ShoBox: Xavier Augustine Martínez vs. Jessie Cris Morales Rosales RBR

Round 1

Romero is sauntering in, unhurried, very smooth and relaxed, squatting to jab the body, having a look at Cordones' reactions. Romero slips a 1-2 on the way in and keeps touching Cordones with the jab high & low, before finally putting out a quick right hand lead over a minute in. The punch grazes but stuns Cordones. Romero smells blood in the water and moves in rapidly to pepper him with straights, and Cordones melts into a puddle. He's up and cautiously edging away, but Romero is able to find him with more jabs & crosses. Romero switches to hooks as Cordones tries backing up and then actually twisting around to present his back, getting clipped on the chin anyway, if just obliquely. Cordones ends up splattered in a corner, attempting in cartoonish fashion to get up, might have been exaggerating a little. Bottom line, he doesn't want any more.

KO1!!

 

Cordones (perhaps twice shy because of his previous in-ring experience, when he lost his zero in a violent manner this past summer) didn't really give us a chance to learn much about Romero. He was negative, took a few power shots (but none really clean), and then quit.

Thanks for showing up to earn that check, though.

 

I mean, yeah, the matchmaking itself was a bit sadistic and unrealistic (if the avowed goal of ShoBox is to elevate the ideals of parity and fan-friendliness, as has mostly always been the case), which isn't really his fault, but...he and his team could've still taken an honest look inward and then said "no thanks".

 

I want to punch CEJ in the face so hard. I mean, that's just baseline any time I see him, but especially the way he's standing there looking down his nose at Steve Farhood during their interview with this smug expression like he's too good for this.

I really wish Korobov had more than just middling power.

 

You reckon Matvey does it? He's a classier fighter IMO but getting long in the chompers, and I wonder if some of his disappointing career setbacks haven't dampened the hunger.

 

@elmaldito get in here, your man-crush is up.