the what fights did you watch today\scorecard thread.

George Kambsos SD12 Lee Selby

Selby gets off to a fast start with the jab and probably scoops up the first two rounds, second round is very close though. Kambosos puts a serous marker down in the fourth, rattles Selby a bit and he ends up on the front foot trying to catch Kambosos up. The fourth looks clear for Kambosos for me and that footwork, beautiful, he's matching Selby throughout when Selby circles away, sometimes even while walking sort of backwards across. Another disgraceful commentary from Sky, apparently Kambosos is "throwing nothing" and it's "hard to score the round for him becasue his workrate is so low." I'd bet he outlanded Selby this round but if I lost that bet, he still landed the more meaningful punches. The fight is not good though. Selby fights often aren't good.

3-3 after six.

Kambosos clearly had the better of the second half of the fight and I think you could argue it a little wider; I gave Selby the two rounds i saw as very very close. Kambosos out-slicked Selby here, he was quicker to the punch, good with the counter, and when he elected to deploy the jab (bit rarer than it should have been) he won that battle too.

Kambosos:3,4,6,7,9,10,12.
Lee Selby:1,2,5,8,11.

115-113 Kambosos.

 

George Kambosos SD12 Teofimo Lopez

This is the third and final SD that put Kambosos right at the top of the division and from (compromised) memory, probably the least controversial. Also, it's satisfying to see Lopez beat.

Lopez opens ultra-aggressive and you know having seen him fight today that he's asking to be countered. Lopez warned in the first 30 seconds for dirty fighting, hitting on the break specifically and a great left-hook counter to the next bullrush. Lopez was a 13-1 favourite here according to commentary. He does start to land on the two-minute mark, but Kambosos then cools his **** with the jab. Lively. Teo lands two great right hands to Kambosos who looks like he might be about to get overwhelmed when "all of a sudden" Kambosos leads with a right of his own and the seemingly posed Lopez is flashed. They jaw at bell, I like that.

Lopez calms his **** down a little bit and out-scores Kambosos as a result, you can kind of see Kambosos looking at him again like "what you up to." He's a sharper fighter than given credit for I think. Moving away in small increments, circling tight, taking opportunities without risk to keep himself in the rounds - but not win. He's obviously decided that enough is enough in the fourth and takes a few risks and it works out for him. The left up and the right down are the weapons of choice but he ups down on both sides. He's not that busy, so it's a notable thing that just opens up more planes of uncertainty for Lopez. It feels very much like Kambosos has a great feel for what is happening in a given round.

Kambosos should be made for Lopez. He is smaller, not that active, and he lets Lopez get his momentum together. But Kambosos emerges from the eigth with a big, big lead on my card. Lopez stages an excellent rally in the ninth though, persisting persisting persisting and landing a booming right hand that sends Kambosos stumbling but culminating in the tenth with a choppy right that legitimately hurts Kambosos, he looked momentarily panicked on his knees. Heart though, saves the day. Lopez tries to murder him with slinging and Kombosos hits back, legs a little gone, he suddenly looks tiny and Lopez comes from him. Kombosos has a legitimate chin. This is a savage round. What is most impressive is what comes after though: Kombosos is fighting back hard by the bell. Then, in the eleventh, when they are hitting each other due to the opponent's fatigue as much as anything, both hurting each other, Kambosos outworks Lopez to make the fight safe on my card. Impressive stuff. These two busted each other up badly in a really good, very interesting, ebb and flow fight.

Kambosos:1*,4,5,6,7,8,11,12.
Lopez:2,3,9,10^.

*Lopez down
^Kambosos down

115-111 Kambosos

 

Brian Carlos Castano SD12 Jermell Charlo

Jermell's close call.

Castano is really small, too wee, he's giving up a lot of inches in weight and height. Jermell having a long look at him in the first, Castano in no rush either...just edging him back, eating up the real-estate and then throwing a couple when he's a little cornered. Jermell caught an overexcited Castano with a big counterpunch left in two though, and bags it. The pressure fighter got too square. Now he's hiding a little bit, trying to co-operate with the slow pace - i suggest Jermell let him off the hook a bit. The third then ends in fire after Castano returns the favour - it is Jermell who is hurt, Jermell who is troubled at the bell, left hooks, savage stuff. Castano takes charge, Jermell nearly went.

Jermell is told to stay off the ropes in the corner and he does his best. This forces him to work a bit harder, although he's still fighting a little late for me, no need to actually be cornered before you do so - still, this is a reasonable fight back! I think he poached the fifth, punching often enough to keep Castano honest but not much more...he's got him on the end of his punches in six though, Castano happy to come forward and attack bu Jermell never really let's him control the action even when he's attacking, he has the counter, then he moves. I think he edges these rounds and it's a good recovery. It really is very binary at this point. Castano isnt relaly jabbing in, he's edging in and waiting for Jermell to cave and fight. IN the seventh, this favours Castano who looks a little more organised on defence while Jermell returns to the ropes for the back minute. Another swing, these swings in momentum are mad...and comprehensive! I have Jermell needing the 10th 11th and 12th all to make the draw.

He sits down on his left and legit hurts Castano in the 10th and this time he presses the advantage: wins this round big, really dominates his man but Castano needs only one of the remaining two for me. He doesn't get eleven-Jermell smashes him back at the back of the final minute, really savage stuff. Another clear Jermell round for me - he battled back and tied it up then busted his man in the rematch, impressive stuff.

Never seen such dramatic changes of momentum running through clutches of rounds.

Castano:1,3,4,7,8,9.
Jermell:2,5,6,10,11,12.

6-6

 

Carlos Adames MD10 Sergiy Derevyanchenko

Is there anything in this game more wonderful than a MW puncher? Adames doesn't get a KO over Sergiy though, but a skin-of-the-teeth decision. Ah, Adames has decided to box southpaw. Suits him. Does the minimum in a slow round to take advantage of the slow-starting Sergiy. The straight punching is glorious though. He looks likle a puncher. Oooo, savage uppercut in the second, Sergiy is hurt but Adames looks a little unsure about his advantage, but he still lands some nice punches. Sergiy comes back a thim though, not sure he needed to risk that and he does ship another hard right. Savage round. Adames cashes in, too - i got him shutting Sergiy out over the first four. Assuming no KDs, Sergiy needs all remaining rounds to win. Fifth is raucous and although Adames started with pointed one-twos and looked set to add another round, Sergiy finally managed to inflict some mayhem - it's a dogfight after some impressive defensive moves by Adames and in the dogfight, I thought Sergiy just about got the better of it. Adames looked like maybe that showboaty defence on top of all the shots he's been lashing in have winded him. I hope for his sake it is termporary because Sergiy is going to be coming for him.

Second half of the fight opens with a less violent round, but another for Sergiy, but Adames takes an interesting, possibly fatigued approach in the seventh, seeking very hard single shots to bag his fight round of the fight. He needs one of the final three rounds to get the decision on my card...and I have him getting them, crazy. The 8th round was very very close though and I got no problem with the Adames decision. Fun surges once more, good fights.

Adames:1,2,3,4,7.
Sergiy:5,6,8,9,10.

5-5.