Kevin Concepcion headlines evenly matched card in Leicester by Tom Podmore Oct 5th 2007

Leicester super-middleweight Kevin Concepcion puts his unbeaten tag on the line against unbeaten Sheffield puncher Jez Wilson in the six-round bill-topper at the Aylestone Leisure Centre on Saturday (October 6). Leicester Sporting Club (Paul Carpenter and Les Allen) put on the well-matched five-fight card that also see's local heavyweight Paul Butlin face his toughest test when he goes over an intriguing six against former touted prospect Matthew Ellis. While younger brother Martin faces his sternest test against Commonwealth boss Bradley Pryce in Nottingham, Kevin will look to improve to seven wins without defeat against a Midlands-born banger who took out sturdy Jon Foster in one round three weeks ago. Neil Tomlinson-trained Concepcion is back in the ring only two weeks after decking, bloodying and beating brave Scotsman Drew Campbell, who also finished with a broken nose, over four at the Leofric Hotel in Coventry. This will be his first six-threes, by the way. But Glyn Rhodes-trained Wilson, 2-0 (2), a fireman based in Sheffield, arrives in the East Midlands city with a reputation as a serious puncher with plenty of ambition. He flattened Bradford's Peter Cannon, also making his paid debut, in five one-sided rounds at the Grosvenor Hotel in April and then, as mentioned, brutally halted Matt Scriven-trained Jon Foster in 98 seconds last month. Kevin, however, is a huge step-up from the likes of Foster and Cannon – with all due respect. The tall Leicester stylist, 6-0 (1), has yet to concede a solitary session in 32 paid rounds of boxing and looks the more measured and composed of the two fighting Concepcion brothers. He also holds a convincing six-round points win over current British Masters light-heavyweight champion Mark Phillips, who was beaten 60-54 in Birmingham back in May. Twenty-seven-year-old Concepcion is now targeting a crack at the Welshman's title, telling the Leicester Mercury: “That's a fight that would definitely interest me. “I know he's going to be harder to beat now he's got a title he wants to keep. “But I would love the chance to take it off him.” And Concepcion, having his first professional contest in his hometown, has to be favoured to repel the challenge of mallet-fisted Wilson. Melton Mowbray's Paul Butlin knows a win against Blackpool's ‘Magic' Matthew Ellis on Saturday night could set him on his way to major title fights in the next year. Butlin, 11-3 (2), has endured a frustrating 2007 – only one fight – but a victory over the former ABA champion would see him move up the domestics ratings and close-in on a shot at Danny Williams' British title. Fast-handed Ellis, however, isn't likely to roll-over and will provide the local heavyweight with the biggest test of his up-and-down five-year professional career. The 33-year-old ‘Blackpool Rock', 19-4-1 (9), holds victories over Russia's former WBC top ten-rated Dennis Bakhtov and former British title challenger Michael Murray (a man who stopped Mike Tyson conqueror Kevin McBride). So is a force to be reckoned with on his day. However, Butlin believes he can take advantage of the Lancashire stylists inactivity – Ellis hasn't fought since a four-round decision over Chris Woollas in Dudley last October. The 31-year-old ‘Blonde Bomber' said: “His record means little. He hasn't really fought anyone and the only good boxers he has faced he has got beaten by. It would be a nice little scalp. “Boxing is all about learning and I've learnt the most in my career from my last two opponents. “I get stronger as fights go on so it's going to suit me a lot better,” continued Neil Tomlinson-trained Butlin. "I will be more relaxed as well because he's the one with something to prove." This intriguing heavyweight six-rounder could swing either way. Equally intriguing is the clash between Bedworth's current Midland Area super-middleweight champion Neil Tidman and Nottingham's former Midland Area light-heavyweight champion Michael Monaghan who meet in a light-heavyweight six-rounder. Tidman registered a two-round sickness stoppage over Ingle switcher Simeon Cover in Coventry last Friday, but will have a harder assignment against a fighter who's ledger reads a who's who of top-class fighters. Monaghan, 31, is having his first fight since being halted with one second to go in the maiden defence of his Area belt against confident Nottingham puncher Tyrone Wright in May. Thirty-seven-fight Michael, who has swapped leather with the likes British twelve-stone boss Carl Froch, British middleweight champion Wayne Elcock, Darren McDermott, Matthew Elcock and WBU eleven-stone-six champion Gary Lockett in a eleven–year pro career, is giving it one last go. And bull-strong Neil, who defends his Midland belt for the first time against Northampton's Paul David on the undercard of Carl Froch-Robin Reid in Nottingham on November 9, could struggle against the awkward Lincoln-born scrapper. Pat Cowdell-trained Neil, 7-4 (2), should emerge with his hand raised. Exciting Leicester light-middleweight Simon Fleck, 5-1 (1), goes over six against Plymouth's Carl Drake, 1-1 (1) and Lester Walsh, a former NABC National amateur champion from Leicester, makes his paid bow in a six-rounder.

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