Neil John Montalban Tabanao vs. Eduardo Amil Mancito RBR

Magandang araw!

This content is protected

This content is protected

This content is protected

This content is protected

This content is protected

 

Neil John Montalban Tabanao vs. Eduardo Amil Mancito, 10 rounds @ super featherweight

 

Round 1

Tabanao is jabbing down the middle as Mancito comes out super aggressive, stepping inside and turning over big hooks at point blank, looking to rip Tabanao's face off early. Tabanao is able to settle things down a bit, stretching out a long body jab while scampering outside and off to his left in diagonals. Mancito keeps rushing in putting together uppercut volleys downstairs and forcing Tabanao into retreat until the ropes bar him from going any further, at which point Tabanao jumps in to neutralize Mancito by catching & pushing down on his fists. Nice looping right by Tabanao stepping around Mancito. Diving body combo from Mancito, just missing as Tabanao uses quick feet backpedaling.

10-9 Tabanao, ultra close

 

Round 2

Tabanao is measuring with the jab and feinting but keeping out of reach of Mancito. Tabanao executes a nice pull-counter right downstairs as Mancito darts in headfirst with a stabbing flurry, bent forward and streamlined like a torpedo. Pinpoint jabs by Tabanao while just barely staying clear of harm's way on the outside. Very nice matador work by Tabanao. Mancito neither deterred nor tamed, however, continuing to dive in repeatedly with the same vigor. Tabanao is finally trapped on the ropes and Mancito stamps his skull into the abdomen to pin him there and pumps away with uppercuts on the belt line with both hands.

10-9 Tabanao, close again but clear

20-18 Tabanao

 

Round 3

Tabanao is starting out as smoothly as in the previous couple of rounds, until Mancito in the midst of a frenetic body-uppercutting salvo goes a bit south of the border, accidentally, but with HUGE torque on the shot, leaving Tabanao devastated momentarily. The ref gives him two full minutes to recover and issues a stern warning to Mancito but refrains from docking a point despite the severity of the low blow, as it was clearly unintentional and Mancito is behaving contritely, bowing and everything. Time in. Tabanao jabs his way gingerly around the ring, still with obviously sore family jewels. Mancito works the body, albeit carefully above the waistline in pursuit.

10-9 Mancito

29-28 Tabanao

 

Round 4

Tabanao is perhaps still out of sorts from the gonadal bombardment in round three. He is slow to assume command, reticent with the jab as it leaves his lower extremities open to attack ...once bitten, twice shy. Mancito is whooshing up from the hip with both fists in overlapping arcs cross-hatched in aim for Tabanao's chest & face, but Tabanao's feet are still a bit too quick for him to make contact with any consistency, and only grazing when he does. Tabanao gradually re-incorporates his jab and is successful with it while tiptoeing around Mancito's wild rushes. Big body bombing combo at the bell by Mancito, but not enough to steal.

10-9 Tabanao, barely

39-37 Tabanao

 

Round 5

Tabanao is now in a groove, keeping Mancito at the end of his jab, darting in and out, creating and then withholding a target, causing Mancito at first to lunge and swing at the air, then become more reluctant to allow himself to be tricked. Tabanao is caught every now and then with a big sidewinding or uppercutting blow on the midsection from outside as Mancito grows impatient and takes a risk diving in with a home run whack, but mostly is keeping in firm control with nice foot placement and boxing wonderfully behind the jab (and very rarely a 1-2).

10-9 Tabanao

49-46 Tabanao

 

Round 6

Tabanao is cautiously taking over, creeping in a little closer and becoming the first to initiate most exchanges, as Mancito seems to have switched tacks and decided to box with the boxer. Mancito adopts the Philly shell and pops some counter jabs up past Tabanao's leads. Tabanao, however, isn't willing to let Mancito beat him at his own game and trots out some even fancier than usual footwork, leaving Mancito squared up to his own shadow and countering the counter on the way by with his own jab (and plopping in some tear-drop right hands for good measure, thudding into the side of the head). Mancito tries double-jabbing from a crouch to set up a big scything right on the chest but Tabanao is always one step ahead, quick on his toes.

10-9 Tabanao

59-55 Tabanao

 

Round 7

Tabanao is still boxing nicely, but Mancito has debuted a new "hedgehog" defense, balling his shoulders up over his chin and utilizing a deep crouch with both arms curled up around his cranium, fashioning himself into a wrecking ball, ducking or blocking most of Tabanao's jabs and then pummeling the body when he shepherds him against the ropes. Tabanao seems momentarily off-put by this change, and just keeps jabbing over Mancito's head and then fleeing before Mancito can start unloading sledges on his thoracic cavity.

10-9 Mancito

68-65 Tabanao

 

Round 8

Tabanao is jabbing and hooking at the face of Mancito from outside, thinking he is outside range, but Mancito is selling out and hurtling in to score massive body shots. Tabanao is standing off, puzzling over the problem, finding that he is getting speared in the gut every time he so much as dusts at Mancito's forehead with a long stretching jab. Mancito is bending to his right, backhanding up a throwaway double jab and then plowing in with a right hand downstairs, connecting, not worrying about whether a few counter lefts from Tabanao poke him in the head or cuff his neck (in the guise of jabs or hooks).

10-9 Mancito

77-75 Tabanao

 

Round 9

Tabanao is being VERY careful, leaving nothing to chance now, legs working in double time. He is able to ambush Mancito charging in with a HEAVY flush counter right uppercut. Mancito's head snaps back sharply but he keeps pressing in. Big right hands up top by Mancito, but Tabanao is able to roll away from them, bicep raised, head tilted back as he twists so they land on his shoulder. Mancito whipping in underhanded shots with both hands on the way in but Tabanao is standing up tall and twinkle-toeing away, deftly rounding a corner to not get trapped. Some of Mancito's shots hit well below the belt, pattering against Tabanao's hips and outer thighs, but the ref says nothing as they are clearly a byproduct of Tabanao's defensive movement and posture, clearly intended by Mancito to land on the legal scoring area of the flanks but missing (ie not targeting crotch). Tabanao jabbing his way to safety.

10-9 Tabanao

87-84 Tabanao

 

Round 10

Tabanao clinches immediately and Mancito begins to flail at his kidney with his free right hand. Tabanao is wrestled against the ropes and rag-dolled. Constant rough clinches in the opening minute of this one, ref having a hard time maintaining order. Body shot combos by Mancito, bowling in with both hands and then succumbing to an inevitable tie-up, letting Tabanao apply headlocks. Mancito rushes in over & over, doggedly working the body with his face down, not even seeing Tabanao's counters, nor caring about them for the most part - UNTIL TABANAO CHOPS HIM WITH A HOOK FROM ABOVE, SENDING MANCITO ON ALL FOURS! Ref counts but Mancito isn't hurt, flash knockdown. Mancito is galvanized, charging in to attack the body with even greater urgency and determination. Tabanao is now on his bike, confident of victory, snapping jabs and hopping around Mancito with a little swagger in his step, bouncing at the knees. With ten seconds left Tabanao even starts threading in 1-2s keeping each passive hand at his side when not throwing while he circles in close on Mancito with very quick hops.

10-8 Tabanao

97-92 Tabanao

 

Official cards:

99-89
99-89
98-90

UD for Tabanao

 

This content is protected

 

Really good fight, impressive poise from Tabanao and gritty persistence by Mancito.