The Official Scorecard Thread

From what I remember, the first fight was even better.

 

But you didn't have that one in your top 20?

EDIT: shit, yes you did - at no. 11. Sorry. Better watch that one too!

 

Lionel Rose v Fighting Harada

Outstanding and remarkably composed performance from a not-yet-20 year old challenger who took a brilliant champion's best and came back to dominate him down the stretch.

The first half of the fight was close with Rose starting well before Harada fought his way in and got Rose trading with him. This suited Harada but the 9th was where the fight started to turn more clearly in Rose's favour with a flash knockdown. Rose was trading on even terms and looked like he was landing the harder punches, the volume from the Japanese fighter becoming less effective and the accurate counters keeping him slightly off balance. By the 13th, Harada had tired noticeably and Rose had gone up another level, putting him under significant pressure in the 14th. To his credit, Harada fought back hard in the 15th like the champion he was, but it was too late.

A great debut title winning peformance from an unsung champion during a golden age of the bantamweight division.

1. 10-9
2. 10-9
3. 9-10 (close)
4. 10-9 (brilliant stuff from both fighters but Rose is fighting superbly)
5. 9-10
6. 9-10 (warning for Rose from ref. Point deduction?)
7. 9-10 (close, Volume from Harada but accurate countering from Rose)
8. 10-9 (Rose has been a bit flat footed in the previous few rounds but now he is moving again and to good effect)
9. 10-9 (a sharp counter right from Rose makes Harada touch down briefly and Rose goes down too, though off balance and not from a punch. The ref picks up the count but I only make it a one point round for Rose.)
10. 10-9 (close. Again, great movement combined with pinpoint countering from Rose shades it)
11. 10-10 (very close. Harada throwing some good combos to the head and body but Rose giving as good as he gets. Ref warns Rose again but no point deduction)
12. 10-9 (Rose countering keeping Harada off balance)
13. 10-9 (Really good round for Rose who seems in control now. Harada's attacks seem a little more desperate than before and he seems weary with the sharp counters from Rose having more impact)
14. 10-9 (a straight right early in the round wobbles Harada and it's Rose's combinations that seem to have more sting to them.)
15. 9-10 (close. Harada might have just shaded it on volume)

Rose 145-141 Harada

 

Good shit Jel!

 

Fighting Harada v Johnny Famechon 1

I had this wide. I can see it closer if I gave Famechon a couple of the close rounds that went to Harada - I preferred Harada's harder shots to Famechon's output - but still, I didn't think this was close at all. It was bad enough that it was scored a draw to start with but that the result was then changed to a Famechon win was a travesty. Harada should be a legit three division world champion.

1. 10-9 (Harada starts off in his usual swarming style and appears to land a left hook and Famechon goes down. Referee Willie Pep rules it a slip. Was it? Hard to tell conclusively at full speed. Famechon shows some nice counters before Harada swarms again and takes the round. Replay between rounds does in fact look like Famechon slipped just as Harada was throwing his punch - I think it's a fair call)
2. 10-8 (Harada goes loco. Wicked body attack and then an overhand right puts Famechon down again, this time for real. Pep counts it as a knockdown, rightly. Harada follows up and has Famechon on shaky legs. Dominant round from Harada)
3. 10-9 (Famechon trying to keep Harada off him but Harada landing the best punches, including some good right hands, to take the round)
4. 10-9 (another round in the bag for Harada)
5. 8-10 (Famechon catches Harada with a short left hook and he is knocked off balance - in the follow up Harada goes down, possibly from another left hook. Ref Pep calls it a knockdown. Harada was winning the round up to that point and got the better of the post-KD exchanges.)
6. 9-10 (close. Famechon showing some nice defense and some good countering. Harada finding him a little more elusive than in previous rounds)
7. 10-9 (Famechon didn't do enough offensively and Harada landed the significant punches)
8. 10-10 (Harada seems to have the early going and staggers Famechon into the ropes but Famechon puts a bit more into his punches this round and lands a good counter right too)
9. 10-9 (close)
10. 10-9 (rounds seem to have settled into a pattern - Harada starts fast and has some early success, Famechon becomes more elusive with Harada trying and succeeding with landing bigger single shots while Famechon jabs away. Still think Harada is taking these)
11. 10-8 (Huge overhand right puts Famechon down hard. To his credit, he recovers quickly but a bad round for Famechon)
12. 9-10 (good recovery from Famechon who countered well)
13. 9-10 (another good round from the Australian. Harada's attacks are a little more predictable and sporadic now)
14. 10-8 (picture perfect right hand from Harada at the end of the round puts Famechon down again and he is rocked in the follow up but the bell saves him from further punishment)
15. 10-9 (Harada closes the show with a strong final round for a convincing win on my card)

Harada 145-137 Famechon

 

Has anyone tried scoring Chuco Castillo v Lionel Rose? @Xplosive? @George Crowcroft? @scartissue? @roughdiamond?

I got lost on which round was which - I was watching McGrain's upload of it on YouTube and it states the first round was missing but it seems to start well into the second and I think there may be a couple of additional missing rounds as well.

Would be interested to see other people's cards.

Anyway, my only definitive conclusion from watching it is that Chuco Castillo was a brilliant, brilliant fighter.

 

I seem to remember having to mess about to find my place, but I came away from it definitely feeling Castillo was short-changed. I had it 9-6ish + KD IIRC. But yeah, I had similar difficulties.

 

I think Castillo won quite handily as well. No wonder there was a riot.

 

Raul Perez vs Miguel Lora

For some reason I didn't watch this when Rough uploaded it, even though I've been wanting to see this one for time. Jumping into it now though, beats College Zoom meetings. Having not seen it, I tend to view this fight as a case of a better fighter being beaten by a good fighter due to being a hard style and trouble making weight. I figure Lora will start fast, showing the class difference but fade late.

Perez - Lora
9 : 10
9 : 10
9 : 10
9 : 10 (36/40)
10 : 9
9 : 10
10 : 9
10 : 9 (75/77)
10 : 9
10 : 9*
10 : 9
10 : 9 (115/113)

Good first couple from Lora, stepping in nicely with the jab and left hook. Keeping well outside of Perez's range, though. Dodgy slip in the second, looks to have had his foot stood on. The third round was a masterclass from Lora. Moving to his left while throwing corkscrewing uppercuts with his right, slipping under cross-counters and hooks then doing a little dance. He admired his work too much and didn't throw too much, but defensively, some of the best I've ever seen from him. Similar again in the forth, although he used more counters and less movement.

Good fifth from Perez, first round I've found for him. And really the only one he has a case for, and even then you could make a case for Lora here, too. The less Lora moved, the more Perez lands. He seems to be finding the range with his jab and is now starting go unload his volume. Not landing too much, but landing more than Lora IMO. Lora far more scrappy now, but coming forward, leaping in with overhands and hooks. Perez getting off with more than just the jab now. That lead uppercut is landing, and so is his cross. Good round. Lora being seriously out-worked as Perez dialed things up in the seventh. He just kept throwing. Trippling up his left hand, to then step in even deeper with a cross and tie Lora up. He's found his range and Lora doesn't have the same speed he had early on go step in and out without being hit. Similar stuff again in the eighth, but with Lora more defensively responsible.

Perez still plain out-working him at this point, with more and more getting through. Hard to see Lora mounting a comeback. I was wrong. Lora came out quite fresh in the tenth, and looked good slipping shots. Still out-worked though. Lora looks absolutely shattered now. Lora gave his all on the final round, but it just wasn't enough. Perez closed the show strong.

 

I've been meaning to check out Orzubek Nazarov's career in depth for a long time now, so I started with his destruction of Gamache. Unfortunate that Nazarov's career had to end due to his eye.

Orzubek Nazarov vs Joe Gamache

N : G

1: 10 - 9 Gamache immediately defensive, trying hit and run tactics. Nazarov in complete control. Nasty, fluid combos.
2: KO Absolutely brutal volley of lefts by Nazarov for a third knockdown. The count was really unnecessary.

Notes:

• Nazarov dominant here. I'm liking his style. Seems much more pro oriented than other Soviet fighters. Brutal puncher too.

 

Hozumi Hasegawa vs Jun Toriumi

OPBF Title

HH : JT

1: 10 - 9 Hasegawa touching up, landing leads. Both men have similar styles.
2: 10 - 9 Hasegawa clever and cat-like with his counters and set ups. Exchnage at the end of round.
3: 9 - 10 Toriumi landing overhand lefts. Close round in terms of effect.
4: 10 - 9 Close. Heating up now.
5: 9 - 10 HASEGAWA ROCKED! Lovely short left.

48 - 47

6: 10 - 9 Awesome exchange! Hasegawa's beserk combo just takes it for me, though I had JT winning before. Close overall.
7: 10 - 9 Hasegawa taking over a bit here.
8: 10 - 9 Toriumi waiting too long.
9: 10 - 9 Toriumi landing a body shot - best of the round - but it doesn't overrule Hozumi's total work. Hasegawa cut.
10: 10 - 9 Hasegawa is a fucking machine.

50 - 45

TOTAL: 98 - 92 HASEGAWA

Notes:

• Dual southpaw battle!
• More competitive than my scorecard indicates.
• Toriumi is better than his gangly presence suggests. He is a stolid ring general with a heavy jab. He's also really big for Bantam.
• Hasegawa's punch variety when in full throttle is incredible to watch. Amazing co-ordination.
• Great show of respect at the end from both.

 

Juan Francisco Estrada v Carlos Cuadras 1

This was a corking fight and very, very close. Cuadras was largely in control over the first half as Estrada started to get into gear from the 6th. The knockdown in the 10th was the difference on the cards for the judges but I couldn't split them. It could have gone either way it was that tight and Michael Buffer was clearly conflicted as he announced the winner as Carlos Estrada! Cue Cuadras celebrating before Buffer had to reannounce the winner as Juan Estrada - what a farce. Not the ending that either fighter deserved because this was class all the way through.

1 9-10
2 9-10 (close)
3 9-10 (very close)
4 9-10
5 9-10
6 10-9 (close)
7 10-9
8 10-9
9 9-10
10 10-8 (crucial moment - Estrada puts Cuadras down and takes a clear two point round)
11 10-9
12 10-10 (feels like a cop out to score the final round even but it really was nap and tuck throughout and could have gone either way. I couldn't separate them)

Estrada 114-114 Cuadras

 

Juan Francisco Estrada v Carlos Cuadras 2

If their first fight was an intelligent tussle which slowly ramped up the action as the fight wore on and finished with a crescendo, this was a straightforward war from the opening bell. Estrada wasn't going to make the same mistake he made in the first fight of being too conservative with his punch output He also worked the body much more in this fight to try and take Cuadras's legs from him and it worked.

But not before he found himself losing the first three rounds on my card and being knocked down as well. Estrada came back hard over the next three though and the two fighters exchanged fairly evenly for the next couple of rounds before the momentum finally swung to and stayed with Estrada.

There were some tremendous rounds with great exchanges and this was a much more brutal fight than their first encounter - the science they displayed there was replaced with more brawling action and their faces showed the impact. Estrada, though, was ultimately a little too tough for Cuadras to handle.

Just a great fight.

1 9-10 (fast start, good action)
2 9-10 (Cuadras has started like he did in the first fight)
3 8-10 (Estrada down)
4 10-9 (great round)
5 10-9
6 10-9 (close)
7 9-10 (close)
8 10-10 (awesome stuff)
9 10-9
10 10-9 (Estrada seems stronger than Cuadras and his punches are having more of an impact)
(95-95)
11 Estrada TKO Cuadras (Estrada ends this brutal fight with two KDs and forces the stoppage with his follow up assault)

 

Ponce De Leon vs. Yotjan II

Rematch of a close 12 round win for Ponce. Both come out throwing hard shots. Ponce popping his jab from the middle of his chest like he does. Bam! Amazing KO. Yotjan totally unconscious for a long 5 seconds before waking up.

1 KO Ponce De Leon

 

I saw this fight live on big dish satellite on a feed. One of my favorite recordings. He says something about Delahoya in the post-fight interview.
"They say Delehoya strong. He not strong. I strong." is how I remember it.

Good thread, btw.

 

Miguel Cotto v Shane Mosley

1 10-9
2 9-10 (close)
3 10-10
4 10-9 (close, excellent action)
5 10-9
6 10-9
7 9-10 (Mosley moving more and pot shotting Cotto. Change of tactics and it’s working)
8 10-9 (close)
9 9-10 (good round from Mosley. Cotto backing up, looking a bit gun shy suddenly)
10 10-9 (close, but Cotto edged it)
11 10-10 (good body work from Mosley, good countering from Shane)
12 9-10 (anti climatic final round)

Cotto 116-114 Mosley

 

Gilberto Roman v Santos Laciar 1

The first 8 rounds were super tight and neither fighter gained a clear advantage for more than a round but I felt Roman stepped up a level from round 9 and simply outslicked Laciar. No doubt in my mind that Roman rightly held onto his title in this one, even if he wasn’t awarded outright victory.

1 9-10 (close and cagey)
2 10-9 (close again)
3 10-9
4 9-10 (Laciar landing the left hook well)
5 10-10
6 10-9 (not much in any of these rounds)
7 9-10 (Laciar landed the more effective punches)
8 10-10
9 10-9 (super slick boxing from Roman)
10 10-9 (for the first time in the fight, I feel one fighter has started to take some measure of control and it’s Roman - he’s winning the inside battle as well as the outside now. Just that bit slicker than Laciar at the moment)
11 10-9 (Roman spoiling a lot of Laciar’s attacks and the rushes from the Argentine seem a little desperate)
12 10-9 (Roman finishes the fight dancing around Laciar. He thinks he’s won and I do too.)

Roman 117-113 Laciar