ESPN2 FNF: Demetrius "Gladiator" Hopkins vs. Brad "Busy Bee" Solomon RBR

Round 3

Ruiz rips a triple left hook to the body of Barthelemy, and then time out is called so that Ruiz can have his mouthpiece put in.

Teddy comments that his corner is rusty.

Ruiz is throwing with bad intentions, but as pointed out earlier he just doesn't have the length or the quickness to get to the taller defensively sound southpaw. Barthelemy is actually coming forward and still knocking aside most of Ruiz's shots and bowls him over with a good combo. Ruiz beats the count but looks shaky and Barthelemy bombs him into a corner with his 1-2 on automatic. Barthelemy keeps whacking him against the ropes and Ruiz shells up, looking to land a hail-mary every fifteens seconds or so. Ruiz clinches, then throws a wild left hook. Barthelemy tries to get another volley going but is unable to land cleanly. Ruiz digs a hook to the body.

10-8 Bart

 

Round 4

Ruiz grinds the top of his head forward into Bart's chest and throws his hands around to either side. Barthelemy just pushes him back and looks to line up right jabs, but is mostly wide with them. Ruiz telegraphs a right hand from the outside. Barthelemy continues to jab wide and brings the left cross over high and low, landing it a bit better. Ruiz slaps with several hooks and overhand rights to the sides of Barthelemy's body. Barthelemy isn't really doing much, and might lose this round if he doesn't wake up as Ruiz is landing body shots (even if they're not really devastating ones). Barthelemy doesn't manage to land much in the last thirty seconds. :think

39-36 Barthelemy

 

Round 5

Ruiz is skirting just outside of Barthelemy's reach, hands hovering by his trunks while Barthelemy spins around and tries to line him up for a leaping left uppercut. Barthelemy is unable to land it, and Ruiz immediately lifts his fists together as the taller man lands close to him and turns to square up to him. Ruiz is now hammering with the right hand behind his jab and getting grappled quite a bit on the inside. Barthelemy parries a few left jabs with his right from mid-range, and looks to size Ruiz up for a big left hand. He doesn't get it. More grappling.

 

"Right now Barthelemy is doing a better job being a southpaw than Ruiz is doing being an orthodox fighter."

Great analysis, Teddy. Might I add that Barthelemy is doing a better job being Cuban than Ruiz is doing being a Dominican?

This is an off night, for sure.

 

Round 6

Bart is walking Ruiz down and throwing looping combos that back him into the corners. Ruiz is leaning side to side, shifting his weight from one shoulder to the other as he circles away with his forearms parallel to his body and protecting his face. Barthelemy follows but doesn't always punch, seemingly put off by the high guard of Ruiz. As a result, Ruiz is taking chances bursting forward and landing body punches on Barthelemy (himself in a high guard). Barthelemy starts to answer with a few lefts to the body and then opens up with a barrage of punches upstairs, none of them very snappy but driving Ruiz back and keeping him from throwing anything back.

10-9 YB

 

Round 7

Bart is still slapping with his punches and looping them, but is still pressing the action and outworking Ruiz. Ruiz gets his hair brushed with a straight left hand lunging forward by Bart. Ruiz is throwing very little back, just looking for big power shots now and then. His big 1-2 falls short every time, and his left hook keeps colliding with the bony right shoulder of Barthelemy. Ruiz walks into some right jabs on his way into the low-grabbing clinches that he's initiating. They paw with their lead gloves and have a little cat-fight before Barthelemy powers his way through to start infighting. Ruiz grabs him with one arm and then bangs away with the other.

 

Brad Solomon either needs some damn fluoride, or he has a FULL GRILL OF GOLD TEETH. :shock: