Amir Mansour vs. Kelvin Price & Ryan Coyne vs. Lionell Thompson RBR

Round 5

Coyne is getting jabbed and crossed on either side of the face, the left half growing red and puffy from the right hand of Thompson. Coyne follows after Thompson and tosses spirited left hands behind the lowered-drawbridge right jab, but to no avail. Thompson is too defensively sound and has the crisp accurate straight counter punches to head and body on speed-dial.

10-9 Thompson

50-45 Thompson

 

Round 6

Coyne is bouncing in and leading with a round-the-bend left hook and chopping with his right - missing with both. Check hook by Thompson, hurting Coyne. Thompson cuts loose with several left hooks and looping rights, pounding on the sides of Coyne's head from mid-range all while sliding backward and letting Coyne walk into more punishment. Coyne keeps pressuring and manages to push at Thompson's forehead with some right jabs to make him involuntarily bend his neck backward and point his chin up in the air, but Coyne lacks the hand speed to get there with a follow-up right before Thompson can recover and reposition his face while moving. Big counter right straight down the middle by Thompson.

10-9 Coyne

60-54 Coyne

 

Power punches in the sixth:

Thompson 18
Coyne 6 (his high mark so far tonight per Barry Tompkins)

 

He was supposed to a) be the next Calzaghe b) unify the division's belts and c) expose Kovalev. :think

 

Thompson has out-landed Coyne 156 to 52 through six.

 

Round 7

Coyne is overreaching with his right jab and forking in the left while stepping in without drawing his right glove all the way back to his face, leaving himself wide open in his desperation to close the distance and land on the slippery Thompson. Constant lateral and in and out movement by Thompson, on his toes, dropping in straight counters like humanitarian relief from a helicopter in a war zone.

10-9 Thompson

70-63 Thompson

 

Really? Despite only having signed up in April you can guarantee what got written about him over the last few years by many on the Brit forum? OK.

 

Round 8

Coyne is getting lanced with the left jabs and 1-1-2 of Thompson while chasing him around the ring. Coyne is half a gear slower at maximum gait (without completely selling out and sacrificing his balance and his ability to keep his gloves up) and suffering for it. Thompson is landing straight punches while leading Coyne one, two, three, four steps in a straight line and then fading to his left with a covering 1-2, all crisp and from outside Coyne's range.

10-9 Thompson

80-72 Thompson

 

NBC Sports' commentators' unofficial scorecard:

80-72 to Thompson

 

Head coach Billy Jiles Leon (worked the corner for Macho Camacho throughout his career) says Thompson is a natural defensive boxer and needn't try and be something he isn't because it's working.

 

Round 9

Coyne is doubling right jabs up in the air. Thompson ducks under them and peppers the body of Coyne with straight counters. Thompson puts his arms out to shield himself and skirts the ropes, catching fervent hooks from Coyne marching in on him.

10-9 Thompson

90-81 Thompson

 

Shut up.