The official "retired or semi-retired fighters returning for exhibitions" repository

Give me Cotto vs Bradley or Marquez
Maidana vs Bradley
ODLH vs Tito 2

 

Oh that's pretty cool actually. She's a damn good woman. (as pretty much any Mi Vida Loca fans well know)

 

Finally giving this a watch.

 

Marco Antonio Barrera Tapia vs. Daniel Ponce de León, 6x2" rounds @ welterweight

 

Round 1

Jab for jab, PDL's left vs. MAB's right. Both looking pretty sharp for how old and long-retired they are. Not saying they should apply for real pro licenses, though. Just each boxing more crisply than expected. Like ridin' a bike, as they say. MAB getting through with a few nice torpedo rights on the body as PDL is circling away. PDL counters with a low looping left on the liver, however, that catches MAB while he is off-balance and has him staggering sideways. They tough gloves in a sign of respect after MAB steadies himself.

10-9 Barrera

 

Ah, the video says "full" but that's a half-truth. It has some of every round, but is shaving a minute off each. Oh well, I'll score what there is to be seen - not like it matters since this is an exhibition and counting on their records anyway.

 

MAB kicked his engine into high gear in the second, jabbing and uppercutting. Rarámuri Warrior flung some nice backhanded right jabs in his face but was mostly kept on the backfoot.

Two zip MAB.

 

Daniel boxed beautifully in the third, turning his older opponent and taking advantage of his edge in foot and hand speed to score southpaw jabs from a safe distance and even rattling in a few combos.

29-28 Barrera

 

Oh wait no - there's nothing missing, just ...the rounds themselves are only 2 minutes long. The graphic onscreen was mistakenly counting down from 3:00, probably because whatever TV network showed this didn't have an alternate version for 2 minutes prepared. They've fixed it starting with R4, counting from 2:00 on down.

Chick fight length.

 

Barrera chugging along throwing high lead rights but unable to close the gap and touch Ponce de León, occasionally jumping in with body shots but only swiping him in passing. Still strong southpaw jabbing work from Ponce de León.

38-38

 

MAB might've gassed after the first couple of rounds. He's huffing in the 5th, can't close his mouth. DPDL seems to be sensing this and going easy on him, being very kind. Not that it would serve him to be ruthless here, not being a real competition or affecting their legacies, but nice to see him not exploiting his legendary countryman for ego. Ponce de León doing just enough to keep Barrera off him and point-score with right jabs up top and skewering lefts on the body from outside, using constant footwork.

48-47 Ponce de León

 

Ponce de León throwing a flash jab into Barrera's throat and then ducking away to his left. Oof, starting to bean him in the mush with some fast combinations now. Maybe the indigenous Chihuahuan does have some ruthlessness in him. It awakens something in Barrera, who decides to finish this bullish, throwing spirited hooking combos at the body to back Ponce de León into the ropes. Fun stuff.

58-56 Ponce de León

 

They score it a gentleman's draw, which I think was always the plan with it being a charity exhibition. (assuming nobody got KTFO, which neither was actually ever going for)

 

... I only just now realized that I'd been watching this whole thing with Vietnamese commentary this entire time.

I knew it wasn't Spanish, obviously (which I'm semi-fluent in), but had no idea what it was. Just tuned it out as background noise.

So random...are Barrera or Ponce de León hugely popular figures in Vietnam for some reason?

 

I'm confused as to whether Mijares vs. González even happened as it was scheduled to back on November 13th. I can't find any video, nor a single article on it from after November twelfth ...nor any news of its cancellation.