Félix Manuel Díaz Guzman vs. Francisco Santana & Chris van Heerden vs. Festim Kryeziu RBR

How did this guy beat Massoudi, Witter, and Ballisai? The fact that all three decisions were rendered in Germany strikes me as very suspicious. I can't see this guy receiving a clean nod over any of those (none of them are exceptional or anything...just, a step above the practice mannequin CVH is whacking on) in France, the UK, or Italy respectively - or, anywhere neutral with competent judges.

 

Oh yeah, Chris is gassing. Lot of time left, too...

 

Oh damn, Kryeziu shaking him up with those bashing hooks.

 

We have officially passed the mark for Kryeziu to surpass Errol Spence Jr.'s result if he does score the come-from-behind upset.

 

Be interesting to see how van Heerden responds in the final two frames - gassed out, cut up, and disoriented.

 

Kryeziu throwing one shot, usually a big uppercut, every half minute or so, while van Heerden is trotting away popping light southpaw jabs and brushing Kryeziu's hair with the 1-2.

Difficult to score 9th. Kryeziu almost steals it with a couple of clubbing shots behind the ear that force van Heerden to clinch, but van Heerden trickles out just enough jabs and body shots to keep himself in the conversation, having done the majority of the (pit-pat) scoring until then...

 

This would seem to be the first time all night where the official judges (per the Open Scoring glimpse we got in the sixth), the commentators, and those of us in the RBR (which appears to have been whittled down to just @CST80 and myself now) all more or less agree on how it unfolded.

 

98-92 Chris van Heerden.

Kryeziu had that surge in the seventh and eighth where the Heat faded and copped some damage, but otherwise this was a clear gulf in class (and CVH found enough of a second wind to not just prevent any late heroics from Kryeziu but resume the job from the first six and outbox him as clearly, if less neatly)