GBP on ESPN: Sadam Ali vs. Johan Pérez & Eddie Gómez vs. Alejandro Barrera RBR

Official cards:

95-94 Gómez
96-93 Barrera
96-93

SD for Alejandro "Magno" Barrera

 

Too bad. I was rooting for E-Boy in this one but it was a close fight, no sour grapes - and I wasn't actively scoring along with it so even if this "felt" like a robbery, wouldn't have grounds to call it one. A majority of the people scoring on Twitter had a range of Gómez by a couple of points or 95-94 with just a minority seeing Barrera shade it by one (didn't see anybody mirroring the 96-93 put in by two judges), but oh well. I don't begrudge the victory, Barrera put in yeoman's work.

 

Sadam Ali vs. Johan Pérez, 10 rounds @ welterweight

 

This is for the vacant WBA-NABA USA welterweight title. Both need a name W, more than either needs this particular hunk of hardware.

 

Round 1

Pérez is lunging in with sweeping rights behind a long & lumpy jab to Ali's head. Ali is bobbing and gliding laterally on the outside, letting the Pérez jab roll against the crest of the hairline or pass by harmlessly overhead, then crop-dusting with fast high three-pieces as he spirals in and then quickens his pace and steps widely around Pérez.

10-9 Ali

 

Also: that was Barrera's first outing since he lost to Errol Spence Jr. twenty months ago. Respect!

 

Round 2

Pérez is following, not letting the punches flow except in a staccato trickle. Ali is melting from position, escaping out the side hatch before Pérez can square up, Pérez's hand stayed by timely jabs on the mandible. Ali is boxing the Venezuelan's head off at the moment, never allowing him to get set in any kind of rhythm, bossing this on jabs alone (but also walking Pérez onto the occasional upper-hook expertly).

10-9 Ali

20-18 Ali

 

Round 3

Flash knockdown scored by Ali in the early moments, clean right cross as Pérez was surging in throwing wide. Pérez isn't hurt, just embarrassed. Pérez is unable to deal with Ali's mercurial changes in elevation and footwork. Ali giving different looks on the latitudinal and longitudinal axis every few seconds, gracefully chewing up the ring apron, up on his toes, scoring jabs from wherever he pleases and bricking Pérez upside the head with the occasional right. Pérez taking a stab where he can but not laying a glove on Ali for the most part.

10-8 Ali

30-26 Ali

 

This is a lot more one-sided than I was expecting.

 

Round 4

Ali's work rate drops off a little. Mostly just cruising around posing. More following by Pérez, starting to find Ali's forehead and touch him up with the jab a bit more. Ali just flashing his rear hand up from a crouch, purely window-dressing, doing a lot more showboating and strategically unnecessary moving than generating offense. A few wispy combos slung from outside while circling make glancing contact, barely preventing the stanza from going to Pérez just for being the aggressor throughout and grazing with the odd body jab.

10-9 Ali, closer

40-35 Ali

 

Round 5

Pérez is blocking Ali's right hand as it rockets up from his far hip in the crouch, then ripping at the head with his own towel-snap rights and flapping some left hooks on the other side to hold Ali steady, as though slamming a door on his face repeatedly. Ugly clash of heads and Pérez gets the worst of it. Angered, he marches Ali down, eating a couple of counter left hooks, and mauls him up close, much of his offense blocked, enough getting through.

10-9 Pérez

49-45 Ali

 

Round 6

Pérez is really starting to come on now, making it a rough dog-fight. The ref is getting a lot more involved, as the holding begins to increase. Basically every time Pérez comes in, Ali clutches his waist and Pérez attempts to break the hold by continuing to punch through and complete the follow-through of momentum on his combinations, resulting in his elbows slicing into Ali's face, doling out illegal damage on top of the valid scoring dividends his pressure is now paying off. Ali just floating a few jabs in between clinching attempts, his movement stilted now, unable to get away from Pérez.

10-9 Pérez

58-55 Ali