By: William Holmes
Jermaine Taylor went 1-4 in his last five fights before wisely deciding to take a brief sabbatical. Andre Dirrell, former bronze medalist, was last seen in the ring against Arthur Abraham which was stopped due to an illegal rabbit punch, a 21 month layoff. Both fighters made successful returns tonight, as Dirrell gets a second round stoppage and Taylor an eight round stoppage. Round by round results are as follows.
Luis Garcia (11-0) vs. Alexander Johnson (12-0); Light Heavyweight
Round 1:
Garcia flicks out a jab to the body, but falls short, he quickly follows up with a two punch combination. Garica lands a lead left hook. Johnson ducks under a Garcia punch, and the referee seperates the fighters. Garcia is the aggressor so far and backing Johnson up. Garcia partially lands a right cross to the body. Garcia lands a left hook to the body. Garcia connects with a straight right hand. Garcia lands two hooks to the body. Johnson flicks out three jabs that fall short. Garcia and Johnson exchange two punch combinations. Garcia connects with a right hook, and a straight right cross. The fighters clinch by the center of the ring, and when separated Garcia lands two straight right hands. 10-9 round for Garcia.
Round 2:
Garcia flicks out three quick jabs that miss, and the fighters then clicn in the center of the ring. Garcia easily slips two Johnson punches and connects with a straight right hand. Johnson lands a right hand on Garcia. Johnson lands a hard right hook. Johnson partially connects on Garcia with a right uppercut as Garcia stalks forward. Johnson throws a jab and Garcia clinches. Garcia lands a hard straight right hand, and Johnson looks stunned. Garcia lands a few more solid shots including a right uppercut on Johnson by the ropes. Garcia connects with three hard straight right hands on Johnson. Fighters clinch by the ropes, and Johnson is starting to look tired. Garcia lands two right hands near the end of the round. 10-9 round for Garcia.
Round 3:
Johnson misses with two punches towards the body of Garcia. Johnson slips three jabs from Garcia, and connects with a straight right hand. Garcia lands a few short hooks while clinched with Jhonson. Garcia lands a nice short uppercut. Garcia lands a hook to the body and misses with a straight right hand. Johnson misses with two crosses. Johnson lands a few short hooks on Gacia while clinched. Johnson’s punches are easily blocked by Garcia. Garcia lands a nice left uppercut on Garcia. Garcia thuds Jhonson with a right hand by the ropes, and has Johnson trapped near the corner. Garcia clicnhes with Garcia and backs away. Johnson by the ropes, and misses with a combination. Garcia lands a quick two punch combination. Garcia with a decent body punch, and partially blocked combination near the end of the round. 10-9 round for Garcia.
Round 4:
A right hand is partially blocked by Johnson, and Garcia follows with two body shots. Garcia lands another decent body shot on Johnson. Two straight left hands by Johnson are partially blociked. Garcia finishes a combination with a quick overhand right. Garcia lands another straight right hand. Garcia lands a good combination on Johnson by the ropes. Garcia starting to open up and lands with a right hand. Garcia with a body head combination by the ropes, and follows it up with a quick uppercut. Garcia with a left hook to the body. Garcia with another right cross to the body of Johnson. Garcia lands a two punch combination, and has Johnson backing up. Garcia lands another looping right hand. Garcia lands two hard body shots, and a short left hook by the ropes. Garcia ends the round with two solid left hooks. 10-9 round for Garcia.
Round 5:
Garcia’s left hand is hanging low, and looks extremely confident while Johnson is breathing heavily. Garcia with a body head body combination. Garcia the aggressor and starting to showboat in the ring. Garcia with two body shots, followed by a two punch combination upstairs. Garcia has Johnson backing up, and when he stops, he eats a found punch combination from Garcia. Garcia is really starting to dominate this fight. Garcia lands another combination upstairs. Garcia just landing brutal combinations by the ropes. Johnson clinches with Garcia by the ropes, but eats another two punch combination by the ropes. Garcia with a four punch combination by the corner. 10-9 round for Garcia.
Round 6:
Johnson comes out with two consecutive two punch combinations that are partially blociked, Garcia answers with combinations of his own that push Johnson back. Garcia continues to apply the pressure, seemingly tagging Johnson at will. Garcia lands a hard right hand by the ropes and Johnson stumbles back. Garcia is landing more brutal combinations on Johnson by the ropes. Garcia is landing hard hooks on Johnson by the ropes. A straight right hand from Garcia knocks Johnson backwards. Garcia lands some very hard body punches, and Johnson looks exhausted. Garcia lands two straight right hands and a four punch combination by the corner. Garcia is just pummeling Johnson from corner to corner, landing hard body and head shots to Johnson. 10-9 round for Garcia, Johnson looks like he does not want to be in the ring anymore.
Round 7:
Garcia comes out and lands three quick left hands. Garcia is tied up with Johnson before the referee finally separates them. Referee warns Johnson about holding. Garcia connects with another combination by the ropes that hurt Garcia. Garcia attacking the body of Johnson, and is able to slip Johnson’s counter punches. Johnson lands a decent left hook on Garcia, and Garcia answers with a very speedy combination by the ropes. Garcia lands three quick short punches on Johnson while being held by Johnson and falls to the ground. Referee strangely does not call it a knockdown and calls it a trip. Johnson looks disinterested in this fight right now. Garcia lands a hard straight right hand and a quick left. Garcia lands three hard right hands. Garcia comes forward with a leaping left hook. Garcia connects with a two punch combination on the body of Johnson. Garcia is making Johnson look bad in the ring. 10-9 round for Garcia.
Round 8:
Johnson is head complaining about his stomach being hurt, and his corner asks him if he wants him to stop the fight. Johnson decides to go back out of for round 8. Garcia flicking out a lot of quick jabs a straight right hands. Garcia lands a hard right hook on Johnson. Garcia is just picking Johnson apart with quick combinations. Garcia lands a decent left uppercut on Johnson. Garcia has both hands down while landing straight rights and lefts at will. Johnson throws a straight left hand that barely misses. Garcia lands a three punch combination near the ropes. Garcia continues to apply the pressure despite holding an easy clean sweep so far. Garcia lands another quick combination by the corner of the ring. Garcia lands two hard straight right hands on Johnson. Garcia connects with two hooks to the body of Johnson. Johnson‘s face is bruised up badly, and looks tired, as the last round ends with an easy sweep for Garcia. 10-9 Garcia.
Official scores are 80-71, 80-72, 80-72 for Luis Garcia with an easy unanimous decision.
Andre Dirrell (19-1) vs. Darryl Cunningham (24-2); Super Middleweight
Round 1:
Dirrell and Cunningham comes out to the center of the ring, and Dirrell connects with the first punch of the night with a jab to the body. Dirrell connects with a short left hook. Dirrell with a jab to the chest of Cunningham. Dirrell landing a few jabs to the body of Cunningham. Dirrell connects with a straight left hand to the body of Cunningham. Direrll connects with another jab to the head of Cunningham. Dirrell connects with a hard left hand, and two quick jabs. Dirrell lands a hard right hook to the body of Cunningham. Dirrell misses with a jab to the body of Cunningham. Dirrell partially connects with a jab to the body of Cunningham. Dirrell barely misses with another jab to the head of Cunningham. Dirrell is easily avoiding the jabs of Cunningham. 10-9 round for Dirrell.
Round 2:
Dirrell looking patient in the center of the ring, Dirrell throws out a jab to the body of Cunningham. Cunningham connects with a jab to the body of his own. Dirrell lands two hard straight left hands that hurt Cunningham. Cunningham is compkaing to the referee, and the referee tells them to fight, and Dirrell knocks Cunningham down with a straight left hand. Cunningham looks out of it, and the referee gives him a nine count. A towel gets thrown in the ring and the referee appears to kick it out of the ring. Referee asks Cunningham’s corner if he is throwing the towel in, and the corner says no. The fight is restarted, though it probably should have been stopped, and Dirrell connects with another left hand, and then a short right hand form Dirrell kncoks Cunningham down again. The referee asks Cunningham if he wants to continue, and asks him to walk forward. Cunningham stumbles forward, and the towel is thrown in and the referee stops the forward.
Andre Dirrell showed some serious power in round two while getting the knockout.
Jermaine Taylor (28-4-1) vs. Jessie Nicklow (22-2-3) ; Middleweight
Round 1:
Taylor towers over Nickow as they touch gloves. Taloyr lands an early eover hand right, and Taylor bangs at Nicklow near the center of the ring. Nicklow comes forward and misses a jab. Taylor lands a few more jabs. Taylor connects with a hard two punch combination. Taylor throws out four hard jabs. Taylor lands two harrd right hooks to the side of Nicklow’s head. Nicklow misses with a straight right hand. Nicklow slips two jabs from Taylor. Taylor lands two hard right hands upstairs on Nicklow. Taylor lands a thudding left uppercut to Nicklow. Taylor connects with a right uppercut on Nicklow. Taylor lands a hard left hook and a two punch combination near the center of the ring. Taylor lands a left hook on Nicklow. Taylor lands two stiff jabs and an overhand right while Nicklow looks outclassed. Easy 10-9 round for Taylor.
Round 2:
Taylor lands two quick left hooks to the body, and lands hard crisp cominbations by the ropes. Taylor throws two hard thudding right hands. Taylor snaps the neck of Nicklow with a jab. Taylor lands a hard right hand on Nicklow. Taylor flicks out two jabs on Nicklow. Taylor popping Nicklow with jabs at will. Taylor connects with a two punch combination. Taylor lands a hard uppercut near the center of the ring. Taylor lands a hard right uppercut to the body of Nicklow. The fighters clinch by the center of the ring, and Taylor goes right back to popping Nicklow at will. Another easy 10-9 round for Taylor.
Round 3:
Round three starts off the same as round two ended, with Taylor popping off on Nicklow at will. Taylor easily moves out of the way of a straight right hand from Nicklow. Taylor lands a hard two punch combination by the center of the ring. Taylor is popping jabs at the face of Nicklow as he slowly comes forward. Nicklow might not have landed a punch yet this round. NIcklow connects with a looping right hand that catches the attention of Taylor. Taylor grabs on and gets his wits about him. Taylor throwing quick combations at the guard of Nicklow. Nicklow throws two hard hooks that Taylor easily blocks. Nicklow comes forward with a hook to the body of Taylor. Taylor lands a short left hook on Nicklow. Taylor lands a hard right hand and two short lefts by the end of the round. 10-9 round for Taylor.
Round 4:
Garcia lands a short left hook on Taylor, and Taylor answers with multiple jabs. Nicklow has a lead left hook blocked by Taylor. Taylor keeping his jab at the nose of Nicklow. Taylor is peppering Nicklow with his jab. Nicklow tries to come forward with an overhand right but does not connects. Nicklow has blood pouring out of his nose. Fighters clinch by the ropes, and Taylor continues his onslaught when they are separated. Taylor is landing some very nice snapping jabs on Nicklow. A right hook from Nicklow catches the shoulder of Taylor. Taylor coasting through this round landing jabs at will. Nicklow rushes forward and clinches onto Taylor. 10-9 Taylor.
Round 5:
Taylor continues to pummel Nicklow with combinations. Taylor landing more power shots now. Nicklow comes forward with a lead left hook, and has blood pouring out of his nose. Taylor lands more jabs to the head of Nicklow. Taylor finishes a combination with a vicious body shot. Taylor with a four punch combination to the body of Nicklow. Nicklow slips to the groTaylor lands a hard straight right hand on Nicklow . Nicklow slips to the grund and gets back up. Taylor banging more jabs at the head of Nicklow. Referee warns Taylor for a low shot after Taylor continued with hard combinations on Nicklow. Nicklow lands a left hook near the end of the round. 10-9 for Taylor.
Round 6:
Taylor again peppers Nicklow with combinations in the center of the ring. Taylor opening up with some hard hooks to the head of Nicklow. Taylor continues to bang at the defenses of Nicklow with hard shots. Nicklow’s corner is urging their fight on, and Taylor continues to land his jab at will. An overhand right from Nicklow is blocked by Taylor. Taylor lands quick shots to the body of Nicklow. Taylor throws a left hand, and Nicklow is starting to clinch more with Taylor. Nicklow misses with a lead hook. Nicklow doing a lot of clinching this round, resulting in slower action. Taylor lands a combination near the end of the round. Nicklow approaches Taylor as he walks back to his corner, and Taylor pushes at the head of Nicklow and loses a point, making it now a 9-9 round.
Round 7:
Taylor goes back to his jab and keeps it in the face of Nicklow. Taylor lands two more jabs to the face of Nicklow. Nicklow partially connects with a lead left hook. Referee warns Taylor to stay off the head of Nicklow. Taylor again connects with four jabs to the head of Nicklow. Nicklow is continuing to hold onto Taylor when he gets in close. Taylor is staying safe on the outside with repeated jabs. Taylor easily ducks a wild hook from Nicklow. Taylor throws a combination at the guard of Nicklow. Taylor has mainly thrown jabs this whole round. Just as this was typed Taylor lands a stiff right hand. 10-9 Taylor.
Round 8:
Taylor continues to dominate Nicklow with his jab. Taylor’s jab gets through the defenses of Nicklow. Taylor lands a hard two punch combination, and follows it up with more combinations and Nicklow looks hurt. The referee wisely stops the fight, and Nicklow begins screaming in protest. Nicklow is obviously extremely upset with the stoppage, and some in the crowd begins chanting bullshit at the referee.
Nicklow was taking punishment the entire fight, and was doing little to fight back. The last combination landed by Taylor clearly hurt Nicklow, but Nicklow probably could have continued. The stoppage was more due to the amount of punishment Nicklow had taken throughout the fight.
Taylor wins by 8th round TKO at 0:36. Afterwards Taylor claims he hurt his right hand.
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