RMC Sport1: Mathieu Bauderlique vs. Mustafa Chadlioui Tahiri & Yvan Mendy vs. Hakim Ben Ali RBR

Round 5

Mendy is swarming intelligently, taking long graceful strides inside while remaining in a tight boxer's stance, leading with jabs, setting up blistering combos from body to head. Ben Ali goes down again on accumulation. He's up and running. Mendy is backhanding a jab into the kisser and shoveling rights into the stomach of Ben Ali, who is flat-out hauling ass, completely refusing to have anything to do with Mendy, scissoring his legs as if on the open savanna in the territory of an actual lion.

10-8 Mendy

50-43 Mendy

 

Okay, the 5th was a step in the correct direction.. plenty of time left. Just need him not to a) blow his wad or b) get bored and complacent and just cruise for the next seven..

 

Round 6

Mendy is sick of playing games with this kid, no more hide and go seek... Mendy charges in, staying low, palms clasped over his skull, popping HARD, fast jabs into the face and then placing sharp daggers all over Ben Ali, giving him the Julius Caesar treatment. Ben Ali down. He somehow gets up and somehow wants to continue. Ben Ali finds himself a comfortable track on which to start orbiting Mendy, tossing light jabs into his throat and just above the waistband. Mendy stalking, double-jabbing between the arms into Ben Ali's chest, and tied up before rinsing & repeating.

10-8 Mendy

60-51 Mendy

 

Why is Hakim's corner even thinking about sending him back out? The dude has 1 stoppage victory ever in his career, spanning 27 bouts...and Mendy has never been stopped in 48.

There is literally zero chance of Ben Ali winning at this point, and he's getting thrashed.

 

Round 7

Mendy is posting up in the middle of the ring, morphing into a Philly shell, letting Ben Ali come to him, lashing out with speedy pull-counters and check-hooks. Ben Ali for his part is leaping in, peppering the forearms and shoulders of Mendy with light jabs and rights. Now reverting to a high guard, Mendy steps around Ben Ali, hoping to flank him, turning over some mighty left hooks coming up off the ball of his lead foot almost from behind his opponent. It becomes a dance of survival for Ben Ali, one he's just barely keeping up with, his ankles starting to show a bit less elasticity now.. the Lion wearing its prey down, nipping at it, taking chunks from its hide but still giving it a sporting headstart, relishing in the hunt..

10-9 Mendy

70-60 Mendy

 

Round 8

Mendy is pecking and scratching his way in, quick jabs on the face and body shots all over. Ben Ali dancing away the best he can, but he cannot get Mendy's respect with anything, nor outrun him for long. Mendy walks Ben Ali onto a couple of jabs and then gets him to lower his guard with a shoeshine down at solar plexus height. Ben Ali tries leaning down on Mendy, imposing his upper body like a weapon, bearing down and then briefly pushing off for a double left hook on the side and then a right uppercut - but Mendy is given just enough space to loops a HUGE right hand onto his jaw, sending Ben Ali toppling over backwards. Count waived.

TKO8!!

 

...merci, Yvan. Had me worried.

 

So nobody else is around?

@Somachenko you said you're busy, I know...but @CST80, @Drew101 ...?

Bauderlique about to come up in the main event, he'll never be an elite but is pretty much always fun.

 

@f1ght3rz @Serge I see you guys lurking...forget whatever threads you were about to look at, it can wait. Get in here for a nice Euro-level 175lb dust-up.

 

Mathieu Bauderlique vs. Mustafa Chadlioui Tahiri, 12 rounds @ light heavyweight

 

This will be for the vacant WBA Inter-Continental light heavyweight title.

Neither man is currently ranked top 15 - not by the WBA, nor any major org. Bauderlique does hold the WBC's Francophone title, so he's probably top 40 with them.

 

Anthems... une fois de plus

 

He's basically a low-rent, chinnier, southpaw Lemieux. Right up your alley, but yeah not world class material or someone to hang your hopes on versus anyone that is. (and I'm pretty sure Chadlioui ain't. )