Nerd Tournaments Part 2 (users welcome)

[PWillisTheMan]

Marco Antonio Barrera 67-12-1 (49) vs Ricardo Cordoba 17-2-2 (7)

Cordoba took the opening round with surprising aggression as he tagged Marco with jabs and straight left hands. Early in round two MAB walked into a short hook that dropped him for an eight count and Cordoba scored with several hard left hands in the dominant stanza.

As you would expect, MAB came back in the third and they went toe-to toe for much of the round until Barrera gained the edge in the final half minute with a savage body attack. The Mexican pinned Cordoba to the ropes in round four and unleashed a barrage of blows to the head and body that forced Ricardo to take a knee, shortly after he got up a short right hand put him down again for a seven count, it only took one more combo for the ref to step in.


Toshiaki Nishioka 48-10-4 (20) vs Hector Acero-Sanchez 12-6-3 (1)

Nishioka used his awkward delivery and hand speed to hammer Acero-Sanchez with combinations that had both of his eyes badly swollen and the Dominican noticeably hurt on several occasions. Toshiaki couldn't put him away, but he took the wide UD. 99-91 x3


Guillermo Rigondeaux 19-1 (10) vs Antonio Cermeno 51-8-2 (27)

This was tactical, but had explosive moments and one of which was the fifth round when Cermeno scored with clean right hands that drew swelling from Guillermo's left eye after the Cuban had built an early lead. A strong sixth had Antonio feeling his oats until Rigondeaux floored him with a brilliant counter left in round seven and used his immense skills to coast down the stretch and take the UD. 97-92 & 96-93 x2


Brian Conner 18-1-1 (13) vs Gerardo Espinoza 15-6-1 (10)

Espinoza smothered the powerful American in the opening round and connected with hard body shots and short uppercuts to frustrate Conner and dominate the round. A minute into the second Brian stepped back and unleashed a murderous uppercut that dropped Gerardo for a nine count, when he arose Conner pummeled him with both hands until two devastating uppercuts violently snapped back his head and he sagged into the arms of the referee.

[PWillisTheMan]

Paulie Ayala 40-3 (12) vs Nestor Garza 15-6 (9)

Garza pressed a fast pace and Ayala spent much of the bout on the ropes, early on Garza landed hard hooks to the body and right hands to the head. By the fifth round Ayala's counter combinations had Nestor's right eye ballooning and Paulie closed very strong, taking center ring and rifling off one-twos at his tiring rival and that enabled Ayala to escape with the SD. 98-92, 95-96 & 98-93


Samart Payakaroon 19-0-2 (12) vs Johnny Tapia 58-22-5 (25)

This was almost a carbon copy of the last fight with tapia fighting off of the ropes. The first five rounds, Johnny boxed very well with short hooks and uppercuts while he defended the aggressive Thai fighters bombs. In round six an uppercut opened a terrible gash on the bridge of Tapia's nose, he never seemed bothered by it but Payakaroon upped his pressure and dominated the last two rounds to take the MD. 97-93 x2 & 95-95


Jhonny Gonzalez 53-8-1 (36) vs Antonio Escalante 16-4-1 (10)

Jhonny boxed beautifully in the opening round behind stiff jabs. In the second Escalante wobbled him with a right hand and pounded his body while Gonzalez scored with sporadic counters. Antonio floored Jhonny in the third with a right hand and dominated the frame as well as most of the fourth until Gonzalez clipped him with a short hook and pounded him along the ropes to close the round. The fifth was all Gonzalez, ripping hooks to the body and head that had Escalante in an uncharacteristically defensive posture.

Escalante came back and they traded blow for blow in a hectic sixth round that saw neither forge an advantage. Early in the seventh Gonzalez connected with a money hook that drove Antonio back into the corner where Jhonny unloaded with both hands until a hook to the body crumbled Escalante in a heap for the come from behind KO.


Sergio Palma 20-1 (3) vs Gerry Penalosa 48-14-4 (24)

Palma continued to march his way through the bracket, puffing up Gerry's face early and peppering him with sharp combos that led to an impressive UD. 99-91 x3

[PWillisTheMan]

(WBA) Raul Perez 43-19-1 (30) vs Hiroaki Yokota 15-5-1 (8)

The hometown crowd was no help for Yokota in the first two rounds when Perez dominated him with a ferocious body attack and he hurt him in the second with an uppercut and three thunderous hooks. Early in round three Yokota scored with a straight left hand that broke Raul's nose and drove him into the ropes where Hiroaki unloaded with both hands and turned Perez' head into a pinball with blood flying all over the place and the referee rightly stepped in to the delight of the crowd.


Junior Jones 38-4-2 (25) vs Wethya Sakmuangklang 14-7 (8)

Jones dealt with a bleeding left eye from the second round on, but his jabs and right hands swelled up Wethya's face and he cruised to a wide UD to set up a fantastic 3rd round match up with Jhonny Gonzalez. 100-92, 98-92 & 98-93


Daniel Ponce-Deleon 36-5 (25) vs Poonsawat Kratingdaenggym 30-12 (16)

These two southpaws met nose to nose and traded heavily on the inside during an even opening round. PDL connected with a murderous left hand that split open Poonsawat's right eye early in the second and while he continued to trade bombs the blood was too much and this inevitable war was sadly cut short after less than two rounds.


Jose Rojas 31-9-1 (13) vs Jorge Lacierva 12-7-2 (6)

This was an unexpected war as Lacierva pressed a murderous pace and Rojas countered with brilliant combinations that had Jorge's left eye nearly closed by round six. Lacierva seemed to have a slight edge in a lot of the rounds where they brawled but Rojas dominated the 2nd, 4th, 6th and he dropped lacierva for a six count in round eight. Jorge rebounded to close strong but the SD his way seemed a little off to me. 95-94 x2 & 93-96

[PWillisTheMan]

Soo-Hwan Hong 29-12-1 (4) vs Greg Richardson 25-16 (5)

This wasn't exactly a battle of punchers, but they produced a tight and technical contest. Hong had a lead and he opened a cut over Greg's right eye early in round seven, oddly Richardson fed off of it and had his best round there with strong combos and he continued down the stretch to take the MD. 97-93, 96-94 & 95-95


Lupe Pintor 37-5-2 (28) vs Thomas Mashaba 25-13-3 (11)

Lupe was dominant from the start, delivering violent hooks to the body and hard right hands to the head that began to close Mashaba's left eye as early as round three. The beating got progressively worse and Pintor was unleashing hooks to the head and body with Thomas along the ropes when the ref saved him midway through round six.


Celestino Caballero 45-15-1 (28) vs Miguel Roman 13-7-1 (7)

Roman pressured his taller rival from the outset and drilled Celestino with hard body shots and uppercuts to the head. Caballero had big moments along the way, in the 3rd and the 8th when he rocked Miguel with powerful combinations, but he was listless more often and Roman took the upset UD. 98-92, 97-94 & 96-94


Abner Mares 33-9-2 (19) vs Gabula Vabaza 13-6-3 (8)

Mares had too much for Vabaza during the one-sided but entertaining affair. Vabaza landed enough hooks to draw swelling from Abner's right eye, but he was always in control and he floored Gabula 3 times in round five for the automatic stoppage.

[PWillisTheMan]

Wilfredo Vazquez, Jr. 10-8-3 (7) vs Ricardo Cardona 16-4-1 (7)

They fought at a brisk pace early and Cardona's combinations may have garnered the edge. In round six WV2 landed a booming right hand that not only hurt Ricardo, it opened up a gash on his left eyebrow. The final minute of the round was brutal with Vazquez teeing off on ricardo along the ropes as the ref looked very closely at stepping in. Wilfredo didn't let up and he dropped Cardona once in the ninth and twice in the tenth to secure his second straight upset via UD. 97-89 & 96-90 x2


Jemal Hinton 17-3-1 (11) vs Robert Marroquin 17-3-1 (12)

Marroquin showed off his amateur pedigree by out-boxing the Kronk fighter over the first half of the fight. In the sixth Robert staggered him with a hook and went for broke, unleashing well over 100 punches. He couldn't finish him and Hinton took advantage of his tiring foe down the stretch with powerful right hands, but he couldn't overcome the early lead and Marroquin took the UD. 97-93 & 96-94 x2


Somsak Sithchatchawal 17-4 (12) vs (IBO) Derrik Holmes 12-7-2 (5)

Holmes used his speed of hand and foot to pile up points early, in the third a double jab opened a cut over the Thai fighters left eye as Somsak focused on trying to break Derrik down to the body. He succeeded in forcing Holmes to the ropes for much of round eight, but Holmes connected with searing counter hooks and right hands.

Sithchatchawal continued to apply relentless pressure and Derrik slowed down enough to take a beating in the 10th and 11th rounds. Holmes briefly came back in round twelve with movement and hard jabs, but that was his last hurrah as Somsak floored him at the end of the thirteenth and again in the fourteenth to pull away for the UD. 145-138 & 144-139 x2


Rey Bautista 17-3-1 (15) vs Jose Valbuena 17-4 (6)

Valbuena set the tone in the opening round when he peppered Bautista with enough jabs to already have his eye swelling. That was a punch that Rey had no answer for and after sweeping the first nine rounds Jose dropped him with a short right hand in the tenth for the count.

[PWillisTheMan]

Victor Callejas 18-3 (12) vs Oscar Larios 31-9-1 (19)

This was a brutal brawl, Victor dominated the opening round with hard right hands, but Larios started clipping him with hooks and uppercuts in the second round. They traded liberally in some thrilling stanzas, 4th (15-20) & 7th (16-22) but Oscar dropped him in round five with a hook and typically got the best of the furious action en route to the UD. 97-92, 97-93 & 95-94


Kenny Guttman 29-9-4 (14) vs Joan Guzman 42-16-3 (27)

Guttman started quickly with clean right hands and left hooks to the body. Guzman dropped him with a counter right hand in the fourth and he hammered Kenny for the rest of the stanza and the fifth. Guttman stayed the course and he out-worked Joan and dealt with Guzman's flashy combos to take the SD. 96-94 x2 & 93-97


Kozo Ishii 16-3-2 (5) vs Enrique Sanchez 14-7 (5)

Ishii used his speed to control the first two rounds, but early in the third Sanchez dug a hook to the body that floored Kozo for a nine count; Enrique unloaded with both hands until a right hand violently snapped back Kozo's head and the ref stepped in.


(WBO) Jesus Salud 13-7-1 (6) vs Loris Stecca 19-2 (10)

A vicious clash of heads left Stecca with a gash on his right eye late in round one. Despite almost constant bleeding, he took the fight to Salud and the Italians combination punching built up a lead that was significant when the cut caused the bout to go to the cards due to the cut in round eleven and Loris took the UTD. 98-92, 97-94 & 97-93

[PWillisTheMan]

Wilfredo Gomez 73-11-1 (57) vs (WBO) Loris Stecca 20-2 (10)

Stecca showed off his grit, but Wilfredo dominated form the opening bell and had both of Loris' eyes badly swollen by the end of round four and his left eye was practically closed heading into the ninth when Gomez continued to tattoo him until a 3 punch combo turned out Stecca's lights with a minute left in the stanza.


Jaime Garza 17-3-2 (13) vs Enrique Sanchez 15-7 (6)

Sanchez dropped Jaime with a counter hook a minute into the fight and opened a cut on the bridge of his nose with a jab in round two. Garza stormed back in the third with powerful right hands but Enrrique controlled the next few rounds.

In the seventh Garza unloaded with lefts and rights that had Sanchez covering along the ropes, an uppercut opened a cut under Enrique's left eye and then a right hand opened an even worse cut over the same eye during a solid eighth round for Garza. The eye was ballooning and bleeding heading into round nine and after a check with the doctor, Sanchez exploded and floored Garza twice with brutal left hooks.

Jaime marched out for the tenth and promptly staggered Sanchez with a hook, the follow up assault had blood flying everywhere when the referee stepped in and took away a tremendous effort by the underdog Mexican.


(IBF) Israel Vazquez 21-0 (17) vs Kenny Guttman 30-9-4 (14)

Izzy wasn't in the mood for a war and he started fast, dropping Kenny in the second with a hook and rocking him several times while marking up his right eye over the first four rounds. In the fifth Guttman stood his ground and they traded on even terms on the inside for the next several rounds. Alas, it wasn't enough and Izzy closed the shot in round ten with two knockdowns and a barrage of uppercuts along the ropes that rendered Kenny helpless when the ref stepped in and stopped the entertaining affair.


Rafael Marquez 55-6-2 (40) vs Oscar Larios 32-9-1 (19)

Larios started well, clipping Marquez with hard right hands that had some swelling on Rafa's left eye by the end of round three, Marquez returned the favor when his brilliant jabs drew damage from oscar's right eye in round five. Marquez unloaded in the seventh with vicious combinations that had Larios covering up along the ropes. Down the stretch, Marquez jab and right hand kept Larios at bay and he piled up enough points to secure the SD. 116-113 x2 & 114-115

[PWillisTheMan]

Jeff Fenech 66-13-3 (42) vs Jose Valbuena 18-4 (7)

Valbuena's run came to a punishing end when fenech hammered him in close over the first four rounds before opening up gashes over both of his eyes in round five that led to the stoppage later in that round.


Manny Pacquiao 149-13-3 (135) vs (IBO) Somsak Sithchatchawal 18-4 (12)

Manny rocked the champion with his straight left twice in the opening round and he floored him with another one late in round two. By the fourth Somsak had settled in and they spent the next two rounds slugging it out; while Manny probably edge the round the champion was able to work on the inside effectively. The sixth was all Sithchatchawal, he blistered Pac with hooks and uppercuts on the inside that left Manny with a badly swollen right eye. Pacquiao responded with a murderous left hand moments into the seventh that sent Somsak stumbling across the ring, from there Manny teed off like a video game until the referee was forced to rescue the champion from his own bravery.


(WBC) Erik Morales 85-13-3 (55) vs Robert Marroquin 18-3-1 (12)

Morales wasn't sharp early and things were tight after five rounds, then El Terrible began to fire off his combos to the head and body and he had established a wide lead when he dropped Marroquin with a right hand in round eleven and secured the TKO later in the round with a series of devastating right hands.


Carlos Zarate 43-3 (35) vs Wilfredo Vazquez Jr. 11-8-3 (7)

WV2's string of upsets came to a close, but he didn't go without a tremendous effort. Zarate's jab was the key shot and he had Vazquez' right eye swelling early. There were vicious rounds of combat like the 5th(19-18) & the 10th(17-16) but no matter what Wilfredo brought Carlos had the answer and he advanced with the entertaining UD. 118-110, 118-111 & 116-112

[PWillisTheMan]

Marco Antonio Barrera 68-12-1 (50) vs Abner Mares 34-9-2 (20)

Marco rocked Abner in the opening round with a left hook and he ripped off several hard body shots and blows to the head afterwards. Mares came back strong in the second with speedy counters while Marco pressed the action. Mares may have had an edge over the next three, more cautious, rounds but Barrera struck again in round six when he staggered Abner with a combo and battered him until a right hand late in the round sent Mares down for an eight count.

That took a lot of steam out of Mares and Barrera pounded his body with hooks during a dominant seventh round. Abner showed off his heart with a series of right hands in round eight and he out-fought Marco during the final half minute when they both fired away recklessly. That was all he had in the tank and Marco dominated down the stretch to take the UD. 116-111 x2 & 116-112


Toshiaki Nishioka 49-10-4 (20) vs Miguel Roman 14-7-1 (7)

The Cinderella run of Roman is over, Nishioka drilled him with left hands from the opening bell that closed his eye by the end of a fifth round that also saw Roman down for a six count. Miguel momentarily hurt Toshiaki in the sixth but that was his only moment. The referee stopped the fight a few rounds late in the 12th round when the gruesome nature of Roman's eye was too much to look at.


Guillermo Rigondeaux 20-1 (10) vs Lupe Pintor 38-5-2 (29)

The Cuban used dazzling footwork and powerful left hands to build up an early lead. While Lupe was never really hurt, his face was swollen all over by the second half of the fight. And while he closed the distance more and had big rounds in the 10th and 11th when he shook Guillermo with hooks, it wasn't enough and Rigondeaux took the impressive UD. 118-111 & 116-112 x2


Brian Conner 19-1-1 (14) vs Greg Richardson 26-16 (5)

Conner showed off his compact power punching when after a slow opening round he cut off the ring early in round two and dropped a short right hand flush on the chin that left Richardson on the mat for several minutes.

[PWillisTheMan]

Paulie Ayala 41-3 (12) vs Jorge Lacierva 13-7-2 (6)

Rematch: Lacierva KO2

Paulie came out for revenge and he dominated the first six rounds behind his jab that had blood pouring out of Lacierva's left eye from the third round on. In round seven Jorge connected with a vicious uppercut that put down Ayala hard, he barely beat the count but held on and survived the round. Early in round eight two stiff jabs widened the cut and the underdog was pulled out a round after scoring a knockdown to the dismay of everyone but Ayala and his team.


Samart Payakaroon 20-0-2 (12) vs Daniel Ponce-Deleon 37-5 (27)

This was a grinding inside affair from the opening bell that saw both men score with hard body shots and uppercuts as well as admonishments from the referee for foul tactics. A headbutt created some severe swelling on Daniel's left eye in the third and Samart rocked him with rights and lefts in a dominant fourth round. PDL began to connect with his clubbing left hand and then in round eight Payakaroon was deemed to have executed another blatant headbutt and was promptly disqualified for our second consecutive controversial finish.


Jhonny Gonzalez 54-8-1 (37) vs Junior Jones 39-4-2 (25)

Gonzalez' two fisted attack had both of Jones eyes swelling by the end of the second round. Junior started sticking his jab and right hands behind buckled Jhonny in the fourth. Jones had the edge in the middle rounds with clean combination punching before Gonzalez stormed back in the 10th and 11th with thunderous hooks and right hands. It was anybodies fight in the final round and Jones seized the day when he floored Jhonny with a hook to the body with thirty seconds left in the fight and that enabled him to take the MD. 115-113 x2 & 114-114


Sergio Palma 21-1 (3) vs (WBA) Hiroaki Yokota 16-5-1 (9)

Palma went into Japan and boxed brilliantly in the early going. Yokota just couldn't pin him down and he fell way behind on the cards when in round eight, within fifteen seconds of each other, two combinations by Palma opened up nasty gashes over both of Yokota's eyes and the referee immediately called a halt.

[PWillisTheMan]

(WBO) Wilfredo Gomez 74-11-1 (58) vs (WBA) Sergio Palma 22-1 (4)

Palma, who made waves beating Pacquiao in the last tournament, started quickly and a hook opened a bad cut over Gomez' right eye in the first minute of the bout. Wilfredo connected with two hard right hands in round two, but he struggled to corner Palma as Sergio fired off combos and moved out of harms way.

Gomez hurt him for the first time in round five with a nasty combo but Palma rebounded to dominate the next three rounds with 3 and 4 punch combinations as Wilfredo became visibly frustrated. After several tight rounds Palma finally slowed down and Wilfredo hurt him several times in the last three rounds with huge right hands but he was unable to put him down and Palma recorded another gigantic upset with the UD, 145-140 & 143-142 x2


Jaime Garza 18-3-2 (14) vs Junior Jones 40-4-2 (25)

Jones used his long jab and right hand to control the first four rounds, late in round five Garza connected with a sizzling uppercut that put Junior down for a five count and from there it turned into a brawl. The problem for Garza is that Jones couldn't miss with his right hand and he dropped Jaime in the 8th and 10th and forced the ref to step in with a series of power shots later in round ten.


(IBF) Israel Vazquez 22-0 (18) vs Daniel Ponce-Deleon 38-5 (27)

Rematch: Vazquez UD12

This was predictably violent and PDL jumped out to a great start taking the first three rounds and dropping Izzy in the third with a winging hook. Vazquez fought back in the next few rounds but he was felled twice more by Deleon in round seven. Down on the cards Vazquez connected with a right hand early in round eleven and he unleashed at least 40 unanswered blows until a left hook crashed into Ponce's chin and put him flat on his back for the miraculous come from behind victory.


Rafael Marquez 56-6-2 (40) vs Paulie Ayala 42-3 (13)

Much like Vazquez before him, Marquez was under the gun early when Paulie peppered him with one-twos. In the third a jab opened a cut over Rafa's left eye and moments later a straight left floored Marquez for a four count. That infuriated the Mexican and he dropped Ayala with a right hand in the fourth and tattooed him with merciless combinations until the ref stopped the fight midway through round five.

[PWillisTheMan]

Jeff Fenech 67-13-3 (43) vs Brian Conner 20-1-1 (15)

After a feeling out round, Jeff staggered Brian in the second with a hook and set off a melee over the final minute that saw both men score heavily but the Australian had the edge. In the third they continued to brawl but Conner landed powerful right hands that stifled Fenech's aggression. From there Fenech took over with a vicious inside attack, busting open Conner's left eye and badly swelling his right. Brian went down in round seven from an uppercut and the fight was stopped in round nine due to the facial damage.


(IBO) Manny Pacquiao 150-13-3 (136) vs Guillermo Rigondeaux 21-1 (10)

Pacquiao controlled the first two rounds with unbridled aggression that had the Cuban in a defensive posture. Early in the third Manny fired a straight left to the body and Rigondeaux promptly countered with an uppercut flush on the chin that put Pac down hard for a nine count, Guillermo unloaded with precision bombs that pinned Manny in the corner and with seconds remaining a crushing left hand dropped Pac for the shocking knock out!


(WBC) Erik Morales 86-13-3 (56) vs Toshiaki Nishioka 50-10-4 (21)

Nishioka felt Morales power in the first two rounds when Erik scored with nasty right hand leads and the Japanese fighter switched to movement and while he stayed out of danger and frustrated Morales, who lost a point for low blows in round nine, he didn't do nearly enough and dropped a ridiculously close UD. 116-111 & 114-113 x2


Carlos Zarate 44-3 (35) vs Marco Antonio Barrera 69-12-1 (50)

This expected all Mexican brawl turned into a massacre when Barrera slipped a right hand and delivered a brutal hook that dropped Carlos for a nine count thirty seconds into the fight, Marco unloaded with both hands for 2 minutes and a devastating right hand put Zarate down for the count with seconds remaining in the opening round.

[PWillisTheMan]

(WBA & WBO) Sergio Palma 23-1 (4) vs Marco Antonio Barrera 70-12-1 (51)

These two had an incredibly close fight in the last tourney and Palma's style again caused the Mexican all kinds of trouble in the early going. Sergio scored with combos and slickly moved out of range while Barrera's best success was hooks to the body when he was able to pin the champion on the ropes. In round eight Palma opened up with a bevy of combinations and he opened a nasty cut over Marco's right eye, he got a little overzealous and just before the bell Marco connected with a sweet counter hook that dropped Palma for a 3 count at the bell.

Barrera couldn't get rolling in the ninth and to make matters worse a right hand drew immediate and rapid swelling to his left eye. Finally in round eleven the facial damage was too much and Sergio had another big upset on his ledger.


Junior Jones 41-4-2 (26) vs (WBC) Erik Morales 87-13-3 (56)

Midway through round one Morales floored Jones with a vicious cross and Junior barely beat the count, El Terrible launched a furious assault to the head and body until an uppercut drilled Junior flush on the jaw and put him down for the count.


(IBF) Israel Vazquez 23-0 (19) vs (IBO) Guillermo Rigondeaux 22-1 (11)

The Cuban was brilliant in the first half of the fight with hard left hands and incredible movement and defense, late in the sixth a jab opened a terrible cut over Izzy's left eye. As often is the case, Vazquez was inspired by his blood and he took Guillermo to task in round seven with punishing lefts and rights that had him holding on at the bell.

Vazquez was more effective cutting off the ring, but Rigondeaux landed thunderous counter left hands and his defense prevented Israel from getting on an offensive roll. They traded heavily in the final round and Rigondeaux's class showed again as he out-fought the fighter in the hectic final half minute to earn the UD. 118-111, 117-113 & 116-113


Rafael Marquez 57-6-2 (41) vs Jeff Fenech 68-13-3 (44)

This style mesh guaranteed fireworks and they delivered in spades, Fenech grinding inside with nasty body shots and right hands to the head while Marquez deftly countered with precision bombs. The 4th through 6th rounds produced ridiculously sustained action (16-19, 20-13 & 15-15) but neither man has been seriously shaken up.

That changed early in round seven when Fenech dipped into a left hook and was floored for an eight count, Marquez unloaded his entire arsenal at the gritty Australian and a 3 punch combo dumped Jeff again at the bell but he managed to scrape himself of the deck at nine.

Miraculously Fenech stormed out for the eight and met Rafael nose to nose for another violent round(14-17) and Jeff stunned him for the first time with an overhand right. The ninth was all Fenech, drilling Marquez with hooks to the body and right hands to the head that drew swelling on Rafa's left eye.

Marquez came back in the tenth and eleventh with sharp jabs and right hands that kept Fenech at a better distance, but Jeff landed a sharp hook towards the end of round eleven that ripped open marquez' right eye. Jeff carried that momentum into the final round and he blasted Marquez with a relentless body assault and shrugged off his powerful counters. It wasn't enough and Marquez emerged from the epic war with the UD. 116-109, 115-111 & 115-112

[PWillisTheMan]

(WBA & WBO) Sergio Palma 24-1 (5) vs Rafael Marquez 58-6-2 (41)

They fought closely over the first five rounds with Marquez jab going up against the in and out combos of Palma. In round six, Rafa was dictating the pace until Sergio floored him for a two count with a counter hook in the final twenty seconds. Marquez right eye ballooned in between rounds but the next two stanza's were very tight.

After Sergio danced around and handled Marquez in the ninth, Rafael struck back in round ten when he landed several hard right hands that had Palma's left eye closing by rounds end. Business slowed from there, but Palma was more active and more effective and he pulled off yet another upset with the UD. 145-139 x2 & 144-140


(WBC) Erik Morales 88-13-3 (57) vs (IBF & IBO) Guillermo Rigondeaux 23-1 (11)

The Cubans jabs and hooks already had Erik's left eye badly swollen at the close of round one. Morales closed the distance more and more as the rounds progressed, but Guillermo was reluctant to engage and his speed advantage was evident. They traded in the seventh round and Morales scored with a hard right hand. In the ninth Erik dropped Rigondeaux with a counter hook, but the Cuban closed strong on the move in the last two rounds and the tight UD for Morales was met with boos from the audience. 114-113 x3

[PWillisTheMan]

(WBA & WBO) Sergio Palma 25-1 (5) vs (WBC, IBF & IBO) Erik Morales 89-13-3 (57)

Very tight early with Palma's movement and combinations causing their usual trouble and Morales firing right hands to the body and head. In the third Morales stunned Sergio with a 3 punch combo but the Argentinean came right back in the fourth with free flowing combinations.

After a slow fifth, El Terrible pressed forward and landed hard right hands in a dominant round six. Palma cruised with jabs and slick movement in rounds seven and eight as Morales couldn't pin him on the ropes and was catching mostly air with his attacks.

The last four rounds didn't provide many fireworks, Palma remained elusive though Morales occasionally got him on the ropes and landed stright right hands to the body and head. The final round saw Sergio open up a bit and score with clean combinations and that helped him to yet another upset and the improbable tournament victory by MD. 116-114, 116-115 & 116-116

[PWillisTheMan]

284 Fighters, Defending Champion: Hank Armstrong

Ginger Jones 11-8-1 (3) vs (IBO) Marcos Licona 7-13 (2)

The unlikely champion fought well, but he suffered a bad cut over his left eye in the seventh and it continued to bleed until the fight was stopped in round eleven.


Bernabe Concepcion 13-6-1 (6) vs Raffy Aladi 7-11-2 (2)

Aladi fought through a bad cut over his right eye to soundly out-box his countryman and he floored him in round nine en route to the upset UD. 98-93, 97-92 & 96-93


Don Johnson 11-9 vs Yves Desmarets 8-10-2 (4)

There was little to separate these two and the judges couldn't do it and we were left with a majority draw, 95-96 & 96-96x2


Doc Snell 10-8-2 vs Ty Cobb 10-9-1 (5)

This was a dreadful bout with as much holding as there was punching. Unfortunately the judges couldn't provide a winner and I'll have to run it again. 95-96 & 95-95x2


Pedro Gomez 11-7-2 (1) vs Jimmy Kelly 9-11

Gomez worked predominantly behind his jab and it was enough to take the UD. 99-91, 98-94 & 97-94


Shigeyoshi Adachi 9-10-1 (3) vs Juan Malvarez 9-9-2 (3)

Malvarez landed well with his right hand and looked to be the convincing winner, one of the judges disagreed but Juan advanced by SD nevertheless. 99-92, 94-97 & 97-94


Spend Abazi 10-7-3 (2) vs Tommy White 10-9-1 (2)

Tommy White was able to work well on the inside and he won the UD. 98-92, 97-93 & 96-94

[PWillisTheMan]

Isidro Martinez 11-9 (1) vs Jose Legra 11-8-1 (2)

Legra was disappointing in the prelims, but he boxed well here and took the comfortable UD. 98-93 x2 & 97-94


Rodolfo Lopez 8-11-1 (5) vs Manuel Calvo, Jr. 10-9-1 (3)

Lopez rebounded from a slow start to drop Calvo in round eight and dominate down the stretch to take the UD. 97-92 x3


Mickey Miller 9-10-1 (2) vs Pastor Maurin 18-21-1 (8)

These two were well matched, but Miller was able to earn the split duke from the judges despite losing a point for low blows. 96-93, 94-95 & 95-94


Guty Espadas, Jr. 9-9-2 (5) vs St John Tommy Kelly 10-10 (1)

Very uneventful fight and it produced a draw. 96-95, 96-96 & 95-95


Jules Touan 8-11-1 (4) vs Toro George 6-14 (1)

Another dreadful fight, at least I don't have to do a rematch with Touan winning the UD. 99-91 & 96-94 x2


Al Phillips 5-10-5 (2) vs Joe Tipman 10-8-2 (5)

Finally some action as they went toe to toe in several rounds, Al floored Tipman in the fourth and knocked him cold in the tenth with right hands.


Cyril Thomas 10-9-1 (1) vs Shig Fukuyama 8-12 (1)

Thomas delivered a beating in this one, closing Fukuyama's left eye and scoring the wide UD. 100-90, 99-91 & 98-92

[PWillisTheMan]

Jet Bally 15-5 (3) vs Jack Wolfe 11-7-2 (8)

Wolfe landed more powerful shots, but Bally was quicker and more active. The harder right hands from Jack enabled him to snag the SD. 97-94, 93-97 & 96-95


Michael Brodie 22-15-4 (8) vs David Murillo 7-11-2 (1)

Aclash of heads in round three left Brodie with an awful gash that led to the stoppage in round five. They went to the cards and at 38-38 x3 we have another draw.


Nel Tarleton 12-5-3 (4) vs Dave Sullivan 10-9-1 (4)

Nel is far and away the highest rated fighter relegated to these prelims and he set up an intriguing second round match with a sound UD victory over Sullivan, 98-92 x2 & 96-95


Rudy Garcia 12-6-2 (6) vs Ward Yee 10-8-2 (2)

Yee suffered a swollen left eye and a busted open right during the first half but he used sharp one-twos to control things down the stretch and he earned the tight UD. 96-94, 96-95 & 95-94


Tommaso Galli 16-17-7 (5) vs Cris Saguid 10-10 (5)

Galli dropped him in the second with a hook and his combination punching opened up gashes on Saguid's lip and over his right eye along the way. In the tenth the one sided nature + the facial damage = a TKO win for the Italian.


Loudon Campbell 7-12-1 (4) vs Jose Estrella 5-13-2

Estrella was more aggressive and his over hand rights swelled up Campbell's left eye and led Jose to the UD. 97-93 x2 & 96-94


Oscar Gardner 11-9 (6) vs Red Chapman 7-12-1 (1)

After a slow start this was a brawl over the second half, Red dropped Oscar in the sixth and Gardner returned the favor in round seven before Chapman had a slight edge in the toe to toe action down the stretch to earn the SD. 96-92 x2 & 93-95

[PWillisTheMan]

Leo Johnson 11-9 (5) vs Johnny Marcelline 9-9-2 (1)

This was a slow and ugly contest, I'm just glad there won't be a rematch as Johnson took the close, but excruciating to watch, SD.97-93, 93-97 & 96-94


Mike Dundee 10-7-3 (5) vs Battling van Dijk 10-9-1 (1)

Dundee pressed forward and got the best of the early going with hard body shots and hooks to the head. Things tightened up a bit in the middle rounds and van Dijk had two huge rounds to close the fight and take the upset SD. 96-95 x2 & 94-96


Tommy Danforth 10-9-1 (6) vs Kid Tano 8-11-1 (2)

Tommy was the stronger fighter and his more powerful shots guided him to a UD victory, 97-93 & 96-94 x2


Thanomchit Kiatkiengkrai 6-13-1 (2) vs Luis Aisa 9-9-2 (3)

Rematch: Kiatkiengkrai SD10

Thanomchit repeated his upset in even more dominant fashion as his inside work led to the wide UD. 99-93 x2 & 98-93


Clarence Forbes 9-9-2 (6) vs Aaron Joshua 9-10-1 (1)

Joshua staggered Forbes with right hands in the 9th and 10th rounds and that broke open a close one and garnered him the UD. 97-93 & 96-94 x2


Angel Chacon 17-17-6 (4) vs Charlie Hill 7-10-3 (3)

Angel was miles ahead on all three cards when after what appeared to be an accidental clash of heads the referee immediately DQ'd Chacon without warning midway through round ten.


Jorge Lujan 26-11-5 (10) vs Leo Rodak 7-11-2 (3)

Very close fight, but Rodak got the edge from two judges and advanced to face the top seeded Erik Morales. 97-95, 95-96 & 96-95

[PWillisTheMan]

Don Johnson 11-9-1 vs Yves Desmarets 8-10-3 (4)

This was another tight contest, but this time we had a winner as Yves took the SD. 97-93, 94-96 & 96-94


Doc Snell 10-8-3 vs Ty Cobb 10-9-2 (5)

I dozed off at one point, only to find that these two had fought to another draw. 93-97 & 95-95 x2


Guty Espadas, Jr. 9-9-3 (5) vs St John Tommy Kelly 10-10-1 (1)

Kelly's clinch game frustrated Espadas, but it enabled him to pull off the upset MD. 97-93, 96-94 & 95-95


Michael Brodie 22-15-5 (8) vs David Murillo 7-11-3 (1)

Brodie's combination punching swelled up both of the Mexicans eyes and he advanced via UD. 98-93 & 97-94 x2

Rematch Part II


Doc Snell 10-8-4 vs Ty Cobb 10-9-3 (5)

After thirty arduous rounds, we are finally on to round two after Cobb took the UD. 98-92 & 96-94 x2