Ryan James Sabal Racaza vs. Prell Nialda Tupas & Benjan Ypon Manangquil vs. Hinata Maruta RBR

Magandang araw!

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(yes, I realize I'm playing catch-up, no result spoilers in here please! - and by "please ", I really mean "or else! ", just so we're clear...)

 

Picking up the action in media res, almost halfway through:

Ryan James Sabal Racaza vs. Prell Nialda Tupas, 8 rounds @ lightweight

 

Round 4

Racaza is chasing after Tupas with high right jabs and letting a powerful morning-star left fly up from his rear hip, just narrowly missing as it whistles by Tupas' ear. Tupas is up on is toes circling away, dealing out sidearm left jabs with smooth rapidity like an experienced card shark, but not daring to sit down on any of them. Racaza is putting full power into those anti-aircraft left hands and Tupas is very aware of his power. Tupas is attempting to snipe Racaza's southpaw jabs in midair by punching into his inner forearm with his left, disrupting the range-finding that seems to be their purpose in setting up the lefts. A few of Racaza's lefts ding off Tupas' right shoulder and obliquely catch his chin on the ricochet bounce - still clearly hurtful even with their velocity reduced.

10-9 Racaza

 

Round 5

Racaza is bullying his way inside, deftly placing his lead right toe just inside Tupas' left so that in order to escape in any feasible direction he almost has to elect to voluntarily risk tripping over his opponent's shins. Tupas is sliding his feet backward at varying straight and diagonal angles, letting giant left hooks rip into Racaza's exposed right flank as he keeps pumping high jabs in triplicate and seeking a home for the left. Racaza throwing his own right hooks downstairs, bruising the rib cage and sending Tupas scrambling when he does. Tupas is harried against the ropes, desperately flurrying off the left down-jab as Racaza slashes down frenetically with the left while blinding Tupas with a whorl of movement in his face, jabbing with the right and then letting his wrist gyrate. Finally a wild left awkwardly clips Tupas on his right temple and he slumps down the ropes, given a count. Tupas is up and bouncing in place every few steps, careful to steer clear of Racaza while shaking the cartoon birdies.

10-8 Racaza

 

Round 6

Racaza is driving forward, pushing Tupas left hand away by poolsticking it with his right. Racaza is throwing a 9:10 ratio of jabs to overhand lefts, waiting until he's squarely in range to unload the power. Tupas is defending adequately enough that Racaza only ever at best grazes him, else the game would likely be over. Racaza is ducking under Tupas' stay-away left jab and ripping some hard right hooks on the ribs. Big near misses with the right and left by Racaza, loading up and cannonballing inside as Tupas careens along the ropes and then steps in from the side to grab at Racaza in profile in a clinch.

10-9 Racaza

 

Round 7

Racaza is ducking very low and weaponizing the joints of every limb, pitching himself in as though magnetized in attraction (no homo) to his opponent, knees forming sharp 90° angles creeping out past his feet, and guard raised with his elbows also pointing outward like daggers a few inches from his body, while his fists remain glued to his face. Tupas is speeding away from this veritable spike-bedecked demolition-derby vehicle, overclocking his engine, frantic to keep his fragile chassis from being punctured. Left hands now launched overhead by Racaza from a crouch are prodding Tupas forcefully in the chest, just smashing their way through his guard. Tupas has no answer for Racaza's aggression, nor is he solving for one - just running, jabbing and surviving.

10-9 Racaza

 

Round 8

Racaza and Tupas meet in the middle for a glove touch. Back to business. Tupas is weirdly brave now, floating a high jab into Racaza's widows' peak and then sweeping a hook off the jab down into his right bicep. Racaza is bouncing around in half-squat, playfully flipping jabs up at Tupas, his aggression seeming to have waned, his body language almost suggesting "hey, you survived everything I threw at you through seven rounds already, so you deserve to lose to me on points...besides, my arms have gotten tired from missing all these huge power shots )". He's actually sort of letting Tupas be the ring general for a couple of minutes here. Tupas isn't looking a gift horse in the mouth, not attempting to land anything major, just scoring a few points while skittering around Racaza at medium-close range.

10-9 Tupas

 

Official cards:

80-71
80-71
80-71

UD for Racaza

I guess none of the official judges agreed with Racaza himself that Prell deserved a pity round. (he really did not do a damn thing offensively in the eighth) Academic, though. Extremely thorough domination by Racaza, either way.

 

Benjan Ypon Manangquil vs. Hinata Maruta, 8 rounds @ super bantamweight

 

Maruta, once touted as Japan's biggest young prospect since Naoya Inoue, has gone 2-0 (2) since his momentum was stunted & cherry popped by Hidenori Otake ten months ago. This is his first meaningful step up in class since then. Manangquil is on a 6-0-1 (2) run since his own lone professional defeat, in his rematch with bitter arch-rival Jing Xiang down at flyweight (split decisions both times, a draw in the first encounter).

 

Round 1

Manangquil is establishing a low base, with his legs forming a tripod spaced evenly apart parallel to his shoulders at their broadest point, with his body cheated leftward, guard up, shooting line drive right jabs as he cleaves to the perimeter, almost scraping the ropes with his back and snap-pivoting to clear the corners. Maruta is walking up to him, taking aim with plumbing right crosses after letting his throwaway jabs get enmeshed on Manangquil's guard. Maruta finds his range and drills a nicely turned over right cross into the forehead, skimming it, but Manangquil was moving laterally and is thus able to mitigate the blow. Manangquil is doubling his right jab past Maruta's slower left, but not quite reaching his much taller and rangier opponent. Big right cross by Maruta after they've fenced with their jabs for a moment in the middle of the ring. Manangquil creates some distance and is caught by the ropes with another straight right, nearly touching his knees on the canvas but recovering.

10-9 Maruta