By Francisco Chantengo: In something of a shocker, super flyweight Rafael Concepcion (11-2-1, 7 KOs) defeated number #4 ranked AJ Banal (17-1-1, 14 KOs) in a 10th round TKO on Saturday night at the Cebu Coliseum, in Cebu City, Philippines. Concepcion landed a powerful right to the head of Banal in the 10th round, causing him to take a knee and be counted out by referee Raul Caiz Jr at 2:35 of the 10th round.
AJ Banal
Rey Bautista & AJ Banal: Are They Future Champions?
By Francisco Chantango: Recently, after seeing several fights of Filipino boxing stars super flyweight AJ Banal (17-0-1, 14 KOs) and super bantamweight Rey Baustista (25-1, 18 KOs) I’ve started to wonder whether each of these two young southpaw phenoms will eventually be future title holders in their perspective divisions. Banal, only 19, looks to be slightly the better of the two prospects, although Bautista isn’t far behind him in terms of overall talent and drive. I fully realize that Baustista was blown out in one vicious round by 27 year-old WBO super bantamweight champion Daniel Ponce De Leon (34-1, 30 KOs) in August 2007, yet I don’t hardly believe that Baustista, then only 18 years-old, was ready for such an important match as this at this early stage in his career.
In spite of his immense talent that Bautista had shown previous to that bout, beating fighters such as Giovanni Andrade, Marino Montiel, Sergio Manuel Medina, Gerardo Espinoza and Roberto Bonilla, none of these fighters could prepare him properly for the kind of all out slugging that a fighter like Ponce De Leon would be bringing into a fight with Baustista. Mainly, because Ponce De Leon is so unorthodox as a fighter. He doesn’t fight in a normal manner that most fighters do, instead he goes all out throwing punches from all angles nonstop from the opening bell until the final round of the fight.