- 19 hours ago
Marco Verde vs. Sona Akale (13-09-2025) Full Fight
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00:00Gentlemen, you had my instructions earlier, so you know exactly what I expect.
00:04Any punches right here or lower are considered low.
00:07Any punches right here down are considered low.
00:10Protect yourself at all times. Obey my commands. Good luck.
00:14Marco Verde was considered maybe the most marketable prospect coming out of the Olympics.
00:19Silver medalist considered a potential heir to the throne, the Mexican throne,
00:26as the big attraction south of the border.
00:28However, he's in against Akali, a guy who's brought in as an opponent for Nico Ali Walsh, Muhammad Ali's grandson,
00:36and upset the apple cart and won.
00:39And man, would it be an even bigger upset if he could spring it here tonight
00:43against the 2024 Olympic silver medalist Marco Verde, became the first Mexican since 1984.
00:50Hector Lopez to hit the podium for the great nation of Mexico.
00:54Okay, here we go.
00:552-0 for Marco Verde. He is in the purple trunks and southpaw stance on Akali counters in white and red.
01:03Verde, for all that he's accomplished as an amateur, really didn't have that many amateur fights.
01:10He's a guy that had about 50 fights, typically a guy who wins an Olympic medal.
01:13They're up in 100, 150, sometimes 200, 300 amateur fights.
01:17So even though he has those accomplishments and he's polished, he's still learning on the job.
01:23Rare for a south of heavyweight Olympic fighter, Dre, to have that few fights.
01:29And he didn't necessarily go to Paris thinking that was going to be the end of his amateur career,
01:32but once he hit that podium, he felt like that cycle in his career was over.
01:36Akali said he was in dog shape, but admittedly did not have a training camp in advance of this opportunity tonight.
01:46When I'm out of shape, I'm going to start telling people I'm in dog shape.
01:50Verde landed a nice straight left hand moments ago.
01:53Stay off the line!
01:55Oh, you've got to stay off the line, brother!
01:57Got it.
01:57Akali told him, you got me.
02:04Good shot to the body by Slink proper.
02:07Sona Akali making his Las Vegas debut tonight.
02:10You can see Akali stays ready.
02:14Good counter with the right hand by Verde.
02:16Akali getting hit as he stands on the outside and he tries to think.
02:19And he gets hit as he's on the way out, if he's not mindful of his defense.
02:24Tough road for him going in to try to land punches.
02:26And going out, trying to exit.
02:29And a really good last minute replacement opponent for Verde.
02:32In Verde's career and his ascent, you want him, you want to see what happens when he hits a guy
02:37who doesn't just go away because he's going to get hit and continues to try to compete.
02:43Oh, beautiful shot right on the belt by Verde.
02:46Time!
02:48I don't think the ref saw it.
02:50That pausing the action just there.
02:53Good.
02:54Keep the punches up.
02:56He did this fight, it looks like, to me, Dre.
03:01Good left hand connection.
03:02Now the right hand for Verde.
03:03Akali goes down.
03:06Oh, he grabbed me.
03:07Four, five, six, seven, eight.
03:12Give me your gloves.
03:12Ready to go?
03:13Akali's an easy guy to root for, but he grabbed you.
03:15You went upside your head with about four devastating shots.
03:19Keep standing there for the same shot.
03:21I mean...
03:21Verde hits him with a straight left to the body.
03:23He comes around with the right hook, and it's getting ready to happen again because Akali's head is in the air.
03:28You are hurt, and you need to breathe it.
03:30Get your head off the line.
03:32Tuck in and become small.
03:34Right.
03:34I mean, I give Akali credit.
03:37He's still competing, but he is being outclassed.
03:40Nice job with the defensive guard by Marco Verde here.
03:44Waning seconds around one of a possible six.
03:47Akali's got to be either inside all the way on the chest of Verde or all the way on the outside where he can't get hit.
03:54He's right in range to get hit with all the big shots from Verde.
03:57I mean, the problem is when he's on the outside, he's getting tagged, and when he comes in, he's getting tagged.
04:00He's not out far enough.
04:02Got to be out here with you and me, I think, to be far enough away.
04:06All right, three minutes down.
04:07Good start for the Mexican.
04:12It's all up.
04:12Don't worry about it.
04:13Hey, listen, we're doing just good.
04:15We just got to keep low in and out, bro.
04:19Listen, keep moving your feet.
04:20The right hand is there.
04:22You got to keep stepping to him.
04:23You're bringing the jab, and you're getting around him, but now you're not following up.
04:27You're getting there.
04:28You're closing the space.
04:30Once you close the space and you get that real estate, you got to invest now.
04:34Now that's time to get down.
04:36You feel me?
04:37Then we're out low.
04:39Here we see Verde doing what he does, coming in with behind the jab and a left hook,
04:43and he just lands that right hook because Alcali is just standing there with his hands down.
04:49He's offering no resistance, and he's at the wrong range.
04:52You can't face a guy with that kind of reach and think that you're going to reach him with those short arms.
04:58I mean, that right hook.
05:01I like the way Verde can change the kind of trajectory of his hook on the fly.
05:06He can throw it short.
05:07He can lengthen it, and he's accurate with it, and he's throwing it as a real power shot.
05:15All right, here we go.
05:16Round two of a possible six.
05:18Marco Verde, the prohibited betting favorite in the purple trunks.
05:22In terms of his dexterity and flexibility, Verde has drawn some comps to the late Salvador Sanchez.
05:33That's a lot to put on somebody, Salvador Sanchez, because if Julio Cesar Chavez,
05:39Alvarez isn't the greatest Mexican fighter of all time,
05:43I know people who grew up watching Sanchez, including me, think maybe he is.
05:47Oh, beautiful counter backing up by Verde.
05:54Even though Alcali is still willing to throw, and he's dangerous,
05:57Verde is in a good rhythm right now.
05:59He's in cruise control, and I believe it's just a matter of time
06:02before he lands that straight left to the body
06:04and that right hook around the guard of Alcali,
06:07because he's made no adjustments.
06:09Some good body work a moment ago by Sona Alcali.
06:13Minish on by round two.
06:14Excuse me, Jay.
06:15Akali is a good opponent for your third pro fight,
06:21and Verde's making this look easy.
06:24Get your hands free, guys.
06:27Stop.
06:28Oh, be careful.
06:29Not bad.
06:34Akali fought 98 days ago in June,
06:37another short-notice opportunity in Orlando,
06:39so he answers the bell routinely
06:41when he hasn't had a training camp on the front end.
06:43Nice connection by Akali there.
06:44I mean, what I admire about Akali is,
06:48after the beating he took in the first round,
06:50he still hasn't been convinced that this is an exhibition of some kind.
06:54Well, this isn't a wheel thing.
06:55This is a skill thing.
06:56That's the difference here.
06:57Yeah.
06:58Good way to put it.
06:59Just over a minute to go here, round two.
07:01Don't wait.
07:02Don't wait.
07:02You be first.
07:04He's waiting on it.
07:05There's a difference between a guy who, yeah, I'm still going through the motions,
07:08and a guy who's clearly still competing to win.
07:11And Akali is.
07:13Verde's going to have to end this by force, it seems to me.
07:16Yeah.
07:16I believe so.
07:18Oh, good short shot right there for Akali.
07:20And if you're in Akali's corner, that's the, what, third or fourth time in this fight
07:26that he's been really buzzed.
07:28You might start thinking about maybe him not taking too many more shots.
07:31Right hand from Verde, forced to retreat there by Akali, and a big uppercut now from the
07:37Mexican.
07:40I like it because the young fighter, Verde, is not panicking.
07:43He's not overshooting his target.
07:45He hasn't changed anything.
07:46He's just still throwing the right punches at the right arc to try to get that through
07:50and end this fight.
07:53Akali's corner really got to start thinking about doing the right thing very soon.
07:56Because Akali is not trying to go down.
08:02Nice touch to the body by Marco Verde.
08:04Yeah, not forcing the finish.
08:06Just putting his shots together as he did in round one.
08:12Two rounds down, potentially four to go.
08:20Very good, very good.
08:22Yes, yes, in every round.
08:26Listen, I know that you've already warmed up.
08:35It's time he's taking a bunch of...
08:37He says, let's take it round by round.
08:39Keep on going.
08:40And right now, as you turn it on, this is going to be...
08:43In any round, this is going to happen right now.
08:45Can you hear me?
08:47And then step off to your left.
08:48If we back this kid up and we're first and we're third, it's easy all night.
08:53I'm not lying.
08:53We've got to keep active.
08:54Always.
08:55The only time he hits you when you're sitting still.
08:57That's it.
08:58All right?
08:59Hey, just like you beating Niko Ali, man, you were pressing him.
09:01Press this guy down.
09:02Make him uncomfortable now.
09:03Make him uncomfortable.
09:04You've got to follow your work.
09:05One combination is not enough.
09:06Protect yourself in here.
09:07Let's go, guys.
09:07Follow your combination.
09:08Let's go.
09:09Antonio Johnson, chief in the corner of Sona Akali.
09:12Max Kellerman, to my right, pretty demonstrably believes that maybe the coaches could intervene.
09:16Yeah, I mean, Akali has so much heart.
09:20And he can handle himself well enough that he's taking good shots from a good puncher.
09:26And he's continuing.
09:27He's not going to quit.
09:29Someone has to save him from himself at this point.
09:31These are too many clean shots upstairs.
09:35Outstanding boxing veteran, two-time Golden Gloves champion, Skipper Kelp, is with us all night.
09:39Skip, what do you have through two?
09:41I have Verde up 20 to 18.
09:46He's putting on a great show.
09:47It's just a matter of time now before he gets to Akali.
09:50This is the kind of fight that a person like Verde has to do.
09:53You've got to get these guys out of there to show you're on that next level.
09:57Got him.
09:58All right, thank you, Skip.
09:58Skipper Kelp with us all night.
10:00And I get it's a big opportunity for Akali.
10:02And what if he lands something crazy, right?
10:04But the question at a certain point is what's the tradeoff and is it worth it?
10:09This is not a fight for the title.
10:11This is still, you know, he's fighting a guy with two fights and this is an opportunity for him for sure.
10:18He's made good against Nikolali Walsh, but this is not the same kind of fight.
10:21But that's part of the reason why his team is keeping him in there for better or for worse
10:23because they know that he can pull off an upset against a prospect.
10:27I just don't think it's going to be this prospect tonight.
10:31Akali got a late start as a professional boxer.
10:33Under-term pro at 31.
10:34He's 37 now.
10:40And Verde's shown a strong gear.
10:42He's been in the same gear for the duration of the fight.
10:45I'd like to see him take it to the next level to get this fight over with because Akali,
10:49the stage is set, the table is set.
10:51It's time to eat and get him out of there.
10:52There's no more resistance that Akali can put up.
10:58It's just about getting the right shot through at the right time.
11:00I think he's trying to do all the right things.
11:02Raise him in with a durable guy.
11:05Beautiful uppercut stepping away by Marco Verde.
11:07Some blood coming out of the mouth of Akali now.
11:09That's a good shot right there from Verde.
11:14Akali soaking up a lot of punishment.
11:28You see blood coming out of his mouth.
11:31Just unable to land anything significant.
11:34Another big uppercut right there from Verde.
11:38And the punishment is just soaking in.
11:40And the referee's got to take a good look at Akali.
11:44Don't ask him.
11:44Right, you can't ask him.
11:46Akali's only going to tell you he's good because he's got a lot of hard.
11:47He's going to say the right thing every time.
11:49Absolutely.
11:50And Akali, you can see, can compete with a lot of guys.
11:52Not this kid, but a lot of guys.
11:54On a level or two lower.
11:58Akali has landed just 6% of his punches unofficially.
12:0111 for 174.
12:04Marco Verde landing north of 30% thus far.
12:08As we come down the stretch of round three, Verde connects again.
12:11There's an uppercut for good measure.
12:21Verde's doing a lot of good things, man.
12:27And I love it because most young fighters don't do that.
12:29They don't have the patience or wherewithal to go to the body.
12:32But that body attack, just that straight left to the body,
12:35has allowed Verde to come around with that uppercut
12:38and another right hook right there,
12:40but also the right hook to the head of Akali,
12:43which caused all the trouble from the very beginning.
12:46Body shots set up beautiful and clean head shots.
12:50And I love to see this from the young fighters.
12:52Our defense is way tight now.
12:54Hey, we good.
12:56Hey, listen, brother, we're going to get this.
12:58Let's go.
12:58Let's keep working.
12:59I got it.
12:59We're still working.
13:00We're still working.
13:00On my lift, too.
13:01Little things.
13:02Little things.
13:03Get off that line.
13:04On my lift.
13:05Slink, I don't need big movements.
13:06I just need small things.
13:07And I need three, four punches.
13:09Come on.
13:09Pop, pop, pop, pop.
13:10Something quick.
13:10Pop, pop, pop.
13:11Pop, pop, pop, pop.
13:12I believe the ringside physician just said to the referee, Mark Nelson,
13:16how about a short leash here?
13:19That's responsible officiating.
13:22And by the way, Verde was not hitting him with the same force in the third round as the second round.
13:27So you might think, well, maybe his snap on his shots is fading so Akali can get back into the fight.
13:32That actually doesn't do Akali any favors because what it means is extended punishment to the head.
13:38Right.
13:41I think Verde may have been taking an active round off.
13:44And I think he's going to be right back with that same type of heat that he had in the first two rounds in this fourth round.
13:51That would be merciful to Akali at this point.
13:57Nasty right hook to the back.
14:02Verde mixing up his weaponry and his target beautifully tonight.
14:05There's a big left hand again.
14:08Another big left hand.
14:09It's going to be a lot of pressure on this kid's shoulders throughout his career.
14:15Looking pretty ready for prime time here tonight.
14:17Man, what is Akali made of that he can take these shots?
14:20It is tough.
14:23Not a kid 37 years old can take those shots.
14:26He did have a fight tentatively on the books October 9th, but wasn't in camp.
14:30And he eats another big shot.
14:31Mark Nelson has seen enough.
14:34Akali doesn't like it.
14:35Marco Verde still undefeated as he gets it done here in Vegas tonight.
14:39And Akali's reaction is exactly why that was responsible.
14:43That dude is never going to quit, which is why he's an admirable competitor.
14:50But the ref right there was looking out for his well-being.
14:53Short notice opportunity for Sonal Akali was only confirmed on September 7th.
15:01Here's the end of the fight, Dre.
15:02Yeah, we saw this coming.
15:03Just a lot of heavy shots.
15:04The same type of shots Akali's been taking from Verde this whole time.
15:07But when the punishment starts to soak in and the fight starts to go on,
15:11now you can't take those shots like you did early on in the fight.
15:14And the referee did his job.
15:17You don't check with the fighter to see if he's okay.
15:19Because if he's a real fighter, he's going to answer the right way every single time.
15:24Good stoppage by the referee.
15:25Respect to Akali.
15:27But Verde, I'm excited about him.
15:29And I want to see a lot more.
15:31I think a lot of boxing fans would mirror that tune, Andre.
15:34It is tough, though, for Sonal Akali, right?
15:35It's the biggest fight of your career.
15:37Granted, it comes on short notice.
15:38But you've got to feel for the fighter a little bit.
15:41Nonetheless, Mark Nelson wants him to live to fight another day.
15:43And tonight is about the highly-touted Mexican prospect, the 23-year-old Marco Verde.
15:50Made his pro debut back in May on the Riyadh season card.
15:54Canelo Alvarez and William School went six rounds and a victory over Christian Atuesta back in July.
16:01And now a perfect 3-0 to begin his first year as a professional.
16:07Marco Verde challenges figure to get stiffer from here.
16:10To make it official inside the ring to Joe Martinez.
16:16Ladies and gentlemen, comes officially one minute, 11 seconds.
16:19Round number four.
16:20Referee Mark Nelson puts a halt to the fight.
16:23Your winner, by TKO, se mantiene invicto.
16:27He is still undefeated.
16:30Marco Verde!
16:35Are you fucking serious?
16:38I've never seen nothing like that in my life.
16:40Marco.
16:44You can't even get there to work.
16:48You can't even work.
16:50Marco.
16:51That's crazy.
16:55Marco.
16:57That's a tough guy to have in your third prof...
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