the what fights did you watch today\scorecard thread.

salsanchezfan · Nov 8, 2020

John Collins W10 Lenny Lapaglia

What a fun fight and novel concept; two undefeated, up and coming fighters actually fighting each other. Big kudos to both for manning up and providing the kind of crossroads bout that enriches the sport.

In this Battle For Chicago, the Italian vs. Irish angle was heavily played up and culminated in Collins' ring entrance which featured a slew of bagpipes and a midget dressed as a leprechaun. You can't make this $%&@ up, it was terrific.

Lapaglia comes in at 19-0 all by KO, while Collins is at 26-0 with 24 stoppages. Lapaglia is taking a bigger step here though, and it shows.

They come out hot, hurting each other in the first before settling down into a bull (Lapaglia)- matador (Collins) kind of fight. Both are there to be hit. I have Lapaglia winning 2,3, and 4 just on his bullish aggression, but at the end of the fourth he lands after the bell and Collins retaliates, dropping Lenny heavily. It changes the tenor of the bout though a lot of it had also to do with Lapaglia simply gassing. Not accustomed to having to go many rounds.

Collins boxes fairly well and takes increasing control as the rounds mount, and he roars out and drops Lapaglia hard in the 10th. Lenny rises on failing legs and is lucky the bell rang. He was utterly gone and a stiff breeze would have put him out.

Fun if rough around the edges kind of fight, all too uncommon in the coming years.

1. C
2. L
3. L
4. L
5. C
6. C
7. C
8. C
9. C
10. C, 10-8.

97-92, Collins.

scartissue · Nov 8, 2020

Luis Rodriguez v Skeeter McClure II

Round 1: 10-10 Even
Round 2: 10-9 LR
Round 3: 10-9 LR
Round 4: 10-9 LR
Round 5: 10-9 LR
Round 6: 10-8 LR (scores a knockdown)
Round 7: 9-9 Even (Rodriguez wins the round but is penalized a point for a low blow)
Round 8: 10-9 LR
Round 9: 10-9 LR
Round 10: 10-9 LR

Total: 99-90 Rodriguez (actual scores: 97-93, 97-93 and 97-92 all for Rodriguez)

I was not as generous as the judges were to Skeeter. I just didn't think he was able to mount any kind of attack or follow a gameplan. Rodriguez just kept in his face and then slathered the body. Whereas, Skeeter couldn't establish a jab or score with any combos. All he did was swing from the fences when Rodriguez got close. Luis Rodriguez simply outworked him in a sometimes entertaining and messy fight.

McGrain · Nov 8, 2020

Nkosinathi Joyi UD12 Joey Canoy

This was an astonishing surprise IMO, and one of the nicest stories of last year. Joyi - done - comes back from losses at the regional level to win a strap at 105lbs against the world's number six contender, Joey Canoy. Joyi, notably slower of hand and foot but you can see he's done it all before and he still has that wonderful judge of distance and that ability to step into the distance at which his opponent might be vulnerable and where he might find solace.

Joyi's jab was so often a great weapon, but in recent times not so much, here it's right on point, especially in the third where he uses it as a hurtful, malicious punch. This opens up Canoy to the body and Joyi proves that he remains the best minimumweight bodypuncher since the departure of Roman Gonzalez for 108lbs.

Canoy has some luck with slingshot lefts from the southpaw stance, but Joyi just touches him with numbing regularity, sometimes moving his jaw with blows. By the sixth, Canoy is looking for hiding places in and around the ropes, definitely not finding any as Joyi catches him with a hideous looking hook to the body seconds before the bell. It's a hard night's work this.

By the time (ninth) Joyi (who is 37) has started to slip a bit, Canoy is a little too beaten up to take full advantage, although he does win the eighth and the ninth on my card - with the fight still in touching distance. Arguably wins the ten, too, Joyi just kind of freezes up a bit in terms of his mobility when he's tired (not unfair) and gets hit with these punches he would gather on his gloves early doors. I could, and do, argue that Canoy has won the tenth, too, which is making this pretty close. Joyi looks really pensive in the eleventh. He's relying purely upon his jab to keep his man honest. Canoy looks fresher though it's Joyi coming forwards.

Champion's round from Joyi in the twelfth! He finds the chin with three or four big punches in the early part of the round to sneak the frame and the fight. Experience counts.

Joyi:1,2,3,5,6,7,12.
Canoy:4,8,9,10,11.

115-113 Joyi

Official cards are a bit mad looking on first site: 117-111, 117-112, 119-109.

But being honest, because I have all three arguable rounds going to Canoy, it's not unreasonable.

McGrain · Nov 9, 2020

Hekkie Budler UD12 Michael Landero

I like Budler. Good chin, busy. He's not careful enough in the first though, which he dominates early only to unwind all that good work by standing in front of his guy and getting hit by hard flurries. Clearly needs to stay mobile - I can't see how he would lose rounds if he does though. Budler has him measured for his counters as early as round 2 - if this doesn't prove to be overconfidence he would seem to have a free reign on throwing single hard shots when Landero is covered up. But again, he stays still too long in the second and ends up in a hard exchange that is not necessary, at least not yet. Still, it leads to a hotly contested, fun fourth. Budler the clear winner though, drives Landero back to the corner and beats on him a bit, always plenty coming back though. Great bodywork at the end of the fifth from Budler. He has really good variety, it's fun to watch him fully deployed - and I feel sorry for Landero but he's throwing back, he's being beat, but it's not like he can't keep Budler honest and is being thrashed.

Great fighting at the end of the sixth! Landero may be outclassed but he's not afraid. And I even managed to give him a round (Arguable). Landero pretty much surrenders in the eighth though, gets hit up and down the ropes and cornered. He tried to fight his way out twice, the second time with a very impressive flurry, but it's seconds versus minutes.

An arguable shut out then. Weird to say, but Terry O'Connor refereed this one and did a really good job. Really good. First half of the fight was also quite good.

Budler:1,2,3,4,5,7,8,9,10,12.
Landero:6,11.

McGrain · Nov 9, 2020

Hekkie Budler UD12 Chaozhong Xiong

I'll say this for Xiong, he's lost to some good fighters. First round explodes a bit just shy of the final minute after a long period of feeling one another out - I tend to think Xiong won a very close first with a two-piece and body shot in the final forty seconds. The Chinese then puts himself firmly control in the second, blasting Budler around the ring with power-punches, two of them, he slips, loses his footing and then a third left hook blasts Budler to the canvas, badly hurt, Xiong comes for him with a minute left. It was a wonderful punch, stepping in, all angles, through the head of Budler. Now Budler relies upon those feet and that defence to keep him out of trouble - doesn't really work, he gets hit and he gets handled.

The third is almost as beautiful; you know the story, Xiong comes looking for the stoppage, Budler boxes his way back into control using his reach advantage. Catches Xiong with some very nice jabs, bring him on to a flash knockdown that restores the nearness of the cards. Right hook from square, nothing like as beautiful as Xiong's KD, but played itself out real pretty. Budler takes the sting right out of the fight to bag the fourth and despite the occasional zip in Xiong's attacks, that does not bode well for the smaller man.

Dull, dull, dull. But dull suits Budler. It's an excellent disciplined performance, because he loves the infighting. Here he keeps it at distance and racks up boring points. Too easy to be interesting. Xiong is moving mostly to his left, trying to flash his way in, but it's pretty predictable. He goes dashing in, then comes flying out, usually having achieved very little. Even when he does land, how many such blows are required to bring parity to Budler's dominating outside? Xiong looks bereft, planless, stupid even. A good start wasted. When he hooks his way to the tenth, he wins his first round since the second.

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

*Budler down
**Xiong down

George Crowcroft · Nov 9, 2020

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After talking about him before, figured I score some Canto's fights which I haven't scored yet.

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10 : 9
9 : 10*
10 : 9
10 : 9
9 : 10 (48/47)
9 : 10
9 : 10
9 : 10*
10 : 9
10 : 9 (95/95)
10 : 9
10 : 9
10 : 9
9 : 10
10 : 9 (
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)

Looked like a knockdown in the first, wasn't ruled as such. In fact, I'm almost convinced it was one, as Canto's right hand definitely landed and he was definitely down as a result.

Canto's jab, his bread and butter, didn't really work here. He really tried to get it too, moving toward the inside to align the foot exchange to his better; failing. Shoji's pawing southpaw lead which doubled as a feint was really bugging Canto early on (as it did in their first, and I'm sure their second), and he used it to both make Canto lead, and set up a painful looking right hook to the body. His left hand didn't land much, but it did shift his weight forward, thus putting him in range with the right. His right hook was very sneaky, he had Canto's left hand timed well with it, and his biggest scoring shots IMO were his right hook counter (to Canto's jab/hook, when Oguma had him lead) and his right hook to the body.

Canto definitely started to do better and win rounds clearer and clearer when he realised he needed to abandon his jab and stick to countering Oguma's rushes. Brilliant performance in that regard. He really did make the most of that unnatural accuracy which his awareness of distance gave him.

Like I said though, Shoji's lead hand was troubling, and his left really helped set it up weirdly. I think this points toward Canto having big trouble with someone like Too Sharp.

scartissue · Nov 9, 2020

Goyo Vargas v Kevin Kelley

I'm pretty sure I saw this back in the day, but I can't recall. Anyways, here we go with a good fight.

Round 1: 10-9 Kelley
Round 2: 10-9 Kelley
Round 3: 10-9 Vargas
Round 4: 10-9 Kelley
Round 5: 10-9 Kelley
Round 6: 10-9 Kelley
Round 7: 10-9 Vargas
Round 8: 10-9 Kelley
Round 9: 10-8 Vargas (scores a knockdown)
Round 10: 10-10 Even
Round 11: 10-10 Even
Round 12: 10-9 Vargas

Total: 115-114 Kelley (actual scores: 115-112, 115-112 and 116-111 all for Kelley)

Kelley boxed and countered like a dream the first half of the fight before Vargas began turning the heat up in the second half. It looked like another round and he would have had Kelley. I cannot agree with the judges on their comfort/onesidedness of this fight. It was damn close, as Harold Lederman's score showed (114-113 for Kelley). BTW, Vargas' corner was comedic in their ineptness. We were well into the age of the endswell at this time when I saw them between rounds trying to hold up bits of shredded ice to reduce the swelling on Vargas' right eye. For shame.

roughdiamond · Nov 10, 2020

Marco Antonio Barrera VS Frankie Toledo

Barrera : Toledo

1: 10 - 9 (Barrera taking it in the last minute due to his powerful counter combos and reflexes).
2: TKO

Notes:
Barrera was a force of nature at this point in time. This was a brutal and well executed finish on Toledo as he lay on the ropes.

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scartissue · Nov 10, 2020

roughdiamond said: ↑

Marco Antonio Barrera VS Frankie Toledo

Barrera : Toledo

1: 10 - 9 (Barrera taking it in the last minute due to his powerful counter combos and reflexes).
2: TKO

Notes:
Barrera was a force of nature at this point in time. This was a brutal and well executed finish on Toledo as he lay on the ropes.

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Click to expand...

You're right, he was like a machine. Brutal to the body and head.

scartissue · Nov 10, 2020

I also watched Barrera's fight with Kevin Kelley. Pretty simple stuff for MAB. Dropped Kelley in the 1st, won the 2nd and 3rd, dropped him twice in the 4th and then the ref intervened. Great stuff. Still hard to fathom how Junior Jones took his measure twice. Everyone has a boogey-man.

salsanchezfan · Nov 10, 2020

At George's direction (nay, insistence) I watched a Miguel Canto fight finally, his second fight with Betulio Gonzalez. The fact this was a split verdict is ridiculous. The offending judge should have had his license revoked for life. I had Gonzalez, a fine fighter in his own right, winning just two rounds, the 9th and 14th.

Canto is interesting; he doesn't hit hard, but throws very pretty punches and his economy is reminiscent of a Napoles; very busy and accurate left thrown any way you can imagine, and deft but understated feet. He must hit harder than it looks because Gonzalez, a big, strong-looking flyweight doesn't just walk him down the way you'd think he eventually would if the power wasn't some kind of issue. He reacts to the feints, tries to defend as best he can, all of it, letting us know he at least respects Canto's pop if not exactly afraid of it.

Canto's defense it ingenious; he extends his arms, waves them around and gives the illusion he's doing things even when he isn't which keeps the opponent busy. Not exactly an unheard of move, but smart nonetheless. His right, mostly I guess due to his size disadvantage, is almost never thrown as an overhand as that would expose too much, so he rolls to his right and throws it here as an uppercut almost exclusively. Betulio is left to swat at air, though he never stops trying.

Brilliant fighter.

McGrain · Nov 10, 2020

Thammanoon Niyomtrong UD12 Carlos Buitrago, 2014.

Niyo steps into the world class against undefeated contender Buitrago. Buitrago had a fine first, using that left hand as a spear, but Niyo appears in the fight quickly, parrying, reverse one-two - these touches speak of a fighter of a higher class. Some of the zinging one-twos in the second underline the fact. I'm a big fan of the Niyo style. Swarms in, careful, very hard punches thrown in 2s or 3s. He has good defensive fundamentals and moving across him is stupid. He is an opportunist. Officials have this one close, but I can't see how Buitrago wins another round.

In the sixth though, Niyo looks a little tired and is holding a little and missing. Buitrago still looks composed. Niyo is also marked up by the jab which has been consistent. In the seventh, Niyo is cut to the left eye, and has been out-hit in close quarters, over-extending, defensively vulnerable to more than the jab for the first time. His tail will be up. Buitrago jabs his way to the eighth (nice right to the body, too) and just like that it's a close fight again.

I like how they're still boxing their plans not he twelfth, no madness, just well-drilled fighters fighting very hard. This was very close. It felt like a minor-rally in the ninth for Niyo and he drew the eleventh by a sliver (also had an argument for the tenth though). Buitrago was good for his rematch.

Niyomtrong:2,3,4,5,6,9,11.
Buitrago:1,7,8,10,12.

115-113 Niyomtrong.

McGrain · Nov 10, 2020

Thammanoon Niyomtrong UD12 Carlos Buitrago, 2016.

Lead left uppercut to open the second is a peach; the third is an excellent round decided by margins of bodypunching. In the end though, the first half of the fight is the same as the first half of the last; the difference here is the second half of the fight. Niyo, who had never done 12 before the first fight is now a 12 round fighter and capable of sustaining pressure and work deep into the fight.

Interesting pair charting an elite fighter's final rise. Niyo gives him a really nice smile while slipping punches in the twelfth, "won't be seeing you again."

Niyomtrong:2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12.
Buitrago:1,4.

scartissue · Nov 10, 2020

Julio Cesar Chavez v Frankie Randall III

Roughdiamond recommended this on the thread 'Favorite Chavez fights' as a fun fight. I knew they were both jaded by this time but I gave it a go.

Round 1: 10-9 Chavez
Round 2: 10-9 Chavez
Round 3: 10-9 Chavez
Round 4: 10-9 Randall
Round 5: 10-9 Chavez
Round 6: 10-9 Chavez
Round 7: 10-9 Chavez
Round 8: 10-9 Randall
Round 9: 10-9 Chavez
Round 10: 10-9 Chavez

Total: 98-92 Chavez (actual scores: 99-91, 98-92 and another 98-92 all for Chavez)

To begin, if you were looking for them to be as fast and sharp as in their youth, you came to the wrong place. But what they offered in pure heart was off the charts. Two warriors at 40 plus years of age and they put on a damn good show. Both these two just never stopped trying to the bitter end. And the 10th was about the best round because they both let it all hang out to that final bell. Again, it wasn't 1994, but I enjoyed it.

clum · Nov 11, 2020

George Crowcroft said: ↑

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The reason this is my favorite Canto performance is that it was not like the Furesawa fight or even the ones with Gonzalez, where he basically got to fight how he liked and do what he did best. Here his usual tricks were not working, and as you noted you almost could see him inventorizing what could stay, what had to go, and what he needed to add as the fight progressed. For one thing, even though I've seen Canto called a one-handed fighter before, for this one a lot of his best scoring was with his right.

When I scored this a few months back, I think I had Oguma taking four of the first five with Canto starting to figure things out in the middle third of the fight (so flipped with how you saw it), and then we both had him controlling the final third. Overall, not a schooling or anything like that, but I just really like that he couldn't do what he wanted, he was up against one of the best flyweights of the era, and he still won. To me that's a bigger testament to his greatness than taking apart Furesawa. And, hey, he even convinced the Japanese judge to vote for him and earned a unanimous decision, which was really hard to do at that time.

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