s shaky economy, the safest bet is against the guy who says “No, I don’t think Dana White will come up with something for whatever night Fedor fights.”

Raychel Lynn

By. Andrew Lapachet
Primer Round Magazine
www.profightnetwork.com

For a while it looked as if Mexico was going to run out of prospects that could carry this countries great tradition of fighting.  Lets face it Mexican fight fans have seen their better days in the sport.  A country that once was described as having the best fighters in the world, in recent times are having trouble trying to find one that can at least carry the torch when Marquez can no longer hold it.  

For a while, many thought Margarito would be that man; that was until we found out he was a cheater.  

Then there was Alfredo Angulo who was starting to get attention right before he decided to fight a former World Champion while being sick and loss; now many say he’s one-dimensional.  

J.C. Chavez Jr. although still undefeated its hard to find one fan still on his bandwagon.

And then there was Victor Ortiz.  Golden Boy Promotions thought they stole the bank from Top Rank when they got this young man that was until they realized young Victor left behind his heart.  

Or as in Mr. Ortiz’s classic words, “V. Ortiz doesn’t lay down for nobody.”
I think it’s fair to say Mexico’s been searching for a new king since the Great Julio Cesar Chavez retired.  OK… maybe because Chavez fought until he was in his forties, I should just say they’ve been searching since 1996 whatever the age there has been a gap that no single fighter has been able to fill.

Barrera and Morales although they reached Hall-of-Fame status never reached the potential they each had when they first started.  De La Hoya was never truly accepted by the Mexican fan base.  Sure they might of cheered for him on occasion but for the most part, it was always a love/hate relationship.  Marquez is still in the hunt for Chavez like popularity through out his country, but at the age of 36 and Mayweather Jr. as his next opponent times seem to be running out in for his Hall-of-Fame bound career.

Four weeks from now after the Marquez/Mayweather fight this very subject might be the hottest debate in boxing.  If Marquez losses to Mayweather by knockout what many speculate is going to happen, Mexican fight fans will once again have nobody to truly turn to as the number one fighter in the country.  And up until Thursday night I didn’t know if they were going to have anyone to turn too, that was until Abner Mares.
On Thursday night at Club Nokia in downtown Los Angeles, Abner Mares scored his second victory in a row on his come back trail from a torn retina he received in 2008.  After being described by many as one of the rising stars in the boxing world, Mares had to take a long 11-month absence from the sport to let his eye heal.  Now with his eye better, he’s looking to get back to his old form, but if you ask me he looks like he’s already there.

Now his opponent Carlos Fulgencio might not of had the most intriguing record coming in at 11 wins, 2 losses, 1 draw, and 7 knockouts.  But he did have a four-inch height advantage, noticeable reach advantage, and a good jab with some decent power.  By no means was this a push over fighter for someone who might have vision problems through out the fight.  If Mares had any complications from his eye injury in 08 chances were Fulgencio was going to expose them.

In rounds one and two, you could see the tall lengthy challenger Fulgencio was trying to establish his height and reach advantage, keeping Mares at arms length.  It seemed as if Mares was going to have a ruff night ahead of him but as the fight carried on Mares started slipping and ducking his opponents shots all while inching closer with an impressive body attack.

In rounds three and four both men had their moments trading shots back and forth.  Mares was doing a clinical job of boxing but the hard hitting Dominican Republican did land some punches to show he wasn’t going anywhere.  In round two, the challenger hit Mares with two left hooks that usually hurt his other opponents but Abner took them well and fought on.  By the end of round three Fulgencio’s height and reach didn’t matter because Mares was warming up and starting to look like very good.

Round five was Abner Mares best round, with all pistons pumping the young 23yr. old out of Montebello, California put on a boxing performance you see when champion’s are matched up against journeyman fighters.  Mares used Fulgencio in this round throwing almost every combo he knows while ducking punches on the inside and outside.  Right away, the announcers started comparing his style to the Legend Chavez himself.  At first, I felt he was to young to compare, but in many ways, they were right.  Mares has a certain calm about his approach, like he almost knows if he keeps throwing body shots eventually his opponent will fold.  His combos were endless and everything flowed like water, by the end of four you knew this fight wasn’t going to last.  

In round six knowing a hurt fighter was coming out the corner Mares came out to finish his opponent applying pressure to the head and body that few will ever be able to handle if he keeps up.  In the middle of a combo Mares went back to what I believe is going to be his trademark punch, a beautiful left hook to the body that sent the challenger crashing to the canvas.  The stoppage came at 2:24 of the sixth round.  

It was a great closing punch to what seems like a great career in the making.  Abner Mares will definitely be a champion in this sport; the question here is can he accept the torch from Marquez if Mayweather indeed ends the legends career in four weeks. As far as chasing down the all-time greats were a long ways from that conversation, but with fighters like N. Donaire, F. Montiel and V. Darchinyan in your division and R. Marquez, J.M. Lopez, D.P. De Leon, and C. Caballero, 4-pounds higher the opportunities certainly will be there.  

By. Andrew Lapachet
Primer Round Magazine
www.Profightnetwork.com

This week the California Athletic State Comission for whatever reasons took it upon themselves to change the results of Bradley vs. Campbell from a TKO victory for Bradley, to a no-decision.  Their excuse for throwing referee David Mendoza under the bus is based on video shot that night showing a head-butt during a Bradley flurry, a head-butt but no blood. The reason you don’t have a chance to see blood is because Bradley lands a perfect right uppercut when Campbell leans forward after the clash of heads.  The uppercut then staggers the former lightweight champion into the ropes, where Bradley tags him with many other right and left hand shots.  For the next two minutes, Campbell fought on with the cut never showing signs of being blind or even asking the referee to stop the fight.  The only question Campbell had was if Mendoza had ruled the cut by head-butt. 

It wasn’t until the end of the round that Campbell decides he did not want to continue, with 28 seconds left in the round, the WBC champion staggered Campbell into the ropes then preceded to beat the aging veteran until the bell rang.  As soon as the bell rang the man once known as Galaxy Warrior walks back to his corner and ask over ten times for the fight to be stopped with out the doctor even looking at his eye yet. 

At one point Campbell yelled at his corner-man, “Jimmy I can’t see” and when his corner-man didn’t pay any attention to him, Campbell yelled at him louder, “Jimmy!!  Stop the fight!” 

All this was said before the doctor had even looked at his eye, and when the doctor did look at his eye, Campbell tells him the same thing he was telling his team, “I can’t see, I can’t see out this eye I see spots in it!”  So, the doctor tells him, “If you can’t see out of this eye at all we have to stop the fight.  Campbell responds, “I see spots in it.”  Doctor then tells him, “ If you can’t see out of this eye were done.”

  Meaning he never made a decision on the cut because he never even looked at the cut, the fighter ducked out before he could.

So how did Campbell win a court case on a cut that was never determined by the ringside physician unable to proceed?  Where was the proof that the head-butt caused the spots in the eyes, which made him quit the fight?   He did say spots and not blood?  Anyone else think Campbell knew if he would of said blood they could of and would of patched his you know what up and sent him back in there for another three minutes.  Campbell was smart said spots and looked for the easiest way to an exit sign.

It wasn’t until after the fights over you see Campbell interested in what David Mendoza called the accidental clash of heads.  Nate knew if he would of asked first before ducking out, he would have had to continue fighting.  So, he bailed out first and asked questions after.  Smart move by the former champion to get a TKO loss off the record thru the courts but it’s not a move he’s going to benefit from; seriously, anyone who watched the fight knows what happened.  The CSAC of course didn’t watch the fight or hear referee David Mendoza’s argument on why he stopped the fight.  They just seen a clip of the head butt (maybe), probably a picture, and made a decision. 

In this case its probably going to end up being the wrong decisions because instead of making Campbell prove his argument on why he quit that fight, they let him change it right on camera and didn’t challenge it once.  Then rewarded him by changing the ruling of the referee from TKO to No-Decision, just imagine how many fighters are going to open up cases feeling the referee did something wrong, or didn’t catch something that the cameras did.   

By Andrew Lapachet
Primer Round Magazine
www.Profightnetwork.com

One of the best match-ups in recent years in the middleweight division was called off this week as WBO/WBC Middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik has had to pull out of the fight due to injury. Reports are is that he has a staff infection on his left hand that is not allowing him to prepare properly for his up-coming fight with Paul Williams.

Many dates are being thrown around as a possible rescheduling but nothing is being discussed on a serious basis. Goossen went, as far to say if Pavlik can’t go then, they will find a replacement. He doesn’t like the fact that Williams hasn’t been in action since April 2009. Goossen tried to get Sugar Shane Mosley as a replacement but the only name GBP wants headlined with Williams is Bernard Hopkins.

The Williams team say they would be interested in a Hopkins fight, but not at the weight Hopkins is asking for of 170-pounds. Goossen said he would not make his fighter go over the Super Middle Weight limit of 168-pounds.

Does Two-Pounds Really Matter?

168-170-pounds does it really matter when you’re talking about Bernard Hopkins? He’s one of the most disciplined fighters the ring has ever seen, to imagine he would have trouble losing two-pounds is a joke. Goossen Tutors better go watch film of Hopkins beating Trinidad and Pavlik before they sign this contract. In both cases, many experts felt Hopkins would never beat neither of these men who were dominating in lower weight classes, but when both moved up and challenged the walking legend they got dominated themselves. B-hop is bigger physically than Williams; punches harder, and is the best skilled fighter he’s ever faced. The only advantages Williams will have would be punch activity and youth. Coincidently the same two advantages Pavlik and Tito had going into their fight with Hopkins. No… if I was Team Williams I would send a letter thanking GBP for the compliment of thinking my fighter can go from a fight between P-4-P ranked Mosley at the welterweight division of 147-pounds to a P-4-P ranked fighter in Hopkins 23-pounds higher in weight at 170-pounds. Thanks but no thanks Paul has to many opportunities at welterweight, Jr. Middleweight, and Middleweight. No reason for him to go into his fourth division just yet.

With the Extra Time and Date HBO Might Benefit

When I first heard that the fight was postponed I felt it was the best thing that could of happened for HBO, think about it they could turn this already mouthwatering match-up with-in the boxing world, into a mega fight the whole world will await. In the next few months, HBO is going to be getting into a hot streak of fights starting with Mayweather, Arreola in September, Dawson, Pacquiao in November, and possibly Sugar Shane Mosley in December. If HBO was to show commercials of the Pavlik/Williams math-up through out these fights, plus a 24/7 before their showdown they might create a buzz that would make this fight much bigger than any expectations October 3rd scheduled match would of done. Add to this an open date on October 3rd that they could fill with an top ten middleweight versus Williams and this postponement starts to sound like the best thing that could of happened to HBO. I know what doesn’t sound good and that’s the plan of moving up a young fighter to fast against a legend twenty-three pounds higher, especially when his biggest win to date is against a Welterweight.

J. Arce Could Be Next on December 12th

By: Andrew Lapachet
Primer Round Magazine
www.profightnetwork.com

IBF Flyweight Champion Nonito Donaire continued his rise to the top of the boxing world as he has successfully moved up three pounds and defeated Rafael Concepcion last Saturday night at the Hard Rock Casino in Las Vegas. It wasn’t the champion’s best performance but it wasn’t his fault either. Concepcion tried to pull a fast one over on Team Donaire this weekend coming in five pounds heavy at the weigh-ins and acting like he couldn’t lose a pound more. However, on fight night this young man was ready to go twelve rounds with one of the best fighters in the world. Donaire was landing some tremendous power shots and combos but it never seemed to hurt Concepcion badly. In no way did the challenger appear over-trained or look like a fighter whose body had just given out on him during training. He was going toe-to-toe for most of the fight; the only thing that separated the two men was Donaire’s boxing skills.

In the first four rounds, Donaire was simply out-boxing Concepcion. The challenger might have been bigger that night but he didn’t show speed with his hands or feet. Nonito took total advantage of this as he stood on the outside moving and using a variety of combos to keep the challenger off rhythm. Going into the fifth, Donaire was on his way to an easy victory, until out of nowhere it was as if the air in the room simply left the champion. All of a sudden, Filipino Flash was gone and he found himself stuck in a corner with a man who was a division heavier than him and swinging for the fences.

For the next three rounds, Donaire would have to bravely fight out of corners and situations that did not look good for the champion. By the end of the seventh round Donaire was still ahead on my cards but Concepcion was clearly turning the tables.

The situation did not look for for the champion going into the eighth round but just as fast as he lost his air he somehow got it back and out of nowhere started landing heavy shots on Concepcion all over again. Nonito took total control of this round beating the smaller challenger to the punch for three minutes. It didn’t matter what he threw or where he threw it – Donaire shots were landing and making his opponent look amateurish at times. Concepion was being way too aggressive and was eating a lot of punches.

Round 9 – Concepcion came out swinging away and having some moments, but ultimately it was the defense and movement of Donaire that was too much for the stationary slugger. I gave the round to Concepcion because I felt Nonito’s total fight plan went out the window in this round, although he did impress with his defense skills. Don’t know if Nonito was playing that role or needed a break but it was nice to see that he can get by a round on defense alone.

Most experts will tell you its in the championship rounds where champions separate themselves from other fighters and that could not have been any truer on this night. In the tenth and eleventh rounds, Donaire pulled away in an impressive fashion and actually stood and took the fight to Concepcion. How he withstood all the shots without going down once was amazing and frustrating to watch because in the back of my mind, like Donaire, I felt the only reason he was able to do this was because he planned on coming in four to five pounds higher.  If Concecion would have come in at contract weight he probably would not of heard that final bell, but he didn’t and now he can say he went twelve rounds with one of the best fighters P-4-P today.

That was the only reward Concepcion got on that night because he ended up losing on my scorecard and all three other judges watching the fight that night. In fact, because of his weight issue the Nevada commission also deducted $13,000 from his wages and split it with Donaire. That was an additional $6,500 Donaire added to his $148K paycheck.

That’s a stiff penalty only to end with a story about going twelve rounds once with a P-4-P fighter. Seriously, Concepcion hasn’t been a Jr. Bantamweight since his knockout loss to J. Arce in Sept. 2008. His last two fights he weighed in at 127 pounds (Nov.2008) and 120 pounds (Feb.2009). This time he weighed in at 119.5 pounds (Aug.2009). I think his body was trying to tell him something. Hopefully, with this entire ordeal, he sees the writing on the wall – he clearly is not a Jr. Bantamweight anymore.

As for Donaire, it was a good performance seeing the outcome. Many felt he ran instead of boxed, but I feel he adapted to a situation that was not going his way because someone did not follow the rules of the proposed contract. It wasn’t like Nonito was moving up from 115 pounds to fight a contender at 118 pounds for a title. He was fighting for the first time at 118 pounds against a man who had been fighting at 120 pounds or higher for the last eleven months. Concepcion lost half a pound for the Donaire fight with no intentions of losing anymore. Meaning Donaire fought someone that had been used to fighting two to three weight divisions higher and when you see it from that angle, it’s hard to criticize his performance. He won this fight on skill alone and that’s impressive in and of itself.

Jorge Arce could be next in December

Looks like everyone was so impressed with the turnout at the casino and the coverage around the world that Top Rank is bringing Pinoy Power 3 back to the Hard Rock in Las Vegas in December. Rumors are already starting to say a possible match-up for Donaire (22-1, 14 KO’s) is former two-time world champion Jorge Arce (52-5-1, 40 KO’s). If this is true this match-up would be an instant classic and a sell-out. If Donaire can fill up half the arena with Rafael Concepcion imagine what its going to look like with Arce as an opponent. Arce must beat undefeated Simphiwe Nongqayi (15-0, 6 KO’s) on September 15th in Mexico for this fight to take place.

Stay tuned to profightnetwork.com for the latest news on this fight.

Here’s a link to my podcast: http://flpoindexter.podOmatic.com

See you there!

- – Lee