Featured Articles
Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Manny Pacquiao: Live Round-by-Round Updates
Manny Pacquiao is walking down the hallway of the MGM wearing a smile on his face. He looks relaxed and ready to fight. Before Pacquiao walks in the arena, he takes a selfie with his trainer Freddie Roach. It is an interesting crowd and atmosphere. No one truly knows what to expect.
Floyd Mayweather walks in the arena wearing a black, white, and gold, leather outfit. Floyd is all business. Floyd looks extremely focused.
Here we go!
Round 1
Fight starts center ring. Mayweather starts first with a one-two. Floyd looks sharp. He is feinting the jab and looking for the counter. Floyd lands the first clean punch, a counter right hand midway through the round. It is still a cautious round overall. Manny is reaching for his left hand but can’t find the target. Floyd is in top form. He lands a big right hand with 30 seconds to go.
Mayweather 10-9
Round 2
Floyd has his hands raised to his head, and lands another counter right as Manny continues to come forward. Manny cannot seem to find the target. It is a one-sided so far. Floyd’s straight right hand is the only significant punch in the fight. Manny has not landed. By the eighth round we might start looking at our phones.
Floyd 10-9
Round 3
Manny lands his first combo in the first minute of the third round. Floyd takes it well. He continues to use the ring and movement to keep the advantage. Even though Pacquiao has not landed any significant punches, he is keeping the pressure on. The closest round so far, Manny takes it.
Pacquiao 10-9
Round 4
Floyd lands two solid rights in the first thirty seconds. Manny throws a four-punch combo that does not connect. Manny has Floyd in the corner, he is looking for the straight left, but cannot land it clean. Manny connects a with solid left that backs Floyd to the ropes. Pacquiao hits with more shots, Floyd nods to say it doesn’t hurt, but the crowd goes crazy. Good round for Pacquiao so far. Floyd takes the shots well, but Pacquiao has momentum. Pacquiao hits Floyd with a good right hand at the sound of the bell.
Pacquiao 10-9
Round 5
Close fight. 2-2 so far, Pacquiao coming forward again, but Floyd keeps him at bay with the jab. Floyd hits Pacquiao with two good straight rights in the second minute and uses the ring again to keep his distance. Good round for Floyd.
Mayweather 10-9
Round 6
Pacquiao hits Floyd with a good left that backs Mayweather. He follows it with a nice four punch combo. Mayweather is backing up, but lands good straight right hands. Pacquiao backs Floyd to the corner, looking for angles. Good close round. Pacquiao wins.
Pacquiao 10-9
Round 7
Floyd comes forward and becomes the aggressor in the first minute. This round is even. This fight is even. Floyd’s jab is the key. He is keeping Manny from throwing combinations. Hard left hand lands for Pacquiao. That was a hard round to score.
Mayweather 10-9
Round 8
Pacquiao rocks Floyd with a straight left hand. Floyd takes it well. Manny’s aggression is effective in this round. His left hand is finding the target. Mayweather is coming back with two good left hooks. This is another close round to score.
Pacquiao 10-9
Round 9
Tension rises. Pacquiao lands a good left that backs up Mayweather. Mayweather follows with a straight right. Pacquiao is timing his left hand well, and another good shot. Pacquiao lands a good three-punch combo at the end of the round.
Pacquiao 10-9
Round 10
The chess match continues in round 10. Mayweather is using the distance well. He is relaxed and Pacquiao looks anxious as he tries to find the target. Manny whiffs on a wide left-hand towards the end of the round.
Mayweather 10-9
Round 11
Floyd comes forward and lands two good right hooks. Floyd lands a great right uppercut in the first minute. Floyd sees the telegraphic shots coming and moves away. He tags Manny with a left-hand counter shot towards the end of the round.
Mayweather 10-9
Round 12
Floyd is boxing smartly as usual. He is in complete control. Manny is looking for the big shot but seems reluctant to throw, almost in frustration. Action in center ring, Floyd is clowning. Floyd knocks out Manny’s mouthpiece in the last minute to no effect. Both fighters raise their hands at the sound of the bell.
Mayweather 10-9
www.thesweetscience.com scores the fight 115-113 for Floyd Mayweather Jr.
The official judges score the fight 118-110, 116-112, 116-112 all for Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Featured Articles
Najee Lopez Steps up in Class and Wins Impressively at Plant City
Garry Jonas’ ProBox series returned to its regular home in Plant City, Florida, tonight with a card topped by a 10-round light heavyweight match between fast-rising Najee Lopez and former world title challenger Lenin Castillo. This was considered a step-up fight for the 25-year-old Lopez, an Atlanta-born-fighter of Puerto Rican heritage. Although the 36-year-old Castillo had lost two of his last three heading in, he had gone the distance with Dimitry Bivol and Marcus Browne and been stopped only once (by Callum Smith).
Lopez landed the cleaner punches throughout. Although Castillo seemed unfazed during the first half of the fight, he returned to his corner at the end of round five exhibiting signs of a fractured jaw.
In the next round, Lopez cornered him against the ropes and knocked him through the ropes with a left-right combination. Referee Emil Lombardo could have stopped the fight right there, but he allowed the courageous Castillo to carry on for a bit longer, finally stopping the fight as Castillo’s corner and a Florida commissioner were signaling that it was over.
The official time was 2:36 of round six. Bigger fights await the talented Lopez who improved to 13-0 with his tenth win inside the distance. Castillo declined to 25-7-1.
Co-Feature
In a stinker of a heavyweight fight, Stanley Wright, a paunchy, 34-year-old North Carolina journeyman, scored a big upset with a 10-round unanimous decision over previously unbeaten Jeremiah Milton.
Wright carried 280 pounds, 100 pounds more than in his pro debut 11 years ago. Although he was undefeated (13-0, 11 KOs), he had never defeated an opponent with a winning record and his last four opponents were a miserable 19-48-2. Moreover, he took the fight on short notice.
What Wright had going for him was fast hands and, in the opening round, he put Milton on the canvas with a straight right hand. From that point, Milton fought tentatively and Wright, looking fatigued as early as the fourth round, fought only in spurts. It seemed doubtful that he could last the distance, but Milton, the subject of a 2021 profile in these pages, was wary of Wright’s power and unable to capitalize. “It’s almost as if Milton is afraid to win,” said ringside commentator Chris Algieri during the ninth stanza when the bout had devolved into a hugfest.
The judges had it 96-93 and 97-92 twice for the victorious Wright who boosted his record to 14-0 without improving his stature.
Also
In the TV opener, a 10-round contest in the junior middleweight division, Najee Lopez stablemate Darrelle Valsaint (12-0, 10 KOs) scored his career-best win with a second-round knockout of 35-year-old Dutch globetrotter Stephen Danyo (23-7-3).
A native Floridian of Haitian descent, the 22-year-old Valsaint was making his eighth start in Plant City. He rocked Danyo with a chopping right hand high on the temple and then, as Danyo slumped forward, applied the exclamation point, a short left uppercut. The official time was 2:17 of round two.
To comment on this story in the Fight Forum CLICK HERE
Featured Articles
Japanese Superstar Naoya Inoue is Headed to Vegas after KOing Ye Joon Kim
Japan’s magnificent Naoya Inoue, appearing in his twenty-fourth title fight, scored his 11th straight stoppage tonight while successfully defending his unified super bantamweight title, advancing his record to 29-0 (26 KOs) at the expense of Ye Joon Kim. The match at Tokyo’s Ariake Arena came to an end at the 2:25 mark of round four when U.S. referee Mark Nelson tolled “10” over the brave but overmatched Korean.
Kim, raised in a Seoul orphanage, had a few good moments, but the “Monster” found his rhythm in the third round, leaving Kim with a purplish welt under his left eye. In the next frame, he brought the match to a conclusion, staggering the Korean with a left and then finishing matters with an overhand right that put Kim on the seat of his pants, dazed and wincing in pain.
Kim, who brought a 21-2-2 record, took the fight on 10 days’ notice, replacing Australia’s Sam Goodman who suffered an eye injury in sparring that never healed properly, forcing him to withdraw twice.
Co-promoter Bob Arum, who was in the building, announced that Inoue’s next fight would happen in Las Vegas in the Spring. Speculation centers on Mexico City’s Alan Picasso (31-0-1, 17 KOs) who is ranked #1 by the WBC. However, there’s also speculation that the 31-year-old Inoue may move up to featherweight and seek to win a title in a fifth weight class, in which case a potential opponent is Brandon Figueroa should he defeat former Inoue foe Stephen Fulton next weekend. In “olden days,” this notion would have been dismissed as the Japanese superstar and Figueroa have different promoters, but the arrival of Turki Alalshikh, the sport’s Daddy Warbucks, has changed the dynamic. Tonight, Naoya Inoue made his first start as a brand ambassador for Riyadh Season.
Simmering on the backburner is a megafight with countryman Junto Nakatani, an easy fight to make as Arum has ties to both. However, the powers-that-be would prefer more “marination.”
Inoue has appeared twice in Las Vegas, scoring a seventh-round stoppage of Jason Moloney in October of 2020 at the MGM Bubble and a third-round stoppage of Michael Dasmarinas at the Virgin Hotels in June of 2021.
Semi-wind-up
In a 12-round bout for a regional welterweight title, Jin Sasaki improved to 19-1-1 (17) with a unanimous decision over Shoki Sakai (29-15-3). The scores were 118-110, 117-111, and 116-112.
Also
In a bout in which both contestants were on the canvas, Toshiki Shimomachi (20-1-3) edged out Misaki Hirano (11-2), winning a majority decision. A 28-year-old Osaka southpaw with a fan-friendly style, the lanky Shimomachi, unbeaten in his last 22 starts, competes as a super bantamweight. A match with Inoue may be in his future.
To comment on this story in the Fight Forum CLICK HERE
Featured Articles
Eric Priest Wins Handily on Thursday’s Golden Boy card at the Commerce Casino
Model turned fighter Eric Priest jabbed and jolted his way into the super middleweight rankings with a shutout decision win over veteran Tyler Howard on Thursday.
In his first main event Priest (15-0, 8 KOs) proved ready for contender status by defusing every attack Tennessee’s Howard (20-3, 11 KOs) could muster at Commerce Casino, the second fight in six days at the LA County venue.
All ticket monies collected on the Folden Boy Promotions card were contributed to the Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation as they battle wildfires sprouting all over Los Angeles County due to high winds.
Priest, 26, had never fought anyone near Howard’s caliber but used a ramrod jab to keep the veteran off-balance and unable to muster a forceful counter-attack. Round after round the Korean-American fighter pumped left jabs while circling his opposition.
Though hit with power shots, none seemed to faze Howard but his own blows were unable to put a dent in Priest. After 10 rounds of the same repetitive action all three judges scored the fight 100-90 for Priest who now wins a regional super middleweight title.
Priest also joins the top 15 rankings of the WBA organization.
In a fight between evenly matched middleweights, Jordan Panthen (11-0, 9 KOs) remained undefeated after 10 rounds versus DeAundre Pettus (12-4, 7 KOs). Though equally skilled, Panthen simply out-worked the South Caroliina fighter to win by unanimous decision. No knockdowns were scored.
Other Bouts
Grant Flores (8-0, 6 KOs) knocked out Costa Rica’s David Lobo Ramirez (17-4, 12 KOs) with two successive right uppercuts at 2:59 of the second round of the super welterweight fight.
Cayden Griffith (3-0, 3 KOs) used a left hook to the body to stop Mark Misiura at 1:43 of the second round in a super welterweight bout.
Jordan Fuentes (3-0) floored Brandon Badillo (0-3-1) in the third round and proceeded to win by decision after four rounds in a super bantamweight fight.
A super featherweight match saw Leonardo Sanchez (8-0) win by decision over Joseph Cruz Brown (10-12) after six rounds.
Photo credit: Cris Esqueda / Golden Boy
To comment on this story in the Fight Forum CLICK HERE
-
Featured Articles4 weeks ago
For Whom the Bell Tolled: 2024 Boxing Obituaries PART ONE (Jan.-June)
-
Featured Articles3 weeks ago
R.I.P. Paul Bamba (1989-2024): The Story Behind the Story
-
Featured Articles4 weeks ago
For Whom the Bell Tolled: 2024 Boxing Obituaries PART TWO: (July-Dec.)
-
Featured Articles4 weeks ago
Oleksandr Usyk is the TSS 2024 Fighter of the Year
-
Featured Articles2 weeks ago
Jai Opetaia Brutally KOs David Nyika, Cementing his Status as the World’s Top Cruiserweight
-
Featured Articles4 weeks ago
A No-Brainer: Turki Alalshikh is the TSS 2024 Promoter of the Year
-
Featured Articles6 days ago
Skylar Lacy Blocked for Lamar Jackson before Making his Mark in Boxing
-
Featured Articles2 weeks ago
Bygone Days: The Largest Crowd Ever at Madison Square Garden Sees Zivic TKO Armstrong