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

Yup. Not surprised that Díaz gave away the first, as he's as characteristically slow-starting (and tactically inclined to read an opponent) a Cuban as you'll find, but Santana came out with zero fear and Díaz seemed genuinely shocked at how much leather he was throwing.

 

Round 2

Díaz is letting Santana continue to work for a minute, covering up and gliding smoothly around the ring, occasionally sitting on the ropes to buoy an extra boost circling wide. Díaz then settles in and begins taking aim with sharp counters. BIG left hand by Díaz. Nice right hook on the body and left cross on the nose combo by Díaz. Santana is still pumping out flurries but is now paying for it on a regular basis. Díaz standing in more, slipping & countering.

10-9 Díaz

19-19

 

Chia showing nice recuperative powers, he was seriously rocked & hurt there for a moment but shook it off immediately. True pro.

 

Round 3

Díaz is now dropping his output again, greater than in the first but more anemic than in the second, kind of a middle-road compromise. Santana is also throwing less but still outworking Díaz, barking for emphasis lest the judges forget his are the busier hands. Díaz is ducking & rolling nicely with his feet planted to slip a bunch of consecutive Santana jabs but isn't punishing him for the misses. Díaz keeping the left sheathed, half-feinting it a few times but never fully exiting the firing chamber. Díaz pops a few right jabs into the air in front of Santana, then zings him with a left hand lead past Santana's jab. Good work from Díaz but too little of it.

10-9 Santana

29-28 Santana

 

Oh yay everybody's favorite creepy commercial with the coughing old lady skeleton riding an invisible bus with her younger friend. Again.

 

"Bizz. Bizz-bizz. Biss. Bizzzzzzz. Biss-bizz-bizz! Bissszzzsz."

 

Round 4

Díaz is rowing out the right jab, prodding Santana in the left ulna with it, able to lock the arm in place and prevent Santana from dropping the drawbridge to jab, but Santana throws a right instead or just waits until Díaz retracts to pump in a straight flurry. Díaz is throwing a few combinations when pressed, landing cleanly on the cheek with a right hook, but seems unwilling to stay in and trade for long, ducking against the ropes and springing away. Santana comes flying at him with a flurry and Díaz is able to duck and land a right hook but eats a couple of cuffing lefts across the top of the head in the bargain.

10-9 Santana, close

39-37 Santana

 

Round 5

Díaz is taking short hops or crouching & sliding in reverse to avoid the straightforward piston combos of Santana. Díaz is playing matador effectively now that he's committed to staying in constant, fluid motion. Santana has a 1-2-1-2 blocked as he crowds Díaz into the ropes but is able to slap him on the hip with a left hook. Díaz is sneaking in short lefts as Santana is walking toward him. Díaz flapping softly with the right hook mostly just to bat Santana's left glove out of the way to clear a path for the left hand lead. Díaz is catching and shooting, letting Santana sink the right hand lead into his palm and then closing his knuckles into a fist and jumping Santana's fist to score on him in one graceful motion.

10-9 Díaz

48-47 Santana