GAB: Juan Martin Elorde vs. Samsul Maarif & Juan Miguel Elorde vs. Shohei Kawashima RBR

Marandang araw!

(usual deal applies like always when I do a Philippines card in mid-afternoon on the US east coast...playing catch-up on a few hours delay, but the result is still not up on BoxRec and I don't yet know it, so NO SPOILERS, please and fucking thank you. )

Here's the full card (and following Elorde Awards gala) video, broken up into two parts:

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(Juan Martin Elorde Samsul Maarif starts 2 hours and 54 minutes into Video #1, and Juan Miguel Elorde vs. Shohei Kawashima starts at 3 hours and 23 minutes of that one and spills into Video #2)

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Juan Martin Elorde vs. Samsul Maarif, 6 rounds @ light welterweight

 

Samsul "The Bride" Maarif, aka Rengga Rengga, enters with a quintessentially Indonesian boxing record of 8-2 (2) ...with five of his eight wins coming against debutantes, and both of his losses coming by early kayo, in, coincidentally his two steps up in class versus a pair of Japanese fighters.

 

Round 1

Maarif is keeping up a tight narrow guard against his chest and the lower half of his face, elbows digging into his own navel as he leans forward and fritters away some probing left jabs. Maarif now switches to southpaw and mirrors Elorde, fencing with him, dueling with the right jab. Neither man has thrown a serious power shot or combination 90 seconds in. Elorde ducks a swatting arm-punch right hook delivered without any bend of his knees or lower body motion by Maarif. Elorde springs up from a crouch and hurts Maarif with a quick straight combo. Maarif continues to circle and paw with the right jab, as Elorde ducks in front of him a few paces away, bobbing and weaving as Maarif churns the air with the right jab. Elorde feeds a long jab almost into Maarif's chin reaching in, baiting him, and Maarif counters with his own jab but Elorde is able to yank himself outside, seems to be feeling out Maarif's reaction times, and casing him...

10-9 Elorde

 

Round 2

Maarif is answering the bell in the lefty stance, intent on proving he can beat Elorde at his own game (despite this having not quite worked out so well for him in the nascent stanza). Lots of right jabs from Maarif, falling short as Elorde waits outside, dropping his left shoulder, neck & head downward & backward to force Maarif to lunge ineffectually. Maarif jumps in and grabs Elorde around the waist with his left arm, then slashes down with a couple of chopping right hooks into the jaw. The ref warns him for holding & hitting, and Elorde blinks in surprise as these were the first serious punches Maarif has thrown in anger. He flashes a little grin of acknowledgement, like "you cheeky bastard.." and sets to work, no longer underestimating his guile but having felt what he's capable of with a pair of sucker punches, only wary of the clinch and potential for headbutts, sidestepping as he cuts in, working combinations off the jab. Maarif hurt a few times and holding on for dear life. BIG morning-star left hand by Elorde, nearly buckles the knees of Maarif, causing another clinch.

10-9 Elorde

20-18 Elorde

 

Rengga quits on his stool.

Unclear if there was an injury or he just bitched out. The commentators say they saw the ringside doctor stepping in to check on him after the bell. In any event...

RTD2!!

 

Juan Martin gets a trophy. He seems a little bashful accepting it, visibly unhappy with the anticlimactic ending, as he would have rather gotten a clean knockout.

 

Commentators have done a 180, no longer giving Rengga the benefit of the doubt, seems it has been determined that it was him and not the physician who asked for it to be stopped. They say his paycheck ought to be withheld.

 

Well, if that was a dive set up by Elorde's management, Juan himself was definitely not in on it. He was super embarrassed and surprised, or else he ought to be in pictures because that was damn convincing acting.

 

Next up is the main event, the better Elorde brother, in the match-up that really made this card juicy...

 

Juan Martin being interviewed by a Filipino beauty.

He is asked how important this fight was to shake off the rust, having been on the shelf for almost two years. He keeps answering in Tagalog even though she is questioning him in English. Gr.

 

Juan Miguel Elorde vs. Shohei Kawashima, 12 rounds @ super bantamweight

 

This is for the WBO Asia Pacific super bantamweight title, 4th defense of Elorde.

 

Kawashima is coming off a KO victory over another Filipino, which it sounds like has given the commentators a vendetta to go along with their preexisting rooting interest for Elorde.

A couple of years ago he went into Cristian Mijares' hometown and took a close points loss. Elorde, unlike his brother in the co-featured bout, ain't in with no slouch here.