Gilberto Ramírez Sánchez vs. Jesse Hart II & Arnold Barboza, Jr. vs. Manuel Damairias López RBR

"Manny Lo" (who also does MMA) was Timothy Bradley's sparring partner for Bam-Bam, ostensibly bringing a vaguely similar look stylistically.

 

Round 1

López is exchanging jabs at mid-range and then either leaping inside with left hooks up top or taking full-body dives inside, head down at Barboza's waist, fishing with lunging body punches, missing or grazing. Barboza is blocking with quick downward swats of either glove, doing a little catch-and-shoot each time López retracts, scoring with hooks and 1-2s. López unable to peck his way inside past Barboza's guard, and getting timed & countered when he tries jumping in from unorthodox angles.

10-9 Barboza, so far boxing very nicely.

 

Round 2

López is shimmying in place on the outside, staying loose & limber, taking baby steps to readjust his footing. He tries jabbing the chest but is picked off and countered low with a hook as Barboza moves hands & feet in synchronized rhythm. Barboza is keeping López at the end of his jab and psyching him out with lead uppercut feints, driving him into the ropes, whence he bounces off and directly into another stiff Barboza jab. Barboza switches to southpaw, briefly, keeping López guessing. Nice double jabs by López after stutter-stepping and then scooting forth with the lead foot, but he isn't able to locate the head of Barboza with it, and is being given receipts.

10-9 Barboza

20-18 Barboza

 

I love hearing Joe Tessitore get schooled & put in his place.

"López's trainer giving the right advice, telling him to stop respecting Barboza, just go after him already..."

Bradley & Mark Krieger are quick to point out that doing so is easier said than done and that ineffective aggression for its own sake is both unproductive and can get you in trouble with a precision counter-puncher with good timing & ring IQ like Barboza.

Like you've ever fought a round in your life, Joe, to be chiming in judgmentally with codswallop like "...yeah, López! Quit respecting your opponent like your trainer said! Just go after him and magically score a KO already!"

 

Round 3

López is burying his jab into the guard of Barboza, then hitting the body with some right hands. López is having success, making contact with every sortie (albeit sometimes on the shoulder as Barboza curls it and turns partially away) but is still getting countered with a very wide numerical edge in connects for Barboza. Very nicely timed body jabs and uppercuts on the bottom point of the jaw from Barboza.

10-9 Barboza, closer

30-27 Barboza

 

Round 4

López is apparently hurt by a right hand but recovers his balance and wits in time so as to not brush a glove on the canvas. López keeps searching for a way inside but every path is shut like a valve as soon as he comes barreling in with a jab and rolling-thunder overhand right as Barboza just sizes him up from mid-range and tattoos him with sharp jabs and crosses, mixing in body shots here & there. Barboza turning López very nicely and drilling him from side angles, catching him between the gloves with a 1-2 every time he lapses in his concentration and leaves them spread apart even slightly.

10-9 Barboza

40-36 Barboza

 

Heck of a nice performance from Barboza, just a shame he lacks the one punch KO power to put a punctuating flourish on it.

 

Round 5

López is pressing in and using double-fisted uppercut attacks to pry Barboza from the middle of the ring, desperately attempting to crowbar him off the ESPN & Top Rank logos, but unable to get him to budge as Barboza simply catches everything on the backs of his rigidly held forearms, holding firm his position, then counters with jabs and 1-2s on the face and shallow uppercuts on the waistband as he skirts around him laterally - but without taking a backward step. López sweeping out lazy hooks, getting ducked & hit in the body.

10-9 Barboza

50-45 Barboza

 

This rematch in the main event is just a giant participation trophy for Hart.

Yeah, good for you, last time you showed heart, you rebounded from what could have been an early stoppage loss, and you rallied nicely down the stretch. That doesn't mean you "almost won", nor does it mean you're going to flip the script tonight.

 

Round 6

López is slapping over the top with his right hand and mostly splashing against the guard of Barboza. López still can't find the bite-point to start connecting in multiples and force Barboza onto the backfoot, his corner's avowed goal for him the last few rounds. López is dipping forward and weaving his upper body, sometimes lurching in and sometimes just body-feinting, and putting out weak telegraphed jabs before slamming down with a right hand, the former missing and the latter blocked or sidestepped and countered with uppercuts or short straight rights on the face.

10-9 Barboza

60-54 Barboza

 

Round 7

López is forced to respect the boundaries as drawn up by Arnold Barboza, Jr. Every time he oversteps, he is driven out hurriedly with a slew of quick, sharp jabs or straight flurries on the face as well as chippy hooks downstairs while swaggering by him, Barboza cutting in past him with a diagonal stride to both dig in with his shots as well as to keep himself off the center-line in case López tries countering. Barboza now taking command, leading with combos, unanswered for the most part except with single desperate slow arm punches.

10-9 Barboza

70-63 Barboza

 

Why has the crowd been doing the Ric Flair battle-cry all fight long?

Whooooo!

I didn't realize Corpus Christi, TX was Nature Boy country.