ESPN Knockout: Jonathan Rojas Jardines vs. Raymundo Rojas García RBR

Audio is all out of sync with the video...during the last half-minute of the round you're hearing commercials, and then during the commercial break you're hearing the first 30 seconds of the following round before you see it.

 

30-26 JRJ

Chris Namús scored round three for El Tachi and now has it level, 28-28

 

RRG is applying constant pressure but mostly hitting arm or hip, or low blows. JRJ is checking the left jab with his right, and swiveling his neck to dodge head shots while threading in his left hand, and whipping some right hooks on the body.

40-35 J. Rojas

 

Not a bad fight, but RRG is badly in need of a plan B... in a deep enough points hole now surely with the point deduction that he's approaching "needs a KO" territory.

Unfortunately for him, Tachi has gone long distances plenty of times (eight rounds thrice and ten on five occasions) and has never even been dropped in late rounds.

 

Chris Namús gave RRG the 5th and has it level again, 47-47.

 

Namús and I agree on the 6th for El Tachi, but our scorecards look very different:

A shutout for El Tachi on mine, 60-53 - and up by a point on hers, 57-56.

 

Interesting development... Rojas García turns southpaw in the seventh.

He's actually landing right jabs at much higher a clip than he was left jabs, so... not a bad strat, honestly.

El Tachi goes down with twenty seconds remaining but it's from a clubbing rabbit punch to his nape, so the ref doesn't rule it a KD.

VERY good round for RRG, though. I'm gonna give it to him. (and can almost guarantee you that Chris Namús did )

10-9 RRG

69-63 JRJ

 

Yep, sho 'nuff, Namús went RRG's way in the 7th...meaning her card is once again drawn, 66 apiece.

 

Despite what I mentioned earlier about JRJ having lots of experience in deeper waters...he is looking a bit gassed in round eight here, tying up and leaning a lot. Reduced on the outside to to body jabs and weak swatting right hooks on the backfoot. RRG having continued success as southpaw, haranguing with the jab and clobbering down with overhand lefts from outside.

10-9 Rojas García

78-73 Rojas Jardines

 

Ray Rojas pulling ahead on Namús' card, 76-75.

 

Ref very close to docking another point from RRG in the 9th - given a stern warning for caning/looping his inner elbow around JRJ's head.

 

JRJ with a big rally to end round nine - scoring a bunch of 1-2s and right hooks on the face and putting RRG on the ropes.

10-9 Rojas Jardines

88-82 Rojas Jardines

 

Namús with a draw AGAIN, 85-85.

 

I'm not sure how much of RRG's success in the second half was due to his experimentation with different stances, and how much was just JRJ hitting a stamina wall - but I do know this would have been a much more compelling contest had RRG switched southpaw a few rounds earlier. As it is, he very clearly needs a KO for me (although it's anybody's ballgame in R10 if you're looking at Chris Namús' scorecard)

 

They leave it all on the line, slugging it out until the final bell.