TOP Filipino boxing prospect AJ “Bazooka” Banal suffered a stunning 10th round knockout loss at the hands of Panama’s Rafael “El Torito” Concepcion in their World Boxing Association (WBA) super flyweight interim championship fight Saturday night at the Cebu Coliseum in Cebu City.
Banal absorbed a series of body shots and a jarring right to the head that sent him on all his fours in that fateful 10th.
Clearly exhausted, Banal managed to get on his knees but shook his head and refused to get up, and was counted out by the referee to the dismay of the huge crowd expecting a Filipino win.
It was not to be, and the defeat was a crushing blow to the career of the 19-year-old Banal, earlier considered the next big thing to happen to Philippine boxing after Manny Pacquiao.
Banal, the pre-fight favorite, was leading on the judges’ scorecards when the end came at 2:35 in the 10th. Banal dropped to 17-1-1 with 14 KOs.
When the referee signaled the fight was over, Concepcion rolled on his back to celebrate the victory and his cornermen rushed inside the ring to join him.
Concepcion was unbelieving, having absorbed punishment early on only to turn the tide in the later rounds with his relentless pressure.
The Panamanian was bleeding from his nose as a result of the Banal onslaught and had to breath through his mouth for most of the fight.
In the end, Concepcion proved to be the more durable fighter as Banal simply lost steam in the highly entertaining bout full of heated exchanges.
In other featured fights, Milan Milendo won the WBA Intercontinental title via unanimous decision over Carlos Melo, also of Panama, while Michael Domingo stopped Rivo Rengkung in the second round to capture the WBO Oriental bantamweight crown.
