1. Mayorga initiates,
single long punches
first downstairs then up. Forrest sticks his jab effectively.
Nobody hurt in early "feeing out" punches. Vernon Forrest
tags from the outside. Ricardo 1.
Mayorga does not counter effectively. He is swinging hay-makers,
and can't catch the tall man. It's a boxing clinic, and El Matador
is frustrated. In close quarters, Vernon clinches. So far so good.
He has survived, and if he can box a few more rounds like this
he will have his confidence restored in no time.
2. Now that they're warmed up, the big punches start earlier.
Mayorga is pushing for toe-to-toe action. Forrest can't resist
100% of those exchanges, and he does manage to land a right
in the phone booth. But Vernon quickly resumes the strike &
move technique - keeping to a safe distance after tagging Mayorga.
Ricardo is swinging for the moon, the crowd loves it. Ricardo
walks in and pushes Forrest into the ropes; glancing blows all
around. Moments later he rushes in with a right hand lead. With
a half a minute to go, Mayorga is pushing to make good on that
2nd round KO prediction. No dice. His short overhand right lands
over Forrest's retracting jabbing arm, but not with the intended
result. It's messy in there.
3. Mayorga is getting an A for aggression, even though Vernon
is clearly not getting victimized (yet) this time around. Mayorga
is not going to lose his confidence, he is single-minded in
his pursuit. He drills the short right and Vernon backpedals,
hurt but not dangerously so. Vernon is still keeping his gameplan
intact. Returning to some of the tentativeness of round one,
but otherwise finding some success with a boxing approach .
And now Ricardo Mayogra is assaulting Vernon Forrest! He hammers
away at Vernon, pounding on Forrest's forearms, whatever he
can land on. It's messy but it's domination.
4. The fighters both seem to be catching their breath for a
the first minute. Forrest is looking wilted, even though his
body is fit and his heart willing. Ow. Mayorga cataches Forrest
with a mean right uppercut. Vernon Forrest hangs in there. When
he leans in with a long jab, he gets a glancing blow on the
side of the head for it. Oh, now this is just scary. Vernon
Forrest is hitting Mnayogra dead on, and Maryogra stands there
a la Rocky Balboa, asking for more. What the hell! He ends the
round chasing Vernon Forrest. This guy is a monster.
stats at 4
Ricardo Mayorga Vernon Forrest
Thrown -- 156 -- 150
Landed -- 50 -- 35
Percentage 32% -- 23%
5. I heard Forrest's corner telling him to tie up Mayorga,
and this mucho sound advice. It has got to be demoralizing to
unload your arsenal on a guy's face and have him shake it off
and come at you repeatedly. Mayorga is swinging for the stars,
Vernon is back-pedaling. Both fighters are feeling the fatigue,
in ever-slowing action. Now Vernon manages a nice sharp left
first to Mayorga's body then the head. As the fight reaches
the half-way mark, Vernon can perhaps hope for Mayorga's smoking
to assist in the later rounds.
Lederman - HBO scorecard at 5
Ricardo Mayorga -- 49 
Vernon Forrest -- 46
6. So. Is this fight going to go to a decision? Mayorga seems
a bit irritated to have to keep fighting at this point. But
he's also sucking wind. Now these 2 men are mostly standing
in front of each other lobbing power shots. Vernon Forrest has
indeed taken his boxing to a new level. It has not been enough
to control the fight thus far, but it has kept him around, and
has contributed to keeping things interesting (not that they
could be otherwise with Ricardo Mayorga in the ring). Mayorga
is doing his usual, but doing it slower and with less gusto.
59-55 in Mayorga's favour
7. I said that nothing would surprise me in this fight, but
I guess it does seem a bit unexpected to see the it last this
long. True, Mayorga is still in charge, but the action has been
less one-sided in the last round and this one. Forrest's very
wise and well-executed boxing strategy just might start paying
off now. Mayorga plants himself in the middle of the ring, window-shopping
for opportunities while Vernon moves around the outside pecking
away with the jab. When Mayorga rushes him, Vernon manages to
play keep away and in another confidence-building exchange,
counters well with the uppercut. In the final moments, Mayorga
is repeatedly frustrated.
Lederman card : 68-65 Mayorga
8. Forrest seems to be gaining ground, mostly via some cool
bodyshots. Is Ricardo Mayorga spent? He's still dangerous no
matter what. But Vernon has taken HIS punches too, so perhaps
a seed of doubt is growing now… Forrest
lands a booming left hook, and gets out of the way. Now Mayorga
is chasing him. This is a very telling dynamic: The less artful
fighter can only lose if he lets the boxer control the rhythm
of the action. Instead of walking in and rushing Forrest, Mayorga
is now following him around, always a half a step behind the
pace. Can he come back ?
Lederman card : 77-75 Mayorga
Forrest closing in on points
9. Vernon Forrest is mixing in some power punches, just can't
resist when that confidence returns. He is moving well, clearly
recovered from those punishing early rounds. Ricardo Mayorga
obviously still is in this fight ,and has a puncher's chance.
But he is now falling back in his connecting average. Can it
be that he is falling into the trap of trying to fight a boxer's
fight? ...Or maybe he's just running out of steam. He's not
hurt, but he's been hit plenty. Vernon accrues some points early
in the round and avoids contact in the second half.
Lederman card 86-85 Mayorga
Forrest's hands hurt - he thinks his nose is broken - corner
telling him "suck it up" LOL
10. What a horserace. Mayorga could be changing this fight
around again. It's a brawl. After three rounds, Mayorga couldn't
take the frustration anymore. He apparently has a power reserve
and uses it to do his helicopter thing again; Forrest survives
however, and fights back. They trade evenly in repeated exchanges,
and now it's Mayorga who hangs on! Several big rights have landed
for each man. And they both are fighting their hearts out! I
think Mayorga prevailed in this round, but this one is going
down to the wire. Hats off to Vernon Forrest. He is 100%champion,
no matter what happens in the next round.
Lederman scoring 95-95 even
stats at 10 May For
Thrown -- 445 -- 386
Landed -- 107 -- 94
Percentage --% 24% --% 24%
11. More of the same. In head-to head combat, Forrest counters
with an accurate left as Mayorga misses. Vernon punctuates another
exchange with a long straight shot as they move away. Ricardo
is tough, he sticks a short right upstairs. But Vernon is right
in there, and still working a sound strategy. Mayorga continues
to absorb one or more every time the 2 fighters meet. It's ugly
at times; in awkward action, both boxers dig deep. Mayorga still
swings for the fences, but it seems more and more likely that
kayos will be denied tonight, and we'll be looking at a decision
of all things.
12.
Vernon Forrest's preparation has paid off, but it may not have
been enough. Mayorga has been denied his early kayo, but one
thing is clear. He's not a fluke. He's champion material, however
unorthodox. Ricardo just keeps putting his head down and ploughing
in. And Vernon Forrest just keeps boxing, sticking, moving...Mayorga
has come out ahead, and has had to work hard for it. Arms raised
in premature victory, Mayorga gets tagged on the chin in the
final moments ...and just keeps on coming.
Lederman card 115-113 Mayorga
[top]
