By Jake Donovan
David Sanchez puts his interim 115 lb. title on the line versus former flyweight champ Luis 'Nica' Concepcion. The two collide Saturday evening in Hermosillo, Mexico, with beIn Sport Español to televise.
At stake for the winner could be a showdown with the last man standing between next month's showdown between Kohei Kono and Koki Kameda. The truth is that any mix of top fighters in the super flyweight division will make for a fun fight.
Tonight is no exception.
Sanchez (28-2-2, 22KOs) comes in having won 18 straight, including his last three wins by knockout. The local favorite rose to prominence following a 4th round knockout win over Marco Democillo last January. The feat led to a title shot, picking up an interim belt which he has most recently defended in a 2nd round knockout of Walberto Ramos in May.
Concepcion (32-4, 23KOs) has long served as one of the most entertaining little big men in the world, but could be on borrowed time. The 29-year old slugger hasn't quite looked the same since getting starched in a single round by Hernan 'Tyson' Marquez in an Oct. '11 rematch to their thriller earlier that year.
A nine-win streak followed, as did a move up in weight for the former flyweight champ. He is currently 1-1 at 115 lbs., knocking out Duvan Hernandez in seven rounds last August to set up a world title shot, where he fell short versus unbeaten Carlos Cuadras in his most recent fight this past April.
BOXINGSCENE.COM STAFF PREDICTIONS:
DAVID SANCHEZ vs. LUIS CONCEPCION
Jake Donovan (Concepcion Dec.): I've yet to become a believer that Sanchez is as good as his record and his struggling to make weight on Friday tells me he could be done with the super flyweight division. It's as good as time as any for Concepcion to turn back the clock and I believe his workrate will be the difference in the biggest upset and the best fight of the weekend.
Michael Gibbons (Sanchez KO9):
I like Sanchez to wear down and stop Nica late.
Takahiro Onaga (Sanchez TKO10):
Potentially this bout could be a thriller with a lot of excitement. Sadly I think Concepcion on slide now from fighter he used to be, also I not sure he really a Super Flyweight. Sanchez break him down late in exciting war. Maybe both hit canvas at some point.
Cliff Rold (Sanchez KO):
Nica gave a good account of himself versus Cuadras but he's never looked quite to form again since the two with Tyson Marquez. Sanchez is a flawed but fun guy on a roll who seems to be hitting his best stride. I think he picks up a fan friendly win here.
Alexey Sukachev (Sanchez KO9):
I like what I saw of David Sanchez. He is a good little kid, and he has impressed in a stoppage win over Topo Rosas. Concepcion also surprised me (in a good way), when he went distance with hard-punching Carlos Cuadras. But going the distance and winning are different entities. I believe Concepcion will bring it to Sanchez early but will succumb to David's punches and workrate in the middle rounds and will be stopped late in the fight - either with a major bomb or helpless at the ropes.
Jake Donovan is the managing editor of BoxingScene.com.
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