FPI: Vincenzo Picardi vs. Cristian Zara & Leonardo Balli vs. Daniel Evaristo Quiróz Muñoz RBR

Round 3

Picardi has Zara's number psychologically, getting him to react to feints by just lifting his rear shoulder the merest amount to suggest an overhand right while continuing to stalk forward. Picardi still keeps going southpaw, boss move, or perhaps just meant to punish Zara for the brashness of spending this long a spell insisting on being uncharacteristically righty. Good body combos by Picardi. Zara keeping up goalposts, fists to brow, elbow to ribs, and lowering some drawbridge left jabs or wide slapping counter hooks while stepping around.

10-9 Picardi

30-27 Picardi

 

Round 4

Order restored in the universe now - Picardi orthodox and Zara southpaw. Picardi walking him down and stuffing left up-jabs into his maw, and Zara chopping down at him with lefts from above while backing up, straightened tall and leaning away. Zara gets some distance and lines up some lengthy straight combos, backing Picardi against the ropes at one point but mostly hitting glove, tickling his face a few times. Picardi then reignites the pressure behind the jab.

10-9 Picardi, closer

40-36 Picardi

 

Round 5

Picardi taking big swings at the kid from mid-range, but getting countered with light flurries between his eyes as Zara jumps up and rattles his fists down from tiptoe heights on the shorter man and then scissors his legs laterally. They keep punching at the same time and wrapping their arms around each other, or curling them behind each other's neck. Very ugly meshing of styles, lots of rabbit punches and headlocks. It also doesn't help that the ring is very wet and slick, and between rounds they're having teams of event crew come in and towel it down.

10-9 Zara, close

49-46 Picardi

 

Round 6

Both southpaw now. Picardi walking the lad down, throwing big heavy lefts up top, and Zara falls multiple times onto the canvas, but none ruled a KD, probably correct, as it seems very slippery in there and none of that contact from Picardi was super flush. Zara did seem mildly hurt by a couple, though. Picardi also seemed buzzed at one point, from a headbutt.

10-9 Picardi

59-55 Picardi

 

Round 7

Picardi putting in work on the rare occasion they're within range and not both struggling to stay upright on this veritable ice rink. Zara just probing with stay-away jabs, focused on keeping himself upright. Picardi has a few falls or close calls, but gets the best of the little fighting in the round.

10-9 Picardi

69-64 Picardi

 

Round 8

Very frequent interventions by the ref. Not sure if he's checking the combatants' balance or warning them for incidental fouls as they try to either lay a glove on each other or grab onto one another for support when slipping. There have been issues with both men's glove tape as well. Zara rocked with a minute left. Every time that happens, at least once a round, the crowd roars and Picardi tries closing the show but Zara flurries and ties up, wrapping his long arms around Picardi's neck.

10-9 Picardi

79-73 Picardi

 

Round 9

Picardi keeps revving up and having success firing up at Zara, landing a few times before the wet floor does him in and snatches the proverbial carpet out from under him. They flurry together, both orthodox, and clash heads, ref hands out some warnings for either that or some behind-the-head contact with the wrecking balls both are throwing. Another pause to fix glove tape (Zara) with a minute remaining. Picardi stepping halfway into the pocket, drawing the lead from Zara, slipping the jab and then nailing him with an inclined 1-2 or body shots. Of and they're all Freaky Friday again, Picardi southpaw and Zara orthodox.

10-9 Picardi

89-82 Picardi

 

Round 10

Picardi has the center of the ring controlled, jabbing up and forcing Zara to hold. Ref impatiently walks Zara over to have gloves fixed one more time very early on. Time in, Picardi knifing up right jabs at the face. Both throw straight flurries simultaneously and deflect each other, and Zara reaches down and holds on. Zara goes down a few times in the span of 10-15 seconds, all slips. Picardi flinging up lefts behind the jab and finishing with right hooks as they circle rapidly at mid-range. Zara looking bothered but not by punches so much as the back ankle he's favoring, maybe rolled or twisted it during one of his falls?

10-9 Picardi

99-91 Picardi

 

Aspettiamo, say the commentators. I mean yeah we're waiting as a formality but there's no way Picardi oughtn't to have retained here.

 

Official cards:

96-94
96-94
97-94

UD for Picardi

 

I could see it being as tight as those scorecards, if you shifted the closest and messiest rounds his way - but not a draw and definitely not a win for Zara.

 

Picardi sits at the commentary desk for an interview. They're speaking way too rapidly for me to comprehend with my rusty Italian, though.

 

And they need to fix that damn feedback echo effect, every time they put the handheld mic too close to the headsets it's like nails on a chalkboard.