Mike Alvarado vs. Ruslan Provodnikov RBR

Juan Diaz vs. Juan Santiago, 10 rounds @ lightweight

 

Round 1

Diaz is jabbing Santiago in the face and following up with clapping rights on the other side. Diaz rips the body reaching in below Santiago's long sinewy jab. Santiago clubs with a right hand and knocks Diaz off balance. Diaz snaps Santiago's head back with a few jabs, moving in and out.

10-9 Diaz

 

Round 2

Diaz is popping his heels up off the floor to crash left hooks into Santiago's cheek, rocking him repeatedly. Diaz jabs inside, thrusting assertively past the long but tentative jab of Santiago. Diaz slaps the body with his head lowered inside and then pushes out with a forearm dug into Santiago's ribcage. BIG left hook on the chin by Diaz. Double hook by Diaz. Santiago fires back with a counter right hand falling in. Wild uppercut by Santiago; Diaz jumps back to dodge it. Santiago pumps jabs into Diaz's guard. Diaz ducks and slips to his right in a quick fake-out, then circles left. Diaz pressures Santiago without punching, behind a turtle shell. Santiago gets through with a fully extended crisp jab.

10-9 Diaz

20-18 Diaz

 

I like the way the Adult Bull is hooking off the jab these days. There is some power there now that wasn't present before.

Of course, his reflexes, speed, and work rate aren't what they were in his physical prime...but it's heartening that he finally learned how to sit down on his punches and turn them over.

 

Round 3

Diaz is smashing in with the left hook and jabbing over Santiago's head as he ducks. Diaz is hooking the body and head while Santiago keeps his left glove twirling in place in its holster by his chest before snapping it out with long jabs on the outside.

10-9 Diaz

30-27 Diaz

 

Round 4

Diaz is having to hook Santiago off as the taller man swims in behind the jab and presses into Diaz, leaning down on him and slapping his body. Diaz gets jabbed in the face as they separate but gets in some parting hooks upstairs & down.

10-9 Diaz

40-36 Diaz

 

Nah, it turns out they are replaying Bradley vs. Marquez instead.

 

Round 5

Diaz is unloading hooks on the midsection of Santiago after trudging in through his jabs and wielding his own up high in Santiago's face to gain purchase. Santiago is holding his own, hooking left and right first into Diaz's belly and then into his head after briefly covering up to block a Diaz counter 1-2. Diaz forces him off with a jab and then chases with a left hook.

10-9 Diaz

50-45 Diaz

 

Santiago has made a couple of the rounds semi-close. Almost. Kind of, sort of. More so I think it's just that he is making Diaz look worse than did Cuevas and De Jesus in the first two legs of his comeback this year.