Live Play By Play Results From Mixed MMA/Boxing Card featuring Roy Jones, Jr.

Posted on | March 21, 2009 | No Comments

PLAY BY PLAY BY: RICH BERGERON

[mpinpage]

We’ll be providing all-night coverage of this card, updated after each fight.

The event is kicking off with the MMA fights, and of course to accommodate both sports the fighting is all going to be in a ring. Yet, it seems a couple indications show that it’s a primarily boxing-minded production crew (except for Seth Petruzelli, the Kimbo killer himself serving as a color analyst).

MMA CARD:

3 X 5 – Welterweights

Dennis Hallman (48-12-2), Yelm, WA 169 lbs.

vs.

Danny Ruiz (8-3), Ft. Walton Beach, FL 170 lbs.

ROUND 1:

The first fight proved at the end how MMA and Boxing have a tough time relating to each other. Announcer Jimmy Lennon, Jr. called a Rear Naked Choke a Guillotine in reporting on the quick end to the first match. Ruiz was simply overwhlemed after a brief exchange and a lot of grappling ended with both guys on the ground and Hallman quickly slipping in the “Lion’s Kill” rear naked choke. I’m not even an MMA expert, and I know that much.

3 X 5 – Featherweights

Din Thomas (22-8), Port St. Lucie, FL 144 ¾ lbs.

vs.

Gabe Lemley (13-8), New London, IA 144 ¾ lbs.

ROUND 1:

Din Thomas ends up in the corner early, but no real damage is done. Both fighters slug a bit and start a boxing match. Thomas is sticking to dirty boxing while Lemley is mixing in elbows and high kicks excellently. The boxing analyst is catching on quick. He correctly identifies a Lemley Superman punch attempt. Thomas gets lemley on the ground and starts to wail on him until they get tied up in the ropes and restarted. Thomas gives up and wants to go back to the feet where he absolutely demolishes Lemley with a series of left and right hooks and uppercuts topped off with a picture-perfect knee to the forehead. He goes back for more, but the ref won’t let him.

This is yet another great fight for Din. I’d love to see this guy fight some better competition.

3 X 5 – Heavyweights

Bobby Lashley (1-0), Parker, CO 251 ½ lbs.

vs.

Jason Guida (17-19), Chicago, IL 232 lbs.

Guida talked a lot of trash and really taunted Lashley at the weigh in. He’s looking for a Petruzelli-type performance. Even the boxing commentator (Colonel Bob Sheridan) picks up on that and asks Petruzelli if he sees any parallels. Guida’s no chiseled athlete, but he does have a lot more fights under his belt than Lashley, who is almost as big a walking steroid as Brock Lesnar is.

ROUND ONE:

Both guys are charged up. Lashley goes for the takedown and gets slugged and stuffed by the chunkier Guida. Lashley lands a right when he goes back outside. He tries to go for another slam and bulls Guida into a corner. Guida’s throwing short Muay Thai kicks. Lashley is pretty lethargic except for a couple nice right hands. Guida is controlling Lashley’s upepr body and lands a nice elbow to Lashley’s head. Lasley goes for another leg and Guida stuffs him again. Lots of grappling in the corner. Lashley lands a glancing upeprcut. Guida is getting winded. He starts really leaning on Lashley around the 1:00 mark. Lashley lands a nice combo with a bit over 30 seconds left in the round. Guida wisely ties up until the end of the round.

ROUND TWO:

Lashley gets off to quick slugging start and lands a couple bell ringers before finally getting a takedown slam. Lashley’s ground and pound sucks. Guida is tying him up six ways to Sunday. Guida starts to fight off his back. Lashley can’t land any solid blows. Even the shots he lands to Guida’s body are half-swings. Guida survives despite suffering through the round being thoroughly dominated on the ground.

ROUND THREE:

Guida lands a 1-2 and goes back into a grappling stance. He rejects a Lashley judo throw and winds up bulled into a corner again where Lashley finds his boxing range. Guida lands a nice knee to Lashley’s midsection. The ref separates the fighters. Guida lands a jab and then slips a Guillotine choke on Lashley as he goes in for the Takedown. Lashley pops his head out and begins grounding and pounding Guida into the corner. The crowd seems to want the ref to stand things up, but Lashley keeps working. The ref does restart them away from the ropes where Guida lays ad prays for a while looking for whatever offense he can muster. Lashley lands a last second flurry, but the crowd rains down the boos. It seems like they really wanted to see a KO in this fight.

Lashley should win easily by decision. Guida showed lots of heart hanging in there and battling. For short notice, this was an awesome fight.

Unanimous Decision (30-27) For Lashley.

3 X 5 – Heavyweights

Roy Nelson (13-3), Las Vegas, NV 262 lbs.

vs.

Jeff Monson (24-6), Olympia, WA 245 ¾ lbs.

Rooting for Roy Nelson here, and we just had him on our radio show last Thursday. He says he’s going to win, and I believe him. Monson needs more tattoos.

ROUND ONE:

Nelson is working the jab early. He connects with it repeatedly until Monson presses in too close and ends up getting taken down by Roy. Roy bellies up all over Monson and looks for leverage to throw shots. Monson’s throwing shots at Nelson’s mountainous gut. Bad idea. Nelson can’t get to slugging range. Finally ROy gets to full mount. Monson squeezes his way out somehow and back to his feet. Monson’s short reach and bulky muscles are good for grappling but not doing a thing for him in the slugging department.

ROUND TWO:

Both fighters don’t last long on their feet, and Monson gets fully slammed onto the ropes. Both fighters scramble on the mat for a few moments and then wind up back on their feet. Nelson’s using all his weight to keep pressure on Monson. He gets another slam, but Monson muscles him off and gets back up again. Monson’s landing some good knees to the gut, but I don’t think Nelson feels them. Nelson lands a good knee of his own as he pushes Monson into the corner. It’s all corner grappling until the bell.

ROUND THREE:

Both guys start out punching, and Monson lands his hardest right hand to Nelson’s head. They dance around for a while not landing much. Monson goes for the takedown and Nelson sprawls fast and takes a kick to the gut. Monson is winging hay makers now. Nelson should press the action more to make sure he wins, but he’s got to be gassed. He’s getting his shots in over Monson’s now. Monson goes for another takedown stuffed by Nelson. This round looks like it might be entirely on the feet. Roy takes a huge right hand but comes back. Nelson gets into close grappling and nearly slams Monson. These guys are big beasts. A brief slugging exchange ends it with neither guy landing anything heavy.

This was a well-matched fight. Both guys were ready for the other one. Both used their advantages well at certain points. Nelson won the first, clearly, so I guess they gave Monson the 2nd, which was really close but I thought the 2nd would either be a draw or Nelson’s.

FINAL: UNANIMOUS DECISION 29-28 FOR JEFF MONSON

BOXING CARD:

10 Rounds – NABO Cruiserweight Championship

B.J. Flores (22-0, 14 KOs), Las Vegas, NV 199 ¼ lbs.

vs.

Jose Luis Herrera (16-5, 16 KOs), Miami, FL 199 ¼ lbs.

ROUND ONE:

B.J. makes first contact with a 1-2 combo, but both fighters seems very timid in the opening minute. Flores is snapping the jab in Herrera’s face. Herrera starts to show some life and around the 1:30 mark. He begins landing his own steady jab. Flores is getting the better of all the exchanges, though. Flores finishes up the round with a beautiful combo.

ROUND TWO:

Herrera starts off with a blind whirlwind of ineffective shots. Flores boxes out into his range and gets back to owning the fight. BJ is countering well and not getting hurt by anything Herrera is hitting him with. Herrera comes to life late but can’t hurt Flores. This is another round you can notch for B.J., who looks like he could go 15 more rounds.

ROUND THREE:

Herrera starts to pour it on, hurting BJ for maybe the first time with a series of rights. Flores slows down a bit and ties Herrera up. Flores goes back to the jab, but his hands are low, and he gets caught with a right backing up. Herrera is landing combos, but then he gets caught against the ropes. FLores lands some good body shots. Flores pops off a 1-2 combo. Herrera is fighting back but looks very sloppy. Flores lands an awesome combo at the :15 mark. He continues laying it on thick until the bell, leaving Herrera’s legs wobbly at the bell.

ROUND FOUR:

Flores is keeping himself in great range to land and snaps off a great combo to Herrera’s head. He’s not letting Herrera get comfortable at all. Flores is the more relaxed fighter, setting the pace and maintaining the more aggressive posture in the fight. Herrera comes back in spurts, but not enough. Flores is not being pressured enough to make mistakes or lose his advantage. He keeps snake charming Herrera in close with the low left hand. Once again Flores ends the round in full command.

ROUND FIVE:

Flores is getting too complacent, not going offensive unless he absolutely has to. He’s letting Herrera rest. Still, Herrera doesn’t do much in response. The only thing he’s landing consistently is body punches. Flores keeps landing that snappy jab. He tries to tee off on Herrera again at the end of the round but doesn’t connect as well as before.

ROUND SIX:

Flores starts off with some hard shots and settles back into the same Round 5 pace. Herrera lands a nice straight right to the face of Flores. Flores goes back to the trusty jab and starts working the body. Herrera counters well. Flores is starting to take punishment almost every time he throws. Neither fighter is really making this entertaining.

ROUND SEVEN:

Herrera gets the better of the early slugging. Flores is looking a little awkward trying to get back to his jab. Flores gets his range again and lands a decent combo. Herrera is showing how tired he is but still coming forward. Flores picks up the pace around the 1:00 mark and starts dominating again.

ROUND EIGHT:

Lots of sloppy slugging early. Herrera is still scrappy, but Flores is the much more confident fighter. Flores is keeping his poise and controlling the distance between the fighters enough to land his jab at will. Neither guy is working hard, though. Flores finally lands some nice uppercuts.

ROUND NINE:

More of the same with neither guy trying for a late KO. Flores is complacent with the jab landing regularly. He’s landing just enough punches to win the round and keep Herrera chasing. As he backs up now Flores’ hands are at his waist. Flores finishes with a nice 1-2.

ROUND TEN:

Herrera comes out without any real urgency, but he is landing some good shots while Flores keeps throwing just as much as he has to. Flores is dancing away from damage and landing the piston jab again. Flores shows a bit of aggression with a mid-round combo and then goes right back to a defensive posture. Herrera is chasing him down but not landing anything hard enough to hurt Flores. Flores overwhelms Herrera for a few moments until Herrera throws a bomb of his own and jolts him back to dancing mode.

FINAL: BJ FLORES WINS UNANIMOUS DECISION (98-92, 99-91 x 2)

6 Rounds – Bantamweights

Kieyon Bussey (6-0, 4 KOs), Pensacola, FL 122 ¼ lbs.

vs.

Robert DaLuz (11-16, 9 KOs), Jacksonville, FL 123 ½ lbs.

ROUND ONE:

Bussey’s angles and poise is awesome. He looks like a seasoned pro and is really only a beginner.

Round Two:

Bussey’s hand speed is a huge advantage here. He dominates the entire round with DaLuz only managing to wing a few wild haymakers.

ROUND THREE:

DaLuz is not done yet, coming in with a more compact defense and a better strategy to get inside Bussey’s range. Bussey starts holding more as a result of DaLuz’s change in tactics. DaLuz is coming from all kinds of odd angles. DaLuz is doing a great job of landing short inide punches. DaLuz is winging bombs now. Bussey can’t seem to get a combo together. DaLuz takes this round easy.

ROUND FOUR:

DaLuz starts off with confidence, stalking Bussey, covering up well, and giving more than he takes. This round is much more sloppy, but DaLuz is still looking more like the aggressor. Bussey can’t really mount much of an offense. DaLuz is just too wild and much more active.

ROUND FIVE:

Neither guy is doing much, but Bussey slips halfway through the round. Each time he lands a few shots he gets hit back harder. Bussey ties a few nice punches together, but DaLuz is getting much more accurate. DaLuz is looking for the KO and might find it. He’s throwing punches with bad intent and missing most but not giving Bussey a half second window to throw back.

ROUND SIX:

DaLuz doesn’t let up one bit and comes into the sixth slugging to kill. His confidence, great chin, and no fear approach is winning the day. Even when he doesn’t land his terminator forward motion is intimidating. His best shots are landing harder and harder, as if this kid does not know the meaning of fatigue. He keeps up the relentless pace to the bell.

CONTROVERSIAL DECISION GIVES MAJORITY DECISION EDGE TO BUSSEY

12 Rounds – NABO Light Heavyweight Championship

Roy Jones Jr., (52-5, 38 KOs), Pensacola, Florida 173 ¼ lbs.

vs.

Omar Sheika (27-8, 18 KOs), Paterson, NJ 175 lbs.

ROUND ONE:

Roy looks good early, but Sheika gets him in the corner and lands a few good shots. Roy’s hands look too easy to get between. He’s landing better at the moment, but it looks like Sheika is waiting for him to get too confident. Roy is clearly inspired. Her’s landing some hard shots, but Sheika is used to it. He comes back with a good combo of his own. Roy is fooling around a little too much and gets punished. He’s acting like the Roy of old all of a sudden getting into the zone. Sheika is relentless, though. Definitely a Jones round.

ROUND TWO:

Sheika bulls Roy into a corner and unloads, but Roy responds well and counters with some tremendously powerful shots. Roy is moving well, in his comfort zone, landing when he needs to. Sheika is taking it all and stalking. Jones is holding well on the inside. If Sheika had a good uppercut this would be a good fight. Jones is slinging shots, but some are slapping. He’s in control, and unless Sheika is playing possum it looks like he’s gonna walk away with this NABO title.

ROUND THREE:

Sheika comes in with all the fury again and covers up well for the counter attack. He’s being more cautious now, and it might pay off. Jones is jabbing for all his points now. He’s getting fancy and hamming it up. Sheika waits for an opportunity and unloads. Roy tries to make light of the best Sheika’s got, but Sheika’s not backing down. Sheika takes a few good hooks, but he comes right back in and pins Jones against the ropes. Sheika lands a couple great left hooks, a right hook, and then gets caught with a Roy Jones hook and is momentarily wobbled before the bell.

ROUND FOUR:

Roy gets the first couple shots in, but Shieka’s always in his face. Jones is jabbing like crazy now. Sheika wants to fight. No matter what Jones lands, Sheika keeps coming. Sheika can’t string anything together when he does get in. Sheika turns it on inside :30 and lands some nice punches to the body and head. Jones showboats at the end of the round, but he’s not doing as hot as he thinks he is.

ROUND FIVE:

Roy lands a great left hook early. He follows it up a few moments later. Shieka is still on his toes and stalking, though. Roy is landing at will until Shieka pushes him into the corner again. Sheika takes a huge shot to the forehead but doesn’t go down. He’s cut up a bit, but not bad. He’s taking some hard shots, but he’s still fighting. In the middle of nowhere the ref steps in to stop the fight.

Roy Jones gets the hometown cooking stoppage even if he was well on his way to winning. All in all the judges in one mma and one boxing match, and the ref here ruined a great card. Not the best guys in MMA, but a decent set of fights altogether looking at the big picture. A couple bad decisions and an early stoppage makes the whole thing look a little sketchy, though. Let’s hope Roy puts a better production together next time.

[/mpinpage]

Comments