GBP on ESPN: Jesús Soto Karass vs. Juan Carlos Abreu RBR

I thought when they originally announced this card a few weeks ago it was billed as JSK's retirement bout? Did he change his mind and leave the door open to more, pending a W?

Oh well... uno mas, Renuente - and from there we can play it by ear.

 

Valenzuela didn't offer a lot or ask many questions of him, but from the nine minutes we saw, taking into consideration the resistance that was put up, I found no fault with the performance. Looking forward to seeing him further developed & eventually tested..

 

Jesús Soto Karass vs. Juan Carlos Abreu, 10 rounds @ welterweight

 

502 day layoff for Merengue. JSK has fought twice since.

 

Round 1

Soto Karass is stepping in and jabbing between the arms, on the chest of Abreu. Wild slapping hooks up top by Abreu falling in. Soto Karass tries a few straight rights on the body, grazing the hip when Abreu turns. Long clinch after flurries on the way in from Abreu. Jabs flipped up by Abreu backhanded from the near hip into the waiting palm of Soto Karass. Mitt work, basically. Abreu threading in the occasional right hand across the cheek. Soto Karass just getting a feel out for Abreu's firepower - or else has completely forgotten how to pull trigger himself. Remains to be seen in the ensuing rounds..

10-9 Abreu

 

Stats in the first:

Renuente 22 of 90, 24%

Merengue 25 of 74, 34%

 

If that was a glimpse of what JSK has left in store for us, this next 27 minutes of action is going to be hard to watch, a proud warrior suffering an ignonimous death by a thousand little cuts from a very mediocre and moderately awkward Dominican can-crusher he would've smashed to bits years ago.

 

Round 2

Soto Karass is wading into uppercuts and looking very tentative, lingering a moment too long while applying pressure, missing his chance to narrow the gap behind the long jab as it hangs suspended in midair giving Abreu the chance to shimmy to one side and reset his offense. Whipping hooks across the ear by Abreu. Soto Karass is just walking into everything, collecting what he can on his earmuffs, several beats consistently behind Abreu when throwing his own.

10-9 Abreu

20-18 Abreu