We’re live from Inside Fights HQ in Chicago on MAY DAY as Floyd Mayweather and Robert Guerrero for the WBC Welterweight title. Tune in for an otherwise fairly stacked card and live for the main event.
J’Leon Love (15-0; 8 KOs) vs. Gabriel Rosado (21-6; 13 KOs)
Round 1: Caution from both to start as neither fighter is throwing anything complex. Lots of jabs and feeling out here, nothing major landing. Both guys are planning for the long term. Love outlanded Rosado in effective shots. Love 10-9
Round 2: Love is the aggressor this round, coming out with a bit more aggression this round. He’s trying to get in close and Rosado does a good job keeping him away with movement. Love is on his heels but Rosado can’t find a good range to throw; Love is landing some nice shots whenever Rosado gets him where he wants to against the ropes. Rosado lands some big rights at the end of the round as he gets in close. Might’ve stolen that round when all is said and done. I’ll go Love 10-9, 20-18
Round 3:Love opens the round using his jab and almost daring Rosado to rabbit punch him; Love goes to the clinch and Rosado lands some nice body shots. Love is moving backwards but landing some nice combinations as Rosado is moving forward but fighting defensively. Love’s discipline in sticking to the game plan is admirable right now; Rosado wants to turn this into a wild brawl and he’s avoiding the inclination to step into that world. Rosado lands a nice combination with 30 seconds to go; Love with a nice combo of his own with 10 seconds left. Rosado 10-9, Love 29-28
Round 4: Love’s more aggressive this round, leading with the jab and landing much more. He’s landing it and is now starting to throw more power shots; Rosado is starting to open up as he’s landing more off his jab but Love is defending well. This is a good back and forth between the two; both guys are starting to throw more as the feeling out is done. Rosado is starting to land more and is starting to win more of the exchanges. 10-9 Rosado, 38-38
Round 5: Both guys come out throwing much more than they have. Love is looking to counter as Rosado is trying to get inside and work the body more. Love’s really landing that jab right now; this is a close fight so far as both guys are fairly well matched. Love is trying to keep at range and is going to the body lock as soon as Rosado gets in too close; Rosado is obliging by throwing often as much as he can before the ref breaks them up. Rosado with some rights as he’s slightly winning the exchanges right now; Love is looking for that counter but he can’t quite hit it like he did in the first two rounds. 10-9 Rosado, 48-47 Rosado
Round 6: Love comes out working the jab and Rosado is landing some nice hooks. Rosado is trying to get him into the ropes and Love is using his great movement to stay out. Rosado’s stalking is working in that regard but Love gets away and lands some nice combinations. He’s landing more and Rosado can’t fire off when he gets Love into the corner. Rosado is leaving himself open when as he’s throwing more lead rights and straight punches to get something started. Straight right from Rosado DROPS Love at the end of the round gets an eight count. He’s up as the round ends. 10-9 Rosado, 58-56 Rosado
Round 7: Love comes out firing to start the round; he’s not just throwing out the jab and waiting. He’s throwing combinations and being more aggressive with his counters. Rosado is starting to find range when he gets Love into the corner; he’s landing more when he gets him against the ropes. He’s starting to figure out the footwork of Love more effectively. He’s landing some nice body shots as he gets him there, too. Rosado is starting to turn it on as Love is fading a little. Rosado is landing some nice power shots; he’s more confident in his power right now. 10-9 Rosado, 68-65 Rosado
Round 8: Love lands some combinations to star-t as he’s becoming more aggressive. He’s fighting like he knows he’s down on the cards and is looking to even it up. They’re both throwing some big shots right now; Love is starting to work the boyd more and Rosado is working the head more. Both guys also looked a bit more gassed right now, too, as this becoming much more of a brawl than a boxing match. Left hook late and Love is pouring it on late. 10-9 Love, 77-75 Rosado
Round 9: Love is now the aggressor as he’s pushing the pace; Rosado is throwing a lot of nice shots in retreat. It’s interesting to see the roles change; Rosado is being stalked now as Love is looking to keep him against the ropes. Love is outlanding Rosado, who’s going to the clinch as both guys are working the body Rosado with some nice rights and Love eats them. Rosado walks him down and is unloading as the round ends. He’s found a second wind this round and lands some big shots. Close round to score but Rosado did just enough in the final minute, I think. Rosado 10-9, Rosado 87-84
Round 10: Back to routine as Rosado is back to stalking and Love is on his bicycle again. Rosado lands some beautiful uppercuts as Love is taking too much punishment right now; anytime Rosado gets close he’s stringing together combinations with more urgency than Love’s jab can counter. Final minute and Love is more aggressive as Rosado eats some big shots. Rosado 10-9, Rosado 97-93
Incredibly close fight, can see it going either way. Lots of incredibly close rounds. Could see it going either way, potentially, and the knockdown could factor in and make this a draw as well.
Official Decision: 95-94 Rosado, 97-92, 95-94 Love
Love wins via split decision
Léo Santa Cruz vs. Alexander Muñoz
Round 1: Cruz is the aggressor but both guys are throwing fast and furious. Lots of body work, too. Both guys are standing in front and throwing down. They circle the center for the round and just trade with one another; Crus is landing a bit more but this is a close round. Cruz is throwing a bit low, though, and has already been admonished for going below the belt. Could come into play later. Munoz with a flurry to end it. 10-9 Cruz … but a very close round.
Round 2: Back to the center as both are coming to throw down one more time. Munoz gets warned early and Cruz with a beautiful right hand. Cruz is teeing off and Munoz is giving as good as he’s getting right now; Munoz’s overhand right is landing as Cruz is hitting whatever Munoz is giving him. Another close round as it ends in a flurry, again. Cruz 10-9, 20-18
Round 3: Back to the center and both are working the body again. Cruz is hitting low but not below the belt … not yet anyways. The way he’s throwing it looks like Munoz might be getting hit in his explosivitos sometime soon. Munoz is landing the better shots this round; both guys are content to stand trade in close but he’s landing the bigger, showier punches. Cruz with some shots that drop Munoz with less than 30 seconds in the round. Wild flurry to end. 10-8 Cruz, 30-26 Cruz
Round 4: Munoz is looking for that uppercut early and often but Cruz is defending it well. Munoz is trying to wade in but Cruz is starting to light him up right now. Munoz is taking some big shots right now; Cruz is really pouring it on right now. Cruz’s body work is something else right now; Munoz is leaving his hands down and eating some head shots because he might be nursing some sore ribs right now. munoz gets lit up with 20 seconds left as Cruz looks great right now. Munoz is starting to fade. 10-9 Cruz, 40-35 CRuz
In between rounds Munoz looks like he’s about to quit this fight. His corner is discussing throwing in the towel right now; that’s never a good sign.
Round 5: Munoz comes back in and is starting to work the body. Cruz weathers the storm and is tagging him with some big shots. He gets dropped a minute in and the ref stops it. Munoz is wobbly right now.
Léo Santa Cruz wins via TKO at 1:05 of the fifth round
Daniel Ponce de León vs. Abner Mares
Round 1: Lots of action to start as both guys aren’t feeling each other out. de Leon is the aggressor but Mares countering him well. Both guys are throwing with some big power early; not a lot of jabs or combinations but more power shots. de Leon is starting to find range as he’s starting to work the jab more, finding his range. 10-9 de Leon
Round 2: Slower start to the round as both guys aren’t throwing with nearly the same volume as they did in the first round. de Leon is looking for a big shot off a combination and Mares is looking for the counter. de Leon is throwing more in volume as Mares throws one and de Leon throws 2-3. Mares gets him against the ropes with a minute left and lands some nice body shots. de Leon is looking for a big kill shot right now; he’s looking for one big shot and Mares is using movement to prevent the setup. Mares with a beautiful combination set up by a big left and de Leon goes down. He’s up and gets an eight count as the round ends. 10-8 Mares, 19-18 Mares
Round 3: Mares smells blood and comes out swinging to start the round. Mares is looking for the early stop now and is coming in with some big shots. de Leon seems leery of that his power right now as he’s starting to pick his spots more now instead of wading in; he respects the power now. Mares is landing some beautiful shots right now; he’s boxing him and winning instead of his usual brawling style. de Leon is the aggressor for the final minute or so but Mares is countering him well. Mares pins him against the ropes and lands some nice body punches as the round ends. 10-9 Mares, 29-26 Mares.
Round 4: de Leon comes out more aggressive, walking him down and using the jab effectively. Mares is countering to the body and de Leon is starting to pump the jab a bit more. Mares is coming out aggressive on the counter and throwing wild; de Leon is looking to stick and move right now. Mares walks him into the ropes and lands some nice body shots and is looking for that big left. de Leon is starting to work his game as Mares is looking for the counter and being more passive this round. de Leon is looking for the hook as he’s getting away from the big exchanges that punctuated the fight early on. 10-9 de Leon, 38-36 Mares
Round 5: Mares comes out more aggressive again as he’s throwing straight lefts and de Leon is looking to counter with the uppercut. Much closer round but Mares is landing more. Some feeling out as the round ends. 10-9 Mares, 48-45 Mares
Round 6: de Leon comes out much more aggressive this round; he knows he’s down and is trying to make up the gap. He’s out-landing Mares now, as he’s flashing the jab but looking for the big shot. Mares is reacting well, getting in close and working the body over. de Leon is working with a high guard as he doesn’t want to eat that hook. de Leon with a couple of big lefts as the round ends. 10-9 de Leon, 57-55 Mares
Round 7: de Leon comes out flashing the jab some more and Mares is starting to brawl a little bit. Some wild exchange as Mares is landing some nice shots as de Leon is being the aggressor some more. Mares gets warned for head-butting. Mares is managing distance really well but de Leon is landing some nice body shots. He’s looking for that big left and de Leon lands below the belt line and we take a break. de Leon gets warned. de Leon is starting to turn it on a bit more here; Mares is trying to counter but de Leon is making him pay for it. 10-9 de Leon, 66-65 Mares
Round 8: de Leon is the aggressor again as he’s found his range as Mares is starting to look for the big counter. de Leon is looking for the big shot but making him eat smaller ones along the way. de Leon is fighting with an urgency right now; I have the fight close but he’s fighting like a man behind 2-4 rounds or so. He’s landing some nice shots right now as Mares has slowed down; the body work is starting to pay off as de Leon is beating him to the punch more consistently. 10-9 de Leon, 75-75
Round 9: de Leon is starting to take over the fight as this is becoming much more of a power shot contest than a boxing match. de Leon is more aggressive but Mares is landing some nice counters in return. de Leon goes for the clinch and a nice exchange leads to Mares dropping him at the minute mark. Mares puts him into the corner and teeing off with some big power shots and the referee waves it off fairly quickly. Odd decision as de Leon was in trouble but still defending himself. He had his hands up and was intelligently defending himself. Seems a bit premature. Hate to second guess a referee but on replay he’s punching back and is still in there.
Abner Mares wins via TKO at 2:20 of the ninth round.
Floyd Mayweather, Jr. vs. Robert Guerrero
Round 1: Mayweather comes out looking to counter, Guerrero looking to get in close. He’s standing in the middle with Guerrero, which is odd, but he’s fighting at distance. Guerrero into the clinch and landing some nice body shots. Both guys are looking for the clinch and now Mayweather is backing off, making Guerrero chase him around. Guerrero is throwing wild as Mayweather is landing some nice shots. Mayweather shows no signs of ring rust right now. Mayweather’s standing in the middle and being the aggressor on occasion, which is a very interesting change. Guerrero is countering well. Very close round, which ends with the two staring each other down. 10-9 Mayweather but very close
Round 2: Guerrero comes out aggressive and Mayweather is in his familiar counter style. Guerrero lands a left on him in the corner and Mayweather goes to the clinch. Mayweather avoids a couple big shots from Guerrero, who’s landed a couple of nice shots but Mayweather is avoiding most of the biggest ones. Guerrero is being patient here; Mayweather’s trying to bait him and he’s not biting. Guerrero is pumping that jab cautiously as Mayweather is making him not commit to his biggest shots. Guerrero is getting felt out right now and he looks confident. 10-9 Guerrero, 19-19
This is a very close fight so far. I could see it 19-19 or 20-18 either man right now.
Round 3: Guerrero is the aggressor and Mayweather is looking for the counter again. Guerrero is doing a great job of keeping his hands up, preventing Mayweather from landing the big counter. He’s shooting the gap and not eating a lot for his aggression. Mayweather is tentatively using his jab; he’s keeping his distance but is being respectful of that power. Guerrero is over-committing with a big shot but isn’t flailing; he’s being very disciplined in that regard. Mayweather is using more lateral movement and his jab to set up some nice lead rights. 10-9 Mayweather, Mayweather 29-28
Round 4: Mayweather is getting tagged by Guerrero’s counter lefts. He’s avoiding a lot by Guerrero is hitting him much more than he has in the past. Mayweather’s very hittable tonight and Guerrero is using his footwork to get him into the rops. Mayweather is hitting some nice rights as he keeps his hands low. Guerrero gets him into the corner and lands some nice body shots. Guerrero is being patient but Mayweather’s movement is giving him fits. 10-9 Guerrero, 38-38
Round 5: Guerrero is walking him down lands a couple of nice lefts, he looks sharp, but Mayweather’s movement is keeping him from landing anything major. Mayweather is eating some shots but he’s not getting hit full on; his shoulder roll is on point so far. Guerrero is making him earn everything, though, as he’s landing some nice body shots. Mayweather is finding his groove now and starting to take over this fight. 10-9 Mayweather, 48-47 Mayweather
Round 6: Guerrero comes out more aggressive but Mayweather’s defense is superb right now. Guerrero isn’t getting anything flush as Floyd is sneaking through the guard and not landing anything good in return. Mayweather is eating a number of jabs but nothing with any juice behind them; this is close as Guerrero is landing but he hasn’t landed anything big. He’s controlling the ring but can’t hit anything more than light punches. 10-9 Mayweather, 58-56 Mayweather
Round 7: More of the same this round as Guerrero is looking for the body now instead of the head. A lot of clinch work this round as Guerrero is trying to work the body and Mayweather’s fending him off well, landing some nice counters. 10-9 Mayweather, 68-65 Mayweather
Round 8: A bit more of exchanges this round as Mayweather has no problem with Guerrero’s power. Mayweather’s taking him apart right now as Guerrero is a bit bloodied up right now. Mayweather is starting to push the pace now as Mayweather is flashing some killer instinct. 10-9 Mayweather 10-9, 78-74 Mayweather
Round 9: Guerrero comes out more aggressive but Mayweather’s defense is superb right now. Guerrero is not hitting him with anything of substance and when he gets in close it’s either to the body or off the gloves. Mayweather isn’t throwing much this round, though, but Guerrero can’t handle his movement and footwork right now. Guerrero starts going for broke as Mayweather starts landing some better shots as Guerrero is exposing himself more. Guerrero is landing more but Mayweather’s are significantly better. 10-9 Mayweather, 88-83 Mayweather
Round 10: Guerrero is throwing more but Mayweather is landing some big time shots. Mayweather’s in an entirely different class and at this point he’s racking up points right now. Guerrero’s getting a little dirty as he gets more desperate, warned by the ref for some dirty tactics. Guerrero is getting picked apart right now by Mayweather, who’s outboxing him and doing just enough to win the round. 10-9 Mayweather, 98-92 Mayweather
Round 11: Guerrero aggressive again but Mayweather is out hustling him right now. He’s so far ahead of Guerrero right now that he’s eating some shots but those are mainly jabs and to the body. Mayweather is hitting him at will some more and it’s all but academic right now. Guerrero walks him down some more and eats some brilliant work from Mayweather. Guerrero’s tough for still being able to stand with him, that’s for sure. 10-9 Mayweather, 108-101 Mayweather
Round 12: Guerrero comes out knowing he has to get the knockout and Mayweather knows the win is his. He spends the round staying as far away as possible, avoiding contact and Guerrero is after him like a man who hasn’t quit. Mayweather spends the final round in survival mode, doing everything he can to avoid getting hit or letting Guerrero do anything but work the body over. 10-9 Guerrero, 117-111 Mayweather
Official Decision: 117-111 Mayweather on all three cards
