Luis Concepcion will defend his WBA World super flyweight title against Khalid Yafai over a scheduled 12 rounds at the Manchester Arena on Saturday, December 10.
Thirty-one-year-old “El Nica” has fought out of his native Panama City since 2006 (35-4, 24 KOs), winning the championship in his most recent fight, this August, by beating Kohei Kono via unanimous decision. He scored the interim WBA World flyweight title in September 2009 by stopping Omar Salado via 12th-round TKO. After successfully defending his belt three times, he was upgraded to “regular” championship status in January 2011, after Daiki Kameda vacated, losing his crown three months later to Hernan Marquez, who won by 11th-round TKO. Concepcion won the interim WBA World super flyweight title in September 2015 by retiring David Sanchez in the 10th.
After representing Great Britain as a flyweight at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Concepcion’s 27-year-old opponent, “Kal,” began fighting out of his native Birmingham in 2012. Undefeated (20-0, 14 KOs), he’s won regional and minor titles, most recently the then-vacant WBA Inter-Continental super flyweight belt in March by knocking out Dixon Flores in the first. Tenth-ranked by the WBA, Yafai last fought on October 22, kayoing Johnson Tellez in the third.
“He’s a big puncher, a two-time and two-weight world champion,” said Yafai of Concepcion in a recent interview. “He’ll come forward, no doubt, but he’ll meet someone who can really punch.”
This article was penned by the author who is not related to the WBA and the statements, expressions or opinions referenced herein are that of the author alone and not the WBA.
