the what fights did you watch today\scorecard thread.

Yeah round 11 is almost impossible to believe to be honest, I think it's one of the most astonishing rounds there's ever been.

 

Eric Harding UD12 Antonio Tarver

Tarver's first loss kind of speaks for him. He had never been 12, gets his jaw broken in the eighth, but digs and finishes the fight.

Doesn't look like that type of gruelling fight at the outset with Harding's commitment to a swiping, snatch them when you can body attack probably the difference between the two. Both men are missing a lot so these scored punches are crucial.

Tarver wins 4 big though, and knowing what we know now probably we know Tarver couldn't keep up this pace in 100 tries, but it feels like a round that's changed the momentum watching it with as open a mind as possible. It was gutsy of Harding to come back with a dominating fifth after eating uppercuts in the fourth.

After eight I have them even, and Tarver, if not exactly in control, then perhaps beginning to turn the screw. At this point, his jaw apparently broken, Tarver stopped fighting. Harding expresses himself ably, throwing good and well formed punches, his head on Tarver's shoulder, an old-fashioned performance by a fighter lacking power.

It's fascinating too to watch Tarver try to fight off Harding, moving to the ropes, staying close, going down and coming up, sliding, gloves high...he looks like ****ing Roy Jones against Tarver tbh.

Tarver was dropped in the eleventh by either Harding volume or more likely for a break and in an attempt to protect that wounded jaw. Tarver hardly throws a punch in the twelfth; he did really well to survive. Harding swept home with confidence and in excellent style.

HARDING:1,2,3,5,9,10,11*,12
TARVER:4,6,7,8

* Tarver down

8-4 HARDING, 116-111.

 

Yeah, he showed that Jones III patience in that fight. He's a strange mix, seemingly in need of constant reassurance and focusing in the corner but also exhibiting classic signs of being completely unflappable in the ring - aside from when he was crushed by Hopkins (and occasionally interviewed by Larry).

 

I love Harding's line when the referee asks him if he's ok after the second knockdown: "I'm from Philadelphia."

 

Antonio Tarver SD12 Reggie Johnson

Johnson's head movement in this fight is great, great, he makes Tarver miss the left hand over and over again early on. Johnson spends the first round trying to force the miss and counter, and in the second roudn wants to force the pace and try to force Tarver off the ball in the second. Through both, Tarver remains large (he's bigger) and just punches. Not a difficult concept and one that works really well. Johnson's body attack in the third is excellent, but again Tarver out punches him (including landing hard left hooks to the body). Johnson is doing good things but getting no joy.

Lots of missing in the fifth, but I think Tarver takes that too based upon the aggression. Johnson probably nicks the sixth based upon the same, and his finally getting busy enough to win around. That's what it'll take I guess. But at the half way point I have it 5-1 Tarver.

I thought Johnson worked his way to round 8 and when he dropped Tarver with a counter shot in round nine it's fight on. It was just a flash, Tarver dominated the first minute and he dominated the last, but it brings Johnson in touch with Tarver on the cards. He fails to capitalise though, Tarver wins the tenth pretty big. Johnson needs a KO in 11 or 12 to win at this point - you would have thought.

I don't know how the judges came up with:

Bill Lerch 114-113 | judge: Crystal Wright 115-112 | judge: Mike Glienna 112-115

But those are disastrous cards.


JOHNSON:6,8,9*,
TARVER:1,2,3,4,5,7,10,11,12

117-110 TARVER

*Tarver down on a really nice looping counter.

It's a cliche but Tarver really is a different prospect with McGirt in his corner.

 

I don't think he was particularly special or anything but on the other hand he had lost once between 1997 and 2002, to Roy. He was a very good test for a coming guy I think.

 

Dwight Muhammad Qawi UD10 James Scott

There was some speculation that Eddie Mustafa was intimidated by being behind the walls of Rahway State Prison; you know that sh!t isn't going to happen to Qawi.

Funny to see Scott run from someone. Qawi carries the first two on steady pressure, a good jab and a sick grin. I lick the way he shows small angles to Scott, he did it in the Muhammad fights and he does it here again, shifting just a little bit, making himself awkward to hit, staying a step ahead.

Still, Scott boxes and moves quite well picking up the third and fourth on my card with good parking and punching in between bouts of stepping surprisingly gracefully around the ring. It's crazy really considering his limited experience (as far as I know) in this type of fighting but overall it can't work for him. Qawi is going to find him, as he does in the fifth and sixth. He comes down off his toes in the seventh though and thrillingly drives into Quarry before taking back distance.

Qawi retakes control in the eighth and ninth, Scott probably bruises his way to a wild tenth.

Always a bit of a disappointment this one, even if it's not if you see what I mean.


QAWI:1,2,5,6,8,9,
SCOTT:3,4,7,10

6-4 QAWI

 

^ **** that.