Josh Taylor vs. José Carlos Ramírez & José Encarnación Zepeda vs. Henry Lundy RBR.

Not quite what that means, no; 10-10 rounds are perfectly kosher under a ten point must. What it means is that at least one combatant must have a base score of ten points for each round barring a point deduction. So an even round can't be 9-9, and both fighters getting knocked down can't be 9-8 or anything like that - somebody has to get 10pts, as their base score, priusquam, with any referee deductions to be shaved off that.

So theoretically, you can win a round but (obviously you'd lose by DQ long before this, but for the sake of argument) get docked six points for six fouls and end up losing the round 4-9....or hell, as many as ten points and lose 0-9 (if you had 11 points deducted, I don't believe they would push into negative points, it probably caps at zero - pretty sure that exigency has never come up in real life).

"Ten point must" exists in a vaccuum, and is only applicable to base scores, and ref deductions proceed from there - and it doesn't mean the winner has to get 10 and the loser has to get less; it means somebody (if not both) has to get 10 as their base score.

Even round = 10-10.
Fighter wins the round but gets dropped - discretionary, judge can do 10-10 (you don't compulsorily have to penalize for a KD, that's just the guideline and traditional practice), 10-9 (most commonly done), 10-8 (if you take a more austere view that winning 2:45 of a round shouldn't/can't offset the usual two point swing, but that's a subjective matter of preference), it varies.

 

As Teddy A said, Arum promoted both guys but knows he'd make more money with a Mexican American undisputed champ than a Scottish one. That's why the cards were so close. And that why you dont step off the pedal when you think you're ahead in the last rounds. Don't give them them opportunity to rob you.

 

Is it just me or is Taylor really complete? Perfect punching technique, very good pop, same with the footwork, quite slick actually, high ring IQ, great chin and gas tank, seems to have the mental attributes of a truly elite champ too, he's as gritty, tricky and tough as they come.

 

I agree with you on all points. As I posted earlier, though, Taylor does not fight well when being pushed back. He gets too defensive and does not counter as well as he could. I think Garcia did a lousy job preparing Ramirez for this fight. The game plan should have been to keep Taylor off balance and moving back. All of Ramirez's success came when he was doing this. If you allow Taylor to set up and stand toe to toe with you he will pick you apart. I guarantee Crawford, should they fight, will do just this. He will keep Taylor backpedaling and viewers are going to say wow Crawford is incredible. Yes, Crawford is very good but his ring IQ is what makes him so tough. Crawford will not allow Taylor to set up.

 

I think he showed a lot more discipline last night, his big 'flaw' is a tendency to want to trade at times, arguably bringing himself down in level a bit. The fact he is tough enough to trade is a great attribute, but does not mean he should do it.

Funnily enough, Ward had homed in on that aspect of Taylor in his preview for the fight (Ward was favouring Ramirez to win), but seemed impressed with Taylor in his after fight analysis.

 

If I was Taylor, I wouldn't fight Crawford in the US.

 

What a slimy ****.. **** the senile ******* and his promotion.. The only thing that would have made the night better was if Taylor glasgow kissed him

 

Well done sir now can you explain what and how 5.5 rounds mean?

 

Ben Davison will only be a proven trainer when he brings a fighter from zero to hero. He hasn't done that yet. All the top trainers have.

It's not like Josh Taylor and Tyson Fury are lacking in skills and need Davison to tell them what to do. I'm not rating Ben until he brings up a fighter from nothing to becoming a champion.

 

Not sure he did Serge and I will tell you why. He is young and I think he is good but to me he is not yet the finished article. I think Josh Taylor could have won by a wider margin and stopped Ramirez if I am being critical. Also I felt Tyson Fury with his dominance over Beyoncé in the first fight should have stopped the Tosser from Tuscaloosa. This is an opinion I shared with Freddie Roach. I like Ben Davidson who is good at the sweet science but I think he needs to mix it up with some real damage but he is a young man. Shane is more experienced.

 

He wanted Ramirez / Undisputed and Top Rank was the right call for that I think. But maybe after this Josh will have a good look at Arum and co?

 

What a great fight. Both guys showed real heart and soul. Taylor, he’s a beast. Athletic, fast, and fights smart, some would say dirty, but he is very effective with how he does his work. It’s a fight and I expect any warrior to use every trick in the book.He deserved this win. His weeklong antics did him well. Ramirez, tough, durable but far too kind and honorable. That **** does not do you well in a fight, especially a fight of this magnitude. He had great moments as well. I had him up 3-1 after 4. He clearly hurt Taylor a couple of times, but Taylor showed his grit. He did what he had to do. Ramirez problem is that he kept trying to rely on the ref too much.
The ref? Just terrible all the way around. Bayless has fallen so far down he needs to be retiring now. He tries to break up the fighters just as they get close, Why? It’s a damn fight. Let them mix it up inside. Always grabbing and then pulling back. He made errors against both fighters. He gave Jose too much time to recover both times. However, Taylor was not really in his corner either, but at the same time, Bayless asked Ramirez to walk forward more than necessary. And let’s be honest, fighters rarely go to the corner after a knockdown. On the flip side, Bayless interference in the 7th, did allow Taylor to throw a beautiful uppercut that dropped Ramirez. Bayless did grab Jose’s arm indicating a break in the action and it did appear that Jose was doing that, but still, he has to protect himself at all times. Even then, he did win a couple more rounds after that. But it was clear that Taylor was the winner. For the record, I picked Ramirez to win.