ESPN2 FNF: Zahir Raheem vs. Bayan Jargal & Juan Rodriguez vs. Yenifel Vicente RBR

Top of the hour. :good

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Juan Antonio Rodriguez was originally scheduled to face Arash Usmanee, and that was going to be a war. Regrettably that fell through but Yenifel Vicente is pretty high quality for such a late replacement and even though styles won't blend as nicely as they would've in Rodriguez vs. Usmanee it should be worth checking out.

As for the co-main event, it remains to be seen.

Zahir Raheem was a slick, rangy stylist who could hang with the elite once upon a time but is extremely old now. He is staging a comeback, successfully until now. :conf

Jargal is the epitome of an ESPN2 fighter; think a very low-rent version of Ruslan Provodnikov. All chin and heart, semi-heavy mitts, little else going on.

Boxer vs. puncher classic mold. I just don't know how shot Raheem is and whether he can effectively outbox a Jargal (which in his prime would have been a piece of cake) without getting clobbered, or do it without stinking out the joint. :think

 

Lateef Kayode vs. Jonte Willis, 6 rounds @ heavyweight

 

Round 1

Kayode is marching into Willis, holding up the high guard and then dropping right hands on the crown of Willis or hooking into his ear. Willis shells up and leans forward, then takes his turn sticking in 1-2s as Kayode steps out. Looping shots around the guard by Willis, grazing the lower face of Kayode. Body combo slapped upward from a lean by Kayode. Willis presses Kayode into the ropes and then jabs him in the chest after the ref orders a break. Kayode walks forward, alternating between a quasi-Philly shell and turtle shell. Willis backs up, spreads his legs, and pokes in a light jab on the body.

10-9 Kayode, not much in it.

 

Kayode fled cruiser to duck a Tarver rematch. :deal