Shinsuke Yamanaka vs. Jose Nieves & Akira Yaegashi vs. Oscar Blanquet RBR

9-8 :good

 

Official cards through eight:

77 73 x2
76-74

Yaegashi

 

Round 9

Yaegashi is jabbing up into Blanquet's face and trotting left. Blanquet is doubling his jab, arm-weary, falling in and inadvertently tackling Yaegashi with his shoulder driven into his chest. Yaegashi is turning him aside and planting the jab, slow round for power punches.

10-9 Yaegashi

88-81 Yaegashi

 

Round 10

Yaegashi is taking short lateral bunny-hops, then falling in with overhand rights as Blanquet leans forward and thrusts a jab out at chest level to skewer him in midair. Yaegashi is circling in close now, feet slid more than shoulder width apart, turning himself sideways and flicking out jabs while picking off Blanquet's. Yaegashi extends his left forearm and pushes down on the back of Blanquet's head with it when the challenger tries ducking in on him. Lots of very low knee bending by Blanquet. Yaegashi trots to his left and gets grabbed. The ref warns Blanquet. Yaegashi tilts his head back as Blanquet brushes between his eyes with a glancing jab, then Yaegashi lands a straight jab to the face. A pair of bowling-balls to the body by Blanquet falling in.

10-9 Yaegashi

98-90 Yaegashi

 

Yeah, he is no Mexican warrior - and I find his style a lot more frustrating to watch than someone like a Miguel Vazquez, who is at least a technician and capable of putting on some displays of pretty boxing.

This is just pure spoiling, artless. :-(

 

Round 11

Yaegashi is avoiding the big thresher right being windmilled from too far away by Blanquet, arching his back and leaning to his right while also trotting that way. Yaegashi is darting in and firing off quick combos as Blanquet loads up wide hooks in the hopes of timing him. Lots of drama and near-misses, exciting the crowd, but not much landing either way.

10-9 Yaegashi

108-99 Yaegashi

 

Round 12

Yaegashi is running sideways, threading left-over-right as Blanquet hooks sloppily at him with the left while turning. Clinch. Yaegashi breaks free and hops around Blanquet until caught again, held and hit. Yaegashi is freed by the ref's orders this time and darts in and out with rights to the body and jabs to the top of the head. Blanquet is bowed so far down that Yaegashi's jabs graze him on the nape of the neck. The ref warns Yaegashi. Blanquet clinches and taps Yaegashi on the kidneys. Blanquet is shoved off and Yaegashi circles left. Wild shovel hook by Blanquet, missing. Yaegashi loses balance freeing himself from a clinch and teeters, but surprises Blanquet with a looping right to the side of the head. Yaegashi strokes a paintbrush jab across Blanquet's mouth reaching in, and gets tied up.

10-9 Yaegashi

118-108 Yaegashi

 

Worst televised performance of Yaegashi's career, and not his fault.