Sergei Fedchenko vs. Felix Lora & Oleksandr Usyk vs. Epifanio Mendoza RBR

Round 2

Fedchenko is circling in typical robotic patterns, walking rhomboids around Lora and lazily jabbing from the high guard. Lora is loading up his right hand by his throat, firing it down at Fedchenko's body. Fedchenko pulls in his stomach and hops away, eking out a trail of left jabs on the outside. Fedchenko steps to his right, guard slightly lowered - and Lora instead of throwing his right downstairs loops it UP and crashes it down on the side of Fedchenko's jawline!! FEDCHENKO IS DOWN!!! He takes Lora with him, grabbing as he falls. He looks stunned. Very little time left for Lora to do anything to finish him. Fedchenko clinches.

10-8 Lora!!

19-18 Lora

 

Round 3

Fedchenko is jabbing from an even more tentative and nervous stance than usual, keeping distance. Lora comes in hooking wide, throwing both hands into Fedchenko's ribs. Fedchenko tries sticking the jab but Lora times him and pops him on the nose with his own jab, surprising him with his ability to land it first by taking aggressive steps in and loosing it quickly.

10-9 Lora

29-27 Lora

 

Round 4

Fedchenko is getting pounded on either side of the face as Lora hooks in, loading up with full power and walking unfettered through Fedchenko's counter rights. Fedchenko tries distancing himself with the light jab on the backfoot. Lora gives him no respect and just shrugs off jabs or bends forward to slide under them and fires hard straights on the body with hooks on the face as his posture straightens. Fedchenko is forced to flee.

10-9 Lora

39-36 Lora

 

Round 5

Fedchenko is getting absolutely smashed downstairs, unable to mitigate Lora's body attack with movement or clinching. Lora is too strong to be stemmed off and too determined to cut the ring off no matter how many flush jabs and 1-2s he must walk through for running to save Fedchenko. BIG clanging shots on the belt line of Fedchenko, which is hiked up too high to begin with. Fortunately the ref seems to recognize this and refrains from giving out warnings that would be unfair over legitimate body shots. Fedchenko is scoring his left jab at will, snapping it stiffly into Lora's face but can't back him off.

10-9 Lora

49-45 Lora

 

For a late replacement Felix is doing awesome.

It would be so huge for his career if he could achieve what Marquez, Corley, and Mabuza failed to do - stop Fedchenko. It would be a real Cinderella Man story.

 

Round 6

Fedchenko is now back in a rhythm moving around Lora, keeping the jab on him. Lora steps in and his face gets impaled with the left jab, Fedchenko timing it just right to land and then move. Lora keeps marching in, gloves up by his chin, leaning back to roll around when Fedchenko throws a feint, but can't get close enough to hook the body and keeps eating jabs that snap his head back.

10-9 Fedchenko

58-55 Lora

 

Round 7

Fedchenko is marching very wide around Lora, treading circles using the full ring going to his right. Lora dives in with overhand rights but falls short. Fedchenko instead of merely jabbing is throwing flurries at the back of Lora's head and then leaning down on him. Lora eats a flush straight right pull counter while stepping in with a jab. Fedchenko is doing a great job defensively on the outside, dipping to his side and timing his counters well.

10-9 Fedchenko

67-65 Lora

 

I'll give Fedchenko a lot of credit for staging this comeback in the sixth and seventh. After four straight rounds of unexpected adversity, fighters with less heart might have deflated.

He is boring, ugly, and safety-first to a fault (in a manner and style far less skillful than Mayweather or the Cubans) - but you can't say he doesn't have competitive desire.

 

Round 8

Fedchenko is sidestepping left and right, throwing jabs into Lora's eye socket as Lora cannonballs in low and rips hooks to the body. Fedchenko is brushing the back of Lora's head with counter hooks and rights while Lora keeps worming in closer, bent forward, hitting the body of Fedchenko hard.

10-9 Lora, close

77-74 Lora