Originally Published: August 31, 2009

Concepcion impresses with late surge

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Rafael By Dan Rafael
ESPN.com
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Omar Salado, Luis ConcepcionElmer Martinez/AFP/Getty ImagesOn the attack: Luis Concepcion, right, took the fight to Omar Salado from the start.


A roundup of the past week's notable boxing results from around the world:

Saturday at Panama City, Panama
Flyweight
Luis Concepcion TKO12 Omar Salado
Wins a vacant interim flyweight title
Records: Concepcion, 18-1, 13 KOs; Salado, 21-2-2, 12 KOs

Rafael's remark: Concepcion joined the WBA's ridiculous party of titleholders. Although there are 17 weight divisions in boxing, the insane WBA now crowns 31 men with either super titles, regular titles, interim titles or titles in recess. It's all so preposterous. In any event, Concepcion, 23, took care of his business in front of a hometown crowd in the main event of a WBA-sponsored "KO Drugs" card, in which the organization donates some of the proceeds to charity. With all the sanctioning fees it generates from its litany of bogus titles, that's the least the WBA can do. After a dominant performance, Concepcion stopped Mexico's Salado 39 seconds into the final round for his 15th consecutive victory. He hasn't lost since dropping a four-rounder in 2006. Salado, 29, dropped to 2-2 in his past four. He also stopped in the fifth round of a title eliminator in May 2008 by Julio Cesar Miranda. In his only other title opportunity, Salado was held to a draw by then-junior flyweight titlist Ulises Solis in August 2006.

Featherweight
Daniel Ponce De Leon W12 Roinet Caballero
Title eliminator
Scores: 119-109 (twice), 117-111
Records: Ponce De Leon, 37-2, 31 KOs; Caballero, 27-9-1, 19 KOs

Rafael's remark: From October 2005 to June 2008, Mexico's Ponce De Leon was a dominant junior featherweight titleholder, scoring four knockouts in six title defenses against solid opposition. Then he ran into Juan Manuel Lopez and was stunningly knocked out in the first round. Since then, Ponce De Leon has been fighting in his native country, rather than on Golden Boy's big American shows as he had been doing. But he won two in a row and then stepped up to featherweight to face Panama's Caballero, 25, in a title eliminator. With Golden Boy's Oscar De La Hoya at ringside, Ponce De Leon pounded out the lopsided decision victory. While Caballero had his five-fight winning streak come to an end, the victory sets Ponce De Leon up for a mandatory title challenge. This being an eliminator in the joke-of-a WBA, it's anyone's guess if that means Ponce De Leon is the mandatory for the winner of the Sept. 19 fight between so-called "super champion" Chris John and Rocky Juarez or the winner of the Oct. 10 fight between so called "regular champion" Yuriorkis Gamboa and Whyber Garcia. Who knows? Who really cares?

Saturday at Chihuahua, Mexico
Featherweight
Jhonny Gonzalez KO1 Jose Francisco Mendoza

Records: Gonzalez, 41-7, 35 KOs; Mendoza, 21-4-2, 17 KOs

Rafael's remark: Former bantamweight titlist Gonzalez, 27, of Mexico, had the home-field advantage when he challenged Japan's Toshiaki Nishioka for a junior featherweight title in May. Gonzalez dropped Nishioka in the first round but got drilled in the third round, his chin betraying him again. Making his comeback at featherweight, Gonzalez easily blew out Colombia's Mendoza, 27, who fell to 0-4-1 in his past five bouts. Gonzalez scored two knockdowns, both on left hooks to the body. Mendoza was the perfect fodder for Gonzalez to get back on the winning track, the same role he served for former junior featherweight and bantamweight champ Rafael Marquez. He knocked out Mendoza in the third round in May in Marquez's first fight in more than a year following an epic trilogy with Israel Vazquez.

Saturday at Tokyo
Junior bantamweight
Koki Kameda KO5 Humberto Pool

Records: Kameda, 21-0, 14 KOs; Pool, 15-9-3, 9 KOs

Rafael's remark: Kameda, the wildly popular former junior flyweight titlist in Japan, blew out Mexico's Pool, 34, who was there for one reason and one reason only: to be beaten down. Kameda, 22, has a Nov. 29 fight scheduled against countryman Daisuke Naito in Tokyo. It is a huge, huge fight in Japan. Kameda, who hadn't fought since March, wanted a tune up to get himself ready for the fight. So Pool served his purpose, losing his third in a row and fifth of six. At least the losses came to good opponents, including Kameda, Brahim Asloum and Juan Carlos Reveco. Kameda, who won a 108-pound title in 2006 and made one defense before moving up because of difficulties making weight, dropped Pool three times before it was called off. Bring on Naito.

Friday at Rama, Ontario
Junior bantamweight
Marvin Sonsona W12 Jose "Carita" Lopez
Wins a junior bantamweight title
Scores: 116-109, 115-110, 114-111
Records: Sonsona, 14-0, 12 KOs; Lopez, 39-8-2, 32 KOs

Rafael's remark: Lopez, 37, of Puerto Rico, had fought for various flyweight titles four times but could never get over the hump. Finally, in March, he won a unanimous decision against Thailand's Pramuansak Posuwan to win a vacant title at junior bantamweight. But his reign didn't last very long, as Sonsona bested him in his first defense. Sonsona, a 19-year-old southpaw from Manny Pacquiao's hometown of General Santos City in the Philippines, is on a tear. After going the four-round distance in his pro debut, he scored 12 consecutive knockouts until meeting the durable Lopez. Sonsona's adviser, Sampson Lewkowicz, raves about Sonsona. Lewkowicz knows a thing or two about young, southpaw Filipino sensations -- he was the person responsible for bringing Pacquiao to the United States for his junior featherweight title shot against Lehlo Ledwaba. Pacquiao, of course, was also only 19 when he won his first world title at flyweight. Lewkowicz has said over and over that Sonsona is the best young Filipino fighter he has seen since Pacquiao.

Sonsona, somewhat untested coming into the fight, sure did his part to live up to that hype against Lopez in a terrific fight. In the fourth round of the rough, physical fight, Sonsona landed a wicked left hand that dropped Lopez between the bottom two ring ropes and had him badly dazed. But Lopez regrouped and had some success in the middle rounds. He worked Sonsona's body well, but eventually had two points deducted for a low blow right at the end of the eighth round, which was probably Lopez's best round of the bout. It was a terrible call by referee Rocky Zolnierczyk, especially making it two points, on a very borderline, almost phantom shot. It turned out not to impact the outcome.

Considering Sonsona had never been past five rounds, it was an impressive performance for the youngster against such a battle-tested veteran in a very competitive fight. Gary Shaw, the promoter of recognized division champ Vic Darchinyan, told ESPN.com he'd be interested in matching Darchinyan with Sonsona in a unification bout. That's interesting, but probably unlikely for the time being. Sonsona has an exciting style and youth on his side. Lewkowicz told ESPN.com that Sonsona's first title defense will come Nov. 21 against an opponent to be named back at Casino Rama. He could become a major factor in the smaller weight divisions and he'll be unable to shake comparisons to Pacquiao because of their exciting styles and nationality.

Featherweight
Steve Molitor TKO5 Dario Azuaga
Records: Molitor, 30-1, 12 KOs; Azuaga, 76-16-2, 64 KOs

Rafael's remark: In November 2008, Molitor, known as "The Canadian Kid," got blown away in four rounds by Celestino Caballero in their junior featherweight unification fight in front of Molitor's hometown crowd at Casino Rama in Ontario. Molitor, 29, returned in June to score a split decision against Heriberto Ruiz in a dreadful fight, but a win that at least put Molitor back in position for another title opportunity. He stayed busy with this scheduled eight-rounder and looked explosive against the perfect opponent. Azuaga, 35, of Paraguay replaced Argentina's visa-challenged Sergio Javier Escobar on short notice and dropped his fourth fight in his past six. Molitor came into the fight having reunited with trainer Chris Johnson, who had guided him to his vacant title victory against Michael Hunter in November 2006 and played a key role during his title reign. Molitor was the aggressor throughout the fight, picked his shots well and dominated Azuaga. He dropped him with a straight left hand in the fourth round and finished him with a booming combination, including a brutal body shot, in the fifth. As Azuaga went down, his corner threw in the towel. Molitor figures to get another title opportunity in the first part of 2010.

Friday at Lincoln, R.I.
Junior middleweight
Demetrius Andrade TKO6 John Williams
Records: Andrade, 7-0, 6 KOs; Williams, 3-1-1, 2 KOs

Rafael's remark: Andrade, 21, who is from nearby Providence, R.I., was fighting in front of his hometown fans and gave them something to cheer about. It was no surprise that the best pro prospect off the 2008 U.S. Olympic team dominated Williams until stopping him in the final round of a scheduled six-rounder. Andrade, who was also a 2007 world amateur champion and three-time Golden Gloves champion, used his fast hands and power to score to Williams' head and body throughout the bout. Finally, with Williams under a heavy assault -- Williams had just eaten a straight left while he was backed into the ropes -- referee Danny Schiavone stopped the fight with 27 seconds left. It was just another building block on the way to stardom for Andrade. Check back in about two years and Andrade probably will be a star.

Wednesday at Syracuse, N.Y.
Heavyweight
Jason Estrada TKO7 Zuri Lawrence
Records: Estrada, 16-2, 4 KOs; Lawrence, 24-15-4, 0 KOs

Rafael's remark: Estrada, a 2004 U.S. Olympian, has been a marginal professional, not the star he bragged he would be when he came out of the Athens Games. The 28-year-old had a chance to make a name for himself in April in Germany, but he lost a lopsided decision to 2004 Olympic gold medalist Alexander Povetkin. Making his return, Estrada took on journeyman Lawrence, 39, who has now lost three of his past four and probably would be better off being retired after some of the brutal knockouts he has suffered. Estrada, who is certainly not known for his power, dropped Lawrence in the second round with an overhand right followed by a left to the body. A right hand in the seventh dropped Lawrence again with 27 seconds left in the round, and the referee stopped the fight.

Junior middleweight
Christy Martin W10 Dakota Stone
Scores: 99-91, 98-92, 95-95
Records: Martin, 49-5-3, 31 KOs; Stone, 9-8-5, 1 KO

Rafael's remark: Now 41, Martin is a long way from the young woman who pioneered female boxing in the mid-1990s with her appearances on big, Don King-promoted undercards, but she's still in there swinging away. At 40 and now a loser of four of her past five, Stone was obviously the underdog and didn't figure to be too much of a threat against Martin. But although Martin controlled the action early on, Stone traded with Martin in the later rounds and had some success. Martin said she broke her right hand landing an overhand punch early in the 10th round and stayed on the defensive for the rest of the bout believing she had it in the bag, which she did on two of the scorecards. Martin said she knows the end of her career is near, but she wants to reach the 50-win milestone before calling it a day. "I want to get to 50 but this hand is broken and I don't know how long it'll take to heal," she said. "If a great fighter like Rocky Marciano can stop at 49 [wins], then so can I."

Super middleweight
James McGirt Jr. KO3 Anthony Pietrantonio
Records: McGirt Jr., 21-2-1, 10 KOs; Pietrantonio, 6-3, 5 KOs

Rafael's remark: Some considered McGirt a prospect but the son of former world champion and noted trainer Buddy McGirt was knocked off that path with a 1-2-1 stretch in 2008 and 2009. But that hasn't stopped the 26-year-old from continuing to try to make it to the top. He won his second in a row following an inexcusable decision loss to the faded and smaller Angel Hernandez in January. McGirt nearly knocked Pietrantonio down in the first round with a series of clean shots. In the closing seconds of the third round, McGirt landed a left-right combination that sent Pietrantonio falling through the bottom two ropes for a knockout. Pietrantonio, 31, dropped his second in a row by knockout and has been stopped in three of his past four fights.

Dan Rafael is the boxing writer for ESPN.com.