By Cliff Rold

In the lightest weight classes, it takes a little extra to garner broad attention. Lots of titles, spread across multiple geographic lines, rarely allow for the best in class to lock horns.

For the potential of those divisions to be reached, things have to line up just right.

For most of this decade, flyweight has been the hot spot du jour. There was a period where one could argue it was the deepest and most consistently exciting top ten in the sport. Some of the round robin feel of the class has slowed down, though it maintains plenty of thrilling pieces and potential matches. It also still sports arguably the most talented fighter on the planet, World champion Roman Gonzalez.

Other memorable runs over the last two decades below what is often the cut off for US television interest (122 lbs.) have come at Jr. flyweight in the 90s, bantamweight during the recent runs of Nonito Donaire and Abner Mares, and Jr. bantamweight for much of the first decade of the 2000s. A little serendipity, and a lot of leather, got relatively more fans invested who might not have been following those classes regularly.

If the current flyweight class might not appear as deep and vibrant as it was a year or so ago, that is in part because the pendulum appears to be swinging again to it’s neighbor class three pounds up. The buzz is moving north.

On Wednesday in Japan, former flyweight titlist Luis Concepcion put on one of the best performances of his career, outfighting and even outboxing cagey Kohei Kono for the WBA strap. It was his second title shot in the class after a failed crack at WBC titlist Carlos Cuadras last year and could be a harbinger of things to come.

Concepcion’s first war with Tyson Marquez, along with the arrival in class of Brian Viloria, can be seen as sort of a start point for the fantastic run we’ve been treated to at flyweight in recent years. His performance against Kono comes just a little more than a week before Jr. bantamweight steps into arguably its biggest spotlight since the unification of the division by Vic Darchinyan in 2008.

luis-concepcion_1

Before September is out, every major title at 115 lbs. will be on the line.

The biggest date is September 10. Gonzalez will face Cuadras in a battle of undefeated warriors. They will have center stage on HBO. Should Gonzalez win, and he is favored to do so, expect him to remain. When he does, given the profile he’s building, we could see more fighters follow him up. Unified flyweight titlist Juan Francisco Estrada is the most likely next domino to fall in that regard.

Also this month, IBF titlist McJoe Arroyo and WBO titlist Naoya Inoue will defend their titles as solid favorites. Assuming both retain, September could end with three of the four most recognized alphabet titles held by undefeated fighters and none of the four yet past the age of thirty.

Throw in an inevitably rising Estrada and former titlist Srisaket Sor Rungvisai, who was well in the fight when he lost his title to Cuadras in cut shortened affair. The ingredients are there for 115 to take over the mantle of boxing’s hottest spot on the south end of the scale with seamless form.

Gonzalez-Cuadras is a hell of a fight on paper. If it meets expectations, it’s going to keep eyes on the class. The winner against Inoue is going to be in instant demand from hardcore fans. It has a realistic chance of happening in 2017.

Concepcion-Kono was a nice appetizer until we get to the main course. Let’s take a look at that fight in a mid-week report card.

Grades

Pre-Fight: Speed – Kono B; Concepcion B/Post: B; B+

Pre-Fight: Power – Kono B; Concepcion A-/Post: Same

Pre-Fight: Defense – Kono B-; Concepcion C-/Post: B-; C+

Pre-Fight: Intangibles – Kono B; Concepcion B/Post: B; B+

For readers who didn’t see the fight, Panama’s SerTV YouTube channel has it in full. It’s worth a look, particularly from the eight round forward.

It took that long for Kono to go into full desperation mode. The Japanese straight shooter was well behind on points against a Concepcion who was disciplined and patient in ways that haven’t been his norm in big fights. One of the things that makes Concepcion so much fun is his penchant for gun slinging. We got that here, but we also got a steady use of the jab, more head movement, and more intelligent attacks to the body.

It was the attack to the body that started him on the right track. In the first round, a body shot had Kono wincing and Concepcion kept piling points through three easy to score rounds. He may be wild, but when he connects the power of Concepcion is clear. He stunned Kono more than once and the veteran struggled for a response.

In the pre-fight report card, the pick was Kono. It was hard to imagine Concepcion winning a decision by outboxing him and consistently beating Kono to the punch. Both of those things were happening.

Around the fourth, matters heated up a little as Kono finally started letting his hands go. To his credit, Concepcion took the incoming and did a good job of finishing when they exchanged. It was like that most of the night, including in the three best minutes of the fight.

Hurt early, Kono looked ready to fall but he set his feet and punched like hell. Both men took turns landing hard stuff, brief clinches allowing them to catch their breath and start again. It wasn’t science but it was definitely sweet.

Into the final round, Kono kept looking for the sort of shot that could save his title. Concepcion wouldn’t let him have the satisfaction and fans got their money’s worth.

Of all the men holding belts right now at 115, Concepcion is the most vulnerable. That doesn’t mean he’s going to go away easy. His win on Wednesday put him in position to cash out, and maybe even surprise again, when the right fight becomes available.

Sooner than later, the right fights are coming to 115 lbs.  

 Report Card and Staff Picks 2016: 31-11

Cliff Rold is the Managing Editor of BoxingScene, a founding member of the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board, and a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America.  He can be reached at roldboxing@hotmail.com