SportsRatings: Boxing/MMA

2 great HW Fights: #2 Parker vs. #5 Bakole; #7 Kabayel vs. #11 Zhang round-by-round scoring

Two great Heavyweight fights among the card in Riyahd today.

The top fight is #2 Joseph Parker vs. #5 Martin Bakole, a last-minute replacement for #4 Daniel Dubois. Bakole weighed in at 315 pounds roughly, to Parker's 267.

Parker vs. Bakole probably starts around 4:30 5:20 eastern time

Live update: Fighters entering ring. Fight is beginning

1. Fighters mostly stationary, at mid-distance. Good jab lunge by Parker. Body shot by Bakole. Very different fight than Kabayel-Zhang for sure. Decent body shot by Parker, who is more active, Bakole waiting for opening. Parker caught in corner so he clinches late in round. Bakole gets in a right uppercut but Parker did more work in a sparse first round. Parker 10-9.
2. Bakole moving in now instead of standing still. Parker good 1-2, Bakole gets hit coming in too. Now Parker coming forward gets countered by Bakole. Pretty even first half of round. Bakole getting stung by short shots in tight. Parker great right but Bakole takes it, but Parker hits Bakole with hook to top of head, Bakole wobbles and falls down, he can't get up to the ref's satisfaction and Parker wins by TKO!

Parker TKO 2 Bakole

Stoppage was maybe a little early for some tastes but Bakole got up facing the ropes. Would have to see that again at full speed to judge. Bakole was clearly overweight and only flew in at 2am the previous night, so minus 25 pounds and an actual training camp, the result would have been different—at least, Parker wouldn't have gotten a 2nd round TKO. I'm sure Bakole got paid a lot for his last-minute replacement.

Parker solidifies his hold on the #2 spot that he just took over from Tyson Fury this month. A fight with #1 Oleksander Usyk is certain to happen hopefully this year. Bakole will drop to the lower reaches of the top 15.

Undercard fight:

 #7 Agit Kabayel (25-0-0) vs. Zhilei Zhang (27-2-1) was early on the card. A great bout for an undercard fight.

Kabayel weighed in around 240, Zhang about 290. That's the big difference in this fight, as well as Zhang's age (41) vs. Kabayel (32).

Live update: Fighters are being introduced. Fight is starting.

Round-by-round scoring:

1. Zhang scores early, Kabayel increases his distance. Ring looks small with both guys in there. Zhang fires and Kabayel returns fire well. A lot of winging hooks from both guys. Zhang backs Kabayel up to the ropes. Awkward clinch near the end, another left from Zhang. Close round to Zhang 10-9
2. Agit goes to body early, a lot of activity, Zhang fires back, lots of back and forth in first minute. Rock'em sock'em robots right now. Zhang covering up mostly, firing back occasionally. Big right from Kabayel, Zhang takes it well. Volume this round is insane! Solid uppercut from Zhang, Kabayel throws 10 smaller punches. Agit close in to keep Zhang from stretching out punches. Good round for Kabayel; 19-19
3. Agit starts where he left off with high volume, big body punch from Zhang. Both focusing on body. Zhang tying up, wrestling. Big left from Zhang, no reacting from Agit. More body punches from Kabayel. Strong jab from Zhang, several punches from Agit. Agit moving forward as the aggressor, 2 solid upperuts from Agit, Zhang returns. Same crazy workrate as round 2. Kabayel's higher workrate takes another competitive round. Kabayel 10-9; 29-28
4. Kabayel right into close range with body shots once again, annoying Zhang. Zhang pushes him away and gets a warning from the ref. Uppercut from Agit has Zhang take notice, he looks tired. Zhang's return shots aren't affecting him. Another warning from the ref for pushing. Big punch from Zhang doesn't faze Agit. Agit's workrate relentless. Connecting at will, and Zhang's return shots don't have a lot on them, luckily for Kabayel. Kabayel 10-9; 39-37
5. Kabayel starts right back up again. Zhang's corner wanted him to step back and fire, and he finally does, with a left hook that sits Kabayel down on the canvas! He's right back up but Zhang is on him. Agit tries to re-assert control, he looks ok midway through the round. Round after the knockdown was mostly Agit, but he didn't get a knockdown. Zhang 10-8; 47-47
6. Agit right back on the horse, Zhang is very tired. Kabayel body shot leads to an almost knockdown? Ref pulled Agit away, but Zhang hadn't gone down, so he started it back up, and no knockdown is called. Weird. Zhang is barely hanging on to Agit in the clinch. Taking a lot of body shots, lots of cumulative punishment but still hasn't gone down, now he finally does. Zhang might not get up, he didn't! Agit Kabayel KO Zhilei Zhang round 6

Big win for Kabayel, who will move into the top 5 in the SportsRatings Heavyweight Top 100. Zhang will drop into the lower reaches of the top 25.

 

 

 

Deontay Wilder vs. Zhilei Zhang Live Round-by-Round Scoring; Hrgovic vs. Dubois

#14 Zhilei Zhang and #25 Deontay Wilder both hope for a big comeback fight in Saudi Arabia; and #9 Filip Hrgovic hopes to remain undefeated against #31 Daniel Dubois

Among the 4 fighters there are 2 bronze Olympic medals (Wilder and Hrgovic) and one silver (Zhang). Zhang weighed in at 282, Wilder at 214.

Zhang vs. Wilder is about to start

1. Typical southpaw vs. orthodox handplay early. Wilder being backed up, neither throwing anything. Right to the body from Wilder. Zhang lunges in with a left, they clinch. Wilder spins away from being trapped against the ropes. A whole lot of nothing this round, not giving any advantage for that. 10-10
2. Wilder swings the right to the body a few times. Zhang continues to corner him and try to unload. Same as first round but Zhang does land a solid punch, about the only one of the fight so far. That and "ring generalship" I guess is worth the round for Zhang 10-9; 20-19
3. Zhang resumes walkdown, Wilder seems as unlikely to throw as he did against Parker. Zhang is a much bigger, slower target though. Zhang lands a decent punch, which for this fight is worth everything. Wilder cornered again, takes a bit of damage nothing too bad, but he's not scoring at all. Zhang 10-9; 30-28
4. Not surprising these two are throwing so few punches, they are #1 and #3 among low-volume in the HW division, which says a lot. They are living up to that. Wilder almost falls down dodging a Zhang feint. Wilder occasionally throws a right to the body but misses due to the southpaw-orthodox distance. Finally lands a right hand, but it isn't fight-ending, and he didn't do much the rest of the round. Neither did Zhang. 10-10; 40-38 Zhang
5. Wilder lands an early right hand on Zhang. Finally some action in round 5 as they both block each other's efforts and both score. Wilder has found some energy. Zhang lands, Wilder takes it well. Wilder lands again but Zhang lands a BIGGER shot and Wilder looks in trouble, Zhang chases him down and hits again and Wilder goes down flat. REF STOPS THE FIGHT even though Wilder made it back up

Wilder was in no shape to continue. Zhilei Zhang TKO 5 Deontay Wilder

This might be it for Wilder, he never looked like he wanted to fight despite his claimed resurgence of will. Zhang fought like he always does, plodding and (occasionally) powerful. He moves back up but only has so much time left himself.

 

First up among the HWs was Hrgovic vs. Dubois

1. Dubois looks huge, jabbing from the center of the ring. Hrgovic winging a left hook jab, holding hand low. Right cross from Hrgovic. Fighters are swinging now already in the middle of the first round. Dubois takes another right hand well. Dubois responds with a right! Finally the take a break and clinch but go right back to swinging. It's measured action though, not chaotic and wild. Jab at the end for Dubois, great round. Dubois wasn't hurt but took more of the big shots. Hrgovic 10-9
2. They start right where they left off, the first minute and first half of the round is constant action. Hrgovic lands more right hands and Dubois' jab is working too. Good right from Dubois who is doing well in the 2nd half but Hrgovic gets in another right. Double jab from Dubois and a good left hand! He might have stolen the round, it's very close. Dubois 10-9; 19-19
3. Dubois pretty aggressive at the start as Hrgovic was cut last round from a clash of heads Dubois punch. Combo from Hrgovic, but he looks a bit frustrated by the pace. Exchange and Hrgovic lands better, more right crosses, but Dubois is undaunted. Good round for both guys, this is a hell of a fight. 10-10; 29-29
4. Another fast start from Dubois with his jabs. Jab from Hrgovic pops Dubois, but big right hand doesn't faze him. More clinching as the fighters are finally tiring. Nothing is hurting Dubois, who keeps up his high work rate with the jab. Dubois pops Hrgovic a few times with jabs. Really hard to say who is winning this fight, gotta punt again. 10-10; 39-39
5. Dubois lunges in with Hrgovic in the corner. Hrgovic combo goes to the body, and smacks Dubois with a punch he finally seems to feel in the middle of the round. Right hand from Hrgovic. Dubois is trying to make the round close though. Stiff jab from Hrgovic. Big right near the end too. Hrgovic 10-9; 49-48
6. Slightly slower start to this round but it's still fast by HW standards. Good exchange by the ropes as both connect. They clinch after 1 minute, both slowing down. Dubois walks in and clinches again. Both connect with right hands. Hrgovic's right is coming up short this round. Sluggish round from both guys 10-10; Hrgovic 59-58
7. Dubois aggressive again. Hrgovic has cuts over both eyes. Dubois whiffs on some big hooks, backing Hrgovic into corner. Dubois connects with some shots and Hrgovic looks very tired, on the defensive. His punches are lacking power too. Dubois is really taking control of this round, and maybe the fight if Hrgovic doesn't recover. Big round for Dubois. Hrgovic offering little defense at this point. Dubois warned about use of head, Hrgovic is barely standing. Dubois 10-9; 68-68
8. Dubois going for the kill, but he's tired too. Dubois rocks him, Hrgovic tries to clinch. Break for doctor to look at Hrgovic's cuts, and they stop the fight from the cuts!

Daniel Dubois TKO Filip Hrgovic round 8 due to medical stoppage

Hrgovic was probably overconfident going in, saying the fight was going to be easy. He certainly hit Dubois with a half dozen shots that might have stopped another fighter, but Dubois walked through everything. Hrgovic got tired first and his defense went away and the cuts made everything tougher—and ultimately led to the doctor stoppage

Undefeated HWs: #1 Tyson Fury vs. #2 Oleksandr Usyk round-by-round scoring (+Sanchez vs. Kabayel)

Here it is: #1 vs. #2, undefeated vs. undefeated.

Tyson Fury (34-0-1) vs. Oleksandr Usyk (21-0-0) in Saudi Arabia.

Not only is it the first #1 vs. #2 since 2009, but it's the first battle between an undefeated #1 and undefeated #2 since June 1988 when #1 Michael Spinks was KOed by #2 Mike Tyson (and prior to that? #1 Joe Frazier KOed by #2 George Foreman in January 1973, and before that Ali vs. Frazier in March of 1971).

And also on the main card: #6 Frank Sanchez (24-0-0) vs. #17 Agit Kabayel (24-0-0)—another undefeated vs. undefeated heavyweight bout!

Following Jai Opetaia's win over Mairis Briedis comes the main event next. Ring walk should be soon.

Ring walk is over, intros are over, now the fight:

#1 Tyson Fury vs. #2 Oleksandr Usyk round-by-round scoring

1. Fury keeping distance to use his reach, Usyk using movement and feints. Both going for body with jabs. Strong body shot from Fury. Usyk punches out of the clinch. Fury with arms low but right hand up, Fury holds ropes and mugs for the crowd. Jab and right to body from Fury, solid uppercut from Usyk. Fury avoids followups. Hard to score round, really weird action after midway point. 10-10
2. Power shot from Usyk with left looping hook right off the bat, Fury backing up now. Working the jab. More goofing from Fury. Usyk backing Fury up again, connects with left to body. Usyk connecting with the harder shots, good right from Fury though. Combo from Usyk. Good uppercut from Fury but that opening shot was the difference, have to give Usyk credit this time 10-9 Usyk; 20-19
3. Fury moving more at the start of this round, trying to find his way in, connects a few times. Jabs his way out of the corner and lands a 1-2. Usyk pushing his way in though, connects to body and face. Another left from Usyk mostly blocked. Usyk racing to catch Fury as he moves around. Double jab and left from Fury but Usyk connects on a combo near the end. Another close one, can't quite give that one to Fury or Usyk. 10-10; Usyk 30-29
4. Usyk very aggressive at start, two uppercuts to body from Fury though. Jab and uppercut from Fury. Fury clowning after another mild combo. Clash of heads. Good uppercut from Fury. Fury ducks in and connects with a right, clowns again. Usyk corners Fury, who blocks and ducks most of the combo. 10-9 Fury; 39-39
5. Fury snaps Usyk's head back with a jab. Still moving in, Fury backs him up with body shots. Usyk is undaunted. Action is very fast, let's see who gets tired. Usyk claims a low blow but is unaffected. Double jab by Fury. Fury holding him off this round for the most part. Good body shot. Fury getting the better of the exchanges this round. Solid round for Fury as last few seconds bleed off. 10-9 Fury; 49-48
6. Both fighters very active once again to start the round, neither is taking any rounds off here. Fury combo punches are blocked for the most part. Huge uppercut whiffs for Fury. Monster body shot wobbles Usyk, then another one clearly hurts him. Usyk keeping distance now. Big punches from Fury but defended well by Usyk. Fury slowing down a bit after that flurry of activity. Usyk moving forward again. Fury 10-9; 59-57
7. Fury backed into corner, pushes his way out. Usyk still has lots of life in him, pretty much refreshed from last round, connected with a few strong shots. Big uppercut to the face from Fury. Power jab from Usyk to Fury's face. Fury combo and he walks away to the right, almost turning his back to Usyk. Great combo from Usyk but Fury is unaffected and returns fire. Another close one 10-10; Fury 69-67
8. Usyk has a cut over his right eyebrow. Three shot combo from Fury but Usyk returns fire. Incredible start. Great combo from Usyk, who is really coming on early in the round. Great 1-2 from Usyk, Fury pretends it didn't hurt. Usyk counterpunching more now, Fury more tentative. Another shot to Fury's nose, Fury clinches. Right from Usyk, now Fury's hands are up. Clear round for Usyk 10-9; Fury 78-77
9. Fury much more tentative with cut to nose/face. Fury clinches, face looks awful while Usyk's cut was cleaned up well. Fury looks more serious now, no more clowning. Usyk pressuring. Two lefts from Usyk. Fury fighting back with rights and uppercuts to body in last minute. Another right from Fury, round is about even now. Huge right from Usyk has Fury stumbling all over, he should just go down, he stumbles into the corner and they call a knockdown. The bell rings and Fury is a zombie. Usyk 10-8; 87-86
10. Fury looks better but wobbly, Usyk attacking. Fury can hardly punch though. Usyk attacks but Fury covers up well. He looks better now. Combo from Usyk. Now Usyk is clowning a bit. Usyk whiffs on a huge left, and a right. Fury cornered again but escapes. Fury survives the round, and I'm not sure Usyk won it. 10-10; Usyk 97-96
11. Great fight. Usyk charges in at the start. Fury using his jab again well. Fury backs off from Usyk's chasing shots. Usyk goes to body and chin. Good right overhand/cross from Usyk. Good uppercut from Fury to body. Fury backed to ropes and Usyk connects. Huge overhand left probably tilts the close round to Usyk 10-9; 107-105
12. Fury behind on my card but with close rounds, he could be up 2 rounds. Suggests a split decision for Usyk is most likely. Usyk closes in and scores, Fury responds. Fury clinches when Usyk charges. Combo from Fury but he needs more, needs to win this round and may need  a knockdown or knockout. Usyk looks fresher, and more aggressive, connects with a hook. Fury hits with right hand with 1 minute left. Fury great straight right hand. Exchanges at the end between both fighters. Very even round. 10-10; Usyk 117-115

Ok, with five 10-10 rounds my scores are: Usyk 117-110, Usyk (115-112 or 114-113), Fury 115-112. Split decision for Usyk. Let's see what the judges say.

Judges cards: 115-112 Usyk; Fury; 114-113 Usyk; 114-113 Usyk

Just as my "cards" predicted, a split decision win for Oleksandr Usyk, but none of the cards was a wide Usyk decision.

Oleksandr Usyk is the SportsRatings heavyweight champion, and everyone else's champion too for a change! I guess we're going to have the rematch in October.

 

Scoring from the undercard:

#6 Frank Sanchez vs. #17 Agit Kabayel round-by-round scoring (12 round scheduled)

1. Quick start to the action, fighters are standing toe to toe and sparring heavily. Kabayel going to the body like he did against Makhmudov. Sanchez backing up, but he connects with a solid right. Great left jab/uppercut follows, Kabayel is clinching and hooking his arms over Sanchez. Ref warns both about clinch activity. Uppercut misses for Sanchez. Kabayel taking Sanchez's shots well, has him on the ropes now. Lots of action, both fighters did well but Sanchez had the bigger shots. 10-9 Sanchez
2. Kabayel moving forward, being more aggressive than I thought he'd be. Another clinch and lots of hand-fighting in the clinch. Kabayel's jabs are getting in, and he connects with a great uppercut. Sanchez playing the rope-a-dope n the ropes? A few good shots back Kabayel off for a bit with a minute left. Good left by Kabayel, Sanchez responds. Right hand by Kabayel! Great action so far. Sanchez let the round go by staying on the ropes. 10-9 Kabayel; 19-19
3. Kabayel continuing the pressure; more clinch fighting. Not much real connecting going on this round, movement and clinching, both maybe resting after first 2 rounds. Good 1-2 by Kabayel. Did he do enough to win the round? Probably since Sanchez didn't do much either. Kabayel 10-9; 29-28
4. Kabayel once again backs Sanchez to the ropes. Exchanges between the two. Good uppercut by Sanchez, Kabayel takes it well, he responds with solid jabs and bodyshots. Sanchez looks uncertain, like his right hand is hurt? Sanchez trapped in the corner, takes some shots but blocks most. Still, he doesn't look like himself exactly. Kabayel is relentless in stalking him down, good right hand hook to the head. Another good round for Kabayel 10-9; 39-37
5. Sanchez's movement is questionable and he has a bandage on his knee, takes a few shots from Kabayel, teeing off on him now against the ropes. So far Sanchez has taken it well but isn't looking confident. Sanchez might have to brawl with Kabayel to open anything up, he's not dealing with the pressure well. His leg is clearly bothering him. Kabayel 10-9; 49-46
6. Sanchez backs right up to start the round. Good left by Kabayel. Kabayel is outboxing him even at this point, it's not just a matter of low output from Sanchez. Good counter, but most of his punches aren't going anywhere. Strong right but Kabayel. The difference in "ring generalship" is stark, even if the blows were even. 10-9 Kabayel; 59-55
7. Jabs from Kabayel, he's throwing 5 punches for every 1 or 2 counters from Sanchez. Right hand from Kabayel catches Sanchez sleeping. A few moments later Sanchez goes down from random body shot; moments later he is down again! Sanchez doesn't get up. Wow.

Agit Kabayel KO 7 Frank Sanchez

Impressive win for Kabayel, but the mystery is how bad Sanchez looked after the first or second round. He clearly wasn't himself. Was it his knee? Something else? Or just Kabayel's relentless body shots, which were what put him down.

In any case, #17 Kabayel will move up to #7, and Sanchez will drop to around #14. Oddly, Kabayel will land right behind Efe Ajagba, whose only loss is to Sanchez. Kabayel vs. Ajagba next?

Early action:

Already, Sergei Kovalev has lost a cruiserweight decision to undefeated Robin Sirwan Safar; and lightweight Mark Chamberlain impressively TKOed Joshua Wahab in the first round.

19-year-old HW prospect Moses Itauma is currently taking on Ilja Mezencev. Itauma is unranked so far as he hasn't faced any rated competition, but at 6-6 and hard-hitting he looks to be a contender soon. Mezencev survived the first round, barely, after a huge left. Update: he didn't survive the 2nd round. Big punch from Itauma on top of the head scored the 2nd round TKO.

Fury vs. Usyk: First #1 vs. #2 since 2009

Assuming the May 18th Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk bout happens as planned, it will be the first #1 vs. #2 matchup since 2009, according to the SportsRatings Heavyweight Top 100.

It's not even quite a "pure" #1 vs. #2 since #1 Tyson Fury is considered "inactive" as he hasn't defeated a rated boxer in over a year (beating Francis Ngannou in his debut doesn't count). But it's the closest we've come in over 15 years, since #1 Wlad Klitschko beat #2 Ruslan Chagaev on June 20, 2009.

Before that, the previous #1 vs. #2 clash was the rematch between Hasim Rahman and Lennox Lewis on Nov 17, 2001. Rahman took the top spot with the upset of Lewis earlier, knocked Lewis to #2. So the rematch was when #2 Lewis retook his title from #1 Rahman.

Lennox Lewis was #1 for both matchups with #2 Evander Holyfield, on March 13, 1999, and November 13, 1999. The first was a draw—leaving their rankings unchanged—and the 2nd was a win for Lewis.

And prior to that, the only other #1 vs. #2 match in our rankings for the entire 1990s was the rubber match between Holyfield and Riddick Bowe. Bowe was #1 and Holyfield #2. They had split two prior bouts and Bowe retained his title.

So over the last 30 years, the boxer at #1 is 3-1-1, and the one loss was when the former champ regained his title. Can Usyk buck the odds?

15 years is quite a drought for a #1 vs. #2 clash, but there have been some close calls. 

• In October, 2013, #1 Wlad Klitshko beat #3 Alex Povetkin. Wlad's brother Vitali was #2 at the time
• In November of 2015, #4 Tyson Fury beat #1 Wlad Klitschko. Close but no cigar.
• In September, 2018, #2 Anthony Joshua beat #3 Alex Povetkin. Tyson Fury held the #1 spot, but Joshua took over at #1 after the win
• Another #2 vs. #3 took place just three month later as #2 Tyson Fury took on #3 Deontay Wilder. They fought to a famous Draw and remained at #2 and #3
• By December 2019, Fury and Wilder were #1 and #2. Joshua had lost the #1 spot to Andy Ruiz Jr, who was at #3. #4 Joshua won the rematch and moved back to #1. Confused yet?
• In February, 2020, #2 Tyson Fury won a stoppage victory over #3 Deontay Wilder in their rematch. When Fury won the rubber match he was #1 and Wilder was #5
• Finally, in August of 2022, #2 Oleksandr Usyk beat #3 Anthony Joshua a second time. Usyk remained #2

During that whole time, it seemed a #1 vs. #2—probably Fury vs. Joshua—was inevitable, but the first draw with Deontay Wilder, then Joshua's loss to Ruiz, kept tripping things up with all of the rematches. When Usyk beat Joshua twice, he earned the fight with the also-undefeated Fury.

So here we are, two fighters, both claim titles, both undefeated, finally giving us a #1 vs. #2 clash, something that was once a lot more common but has been a rarity for over 30 years.

Updated mid-March Heavyweight Boxing Top 15

Getting a lot of hits for people looking at the Heavyweight rankings after last week's action. I only update monthly so anyone looking for last week's action to be reflected is bound to be disappointed! So I made an interim update, through the fights of March 8. Only one fight made a difference!

SportsRatings Heavyweight Top 15 updated through 03/08/2024

-3 Yr	-1 Yr	-6 mo	Mar1 Rank	Mar9 Rank	Fighter	Rating	Rated Record	March 1st-8th results; •March schedule
1	1	1	1	1	TYSON FURY	53.60	21-0-1	--last rated win -15 months.
26	2	2	2	2	OLEKSANDR USYK	42.10	5-0-0	[Interim HW champion]
8	26	16	7	3	JOSEPH PARKER	23.80	23-3-0	MD 12 #6 ZHILEI ZHANG
5	3	3	3	4	ANDY RUIZ JR	22.72	15-2-0	--last rated win -18 months.
2	6	5	4	5	ANTHONY JOSHUA	22.56	20-3-0	KO 2 Francis Ngannou
11	5	4	5	6	FRANK SANCHEZ	20.52	8-0-0
9	17	9	8	7	EFE AJAGBA	18.74	13-1-0
12	11	11	9	8	FILIP HRGOVIC	17.35	8-0-0
4	7	7	10	9	DILLIAN WHYTE	17.24	15-3-0	--last rated win -15 months; •3/17 vs. Christian Hammer
47	14	13	11	10	FABIO WARDLEY	16.79	6-0-0	•3/31 vs. #35 FRAZER CLARKE
28	16	12	12	11	JARED ANDERSON	16.67	8-0-0
18	9	10	13	12	JUSTIS HUNI	16.46	4-0-0	UD 10 Kevin Lerena;  --last rated win -16 months.
32	13	14	14	13	MARTIN BAKOLE	15.32	9-1-0
54	88	6	6	14	ZHILEI ZHANG	14.26	7-2-1	L MD 12 #7 JOSEPH PARKER
53	55	17	15	15	LUKASZ ROZANSKI	13.33	3-0-0

Joshua-Ngannou, Parker-Zhang live round-by-round scoring

Decent set of fights available on DAZN: #4 Anthony Joshua vs. Francis Ngannou, and #6 Zhilei Zhang vs. #7 Joseph Parker.

Main event: Joshua-Ngannou begins soon

Round-by-round scoring:

1. Both fighters look active, lunging with jabs. Ngannou's guard with right hand high in front. Joshua going for low jabs. Huge hook from Ngannou misses as Joshua ducks. Joshua goes to body again. Joshua gets straight right hand through and Ngannou knocked down!! Ngannou had shifted to southpaw and got caught. Ngannou looks ok. 10-8 Joshua
2. Let's see how Ngannou responds. He looks like he feels he needs to get a good punch in to even things up, which might be true. Joshua looks confident, obviously. Another good right from Joshua. Remember what happened in the Ruiz fight after Joshua put Ruiz down in the same manner though. Jab from Ngannou but he hasn't connected much. Jab from Joshua and another hook and Ngannou is down again! This is about how people though the Fury fight would go. Immediately Joshua connects with another right hand and Ngannou is out cold!

Anthony Joshua KO 2 Francis Ngannou

Well that was VERY different from the Fury-Ngannou fight. Ngannou looked like the amateur boxer that he really is. Pretty amazing work from Joshua though, he did in 1 1/2 rounds what Fury couldn't do in 10 rounds.

 

 #6 Zhilei Zhang (26-1-1) vs. #7 Joseph Parker (34-3)
The winner will jump to #3 in our Heavyweight rankings, a peak for either fighter. 

Round-by-round scoring:

1. Pawing jabs from both as Zhang's southpaw stance conflicts with Parker's orthodox; no big shots for 1st half of round, more cat-pawing. One punch from each maybe. Jab from Zhang. Hardly enough to score a full round on, as I often do I have to call it even. 10-10
2. Parker lunges forward with body shot here and there to break up the lead hand pawing, Zhang being even more patient. Big lunge from Parker right hand to body. 1st half pretty dull. Zhang goes to body and traps Parker in corner but gets tied up. Left hook to face connects. Zhang returns. Parker 1-2. Still not much happened, close round but Parker was more active. Parker 10-9; 20-19
3. More active jabbing from both to start round 3. Parker rushes right back in after break, goes to body. Zhang traps him in corner after a good connect though. Lots of head movement from Parker, Zhang still waiting then very quick straight left puts Parker on his ass. No damage but makes a 50/50 round into a 10-8 round for Zhang, who pours on a bit at the end. 10-8 Zhang; 29-28 Zhang
4. Zhang jabbing actively to start the round, alternative with left hand which is as quick as his jab. Parker returning fire, lands a few, good 1-2, now the action is really starting. Pretty even mid-way. Good shots from Parker to the body. Zhang standing in front of him less active and Parker taking advantage, solid right from Parker. Good exchanges, then ref warns Parker for low blow as round ends. Parker 10-9; 38-38
5. Zhang pawing tentatively, both waiting to strike, not much over first minute. Standing in front of each other posturing, quick lunge from Parker misses, connects to the body then. Parker's activity might win this round too as Zhang isn't pulling the trigger, at all. Good one from Parker adds to his advantage. 10-9; 48-47 Parker
6. Zhang looking a bit peppier but not really putting the jab all the way out. Parker lunges in and clinches after a miss. Parker's movement might be confusing Zhang who isn't committing to any punches. A small jab connects though. Parker to the body. Another blocked but he connects and then clinches. Exchange between the two, another clinch. Zhang sleepwalking through another round, Parker had to do even less, probably still won it. 10-9; 58-56 Parker
7. Not sure if Zhang's corner is telling him he's winning or what? But he shows no urgency, maybe he's thinking KO? More action in first minute this time but nothing telling. Parker putting 1-2 on Zhang's gloves mostly, Zhang tries to return, clinch from Parker. Parker using his speed well as Zhang is defintely lumbering. Another Parker clinch confounds Zhang. Parker ducks again to clinch when Zhang gets near. Good counter from Zhang. Parker doesn't deserve that one, neither does Zhang though; 10-10; 68-66 Parker
8. Parker connects with big right hand and return from Zhang as Parker ducks low to avoid. Parker's activity is really making Zhang look slow. But Zhang connects and as Parker ducks to avoid follow up and he runs into it and Parker takes a knee, ruining a good start for him. Minute left and Parker is fine, back to movement as before. Zhang trying to use the uppercut more as Parker goes low but misses. Zhang 10-8; 76-76
9. Zhang keeps same (non) urgency, probably thinks he's up with two 10-8 rounds. Parker fighting the same, too, more active, running gloves into Zhang's gloves and occasionally body. Clinch. Good body shot from Zhang, good one from Parker. Parker in-fighting during clinch. Jab from Zhang. Another too close to call round 10-10; 86-86
10. Uppercut from Zhang then body shots for Parker while Parker ducks low. Combo from Parker several punches, nothing too hard though. But he's scoring while Zhang isn't very much. Zhang needs to pull the trigger more. Good uppercut from Parker. Zhang just isn't going first, ever. Overhand from Zhang sort of lands, Parker double jab. Right hand. Zhang is just sitting doing nothing. Parker 10-9; Parker 96-95
11. Parker gets the best of jab trade. Parker digging in, Zhang looks slow, still never pulling the trigger. Same story as previous round, he basically needs another flash knockdown or Parker is going to win. Parker is just taking target practice on Zhang's gloves and arms, with little threat of return fire. Parker 10-9; 106-104
12. With three 10-10 rounds it's still within either fighter's reach by any judging bias, but Parker most likely wins a decision, which might be a split/majority decision. Parker looking good this round, lots of energy while Zhang looks sluggish, not able to attempt the KO or at least knockdown he probably needs. Parker holding him off his jab. Zhang just not trying at all to the very end, Parker 10-9; 116-113

If I divide the 10-10 rounds, my three cards are 116-113 and 116-110 Parker, and one card 113-113 draw, majority decision for Parker. Hard to see the cards ending up for Zhang overall.

Judges cards:  113-113 draw; 114-112, 115-111 for Joseph Parker, almost reflecting exactly my three cards. This is why I give a lot of 10-10 rounds and divvy them up to reflect the different way judges see a fight.

Great win for Parker who is on an absolute roll, beating Deontay Wilder and now Zhilei Zhang, both Olympic medalists, Bronze and Silver. Will he get another shot at the Gold (Joshua?). He'll jump to #3 in our rankings, ahead of Joshua, next month. Meanwhile Zhang looked old and slow, still dangerous. It looks like there is a rematch clause (which sucks) but it's hard to see it turning out different. Zhang will fall out of our top 10 next month.

Prelim brief summaries/scoring for HW fights:

Next fight features another ranked fighter, #89 Juan Torres (11-6-1) vs. undefeated Andryii Novytskyi (9-0), another guy looking to make his debut on the SportsRatings Heavyweight Top 100

1. Shorter Torres struggling to get past tall Novytskyi's long reach. Nov is 6-6 while Torres is 6-1 but looks much shorter (and rounder at over 250lbs). Novytskyi 10-9
2. Torres lunging multiple times but Nov stepping back to avoid, & Torres looks tired already. Long jabs are affecting Torres who is shrinking from contact rather than thinking offense. Novytskyi is being careful though. Good shot near the end; Novytskyi 10-9; 20-18
3.  Novytskyi jabbing, has one good shot over the top, Torres ducks under and almost goes for a takedown. Torres has his first good punch mid-round. More wrestling with a minute left, then solid right from Nov, then Torres takes a knee on followup. He doesn't get up, KO 3 Novytskyi

The end came really quickly and pretty unexpected, though it seemed inevitable that Novytskyi would win eventually, just not that soon. Torres pretty much gave up at first real adversity.

Andryii Novytskyi will make his Top 100 debut in April's rankings.

Early prelim:  #13 Justis Huni vs. Kevin Lerena (10 rounds); Lerena not rated as a heavyweight after extensive Cruiserweight career

1. Close round 10-10
2. Lerena stronger most of the round, Huni came on near the end; still Lerena 10-9; 20-19
3. Huni much busier than Lerena, who takes the round off basically, defends and doesn't get hurt; Huni 10-9; 29-29
4. Another close one, tbh didn't watch closely 10-10; 39-39
5. Lerena looks much more experienced, calmer, but Huni looks very fresh; Lerena dodges and returns fire well. Lerena 10-9; Lerena 49-48
6. Good left from Lerena early; defends well with hands up. Huni using a lot of energy with each punch but not slowing down. Huni connects with solid left as Lerena slows down a bit, round is getting close. Huni probably took it Huni 10-9; 58-58
7. Another good left to start from Lerena, who is very strong in first minute. Huni looking to come back with good combo, Lerena slowing down work rate in middle of round. No one really took charge of that one 10=10; 68-68
8. Once again, an early left catches Huni, who keeps up good work rate early though. Huni might be starting to wear Lerena down despite Lerena's solid guard. Lerena's offensive output is down a lot. Lerena's face is bloodied now and he looks tired as Huni looks fresh. Huni 10-9; Huni 78-77
9. Lots of feints from both fighters in first minute; Huni opening up a bit, Lerena still blocking most of it. 1-2 from Lerena; anyone's round with a minute left. Lerena makes a bit of effort, but Huni blasts him with a good shot at the end. Really not a very clear round. 10-10; Huni 88-87
10. With four 10-10 rounds I have no idea what the judges will say. Huni looks fresher and ring generalship goes to him, but he might not have won the rounds, as Lerena's boxing has been solid while Huni wins on power. Halfway through, Huni is ROCKED by Lerena and in BIG trouble. It was another left, that he's been getting Huni with all day. Huni didn't go down though, and needs to stay up for 30 seconds. Lerena's too tired to do it. They're going to hug it out for the last 10 seconds. Clearest 10-9 round you'll ever see, Lerena 10-9; 97-97 draw

So the announcers think Huni was well ahead, I have it 95-95 if the four 10-10 rounds are split, and either 97-93 Huni or 97-93 Lerena if I give the 10-10s one way or the other. Kind of wish I had scored this with more attention to detail. Let's see what the judges say: 96-94, 96-94, 98-92 all for Justis Huni

I guess they gave 3 of the 4 10-10 rounds to Huni, though the 98-92 was a bit much.

Huni won't benefit for the difficult win, however, as Lerena is not ranked: he beat expired HWs Bogdan Dinu, Mariusz Wach, lost to Daniel Dubois, and beat Ryan Merhy before Merhy was ranked. Pretty much did the most you can without getting rated!

Joshua-Wallin, Wilder-Parker, Dubois-Miller and more Live Round-by-Round Scoring

The big Day of Reckoning in Riyadh is here. Fight card (HW only) is below in reverse order of the fights, except the current one is on top until finished.

#4 ANTHONY JOSHUA vs. #20 OTTO WALLIN 

Main event is coming up soon. Joshua trying to continue his comeback from his losses to Usyk, and Wallin trying to take a huge step forward in his own career.

• Round 1: Joshua pawing forward, Wallin more defensive at start; Joshua lunges for body shots several times early. Mostly powaing for both fighters but they trade winging attempts at a straight headshot. Lunging jab from Joshua. Wallin lunges in for some rare offense. Clash at end amounts to little. Joshua had all the offensive attempts, Wallin hardly committed even to a jab. Joshua 10-9
• Round 2: DAZN audio is out but that's ok. Both fighters look much more intense to start round 2. Jab from Joshua connects. Wallin holding his ground but reacting more than acting. Trade jabs that barely touch. Body shot from AJ that leaves Wallin stumbling for a second but he's ok. Tactical jab match so far, a few body shots here and there. AJ jabs and Wallin tries to counter, story of this round. Good shot from Joshua. Body shot and he avoids the return. Wallin doesn't look like the confident fighter he claimed to be due to his sports psychologist, I think he was "faking it to make it" Joshua 10-9; 20-18
• Round 3: Joshua good shot to the face of Wallin, who looks slow but he returns a couple of weak jabs to Joshua. Body shot by AJ, whose jab is just more effective so far than Wallin's. Right hand by Joshua hits home. Decent body shot by Wallin. Wallin runs from left and narrowly avoids getting clubbed. Another AJ body shot. Return right by Joshua finds its target late. Wallin is game but is just being outclassed so far. Joshua 10-9; 30-27
• Round 4: Now Wallin is backing up a bit instead of holding his ground. Wallin jab connects. Big clinch. Big right hook from AJ hits Wallin in the face. Wallin whiffs twice. AJ jab. Big right hand blocked. Good exchange. AJ has Wallin in corner, connects with a few shots before break up. Wallin bleeding a bit. Joshua 10-9; 40-36
• Round 5: AJ right to belly button. 1-2 from AJ. Wallin on outside now, near ropes. Return right from Joshua. Another right. Wallin tries something, doesn't work. Not even his jabs are working. Return left from Joshua rocks Wallin, he's on weak legs but probably survives the round with 1 minute left. Huge right from Joshua is blocked but probably hurt. Wallin touches Joshua barely near end, first time he did all round probably. He's in trouble the rest of the way.

Wow, he's really in trouble because they stopped the fight. Wallin has a broken nose or something, whatever it was, he couldn't continue. Not sure who stopped it, Wallin, his corner, the ref or the ring doctor (update: it was his corner who told the ref to stop it)

Anthony Joshua TKO 5 Otto Wallin

I really cringed when they said Wallin was seeing a sports psychologist and was claiming he would win easily. It sounded forced and fake. He wasn't in good mental shape going in I think, he had no focus where Anthony Joshua was completely focused and put on a clinic. Joshua will remain at #4, while Wallin will drop from his #20 peak to outside the top 50 probably.

 #9 DEONTAY WILDER vs. #15 JOSEPH PARKER 

This is a big one. And a pretty close one, it seems that either Wilder knocks him out or Parker gets a decision. Other than Fury, Parker is probably Wilder's toughest opponent, comparable to Luis Ortiz when he fought him. And Wilder lost most of those rounds but got the KO twice. Parker on the other hand has fought a very tough slate including Joshua, Ruiz, and Joyce among others.

1. Round 1: Fighters circling for the first minute; Wilder on the far outside. Nothing in 2 minutes really. Anyone's round. Right from Parker breaks the silence. Do we really give him the round for that? No. 10-10
2. Round 2: Hopefully round 2 has more action. Parker goes to the body. Parker wings a big hook and misses. Double jab from Deontay a bit short. Parker does the same to the body. Parker lunges in, shot is blocked. Parker lunges in and goes to body, clinches. Jab from Wilder. Parker a few more jabs to the body. We'll give him that one. Parker 10-9; 20-19
3. Round 3: Wilder starts out jabbing more. Parker jumps in and clinches after dodging shot, delivering one of his own maybe. Parker lunges but comes up very short, he started about six feet away. Jab from Wilder. Wilder catches Parker coming in with a body shot. Parker comes in short, gets hit by uppercut, but gets out ok. Wilder gets hit by tough jab. Still pretty even. 10-10; 30-29 Parker
4. Round 4: Parker throws a big one and misses, Wilder whiffs with huge one. Parker catches Wilder and the two unload wildly and both connect. It happens again, Wilder gets hit and then returns fire. Parker probably got the best of both, and he comes in again, connects and clinches. Wilder starting the jab going; Parker lunges in again with clinch. Left from Parker, dodges the return fire. Parker does it again, big shot partially rocks Wilder who returns fire but mostly misses. Parker 10-9; 40-38
5. Round 5: Jabs from Wilder to body to start round 5; Parker catches Wilder with a right and backs him up, then clinches. Wilder stops Parker from coming in with jab. Parker jabs come up short but a right hand connects. Left from Wilder. Parker backs him up again but shot misses. Parker wins that too; Parker 10-9; 50-47
6. Round 6: Jabs from both early. Parker jumps in for another clinch. First half of round is same as first 5 rounds. Parker coming in with overhand right but misses. Another lunge into the ropes. Wilder connects with solid body shot. Parker connects near the end, they exchange in a tight clinch. Closer but still Parker 10-9; 60-56
7. Round 7: Wilder still looking for the big one. Parker lunges in again, clinch and wrestling against ropes. Wilder lunges in for  attempt at the big one, just misses or slightly connects. Parker stuns Wilder with slugging left, now Wilder coming forward. Big punch wins another round for Parker 10-9; 70-65
8. Round 8: Wilder has 5 rounds left to get what he wants. Body shot from Parker. Lunging jab from Wilder. Wilder misses uppercut, Parker connects, then Wilder responds. Jabs back Wilder up. Huge left from Parker who sees blood and goes nuts on him, Wilder getting hit with flurry, trying to clinch. Huge round for Parker 10-9; 80-74
9. Round 9: Parker now stalking more, he lunges in with left again. Wilder lets right hand go but misses. Wilder holding his head forward, a bit unsteady. Parker lunges in, the two trade against ropes. Wilder comes forward, doesn't take advantage with right hands. Pretty close round really. 10-10; Parker 90-84
10. Round 10: Three rounds left for Wilder, will he have the highlight reel or lose a boring fight? Parker jabs Wilder who didn't take it well. Big whiff by Parker. Huge shot from Wilder but it's blocked. Another shot by Parker rushing in. Parker content to do nothing for a full minute, it only helps him. Jabs from Wilder. Wilder goes for the kill shot but misses badly, then connects slightly with an uppercut. Parker kind of quit on that one, Wilder did'nt do much but maybe won that one. Wilder 10-9; Parker 99-94
11. Round 11: Jabs from Wilder early once again. Wilder's shot goes over the top of Parker. Wild shot from Parker whiffs. Wilder's right ducked under by Parker again, Parker's big left is blocked. Clinch with a minute left. Another Wilder miss over the top. Parker infighting uppercut. Wilder moving to center of ring finally. Parker 10-9; 109-103
12. Round 12: Last round, Wilder needs a KO. Parker and Wilder start a big scrum early. Wilder finally on the attack, Parker clinches. The two come together, Parker going over the top. Wilder misses on wide looping punch. Cracking sound as both come together at same time. Infighting, Deontay Wilder struggling for one big shot, connects again but not the shot he needs, Parker backs him against the ropes. Final clinch by Parker seals the win. Wilder 10-9; Parker 118-113

The judges will certainly give it to Parker, as wide as 8 rounds, maybe as close as 2 rounds if there's a completely pro-Wilder judge, but if he got even a draw with any judge it would be a shock. Splitting the 3 10-10 rounds our cards are 118-110; 118-113; 115-113 all for Parker

Scorecards: 118-111, 118-110, 120-108 for Parker. So all the close rounds went to Parker, which is not surprising, and one card had an absolute shutout for Parker.

Joseph Parker UD 12 Deontay Wilder

A huge setback for Wilder, who just looked lackadaisical the whole fight, no urgency at all except when Parker hit him. Wilder will fall out of our top 10, probably to just outside the top 20, while Parker will jump into the top 10, probably around #7, close to his highest rank ever (I think he made #6 at one point). 

 #54 JARRELL MILLER vs. #63 DANIEL DUBOIS

This is a great fight. Miller outweighs Dubois by nearly 100 pounds. Dubois is a better fighter but Miller hits very hard and has a great chin, while Dubois has a rep for quitting on himself. Crossroads fight for both fighters, Miller, still undefeated, is trying to justify his comeback from three separate PED busts. Dubois, with losses to Joe Joyce and Oleksandr Usyk, trying to regain his momentum as a contender.

• Round 1: Dubois straight shots to Miller's face and then body. Moving as Miller stalks. Uppercut from Dubois. Miller walking him down but not throwing much. Miller's belt is very high and Dubois warned for hitting low. Dubois throwing with bad intentions but Miller's guard is blocking most of it. First half of round was all Dubois, and good uppercut at end. 10-9 Dubois
• Round 2: Dubois continues pummeling forward, Miller looking to return fire a bit more bu unsuccessful in first minute. Miller trying to get closer to Dubois, pushes at his face in frustration. Uppercuts and hooks from Miller connect a bit. Stiff jab from Dubois actually stops Miller's juggernaut coming forward. Good shots from Miller to the body, and a jab. Jabs from Dubois. Big left from Miller and more from Miller and Dubois returns fire at end! Miller came on at the end but totality of round goes to Dubois again 10-9; 20-18 Dubois
• Round 3: Jab from Dubois. Big scrap, with Miller whiffing a windmill. Dubois connects 4 or 5 times and Miller slows down. Both fighters getting tired. Standing toe to toe now. Uppercut from Dubois. Jabs from Miller just touch but still do damage. Big shots from both but neither really hits. More jabs from Miller and again. Big left clubs Dubois but mostly misses. 10-9 Miller; 29-28 Dubois
• Round 4: Miller still stalking, Dubois punching hard through Miller's guard. Big jab from Dubois. Nothing seems to crack Miller's chin though, whereas Miller's jabs are affecting Dubois. Even first half of round, now Miller coming on a bit as action slows to his preferred level. 1-2 from Miller. Short shots and a big left from Dubois as they stand toe to toe. Dubois not quitting though. Dubois' guard is too low to stop any jabs. 10-9 Miller; 38-38
• Round 5: Dubois digs in for good right hook, unloading on Miller now early. Dubois doing his best early in the rounds before Miller's size starts to affect him. There's an uppercut from Miller, who swings for fences and misses. Miller working the jab again and Dubois keeping hands too low. Now head to head and catch-wrestling for position. Miller outworking him right now but Dubois firing back punch for punch. Miller getting tired. Back and forth round. 10-10; 48-48
• Round 6: Anybody's fight right now. Both fighters working jab and both connecting. 1-2 from Dubois and again. Good work early as usual in first minute. Wrestling starts again. Both fighters getting tired. Miller tired but staying active. Lots thrown but not much connecting flush for either fighter. Dubois wins based on early action, still a close round. Dubois 10-9; 58-57
• Round 7: Miller comes out fast for a change, but Dubois counters and jabs. Announcers think Dubois is "comfortably ahead" I don't know. Miller gets away with measuring. Dubois wins first half of the round but let's see if he can close well. Dubois connects well, takes a glancing blow in return. Miller's shots don't have a lot of power on them the way he's throwing. Body shots at the end, Dubois wins another competitive round. 10-9 Dubois; 68-66
• Round 8: Dubois typical fast start, jabs, uppercuts, movement, through first minute. Miller not able to effectively mount a counteroffensive. Dubois controlling distance well. Warning for Dubois for ducking his head in, 2nd warning for him. Miller uses the break to get a 2nd wind but Dubois avoids it and digs in some right overhands into Miller. Big shots at end by Dubois. First round he dominated. 10-9 Dubois; 78-75
• Round 9: Miller probably does need a KO now, but its Dubois who is landing big shots early. Now head to head and action slows leaning against each other. Good uppercut from Dubois. 1-2 to the body, then up top. Miller's output is low, he can't get into position. Dubois is probably hitting harder than Miller right now, but Miller's chin is iron to this point. Good body shot from Miller is almost his entire output this round. 10-9 Dubois; 88-84
• Round 10: Ok, NOW Dubois is "comfortably ahead" and Miller needs a KO for sure. Dubois back to his jabs and uppercuts, Miller looking like he's going to swing for the fences this round. Miller is tired and too slow, if Dubois keeps his distance he will win but he's getting inside and giving Miller a chance. Miller might be too tired though. Dubois digs in with 1-2 with 1 minute left. 3-shot combo from Dubois, but nothing rocks Miller. Dubois piling it on but he's pretty worn out too. Miller backs up to the ropes and Dubois wants to finish him. He piles on more and more shots and the ref steps in!!

Daniel Dubois TKO 10 Jarrell Miller

Probably a questionable stoppage as Miller was on his feet and there were just seconds left in the fight, but he was taking shots and not throwing back. Miller was more exhausted than anything else. Hopefully that's the end of Miller in HW boxing. But he'll be back for low-level fights for another decade I bet. Dubois will move up to near the top 30 in the SportsRatings ranking, not back to where he once was but better than he's been in a while.

 #23 ARSLAN MAKHMUDOV vs. #59 AGIT KABAYEL 

I like this fight, and think the odds (10-1 for Makhmudov) are crazy. Both guys are undefeated. It will be Makhmudov's power vs. Kabayel's skill. Kabayel is a big guy too, he only gives up 20 pounds to Makhmudov. Kabayel's most prominent win is over Derek Chisora, another big puncher. Makhmudov beat Carlos Takam, so both have beaten a fighter somewhat similar to each other in size and skill.

• Round 1: Kayabel circling Makhmudov standing in the center. Early feeling out. Makhmudov lunges to punch, Kabayel moves out of the way. Agit returns fire on Mak's jab. He covers up as Mak attacks. Agit jabs to the body and gets back out. Agit ties up Mak to prevent close in fighting. Big shot from Mak whiffs. Mak times Agit lunging in for still right to face as the round ends. Pretty close, both guys did well, I will punt as I often do on the first round. 10-10
• Round 2: Mak wrestles Agit forward into ropes. Mak stumbles forward trying to club Agit. Jab from Kabayel, Mak pressures him into corner. 1-2 from Kabayel, and shot to body. Right to body again. Mak is looking slow but looking for the big shots unlike Kabayel. Mak a bit frustrated and wrestles again. Kabayel 10-9; 20-19
• Round 3: Jab and uppercut by Agit. Punches to the body and avoids return fire. Kabayel starting to find his range, 4 shots 5, Mak stumbles back and is stunned. Mak can't find his punch. Kabayel backs out a bit. Mak whiffs with big shots. Kabayel is on the attack.  Big right hand from Agit. Kabayel is dominating this round. Great work. Kabayel 10-9; 30-28
• Round 4: Kabayel continues where he left off, teeing off on Makhmudov. Body shot, uppercut, Makhmudov crumbles to the canvas. He gets up at 8 count. Kabayel smells the win. Mak can only throw big shots in desparation. He crumbles again and it may be over. He gets up at 8 again. Third time down and IT IS OVER. 

Agit Kabayel TKO 4 Arslanbek Makhmudov

Great win for Kabayel, whose only problem is his inactivity. Hopefully this jump-starts his career and he gets some great opponents. Kabayel will move up from #59 to nearly the top 20 or so, while Makhmudov will fall out of the top 50. I see this is Makhmudov clearly being exposed in every sense of the word. He can do nothing but club people and his athletic skill is close to zero. He doesn't handle adversity well at all and is just too slow to deal with any quickness from his opponent.

#10 FILIP HRGOVIC vs. Mark De Mori 12

This is maybe the biggest mismatch on the card. De Mori has been fighting mostly guys named Laszlo for the last six years, none of them any good. 

• Round 1: Hrgovic standing tall as usual, jabbing. Good left hook from De Mori. Trading occasional strong punches to body. Hrgovic overhand right buckles De Mori, who takes 8 count holding the ropes. De Mori going for broke, swinging big shots. Hrgovic lands big shots but as De Mori turns from them one connects solidly on the back of the head, and ref stops to warn Hrgovic rather than give another count to De Mori. It doesn't matter because Hrgovic continues the pummelling and the ref stops the match.

Filip Hrgovic TKO 1 Mark De Mori 

Not the best showcase of Hrgovic's skills, but showed his power I guess. He doesn't gain in our system as De Mori is not rated.

 #5 FRANK SANCHEZ vs. #125 JUNIOR FA 

It's been about 4 years since Fa's last real win, but Sanchez has hardly been active against top competition lately either. This is another of Sanchez's cupcakes and would be a shocking upset to say the least if the 280-lb Fa can get the W.

• Round 1: Sanchez staying mostly at distance and not doing much, Fa at least looking like he's in the ring for a reason. Sanchez looks asleep compared to the alert-looking Fa, but neither did much of anything. 10-10
• Round 2: Sanchez goes to the body, Fa keeps pawing out the jab but not touching. Maybe once to the body. Another jab from Sanchez to the body, goes to the head now. But he's still far away in general. Fast lunging jab from Sanchez. Good entry from Fa shut down by Sanchez. A bit more work from Sanchez this time, I guess it's enough. 10-9 Sanchez; 20-19
• Round 3: So far Sanchez is acting like he's going up against a top contender. Good start by both in exchange, Sanchez delivered harder blow, but he settles back into conservative mode. It's been a chess-match type of fight so far, which he shouldn't need to do against Fa. Sanchez explodes with a combo counter, brief flash of activity. Stopped for Fa's mouthpiece with 30 seconds left. Nothing happens in the last half-minute. Sanchez 10-9; 30-28.
• Round 4: Sanchez is content to spar this fight away it seems. At least he's taking it seriously. Fa tries a jab-jab-cross and all miss. Simultaneous jabs. Fa comes forward with a jab and right. Lunging jab from Sanchez near the end. Really I can't in good conscience give that one to Sanchez. 10-10; Sanchez 40-38.
• Round 5: This fight could be tied if you gift Fa the dull rounds 1 and 4. Snapping jab from Sanchez. Using a lot of head movement he probably doesn't need. Big shot to the body from Sanchez but he gets in too close and Fa negates any follow-up. Happens again. Fa jabs and gets hit in return. Fa flinching at every feint. But he's the one moving forward a lot of the time. Sanchez tries to enter at end and falls down hard. Another dull round, Sanchez had a few good shots but mostly failed entries. Sanchez 10-9; 50-47.
• Round 6: Somehow Fa is keeping Sanchez at distance. Sanchez does connect with a good right, then more distance. Sanchez gets another right, then Fa jumps in with a strong right hand against the ropes, and after a bit another one, and he might win this round. NOPE! Sanchez connects with just seconds remaining in the round and Fa goes down. Sanchez 10-8; 60-55.
• Round 7: Sanchez isn't coming at him with any more ferocity than in other round, despite rocking Fa at the very end of Round 6. WHOA Sanchez explodes with a great combo that puts Fa down again! Surprised that didn't end it but Fa is up. Two minutes left and now Sanchez is hunting him. Fa doing a good job of running away and clinching. Still a minute left. With 30 second left two hard shots put Fa down again, he gets up but it's waved off.

Frank Sanchez TKO 7 Junior Fa

Kind of seems like Sanchez could have done that in the first few rounds, but he treated it like a sparring session and treated Fa like a dangerous foe, which he really isn't. Sanchez doesn't gain much from this but might move up to #4 depending on what happens with Joshua.

Non-HW fights:

Jai Opetaia vs. Ellis Zorro (cruiserweight)

I guess I'll score this one too. Both are undefeated.

• Round 1: Zorro looks a bit scared in there with Opetaia, who is bounding around while Zorro stands motionless. First half of round goes by with little action, then left hand connects on Zorro. Right from Zorro connects partially. Good shot to body from Opetaia. Zorro connects and at least his corner is happy with it. Uneventful round but with 10 seconds left ZORRO IS OUT.

One-punch KO from Opetaia, a looping left that catches Zorro on the chin and lays him out flat.

Jai Opetaia KO 1 Ellis Zorro

If Opetaia moves up to heavyweight at some point he could be a problem, as he has power and speed. He doesn't look like a big CW so he'd be a very small HW it seems. Though he could probably weight as much as Deontay Wilder pretty easily!

Dmitry Bivol vs. Lyndon Arthur (Light heavyweight)

I'll score this one too, why not.

• Round 1: Herky jerky movements from Arthur, being pressured and backed up by Bivol, who connected with a few good straight hands and left hooks. Arthur didn't do bad unless you count ring generalship, he got a few shots in here and there and kept Bivol off him. Bivol 10-9
• Round 2: Bivol feinting a lot, Arthur reacting, back against the ropes. 1-2 and another 1-2 from Bivol. This is different than the first round, which Bivol used to feel out. Bivol doing more than pressuring now. Arthur throwing less back at him too. Big left to the body. Bivol unloads with 30 seconds left. Pretty dominant round. Bivol 10-9; 20-18
• Round 3: Bivol pressuring less and looking to pick his spots. Arthur clearly worried about what's coming back at him, not jabbing much. Bivol measuring with left and connecting with right multiple times, now a flurry of punches midway through round. Arthur took it well, slipped some, blocked some, got hit by some. Bivol slows workrate considerably after flurry, but Arthur not throwing much. Bivol 10-9; 30-27
• Round 4: Arthur's shoulder roll working pretty well for the most part in the first minute, but Bivol gets through when countering the jab. Hard shot to the body now. Exchange that Bivol gets the better of. Stiff jabs land. Arthur totally focused on defense. Throws the rare jab now and then. Bivol has him in the corner as the round nears an end. Bivol 10-9; 40-36
• Round 5: Two good jabs from Arthur to start the round. Another before Bivol backs him up. Not much contact in the first half of the round, but now they're close and exchanging with Bivol connecting twice before Arthur goes to the body. Stiff jab from Arthur. Arthur blocks a few shots and returns fire. Big shot from Bivol. Another big jab. Not much from Bivol that round, Arthur won most of that round but not by enough to take it. Call it a draw. 10-10; Bivol 50-46
• Round 6: Both fighters very active early, Bivol getting the best of it generally. Jabs and uppercuts from Bivol. Another flurry of activity from Bivol mid-round. Bivol sniping as Arthur plays defense. Big jab connects on Arthur, who gets in a good right. Wrestling against the ropes and the ref separates them. Good variety of punches by Bivol in the last minute. Arthur is tentative and not even finishing his jab. Bivol 10-9; 60-55
• Round 7: Arthur holding his own standing in front of Bivol early, but he's in a big hole. But as the round continues he starts to back up and Bivol takes control with more activity if nothing else. Arthur's defense is respectable, for all the shots Bivol has fired his way, he's doing pretty well. Bivol goes to the body late. Another typical round: small advantage in exchanges adds up to another round for Bivol 10-9; 70-64
• Round 8: After 30 seconds Bivol's punches get through Arthur's guard, still not hurting him but scoring. Heavy body shot to Arthur's right side. Another one. Arthur totally on defense now but he throws a body shot that gets Bivol's attention. Now Arthur might have done something, but Bivol comes back and puts Arthur in the corner. Bivol 10-9; 80-73
• Round 9: Jab after jab from Bivol. Arthur against ropes, clinches. Occasional Bivol shot gets through Arthur's defense, now Bivol has him on the ropes again, trying to go for the kill but Arthur is too sound defensively. Bivol 10-9; 90-82
• Round 10: Bivol shot to body is first big shot of round 10. Lower workrate this round too. Arthur still a low workrate as he is frozen on defense. With minute to go Bivol comes alive and puts Arthur in corner, but after a bit he stops throwing and lets Arthur out. Still wins the round easily. Bivol 10-9; 100-91
• Round 11: Bivol in full control, Arthur still playing good defense, excellent defense in fact, but since he has no offense it's less effective and Bivol gets through now and then. Arthur tries to have a moment of courage but nothing comes of it. Bivol back in control in last minute. Now his workrate explodes and he puts Arthur down in a crouch with flurry of punches including bodyshots to end the round. 10-8 Bivol; 110-99
• Round 12: Bivol gets Arthur against the ropes and unloads for 20 seconds, 30 seconds, finally Arthur clinches. Bivol is probably tired after that flurry, let's see if he acts in the final minute. Arthur has recovered pretty well. 30 seconds left. Bivol starts another flurry but Arthur is game and gets off the ropes. Bivol 10-9; 120-108

I think Arthur will get a round on a card or two, but that's it.

Official cards: all 3 cards are 120-107, so he didn't get a round at all

Dmitry Bivol UD 12 Lyndon Arthur

Oleksandr Usyk is interim champ heading toward match with #1 Fury

Oleksandr Usyk has become interim SportsRatings heavyweight champion prior to his match with #1 rated Tyson Fury.

Fury, though #1 in the SportsRatings rankings, is now officially "inactive" as it has been a year since his last rated win. He beat Derek Chisora on December 3, 2022, and his October win over Francis Ngannou—Ngannou's debut boxing match—doesn't count for Fury.

-3 Yr	-1 Yr	-6 mo	Nov Rank	Dec Rank	Fighter	Rating	Rated Record	November results; •December schedule
1	1	1	1	1	TYSON FURY	55.35	21-0-1	--last rated win -12 months.
24	2	2	2	2	OLEKSANDR USYK	42.10	5-0-0	[Interim HW champion]
5	3	3	3	3	ANDY RUIZ JR	23.78	15-2-0	--last rated win -14 months.
2	6	5	5	4	ANTHONY JOSHUA	20.66	19-3-0	•12/23 vs. #20 OTTO WALLIN
12	5	4	4	5	FRANK SANCHEZ	20.63	7-0-0	--last rated win -13 months; •12/23 vs. #125 JUNIOR FA

Usyk rose to the #2 spot with back-to-back wins over current #4 Anthony Joshua but has remained behind Fury for over two years now. The two will settle things in the ring next year, reportedly on February 17. If Fury wins he'll regain his title; if Usyk wins, he can remove the "interim" from his own title. 

What if the fight doesn't happen, for whatever reason? Fury would remain inactive and Usyk would remain Interim Champ, at least until next September when he would become inactive, too. Assuming he fights before then, he would remain Interim Champ as long as Fury remains inactive.

How long would Fury have to be inactive for Usyk to become Heavyweight Champion by default? A pretty long time. Fury is well ahead of Usyk in points, so it might be a couple of years. Probably around 20-21 months. But assuming Usyk fights regularly during that time period, it might be around 12-18 months before Usyk overtook Fury.

Let's hope the fight happens so we don't have to worry about that.

#4 Joe Joyce vs. Zhilie Zhang round-by-round scoring

4th ranked and undefeated Joe Joyce takes on Olympic silver medalist Zhilie Zhang. Zhang is currently #88 after a loss and draw in his last 4 fights. He's still a big threat with a big punch but Joyce, an Olympic silver medalist himself, has the big advantage in durability and stamina as he lives up to his nickname, The Juggernaut. He's a -1100 favorite, which seems a bit excessive but he should definitely be the favorite. Both fighters are 6 feet, 6 inches tall.

Round-by-round scoring for the 12 round fight:

1. Early feeling out for the first minute. Good shots from Zhang, landing some hard punches in the middle of the round which is really his only chance—the longer the fight goes the more Joyce will be favored. Good shot to the body for Zhang. Joyce is unfazed and continues his high output but not connecting much. Joyce hanging back a little bit though. Zhang 10-9
2. Joyce respecting Zhang's 80 inch reach which is equal to Joyce's. Good exchange early in the round. Joyce relentless with activity. Great counter 1-2 by Zhang. Huge left from Zhang! Joyce is stunned and stumbles around the ring a bit but stays up. Ref separates and restarts them and Joyce recovers. Joyce back to the activity late in the round, Zhang looks a bit tired. Zhang 10-9; 20-18 
3. Joyce starting with high workrate to not let Zhang get anyting in, Zhang goes to the body, gets a right in but 90% of activity is Joyce. Zhang fading a bit it seems with a minute left. Zhang gets a few lefts in, and another one late but Joyce is unfazed. Much better round for Joyce 10-9; 29-28 Zhang
4. Joyce stepping up pace, mostly jabs hitting Zhang's arms but staying relentless. Zhang's output is very slight midway through, though he gets some lefts in still. 1-2 left right from Zhang scores, Joyce keeps the pressure up. Another few shots from Zhang but activity probably wins a close round for Joyce 10-9; 38-38
5. Joyce really speedy as round 5 starts, going to the head and body. Counter left from Zhang is almost his first punch after more than half a minute. Big left from Zhang, multiple punches from Joyce though. Joyce's face looks far worse though as Zhang's punches are connecting unimpeded. Activity probably wins that for Joyce, too, but it's even closer than last round, and he doesn't look great, especially Joyce's right eye. Joyce 10-9; 48-47 Joyce
6. The ref checks Joyce's eye, and he passes the test but things get serious as there's no guarantee he's winning the fight. Good short right from Zhang. Joyce continues relentless punching, but Zhang comes alive with 4 or 5 good strikes and the doctor is checking the eye again. Joyce answers correctly 2 finger and 1 finger, but the fight is STOPPED! And Zhang wins the TKO on doctor's decision!

Wow. Joe Joyce's legendary durability cost him, as he remained unfazed by most of Zhang's shots, but you can have a great chin but no one has a "great eye" and the damage was enough for the doctor to stop the fight.

Zhang, only #88 in SportsRatings' top 100, will jump into the top 10 for the first time in his career. Joyce will fall to just outside the top 10. 

#6 Joe Joyce vs. #7 Joseph Parker round-by-round scoring: Winner gets top 5

Joe Joyce, Olympic Silver Medalist, takes on #7 Joseph Parker in Manchester, England. The winner will break into the top 5 for the first time. Joyce is 14-0-0 and Parker is 30-2-0 with losses only to Anthony Joshua and Dillian Whyte.

Bout is set to begin in minutes.

Round-by-round scoring:

1. Jabs and dipping for body shots from both right away. Joyce as usual is working the jab, getting some in, gentle jabs. More jabs from Joyce and Parker hooking to the body in return. Parker leaps forward and scores to the head. Parker moves forward again but Joyce returns with a big 1-2. Big right by Parker is blocked. Close but maybe a little bit more by Joyce. Joyce 10-9
2. Joyce walking Parker down but Parker lunges out of it punching himself. Joyce chases Parker down and scores. Good comeback from Parker. Big shots from both, interesting back and forth, decent punches but neither is hurt. Parker gets against the ropes and circles out. Both had their moments. 10-10; Joyce 20-19
3. Joyce remains busy, coming forward, Parker waiting more on his strikes. Good left by Joyce backs Parker up. Joyce eats everything Parker has and returns fire and he has Parker leaning over and scrambling. Still 1:30 left in the round. Good uppercut by Parker, Joyce doesn't flinch. Parker catches Joyce coming in, has a much better last 30 seconds but it's still Joyce's round. 10-9; Joyce 30-28
4. Joyce looks a bit more tentative now, not walking down as much. Parker with lunging big punch to get out of the corner again, Joyce with dozens of smaller punches. Good stiff right from Parker. Joyce staying farther away this round, trying to time Parker's counters, gets hit by another one. Two big rights by Parker, one misses completely, the other slightly connects. Parker connected with the harder shots Parker 10-9; Joyce 39-38
5. Joyce peppering away flustering Parker over the first minute. Parker hasn't had his power shots this round, isn't trying as many or connecting, except for one low blow. Parker lunges out and they trade in the center of the ring. Joyce's volume wins this one. Joyce 10-9; Joyce 49-47
6. Joyce really coming after Parker this round right off the bell. Unloading the big shots for a full minute, lots of damage. Parker looked bad for a bit but looks like he's holding up well, Joyce slowing down a bit. Parker gets in a few counters as Joyce slows down.  But Joyce doesn't stop. Joyce 10-9; Joyce 59-56
7. Parker connects early with burst of energy, Joyce is undaunted. Parker whiffs with big uppercut. Joyce peppering him with volume of small punches. Joyce clinches him against ropes for a small rest, but he's right back to the volume, has Parker against the ropes again. Parker hanging on. Parker is cut bad, now both are winging punches. Joyce 10-9; 69-65
8. Joyce pressing the action, Parker fighting back with desperation. Trading big shots. Joyce very systematic with his approach, Parker more unpredictable. Both slow down after the minute mark. Good shots from Parker but Joyce comes back strong. Parker comes back too. Parker fighting to survive with the cut, Joyce pushing for the stoppage but neither fighter has been wobbled all fight. Parker clearly falling farther behind. Joyce 10-9; 79-74.
9. Parker's occasional counters just aren't fazing Joyce, who keeps moving forward. Huge uppercut from Parker is completely ignored by Joyce who goes on the attack immediately. Both load up for huge shots and both miss. Parker walking in circles to get away from Joyce. Better round from Parker but did he really win it? not really. 10-10; Joyce 89-84
10. Fighting in the pocket a minute in, head to head trading uppercut attempts. Joyce keeping up the volume once they separate. Big lunging shot from Parker is blocked. Parker times Joyce's entry well and gets some good work in. Funny end with both clowning. Another close one, if Parker gets these with the judges he has a chance 10-10; Joyce 99-94
11. Joyce going for it big like he did in round six. He slows down after a minute. Then a HUGE left from Joyce puts Parker down, and he's not getting up, even if he had he was totally out. JOYCE BY KO

Incredible last round by Joyce, the first 30 seconds of round 11 tired Parker out, setting him up for the huge KO punch. He hadn't been hurt by Parker all day, and his corner decided it was time to just go for broke, knowing he would hurt Parker much more than he would get hurt.

Through 10 round we had Joyce up 5 rounds, but with 3 10-10 rounds it could have been close, and with 2 rounds left it could have been a very close affair. But Joyce decided to go for the sprint finish.

Joyce was ahead by 2, 3, and 5 rounds, pretty close to mine, which would be 2, 5, and 8 giving the 10-10 rounds to either fighter.

This is the finish I expected—a Joyce win, not necessarily by KO—because the winner was set to jump ahead of Anthony Joshua in our ratings, and it wouldn't make good sense to have Parker ahead of Joshua. Joyce, on the other hand, is undefeated and this win—the first stoppage of Joseph Parker—shows he deserves a high ranking. He'll move up to #4, his highest ranking yet.