the what fights did you watch today\scorecard thread.

Alvarez: 2,4,5,7*,9,12
Trout: 1,3,6,8,10,11

Very tactical affair. Canelo hasn't mastered his counter punching craft yet and he's being put boxed by Trout. With no other option Canelo accepts the role of puncher in this exchange and tries to pressure Trout and force him onto the back foot.

Trout is displaying an excellent jab and is too big to be pushed around by Canelo.

Through 6 I have it dead even.

Round 7 is a big turning point, Canelo catches Trout with a huge right hand and scores the knockdown.

I gave round 8 to Trout who seemed to get the better work in and again seemed able to out speed Canelo. But then the open scoring is announce, Canelo is pretty much shutting Trout out.

The last 4 rounds see a sense of urgency from Trout as he comes out more aggressively, but this only serves to play into the hands of Canelo who is able to find more success and bank more rounds.

After 11 I have it dead even.

Round 12 is a very close round, I have Alvarez doing the better work and edging it, but like so many of the rounds in this fight it is hard to give it to one man with any serious conviction.

Ultimately I have Canelo winning 114-113 but a whole plethora of scores are available here.

It's clear though that many people missed the point back in this era. Canelo is not a Mexican stye fighter. Trout was the bigger and quicker man,making it very hard for Canelo to outbox him. Canelo is at his best counter punching and he just wasn't able to do that here.

Very competitive fight.

 

Jose Torres v Skeeter McClure

Won't run a card here. I had it 9-0-1 for Torres, giving Skeeter only a share of the 5th. Actual scores were 8-1-1, 8-2 and 6-3-1. I could see stretching the first 2 cards. Skeeter momentarily stunned Torres in the 9th, although Torres had done good work throughout that round and Skeeter just caught him towards the end - not enough on my card to take the round - but how the third judge Frank Forbes came up with only 6-3-1 for Torres is beyond me. Man, he had to be bending over backwards for him on this one. To sum it up, Skeeter had absolutely nothing in his toolbox that could deter Torres. He lacked the punch and his nice jab was picked off by the Cus D'Amato's peek-a-boo guard. Meanwhile, Torres thumped hard to body and head throughout. Skeeter was brave, but outgunned.

 

Alvarez:
Mayweather: 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12

This fight was utterly one sided and really exposed the weaknesses Canelo showed in the Trout fight.

Mayweather was quicker, with better timing, and all this on the front foot. So Canelo had no shot of out boxing him.

But when Canelo tried to up the aggression, whereas Trout made him miss, Mayweather makes him pay. Such flush counters that Alvarez just wasn't able to walk through.

Canelo would try to put together his big combinations but Floyd was too elusive, and would punctuate them with counters of his own.

This is a man vs a boy. An absolute schooling.

Floyd past his best, Canelo not yet at his. If ever there's a definition of passing of the torch, this is it. In true P4P style.

Shut out. And a humbling lesson for Canelo. Back to back fights he's been unable to counter how he wants, unable to be the boxer.

Great victory for Floyd. I don't care about the catch weight.

 

Alvarez:1,2,3,4,5,6,7,9,ko
Angulo: 8

This, this is the way Canelo wants to fight. Defensively minded, countering, pressing forward creating opportunities.

It's funny because when I watch these fights I always read back over the rbr threads and the amount of people calling him caneloweather is funny, as if he has had a huge shift in style.

I think watching his fights, this has always been his style, he just improved at it.

Round 8 was a good round for Angulo who really pushed Alvarez back and threw his all at him. But that was his last great hurrah as Alvarez stopped him in the 10th when he landed too many clean shots.

 

Eusebio Pedroza W15 Jose Caba

The completist in me wanted to get around to this one and really that's about the only reason anyone would. It's not a good fight to be honest, but I'd seen all of Pedroza's other defenses so had a box to tick.

This is the period that begins Pedroza's inevitable albeit graceful slide from force of nature dominant champion to cracked, aging warhorse on the downside. His feet are still good but he's missing a certain buoyancy in his movement, and he doesn't attack with the same inexhaustible zeal as previously. Caba is 26 and the father of six as reported by announcer Chris Schenkel, so has a lot to fight for. Problem is, he's just not very good. Decently schooled but no dynamic qualities whatsoever, and no snap in his punches, he just pushes them. Still, Pedroza is forced to go the distance here, a sign of deterioration in the champion's facade. He turns back the clock a bit in round 12, when he spends the whole round belaboring Caba with his best shots against the ropes but Caba hangs in, bless him. The rest of it is pretty pedestrian, and a near clean sweep.......

1. Pedroza
2. Pedroza
3. Even
4. Caba
5. Pedroza
6. Pedroza
7. Pedroza
8. Pedroza
9. Pedroza
10. Caba (perhaps out of sympathy)
11. Pedroza
12. Pedroza (big round for him)
13. Pedroza
14. Pedroza
15. Pedroza

148-138 Pedroza.

 

Juan Martin Coggi vs Eder Gonzalez 2

1 Gonzalez 10-8 knockdown
2 Gonzalez
3 Coggi scores 2 knockdowns and Richard Steele stops the fight

I just watched Coggi vs Gonzalez 2 for the first time, after reading the recent thread about him. This was actually pretty entertaining fight. And it's never talked about as one of the best short fights, Coggi gets dropped heavily in the 1st, gets rocked again in the 2nd. Gets a nasty cut in the 3rd which possibly could lose him the fight, and then comes back and stops Gonzalez with 2 knockdowns, very entertaining fight worth watching.

One for @OP_TheJawBreaker to add to his lists of short fights that are entertaining.

 

Alvarez:5,6,7,8,9,11,12
Lara: 1,2,3,4,10,

Lara starts off this fight well in control and for the first 3 rounds it looks like a repeat of the Mayweather fight. Lara is dancing out of range, digging in big counters and really marking up Canelo.

But in round 4 there's a shift. Canelo finds the plan B he never could against Mayweather. He bites down, takes the hits, and applies pressure. This round was very hard to score but I think Canelo did just a bit too much following.

Rounds 5 and 6 the pressure of Canelo is paying off, he is out landing Lara now, is very clearly the ring general and is now bossing the fight.

6 rounds in I have Lara 2 up.

Canelo starts the second half as he finished it, presses Lara really well and bosses the fight. This continues up until round 10.

Round 10 sees Lara up his activity but still stay defensively savvy enough to avoid a lot of Canelos best shots. Good round for Lara who was in danger of being steamrolled down the stretch. 5 rounds a piece now.

Round 11 and 12 Lara couldn't maintain the activity levels. He did land some very clean counters but not enough to outdo the ring general ship and aggression being shown by Canelo.

Very hard fight to score. In particular rounds 4,5,11 and 12.

But I have it 115-113 for Canelo.

 

Walter McGowan W15 Salvatore Burruni

@McGrain recommended this. Such sublime, intrinsic boxing brought to bear by the Scotsman, who, at 23, was ten years the champion's junior. This was competitive through six, after which point McGowan's young legs carried him to a decisive victory. I had him sweeping the cards after the sixth round. Side-to-side movement, subtle, effective head movement and a terrific jab completely stymied the Italian, who apparently had issues making weight. I scored it, despite some rounds being lightly truncated.......

1. Even
2. McGowan
3. McGowan
4. Burruni
5. Burruni
6. Burruni
7. McGowan
8. McGowan
9. McGowan
10. McGowan
11. McGowan
12. McGowan
13. McGowan
14. McGowan
15. McGowan

147- 140 McGowan. One of the slickest boxing displays you'll see. McGowan's skin was his only curse.

 

Sal, have you ever seen Caba's fight with Jackie Beard? Close, tough and entertaining. And that was the level Caba was at. I would suggest watching that fight though. A good one.

 

Alvarez: 1*,2,ko
Kirkland:

So Alvarez has now cleaned out a division he no longer fights in lol. I was so frustrated at this 155 pound malarkey, but I guess with Floyd keeping his belts despite returning to WW it was a bit of a middle finger to the industry.

Again, this is a fight I never felt Canelo would take.

The guy was a very young Mexican belt holder. He didn't have to fight Trout, Floyd, Lara or Kirkland. All very risky fights that he could have easily avoided with his leverage.

The idea he is now too small for MW, even though he walks in the ring above 170 is and always will be ludicrous.

But tonight he was a stone cold killer. Kirkland (who always reminds me of story mode FN champion) came to win and was completely out classed.

Great victory.

How was this 7 years ago.

 

I was in Houston for work with two co-workers. We arrived on Friday and had a full Saturday scheduled outside of town. I got on the internet and on the phone calling around trying to find a sports bar to watch it. Finally found one and, luckily, it was about 15 minutes from our hotel on the road we’d be traveling back.

So we finish and we’re headed back and the card has started. I’m keeping up with the undercard on my phone — was that Garcia-Matthyse? — and counting down as we try to make it in time.

Pull up and the parking lot is past full, overflowing. The main event is about to start. We walk in and pay a cover and it’s standing room only. And we are, I’m certain, the only non-Hispanics in the building.

So the fight starts and pretty soon that place is just quiet as a tomb, round after round. Canelo can’t do anything that would get them excited, he’s getting picked apart and shut out.

We stayed quiet as three church mouses. A few people glare at us. We just stand and watch and as soon as it’s over we make our way out. You could feel the misplaced hostility (honestly I’m a Canelo guy and the other two weren’t big boxing fans, they just wanted to go with me and see the fight and have a good time, no rooting interest for sure).

Anyway, it was a masterclass performance because Canelo at this stage, while not what he would become, is still a damned good fighter … and he couldn’t have hit Floyd with a handful of rice.

 

Orlando Canizales v Billy Hardy 1

I can’t post a complete card as rounds 2, 3, 4 and 5 were missing. From what I saw, Canizales was on top between rounds 6-9 before Hardy rallied over the next two.

Based on what I saw, I’d have Canizales significantly ahead so Hardy would have had to do some impressive work in the missing rounds to be ahead at the end.

1 10-9 (good, competitive opener)

(Rounds 2-5 missing)

6 10-9 (Canizales in control and landing a lot)
7 10-9 (close. Better from Hardy)
8 10-9 (close. Argument for Hardy who was showing some solid defense but Canizales landed a little more overall)
9 10-8 (Hardy down from a wicked left hook to the body. Fights back well as he was hurt)
10 9-10 (close. Hardy boxing off the back foot and picking his shots well)
11 9-10 (Hardy landed a few more clean shots. Good back and forth action)
12 10-9 (Canizales won the first 2 minutes, Hardy finished strong over the last minute)

 

Alvarez:6, 7,8,9,10,11,12
Cotto: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

The first 3 rounds Cotto seems a level above. He's so sharp, accurate, pin point, technically sound and quicker than Canelo. He seems totally able to pick him apart from range.

In rounds 4 and 5 Canelo is able to start timing Cotto, he isn't really making him pay, but he is now starting to make him miss.

Round 6 sees Canelo now start to time Cotto with counter shots and he's now able to pick Cotto apart. Interesting he didn't decide to become the pressure fighter he didn't against Lara, he must have been more confident here that he could successfully outbox Cotto, which makes the rounds closer than I'd expect. If he's to be correct he's left it late and needs to really close the show.

6 rounds in and I have Cotto 4 rounds up.

The second half of the fight Canelo just completely takes over. He's outboxing Cotto, hurting Cotto and forcing Cotto into a retreat as he dominates those last few rounds.

With hindsight it's amazing he doesn't knock Cotto out.

115-113 Canelo

 

Alvarez:ko
Khan: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

This was an absolute masterclass by Khan, until it wasn't.

Canelo just had no answer for the speed and movement from Khan. And watching all these Canelo fights so close together, it's quite obvious he isn't yet the finished product.

He isn't as strong as he became, his timing is nowhere near as good as it is now.

His style absolutely does not suit being the slower man.

His front foot countering is pretty non existant at the higher level.

And despite this bs claim as MW champ, he's still very much a light middleweight.

I'd never really appreciated how far from the finished article he was down at LMW, but it's glaringly obvious when you watch his career back.

Even in this fight people are still calling for him to attack Khan like he's a typical Mexican puncher. They don't appreciate his style and what he wants to box like. Because he doesn't really do it all that well just yet.

 

Alvarez: 1, 3,4, 7*, 8*,ko
Liam Smith: 2,5, 6

This fight is the one that looking back, I think ended Canelo's "apprenticeship" he has now honed his style, and also proven that he's still a 154 pound fighter. Ignoring all the 155 champ bs, this whole time he's been a LMW improving his craft. He didn't have a long amateur career, I don't know if he had any tbh, so he's been learning on the job.

And whilst he has been a fantastic fighter, he's been one who is constantly improving fight by fight.

And this fight here, despite how much I didn't like it at the time, has been perfect for him. Not only has he shown to the world he really has just been a LMW the last few years, he's also fought a big punching pressure fighter who comes in behind the jab, which is perfect prep for Golovkin.

Now don't get me wrong, Canelo lost some rounds here and it was a very competitive fight. He had to absorb some of the pressure whilst he worked the body early on, but my did it pay off as he drops Smith 3 times with body shots.

This Canelo, who is patient, hard hitting, can fight off the ropes, can time, can walk forward looking for openings, who can whip his hooks on rapid, this is the Canelo we now know. He looks so much stronger now, so much more refined.

Would this Canelo have beaten Mayweather? It's hard to say. But in convinced he'd have taken more rounds than 0. I'm also convinced this is the start of his peak.