Saul Alvarez vs. Jose Manuel Lopez & undercard RBR

Both landed 43% power punches.

Sign of a wild ride.

I'm glad to have this on DVR for maybe a midnight snack after the rest of the night's action.

 

Francisco Vargas vs. Victor Sanchez, 4 rounds @ super featherweight

 

Round 1

Vargas is pushing Sanchez to the ropes, throwing hard overhands down at him and hooking him in the middle. Vargas is imposing his size and strength. Sanchez manages to get off a few nice uppercut counter combos to get off the ropes, but is slapped with a hook and backed up as Vargas moves forward looking for that big oveerhand right. Sanchez sticks a jab but stays too flat-footed in front of Vargas and gets popped in the face with a right hand. Vargas is throwing nonstop punches, already exceeding 100 with a minute to go by Farhood's estimate. Sanchez is gamely jabbing and hooking back at Vargas while backing up, but is pushing back the tide. Vargas swarms in and knocks Sanchez across the head with a few blows while eating a pair of crisp hooks.

10-9 Vargas

 

Showtime statisticians says they threw a combined 235 punches in the first!!

 

Round 2

Sanchez is backed up routinely to the corners as Vargas lets his hands fly. Sanchez is taking lots of punishment to the body and grazing head shots as Vargas just sprays leather at him. Sanchez puts in some nice counters, short 1-2s and hooks while sliding back, and they're forcefully turning Vargas' head with clear impact but not hurting or slowing him. Iron chin, and endless workrate by Vargas. Sanchez winds up and tries to dig a few to the body, but Vargas gets his elbows in the way and keeps slamming away with both hands with no particular rhyme or reason.

20-18 Vargas

 

In the second, Farhood says, Vargas threw 130 and Sanchez threw 150.

This is some crazy ****.

 

Sho Stats through two and half rounds:

Vargas 103 of 281, 37%
Sanchez 83 of 301, 27%

 

Round 3

Sanchez is pushed to the ropes but timing Vargas with counters underneath and over the top. Sanchez is just winging his arms out but slowing down in all four limbs. Vargas isn't. Punch after punch after punch. Vargas moves Sanchez all across the ring and knocks him on his heels with a few hard digs to the body. Plenty of clean blows to the face with Vargas exploiting his long reach and the fact that Sanchez is becoming totally winded while fleeing and punching back.

30-27 Vargas

 

Round 4

Stiff jab by Vargas. Sanchez answers back with his short southpaw hook and tries to chop Vargas down with low cuts to the body. Vargas is standing in and trading with him, both landing very light arm punches to the face and neither showing any defense whatsoever. WAR. Looping left to the face by Sanchez. Uppercut by Vargas. Straight right by Vargas. Clapping shots behind the ear by Vargas. Sanchez is still plugging back to the body. Sanchez loses his gum shield. Referee Vic Drakulich calls timeout to have it washed and put back in. Sloppy combination to the face by Vargas. Clinch, both exhausted. Break. Sanchez is throwing with abandon to the body, with Vargas still head hunting. Both missing a lot, or landing very softly. HUGE numbers being put up here by both in terms of sheer quantity. They trade jabs, Sanchez's right landing at the same time as Vargas' left. Face shots by Vargas, scoops to the body by Sanchez. Their arms are moving more slowly but they still aren't taking any breaks between punches. Sanchez is bossing Vargas back! Body shots taking over!!

10-9 Sanchez

39-37 Vargas