Concepcion's future in doubt after latest defeat

Martin Concepcion's nine-year paid journey may be at an end.

The Leicester puncher failed in his attempt to tear the English middleweight title from Nick Blackwell on Saturday night and though a knee injury contributed to his four-round defeat on a PJ Rowson-promoted bill at Trowbridge Civic Hall, the local champion had already put three of the opening four sessions in the bag.

Beforehand, Concepcion had hinted that retirement could be on the cards if he didn't succeed in taking the belt from an improving 21-year-old who challenged for the British and Commonwealth belts less than two years after turning professional.

But whether or not he'll fade away - or whether he'll carry on after feeling his title charge was hampered by a knee injury that limited his ability to unleash his full punching power - is anybody's guess at present.

And after a quiet opening round of probing and posing, Blackwell [11st 5lbs] began to find the mark with his left lead from the second onwards. The East Midlander's eye was swollen by the end of that round and his normally-feared punches [11 stoppages in 18 victories - ten defeats] lacked the snap to trouble the swashbuckling champion.

The third followed in the same vein and after a solid combination from the former International Masters boss in the fourth [an attack that saw the 30-year-old ex-British and Commonwealth 11st title challenger injure his knee] and a two-fisted follow-up attack, Brummie official Terry O'Connor stepped in at 2-28.

For Blackwell, now 11-1 (5), his immediate future looks assured. His promoter, Black Country-based Paul Rowson, wants his charge to challenge for the WBC Youth title later in the year and, if old foe Martin Murray vacates his Lonsdale Belt in order to pursue fights at European level and beyond, he'll also be in the mix for that.

But for Concepcion, the Midlands Area monarch at the weight and an ex-Area champ at light-middle who also weighed 11st 5lbs at Friday's weigh-in, he'll have to have a serious think about his fighting future after a third defeat in his last four [all stoppages, albeit in esteemed company].