Boxeo Telemundo 2/19/10 William Gonzalez vs. Jesus Vazquez RBR

Tribute to Arguello, but en Espanol. :conf

 

Round 1

Gonzalez is right-hand happy from the beginning. Vazquez is keeping his distance and pawing with a jab. Gonzalez not eager to waste any energy early. Vazquez plays possum on the ropes, and Gonzalez springs forth with a tomahawk jab and a chopping overhand right - both miss. A few exchanges see both men landing sparsely and Vazquez quickly looking to disengage.

10-9 Gonzalez

 

Round 2

Vazquez sticks a low jab, and Gonzalez slaps at him with a right that slices the air. Gonzalez triples a jab/feint and then plugs Jesus in the belly with a right hand. They come together and throw short punches before Vazquez goes down on a very delayed reaction. He beats the count fairly easily but he's clearly short on some of his stuffing. Gonzalez looking for a spot to pick him apart but eats some straight rights to the chin in the process. Vazquez wisely not staying in range for too long at a stretch. Gonzalez not cutting the ring off, following Vazquez in a slow shuffle and constantly squared up. His head snaps back from another pair of rights.

Vazquez might have taken it if not for the KD.

20-17 Gonzalez

 

Round 3

Gonzalez now looking more alert, hunting Vazquez down and measuring him out with his jab (which he uses more as a range finder than as an actual punch). Vazquez makes Gonzalez "follow the birdie" with a looping shot with the right and gets a straight left (a power jab?) in. Gonzalez nods respectfully. Vazquez is clipped on the chin as he hugs the ropes, but gets away. He stays on his toes as Gonzalez advances. He motions to the ref regarding a rabbit punch. Legitimate gripe but did not look intentional. Jesus' legs already looking to have a little give. At some point - soon - he'll need to trade and the early returns suggest that Gonzalez will benefit from this. The two men jab at each other from five feet apart for the last minute.

Maybe Vazquez round...why not. 29-27 Gonzalez

 

Round 4

Gonzalez unable to follow through when he touches Vazquez with a jab, as his cross is just on such a sweeping arch. Vazquez feeling emboldened enough to step forward and counter to the head of Gonzalez. Gonzalez has a strange defensive tactic of leaning his entire body back at the waist with his feet still firmly planted square and nearly toppling over (or doing a backflip) as Vazquez flurries and then backs off. Vazquez was actually busier this round.

38-37 Gonzalez, lead shrinking.

 

Round 5

Vazquez popping a jab in Gonzalez's face now, and seems to have a bit of a rhythm going. His footwork has improved some in fluidity despite the occasional stumble. He's certainly nervous. Gonzalez for his part looks calm and ice-veined but simply isn't very accurate, nor is he applying intelligent pressure. Vazquez is finding spots to counter him coming in but seems hesitant to commit to putting more than one or two together at a time.

Gonzalez is just missing way too much to give these last couple of rounds.

Now even.

 

Round 6

The Telemundo folk have an identical scorecard (47-47).

Vazquez comes out aggressive. Gonzalez is all to happy to just walk into jabs, blink them off, and reset. He's still feinting with the jab but does not appear to be setting anything up with it. Vazquez is turning his shoulder, lowering his center of gravity and making himself a small target, boxing nicely off the backfoot. He seems to be getting both slicker and more awkward as the fight goes on. And his jab is still winning it for him.

In fact, he just took the lead.

58-57

 

Round 7

Vazquez continues the pattern that's been effective for him. Gonzalez makes an adjustment and leads with lunging rights to the body. They actually score, and Vazquez cleary wants no part of them. Gonzalez now keeping a body in front of him, circling into position to launch more rights to the body. He's really made a commitment in this round and it's paying dividends. A bodyshot KO in this round or the next would not be surprising. Vazquez doing his best to keep his cool but his awkward defensive posture thus far has been effective at neutralizing Gonzalez's lazy jab and slow right hands upstairs...he has no answer for the body work but to run...

Even again.

 

Round 8

Gonzalez bores in with his head down; Vazquez clasps him in a headlock. Vazquez' legs again taking on the heavy look they had earlier...we'll see if he has a third wind in him. Gonzalez is standing right in front of him but not letting his hands go. Back to the lazy jab/slow chopping right pattern. The body work has disappeared. Vazquez moving his head well but his feet are caught in quicksand. He counters tentatively in singles, and prefers to clinch than punch. This round represents the worst of each man's game. Vazquez gets caught with one of those lumbering power punches and slides across the ropes before Gonzalez can finish...though Gonzalez has no sense of urgency...not even when another glove bumps clean into Vazquez's chin.

If forced to award the round, it would be to Gonzalez.

77-76 Gonzalez

 

Round 9

Vazquez going back to his sideways stance, with his lead hand low and his shoulder popped out (a'la FMJ). Gonzalez throws a 1-2 which thuds across the back of Vazquez's head...borderline rabbit punch but gets the crowd going (and puts Vazquez on his bike). Gonzalez stumping Vazquez's efforts to get breathing room, cutting off the ring well now and keeping a jab between his eyes. Vazquez invites him in with counters to the head from various angles while moving his head. This round is showing the best of each fighter's game, in contrast to the last. Vazquez pushes out of a clinch, and it's NOW A SLUGFEST IN A PHONEBOOTH OUT OF NOWHERE!

After rewinding it, Vazquez got the better by FAR of that exchange, he basically tagged Gonzalez with a half dozen huge virtually unanswered power shots.

On that strength, Vazquez round since it was even until the last twenty seconds.

Even yet again.

 

Round 10

Crowd chanting for Gonzalez. He remains calm and works his jab. A clubbing right lands...to the back of the head again, as Vazquez turns. Gonzalez backs him into the ropes with a stiff jab (maybe his only one of the night) and then pounces on him with a flurry where the only meaningful connect was a sharp hook to the chin. Crowd goes wild. Vazquez looks determined and has his wits about him, able to keep Gonzalez at bay for a moment with a counter 1-2. Nonetheless, Gonzalez is able to walk him to the ropes and staple him to them with a big right hand. Vazquez shakes it off but the punishment is adding up. Vazquez stays on the outside and Gonzalez obliges, not chasing. Vazquez crouches and throws jabs like spears up at Gonzalez's chin. They lean together and throw punches on the inside for the last ten seconds.

Good fight. Gonzalez landed far less, but had the heavier and more damaging blows.

I have him in front by one point (including a knockdown...would have been a draw without it) after 10.

 

Round 11

I thought it was over.

Gonzalez headhunting with the right. Vazquez still has enough grease in the wheels to keep turning him and hitting him on the turn. Vazquez experiments with an uppercut on the inside. It lands once, and then almost gets his head taken off by a Gonzalez right hand the second time he tries it. Vazquez still able to move his head away from nearly every Gonzalez jab. More spearlike jabs from Vazquez's crouch. Gonzalez lunges in and has three jabs slipped, and is countered.

Even...AGAIN. This is like volleyball.

 

Round 12

Vazquez slow to come off his stool. Ref says "andiamo!" Gonzalez throws a hook! :shock: It lands! :shock:

Vazquez is on unsteady feet once more. He's able to push a jab through to Gonzalez's chin. Gonzalez is laying back, and not doing much. Vazquez now pressing the fight in the last minute. He's landing - nothing especially hard, but he's landing. And Gonzalez isn't (Gonzalez is barely throwing.)

Aside from the early hook, that round was all Vazquez.

That means he wins a razor thin upset decision on my card. If the judges disagree it certainly won't be a robbery. The scores should, however, be close.