Julio César Chávez Carrasco vs. Mario Abel Cázares Astorga RBR

Round 1

Chávez is sashaying from side to side, with that blue strip of tape across his shoulder blades (???) resembling a paddle in the old brick-breaker video games. Cázares stepping in confidently with the jab and forcing Chávez to leap away to dodge. Lazy jab by Chávez, with Cázares shooting a counter 1-2 past it and nicking either side of the head. Chávez ties up and wrestles, blatantly shoving Cázares while glancing at the ref like a naughty kid with a hand in the cookie jar.

10-9 Cázares

 

Round 2

Cázares is throwing a heavy, precise double jab straight out into Chávez's nose, forcing the older fighter to retreat and shell up. Chávez inches forward, picking off shots, attempting to burrow in low and work the body - never getting the chance as Cázares starts dropping lancets into the back of the head, eliciting a dive-in to clinch by Chávez. The ref takes a BS point from Cázares for - I'm not sure, apparently elbowing Chávez away to dissuade him from clinching, which the ref himself was doing nothing about? Bought and paid for...

9-9 (10-9 Cázares, stuffing hard jabs in the mouth until the final bell...)

19-18 Cázares

 

This is bowling shoe ugly. Julio "Tomoki Kameda" Chávez Jr. fighting like a total bitch, and Cázares getting a bit wild, frustrated at having to deal with both a crooked ref and his opponent's negativity.

 

The cleanest and most effective shots landing (in fact, the only even somewhat clean or effective shots landing, either way) remain the jab and right cross of Cázares. Nothing from Chávez but sandbag overhand rights (mostly splashing into the shoulder or missing outright) and roughhousing clinches after ducking and swooping in low.

29-27 Cázares

 

Mario will become, maybe not an overnight contender, but at least immortalized as internet boxing fandom royalty if he can get this KO.

 

Chávez wasting lots of energy tying up and dancing in place, my imagination or is his mouth hanging a little slack while at rest already? Cázares meanwhile fresh and spry, no indication that he can't do this for several more rounds.

 

Four zip in rounds, 39-36 Cázares.

 

49-45. When he presses the issue, Cázares is able to bait Jr. into swapping hooks - and when he does, Cázares gets BY FAR the better of it. He needs to realize what an opportunity he's got there.

 

MA-RI-O! MA-RI-O!