the what fights did you watch today\scorecard thread.

Errol Spence SD12 Shawn Porter

I love the way Spence takes a look early. Stays limber, displays his speed. Porter bouncing in his circle, also having a look I suppose - wonder which way he will go? Box and surge or ceaseless pressure? Interesting stuff. Spence, sheer class, lands the clean stuff to take the first, and Porter shows his hand in the second, pressure pressure pressure, he has to take punches but he's scoring points on aggression and landing. It heats up big time in a key second round - Porter nicks it with a left hand late.

Porter rushes Spence bigtime in the third and Spence is equal to it - fights fire with fire, high intensity, low blows form both going in, Spence showing himself equal to a hot, hot pace. Porter gets his range right in the fourth though: this is a thriller. A thriller of which Spence has taken command through six. He's a tough, tough kid. He has no fear of Porter's rushes, he just respects the punches and does his work, backs his timing and his control of distance, which has an end, but an end which Porter has to buy - hot, hot pace.

Interestingly, Porter takes the seventh with some unexpected jabs from his toes, Porter is suddenly boxing at Spence's middle distance, just outside for Porter and the contradiction bothers Spence - will be interesting to see how he adjusts to this. Porter buys the first half of this round with that style and then lets Spence in for the second half, arguably losing that half by a shade but still taking the round. Porter isn't going away. Now Porter's dad, in his corner, IMO he makes the occasional mistakes in calling strategy. It will be interesting to see what they decide to do now after this seventh round success. Big eighth approaches.

Spence pushes out of his corner aggressively and then lands a gorgeous counter left on Porter's jaw as he tries to rush back. That shot hurt Porter and will likely define the round or at least the early part of it. Very, very close and crucial ninth. It's hard to separate them. Porter I think shades it into the last minute, controlling the action, throwing the volume - Spence scoring probably the best punch of the round though and then gets cute indie with cute little upercuts, both landing hard punches, Spence is pushing Porter back though - Jesus it's close. I'll give it to Porter for the aggression. Arguable. You know what. I think Porter wins an arguable tenth as well. It's close but he's controlling the where and the when and he's throwing more punches and it just makes you want to give him the tight rounds. 5-5 after ten.

Thankfully, Spence resumes a modicum of control in the eleventh and twelfth to close out a great fight and take the decision 115-112 after scoring a hard left hook in the pocket in the eleventh and dropping a fatigued Porter for a count. Such a shame Spence had that car crash after this. Real heartbreaker. Real sickener. Porter rematch then a Manny fight would have been totally natural.

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

*Porter down.
7-5 Spence.

 

Manny Pacquiao SD12 Keith Thurman

Manny, basically 41, 2" reach disadvantage, 2" height disadvantage. Manny, I love you bro.

Thurman giving no ground in the first: pays the price after landing some decent shots. Gets rushed back, Pacquiao claiming all of his space, Thurman thinks he can go straight back, not against Manny kid; old man still got it. Sit down, boy. Straight left to the body, gorgeous straightish right while on the rush, you can see he's thrown that punch before.

Thurman is calm in the second, but Manny is taking advantage of his moderate footpseed to peal in on him; Thurman likes his straight right, seems to prefer it to the jab, risky, but not outrageous given how clean he throws that punch. Manny has rolled out of the knockdown in the first round, which he was losing, and has a three-point lead on the cards. Pacquiao is a little more stationary in the third and looks a little more his age. On the other hand, he knows his body - and I think he nicks a close third on a sharp jab, though Thurman is re-emerging now, landing bodyshots and that sneak straight right, so short. Huge fourth round, key round coming up.

This round is barely with Thurman until the fifty second mark when Manny scrapes the clock back and shows what he would have done to Thurman in his prime: knock him the **** out with circular movement and angular combinations. I thought Manny nicked an arguable round in this spell. I'm not sure he can be caught on my card now, I have it 4-zip with a KD.

It seems I spoke too soon as Thurman gathers some middle rounds and stages something of a rally. He's not doing brilliantly, he doesnt' seem capable of hurting this grim veteran in the other corner, but he's getting that right hand across more and more. Manny needs to be just a bit careful here - he's lost the sixth, seventh and eighth consecutively on my card.

Thurman is staging some rally here. This is exciting. He's learned that when he moves without thinking about offence, Manny will miss as long as he isn't going straight back. Furthermore, late in the fight, Manny's speed is dipping a bit and when Thurman lands, Manny will come for him. Thurman knows all these things - he's learning. Manny stops the rot in the tenth, however, Thurman looks tired and disorganised. The Thurman advice in the corner after this round is very depressing. "Try to trap him on the ropes...breath...come on champ." Could do with a bit more than that, he needs the knockout now.

This is twenty years after Manny won his first title at flyweight, by the way.

But it was Thurman who looked the older fighter, beset by the pace, hurt by the exchanges, confounded by the sudden changes. He looks lower of hand and of foot. Manny really is extraordinary.

Manny:1*,2,3,4,5,10,
Thurman: 6,7,8,9,11,12

*Thurman down.

114-113 Manny Pacquiao.

 

Floyd Mayweather UD12 Manny Pacquiao

Fight of the century and that...

Manny is injured, bad shoulder, okay, but that doesn't change the fact that Mayweather claims ring centre with absolute ease in the first round. No opportunities, really, squandered; easy round for Money. Second round he gives up the middle of the ring and goes left-right, then allows himself to be pinned to the ropes and in the corner but sings out that right hand. Prodding with the jab though. Here's a question - is Money at the ropes because he wants to be or because Manny puts him there? Either way I think Manny is not doing great. It's the same old story with Money - he does so well with counters that he reduces, dramatically, the output of the opponent.

And, of course, Manny is injured.

Volume gets Manny the fourth and you wonder if he wouldn't have been able to do more of this if he weren't hurt. That's one question that does emerge from this fight. But Mayweather...he's incredible, he really is, Manny is hurt, but Mayweather is way past prime, his legs are going, and he's so good it doesn't really matter. Manny did well in the fourth but with this referee, the shoulder injury, this fighter - nah, he just doesn't have enough to get it done. Here, Mayweather looks to land the straight right, dip, bump up against Pacquiao and throw him off balance and off the scent. Veteran tricks.

In the fifth Mayweather sits ring centre again, throws out a jab or right hand, comes forwards in a wider stance. This guy knows fighting, doesn't he? He's in no rush, he's just slowing Manny down and then punching when he feels like it to stay ahead in the frame. He sees strategy and tactics both. Why does such an irritating human being have to have access to this brilliance? Guy can't read but he sees the matrix.

Fascinating sixth. Mayweather clearly outlands Manny; Manny has ditched the jab and is swinging from the rigging. He's looking for power punches; Mayweather is taking a lot of this on the gloves and arms but he has Mayweather shaking his head: "no". Which means he's uncomfortable. This is the pace Manny needs to fight at to win this fight - he wins this on the pressure, aggression and volume but there is not quite enough of each to make it feel dominant. 4-2 after six, Manny well in the fight but needs two of the next three at a minimum.

Mayweather reverses this in the seventh by sitting in the middle of the ring again using quick feet to back out while remaining balanced. So hard to rush out of position like we've seen Manny do to so many fighters down the years. Mayweather establishes a jab, doesn't do great work with it, but it boxes Manny a bit. I think, maybe, Pacquiao nicks a very very close eighth though, but Maywether looks insanely confident in this round. Mayweather bags the nine like he's sparring but Manny turns Mayweather's hold-ring-centre strategy against him a bit I think in the tenth, shooting to the body when Mayweather dips. Yeah, Mayweather is blocking a few but i tell you what that makes things interesting going into the eleventh - Manny can bag em both fro a draw on my card.

Nah. Mayweather coasts home. So cool, the slipping so great. Manny is being made to miss and Mayweather is hitting him quite a lot. Domination, baby.

Telll you what this fight is a) much better than I remember and b) a little closer than I remember. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Manny:4,6,8,10.
Money:1,2,3,5,7,9,11,12.

8-4 Mayweather.

 

Not particularly controversial for me.

JONES: 1,2,6,8

ALI: 3,4,5,7,9,10


6-4 Ali