Monday, July 28, 2008

AJ Banal Falls, Benabe Concepcion Triumphs

Pinoy boxing has a taste of both sweet victory and bitter defeat this week. First let's take on the bad news first so that you'll feel better at the end of this post.

One of the brightest Pinoy boxing prospect has fallen. AJ Banal experienced his first defeat at the hands of Panama's Rafael Concepcion in front of the hometown crowd in Cebu City yesterday. According to reports Banal was in control during the entire match and was even leading in the scorecards by the ninth round.

However, the tough Concepcion was able to withstand Banal's attack and was able to outlast and finish the exhausted Banal in the tenth round. Banal was said to be extremely exhausted at he end of the fight that he had to be rushed to a hospital.

Now the question needs to be asked? Will Banal be able to bounce back from this loss? Some might question his stamina. I think this is his first time to fight in the late rounds. Perhaps he will end up like Z Gorres who performed well against Darchinyan and Montiel before losing steam and eventually losing or earning a highly controversial draw.

I mus admit that I was not expecting Banal to lose but this is a good lesson for him. He needs to work on his stamina. He has good power but he has to realize that he can't knock everyone out and he has to prepare to battle into the late rounds. Let's hope that he can recover and fully fulfill his potential.

Let's move on to some good news. Bernabe Concepcion another top Philippine boxing prospect and the current
North American Boxing Federation (NABF) super bantamweight champion, defeated Adam Carrera in the third round. their match was part of the undercard for the Cotto-Margarito superfight.

Here's a video of the third round of the fight:



Bernabe Concepcion has been impressive in his international outings. His trainer Aljoe Jaro said that he is ready for a title shot. I agree with that but I would still like to see Concepcion domiunate a real contender before he challenges for a title.

Well, that's if for this post. i hope that our pinoy boxing prospects will have better luck next time.