GBP on EstrellaTV: Javier Molina vs. Jessie Román & Rafael Gramajo vs. Victor Ruíz RBR

Official cards:

76-75
76-75
78-73

UD for Gramajo

 

Javier Molina vs. Jessie Román, 8 rounds @ light welterweight

 

Damn, I didn't realize Molina has been on the shelf for 2½ years.

Also never originally knew (or did and forgot) he was the brother of Óscar Molina...

 

Round 1

Román is plugging a jab on the belt line stretching forward, body cheated around to his right, pointing his bicep & hip toward Molina. Counter jabs by Molina circling out, maneuvering his right forearm to catch Román's jabs, picking some off with his elbow. Román hooks off a jab and thumbs Molina in the eye by accident. Jack Reiss gives him a minute to recover. Molina takes about ten seconds. Time in. Román is reaching in with a jab walking Molina down and Molina bats his glove away with a swatting hook. Body shot by Román. Molina drops a right hand downstairs while circling. Pair of body jabs by Román. Overhand right by Molina, caught on the shoulder as Molina shrugs it upward to intercept while dipping down his head to the opposite side.

10-9 Román, nothing much in that.

 

Round 2

Román is stalking, jabbing the body, cutting the ring off as Molina tries cautiously heel-toeing around the perimeter, moving laterally in rocking-chair fashion and using the lurching rhythm to sync timing for his jabs. Precious little offensive activity from Molina, who is wearing that multiple years' worth of rust on his sleeve as Román just sticks the body jab over & over, sprinkling in the occasional looping right grazing the chest or side of the neck. Molina tries a couple of sidestepping 1-2s late but can't find a groove.

10-9 Román

20-18 Román

 

Round 3

Román is baiting Molina into exchanges, pestering him with jabs low & high, sometimes coming in 2nd place or not landing his at all but always quick to follow with a right cross and left hook, consistently surprising Molina as the latter punch straps across his lower jaw, forcing him to hot-foot it outside. Román is attacking in spurts and covering up, letting Molina come fishing with noodle-armed 1-2s. Molina really not sharp tonight, every combination he musters just splashing harmlessly against Román's guard.

10-9 Román

30-27 Román

 

Round 4

Román is throwing wild underhanded roundhouse body combos, missing as Molina hops in reverse, into the ropes where Román charges him and curls an arm around his neck. Awkward clinches as Molina keeps snapping pivots in the corners as Román is charging him, resulting in an apparent headbutt hurting Román. Time in. Román is jabbing high, picked off on the right palm of Molina, who smoothly steps counter-clockwise and counters with a quick jab. Molina finding his groove now. Molina reaching in with right hands on the jawline and pulling out before Román can touch him with anything. Molina darting in on wide-splayed legs bent deep at the knee to poke the body with a jab and then closing up the tripod to circle out wide again.

10-9 Molina

39-37 Román

 

Round 5

Román is walking straight forward, finding it more difficult now than in early rounds to maintain a comfortable range to land on Molina, and being forced to lunge in more, with Molina tagging him with pot shot right hands stepping briefly in & then quickly out again, doing a little hokey-pokey. Molina is starting to dazzle Román with his footwork, "breaking his ankles" as they say on the basketball court, lots of abrupt directional changes on a dime en pointe, letting the jabs flow steadily all the while. Román swinging madly with body shots diving forward with a low center of gravity but missing wide.

10-9 Molina

48-47 Román

 

...hello? @Somachenko, @HamburgBuam ...?

Where the hell did everybody disappear to, right before the main event?

 

Round 6

Román is starting to react to Molina's feints now, spooked, halting in place after taking a step or two inside. Román is shelling up a lot now, as Molina tees off with light straight flurries up top, tilting forward on the ball of his lead foot. Molina when not flurrying is gliding around the Tecate logo, just casually riding the carousel and lobbing left hooks into the liver of Román and stabbing up at the head with right hands. Román is pitchforking shots at the body and getting backed off with counter flurries or pot shots, unable to pin Molina down.

10-9 Molina

57-57

 

It's funny, on Twitter there are lots of people raving about what a great fight this is and how it is living up to the hype...and people have Molina way up, only losing a round so far.

I'm feeling totally gaslit, that's why I wanted to compare notes with some non-Twitter folk to check my sanity.

 

Round 7

Molina is circling and forcing Román to cover up with a jab or jab-feint, then clapping down upon him with a right hand on either the temple or the upper back depending on how tightly Román has curled himself into a ball as he spots it coming at the last moment. Román is only really getting a piece of Molina in the clinch, digging at the left flank with his free right glove in short wrist-flicking taps. Molina is reaching in, connecting one-and-done with either the jab or right, and galloping off to his left.

10-9 Molina

67-66 Molina