Concepcion does as he pleases and makes it win number nine by Tom Podmore Feb 17th 2008

Leicester middleweight prospect Kevin ‘The Panther' Concepcion went about his work in his usual calculated demeanour and extended his undefeated professional record to nine with a one-sided six-round shut-out win over Staines-based Pole Mikhail Bamballra at Aylestone Leisure Centre last night (February 16). Concepcion, boxing in his hometown for only the second time as a pro, had little trouble against a bigger Eastern European hard man who may have a bad-looking record (only one win in 13 entering) but usually gives prospects a decent little test. Bamballra holds a six-round draw with Peterborough banger Cello Renda, who challenges for the vacant English title against Paul Smith on March 8, and pushed the former Midland Area super-middleweight champion, Bedworth's Neil Tidman, all the way at Mercia Park in 2005. The only time he has failed to hear the final bell was when Sheffield puncher Danny Toombs, then being touted as a future world champion by many in the game, ripped through him in two rounds back in 2005. As said, the lean European gives prospects a good night's work and something to think about. But the Neil Tomlinson-trained stylist isn't like most prospects. He is, for my money at least, the best prospect in the UK today. And the way in which he boxed within himself and still won handily suggests that the best is still yet to come. Before last night's fight, on Coventry Sporting Club's show at the Leofric Hotel on December 1, Kevin had stopped Darren Rhodes in five one-sided rounds. Although the ending was due to a nasty cut to the Leeds boxer, the older brother of light-middleweight banger Martin was always in complete control. Further proof of the former NABC National amateur champion's talent and potential, especially as Rhodes was involved in a British middleweight title eliminator with Dudley's Darren McDermott earlier on in the year and had mixed with the very best. The Paul Carpenter-managed fighter, who has recently signed a three-year promotional deal with Frank Maloney's FTM Promotions, is certainly ahead of schedule. And Kevin should, providing he doesn't suffer any unscheduled defeats in the next ten months, be challenging for his first title – likely to be the Midland Area belt at either middleweight or super-middleweight – before the year reaches its end. Whilst both are 27, though the unbeaten Beaumont Rees boxer turns 28 on February 22, the similarities definitely ended there. Concepcion boxed with a calm, calculated and relaxed air about him whereas Bamballra spent the duration of the six-threes on his bike, body tense and stiff. The ultra-confident but level-headed homecity hero even found time to acknowledge people in the crowd before the first bell, later saying: “I often have a bit of a chat and a laugh before I get down to business. That's because I enjoy boxing. I wouldn't do it if I didn't.” The 18-minute bout followed a similar pattern: Concepcion (11st 13lbs) pursuing his foe around the ring, banging in straight rights and left hooks to the head. Mikhail retreated, offering little in return, and was thrown to the floor twice in the ensuing rounds. Referee John Keane started to lose patience with the Polish scrapper (12st), warning him for holding during rounds four, five and six. So it was no surprise to see him clamping hold more than ever as the stand-up Leicester fighter punished him with crunching hooks to the body as the contest drew to a close. It came as no great shock, then, to see Mr Keane award the East Midlander a deserved 60-54 verdict – a decision that means Concepcion has still yet to drop a single round in half-a-century (sharing only one) of scheduled sessions dating back to September 2006. That was only the second time (the first being a 40-36 loss to Dwayne Lewis at York Hall) that the Essex-domiciled light-heavyweight, with respected trainer, matchmaker and promoter Jim Evans in his corner, had been involved in a whitewash loss. I'll put my head in the hangman's noose and say that Concepcion, now 9-0 (2), will win the British title at some stage. Leicester's easy-to-hit Lester Walsh got off the mark in his second pro bout. He sent his vociferous faithful home happy after being awarded a 59-56 decision over Rotherham's Paul Royston in a middleweight six-twos on this good-value Leicester Sporting Club (Paul Carpenter) show. Walsh won a NABC National amateur title in the vest for Braunstone ABC, but lost his professional debut against Bristol-based Turk Rocky Chakir (59-57) at Coventry's Leofric Hotel in December. He had paid the price for a slow start in that contest. And the 31-year-old started slowly in this one before gradually taking control in rounds three, four, five and six. Even though the score may suggest a comfortable win, it was anything but. I had Walsh a 59-57 winner, but he caught several solid punches throughout. Both showed a good chin, though neither could really hurt the other, with the Dave Coldwell-trained 23-year-old starting the better – on his toes, using the ring and catching the go-forward Midlander with his jab. The second round followed in the same vein. Neil Tomlinson-trained Walsh (11st 2lbs 14oz), after that slow start, found success with rights over the Yorkshireman's low left in the following rounds. 15-fight Royston (11st 2lbs) became more static from the fourth onwards and this suited Walsh, now 1-1 (0), who timed his overhand rights well and rightly got his hand raised by referee Nigel Gill at the end of a close bout. Best fight saw the West Country's boyish-looking but skilful Dean Mills (9st 8lbs) halt Oakham ticket-seller Carl Griffiths (9st 7lbs) with only 32 seconds left of a cracking lightweight six-twos between two sawn-off sluggers. Mills had lost a close one on his debut to David ‘Dezzie' O'Connor in Plymouth last year but was in command throughout a wild brawl that saw both absorb plenty of flush hooks. I had the Bridgwater-based fighter in a 49-46 lead at the time of the stoppage, incidentally. Southpaw Griffiths, 24 and now 2-3 (1), tried to march through his opponent's punches but was caught with fast-handed left-right-lefts and held his chin too high. He was always that step behind the 20-year-old Nigel Christian-managed puncher and looked in discomfort after some rasping body shots. And the end was sudden. After an exchange in the Somerset lightweight's corner, a left hook bounced off Griffiths' jaw – glazing his eyes immediately. But in his haste to finish the job Dean smothered his work by getting too close, close enough for Carl to hold. Mills, realising his mistake, waited for them to be separated, took a step back, found space and drilled his opponent with left-rights that prompted Mr Keane to make a well-timed intervention at 1-28. Good finish to a good fight that sees skilful Mills move to 1-1 (1). Tony Harris-trained Rasham Singh-Sohi (12st 8lbs) boxed in his hometown of Leicester for the first time in a decade and pounded out a routine 60-54 win over ultra-durable Welsh farmer Mark Phillips (12st 11lbs) in a six-twos. For what its worth, I had Phillips sharing a round. Ticket-selling Sohi made his height show, though was often guilty of throwing only one punch and being a tad one-paced. He cut the 32-year-old former British Masters light-heavyweight champion in the fourth, an incident that sprung the St Clare's fighter into life, and bossed with the jab throughout. The tall, muscular Jimmy Gill-managed super-middleweight, now 2-0 (0), is pencilled in to box on the undercard of Rendall Munroe's European super-bantamweight title challenge in Nottingham on March 7. Shrewsbury's Nigel Gill officiated. The show-opener saw Derby's Matthew Hainy (11st 13lbs) outbox, out-think and out-punch Dave Coldwell-trained Rotherham trier Ricky Strike (12st 1lb), still winless after five, over a light-heavyweight four-twos. Mr Gill looked bang-on with his 40-36 assessment. Twenty-six-year-old Hainy improved to two fights without defeat and looked more composed than he did on his debut – a wild brawl with another Dave Coldwell fighter, Doncaster's James Tucker, in Burton last month. He used his right well and had the Yorkshire southpaw on the back foot for the majority of the eight minutes.

Go back Comment on this article | Send to a friend | Print

Please login before posting comments.

There are no comments. Click here to be the first who comment on this article.