FILIPINO boxer Alex John Banal seemed to be dominating the early rounds of his fight against the Panamanian rival Rafael “El Torito” Concepcion last Saturday in the New Cebu Coliseum.

Banal was the favored fighter in the WBA interim super flyweight title fight, as he showed his counter punching abilities against Concepcion. But as the fight progressed, the Panamanian found the right spot to hit, which led to Banal’s dismal defeat.

AS Recah Trinidad of the Philippine Daily Inquirer puts it, there was a “paralyzing disbelief” when Banal lost his rival in the 10th round.

Trinidad added:

Banal, for sure, must’ve felt like that dumb ship captain who foolishly drove the Titanic against a killer iceberg out there in the ocean—and next woke up to realize it was too late.

Indeed, the Banal fight for the WBA interim super flyweight title opened like a daydream. He had a perfect start, was landing crisp combinations as he followed orders from his corner.

Banal was counterpunching perfectly against the charging Rafael Concepcion who was labeled El Torito or Baby Bull.

Sad news for UAAP fans.

Mac Baracael, a basketball player from the Far Eastern University, was shot by unknown assailants Thursday night.

Excerpt:

MANILA, Philippines — A UAAP basketball player is fighting for his life after a lone gunman shot him twice late Thursday night.

Mac Baracael, a junior forward of Far Eastern University, was shot by an unknown assailant with a 45-caliber pistol near Philtrust corner Morayta and R. Papa streets.

IF you’re a fan of mixed martial arts, then Saturday, July 19 (Sunday, July 20 in Manila) was a great day because the debuting MMA promotion Affliction unleashed its first pay-per-view, Affliction: Banned, while the reigning MMA promotion, Ultimate Fighting Championship, countered this challenge by quickly putting together the UFC Fight Night 14 card, which it showed for free on Spike TV on the same day.

The Affliction: Banned main event featured the man many MMA aficionados consider the best heavyweight fighter and arguably the best MMA fighter of all time, Russia’s legendary Fedor Emelianenko. Going up against him was the former two-time UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia, with the winner becoming the first World Alliance of Mixed Martial arts heavyweight champ. This was the icing on what was a great card that included Andrei Arlovski, Josh Barnett, Pedro Rizzo, Matt Lindland, Renato Sobral, and one of my all-time faves, Vitor Belfort.

Meanwhile, the main event for UFC Fight Night 14 was the UFC’s main star and the man being touted as the current best pound-for-pound MMA fighter in the world, Anderson Silva, the UFC middleweight champion, who was making his debut in the light heavyweight division. I’m a huge Silva fan, and this guy has been dominant in the UFC middleweight division, but even though I felt he would win against James Irvin (best known for knocking out Houston Alexander in eight seconds), I have to admit I was wondering how wise it was for Silva to accept a bout in a higher weight class on short notice.

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