Tony Harrison vs. Ishé Oluwa Kamau Ali Smith/Andrew Omotunde Tabiti vs. Lateef Olalalekin Kayode RBR

This is about where Tony Harrison v.1.0 traditionally would gas out & **** the bed. Let's see if he can stick the landing here and notch his biggest coup to date.

 

Austin Trout has it 57-56 Harrison, giving Smith the first two and the fifth. (even in rounds, edge to Harrison with the KD)

 

Round 7

Harrison is caught a few times by up-jabs from the crouch or explosive hooks reaching up high as Smith propels himself off the heels and hurtles inward. Harrison is keeping things calm & tidy, slipping & countering with jabs and turning Smith with quickened lateral footwork as needed, very efficiently covering just as much space as he needs to in order to vacate the strike zone and line himself up to land straight counters. Harrison beginning to showboat a little.

10-9 Harrison

70-62 Harrison

 

Commentators mentioned a trainer change...I could swear this is a fitter & more reserved/measured version of him than I've seen in the past.

 

Round 8

Harrison is turning Smith very frequently now, landing jabs & crosses down the pipe at will. Smith is staying alive with the odd scoring jab or body-hooking combo, twisting rapidly at the waist in either direction to slap away, buying himself room to step away. Harrison starts to work in an uppercut and it causes Smith's legs to become jelly!! Smith is laying on the ropes, wobbly! He dives to grab at Harrison's waist but misses, his arms lacking the strength to grip his target still, Harrison landing bombs all the while, point-blank!!!

10-9 Harrison, almost 10-8

80-71 Harrison

 

My homie's getting straight obliterated.

 

Round 9

Harrison lands an ENORMOUS right hand out the gate! Smith is backed into a corner, in a world of hurt! Follow-up rights on the body from Harrison, just sniping as he pleases from outside. Smith can't do a damn thing about it. Left eye swollen almost totally shut, jabs going astray, Smith keeps bravely walking forward, eating counters. Harrison doing him a favor and not sitting down on any power shots right now, just skirting away, popping a light jab. Almost like Harrison is taking pity on Smith and carrying him to preserve his "never been stopped" byline. That or he's giving his old, light-hitting opponent way more respect than he needs to. Harrison is dancing from edge to edge of the square, buoying himself off the ropes and cutting diagonally past Smith, just flitting out jabs, connecting on half of them without even really trying, avoiding every hatchet from the increasingly desperate Smith. Harrison showing quite a bit of defensive slickness, and his legs are surprisingly fresh & fast here in the ninth.

10-9 Harrison

90-80 Harrison

 

He does have the "NBS" claim to fame as part of his identity, though..

If the pace stays what it was in the ninth, I'm okay with the corner leaving Shay in there until the final bell.

 

Austin Trout has it 87-83 Harrison, giving him the last four in a row.