By: Hans Themistode
Robson Conceicao raised his hands jubilantly in the air following 12 hard rounds against Oscar Valdez.
The Brazilian native not only believed that he had just scored the biggest win of his career but more importantly, his championship dreams were simply moments from being realized. But while Conceicao smiled widely, his grin was immediately wiped away seconds later as Valdez was awarded the unanimous decision victory following their September 2021 showdown.
Though he was incensed, Conceicao vowed to bounce back and work his way back to a world title. Following his lopsided one over Xavier Martinez earlier tonight at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Conceicao now finds himself back on the championship hunt.
Though the 33-year-old former Olympic gold medalist has primarily been known as a boxer throughout his career, he pushed the pace from the opening bell.
A confident and seemingly still angry Conceicao landed several flush jabs in the first two minutes of their contest, an indicator as to what the night was going to be like for Martinez. In an effort to keep his distance, Martinez flashed a high guard and began deflecting the shots of his man off his gloves.
With his initial offensive attack failing him, Conceicao began working the body. As the former amateur standout continued to focus his attack on the lower part of his man, he connected on several left and right hooks, some of which left Martinez on wobbly legs.
Throughout the duration of their contest, Martinez appeared to be out of answers. Unlike his showdown against Valdez where Conceicao seemed to take his foot off the gas, he continued to pressure the former undefeated 130 pound contender.
With his unblemished record slipping through his fingers, Martinez blasted Conceicao with a straight right hook with just a few seconds left in the 10th. It was the best moment of the night for Martinez, however, he was unable to string together a series of punches to wrestle away the momentum.
As their contest officially came to an end, Conceicao knew he dominated the action and was rewarded with the unanimous decision victory.