RJJ Promotions: James McKenzie Witt Morrison vs. Hasim Shariff Rahman, Jr. RBR

Sharif Hasim Rahman vs. Reyes Joel Sánchez, 6 rounds @ middleweight

 

Two zip SHR aka "C3".

Sánchez doing alright, but getting outworked, particularly downstairs. Interestingly, should he lose tonight his only blemishes will have come against descendants of world heavyweight champions (Sharif here being the son of Hasim Rahman Sr., and the man that popped Sánchez's cherry being Nico Ali Walsh, grandson of The Greatest).

He is actually having a solid 3rd, landing some right hands, business picking up a little.

 

Rahman just shaded round three for me to maintain a clean sweep halfway through, but it was hotly contested. If the rest of the way is that close there's a chance Sánchez could eke out a draw (assuming Roy hasn't bought out the judges).

 

Really nasty cut on Sharif's left eye, oozing plasma.

Slow-mo replay shows a pretty gnarly incidental headbutt. Actually seemed like Sánchez's forehead smashed primarily into Rahman's nose foremost, but he sprung quite a leak from it up in the corner of the eyelid.

 

Perhaps the first ever taste of adversity for Sharif Rahman, whose combined professional opponents thus far have been 6-24 and each individually has a losing record.

 

Rahman did his best to flurry late, attempting to "Sugar Ray Leonard" the round, but Sánchez definitely got the better of enough of it before that catching Rahman discombobulated from the blood streaming down his line of sight.

10-9 Sánchez, close

39-37 Rahman

 

Rahman's gas tank seems to have begun ebbing, and he is become a little more disorganized from the cut to boot, with Sánchez applying pressure throwing jabs and spearing rights to back him into the ropes, but Rahman is able to bait the Topekan-Angeleno into counter combos, shoring up for attacks in bursts and using his hand speed to make them really count. End of the round, Rahman with his back against the ropes lands several consecutive uppercuts after shoeshining the body.

10-9 Rahman

49-46 Rahman

 

Rahman hurts Sánchez in the 6th and goes for the KO, but can not quite put him away. Dominates the round, though, borderline 10-8, and with that (even scored 10-9) should have cinched the decision for himself.