Hanna Gabriel vs. Melisenda Perez II & Bryan Vazquez vs. Santos Martinez II RBR

Round 1

Velez down pretty quick, slip. Cooper boxing nicely from outside, firing and parrying with jabs. Velez paws with her left and throws badly telegraphed rights. Cooper catches Velez rushing in, grabs her and whacks her in the head with a right hand. Velez keeps barreling in awkwardly but Cooper neutralizing her by simply grabbing. Neither getting many punches in.

Cooper 10-9

 

Round 2

Cooper is coming on, throwing right hands and grabbing Velez around the waist or shoulders before spinning her away. Cooper trying to put some combos together but has limited room to work as Velez tries to smother her with awkward lunges in to hug. Rabbit punch by Velez near the end of the round.

20-18 MC

 

Right? On a random Thursday night, any unexpected boxing is found money.

Sorry if you missed Bryan Vazquez, Rob. Not to sound sexist...but he was probably the highlight of the night so far and honestly (I stress, not to sound sexist ) the one we're most likely to see again doing anything much of relevance.

 

Round 3

Velez is wrenching Cooper's arms on the inside, then jabbing out as she slides backward once they're broken up. Cooper is just trying to do clean work and getting spoiled a bit by the ugly approach of Velez. Cooper has a nice little hook that she just can't quite plant as Velez is all elbows and blurring motion coming forward. Another rabbit punch by Velez.

29-28 Cooper

 

Round 4

Cooper landing some nice combos to the body now, leading with a low right hand below the boobs and then doubling up a nasty left to go with it. Velez is a little less eager to mix it up inside now, and Cooper backs her up at the end of her jab but isn't really snapping it so much as just unfurling it. Velez is pushed into a corner and whacked to the body. Another nice low right by Cooper.

Easy round for the American. 39-37

 

Well, if you make it through this one you're in for a treat with the main event.

Hanna Gabriel is IMO the fiercest female boxer on the planet right now, and one of the very top p4p that I've seen - perhaps behind only Cecilia Braekhus, Holly Holm and Susi Kentikian. :good

 

Round 5

Cooper is coming forward with uppercuts now, giving Velez hell when she ducks the jab and then sticking that in her face when she straightens out while backing up.

49-46 Cooper

 

Round 6

Cooper is now walking right into jabs, stupidly. Velez clinches her up and keeps strafing off to her right. Cooper follows with her hands down as Velez pumps her jab up into her face. Velez on the move, picking shots off and swatting Cooper's jab aside. Nice low right hand by Cooper, but little else from her offensively. Velez rope-a-dopes a bit but doesn't get much to land clean with her flurry coming off the ropes (but didn't take many punches either). Velez lands a couple of body shots but eats a hook.

58-56 Cooper

 

This commercial of the Costa Rican dude dancing around his cubicle to very silly keyboard music while his boss looks on in bemused consternation is going to literally drive me insane if they show it another time. 20 is enough!

Seriously, between almost every round..

 

Round 7

Cooper claps with both arms, coming forward with a compact stance and throwing heavily. Velez is very negative, backing to the ropes and melting into them as Cooper blasts her with right hands. Left hook to the face by Cooper. Velez takes a right hand to the body and runs by Cooper, trying to establish a jab. Failing. Cooper just powers her way inside with a 1-2.

68-65 Cooper

 

Therein is the upside to female boxing's format. 10x2 minute rounds for a championship fight flies by. :yep

 

Round 8

Velez keeping clear, hugging the ropes. Cooper is throwing a little of everything coming forward, leading with hooks and uppercuts as often as her jab. Velez is getting menaced, answering back with very little. One nice right hand by Velez, but Cooper's head barely budges.

78-74 Cooper

 

Round 9

Cooper is flashing out quick jabs now, not trying to close the gap as hard and just letting the end of her punches clip Velez while spinning slowly in place to keep her measured up. Velez is lunging in with southpaw jabs and hooks behind the head. Velez comes forward but can't get off and instead wrestles her way behind Cooper before she can get hit, violently shoving her opponent's arms down. Nice 1-2 by Velez. A right hook lands just at the bell.

Close round, Cooper might not have done enough early.