Ren TV: Vitaly Viktorovich Kudukhov vs. Guillermo Agustín Jones RBR

Round 5

Kudukhov is putting his arms up caging his face and steamrolling Jones into the ropes, then whipping shots up top or ripping uppercuts at point blank into the bottom of Jones' chin. A few body shot counters from El Jefe, then he steps outside and starts to dial in a left jab (no more switching, it seems), but he is absolutely gassed to hell, exhaling forcefully every couple of seconds, and can't really sustain anything.

10-9 Kudukhov

48-47 Kudukhov

 

Kudukhov is awful; I'm pretty sure the version of El Felino that beat Ytalo Perea could've shut him out if not stopped him...unfortunately that was almost four years ago, with a pretty steep drop-off in form between mid-40's and pushing-fifty Jones.

 

Round 6

Kudukhov is just walking straight up and piling up high jabs and crosses on the open maw of Jones. The former titlist is stalling for time where he can, tying up and burying his forehead into the crook of Kudukhov's neck and clavicle, but he appears to be conserving his energies for a rally that might not be in the offing. Every time he does show a spurt of any offense besides a jab or love tap on the body, he immediately deflates and collapses atop Kudukhov within moments. Just doesn't have the lungs for it.

10-9 Kudukhov

58-56 Kudukhov

 

Round 7

Kudukhov is trading left jabs with Jones (sometimes right jabs from the Panamanian, who is reassessing the value of the ambidextrous stratagem), following him around the ring, both their heads snapping backward like Pez dispensers. Jones with a sneaky move after creating some distance, performing a dip/roll starboard and coming up with a corkscrew right that sort of lands, although he misjudged the range a little, probably assuming Kudukhov would have taken a step inside by then. Kudukhov himself is completely flat now, throwing arm punches and just falling into the waiting arms of Jones face-first, gathered into bear-hugs and then released on the ref's orders. Both men spanking each other's sides in the clinch half-heartedly. No real spiteful infighting, they're simply too tired.

10-9 Jones, by a cunny hair.

67-66 Kudukhov

 

If he can scrape out this last round he can salvage himself a draw on my card...but in Russia? Eh...

He needs to retire after this either way. So does Kudukhov, for that matter.

 

Round 8

Kudukhov is warned for some fouls inside. Clean reset. They again lapse into a wrestlers' lockup. Very slow and dull round, both fatigued. Every other second the ref is prying them apart, with Kudukhov throwing a jab away into the guard and then slamming a right hand up top against Jones' left ear. Jones spends most of these last few minutes clinching, but does unleash a flurry at the very end, most of it missing or scraping the backside of Kudukhov.

10-9 Kudukhov

77-75 Kudukhov

 

Official cards:

...individual judges' scores aren't read out...

UD for Kudukhov

 

Jones is gracious in defeat, thanking promoter Vladimir Hryunov for inviting him, and hopes that it came across that he took it seriously and came to fight, not to play around.

 

First loss for Jones in 16 years and four months (since Cunningham)