the what fights did you watch today\scorecard thread.

I watched Yuh's fight with Son, Rojas vs Numata, and Jiro Watanabe vs Gustavo Ballas. Not really the type of fights you need to score. There's already a couple threads on two of the fights, so I'll just comment in the latter.

Probably Watanabe's most impressive performance, against the best fighter he faced up until Roman at the tail end of his career. Great technical scrap. Ballas was your typical top class Argentian. Extremely well schooled technique perfectly suited to his stocky stature, similar to a Victor Galindez. Whilst he stood more flat-footed, looking to slip and roll shots for countering and body punching opportunities, Watanabe played ring general superbly. Jiro was really letting his hands go in this one, which is what gave him the advantage throughout most of a closely contested fight. He'd use his footwork to dictate the range and pop in and out with 3-4 punch combinations. He was throwing everything in the southpaw handbook. To his credit, Ballas's defense was very sound, and he was in the fight up until the very end. A real contrast of styles in this one, and a great fight to watch, fought at a very high pace with both fighters being fully aware throughout.

The stoppage seemed a little unnecessary to me, though. Apparently the corner threw in the towel after the 9th round, at the very end of which saw Jiro unloading straight shots on Ballas in the corner, most of which landed, some of which were slipped. Not entirely sure what to make of it, but it most certainly wasn't a clean KO, as it was listed as. Either way, great performance from both men, and the best I've ever seen Jiro look.

 

Hey Pea, just on Rojas vs Numata, what a spectacle.

 

Carlos Ortiz vs Kenny Lane II

Was actually shaping up to be an alright fight, then it got stopped. Can't reall say much more.

Ortiz TKO2 Lane


Carlos Ortiz vs Battling Torres

Fantastic fight. Early doors Ortiz sizes up the younger and aggresive Torres with a jab, and soon transforms this measuring jab into a solid right hand that really stunts Torres. Torres then starts to wise up and presses the fight even more, Ortiz responds with clinical right hands and left hooks (head and body). The finish KO is class, a left hook to the body, straight right to head, then a left hook to the chin. But Torres was game as hell and made it very entertaining.

My favrouite Ortiz performance, he was more fluid and mobile, than he was post Brown, and had some breathtaking combinations.

Ortiz: 1,2,3,4,5,6,8,9
Torres: 7
Total: 89-82 Ortiz (8-1)

Ortiz KO10 Torres


Carlos Ortiz vs Johnny Bizzaro

Surprised when ESB's very own Chinx Kid's father was introduced in the pre fight introductions.

Another interesting scrap.

Bizzaro early used movement and odd punches like lead rights and uppercuts whilst moving, and had trouble zeroing them in and finding the right timing for them. Ortiz seemed pretty sharp early on but Bizzaro's movement was tricky but Ortiz thudded in good body shots, although IMO he neglected his jab.

In the mid rounds Bizzaro started to find his range and timing and really started to be successful with his unorthodox tactics as he circled Ortiz and jumped in with odd shots and leaped out again. Ortiz looked to counter but was made to miss, and Bizzaro was impressing Tommy Loughran the commentater.

In the 12th Ortiz caught Bizzaro leaping in with a massive left hook and Bizzaro was gone, Ortiz a great finisher piled on the shots with brilliant hooks and dropped Bizzaro, Johnny bravely got up but the ensuing onslaught forced the ref to stop it.

Ortiz: 2,3,4,5,8,9
Bizzaro:1,6,7,10,11
Total: 105-104 Ortiz (6-5)

Ortiz TKO12 Bizzaro


Bob Foster vs Dick Tiger

The appearance of these two was comical, Tiger the squat powerfully built midget; to Foster the lanky, lean figure of a praying mantis. Together it was like Michael Jordan and Gary Coleman.

The bout started slow with Foster rattling off a single jab, very infrequently. Towards the end of round 2 Tiger advanced with some tasty combinations to win the round. Foster looked troubled when put under pressure.

Foster however appeared to be wearing ice skates on the end of his long legs as they every so often slipped out, giving the impression of a giraffe on roller blades.

In the third Foster began to double up his jab or land the right hand after the jab, this was effective and when Tiger came inside he had a right uppercut waiting for him behind the long jab. At the start of the third Foster literally picked up Tiger and spun round and dropped him.

The fourth was the same as Foster kept it long but a flush right hand that made Tiger give ground a missed right followed by a left hook stunned the Nigerian and another right hand followed by a left hook landed on target and folded Tiger like a accordian. The best KO i have seen.

Tiger: 1,2
Foster:3
Total: 29-28 Tiger (2-1)

Foster KO4 Tiger

 

You really impressed with Ortiz' form Greg? Me and my mate were talking the other day, and we picked him over Mayweather. We both rate Mayweather though.

 

Yeh definitly. On both counts.

What I like about Ortiz especially the young version. He combined Matador and Bull, he could box and when he found his opening he became the bull and worked the opening.

Brilliant body puncher aswell.

Although as he got older IMO he got a bit more refined technically but alot less mobile.

 

Nice post. I agree as well, on what footage i've seen myself. He can win what some call 'snoozefests', but i can watch that kinda stuff allday. He's strong as hell as well isn't he?

 

Hes in some close tactica thrillers like the one with Bizzaro, he takes his time and exploits his openings, but he is at his best when he can combine the Bull and Matador roles when fighting a 'Bull' so to speak.

I was impressed with his strength, especially the way he would force a guy back with strong body shots, to force him onto the ropes then release a combo to the head.

 

Eusebio Pedroza KO13 Patrick Ford.

Very impressive showing from Pedroza considering how hard Ford had pushed Sanchez less then 6 months before.

Ford was a massive featherweight...nearly 5'11 with an ungodly reach. He even made the Pedroza look small, and Eusebio was a very big featherweight himself.

I gave Ford the 2nd and the 5th..the 3rd and 6th even with the rest going to Pedroza.

It was a pretty entertaining start..The 3rd and 6th especially were very action packed, thats why I couldnt split them. Pedroza having big 4th and 7th rounds however to prevent Pat getting momentum. But they were also very exciting rounds.

Once Pedroza got on top the last half of the fight was a bit dull...Ford's offensive output was limited to him mostly flicking out his jab and backpedalling. And Pedroza was pretty conservative with his punching until exploding over the last 45sec-1min to make sure he banked the round.
Some brutal body punching on display from Pedroza that night (and quite a few sneaky kidney punches aswell)

End was fairly abrupt really...Not much in the round until Pedroza's absolutely tears into Ford in the last 30secs..Pat slumps to the canvas and sits on his butt to be counted out just before the bell rings for the end of the 13th.

I think it was more a combination of fatigue and frustration..Pedroza was very slippery all night, making him miss big of many occasions..though Ford got in a couple of big loopy right hands earlier on in the fight that I remember vividly.

I reckon its a must to see if you want to see prime Pedroza in full flight.

 

Pedroza is one guy I need to see more of, him and Ernesto Marcel.

What fights do you recommend of them?

 

Ive only seen the Arguello and Duran fights of Marcel's greg...but he impresses me so much in them.

Im really going to endeavor to get the Gomez and Shibata fights ASAP...as I have heard he looks stellar in them aswell.

As for Pedroza..Saw his fight with Aba again the other week and thats a pretty brutal showing, though it was against a terribly overmatched opponant with an ending that leaves a bit of a bad taste in your mouth because Aba gets shoved out of the ring more or less and seems to get pretty ****ed up by it..its on youtube.

I really enjoyed his two fights with Lockridge..though in them you not only see his awesomeness but his shortcomings aswell. As he tends to give to many rounds away in both of those fights.
I didnt really see controversy in either of them but some people do. You can see earlier in the thread me and sweet_scientist discuss how close so many rounds were and that can lead to some discrepancies between cards.

 

Want these too.

RB must be contacted:good

 

Thanks, will check them out.

 

That's the best Pedroza effort I've seen. For GPater: If you can see beauty in a classic street mugging, then check out Pedroza - Laporte.

 

Benn-Eubank II


Benn: 4, 6 (9-9), 7, 8, 10.

Eubank: 1, 2, 3, 5, 9, 11.

Even: 12.

(Benn deducted 1pt for fouls)


Eubank cruised the first 3 rounds but by the 4th and 5th rounds still hadn't got his jab going, which was a mistake. Benn took the 4th and 10th more cleanly and clearly than either fighter took any of the rounds. Eubank edged the 9th and 11th by getting his jab working. The 5th, 6th and 12th saw some nasty heavy exchanges but generally sloppy by their standards- both seemed to have stamina issues on the night out there.

Benn finally got to grips with Eubank's awkward defense to take the 7th and 8th, albeit in a scrappy manner. Eubank never really got to grips with Benn's improved defense, but wouldn't have needed to had he got his jab working by the 4th, in which case he may of even had an easyish win. The best punch of the fight by far was landed by Benn in the 10th, a leaping left hook. But other left hooks earlier that were too low caused a point deduction for Nigel.


Final Score:
Eubank- 115
Benn- 113



General thoughts are that Eubank was moving well and trying to be sharp and stiff, but he just wasn't his usual slick self that night. While Benn's head and upper body movement was better than ever and caused it to appear as if Chris was throwing 12 rounds of inaccurate shoeshiners. I don't think Benn did enough quantity of quality offensive work, however, even though he appeared a little more 'on' and a lot less 'off', than Eubank that night. All-in-all a poor fight by their standards, with far too much falling and clutching thoughout.

 

Just watched 2 of my favourites. Carlos Zarate vs Alberto Davila. Davila gives Carlos plenty od trouble here despite a 5 inch height difference landing some lovely shots on the stalking Zarate appearing to wobble him at one point. Zarate keeps up the pressure and starts getting through to Alberto by the 7th. Most of his success is now coming from his inside work, lovely short uppercuts and hooks from the taller man. The end comes suddenly when Davila goes down in the corner after taking a combination of pinpoint shots ending with a straight right. Davila gets up but the referee stops it due to a cut. It looked to me that the writing was on the wall for Alberto anyway.
A very impressive performance from Zarate for me who's competition is sometimes critiscized.