Sergei Valerievich Kharitonov vs. Malik Dohonna Scott RBR

Round 2

Kharitonov is just slowly plodding after Scott in straight lines, forgetting to jab or telegraphing it, doing everything you learn not to do in pressure fighting 101 day one at the gym. He's basically a counter-puncher's wet dream right now. Scott just moving easily around the - very large, I'm noticing - ring and scoring pot shot jabs at will, never bothered in the slightest by the pace. Kharitonov goes down just before the bell, not sure if that officially ruled a knockdown but Scott doubled up on a left hook, jaw and liver, and Kharitonov went down from it. SHOULD have been one regardless of whether the ref called it one. Not even a remotely ambiguous one; Sergei was clutching his side and gasping as he got up and was saved by the bell.

10-8 Scott

20-17 Scott

 

Maybe ten percent of it clipped his elbow; most of Malik's fist connected flush on Sergei's love handle.

 

Round 3

Kharitonov is keeping up his same ineffective tactics, losing the jab war but persisting in riding the conveyor belt inside, where he mauls and wrenches on Scott when he can grab hold of him. Scott is starting to carry his arms low and jab off the front hip, and Kharitonov exploits the lack of defense by charging in and scoring a couple of short uppercuts with half a minute left in the round. They are slow and not terribly powerful but the catch Scott high on his throat and his chest and he takes a knee from them. Remainder is just them posing and jab-feinting.

10-8 Kharitonov

28-27 Scott

 

Round 4

Kharitonov is grinding in on Scott, plugging him with line drive right hand leads now and finding Scott just letting him in the front door, no more counter jabs to keep the Russian honest. Scott's body language very bad, slouching deeply to either side and doing lots of unnecessary wriggling when under pressure, juking and jiving with his shoulders turning inward even when Kharitonov isn't punching. Scott does carve him up with some desperate three-pieces after getting backed into a corner.

10-9 Kharitonov, close

37-37

 

Round 5

Kharitonov is bunching his gloves up in front of his eyes, blinding himself as he steamrolls in close and gets Scott in a roughly shaken bear-hug. Scott beginning to abandon inside work and just laying his face on Kharitonov's shoulder like a pillow, signaling that he isn't the one clinching for the ref. Kharitonov is hooking the body and then slapping up top with a few, deflected off the back of Scott's wrists, but almost nothing coming back from the American. Finally a burst of speedy footwork gets Scott out to jabbing range and he lands a couple, but immediately Kharitonov is upon him and they're glued together once more.

10-9 Kharitonov

47-46 Kharitonov

 

If his knockdown wasn't officially counted it might be mathematically impossible for Scott to win at this point.

 

Oh they downgraded it to a 6-rounder? It had been reported as 8 (per Tapology and some Russian language websites).

In that case yeah Scott has zero chance; bottom of the 9th, he needs a walkoff.