Expectation: Though Davey is a drag, this is a Gavilan fight. I know by now that that means something interesting will occur. I expect a chess match that could range anywhere from fair to great, considering how Gavilan approaches this fight. This content is protected Description: 1. Gavilan pawed with his left jab; he wasn't committing to it the way he generally did. Gavilan was not his usual self I thought, but landed the harder blows. Gavilan. 2. The Kid showed no respect for Davey as he often turned his back on Davey almost entirely (that's the way champ!). For once, however, Gavilan's flurries did not steal the show. Davey. 3. The Kid's frustration in going after Davey is evident. He looks like he's already sick and tired of fighting this go, heading after him with everything he's got. Perhaps Gavilan is just not concentrating enough though, because his pursuit yields little result at first. A series of five right hands sent Davey down on all fours in a neutral corner. I think Davey could have survived it without going down though. He looked like someone looking for refuge when he went down, not like someone who's body was about to snap. Hell did I cheer to see Chuck Davey taking a whipping. Gavilan. 4. You have to wonder what Gavilan was thinking during this round. He was so defensive, and never once let loose with a flurry. I wonder what his intention was. Was he coasting? Did he think Davey would try to capitalize on Gavilan's passiveness, and therefore attempt to pile up points and then be punched out? Or was he trying to succer Davey into walking into a counterpunch? I don't know. I really don't. Davey. 5. Gavilan. 6. Davey threw plenty of useless uppercuts and jabs. Gavilan kept switching back and forth from orthodox to southpaw and visa versa, and Davey struggled to adjust to the constant switching done by Gavilan. Gavilan. 7. Davey was the primary aggressor (if that's what you call flicking a paw out that doesn't even touch Gavilan's face half the time) and Gavilan fought almost in a stick-and-move style, except without the great foot movement. He would step in to deliver a hard hook to the body or a quick 1-2 to the head, and then step back. I don't think this strategy abrupted Davey any, but he wasn't accomplishing anything anyway. A right bolo set up a right hook a few seconds later that stunned Davey at the end of the round. Gavilan. 8. Gavilan was not allowing Davey chances of recovery. He ripped loose with a few dozen furious uppercuts, hooks, and bolos and from all angles. It appeared that Davey had been cut by the barrage. Gavilan probably was aware that he had cut Davey and sprung into action. The round wound down from there. Gavilan. 9. A round that started like all the others, but ended like none. Everything turned sour for Davey about a minute in. Gavilan landed two good right hooks which staggered Davey. Davey immediately held on, thus delaying the reaction, but let go and hit the canvas for the second time in the match. He got up only to eat a right hand as soon as he was back in the action, and two left uppercuts dropped him on his hands and knees for the third knockdown. He took advantage of the knee and got up at 9. Gavilan stormed in throwing several Henry Cooper-like hooks from both sides. A right and left hook and another right (which actually did not connect) sent Davey flying through the ropes for the fourth knockdown of the fight (Yeah Gavilan!) Davey beat the count, but was already staggering once he was up. Davey barely survived a brief barrage before the bell sounded for a disastrous round 9. Gavilan. Gavilan wins by RTD 10. Finally, Davey got his. And finally, this young prospect was dispensed with-for good. Final score after 9 rounds: 7-2 for Gavilan. Assessment: Gavilan-Not as flashy as usual. This was no brawl, so one can see why. However, seeing Gavilan fight a restrained boxer's fight was really cool. Davey-I have nothing to say about Davey that I have not said before. Useless, useless, useless. Note: Something that my dad said that I found amusing was that Davey reminded him of girls who harass their boyfriends. And I thought, "that's Davey's style in a nutshell". Verdict: Great tactical fight. Seeing Gavilan switch from leftie to orthodox was a lot of fun. This win over Davey is one of the things that makes Gavilan so great. He was fighting a southpaw, and beating him at his own game. Pretty damn impressive. I will be as bold as to say, this must rank among Gavilan's greatest wins and performances, maybe near the bottom of a top 10 or 15. Watch this great strategic fight.
