Score this fight: Stephen McAfee v Colin O'Donovan - 6x3

Round 2

O'Donovan is still wearing that madman's rictus smile, toying with McAfee, slapping wide around the guard with a cheeky right hook and then drifting laterally clear of the pocket. McAfee giving O'Donovan a bit of respect, backing up and reacting to left hand feints off the hip. McAfee letting O'Donovan set the pace now. McAfee tries a spearing right hand on the belly, too far out. Now a looping right up top, caught on the guard. Marching-drum combo by O'Donova driving forward, tapping on McAfee's chest as he's backed into a corner. McAfee leads with a right and pushes a snappy jab into O'Donovan's guard to knock it away, but O'Donovan is lightly springing around the ring on his toes, never letting McAfee get a clean piece of him.

10-9 O'Donovan

19-19

 

Round 3

O'Donovan is shouldering his way in and slapping low with the right hook, then circling wide and floating a jab. McAfee stays high & tight with the guard, measured with his footsteps, managing to finally march O'Donovan into a corner and ripping some hard body shots. O'Donovan escapes with a ramping southpaw 1-2 from a crouch. Big roundhouse right hand into the ribs by McAfee in center ring. O'Donovan putting in some body work as well but much lighter stuff, not setting his feet as he double-taps McAfee's side with the right hook.

10-9 O'Donovan, extremely close

29-28 O'Donovan

 

Round 4

O'Donovan is pushed immediately onto the ropes. McAfee going to work, big hooks on the belt line. O'Donovan unable to squirm free until McAfee tires himself out. Lots of ducking and jab-feinting by O'Donovan standing in front of McAfee, perhaps a bit tuckered himself (or affected by all the hits downstairs). McAfee leads with a high lunging left hook which O'Donovan just barely backpedals clear of, then skewers him with a straight right downstairs. McAfee walking O'Donovan down and scoring well. Ripping right hand looped around the glove into the jaw. Light flurries by O'Donovan from a partial crouch. O'Donovan bouncing at the knees and flailing at the body. Wild overhand right by McAfee, windmilled and easily sidestepped by O'Donovan. Hand speed for both is now in the toilet, punching like they're wearing 10lb beanbags strapped onto their wrists. McAfee shifts to southpaw midstride and drives a couple of right jabs into O'Donovan's throat, pushing him into the ropes, hitting downstairs with an underhanded left.

10-9 McAfee

38-38

 

Round 5

O'Donovan is plugged with a right on the body and is on the run. McAfee soon winds down and now O'Donovan presses in, right arm held aloft, straightened to block incoming fire, scooping the left into McAfee's trunk and slapping his side with the right hook. Very sloppy action now, in a phonebooth, lots of incidental cuffing rabbit punches. The ref calls a break and they reset at mid-range, with McAfee now finding a second wind and landing a harpooning right on the pectorals. Left hook by McAfee, reaching hard for the liver, not quite getting there, grazing O'Donovan's side. They wrestle a bit. Another break. O'Donovan pumping a very gooey jab.

10-9 McAfee, airtight

48-47 McAfee

 

Round 6

McAfee shredding into O'Donovan's body, setting him against the ropes, a couple of left hooks up top for good measure. O'Donovan being lit up now. Manages to skate free. O'Donovan takes a stand in the middle of the ring with a left hand/right hook combo. McAfee punching through molasses in pursuit, can't locate w/ the jab. O'Donovan planting some flush counter 1-2s on his face and turning McAfee, landing right hooks to his body on the pivot. McAfee grinds O'Donovan into the ropes and nearly pushes him through, with some cornermen forming a human wall by the apron to push the combatants back in! Wild! Action resumes (never really stopped). O'Donovan counters a jab with his own, knocking McAfee's arm aside, creating a lane for a left uppercut from O'Donovan.

10-9 O'Donovan, stole it back after a disastrous first half-minute

57-57

 

Round 7

O'Donovan is on the run now. McAfee taking full advantage of the lull in his opponent's energy, cutting off the ring and throwing economical right hands at the head, dinging them off the bean as O'Donovan is carrying his arms low. O'Donovan unable to get his defensive timing down, not lifting his guard fast enough when McAfee throws and unable to just keep it up full-time. McAfee is stalking, jabbing. O'Donovan parries with his southpaw jab, but can't get in a clean shot in reply. McAfee walks into a looping left and blocks a right hook. McAfee pressing in with jabs and light tapping hooks on the temple. O'Donovan charges in with a jab, blocked. McAfee feigns a giant can-opener right and pulls it but has sent O'Donovan scrambling for cover.

10-9 McAfee

67-66 McAfee

 

Round 8

O'Donovan is circling all over, churning out left uppercuts into the midriff every time he plants his feet after one full revolution around McAfee. The majority of them being stuffed by McAfee's forearms. McAfee trying his own combos but smothering himself. O'Donovan furiously pumping southpaw 1-2s and then holding. Ref warns. McAfee is trying desperately to guillotine O'Donovan with some chopping overhands, both gloves descending from above the head, missing badly and getting stung with straight counters about his entire face, blinking them off, windmilling away.

10-9 O'Donovan

76-76

 

I'll be damned, another one that went awry for O'Donovan per the official cards IMO. (even though I actually like McAfee's style better)

 

Are there already plans in place for a trilogy? (or I suppose a tetralogy, considering; as they'd still be knotted 1-1-1 should O'Donovan finally get the W next time)

 

Just comparing notes here...

So you had the 1st level, I saw it edged by McAfee. We both gave O'Donovan the second & third, and McAfee the fourth. Our first major divergence is the sloppy 5th, you said clear for O'Donovan while I thought impossibly close for McAfee. We're flipped also in the 6th, wherein I saw O'Donovan managing to dig his way out from the early hole but you awarded it to McAfee. We are in agreement it was the best round of the fight, however. 7th and 8th we saw the same, for McAfee & O'Donovan respectively.

 

These two could make a career just fighting each other. Agree O'Donovan could have had better luck with the scoring.....would love to hear his thoughts on it.

 

I'd probably shell out a fiver if they set up a PPV stream for McAfee vs. O'Donovan III...maybe a tenner if there was anybody I've heard of else on the card.

@slapbangwhallop

 

My money is on another shutout for O'Donovan on the @CST80 card. This eight was virtually a carbon copy of their first six tumultuous frames, just with the added bonus of an extra pair.