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

Round 3

Soto Karass is letting his own head get snapped back as the knuckles of Abreu's left glove abuts his forehead whenever the latter reaches in with a jab on the backfoot. Abreu comfortably leaving a breadcrumb trail for Soto Karass to follow and painting him with jabs and sloppy cuffing hooks on the side of the neck. Soto Karass is trying for some body shots as he falls in headfirst but looking very slow of hand. Better from him but still mostly just plodding and getting tagged lightly as the Dominican shuffles around the ring with his arms down, mugging and clowning.

10-9 Abreu

30-27 Abreu

 

Round 4

Much nicer and more sustained body attack from Soto Karass now. He's leading with his fists instead of his face, smacking Abreu on either flank and using his forward momentum to lap up one side after the other with a series of low, rolling waves. Abreu tries flurrying him away but Soto Karass remains in the pocket, trading uppercuts at point blank. Abreu getting the better of the uppercut exchanges, landing a higher quantity and more squarely on the jaw of his opponent. Soto Karass pressures with body shots but doesn't connect them cleanly, making gains in yardage even without dealing any tactile damage, and has Abreu nearly cornered, pulling into a classic guard, right crooked below his chin and poised to either block punches or convert into a cross with just a few degrees' turn of the wrist, all while poking out a jab and jab-feint off his own upper chest. Not actually firing, though. Abreu is curling some rights up and grazing the neck and temple from outside, throwing pot shots from a deep backward lean.

10-9 Abreu

40-36 Abreu

 

I'm racking my brain to remember when if ever JSK turned southpaw before? Let alone multiple times in a round (forget multiple times in a fight)

 

We are watching an old man do hard work and not do it as well as he used to, both due to physically no longer being capable and, hate to say, because he seems to not want it as much anymore. I'm not loving this.

 

Mind you, I say "old man"; he's literally my age. But has been through a hell of a lot of wars, so in ring years he's more like double that (70).

 

Round 5

Abreu is leaping in with pot shots on the face. Soto Karass is throwing one steady jab or two per cautiously in-stepping rally, then being stymied by the slightest bit of lateral (erratic, undisciplined) movement from Abreu. Soto Karass has a clear path to walk his man down; Abreu sometimes painting himself in a corner by accident, but Soto Karass doesn't have the alertness or the leg speed to get there in time. Abreu just tapping and moving. And clinching. A lot. Soto Karass gets in a few body licks, but not enough.

10-9 Abreu

50-45 Abreu