the what fights did you watch today\scorecard thread.

Mikkel Kessler UD12 Carl Froch

Oooooo it's a goodie and it was a good night. Couldn't find my original scorecard in here must have put it in some bull**** dedicated thread. Good. Goooooooooddd. Such an intense staredown pre-fight. It's on!

Low gunslinging left from Froch, mobile chest-height guard from Kessler, and they do that lovely mirror-walk half way by the ring. Kessler has the best of the first minute probably landing they heaviest of the left's they tried. Kessler a tiny bit busier, second tag to the jab, but Froch scored a couple of two-pieces that just look like something out of a bar fight but are thrown without real risk, it's nice. Oooft it's hard to score, hard to score. Froch. Good body punching attack form Kessler at the start of the second, he's calm, he's relaxed, he's not taxing himself. Just making sure it's happening. Froch immediately looks unsure, pinned in the corner, moved back, good strategy from Kessler. Very clear second round for Kessler, that's his marker down, let's see how Froch responds. Fuuuuuk.

Froch really bites down in the third, no more backing up, now he's here to fight. And he makes this round close. But he can't make Kessler go away. I gave it to the Dane by a hair. Cool opening to the fourth, Kessler comes to push him, Froch sits exactly where he is and bangs out the left two different ways, we're here for a high-level duke ladies and gentlemen. Sets the tone. Confirms his intentions with a bazing! right hand at the half waypoint. He goes back to giving ground, but he always has a hello, sometimes "touching" jabs, sometimes all sorts wtf was that a trailing uppercut?? Jaysus.

This is a good fight.

Froch likes the left hand in this fight, more than is normal for him. Kessler would win any rounds here where Froch doesn't break his back though I think, it's intestinal fortitude to use the old fashioned term. No here's the "slip" from round 4, which should have been a KD. Unfair on Froch. A punch went in. Probably was a slip though. Man, Froch finding that right hand to the body, looks sore but wide and slappy. They are just standing opposite each other buying shots, minimising the risk but throwing throwing throwing. Big round for Froch this. Got a lot going on.

So Kessler has the better auto-establishment on the styles tonight, Froch though has proven himself absolutely adept at breaking that dominance up in spells. Not in the sixth though - so I have it 3-3 but the judges will probably have it 4-2 Kessler. Kessler is dipping to the right on the Froch jab now and it's working. Fight in the balance and he comes up with something new. Froch looks a little uncertain and may be tired - he may also know by this pint that it's going to be twelve. Felt the other guy's strength. So he's thinking about the 11th maybe - now, the eighth is huge because either it becomes all square again or Kessler gets a huge 2 round lead - huge in the context here. Kessler dominated the final minute of the seventh. Froch must respond or DIE. DIEIIEEEEEEE. Booming right hand settles the round with a minute to go: Kessler has the lead and Froch has problems. He looks tired. There must be a rally? I remember this being really close and tv scoring it for Froch?

OK, and here's why the eighth was so huge - if Kessler can win this one, he needs only 1/3 remaining for the win and the best Froch can do on my card is a draw. When Froch lands it - arguably - Kessler remains in control. Tenth round and Kessler opens it with a guard-splitting uppercut. Here's where the less perfect technique can have a bit of an impact, when both men start to tire, in general, i'd say the guy with the studied technique will tend to make fewer fatigue-related mistakes. On the other hand, the very fact that his technique IS abit odd can lead to him scoring punches he normally wouldn't land due to the other man's tiredness. Who knows really? Either way, good round Carl Froch, recovered from that weird hook/uppercut hybrid in the first to do good work.

Kessler wins the eleventh, decided it, basically, with one big left-right, hook-right, Froch landed good shots too in a very close round but that was the punch, Froch buzzed. Crucial round, the first he's won since the 8th IMO, and he takes it - now can't lose on my card.

Last round. Kessler nicks it and tf, because I couldn't be arsed scoring another draw ((-:

Froch:1,4,5,9,10,
Kessler:2,3,6,7,8,11,12.

115-113 Kessler. Both men received three close rounds each.

 

Badou Jack MD12 Anthony Dirrell

Jack is one of these guys that likes to show head movement to an opponent who is out of range. I've never really understood it, but whatever keeps you comfy I guess. Then, when Dir actually rushes him, up go the gloves, no head movement Easy to greet from the armchair I suppose.

Probably Jack sneaks the first? Jabbing to the gut, moving out, Dir, he wants to sweep in and land hard right hands - I think Jack gets them all on his gloves. Oooo though. Final twenty seconds, Dir lands a nice body shot. Unf. Think it's enough. Jack returns the favour in the second minute of the second, I can't really tell what's up here yet. They both want single shots I think. They both are interested in the body. Dir has started placing his lead leg in and Jack responds by throwing him to the canvas This one is absorbing. Dir just tried to counter the jab and lands a nice left to the side of hthe head in a disorganised rush behind it. I think he's getting it done right now.

Dir is a lttle quicker but it's Jack who scores first blood with a very hard rip to the armpit, or just below, under-reported by commentary, was a good shot. Jack's jabbing well in this round. First clearly won round. Jack could arguably be 3-0 up but I have him 2-1 down. That's worst case scenario for him, Dir could be anywhere. Steve Farhood has him 2-1 up and disagrees with me about two. He's a shithouse that boy.

Ah, Dir goes southpaw and starts brightly. Switches back. I always get a little kick out of that. Jack's established that he has the better jab and he also has the better defence. He's reading his man a little better too, he rarely goes all the way back without it being called for so he's able to keep up a steady phantom pressure. It is Jack who is in business now. He gets all the points for aggression and defence. Good beltline work with a minute remaining of the fifth puts Dir in charge of this frame though; i'm struggling to read Jack's overhand right though. Dir seems to be reading it well, riding it out without real harm but it's very hard to tell how hurtful that punch is! Yet another reason it's hard to score. Jack boxed his way right back in to that final minute - i'm going with the bodywork. That means Dir has three rounds on my card and all of them are shaded close; he could legitimately be 5-0 down or 3-2 up, like I have him. I think he IS riding that right hand though and I have him winning the sixth clean. So Jack is in trouble on my card.

Jack is walking Dir around, getting him under control, but then failing to properly work when he has the show. It's odd. The fight is getting away from him a bit because he doesn't know what to do with it once he's got it. Maybe just shades the seventh though. And begins the eighth very well before falling foul to some more good Dir beltline work. That, and an opening flurry from Dirrell keep it close and finally, Jack goes to work on the ropes. Better quality from Dir in this round, Jack finally flat-out outworks him though. Fun, close round and I have them even after eight. Farhood has it even too. A fine judge of boxing that man.

A corking right hand to the body left hook upstairs sets Jack on the road to winning the ninth, Dir once again on the ropes. Jack seems always able to jab his man back and that's so significant in these very close rounds. He is not ahead in tactics but he is in strategy. He's probably defaulting rounds now, Dir is too keen on the ropes. He's become too immobile. It's too easy to call close rounds for Jack now.

I have the 12th for all the marbles - Dir can only draw without a KD.

115-113 Jack, so no problem with the cards for me. I really enjoyed this. Only Dir's passivity 6 through 10 prevents it from being a lo-fi classic.

Jack: 3,4,7,8,9,10,12.
Dirrell:1,2,5,6,11.

 

James DeGale D12 Badou Jack

DeGale moving in a circle moving across his man and trying to open him up and it works absolutely beautifully. He even flashes Jack with a straight with 30 seconds remaining. Great start by James. Jack rebuild will be interesting. James footwork is really rather beautiful but he gives up a left hook in the second, and another - he's all but dominating though. He'll fade of course, because he always fades, but right now he's the boss, mobile, exposing Jack for punches with that mobility, forcing Jack to re-organise his defence or become vulnerable.

Jack's response is to target the body and torso and to hold the line. It's an impressive but losing strategy while DeGale has a full tank. Why can't they slow him down a bit in the corner? I'm not convinced DeGale needs to fight this fast this early. Still, he's built a handy lead.

Jack targets the body and steps up the activity in the fourth. I wonder was it conscious to let him have the first three? If it is, that's brilliant strategy. Jack edges the fourth. Which makes the fifth one of those big, big rounds in terms of the balance of the fight. Jack is putting them together and DeGale, suddenly, isn't so mobile. He's just in the pocket, pushing forwards, landing punches, doing well, but this is not his fight any more. Man this round is tough to score - I think DeGale maybe just poached it in the final seconds although the punch Jack landed on Mercante was quality He got a right round of applause from the crowd too, held it not too bad after the initial stagger.

Jack is in charge now. DeGale is mounting a metaphorical fighting retreat. He fights a good one in the sixth though, pushing forwards and trying to crowd Jack. Jack moves him on with a bodyshot and dominates at the ropes. The question now is can DeGale scoop up enough points to make his significant lead (4-2 with a knockdown) safe? Jack right hand spraying blood all over the referee's face (he's really had a bad night but doing a good job) and the deposited DeGale mouthpiece (DeGale had some dental damage in sparring) says no. I have it even in rounds after eight. DeGale toughs out the ninth though, shows real heart, wins the round for me, but loses the gum shield again. So Jack needs all three remaining rounds unless he scores a KD.

Real guts from DeGale in the ninth and tenth. Really impressive stuff from the Englishman, I was impressed. The seventh was SO close that it probably should be scored even - I gave it to Jack, so you could argue that he was a little unlucky. However, after ceding a torrid eleventh, and being flashed himself in the twelfth - how desperate, to lose a win like that - I have the contest a draw in line with the judging.

Jack was in some good fights. So was DeGale!

DeGale:1*,2,3,5,9,10,
Jack:4,6,7,8,11,^12

*Jack Down
^DeGale Down.

 

Carl Froch UD12 Mikkel Kessler

The rematch!

When did Froch learn to glance with the jab so effectively? It's crazy, he just touches him, grazes him, gets through him though. Dominates, dominates the first round with the jab. This is an absurdly one-sided fight! Froch has one each of the first three rounds. Kessler getting nowhere near the body, still brave in trying to fire out the double-jab, but Froch isn't even raiding yet and he's winning the fight by a mile. Froch just moving left, then holding his feet, then moving to his left, knows the range, picking his moment.

Kessler wins the fourth though to stay in touch and Froch, suddenly, looks a little less busy. Make your man miss and you can mix his mind. Kessler's plan was obviously to win with the jab and then to his horror, Froch began to outbox him. So the answer is stepping in with the left hook, mixing it with those jabs. Meanwhile, when he's trapped outside, he's conservative, moving the head, stepping back a bit. He also puts the cherry on the cake of a very close round to steal it. Interesting stuff.

The swap pawed jabs in the beginning of the sixth before Froch scores hard with a two-piece behind a jab, a surprise raid, his trademark in his late career. Kessler lands a really low blow then absolutely blasts Froch with a right hand after the referee brings them back together. And I think that low blow upset Froch; he didn't look right after it. I have it all even after six.

Froch knows he's in trouble here and he comes out two-handed in the seventh looking to stop the rot. Solution and counter-solution has been offered, now Froch resolves to be busier. Kessler emerges whenever Froch isn't boxing with intelligent aggression but Froch can dominate the action when he works. So he's working. It means he has to get hit though. Wins the round, bigtime, then bangs Kessler up in the eighth. Fight in the bag, I think.

Nope, not gone, in fact it stayed close. I have Froch winning 115-113, same as the first fight, which is ridiculous given how many punches Froch threw, nearly 1,000.

Kessler:4,5,6,9,11.
Froch:1,2,3,7,8,10,12.