Jamie McDonell vs. Stephane Jamoye RBR

Sky Sports kicks off the boxing year presently.

 

Carl Johanneson vs. George Watson

Round 1

Johanneson drives Watson back with a strong drill of a jab despite giving up seven inches. Watson backs up and wrist-blocks, tucking up with his gloves under his chin when Johanneson catches up to him and leaning across his top to stem the offensive flow. Johanneson keeps plugging away with everything behind his jab, moving his head on the way in.

10-9 Johanneson

 

Round 2

Johanneson keeps clapping his way inside with left hooks to the thin midsection of Watson (landing mostly with the butt of his palm) and some uppercuts through the center lane. Watson is routinely getting backed up and mostly forced to stay in a shell without any punches coming back Johanneson's way outside an odd flurry. Watson is getting thumped on either side and tries to reach down with a few body slaps of his own while getting worked over but is landing less meaningful shots and less of them. Watson continues to retreat into corners and swallows a few high jabs.

20-18 CJ

 

Round 3

Johanneson fires straight snappy clothesline jabs up high and slings around some overhand rights. Watson is getting a bit cheeky with a few flick-jabs into Johanneson's face while backing up. Watson is putting his gloves up every time a combo comes near his head, and then getting whacked in the body. Good consistent body work from Johanneson bullying Watson into the ropes. Watson gets him in a headlock and concedes with a sheepish look when admonished by the ref to let go. Johanneson fires about five hard straight punches without an instant between them and walks Watson the length of the ring. Watson can do naught but try to block as much as he can. Here's a lone jab from Watson off the back foot. Back goes Watson into the corner. Johanneson with a body head body combo.

30-27 Johanneson

 

Round 4

Watson is boxing tall, keeping his upper body held back and jabbing out of an elevated guard with his elbows at chest level. Johanneson has let slightly off the gas pedal but is still pressuring pretty constantly. Watson times him with a really nice 1-2 that dings across the round of his crown. Johanneson keeps coming forward but with fewer punches and lesser accuracy on the punches he does throw. Watson is pausing to clap him on the body and getting away with then moving out unmolested. Johanneson just keeps plugging, firing several jabs and not getting discouraged from throwing them (or intermittent right hands) by missing a large number of them. Watson snuck a nice little uppercut in while getting harassed across the ring there.

 

Round 5

Johanneson is a blur of activity, with jabs and uppercuts galore. Watson keeps trying to find a range to get going but is constantly forced to abandon his position as Johanneson just refuses to relent. Johanneson is taking a bit more time to aim now and planting lunging right hands on Watson from long range, high and low.

Clean sweep all the way.

 

Round 6

Johanneson is still tethered to Watson, trailing and punching all the way. Johanneson hooking well off the jab, keeping just a step inside of Watson's retreat and always able to hit something (even if just glove). Watson braves a few hard lead rights on the turn but Johanneson easily side-hops out of their way and punishes him with a few counters...which are really just the same punches he's been throwing the whole time no matter what Watson's doing. Jabs are poking right through Watson's guard and clipping him on the nose.