- 4 months ago
Miguel Vazquez defends his IBF Lightweight Title against undefeated No 1. contender Leonardo Zappavinga on Showtime PPV
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00:00Rounds of boxing for the IBF Lightweight Championship of the World.
00:08Introducing to you first, the challenger on my right, fighting out of the blue corner,
00:12wearing black trunks with white trim, joining us from Sydney, Australia.
00:18He weighed in at the lightweight number of 135 pounds.
00:22He is undefeated in his campaign to the ring with a record of 25 wins and no losses.
00:2717 wins coming by way of knockout.
00:31Please welcome the challenger, currently ranked, the IBF number one lightweight contender.
00:38Introducing the undefeated Lightning, Leonardo Zapovina.
00:50That is folded across the ring on my left, fighting out of the red corner in this 12-round world title attraction,
00:56wearing white trunks with black trim, hailing from Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico.
01:03He weighed in the same as his opponent, 135 pounds, with a record of 27 wins, three losses.
01:10He has 12 wins coming by way of knockout.
01:14Tonight, in the second defensivist title, here is the defending IBF Lightweight Champion of the World.
01:20Introducing, Miguel Vazquez.
01:30Once again, a referee in charge.
01:32Now to give instructions, Tony Weeks.
01:35All right, gentlemen, Cabellelos, you already received your instructions.
01:40Usted recibe your instructions.
01:42Okay, if it goes right here, it's okay.
01:44Aintemelo, that's low.
01:45Aintemelo, that's low.
01:46If it goes right here, it's okay.
01:48Aintemelo, that's low.
01:50I want a good, clean fight.
01:51Aintemelo, that's low.
01:53Obey my commands at all times, above all, protectors at all times.
01:56Escúchame, cuídate.
01:58Listos, you ready?
01:59Let's go.
01:59Good luck.
02:00Ready to kick things off from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas with a world title on the line.
02:11The champion, Miguel Vazquez.
02:13Don't be fooled by his lanky sleight of build frame.
02:15He is tough and durable.
02:17Undefeated leading contender, Leonardo Zapovina.
02:19An explosive puncher.
02:21Usually gets right to it.
02:22Very fast and powerful.
02:24And be mindful, Vazquez never stops.
02:27Here it is, the IBF Lightweight Championship.
02:29Vazquez tall for this division, wearing the white trunks and physically strong, Zapovina
02:36wearing the black trunks.
02:39We'll find out, is Zappa in Vazquez's league, this should be the challenger's biggest test
02:45to date.
02:49We see early the jab of Zapovina as he tries to work his way in.
02:54That punch is going to be so important for him.
02:57As mentioned, Vazquez, not your typical Mexican style.
03:01Look out.
03:02Says Tony Weeks as the heads collided.
03:07Hands free.
03:09Hands free.
03:09But Vazquez is experienced against strong, aggressive fighters like Zapovina.
03:15His last two opponents, prime examples, Kim and Dominguez, Ricardo Dominguez.
03:19And Vazquez won both impressively.
03:22He seems to have found the template to neutralize that sort of style.
03:27We'll see what happens tonight.
03:28You see the jab right there working good for Vazquez.
03:34So, you know, that's going to be his key punch tonight, as you mentioned earlier, in the opening
03:40out.
03:41So, yeah, both men probably need it.
03:43And we know Vazquez's will work.
03:46Vazquez said the plan is to box, but he'll go on the offensive if necessary.
03:51He does have power in that right hand.
03:54The young gun, Zapovina, has a typically Australian style in the mold of Jeff Fennec and Michael
04:02Katsidis.
04:02And in-your-face, high-pressure brawler, big left-up, beautiful block with the right
04:06hand by Vazquez.
04:09Zapovina's punches are a little bit wide right now, and that's an issue for him from time
04:14to time.
04:15And that will not work against Vazquez.
04:17He is a big puncher, and he's also vulnerable, which also always makes for thrillers.
04:22Big right hand there by Vazquez.
04:26What I noticed so far by Zapovina is that he's not breaking when he's moving forward.
04:32He's just standing straight up, and that was the problem with Angulo.
04:35He was there to be hit.
04:36And so I want to see if he's going to be able to come forward but break as he's coming.
04:41Give the fighter something to think about.
04:44And there was a great, for the first time, Zapovina landing to the body effectively and
04:49then came up with the left hook for the head.
04:51So that's what they want to see from him.
04:52Absolutely.
04:53That's his basic strategy to break Vazquez down to the body.
04:57And what I mean by breaking is slipping.
04:59Slipping from side to side, giving this guy something to think about rather than just
05:04a straight-ahead target, because that's what your body is, a target.
05:07You don't want to be a stationary target.
05:09You want to be a moving target.
05:12We'll also watch to see if Zappa leans in, which he has a tendency to do, which opens up
05:18things for a Vazquez uppercut.
05:23Combination by Vazquez at the bell.
05:27Our translator, Felix de Jesus.
05:32That's the way.
05:35Let me get some water.
05:36No, I don't want water.
05:37Give me the Vaseline then.
05:39Just a little bit of Vaseline here on the eyebrow.
05:41You've got to keep jabbing, okay?
05:43Upstairs and downstairs.
05:47And sometimes surprise him.
05:49Sometimes surprise him with the right hand.
05:52He doesn't bring anything.
05:53He's not bringing anything tonight.
05:54He's not bringing anything for you tonight.
05:58Keep moving around the ring.
05:59Don't stay still.
06:00Keep moving around the ring.
06:01And keep jabbing.
06:03When he comes in, you beat him to the punch.
06:04So Miguel Vazquez going for his seventh straight win, 27-3, with 12 knockouts.
06:15We're here in Las Vegas, the start of a big night of boxing, all leading up to Miguel Cotto
06:20versus Ricardo Mayorga.
06:23Round two, scheduled for 12 for the IBF lightweight championship.
06:29Zappa Vida in the black, 25-0 with 17 knockouts.
06:32He's never even come close to losing, with the exception, perhaps, of the Angulo affair.
06:38Vazquez with the higher level of opposition, more experienced, more patient than Zappa.
06:43Yeah, and the Angulo fight, which Antonio, of course, announced on Showbox,
06:48was a fight that many people thought he lost.
06:50And he's had to answer some questions after this to see if he truly has improved.
06:54Nice.
06:55There you go.
06:57Well, we know he has a lot of heart.
06:59I mean, the guy is a tough, tough kid.
07:01Even when he was getting hurt in that fight with Angulo, he still was in the fight.
07:05And that's when he's most dangerous.
07:07But, you know, you never really want to see a fighter be that tough
07:10when you have to take all those punches.
07:13And speaking of taking a punch, nice left hook by Vazquez that clipped the chin of Zappa Vida,
07:19who is obviously quite hittable.
07:21Vazquez told us in the fighter meeting when we were talking about his right hand,
07:24he said, I think I have a pretty good left hook as well, and we just saw it.
07:27Yeah.
07:29Zappa, an orthodox fighter, but he writes with his left hand,
07:32throws a ball with his right hand, but kicks with his left foot.
07:35He's all mixed up.
07:36He truly is.
07:37I see them coming very, very close to clashing heads.
07:43And it's because Zappa Vida is not stepping with his jab.
07:46He's coming with his head first.
07:48And so we want to be on the lookout for that.
07:50They may clash heads and cause a cut tonight.
07:52That may be next.
07:53The shoulders have already happened.
07:55Maybe the heads are next.
07:56Zappa Vida working on shortening his movements,
08:02tightening up his punches.
08:03It used to be much wider with his shots,
08:05but he does have questionable defense,
08:08and he has had the issues with the cuts around the eyes.
08:11He got a hybrid left in on the chin there of Vazquez.
08:16You know, Vazquez lost his first pro fight against Saul Alvarez,
08:19who now is quite a star, and lost him again later at higher weight,
08:23and then, as you mentioned, lost to Bradley.
08:24When he's at 135, though, he's a tough man to beat.
08:29I think he's found his home.
08:31So he got his shape.
08:33But when you look at those names on his resume,
08:35he's an experienced champion.
08:38And he's really making Zappa Vida miss.
08:41Very quick, terrific movement around the ring.
08:46He's got a very intriguing style.
08:49Primarily looks to box and utilize that long, consistent jab.
08:52Big miss there by Zappa.
08:54And when Zappa Vida lunges with that right hand,
08:57as we just saw, the counter left hook from Vazquez is very effective.
09:01Yeah, he can be aggressive, Vazquez.
09:04He can get in there and trade.
09:06But he does it in a sneaky, deceptive way.
09:08I think that'll be, you know, to his disadvantage tonight,
09:13to get in there and trade with Zappa Vida,
09:15because that's when he's at his best.
09:16And he makes it an easy fight from outside, Steve.
09:19Yeah, and Zappa just walked into a jab.
09:22Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.
09:43Well, a tale of two left hooks, if you will, in the last round.
09:51This one that lands by Miguel Vasquez, and then Zapovinia, who, of course, feels the left hook is one of his signature punches, not able to get his in.
10:03Look how off balance he is, and instead he gets hit with a jab that glances off the back of his head.
10:13That's a real look of concern on Zapovinia's face.
10:18He's getting a little swollen there around the eyes, puffed up.
10:24He is a very rugged guy, though.
10:27He was badly cut in the Kim fight, but never let it affect him, and he won that decisively.
10:36Round three, scheduled for 12.
10:39IBF lightweight championship on the line.
10:43Vazquez wearing the white, looking sharp, a real gym rat, very hard worker, an overachiever, very dedicated to the sport.
10:50Just loves to get up in the morning and do his road work and get into the gym.
10:55Tommy Mercuri, the trainer of Zapovinia, really, really feels that his man has progressed.
11:02So far, though, we've not seen it in this fight.
11:04We haven't seen him take it to the next level, and we'll see how this fight progresses.
11:08Well, we mentioned in the ring walk with Antonio, is Zapovinia ready for the bright lights of Las Vegas?
11:17Perhaps this is the big test right here.
11:19We'll find out.
11:20Yeah, he's right now getting ate up by the stiff jab of Vazquez.
11:23So, you know, and that's what type of fight Vazquez is going to use tonight.
11:26He's going to think his way through this because he has no real reason to put his heart on the line and make it a dog fight.
11:33He's got to bounce it out thinking all night.
11:36See the numbers, the punch stat numbers show us that even though the power punches seem to be in Zapovinia's favor,
11:44some of those are maybe some body shots still with Vazquez is doing quite well.
11:53Vazquez with loads of experience against these awkward pressure fighters who can hit hard and take a punch like Zapovinia,
11:59and he is showing that experience here.
12:03Did a superb job against Kim who tries to end fights with almost every punch.
12:08He knows, Vazquez knows, he knows how to confuse you by switching gears
12:13and doing all kinds of subtle things in the ring.
12:17Big overhead right to the head by Zapovinia.
12:20Will that turn the time for the Australian?
12:22Stop, stop, stop.
12:22And he followed with the left hook, which was also a good shot.
12:25I see some blood coming out of the left eye of Zapovinia.
12:31Might have been a cut caused by a punch.
12:33I didn't see the referee determining it was a butt or anything,
12:37so let's keep an eye on that.
12:39Well, will that be a turning point, or will Vazquez stem the tie?
12:42The good news is it's becoming a fan-friendly fight now, isn't it?
12:47And we thought it might.
12:49Oh, a low blow there looked to be by Zapovinia.
12:51Stop, stop, stop.
12:52Stop, go out and go.
12:54All right, that's all.
12:55Let's cut it out.
12:56Move well, fight, please.
12:58And a little retaliation, so Tony Weeks trying to take control.
13:03Watch out this, you, buddy.
13:06Up in there.
13:08So this is getting to be a very rough fight.
13:11Very physical.
13:12Ten, ten, ten, ten, ten, ten, ten, ten, ready.
13:14Final seconds of round three.
13:17Things getting very interesting here in the early going
13:19of this lightweight title fight.
13:21Well, it's the fight of the year, May 7th, on Showtime Pay-Per-View
13:29as eight-division, you heard me right,
13:32eight-division champ Manny Pacquiao
13:34faces another future Hall of Famer in Sugar Shane Mosley.
13:37Well, Leonardo Zapovinia got some confidence back in the last round,
13:46and this is part of the reason why an overhand right lands that momentarily staggered
13:51Vasquez and he snuck another left hand in as well and showed some pop in that round.
13:58Yeah, it was one of those punches he didn't see, hit him on the top of the head.
14:02And that's what he's going to need, a lot more of that.
14:04But besides that, I still give that round to the champion
14:07because he just did more work and was more busy.
14:10You could make a strong case for that.
14:12Someday you and I are going to score a fight the same way.
14:14We really are.
14:15It'll never happen, you know what I'm thinking?
14:21Miguel Vasquez, most of his fight south of the border tonight,
14:24his second fight in Vegas.
14:25The first was the outstanding win over Brady Prescott.
14:29And he's looked, for the most part, pretty sharp here,
14:32although Zapovinia may be starting to make a bid.
14:39Zapovinia grazing with the right hand.
14:43Another miss with the right.
14:44And Vasquez continues to look the more polished of the two.
14:48You know, we saw, we mentioned, you did earlier,
14:51that we saw on Showtime a great fight
14:54between Brandon Rios and Miguel Acosta.
14:57The Rios came on to win.
14:59And here we see another of the champions
15:00in the lightweight division in Vasquez
15:03in this really talent-laden division.
15:06And you can make comparisons between these two four fighters
15:09as you look at this.
15:10So many great possibilities in that division.
15:15So many good fights coming up.
15:19135-pounders.
15:20What a resurgent class.
15:23And we're seeing it once again here tonight.
15:26Good little left-right combination upstairs by Vasquez.
15:31Good job on the outside, Len.
15:32Right hand off the mark by the Australian, Zapovinia.
15:39Another one right off the shoulder,
15:41not having much effect on the champion.
15:43Wow, swing and a miss.
15:45Strike one.
15:47It reminds you your days of calling the basketball.
15:49Yeah.
15:50You know, they have a common opponent in Jihoon Kim.
15:55Interestingly, Zapovinia knocked him out in the first round.
15:59And Vasquez had to go to a decision to beat him,
16:01even though Vasquez dominated him.
16:03So it just shows you you can't make a determination
16:06on things like that.
16:07It's like who's going to win a fight.
16:08Right.
16:08His styles make fights.
16:09I mean, when you look at Kim, he's an aggressive fighter.
16:12He probably went in there toe-to-toe with Zapo
16:14and let himself become vulnerable to the knockout.
16:18We approach the final minute of round four,
16:21scheduled for 12.
16:22Stop, stop, stop, stop.
16:24I'm in the count.
16:27Zapovinia is starting to take on the look of frustration now.
16:32Yeah, he's been countered right now by Vasquez.
16:35And when I look at Zapo's style,
16:37I mean, he's a fighter that has all the heart in the world,
16:39but just needs more wrinkles.
16:41I mean, in a fight like this, when you fight the top level,
16:44you've got to have more to your game and to your optional
16:47than straight ahead boxing.
16:50It's interesting.
16:51That is exactly what's going through his mind right now.
16:55Yeah, it probably is.
16:5730 seconds.
16:5830 seconds, Glenn.
16:59Get on the outside.
17:00Outside.
17:00Right body shot.
17:01Little pitter-pat shots by Vasquez,
17:09but they're scoring points.
17:11May not be hurting Zapovinia,
17:13but the judges are writing.
17:16As they say.
17:21Stop, stop, stop, stop.
17:21And that jab is ineffective by Zapo.
17:23Well, Cotto Mayorga coming up later in our main event
17:29for the title earlier tonight,
17:31the arrival of Nicaragua's Ricardo Mayorga.
17:36He isn't like any other fighter in boxing, that's for sure.
17:39And that goes for in and out of the ring.
17:41Mayorga keeps us guessing with his words and his fists.
17:45But he's always been consistent in one way.
17:47A dangerous puncher who fights with passion.
17:53I think we're going to see a hell-bent for leather style
17:55from him tonight.
17:56He has got nothing to lose.
17:57Nothing at all to lose, man.
17:58That's when he's most dangerous.
18:00And that is one serious look.
18:03Yeah, I was in the ring with him doing a feature.
18:06Who was?
18:07Well, you know, it was a draw, I think.
18:08But he looked like he wanted to nail me with a big right hand.
18:11Get on line.
18:12I'm just kidding.
18:13I'm just kidding.
18:15I'm just kidding.
18:16You're on Antonio's side now.
18:18I can feel it.
18:21I know.
18:22I used to be your favorite Albert brother.
18:24Not anymore.
18:26Round number five.
18:29We got some good action in the ring and ringside.
18:35You know, we've talked about the issues for Zappavagna.
18:40And Antonio rightfully pointed out that his attack's been a little bit one-dimensional.
18:43So you say to yourself, what can he do now to be better in this fight?
18:48Maybe the only thing we can say is even more activity in terms of punches.
18:52Maybe that would make some of the difference.
18:53Well, we may think that Nasc is ahead, but not the press row scoring.
19:03Diego Martinez from the former newspaper, Kieran Mulvaney from ESPN, and then Lance Pugmire
19:08from the L.A. Times has it for Zappavagna.
19:11So they're seeing it quite differently than us.
19:13That's unofficial scoring, of course.
19:15Yeah, I don't know what they could possibly see him because when you look at effective
19:18boxing, you look at the jabs, you look at how much Zappavagna has missed all night.
19:23What has he done outside of the one?
19:24And then you see a one-two right there.
19:26He's been countered all night.
19:27I just don't get it.
19:28Yeah, I have to agree with you on that one.
19:31But it shows you, though, that as we move on, this could look a little different in terms
19:36of the decision if it were to go 12 rounds.
19:39It's in the hands of three Nevada judges.
19:44Burt Clements, Patricia Morse-Jarman, Glenn Trowbridge.
19:48And there's no question Zappavagna's been coming forward.
19:51But again, there's an example.
19:53He misses with the hook.
19:54He gets countered by Vasquez.
19:55Good body punch downstairs, though, by Zappavagna.
20:06A cut on the right eye of Zappavagna.
20:10You see some of the blood.
20:12Trying to see exactly where it is, Alan Antonio.
20:14Oh, big miss there by Zappavagna.
20:18Yeah, he's just not, you know, he's reaching.
20:20He's not close enough to get his arsenal off.
20:22Maybe he should think about letting this guy come to him or, you know, be in the counterpuncher
20:27in the fight.
20:28At least try to get him to come to him, yeah.
20:30There's that jab of Vasquez.
20:32Overhand right there by Zappavagna.
20:35On the other hand, we saw the press row people.
20:38If people are liking his aggression somehow, and remember the Alfredo Angula fight that
20:43you called that, I would have to say, honestly, I thought Zappavagna probably lost.
20:48But he got that decision and got it decisively.
20:50Because they liked his aggression.
20:52Well, not only aggression, he did have some moments.
20:55He did have moments.
20:55They were trading a lot.
20:56That's true.
20:57But here, I don't see, I see a one-way fight here that's going on for the champion.
21:01Boy, that right eye is really starting to look ugly for Zappavagna.
21:05It's not only cut, it's all swollen.
21:08And we got no indication that it came from anything other than a punch.
21:12Well, it's that continuous, beautiful, long jab of Vasquez that's doing a lot of the damage
21:19around the eye of Zappavagna.
21:22That was a snake.
21:23Ha!
21:24You've got to stay long, man.
21:31Have a look.
21:32I'm sorry.
21:32Have a look.
21:34I need the work.
21:35I need the adrenaline.
21:37Adrenaline.
21:37I need the adrenaline.
21:38Right.
21:39Well, how did that cut happen?
21:49Well, we'll show you.
21:51There will be a lunging punch by Zappavagna as he tries to get on the inside.
22:00And you see his right eye.
22:02There it is.
22:06And there's a jab that exacerbated that cut and made it, I think, a lot worse than it already
22:13was.
22:13Yeah, there was like a little trickle, and then all of a sudden, a rainstorm.
22:19Yeah, that really exacerbated the whole situation.
22:24Zappavagna.
22:27Round six.
22:28Scheduled for 12.
22:29IBM.
22:30Lightweight championship.
22:32Boy, this interesting dynamic going on here.
22:35We saw the press row judges earlier.
22:37They think Zappavagna is just, you know, a little bit ahead.
22:41But from our standpoint, it looks like Vasquez.
22:45Now, here's a nice little right hand to the body of Zappavagna and another one.
22:48And he's been coming forward, and he's certainly throwing punches.
22:57You know, Antonio, I'm used to seeing, I watched a lot of tapes on Zappavagna.
23:01I'm used to seeing him come forward a lot more.
23:03But I think because of that, there's a nice little series of punches by Zappavagna who comes
23:09alive.
23:10But, you know, perhaps it's the style of Vasquez that's stopping him from doing that.
23:15Now, as we look at the total number of punches, according to Punch, it's very close in terms
23:20of the number that's thrown.
23:21They're saying that Zappavagna is landing at the same rate as Vasquez.
23:27I mean, the champ just landed two nice hooks right there, and then a one-two.
23:32I mean, like I say, I can't argue with what they're seeing, but all I know is I see a
23:36fighter that's in control.
23:37And also, Zappavagna has had some big moments where he landed two or three good shots.
23:42But other than that, I think the champ is in control.
23:44And this round, I think Zappavagna has gotten more done than he did in other rounds.
23:48To me, this is the round where he started to at least make a few things happen.
23:52And so far, I think he's probably winning this round.
23:56Remember, Zappavagna has never tasted defeat.
24:00Nice right hand there by Zappa.
24:01He's 25-0, and he can punch 17 knockouts.
24:06Meanwhile, Vasquez, who's 27-3 with only 12 knockouts, but he's not been stopped.
24:13All of his three losses by decision.
24:18Two, as Al mentioned, to Saul Alvarez and the other to Tim Bradley.
24:23And all those at weight division higher than 135, as we've pointed out.
24:27Stop, stop, stop.
24:30They both had about the same amount of amateur fights.
24:35Actually, Zappavagna a little more.
24:3690 amateur fights, 80 and 10.
24:38In fact, time.
24:39Look out now.
24:40They're going to check that cut.
24:41Stop hitting the back head.
24:41Watch that.
24:42Or no, they're going to just do a little warning.
24:44Scoochie, man.
24:45Both fighters are doing a lot of rabbit punching, you know, in close.
24:49And, you know, the referee is not going to go for that.
24:54It's a question I've never asked.
24:56How annoying is that rabbit punching when you're in there and getting hit with that punch?
25:00I mean, behind the head, it hurts.
25:02You know, and it can knock off your, it can throw off your equilibrium.
25:05And, you know, it doesn't feel well.
25:08No, I wouldn't think.
25:09I wouldn't think either.
25:10And the equilibrium is a good point.
25:12Stop, stop.
25:13Funny, when Tony Weeks went in there to stop them and warn them about the rabbit punches,
25:20he was looking very closely at that cut on Zappavagna's head.
25:26So that's why I thought he was going to have the doctor check a look at him.
25:30He may eventually.
25:31Well, the champion is now in the house for tonight's main event.
25:36Earlier tonight, the arrival of Puerto Rico's Miguel Cotto.
25:40Looking very sharp there.
25:42One of boxing's purest fighters, a left hook KO machine, a world champ,
25:46and a staple of the pound for pound top ten through the years.
25:50He's a veteran, but he has plenty of power performances left,
25:54one of which we expect to see tonight.
26:00And a reminder, this is round seven, in case you've forgotten.
26:03Cut man Lincoln Hudson working feverishly on that cut.
26:28I used to drive one of those.
26:31A Lincoln or a Hudson?
26:32A Lincoln one.
26:33Both.
26:34Stop, stop.
26:35Round seven.
26:36Stop, let him go.
26:41You know, we talked about the Zappavagna bodywork.
26:44He has made a commitment to that in the last three or four rounds,
26:47but still the movement of Vasquez is good.
26:51Launching left hook to the head there by Zappavagna.
26:54But you've got to love the way Vasquez moves.
26:57Look at that footwork.
26:58He's just not allowing Zappavagna to do his damage.
27:03Now, I've got, I gave the last round to Zappavagna,
27:06and I, right now I've got a 58-56 for Vasquez.
27:09I gave the last two rounds to Zappavagna.
27:11Okay.
27:12You know, he's closing the gap.
27:13But, you know, we definitely want to see more.
27:15Like I said, he has the power, he has the heart.
27:17But I like to see him, you know, just work his magic a little bit more.
27:22He just don't seem to be in close enough at all times.
27:27Take a look at press row scoring.
27:29Very interesting.
27:31Yeah, again, the draw with Diego Martinez and Kieran Mulvaney and Lance Pugmire
27:36with the two-point win on official scoring for Zappavagna.
27:40And so those early rounds are the ones that obviously there was some disagreement on.
27:45Because Antonio and I both think, you know, as you do,
27:48that Zappavagna has been coming on in the last couple of rounds.
27:50So they've still got a majority draw despite the cuts to Zappavagna.
27:54And, you know, Vasquez isn't as active as he was in those early rounds.
27:58No, it's a nice clubbing right hand by Zappavagna.
28:00Stop, stop.
28:01Must have back it hit.
28:03Stop.
28:04And there's some red marks around the body of Vasquez.
28:07I'm going to see no body punches have landed by Zappavagna.
28:11Well, that last overhand right by the champ landed.
28:15Good, solid punch.
28:16He's still working his jab.
28:18There's that jab again by Vasquez.
28:25Left hand got inside by Zappavagna.
28:29Zappavagna coming forward, missing, coming up short.
28:31Stop, stop.
28:35Stop.
28:45A little bit of a lull here.
28:48Not many of them in this fight.
28:50No, it's been a...
28:51Both men have been active.
28:53And now the jab of Vasquez is starting to be,
28:55as Antonio mentioned before, a real factor in this round.
28:58This could be an interesting round to score.
29:09Yeah, I would give it to Vasquez.
29:12Because he's been so effective with that jab.
29:15Let's see if Zappavagna can steal it.
29:18Stop, stop.
29:19There it go.
29:20Very strong, Lenny.
29:22Very strong, then.
29:23Trisky.
29:23What's going to happen?
29:31Well, the fight of the year.
29:32Manny Pacquiao versus Shane Mosley
29:34is coming to Showtime pay-per-view May 7th
29:37and start following the fighters
29:39with an exclusive behind-the-scenes look
29:41on Fight Camp 360, April 2nd on CBS.
29:45Fight Camp 360, of course,
29:47so successful in chronicling the Super 6 tournament
29:50and gave us, I thought, a new perspective
29:53on seeing the whole picture
29:55of how fights are made and all the rest of it.
29:57And I'm sure it'll do the same with this fight.
29:59Oh, no doubt.
30:00I mean, not that this fight needs it
30:01because, you know, it can stand on its own.
30:03That's for sure.
30:04But it'll certainly enhance what we see.
30:11These are the championship rounds.
30:14Don't stay still.
30:15You've got to keep moving around.
30:16And keep using your jabs.
30:17You need to work harder with that jab
30:19and more combinations to surprise him
30:21with the right hand.
30:23You've got to like a quarter
30:25that sponsors donuts.
30:30Just what every fighter needs a lot of, right?
30:34Stop, stop.
30:35Let him go.
30:40How about that, huh?
30:41Big difference for Vasquez.
30:42Yeah, and if there wasn't a big difference,
30:44Vasquez would be in big trouble in this fight.
30:46Come on.
30:48Obviously, his chief weapon here,
30:52and that's the one that opened up the cut
30:53over Zappovinia's right eye.
31:00Halfway through round five, the left jab.
31:02It was more serious than the cut over the left eye,
31:05which opened in round three.
31:06Stop, stop.
31:12Busy night for Tony Weeks,
31:14and it's just the first fight.
31:17He may have some more work later tonight.
31:19We'll see.
31:24There's that jab again by Vasquez.
31:26He got a good one-two, and then, Steve,
31:28and all I see now in this round is a lot of misses by Zappa.
31:31He has to connect, double up on some of those shots.
31:36Double original, double original.
31:40There's that body work by Zappa.
31:43Stop, stop.
31:44Both men are undefeated in going 12 rounds.
31:48Neither has lost in a 12-round fight.
31:50Yeah, Vasquez, four for four.
31:53Zappa, two for two.
31:56And Vasquez has won 11th round TKO.
32:01And that's a great point now
32:02because that includes his last two fights, 12-rounders.
32:05Vasquez.
32:06That's a good one-two by the champ.
32:07Stop, stop, stop, stop.
32:08Yeah.
32:09When he throws those straight punches like that,
32:11then he's very accurate with them.
32:14Especially in this fight
32:16because Zappa is not giving him any movement.
32:18He's standing straight in front.
32:19He's not breaking, like I said earlier,
32:22and that's when you're just a stationary target.
32:26No angles, no lateral movement, even in attacking.
32:29Right.
32:30And people have a misnomer.
32:31They think an attacking fighter always comes straight in.
32:33They don't.
32:33They shouldn't.
32:34Oh, no.
32:35You can take side steps, cut the ring off,
32:37and make this guy miss,
32:38and then you make him pay with the counter punch.
32:41Nice one-two there.
32:43There's that combination by Vasquez.
32:48Quick.
32:49The movement is giving Zapoveña all kinds of trouble.
32:57I was going to say that.
32:58He must be getting dizzy following Vasquez around the ring.
33:01And you said the key word, following.
33:04Instead of cutting the ring off,
33:05breaking inside,
33:06and getting inside and doing your best work,
33:08he's just following the guy around,
33:10and it doesn't spell well from him tonight.
33:12I don't care what the press roll has.
33:18But we'll see.
33:19They might be right.
33:21I don't know.
33:21But to us,
33:22it looks like Vasquez is controlling this fight.
33:25Here's a little bit of a body shock by Vasquez.
33:32Hey, up next,
33:33the return to the ring of Tommy Z.
33:35Tommy Z as Tommy Z of the Baltimore Ravens,
33:39who wants to prove that he's definitely not a novelty act.
33:43And later tonight,
33:44he'll get another chance,
33:45his first in almost five years to show his stuff.
33:49Tommy Z's second fight as a professional boxer,
33:52coming up next from the MGM Grand.
33:55And it looks like Tommy Z will have a lot of time on his hands to fight.
34:01Yeah.
34:02And they were talking to us,
34:03his people,
34:04about the fact that he's going to have so much time,
34:06he may have enough fights even to get down to light heavyweight.
34:09He's fighting as a heavyweight tonight,
34:11but might even get down to light heavyweight.
34:13They'll see.
34:21Some last-second work on Vasquez.
34:23Boy, this place is just sparkling tonight.
34:27Something extra special.
34:29Really looks good.
34:30Above the ring, just amazing.
34:32A brand-new addition to the MGM Grand Garden Arena,
34:37and it does look great.
34:41So here we go.
34:42Round nine, scheduled for 12.
34:44IBF lightweight championship on the line.
34:50Zappas snuck a nice right hand in there in that sequence.
34:53Missing there with the right.
34:56Vasquez comes back with a left-right combination to the head.
35:03Well, the presser of scoring,
35:04there is a bit of a change.
35:06It's now a majority draw
35:09with Diego Martinez having Vasquez ahead,
35:12and Kieran Mulvaney and Lance Pugmeyer agreeing with us
35:14that at least these last few rounds have gone to Zappavenia,
35:17and so they have it as a draw at this moment.
35:20That's unofficial, of course.
35:30And we're in these parts of the fight
35:33where you start to really count off these rounds.
35:38How many are left for somebody to win,
35:40and for Zappavenia, what does he have to do
35:42if he is behind at this point?
35:44Quick hands there, a nice left.
35:46Yeah, I think he has to land that punch.
35:48I mean, it seems like he's...
35:49Yeah, yeah, he's the power puncher in this fight.
35:51He has to land that punch,
35:52but again, like that, you know, just too many misses.
35:55You know, it's like he's starting a little bit too slow.
35:58He's always one step behind,
36:00and that's ring generalship on part of the champion.
36:03Yeah, this is not the Zappavenia I saw in the...
36:06I saw three or four, maybe even five tapes of him.
36:10He just came crashing down on people, punishing power,
36:13but, you know, he...
36:14I mean, he may not be losing this fight,
36:16but I think it's because of Vasquez.
36:19He's having these problems.
36:20Yeah, Vasquez is a much higher level competition
36:23than he has faced.
36:25Again, I'm sorry to cut you off.
36:26Right there, he telegraphed an uppercut from outside,
36:30I mean, which is a dangerous punch for him
36:32because he can be counted easily.
36:35Right, when you throw those uppercuts,
36:37you want to be inside.
36:39And, you know, you made the point, Stephen.
36:43There are some, but a lot of the Mexican fighters
36:46that we see are more aggressive.
36:47They're attackers.
36:48We don't always see boxer punchers like this
36:51from the Mexican fighters,
36:52and it is intriguing to see one that does it so well.
36:56They picked the wrong Mexican tonight.
36:58You are correct.
37:01That's right.
37:02Yeah, he said he just evolved into it.
37:05He adopted this style and enjoyed it.
37:08He said he didn't care
37:09how everybody else in the country fought.
37:11Yeah, he's working for him.
37:13I see a sneaky little lead left hook
37:16that Zappovinia had been using,
37:18and he missed twice with it.
37:20I think that would be a good punch
37:21if he's going to land that big punch tonight.
37:23Yeah.
37:23Another inch or two closer,
37:25Zappovinia could have really had a big one there
37:28with that right hand.
37:29Antonio referenced the left hand of Zappovinia,
37:51the sneaky left that has gotten in.
37:54And we'll see a demonstration of it right here
37:57as he throws it, lands it very, very well,
38:02then tries to double with it.
38:03So it's an example of what Antonio had pointed out.
38:07And he would even get the right hand in as well
38:10as he tries to come forward.
38:12That one kind of a clubbing right hand.
38:14Tommy McCurie in the corner with Zappovinia.
38:29This is Miguel Vasquez starting round number 10,
38:33scheduled for 12.
38:35IBF lightweight championship.
38:37Vasquez in the white.
38:38Zappovinia in the black.
38:40Vasquez, the champion from Mexico.
38:42Zappa from down under.
38:47Vasquez continues to make Zappa miss
38:49with that right hand, just falling short.
38:54Keeping his distance nicely with that jab is Vasquez
38:57and also the great movement, the footwork,
39:00the side to side.
39:03Oh, look at that.
39:03He just made Zappa look like an amateur.
39:07Yeah, I mean, that's the type of classic boxing style
39:09that'll do that.
39:10I mean, Zappa is a type of aggressive fighter.
39:13You have to really be in his face
39:15for him to have his best moments.
39:17If you're moving, it's like the matador versus the bull.
39:21Yeah, Vasquez is just fighting a very good fight here.
39:24And now that blood is right now streaming down his face
39:26from on the left side now.
39:28The jab has been just a very good weapon.
39:30You know, whether somebody's cut or not cut
39:32doesn't say whether they won or lost the fight.
39:34But in this case, it's kind of relevant
39:36because it shows how many of those jabs
39:39and right hands have been landing to the face of Zappa.
39:42It's that long, consistent jab by Vasquez.
39:46And it's interesting you're joking about
39:50them taking out a different kind of Mexican fighter.
39:54Brandon Rios, who, of course, we saw against the Costa,
39:56who is the exact opposite of Vasquez,
39:59a fighter that comes forward
40:01and had to go through tremendous boxing
40:04by Miguel Acosta to win his title.
40:06And I'm not saying that he can beat Rios,
40:09but it would be a much better, a more competitive fight
40:12because they have an identical style.
40:14Yes, precisely.
40:16And a guy like, for instance, Antion,
40:18who's going to be fighting Soto on May 7th
40:22in what was a rematch of potential fight of the year.
40:25He also would be an interesting match against Zappa Vigna
40:27because he's in front of him.
40:30That cut is open, wide open now, and it looks nasty.
40:34Less than a minute remaining in round 10.
40:36And let's grant it, I mean, Zappa Vigna was a young fighter.
40:40He had a big following over in his country.
40:42They really thought that this kid
40:44would be the next, you know,
40:46great fighter from their country.
40:48I don't know, it's a lot that remains to be seen,
40:51but I think he needs a lot of work.
40:52And fundamentally, I mean, fundamentally.
40:54Harold did in Australia.
40:56He is a former Australian champion,
40:58won the bronze medal at the Commonwealth Games.
41:02And this is his first shot at a world title.
41:05And sometimes it doesn't work out.
41:07And again, we hasten to point out
41:10the judges may be seeing this fight differently,
41:12and he may come away with a win,
41:15but it appears to us right now,
41:17especially Vasquez,
41:18is just taking control of this fight.
41:20Yeah, you're right.
41:21You never know,
41:21but I would be very, very surprised
41:23if the scoring wasn't in Vasquez's favor
41:26on the official judges scorecard.
41:28There's a nice series of inside uppercuts
41:31by Zappovenia to finish the round.
41:35Well, we have a special surprise
41:36because live from his training camp,
41:38we have a special celebrity guest
41:39tweeting throughout tonight's telecast
41:41to comment on the fight.
41:42Shane Mosley.
41:43You can follow him at
41:44at SugarShaneM on Twitter.
41:47He's going to tweet in between his workouts
41:49here in Big Bear, California.
41:50Of course, Antonio and I are on Twitter.
41:52He's been tweeting us
41:53in the last couple of weeks.
41:54Yeah, keeping us informed
41:55on his preparation,
41:56I'll tell you from his Twitter standpoint,
41:58he has a lot of people
41:59that believe in him,
42:00that they're going to see
42:01something special on May 7th.
42:03So I'll be sitting right here
42:05ringside and I'll be waiting.
42:07Yes, indeed.
42:08So go on Twitter
42:08and see what Shane's saying
42:10about this fight.
42:21Boy, they're working hard on that
42:23thing.
42:25There we go.
42:28The championship rounds.
42:31Now, according to our press room judges,
42:34the championship belt
42:35is going to be decided
42:36in these final two rounds.
42:39Yeah, they have it at this moment.
42:41A majority...
42:43Stop, stop, stop.
42:44Well, right now,
42:45it's a majority decision
42:46to Vasquez with two judges, Diego Martinez from a former newspaper
42:54and ESPN's Kieran Mulvaney having it for Vasquez,
42:57and Lance Pugmire from the L.A. Times has this fight to draw.
43:01So they feel that certainly Vasquez has come on.
43:08They just didn't score those early rounds the way we did.
43:10To me, that's a comfortable lead because that means
43:13Zapovinian would need three rounds in order to take away that draw
43:16on those two judges' scorecards, and he only has two rounds left.
43:20So, you know, my whole thing is this.
43:22I don't see a champion.
43:24I don't see Zapovinian looking like a champion tonight.
43:27I don't think that he's taking anything from Vasquez.
43:30So, you know, I would say if they gave him the victory,
43:33I mean, I would be very, very surprised.
43:35Yeah, I know exactly what you're saying.
43:37This isn't the kind of breakout performance they hoped for from him.
43:40It's not that he hasn't done some things in this fight that were effective.
43:43He has.
43:48And we mentioned they're both undefeated over 12 rounds.
43:51So somebody's zero will go.
43:53Nice left hook there by Zapovinian to the head of Vasquez.
43:57And the blood comes streaking down the left eye of Zapovinian.
44:04Stop.
44:04Surprisingly, it's been his little sneaky left hook
44:09that has been his best punch tonight
44:11rather than that looping right hand.
44:13So, you know, if he can jab and hook behind it,
44:17maybe he can catch him.
44:21He's got about four minutes left to do it.
44:25Vasquez has been down once in his career
44:27against Brady Prescott, but he came back to win.
44:29Zappa down once early in his career.
44:37Flash knocked down, came back to win by knockout
44:39against a southpaw.
44:45You know, the one thing you have to say
44:46about Vasquez, though,
44:48this has been a good win for him.
44:50It's been a very tactical win.
44:52He just has to ask himself this question.
44:54Did I market myself as one of the major lightweights
44:59with this kind of performance
45:01when the Rioses of the world, the Sotos,
45:04are in all these wars,
45:06and Miguel Acosta, who we saw against Rios,
45:08is a monster in there.
45:10Did he give us the kind of performance
45:12that puts him in that upper echelon?
45:14Well, I'll tell you what,
45:14he just landed a beautiful overhand right,
45:16and he's a champion.
45:17This is the second defense.
45:19He has a belt.
45:20That's what's, you know, inviting to the other fighters.
45:23They want that hardware.
45:25You are 100% right.
45:26So getting the fight's not a problem.
45:27They call him T-T-R-A.
45:29The rascal, the puppet,
45:31because of his movement in the ring,
45:32the champion, Miguel Vasquez.
45:34Now, literally, last-minute instructions.
45:38Okay, this is the last round.
45:41Okay.
45:45You got to keep throwing.
45:46You got to keep throwing.
45:47Don't use your power punches.
45:49Just keep moving around.
45:52All right?
45:52Show him the conditions that you have.
45:54You just keep with that counterpunch
45:56and the upper.
45:59Try to knock him out,
46:00but from the distance.
46:01If you want to knock him out,
46:02but from the distance,
46:03don't get close.
46:06Hold on.
46:06Hold on.
46:08Hold on, please.
46:10Feel good.
46:14Beautiful.
46:15Oh, I love it.
46:15No cut, no bleed.
46:16Beautiful, gentlemen.
46:17Let's get ready.
46:18There you go.
46:22Three minutes to win this fight.
46:23Here we go into round 12
46:25for the IBF Lightweight Championship.
46:28Good advice in that Vasquez corner.
46:30If you're going to try to knock him out,
46:31don't get too close.
46:33Boy, was it ever.
46:34And that's exactly what you should be doing with a fighter.
46:36Give them two or three quick things to think about,
46:39the most important things,
46:40and that's what they did there.
46:41And we'll see how much urgency there is
46:49with Zappovinia in this last round.
46:56And we see in press row,
46:57things have continued to change.
47:00Three points on two of the scorecards
47:02and one for Lance Puglarn.
47:04Yeah, and I think they changed their mind
47:06because there was just too much missing
47:07on Zappovinia's part.
47:10Press row's scoring is getting more
47:11like the stock market every day.
47:13A lot of balls going up and down.
47:16But I think they have it right.
47:18I think you see that Vasquez has dictated the pace.
47:21He's maneuvered well and used that jab to perfection.
47:25I mean, and it cut up Zappovinia all night.
47:27And one of the things that Vasquez has not done so much of
47:36is lunge in and gives Zappovinia opportunities to land punches.
47:40He's done that less tonight than we even saw
47:42in a couple of his recent fights.
47:44So, Miguel Vasquez in the white trunks
47:48looking to retain his title
47:50for the second time.
47:55Leonardo Zappovinia.
47:57I always want to say DiCaprio,
48:00but it comes out.
48:01Leonardo Zappovinia.
48:03Wasn't there Da Vinci some years ago
48:05as Leonardo as well?
48:06Right.
48:07A little before our time.
48:08He's up on the ceiling.
48:10The number one contender, Zappovinia,
48:14in his first title defense
48:16under the bright lights of Las Vegas.
48:21Perhaps not as easy as he thought it might be.
48:24And Steven Al, I would like to just point out,
48:26you know, he's 23 years old.
48:28You know, he got cut up again tonight
48:30as he did against Angola.
48:32I mean, where does he go if he's unsuccessful tonight?
48:3523 years old is not time to be thinking retirement,
48:38but he definitely needs some toolage,
48:40you know, from his corner.
48:42He needs to go back to the school of boxing,
48:44break it down, and start over.
48:46And he may have needed some intermediary fights
48:48in between where he was
48:50and getting a world title shot.
48:51Yeah, and someone was very high on him.
48:53They thought they had the next big thing.
48:55And as it came, you know, as it turned out,
48:57he still has a lot of work to do.
48:59He's rather raw, if you ask me.
49:02But he is an aggressive young fighter
49:04and can make for very good fights
49:07against the right fighters.
49:08So, clearly, we're going to see more
49:09of this young man in the future.
49:12Under 20 seconds left
49:13in this IVF lightweight title fight.
49:18Yeah, again, Styles makes fights.
49:19He just picked a boxer, a classic boxer,
49:22and, hey, put him in there with a brawler.
49:24Somebody that's going to stand
49:25toe-to-to-toe with Zappovina.
49:26And Vasquez ending the way he started.
49:29Bouncing around.
49:41So, Miguel Vasquez looking confident
49:44that he will get the decision.
49:48He chopped up the face of
49:50the challenger's Zappovina
49:53with that left jab.
49:54You're a well-champed.
49:57You're a well-champed.
49:58Throughout the fight.
50:00As we look at the numbers,
50:01they, of course, did favor Vasquez
50:04by a reasonable margin,
50:06not a monstrous margin,
50:07but the jabs were, I think,
50:09a big part of this story.
50:10Yeah, the jabs was where he dictated
50:12the fight at.
50:13And then, again, in the middle of the fight,
50:15Zappovina had more combinations landed.
50:18And then you look at the champion,
50:19he closed the show with more combinations.
50:21So, you know, by those numbers,
50:23you want to say that Vasquez won going away.
50:27I had a 118-110 for Vasquez.
50:31Well, I certainly buy the notion
50:34that Vasquez won this fight,
50:36particularly after seeing those stats.
50:39Well, Miguel Vasquez is certainly part of the notable lightweights,
50:48a loaded talent and very competitive division.
50:50Here is, in alphabetical order,
50:52a list of lightweights.
50:54However, you know, it's a loaded division.
50:56Champions like Juan Manuel Marquez,
50:58now Brandon Rios, Humberto Soto,
50:59who might move up in weight.
51:01But first, Humberto Soto, on May 7th,
51:03is going to have a rematch with Urbano Antion,
51:06a fight of the year last year.
51:08And when you look at Brandon Rios,
51:10he is a superstar in the making
51:12based upon the fact that he fought so well
51:15against Miguel Acosta a couple weeks ago.
51:17Yeah, when you look at Brandon Rios,
51:19he's the only one that has an O.
51:21There's a lot of parity in the division.
51:23A lot of people mixing it up, losing, beating each other.
51:26But Rios is the only undefeated fighter.
51:28And Bam Bam is fun to watch.
51:30We're set for the official announcement,
51:32so let's go up to our ring announcer,
51:33Jimmy Lennon Jr.
51:38Ladies and gentlemen,
51:40after 12 rounds of action,
51:41we have a unanimous decision.
51:43Here are the score totals.
51:45Judge at ringside Patricia Morse Jarman
51:48scores about 117 to 111.
51:53Judges Burt Clements and Glenn Trowbridge
51:55both score with about 118 to 110.
51:58All three in favor of the winner
52:01and still the IBF lightweight champion
52:05of the world, Miguel Vazquez.
52:12Well, the official ringside judges
52:14certainly saw it convincingly one way for Vazquez.
52:18And, yeah, they obviously felt that
52:21he won the fight dramatically.
52:25And we did make history tonight
52:27because Antonio Tarver and I
52:29both scored this fight,
52:30I believe, 118 to 110.
52:31Really?
52:32So that's, this is a historical moment.
52:38Well, the first fight is in the books.
52:40We're looking forward to more action here
52:43from the Las Vegas Strip.
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