the what fights did you watch today\scorecard thread.

Tomas Rojas UD12 Kohei Kono

This one is kind of a tie-breaker as to who will be remembered as a significant superfly from the last decade (Even if it's just for weirdoes like me). The loser falls away, the winner probably deserves to become a historical fistic footnote. Or may be not, I don't know

Kono was this weird cult figure in Japan, and you can see why. Aggressive to a fault he was disorganised, had a great chin on him (At least until Inoue got his hands on him one-up) and unorthodox. In essence, he's fun to watch. Rojas on the other hand, is tall slim and weaves classic punches together well in bunches, though his southpaw jab is always a little pawing. Still, he has fun here and is soon leading with his right hand. Kono's attacks are a little comedic in terms of how wide he goes and Rojas has little to no problem in scoring heavily with the neater punches. He throws in volume towards the end of the second, unconcerned with what is coming back.

Kono drives him back and manhandles him a bit at the opening of the third but Rojas comes back with more careful long shots from the outside. Kono has a smidge of a blueprint there though, for all that one suspects he will have to wait for Rojas to fade to implement it. He gets loser in the fourth though - Rojas lands too many clean shots to lose it, probably, but he is missing more and Kono is right on him. I guess Kono will start winning rounds pretty soon.

Rojas abandons headshots in the fifth - outworks Kono to the body. Kono seems unconcerned about this approach also and remains firmly in the pocket. It's gone from one-sided but entertaining to competitive but entertaining - still a hot mess though. Rojas back on his bike and throwing straight punches to begin the sixth - he does ok keeping it going too. He also punches Kono right in the nuts. Kono takes a healthy break. Sore one. Anyway, I now have Kono needing fireworks to win six-zip. Kono takes a vicious body beating in the seventh. He is crouching now with a low guard.

Ninth is very close! Kono is actually boxing a little crooked now sort of bent across himself, shying away, but still bringing significant pressure and he dashes Rojas along a rope at one point - probably still loses the round and even looks int rouble in the final minute, but signs of something like hope here. He gets hit hard with a bodyshot in the tenth though after good work in the first half of the round, and just fades. He's only got two rounds left to win one!!

He wins the twelfth! And how, in style...Rojas looks great in the eleventh, on his toes, circling, good hitting, full of energy - in the twelfth he looks to hold his ground a bit, score jabs, straights, and uppercuts to the body. Lands, too - but Kono keeps coming, knowing his only chance is a KO and he nearly gets it. Bothering Rojas with bodyshots, he beats him around the ring, inflicting disorganization before stiffening him with a right hand and volleying him to the canvas. Rojas had just enough to get him home - wish i'd seen this one live, it was thrilling even knowing the result.

Despite the beating (never quite disturbing) it was a fun fight. Kono just isn't in **** fight, doesn't do them.

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

*Rojas down.

118-109

Official: 116-111, 116-111, 118-109.

 

Carlos Cuadras TD8 Wisaksil Wangek

This one was abandoned early, tragically, by a headclash resulting in a cut over Cuadras's eye. Never satisfying - but still, it's a defining win given what Wangek went on to do (become the greatest superfly of is era, specifically). Cuadras doensn't have the best start by my eye. He keeps ahead of his man but gets hit harder than his man when he closes. SO he's got the right idea but it's having the wrong outcome. Cuadras can't just run and jab because Wangek will steam roll him but he's getting out-squabbled when he chooses his moments. Still, I think he's solved it by round's end - jabs and fast bodyshots are going to be the medicine. Counter-flurries rather than counter-punches.

Cuadras looks weird. Corncrows he's sporting today, and that wild back acne. He looks more like a dangerous meth addict than an elite fighter. He is one though...looks one in the second, punishing every over-exetension with two-handed flurries. My diagnosis was right bar the jab. Wangek hasn't gone away - but he is getting beaten to the punch and out-generalled.

Wangek has a point removed for the fourth round headclash at the beginning of the fifth to add to his not insignificant woes. Cuadras's bleeding is under control though, looks OK. Maybe he's a little disturbed though -I think he might drop the fifth on the pressure, the activity, Wangek brings. He still lands the better shots but Wangek has closed on him a bit.

By the seventh, Wangek is taking more chances, stepping across Cuadras as he retreats, opening himself up to punches but landing some of his own. He's still being outlanded but he is now landing the harder shots - making these rounds questionable for the first time, first and fifth aside. You have to be careful here because the temptation is always to give close rounds to the man who is way behind but I think he's good for the seventh...a left hand to the body with fifth seconds remaining clearly really hurts him and puts the round beyond dispute.

Another head clash in the eighth ends the fight. Teh 15 complete seconds are supposed toe be scored, but **** that. Interesting that Wangek's best round was the seventh, beyond dispute. That's an argument for his "coming on" right at the end of the fight.

But Wangek didn't show enough to make this victory questionable - that vicious bodyshot in the seventh makes me wonder though.

CUADRAS:1,2,3,4*,6.
WANGEK:5,7.

*Wangek point off for heads.

 

Big call that...not enough to make that call for me. It was hurtful but it was one punch and the man came out in the eighth like it was the fourth. Still, Wangek was getting closer.

Cuadras has the style to beat him though, no two ways about that.

 

Roman Gonzalez UD12 Carlos Cuadras

This one was controversial, with no reason as I remember it. Do love Gonzlaez though so perhaps i'm being a little biased. Let's look.

Cuadras comes out stiff, looking to trade and then move off, he's a little more focused in terms of positioning than we saw against Wangek; i like this strategy. Fighting Gonzalez is a nightmare, if you give ground, he steamrolls you, if you stand your ground, he will outland you. This halfway house for strategy is the right one. And it bears fruit int he first; Cuadras isn't dominant but he is marginally better. Left handed counter-uppercut from Cuadras is the defining punch.

Roman goes fight crazy in the second though, jogging after his man, throwing two-handed. Cuadras is missing a bit - seems a little panicked - the up/down left hook in the middle of the round puts him in the box seat and he has firm control of the real-estate, the action and is landing more punches, the better punches. Both have agreed that jabs are a waste of time. So it goes through the fifth; I can't see any argument for Cuadras winning any of these rounds. He is outlanding Cuadras with the better shots across all four rounds. In that fifth though, Caudras looks the part. He is looking for the left hand, he is still moving well, and although Gonzalez wins a thrilling round, it's closer.

What is happening here is that Cuadras's size has eliminated Gonzalez's ability to wither. Meanwhile hisown eyes are showing the sign of combat, he is bleeding and mouse. There is a chance that this fight might roll against him in the second half of this fight. Cuadras heralds it by winning a marginal sixth. Gonzalez rallies thrillingly in the seventh, bags the round clearly with precise aggression. That is a champion's round; that is a round that makes a champion. Bit workmanlike though; maybe the better for that. It makes the eighth even more important, a round on which the fight turns. Gonzalez bags it for me, and it's not all that close - when he takes the ninth, too, he's beyond reach for me.

Gonzalez indisputably won 2,3,4,5,7 and 9. Arguments about the other rounds can be had, but there are arguments to be had - you'd be doing well to find all six for Cuadras. A clear win for Gonzalez. A very good fight though. All the conspiracies swirling around Gonzalez at the time and Cuadras doing well are probably what created the false controversy.

Gonzalez:2,3,4,5,7,8,9,12.
Cuadras:1,6,10,11.

116-112

Official: 115-113, 116-112, 117-111.