Rafael Concepcion’s bid to win the WBA Super Flyweight World Title was derailed by Nonito Donaire in the main event of Top Ranks Pinoy Power 2 at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas on August 15th, losing by unanimous decision over twelve bruising rounds. Scores were 117-111, 115-113, and 116-112.
Concepcion, who slips to 13-4-1 (8), appeared to be outclassed in the opening round. Donaire hurt him with a flush left uppercut and a hard body shot before swarming Concepcion in an attempt to finish his opponent swiftly. It did not take long, however, for Concepcion to put an end to any thought of an easy night.
Early in round two, Concepcion suffered a cut over his left eye but rallied to catch Donaire with several power shots against the ropes. Donaire was rattled by an overhand right and switched to a more defensive posture for the remainder of the round. From that point on it was a competitive fight that saw Concepcion charge forward behind a jab designed to disrupt, while Donaire used his superior footwork (which was also viewed by many in the crowd as running) and hand speed to pick off the onrushing Panamanian. Although Donaire surprisingly banked many of the middle rounds on the judges’ score cards, he never looked comfortable in doing so. Concepcion was like a live grenade with its pin removed he looked dangerous at every moment.
From time to time Concepcion landed hard shots that looked like showstoppers, but Donaire, 115, took them well and countered with left hooks and uppercuts. Donaire, whose defense was shoddy at best, last night, would later blame the severity of the fight on the decided size advantage Concepcion enjoyed. Concepcion overshot the Super Flyweight division by 4 ½ pounds and was ineligible to win the interim title on the line. Best known for his upset knockout of young AJ Banal and a torrid loss to "El Travioso," Jorge Arce, in 2008, Concepcion proved to be a hard case for Donaire from beginning to end. His tenacity, chin, and aggression made things hard for the talented Filipino until late in the fight when Donaire, clearly the fresher boxer, pulled away over the final two rounds, occasionally staggering a weary Concepcion with eye-catching rights and left hooks to seal the victory.
With the win, Donaire, 22-1 (15), picked up an interim Super Flyweight title and an extra $6,500 when Concepcion failed to make weight.