In the co-main event bout Tavoris Cloud (19-0, 18 KO’s) took his undefeated record into the ring against former champion Clinton Woods (42-4-1, 24 KO’s) for the vacant IBF Light Heavyweight Title.
Tavoris came to the ring with much fanfare; the Tallahassee, FL native was clearly the favorite of the crowd which saluted him with a standing ovation which included the Gov. Charlie Christ who was on hand.
As the second round began Cloud would connect on several combination attempts, while Woods would be reprimanded for a hit to the back of the head. The son of Sheffield, England would not be an easy challenge as he fought back connecting hard rights to the left ear of Cloud.
Through the hard hits, the two fighters seemed almost conversational, as if challenging each other to see which of the two could connect the hardest.
Throughout the bulk of the match Cloud would overpower the formidable Woods, although in the middle rounds it was evident the hard shots Woods was absorbing were taking their toll as he would slow in both pace and effectiveness.
Light Heavyweight fighter Glen Johnson, when asked about Cloud, told Total-E-Sports.com he was rooting for the American born fighter in hopes that he could help renew interest in the sport.
The high point in the bout came at the end of the 8th round when Cloud trapped his opponent in the corner and pummeled him with lefts and rights at will. Woods would show tremendous fortitude in getting out of the round, however the 9th would begin with more of the same including a murderous right hook, which prompted the crowd to erupt in cheers of U.S.A!U.S.A!
After an amazing 12 rounds of boxing the fight would go to the judges who scored the bout 116-112 three times Tavoris Cloud was named the IBF Light Heavyweight champion,
Following this impressive bout came the challenge of entertaining he crowd after what they had just witnessed. That challenge would be taken in the form of the main event bout between the defending Jr. Welterweight champion Juan Urango (21-2-1, 16 KO’s) vs former 2 time Jr. Welterweight champion Randall Bailey (39-6, 35 KO’s).
The bout would start slow as both fighters felt each other out in order to come up with the best strategy leading into the later rounds. At the start of the 3rd round Urango would show he was done toying with the challenger producing some decent shots to the ribs of Bailey. This was immediately followed by a few jabs to the head allowing Urango to establish himself as the aggressor in the bout.
Unfortunately for these fighters, the audience had worn out with the battle that ensued prior to their debacle. That combined with a lackluster couple of rounds in which Urango held court over the challenger was proving to lull the crowd to sleep. That would all change in the 6th round when Urango would go down by a vicious blow delivered by the challenger which at least for this round would change his fortunes in this fight.
By the 8th round it was evident that both fighters were gassed yet Urangos’ face was suffering from a cut he had experienced during that 6th round knockdown. All things considered the knockdown and the cut would only serve to infuriate the champion who would take control of the fight in the 9th round knocking the challenger to the canvas twice in a matter of seconds.
In the 11th round the fight would be stopped by the corner as Bailey had been given enough punishment. After a hard fought battle the Jr. Welterweight title would remain around the waist of the Columbian champion.
In other Notable Bouts
Rances Barthelemy (1-0, 1 KO) gained a victory over Vinesah Rungea (2-13-3) in a very shoddy performance which was just enough to gain the 2:40 TKO against the overmatched Rungea.
Robert Campbell (3-2-1, 3 KO’s) achieved a decisive victory over Joel Morales
(2-0, 2 KO’s) knocking the Super Middleweight to the ground twice in the first round. Morales would stay down for good requiring the assistance of the medical staff to leave the ring after a TKO 1:16 in the first round.
Michael Jean Louis (9-0, 8 KO’s) took on Prenice Brewer (12-0-1, 6 KO’s) in what proved to be the best of the undercard fights. Brewer showed quick combinations against “Pretty Boy” Louis’ hard hitting roundhouses. In the end the fight would go to the cards and Prenice Brewer would win by a score of 78-74, 79-73, and 77-75 to win by unanimous decision.
No comments:
Post a Comment