The world's top flyweight is now in the running for that same position at super flyweight after Nonito Donaire handled the jump up to 115 pounds by outboxing Rafael Concepcion last night at the Hard Rock Casino in Las Vegas, NV.

At stake was the Interim WBA super fly crown, which Concepcion held at one point last year, and the Panamanian made every effort to make Donaire get into the trenches as Concepcion's natural size advantage was maximized after coming in more than four pounds above the super flyweight limit.

Concepcion might not have been able to assume the title even if he won the bout due to the weight overage but Donaire had no such limitation and fought a textbook bout, taking advantage of his edge in experience and quickness to outbox his bigger foe.

The busier style of Concepcion made it close but in the end, the judges favored the accuracy of Donaire, who was awarded a UD via scores of 117-111, 116-112 and 115-113. More...

IBF light fly kingpin Nonito Donaire heads up to super flyweight tonight at the Hard Rock Casino in Las Vegas, NV, contending for the Interim WBA crown against Panama's Rafael Concepcion.

Donaire, 21-1 (14), is coming off three title defenses of the IBF strap he won by expertly dismantling Aussie bomber Vic Darchinyan two years ago and the Filipino stylist should be able to handle the challenge of Concepcion with equal dexterity.

Concepcion, 13-3 (8), won the Interim WBA super fly title by gunning down previously undefeated AJ Banal a year ago but was stopped in the ninth in his next bout during a slugfest with Mexico's Jorge Arce, losing the interim belt in the process.

The Panama City man regained his footing with an eight rounds points verdict over aging ex-WBO minimumweight boss Kermin Guardia in February but will have to pull off a career best performance if he is to overcome the higher skilled Donaire.

The chief support bout features WBO feather champ Steven Luevano, 36-1-1 (15), meeting the challenge of WBC International beltholder Bernabe Concepcion, 29-1-1 (16), in what should be a good contest.

Rafael Concepcion:"I know Las Vegas and I know there will be Latino fans in the arena rooting for me on Saturday night. There will be Mexican fans for sure on my side. I've trained hard and I will win. Panama fighters do not lose to Filipinos. We're 4-0 in title fights."

Nonito Donaire: "I've seen one video of Concepcion. He has a lot of heart which tells me he can be very dangerous inside the ring. I am going to rely on my speed and power to get through this one. Before I leave the 115 pound division, I want to fight Jorge Arce and Fernando Montiel. Those two are on my mind and it doesn't matter who is first." More...

Former IBF/IBO flyweight champion Nonito “The Filipino Flash” Donaire, Jr. and WBO featherweight champion Steven Luevano return to the top of the marquee to headline “Pinoy Power 2”, the world championship extravaganza taking place Saturday, August 15, in The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, NV.

“Pinoy Power 2,” Top Rank’s newest boxing series, will also feature undefeated Cuban heavyweight sensation Odlanier Solis and Filipino junior welterweight contender Mark “MJM Grand” Melliguen in separate exciting 10-round all-action brawls. More...

WBA light flyweight interim world title contenders Giovanni Segura of Mexico and Cesar Canchila of Colombia, rated No. 1 and No. 2 by the WBA respectively, undefeated super lightweight contender Mike Alvarado of Denver and former WBC lightweight champion Cesar Bazan of Mexico, NABF super bantamweight champion Bernabe Concepcion of the Philippines and former NABF super bantamweight champion Adam Carrera of Cathedral City, CA, will host a special News Conference for their undercard bouts on “The Battle!” / “La Batalla!” the four-fight pay-per-view extravaganza headlined by the Miguel Cotto vs. Antonio Margarito world welterweight championship fight. More...

Fasten your seatbelts! The undercard for “The Battle!”, the pay-per-view extravaganza headlined by the world championship fight between welterweight superpowers Miguel Cotto and Antonio Margarito, promises to be as explosive as the main event! Promoted by Top Rank, “The Battle!” takes place Saturday, July 26 at the MGM Grand Resort and Casino and will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View, beginning at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT.

Giovanni Segura and Cesar Canchila, the WBA's No. 1 and No. 2 rated contenders, respectively, will battle 12 rounds for the WBA interim light flyweight title. More...

All in all, it was a pretty good Saturday night and we start off south of the border with a big card in Queretaro, Mexico where at the Plaza de Toros Juriquilla, light middleweight contender Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr., 36-0-1 (29), continued his meteoric rise with a ninth round KO of Italy's 154 lb titlist Tobia Guiseppe Loriga, 24-1-1 (6).

The Italian started aggressively but a patient Chavez scored with effective counters and floored the visitor in the second frame. The European fought his way out of trouble and resumed the pressure but didn't have enough power to interrupt the flow of Chavez, who continued to reduce Loriga's energy with carefully selected hurtful counters.

Once he had worn his rival down, Chavez began to go on the offensive and was extracting a heavy toll on Loriga before straining an ankle in the seventh. Despite the injury, Chavez nailed Loriga with a full-blooded right hand that had the Italian Champion taking a much needed knee as he was counted out at 1:47 of the ninth frame. More...