Leonard Dorin Doroftei vs. Raúl Horacio Balbi I & II - the standalone IB's RBR scorecards

Crazy that Balbi had twice as much experience as Dorin at this point (both in # of years, and of bouts fought) and yet lingered so much longer in the sport. Not with very positive results outside the domestic scene, admittedly - but crazy that far more recent contenders like Jo-Jo Dan and Denis Shafikov cut teeth on Balbi on their way up as unbeaten prospects, while Dorin had disappeared by '04.

 

Definitely a super close fight, with industrious performances from both. Interestingly, you and the late Harold L. both had Balbi ahead through four (while I had it even) - but he wound up with it eventually a point closer for Balbi, while you wound up a few more Tarzan vines Dorin's way.

Aside from the fourth, your card and mine diverged on rounds 5-7 (the first pair of which at least you seemed willing to accede were close in your write-up four years ago), and either 10 and 12. (your post didn't specify your scoring for either, but mathematically to have reached 115-112 Dorin you must have given him one and Balbi the other).

We all (you, Harold and I) unanimously gave Dorin the first, ninth, and eleventh - and Balbi the second, third, and eighth - but we failed to reach a consensus on the other half of the rounds. Which is fine, as most of them were indeed close.

Was the rematch also close, or do those wide scores for Dorin actually reflect it?

This content is protected

Might give it a watch (at some point ...bedtime now), as the first was fun.

 

Oh right, the point deduction... I just looked at the 115 side in my haste and concluded you must've given Balbi five rounds, completely blanking on that point from Dorin.

Which to be fair WAS pretty low...but I don't think it was flagrantly intentional, and there hadn't been much in the way of warnings. I can take or leave the deduction tbh (although my card didn't even require it to reach Balbi retaining his belt).

 

I might tackle Dorin vs. Balbi II after class...I'm really curious how two guys that were so evenly matched could have what looks to be a relatively lopsided contest just a few months later. Hopefully the action is even half as good as the original.

 

**** it...

 

Leonard Dorin Doroftei vs. Raúl Horacio Balbi II, 12 rounds @ lightweight

 

Round 1

Balbi circles to his left and evades a few high Dorin jabs, then deposits a hook on the waistband leaning in and leftward. Balbi keeps it moving as Dorin pressures, bending forward and weaving around the jab, plugging rights into the belly and then planking himself up and firing anti-aircraft overhand rights. Balbi getting backed up consistently, outworked, but making Dorin miss a lot. Balbi stands firm and throws a 1-2 into Dorin's guard but the local hero juggernauts through and keeps chipping away on the former champ's thorax with hooking rights & lefts. Dorin pushing down on Balbi's nape when the latter is bent in against him, not giving him room to either work the body or step out to reset.

10-9 Dorin

 

Round 2

Balbi has a hard time fending Dorin off, swarmed and battered on either side of the face with hooks. Dorin accidentally steps on Balbi's toe at one point and it seems like the ref might pause the action to give him a moment's recovery, but he doesn't. Balbi getting drowned in leather as he desperately pumps out jabs and short half-power discouragement rights on the backfoot. Dorin just a punching machine.

10-9 Dorin

 

Round 3

Dorin catches Balbi with a jab delivered straight-on from his left side while he's rotated that way, and then bringing his starboard to bear as he swivels in with the right cross for maximum torque. Both halves of that opening salvo land, and the 1-2 has Balbi panicked into a straight-line retreat. Balbi shoots a counter jab and gets it trapped under Dorin's right arm, leaving him vulnerable to a hammering double left hook across the jaw from Dorin while shut in a phone-booth with him. Balbi now bombing away for dear life with sweeping upper-hooks as he tries prying his way clear, but Dorin is all over him with power-jabs (often doubled up) and hooks, paving the way for line drive rights that Balbi partially slips before swallowing Dorin up into clinches.

10-9 Dorin

30-27 Dorin

 

Even the partisan commentators (they sound Canadian) for Dorin say "he should have lost that first one to Balbi, honestly" - but they are fired up over him legitimately dominating thus far here in the return.

 

Round 4

Balbi gets into a groove dipping to his left and digging hooks just above the crotch of Dorin. One lands squarely not above, but Dorin - though clearly hurt by it - passes up the five minutes offered by the ref. He just wants to fight. Dorin now presses in, forehead burrowing into Balbi's sternum, and throwing windshield-wipers against the distal edges of either rib cage. Balbi able to do the sharper work taking a few quickened steps outside and letting the straights fly down into Dorin's face. BIG overhands by Dorin, surging two minutes in but effective stalling clinch-and-release tactics from Balbi. Another low blow and Balbi receives likely his final warning from the ref before he starts docking points. Dorin comes diving in, nose level with the belt line of Balbi as he leads with a body uppercut and tries rising up with a left hook, but is countered by a Balbi straight right.

10-9 Balbi, close

39-37 Dorin

 

Round 5

Balbi has to keep hugging Dorin and shoving/walking him across the ring to keep him contained. Dorin keeps spamming the overhand right, sometimes missing (and in so doing blowing energy by the nuclear plant-load), but grazing Balbi often enough to keep him scrambling for cover... and while obviously feeling the burn of strained and overused muscles, Dorin keeps diligently carving himself a path on the front-foot, never letting Balbi get set and dispersing a lot of his jabs with incidental contact as they carom off his arms

Round ends a FULL MINUTE prematurely. Not sure what happened there, big timekeeper screw-up...

10-9 Dorin

49-46 Dorin