On August 16, 2009 Filipino boxer Nonito Donaire aka the “Filipino Flash” fought against Rafael Concepcion from Panama in a 12-round fight that eventually led to a decision in favor of Donaire.
Here is an except from the Washington Post article:
Donaire, the 26-year-old Filipino star who vacated his IBF flyweight title to move up in weight, improved to 22-1 with his 21st consecutive victory. Judge Max De Luca scored the fight 117-111, Duane Ford had it 115-113, and Jerry Roth called it 116-112.
Check out this video of the Pinoy Power 2 fight:
… Donaire used a potent jab to cut open a gash under Concepcion’s left eye midway through the second round.
Donaire ended the third round with a flurry of punches that nearly knocked down Concepcion (13-4-1), who fought with blood dripping down his face most of the night.
Donaire did show some weaknesses in the middle rounds. That inconsistency led to Concepcion landing a few big punches, but Donaire was never in danger.
He closed the fight by relying on his jab to control the final two rounds to secure the win. It resembled his success in the opening rounds.
Despite the win many Filipinos and boxing fans were disappointed with the fight, stating that Donaire’s performance was unimpressive. There are those who say that he did not throw enough 1-2-3 combinations in the earlier rounds. As a consequence, he had a hard time knocking out Concepcion. Others say that Donaire was overconfident or that he underestimated his opponent, so he ended up getting hit with good clean punches.
Even Concepcion had something to say about how he kept running around the ring, saying:
“The cut really bothered me in the first few rounds, but I got used to it,” Concepcion said. “This fight was a marathon and I was here to run the entire race.
“I was expecting a fight from a real Filipino fighter, not a runner. He didn’t want to fight. He wanted to run. … I knew he was a great fighter, a great technician. If he would have had a warriors’ heart, we would have exchanged more.”
Still, others praise his good defense against the heavier guy. Donaire himself was quoted saying the extra pounds worked to his disadvantage. Concepcion weighed in four pounds over the 115-pound limit, a violation that resulted in a $13,000 fine and disqualification from the belt.
“Those extra pounds were definitely a disadvantage,” Donaire said. “But I am a warrior. I would have still fought if he was 20 pounds over weight. If he didn’t have the extra weight, I would have knocked him out in the beginning.
“I’m ready for the big guys in that weight class. That guy was a 122-pounder tonight and he was tough, but I proved I could fight at that weight.”
Donaire said he hurt his right hand landing an upper cut in the early round.
“But no matter how messed up or sprained it was, I am here to fight,” he said.
On the undercard match, Bernabe Concepcion failed to take the WBO Featherweight title from Steven Luevano in a fight that ended prematurely in a disqualification on the seventh round. Prior the disqualification, Luevano was ahead of Bernabe in the three jduges’ scorecards.
It was all an accident though, says trainer Freddie Roach.
“The bell definitely rang and he hit him late,” said Freddie Roach, Bernabe Concepcion’s trainer. “I don’t have any argument with that. But it was not intentionally by any means. My fighter was just excited. The disqualification was justified.”
Still, it was a very disappointing show by the man whose business manager is no other than Manny Pacquiao. This being his biggest fight so far, it will definitely put a scar to his reputation, especially after missing the press conference days before the fight. It just goes to show that you can be with the best manager, the best trainer and the best coach in the world, but it takes true skills, dedication, and hard work to become a world class fighter like Manny Pacquiao.
It just wasn’t a good day for the Filipino boxers – ironic for an event entitled “Pinoy Power 2″.