the what fights did you watch today\scorecard thread.

Tavoris Cloud UD12 Glen Johnson

Sppedy from Cloud at the start of this first round. Glen trying to establish himself over his front foot with what actually looks like a reachier jab. Reachier not a word. He was pretty hot for a spell Cloud, this one and the next one, he sort of delivered upon what was expected of him. Cloud knows he's in with someone "real" in Johnson, who even at 41 remained a name. Very good opener, they are not using the ring it is fair to say. Thought Cloud nicked it on the jab.

But very good body work by Glen to start the second, that's how you do it when you're up against a younger fighter, up, down, up, nothing too ambitious but using your experience to pick the punches. Cloud responds with a beautiful series of left hooks around the corner - this is a great round of boxing. Shortened u on the inside, both of them compact. Johnson has Cloud backing up for the first time, great round, Cloud wants to hold. Fabulous old-school round. Exceptional from Johnson. Johnson just knows how his opponent's body works. Johnson continues this great work across one single plane in the third, upstairs, up and he's putting together beautifully, just outside mid-range moving in. All left-hand. Cloud moves out late in the fourth and lands some very eye-catching rights and a nice little left-hook to the body.

This is what he needs - he needs to lose 6/10 on the inside and then win 7/10 on the outside. I think he snuck that fourth round with that impressive step out.

Cloud actually slips a couple in the fifth instead of keeping them on those big pillows but it's a first minute Johnson dominates before Cloud comes back with a counter left. And another. He's sneaking up on Johnson here. Left hook puts Johnson in bad trouble with a left hand with 50 seconds left - Johnson dominated this round but now loses it for me, pinned back to the ropes, Johnson won't give up though. Cloud finds what he needs to take the lead in the fight, splendid stuff.

Cloud seems energised by that fifth round success and Johnson is waiting for him to punch himself out, just giving ground carefully, and here he comes back with the jab after a minute. It's very much a "my turn" moment. Johnson dominates the second minute but finishes it bumped up against Cloud, a little bereft; last minute will settle the round. Exquisitely close. Johnson probably just about out-pecked him to even it up.

Johnson has been on the body, Cloud is finding Johnson's head, that's the way it's panned out. But there was an interesting moment in the seventh where Johnson, for the first time, doesn't close when Cloud walks out. It's a Johnson round, and he re-takes the lead, but this is an interesting round for the "direction" of the fight.

This is a very, very good fight. Either I didn't see it first time around or I don't remember it as good as it was. In the eighth, Cloud takes off with a beautiful surging assault and finishes the round the same way. IN between, Johnson won't let him rest, but he dropped that round to the younger man.

Glen just works the one-two beginning the ninth round, to middling avail. Cloud is letting him work though. Yeah, he's shelled up a bit here. It's very, very bad timing for letting a round go - Johnson can't lose (on my card) by winning one more round. Needs just 1/3 to avoid defeat. That's a gorgeous position to be in with three left in a tough, tough fight like this.

Johnson is so good strategically. Every time it looks like Cloud will escape him, he comes back with something and in combination, no single shots. But I think that Cloud shaded the crucial tenth on the harder shots. So it's 5-5 with two remaining. Cloud has a little cut just above his left eye but he's not bleeding heavily.

Big eleventh for Cloud. He lands quite of lot of punchers and they're a lot harder than anything Johnson has landed since maybe the third. It's a take charge round at at take charge moment - one thing though. Johnson would have bled Tarver all over the ring at age 36.

So a deciding last round but I can't see how Glen will win it, he looks knackered. I love Glen Johnson.

Johnson:2,3,6,7,9,
Cloud:1,4,5,8,10,11,12

115-113 Cloud.

Not controversial.

 

Tavoris Cloud SD12 Gabriel Campillo

Now I remember this one; there was a bit of a stink on about this one. First round though, looks like just one winner, Campillo, who towers over Cloud, dropped by a straight right hand in behind a faint-like left (though i've never really seen Cloud feint...) goes to the body, then glubs him down with a left hook - not entirely sure that should have been called as such but Cloud will need the point by the sound...Campillo looks reasonably well organised but he's on the run.

Campillo goes right back to boxing moving but he's just kind of flapping. Cloud has nothing to worry about it seems. Glorious right upercut and he's becoming much more fluid...suddenly this is difficult for CLoud. I think the taller man nicked that one.

Cloud has disasters in round 2 and 3, landing almost nothing, getting totally outboxed, Campilo landing some glorious uppercuts from the outside, I love it. Cloud, barely, maybe, scrapes the fourth and it's absolutely crucial that he did so. Potential trouble brewing there. Campillo does the business in the fifth, but Cloud scrapes the sixth for me on the pressure. Cloud is winning rounds very very close when he wins them, but he's absolutely hanging with Campillo on my scorecard because of this.

Campillo dominates through nine at which time he's evened up the fight on my card. Fluid, gorgeous footwork getting round the corner on his man after landing, a great slashing jab, and that uppercut, wow. But Cloud, who looks beaten up still has a chance through 10, 11 and 12, each man needs two of them, so it's a three-round shoot-out.

Campillo kicks the **** out of Cloud through the 10th - in the eleventh, they stop the fight momentarily to look at the cut above his eye and he absolutely comes roaring back after the break and just - just about shades the round based upon the best punch he's landed since the first. Close round but I thought Cloud got it and may have rescued himself. 12th round shoot-out.

Jesus that was close. I gave it to Campillo based on the last combo he landed. Very very close IMO.

8-4 in rounds, 113-112 in points. Things are maybe a little harder than that on Campillo given that I scored Cloud three Cloud rounds extremely close and only one Campillo round close. So, narrow for me. But uncomfortable, if not quite a robbery.

Cloud:1*,4,6,11,
Campillo:2,3,5,7,8,9,10,12.

*Campillo down twice.