the what fights did you watch today\scorecard thread.

Timothy Bradley UD12 Juan Manuel Marquez

What an absolutely fascinating fight. Two expert counterpunchers, one an absolute genius who has travelled all the way from super-bantamweight and yet he is the puncher in the contest. Marquez maintains the speed, too. Not that suspicious at all...anyway, Marquez takes round 1 with two uppercuts and a gorgeous left hook. Bradley took care of the left hook in the first two minutes but Marquez definitely landed it at the end there.

Bradley is aggressive and flashing in the second! Marquez stalks him though, then finds him with narrow punches. However, Bradley has been launching bigger punches throughout the round and landing or half-landing them. I give him the edge in two. Magical last five seconds to the round as they lash at each other in Bradley's corner. Bradley takes the third, too, on the jab, which is what he wants. That's the fight he wants. Avoiding the brawl, showing Marquez different angles with quick feet, shooting out single scoring jabs, seeing what else gives.

And rounds is the answer. I have him 3-1 up after four. Marquez needs to be careful here - if he loses the next two he's cast adrift. Must win one or the other. I gave Bradley a very close fifth. Arguable. Marquez stuck his chin out like "hit me" and got jabbed in the face in the final seconds of the round, and that'll do as a tiebreak. Drawn round under a civilised scoring system though. Marquez is in trouble. I do remember him having a better second half to the fight though. Marquez is struggling to land his flurries. Bradley is just dipping to his right and coming in under the punches.

After seven, I have Marquez in need of a knockdown or knockout. Bradley's just outsped him, dipped and slipped well, he's not beating himself up for missing just going right back to work, he's in control of the fight and has forced Marquez to push. That said, Marquez feels physically closer in the eighth and he takes more opportunities to go to work, which naturally result. Good body-punching. Some good cuffing power-punches. Marquez has pitched the pressure just right in the eighth and ninth. Coming in a bit closer, risking a little bit more, it costs him to the body, but he's started landing that left hook, straight-right. Tries to steal an extra inch with very small steps in, inching in - Marquez wins the ninth pretty big. Bradley does hit him though.

Marquez wins a highly arguable tenth. Marquez probably just about out-worked Bradley but Bradley landed a very nice left-hook. Arguable, arguable round. Marquez needs both the eleventh and twelfth to earn a draw on my card. The eleventh is very tough too, but Marquez lands the bigger punches throughout. Bradley looks tired, looking to jab and move, so hard when you're tired. Clear Marquez round by bell.

So 6-6. Marquez made a gorgeous adjustment in the second half of this fight and brought some really special pressure on a tiring Bradley. Bradley did the damage in the first half of the fight though, got bit in the first, then just took over with boxing. Fascinating fight, no problem with the official scorecards of 115-113, 113-115 and 116-112.

Bradley:2,3,4,5,6,7
Marquez:1,8,9,10,11,12

114-114

 

Kell Brook MD12 Shawn Porter

Porter outworks Brook ugly in the first, Brook, keen on ring centre, working in inches, back a little, forward a little, Porter looking to establish his jab which is fun, Brook arguably just stemming the flow a bit here, expecting the fast start. He doesn't want many like this though. Brook shows something else in the second, moving a bit more, giving Porter space to stem into, counterpunching not too badly; Brook is still outworking him though. Fun fight. Oh, Brook cut to the left eye by an accidental headbutt.

Brook lands a hard right hand near the beginning of the third and Porter just sets off to have a think about it. He circles for a bit and suddenly looks like he maybe doesn't want to be quite so aggressive. He re-commits to the pressure in the second half of the fight, but Brook is controlling more of this now, he's sort of made his peace with having his rhythm busted. Third goes to Brook and the fight is on.

Brook takes the fourth with good bodyshots and the pressure. He's doing well in these untidy rounds, he's focused and driven. The problem is, this is a demanding fight plan. Porter must fade if Brook can start hitting him more regularly. In the meantime, Porter is just handling Brook inside, outstanding him, pulling him about, appearing dominant. Brook is landing the better looking punches in these rounds and i think he troubled Brook with a right hand in the sixth, but pressure, pressure, pressure. I have Brook in bad trouble on the cards, down 4-2 on the cards after winning a close sixth. If Brook wins this fight on my card, the second half of the sixth round is the key. After dropping the seventh though, I have Brook in need of a clean sweep to win the fight. At the very end of the round, though, Porter gets hit with a savage uppercut and is hurt - let's see how he comes out in the eighth.

He looks hurt. Legitimately unhappy. He's counter-rushing a bit when Brook moves on him, but he suddenly looks a bit weak. Porter's cut (also a clash of heads) looks a little worse than Brook's. Fair play to him though, he's just making this ninth round ugly as can be. Finally, Brook lands something clean and Porter goes crazy. This is a great round. I think Brook has shaded it with the cleaner punching. It's arguable. Brook is so determined to outbox Porter; why? He needs to out-fight him, he can out-hit him, why not? Punch with him, as the harder, technically superior puncher. Porter is knackered now. But Brook is doing far too much holding when he should be punching. Fight is a mess.

All square after ten, Brook linked the eighth through ninth. He's now the favourite I'd say. He leads on my card for the first time after eleven - but an exhausted Porter probably, barely, does enough to outwork Brook in the final round, driving himself into the pocket and throwing, not always landing, but probably edging it on the aggression.

Second draw for the day!

114-114.

Brook:3,6,8,9,10,11.
Porter:1,2,4,5,7,12.

Max Deluca scored it 9-3 for Brook. Needs spayed.