Kalule vs Leonard TKO?

It wouldn't have continued for much longer anyway, even if that were true. Leonard just had too much firepower.

 

Kalule was in the process of being overwhelmed. There was some miscommunication, but Kalule was not making it through another round. He wasn't making Leonard miss, and every shot was rocking his frame and addling his brain.

 

Leonard was gassing out big time & was extreamly relieved when gifted that TKO & Kalule had the crowd with him as he was also starting to pound on Leonard. If anything it was a last gasp desperate assault from leonard who was starting to flag.

 

There's been conflicting reports on this from different publications, but all that aside the round was over and it shouldn't have been stopped.Who was winning shouldn't come into it.

As far as what would have happened had it continued, well Leonard didn't let fighters off the hook once he had them hurt and one of Kalule's two notable flaws was never being a durable fighter.If he didn't recover between rounds he would have been in trouble soon enough.Kalule's legs were starting to go by this point at 154 anyway; i expect he would have tired badly over the last third.

 

Its an unfortunate miscommunication, but Kalule accepted the outcome. His fault, his loss. He did nothing to prevent a referee from thinking he had enough.

 

Kalule just wasn't that durable.

 

Sounds like Jones vs Sosa

 

I remember it as an exciting fight where Kalule had his moments and was actually coming on when Leonard stunned him and the ref stopped it ... it looked a bit premature and Leonard looked relieved .... I've wanted to see it again for a long time but it has not been on youtube .. it would be interesting to see again ...

 

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DzCpPsCVwk&feature=related[/ame]

 

One version I've heard is that Kalule thought there was still time left in the round and told the referee to stop the fight.

This is what he has said recently though:

“I was shocked when the ref stopped the fight because I had beaten the count before the bell rang. I went to my corner for a break and was ready to continue fighting.”

Probably it was some kind of miscommunication.

 

There are several points to consider here.

1) The round was indeed over but the timekeeper erred. You will see references to the fight stopped at 2:59, but the actual time was 3:06. There was a timekeeper error, he did not ring the bell and Kalule deserved the benefit of that one minute rest.

2) Kalule had an excellent 8th round if memory is correct, he did not look to be flagging.

3) Leonard admitted that he had thrown absolutely everything with everything he had in that last sequence to drop Kalule. Could he do it again in the 10th?

4) Kalule's manager Mogens Palle stated that he practically had to saw off one of kalule's legs in order to have him make 154. He should have been fighting at 160 as he had been earlier in his career. He was the Commonwealth middleweight champ and had fought Seales, Finnegan, Love and Robles and should not have been striving for so long at such an uncomfortable weight.

End result: I think he could have continued. I don't know if Ray could have replicated that sequence to drop such an opponent again, but with weight making starting to get Kalule down, although like I said, I don't think he looked to be flagging, I think the logical result would have been a 15 round decision for Leonard.

Scartissue

 

IIRC, Ray said Kalule was his most difficult night.

 

I think he's like Duran in that respect though, changes his opinion to suit whoever he's talking to.