- 2 days ago
Raul Balbi defends his WBA Lightweight Title against undefeated Leonard Dorin on HBO Boxing After Dark
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00:02:31HBO Sports.
00:02:37And now, the HBO Sports presentation.
00:02:41Boxing After Dark.
00:02:59The following is a special presentation of HBO Sports.
00:03:03The Network of Champions.
00:03:11Theå ´ is a physical.
00:03:12The
00:03:40Hey, boxing after dark is back.
00:04:09Tonight from San Antonio, Texas, we have a real fight crowd gathering in the Freeman
00:04:13Coliseum, all decked out for HBO's first boxing card of the year 2002.
00:04:19There's still a lot of New Year's festivity in the air here, so get ready for some real
00:04:24action with the help of our favorite noise and moneymakers.
00:04:28Our main event tonight will feature hometown hero Jesse James Lay of San Antonio, taking
00:04:34on Irish Mickey Ward of Lowell, Massachusetts.
00:04:36The winner of the fight could expect 140-pound title shot or a big-money fight in that division
00:04:41soon.
00:04:42But first, you'll see Argentine lightweight title holder Raul Balbi in the first defense
00:04:48of his version of the 135-pound title against former Olympic medalist Leonard Doreen, now
00:04:55fighting out of Montreal, Canada, originally from Romania.
00:04:58A beautiful night along the river in San Antonio.
00:05:02I'm Jim Lampley.
00:05:03Shortly, you'll be hearing from both HBO Boxing Analyst Larry Merchant and Boxing After Dark
00:05:08expert commentator Emmanuel Stewart.
00:05:11In the ring, the two fighters in our first event, a 135-pound battle.
00:05:16Here is Balbi of Argentina, closer look with Larry Merchant.
00:05:21This is Balbi's debut in the U.S., coming off his victory for that title in France.
00:05:32He's been unbeaten since 1997 in 19 fights.
00:05:37But he has been recently affected by the economic and political chaos in Argentina, doesn't know
00:05:47how his money is doing in the banks, can't get it out of the banks, says he may have to
00:05:52deposit some of his earnings tonight in an American bank.
00:05:56Balbi won his title by going to Paris and taking it from Julian Lorci of France on his
00:06:00home turf.
00:06:01The other two belt holders in the division, Paul Spadafore of the United States, Jose Luis
00:06:05Castillo, regarded by most as maybe the best of the 135-pounders across the ring, is a
00:06:10young man who was a huge amateur star for the nation of Romania, and now fights professionally
00:06:17out of Canada, engaging personality, 31 years old with only 19 pro fights, but there are
00:06:23reasons why.
00:06:23Closer look with Larry Merchant.
00:06:26Doreen won two bronze medals in the 1992 and 1996 Olympics.
00:06:33Like many Eastern Europeans, had a hard time finding a professional place to start, but
00:06:39he says he was inspired by Oscar de la Hoya, who he saw in the 1992 Olympics, and then saw
00:06:46him progress as a pro.
00:06:47Says, I could do that.
00:06:50What he hopes to be able to do is to follow in the footsteps of Nadia Kamenech, the fabulous
00:06:56gymnast, and Elian Anastasi, the great tennis player, as one of his country's great athletes.
00:07:04His true name is Dorafti.
00:07:07Calls himself Doreen for our benefit.
00:07:10Hopes to make a few Canadian and American dollars along the way.
00:07:13This fight could be a springboard to that for him.
00:07:15Tale of the tape for the two fighters who are squaring off once again in the 135-pound weight
00:07:21class, and you can see that both the veterans of the sport, Doreen giving up three years
00:07:26in age to the fighter with many more pro fights.
00:07:28Balby, three inches taller, four inches longer reach.
00:07:32They both weighed in just under the 135-pound limit, and you can see that since yesterday's
00:07:36weigh-in, Raul Balby has put on 13.5 pounds and will have an unofficial seven-pound weight
00:07:41advantage over Doreen according to our HBO scale as they enter the ring tonight.
00:07:45Rules of the bout with our unofficial ringside scorer, Harold Letterman.
00:07:48The Raul Balby-Leonard-Doreen fight is scheduled for 12 rounds using the unified rules you
00:07:52see on your screen.
00:07:53Jim, very quickly, the criteria that the judges will use to score each individual round, clean
00:07:58punching, effective aggressiveness, ring generalship, and defense with a strong emphasis
00:08:04on clean, effective punching.
00:08:06Jim.
00:08:07Thank you, Harold.
00:08:07Let's go up the ring announcer, Michael Buffer, for the official introductions.
00:08:12Ladies and gentlemen, good evening, and welcome to HBO Boxing After Dark.
00:08:17From Freeman Coliseum here in San Antonio, Texas.
00:08:22And it's all brought to you by DiBella Entertainment, along with the Bedford Agency, Incorporated, in
00:08:29association with Miller Lite.
00:08:31This event is dedicated to the memory of Nathan Ross Chapman, Sergeant First Class United States
00:08:38Army Special Forces.
00:08:39These bouts are sanctioned by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.
00:08:44The three judges for this first bout will be Dwayne Ford, Ray Hawkins, and Gail Van Ouy.
00:08:52And when the bell rings, your referee in charge of the action, Rafael Ramos.
00:08:58And now, ladies and gentlemen, 12 rounds of boxing.
00:09:00This is for the WBA World Lightweight Championship.
00:09:09Introducing first, fighting out of the blue corner, wearing gold, trimmed with black, and
00:09:14weighing in at 134 pounds.
00:09:17This two-time Olympic bronze medalist now has a perfect professional record consisting of
00:09:2419 bouts.
00:09:2619 victories, including 7 knockouts.
00:09:29In Deutsch, Romania, now training and fighting out of Montreal, Canada, the undefeated challenger,
00:09:36Leonard Doreen.
00:09:48And his opponent across the ring, fighting out of the red corner, wearing black, trimmed with
00:09:53white, and weighing in at 134 and one-half pounds.
00:09:56His professional record, an excellent one.
00:09:5948 victories, including 33 knockouts, with four defeats, and one pound even.
00:10:05Ladies and gentlemen, from Buenos Aires, Argentina, presenting the reigning and defending WBA World
00:10:13Lightweight Champion, Raul Barbie.
00:10:28Okay, you can see the brief instructions.
00:10:29Recibite las instrucciones.
00:10:31Protect yourself all the time.
00:10:32Protegete todo el tiempo, okay?
00:10:34The trunks, a little bit high.
00:10:36Los pantanos están un poco altos.
00:10:37They're going to be okay right here, okay?
00:10:39So, this one's okay.
00:10:41Okay, good luck.
00:10:44There are no real standouts in the lightweight division today.
00:10:48So, both of these fighters can do themselves some good, as far as the future is concerned, making
00:10:57other fights.
00:10:59There are standout fighters, incidentally, both below the lightweight division at 130 pounds,
00:11:05where you have Floyd Mayweather Jr., and also, at 140 pounds, one division up, where, for
00:11:12instance, Costa Zoo holds sway.
00:11:15So, there's money to be made around the 135-pound division, if not necessarily so much in it right
00:11:20at this moment.
00:11:21And maybe that's one of the reasons that Leonard Doreen has gone for that GoldenPalace.com
00:11:26deal, which he purses off, on the back of Bernard Hopkins, the night that he beat Felix Trinidad.
00:11:36This is turning out to be a good fight, right, at this point.
00:11:39Both guys are shooting short, accurate punches.
00:11:41Nobody's looking any shots.
00:11:43And the experience level is interesting, because Doreen got his experience from the 254 amateur fights,
00:11:52and Balby got his experience, actually, as a professional fighter.
00:11:55He had a long career, up and down, but he's seen him settling into becoming a good professional
00:12:00fighter at this stage right now.
00:12:01Yeah, 15, or 53 fights overall for Balby, and he's 18-1 in his last 19 fights, including
00:12:09the victory over North Sea to take the title that he holds right now.
00:12:14The general lightweight average for output of punches per round, Manny, is around 75 or
00:12:1880 punches a round.
00:12:19And here are two guys who will routinely throw 100 punches a round.
00:12:23And they're very accurate punches, too.
00:12:25A lot of guys are just throwing punches to try to out-hustle each other, but these guys
00:12:28are shooting accurate pinpoint punches, and they're all designed to knock somebody out
00:12:33of the hurdle.
00:12:35You need only to look at the body of Doreen to see how strong he is.
00:12:40How difficult he'll be for an opponent to move when Doreen wants to come forward, as
00:12:45he does relentlessly.
00:12:46The best punch, since Balby has decided evidently not to box, is going to be the short left
00:12:52uppercut for Balby to try to land, because it's not that easy to hit Doreen on the outside,
00:12:57but he's very vulnerable for left uppercut through the middle.
00:13:00Yeah, given Doreen's style, I asked Balby at the fighter meeting yesterday if he wasn't
00:13:03going to box, and kind of surprisingly to me, he said, no, no, I'm going to go out and
00:13:07fight him from the opening bell.
00:13:09And he's having problems right now, because he's fighting in a rough zone right now for
00:13:12a man to be as short as his opponent is.
00:13:14You know, it's always great for the spectators when both fighters have the same plan.
00:13:28And I think both of these guys are determined to walk through the opponent, although right
00:13:32now it's Doreen who's going forward.
00:13:34This is, fighters turn out to be what most of the fans are expecting the next fight to
00:13:40be.
00:13:40Yep.
00:13:41This fight doesn't have to be fought in the telephone booth.
00:13:44And the way it's going, you cannot tell who has had the most amateur fights out of most
00:13:56professional fights, and both would like to see some professional fighters.
00:13:59Well, you know, these guys who come from hate to generalize, Romania, Kazakhstan, Georgia,
00:14:06a lot of the eastern countries, they favor strength, they favor relentlessness.
00:14:11When they become professional fighters, they fight pretty much the same way they did as
00:14:14the same way they did as well.
00:14:15And as we go to Balbi's Corner, where the Argentines will be speaking Spanish, our interpreter is
00:14:21the illustrious Ray Torres, Los Angeles' salsa dancing king.
00:14:25We don't need that.
00:14:37We don't need that.
00:14:38We don't need that.
00:14:40Just watch my face.
00:14:43You gotta move your head.
00:14:45You gotta move your head.
00:14:50And be careful.
00:14:50Be careful with the head.
00:14:52You listening to me.
00:14:59Use your jab on your way in, and use a combination of your belt and puncher.
00:15:02Don't land the right hand.
00:15:04Check it out!
00:15:05Don't land the right hand, man.
00:15:06Keep that right hand on the chin.
00:15:07Here's a replay of the headbutt for which Doreen was warned, Emmanuel.
00:15:10Yes, but I don't think it was necessarily just his style of fighting.
00:15:14And I actually almost have to have fought Balby for the most part.
00:15:17We shouldn't be fighting him that close.
00:15:20Well, a fighter takes a chance when he allows the shorter man to bear in, as Balby did.
00:15:25Punches in round one. It was a feeling-out round.
00:15:28He only threw 82.
00:15:29Doreen limited himself to 96.
00:15:31Unbelievable.
00:15:33And the thing about it is, Balby enjoys a tremendous height and reach advantage, but he's not utilizing it.
00:15:45Now, this reminds me of when we used to watch Riddick Bowe in the heavyweight division
00:15:49go in against shorter heavyweights, lean over, engage them on the inside,
00:15:52and fight him as though he was 5 feet 10 inches tall.
00:15:55Riddick Bowe is probably the most effective short-range puncher and inside fighter
00:15:59that I've ever saw in the heavyweight division to be a man 6'5".
00:16:02And beat a lot of his guys, including Evander, primarily by fighting him on the inside,
00:16:07as well as having a good long jab outside.
00:16:10Balby just wants to out-throw Doreen, and right now he flurries several times with the left hand,
00:16:15trying to go to the body over and over again with the left hook as Raul Balby at this point.
00:16:19He may have hurt Doreen in the body.
00:16:23Yes.
00:16:24He's very effective with his left hook to the levers.
00:16:26And when they get in close, Doreen gets square.
00:16:30He loses his balance very much when he gets inside close.
00:16:33He's perfectly square.
00:16:34He doesn't maintain a distance where his left foot is in front of his right often.
00:16:37Doreen is so squared up all the time.
00:16:47It's of little consequence whether he's a left-handed or a right-handed fighter.
00:16:50He's just a square-shouldered swing.
00:16:52Yes, and he's effective in it because of the fact that Balby is not moving around
00:16:55to take advantage of the bad balance.
00:16:58And it gives, actually, Doreen more advantage as far as pushing Balby back
00:17:03by getting that position off.
00:17:05You know, they're starting to open up now.
00:17:09That's an understatement.
00:17:12Not so inhibited as they were in round one.
00:17:15This is something.
00:17:21It's a good thing that neither one of these guys
00:17:23are Devil Staten's one-punch knockout guy.
00:17:27You know what's amazing about all this, Emanuel?
00:17:29Doreen has barely broken a sweat.
00:17:31Now, here's the last fight.
00:17:33I was very impressed looking at the film when he won the title.
00:17:35He came on very strong at the end.
00:17:37I was really amazed at his stamina.
00:17:40And look at Balby cranking it up,
00:17:42backing Doreen off with body touch.
00:17:47Wider variety of punches for Balby.
00:17:49He blows him from more angles, and that's becoming a factor now.
00:17:52Now, this may end up being the fight of the year for 2002.
00:17:56We're starting off with the first fight being the bent fight.
00:17:59Maybe.
00:18:00Oh, it'd be hard to steal thunder from this main event tonight.
00:18:05But these guys are trying.
00:18:06Oh, no.
00:18:07Come on, come on.
00:18:08No one is getting hit that clean.
00:18:09But they're just short punches.
00:18:10But in particular, the left hook to the lever,
00:18:12that now is going to be a big factor going down the stretch.
00:18:15Whoop!
00:18:16Hey, each Thursday through the Super Bowl, don't miss Inside the NFL,
00:18:22where this kind of action takes place conversationally.
00:18:25Chris, Dan, and the gang making their playoff predictions,
00:18:28plus their usual raucous commentary and special features,
00:18:31including more with Chris Rock comedian Wanda Sykes.
00:18:35He's hilarious.
00:18:36Inside the NFL, every Thursday on HBO.
00:18:40All the guys have done a phenomenal job this year,
00:18:42but I make Chris Collinsworth an early favorite for the studio Emmy.
00:18:46Double up right there, Leonard.
00:18:47Double up short right there inside.
00:18:48Boom, boom.
00:18:49You got me?
00:18:50Leonard, don't fall into my ears.
00:18:51Don't fall.
00:18:52You understand?
00:18:53Yeah.
00:18:54Sit down and you punch him.
00:18:55You got to hit him to the body now.
00:18:56Just bend over.
00:18:57Let's give him some water.
00:18:58Get some water, please.
00:18:59I think it's fair to say that there's not a single person in this arena
00:19:04who ever heard of either one of these fighters before they came to the arena
00:19:07and they were on their feet cheering.
00:19:08Yes.
00:19:09Everyone expected to do this for the next night between Mickey Ward and Leon,
00:19:11but there is a bruise and a bruise.
00:19:12Don't fall.
00:19:13Don't fall.
00:19:14Don't fall.
00:19:15Don't fall.
00:19:16You understand?
00:19:17Yeah.
00:19:18Sit down and you punch him.
00:19:19You got to hit him to the body now.
00:19:20Just bend over.
00:19:21Let's give him some water.
00:19:22Let's give him some water.
00:19:23We got to hit him to the ground.
00:19:24But there is a bruise and some swelling above the left eye of Leonard Doreen,
00:19:27and that will be a situation worth watching in the rounds to come.
00:19:30Although, of course, the way he fights, Doreen may not need to see his opponent
00:19:34and it will be effective.
00:19:35No.
00:19:36You know, when one of these Eastern European guys, or maybe anybody,
00:19:39comes across an ocean, settles in a different country so that he can turn
00:19:45into the world, takes his family with him, you know he is a serious guy about what he's
00:19:50doing.
00:19:51But it seems like the most effective punch may be going down the stretch,
00:19:56may be the left hook to the level of Balby, followed by the left uppercut.
00:20:00Doreen is having good success with the short left hook to the head when they're getting close,
00:20:04but I don't know, with the experience of Balby in professional fights,
00:20:08going down the late rounds, I think the left hook to the level of Balby is going to be a big factor.
00:20:13And Doreen looks so strong, and obviously is built like a fireplug,
00:20:18he only has seven knockouts in 19 fights, so that indicates to you that one punch at a time,
00:20:24he's not all that powerful.
00:20:26No, he's not.
00:20:28Well, and that's a hard case for him to make with his style if he can't really hurt an opponent.
00:20:37Yeah, that's right.
00:20:39Also, I was watching the fights that he's fought so far,
00:20:42he pretty much chased all the guys down, and maybe he's not used to fighting at this pace.
00:20:47He usually takes himself, pressures the guys, and fights when he wants to,
00:20:51because everyone is trying to get away from him.
00:20:54Moments ago, another sensational left hook to the body by Balby,
00:20:57and a series of those left hooks to deliver, round after round,
00:21:01may take some of the steam out of Doreen, although he ain't doing it right now.
00:21:05Yeah.
00:21:07What is this show called? Real men, real fights? So far.
00:21:17The fact that Balby has fought a lot of tough fights, in particular winning the title,
00:21:27where he came on strong at the end, I believe his stamina may possibly be a little bit better going down the stretch.
00:21:35And the fact that he's the younger man.
00:21:37And while Doreen has only 19 pro fights, he had those 254 amateur fights,
00:21:41and Emmanuel, you're always explaining to us how the long amateur careers can take a lot out of fighters.
00:21:47It can take a lot. 254 fights here.
00:21:49The body's got just so many fights that are the same as automobile has got so many miles.
00:21:54When automobile is at about 200,000 miles, I don't care how good it looks,
00:21:58things may start falling apart.
00:22:00Well, not to mention, of course, that Doreen, through the overwhelming bulk of that period of driving,
00:22:04in fact, all of it was a state paid professional in Romania,
00:22:07so he wasn't taking any time off. He was hitting them every day.
00:22:10Continued it. He was a professional fighter as an amateur.
00:22:17Whoa!
00:22:19You like it?
00:22:21Okay, let's get a wet sponge on him. Sponge him down.
00:22:32Okay.
00:22:33...
00:22:35Take a deep breath.
00:22:36All right.
00:22:45Now listen to me now.
00:22:46You gotta keep throwing punches. Just keep, open your, open your hands, and make sure, throw him the uppercut, that way you'll pick him up.
00:22:57Move your head. You have to use a defense, okay? Drink a bit, drink. It's gonna be a long fight, drink.
00:23:04All right? Use your job, Leo. Use that job, Leo.
00:23:07Come on, Leo. Come on, Leo. Come on, Leo. Come on, Leo. Come on, Leo. Come on, Leo. Come on, Leo.
00:23:16CompuVox numbers through round three. Balby, 90 out of 276. Doreen, 134 out of 327, meaning together, they've already thrown more than 600 punches.
00:23:26Harold Lederman, how do you have it through those three?
00:23:28Okay, Jim, 29 to 28, two rounds to one, Raul Balby. Jim, I gotta tell you, I'm impressed with the guy's skills, but I don't understand why he's fighting like that.
00:23:35Oh, big left hook by Doreen. He, he just, you know, he fights Doreen's style.
00:23:40He just didn't even change to whack him in close, but be as it may, Roe Balby outpunching Leather Doreen in rounds two and three.
00:23:47Two to one, Balby. That was interesting.
00:23:49Doreen gets another big left hook on the right, right? And then, and Doreen, and Balby looked at the referee, and the referee said, defend yourself.
00:23:56And what's interesting, he wasn't hurt by his left hook, even though it was a clean punch.
00:24:00You know, but the most important thing right now is that Doreen is busting up.
00:24:04Yep.
00:24:05He's got a cut under his right eyebrow, starting to bruise.
00:24:11And that bruising over the left eye also.
00:24:15So both eyes have problems for Doreen, and Balby's still relatively unmarked.
00:24:19And if you remember in our fighters meeting, we asked Balby, had he ever been cut?
00:24:24He says, out of his entire career, he's never been cut.
00:24:28Yep.
00:24:29The right eye is getting bad for Doreen.
00:24:36Oh, take a look at that shot of Doreen.
00:24:38It's a bloody mask now.
00:24:40Oh, that's candy.
00:24:41Come on, boom!
00:24:47The punch, let's go!
00:24:48Hey, hey, hey!
00:24:49Let's go!
00:24:50Let's do!
00:24:51Let's do!
00:24:52Let's do!
00:24:53Let's do!
00:24:54Let's do!
00:24:55Hey!
00:24:58Let's do it!
00:25:00Let me go.
00:25:01I'm back!
00:25:02Let's do it!
00:25:03Come on, man.
00:25:04Let's do it now!
00:25:07That's Leonard Doreen in the gold trunks,
00:25:25former Romanian, Olympian, and world championship medalist
00:25:29against Raul Balbi of Argentina in the black trunks.
00:25:32And a left hook hurt Doreen.
00:25:34I got it, I got it, I got it.
00:25:36The left upper cut is doing, I think,
00:25:38most of the damage to Doreen's face
00:25:39is really catching the shots right between the guys.
00:25:43Even though he was hurt with a left hook from the side of the head.
00:25:47This is going to be a doctor fight,
00:25:49and I think the referee is calling for the doctor right now
00:25:51because Doreen looks really bad.
00:25:53And you can expect Doreen is going to go wide open now with everything,
00:26:10as if he hadn't already before.
00:26:11And I think Valby's fine with that.
00:26:13I think Valby at this point thinks he can take Doreen's power,
00:26:15and he's going to counter every time Doreen goes.
00:26:17I got it, I got it, I got it, I got it.
00:26:19The fact that he got with a clean left hook on the break,
00:26:33and he can only complain to the referee.
00:26:35Ah!
00:26:35Very good job, Doreen.
00:26:50Very good job, Doreen.
00:26:52Give me some water.
00:26:53Very good job, Doreen.
00:26:56Again, one more, Doreen.
00:26:58Listen, Doreen.
00:27:00How you doing?
00:27:01We're fine.
00:27:02You okay?
00:27:02Leonard, listen to me.
00:27:05When you go with that right-hand,
00:27:07you understand, Leonard?
00:27:08When you go with your right-hand,
00:27:10don't roll too much.
00:27:12Let it go smooth, Leo.
00:27:14Remember that pistol?
00:27:15I want a pistol.
00:27:16I want one-two.
00:27:17You understand?
00:27:18I don't want a big one too long.
00:27:19I want it quick.
00:27:20Vicious offense and assaults by both fighters throughout the fight.
00:27:23Emmanuel, show us what happened here.
00:27:25Well, Doreen's best punch, as I said earlier,
00:27:27was a short left hook to the chin.
00:27:29Just unfortunately, he's not a devastating one-point fighter.
00:27:32And also, Babi has said he's never been touched.
00:27:35There are three writers from out of town attending these fights.
00:27:40One is Ron Gorgeous from the Boston Globe,
00:27:43Mickey Ward's home area.
00:27:45And the other two are from Bucharest, Romania,
00:27:48to see Doreen.
00:27:50So you're saying there's twice as many Romanian hoaxing writers
00:27:54as they are from the national press score here.
00:27:58Regardless of who wins,
00:27:59just both of these guys are going to be very popular
00:28:01with their fans on TV off of this thing.
00:28:05As we've labeled it,
00:28:06I guess, Luda Bella,
00:28:07real men, real fights,
00:28:09this is what this is turning out to be.
00:28:11Lou Giacola, advisor to various of the fighters on the card here,
00:28:17including both Mickey Ward and Jesse James Leha,
00:28:21and the man who brought this fight together
00:28:23as an advisor to both Balbi and Doreen.
00:28:25Hard right hand by Doreen momentarily drives Balbi back.
00:28:40In this fight,
00:28:42a long rest period is a second and a half to breathe.
00:28:45Come on, come on, bring it up, bring it up, bring it up, bring it up, bring it up, bring it up, bring it up.
00:28:48Let's go.
00:28:51Don't hold it, don't hold it, I got it.
00:28:53Don't punch it, let's go.
00:28:54Don't hold it, don't hold it, don't hold it.
00:28:56We've seen a handful of elite, tough, well-schooled fighters from Argentina over the years.
00:29:06Victor Belinda's, outstanding light heavyweight champion in the 70s.
00:29:13He has said that Vasquez, a junior lightweight champion,
00:29:17and once fought Fennell Whitaker.
00:29:20That was my tone.
00:29:21This guy comes from a real pro-fighting tradition, Balbi.
00:29:29No punche, no punche, I got it, let's go.
00:29:35He said that Belinda's and Vasquez were his role models in the ring.
00:29:39Young dude, C-man's own.
00:29:41No punche, no punche, let's go.
00:29:50Break, no punche, let's go.
00:29:54Break, no punche, let's go.
00:29:55For his part, Green says his favorite American fighter was Mike Tyson,
00:30:04who incidentally has been spending a fair amount of time here in San Antonio region.
00:30:08Green with a chopping right hand to the jaw, Balbi.
00:30:21Momentarily backs Balbi up into the ropes.
00:30:24I got it.
00:30:25But all of the blood in the ring is from the face of Leonard Doreen in the gold box.
00:30:35And that is the big problem he faces now as Balbi continues to build the tempo.
00:30:44Time out by referee Rafael Ramos, who is bringing the doctor in once again
00:30:50to look at Leonard Doreen in the corner.
00:30:53Let the doctor look at it.
00:30:55I have his doctor clock, okay?
00:30:56I'm the doctor, I'll decide, okay?
00:30:57All right.
00:30:58You still have the time, you go get your time out, okay?
00:30:59All right.
00:31:00All right.
00:31:01And it looks like it's okay, all right?
00:31:02How are you doing?
00:31:03It's okay.
00:31:04Second time, Dr. Andres Hernandez decides it's okay to allow Doreen the fight, so now time
00:31:18is now in.
00:31:19They should get close to another minute now before going back into the ring.
00:31:26Set up with the jaw, Doreen.
00:31:27You understand me?
00:31:28You set him up with the jaw under, and he'll slip under the jaw.
00:31:29Balbi's resistance to catch has been a big factor in this fight,
00:31:32because both guys won't hit a lot.
00:31:36Well, and this kind of sets up what could be part of the story in the second fight,
00:31:40because both fighters in the second fight are prone to cut.
00:31:43And part of the battle there will be between two of the greatest cutmen in the sport.
00:31:48Joe Sousa in the corner of Jesse James Leha, and Al Gavin in the corner of Mickey Ward.
00:32:02Through five rounds, by CompuBox numbers, there have been 365 punches landed in the fight,
00:32:07one for every day of the year, and only 18 of them have been jabbed.
00:32:12347 power shots traded in the first five rounds.
00:32:17That opening jab by Doreen was a power shot.
00:32:24I was telling CompuBox wizard Logan Hobson at the beginning of the evening,
00:32:27I said, Logan, I hope your thumbs and fingers are limber tonight.
00:32:31This will be a button-pushing night for the CompuBox counter.
00:32:35Go far so good.
00:32:37The upward punches that are about the shooting is really what's causing a lot of the eye damage,
00:32:43because those punches, they glaze you, and they cause a lot of damage to eyes,
00:32:47particularly when Sugar Ray Robinson had Conor Basilio so badly in the second fight that they fought
00:32:52as a result of those right uppercuts.
00:32:54They don't land solid, but they glaze you up as they come up underneath.
00:32:58And Bab is concentrating a lot on shooting a lot of those left uppercuts up between the middle.
00:33:03Break the punches! No punches! Clean! Let's go! Let's go! Let's go!
00:33:07What about the psychological distraction for the fighter Emanuel?
00:33:14I mean, obviously, you're a professional fighter, you know that it's possible you're gonna get busted up in there.
00:33:19You're supposed to just fight through it, but deep down, you know your face is becoming hamburger.
00:33:23Isn't it tough?
00:33:24It's very tough, and I know it's beginning to affect Dorian.
00:33:27I'm quite sure, having most of his career been photos of amateur where you don't suffer these type injuries,
00:33:32it's a new experience for him because he has not had that many professional fights where he's been busted up.
00:33:38In fact, he's only had about 19 fights, so this is a totally new experience for him.
00:33:42And he's won them all.
00:33:46Normally, this is what he's doing to the opponent, as opposed to the opponent doing it to him.
00:33:51Normally, he's the aggressive guy, and you think everyone is trying to stay away from him, a little short bull, so to say.
00:33:56But as soon as the referee moves out of the way, Balby runs to him right away and loops him right there, man-to-man,
00:34:03and that's something he's not used to.
00:34:05Balby almost slipped on the Miller Lite emblem, but kept on throwing punches anyway.
00:34:09Don't hold it, baby, don't hold it, come on, come on, keep it clean, let's go!
00:34:30Come on, come on, come on, come on!
00:34:32He's moving in, primarily straightforward, very little of head movement at all,
00:34:36move in at all, and that's what makes him so
00:34:38going off to the town for those shots up through the center.
00:34:41A little bit left hooks for Doreen.
00:34:44Bobby challenges him back with two right hands of his own.
00:34:47These are hard, plucked shots landed by both fighters.
00:34:51And if Bobby would take a step back sometimes
00:34:54when Doreen comes in, he would be more effective
00:34:56because Doreen loses his balance,
00:34:59but Bobby's always right there with his body.
00:35:01That's to support him.
00:35:02If either man was a Costa Zee-style puncher,
00:35:05somebody would have been paraded by now.
00:35:20How are you feeling? Are you all right?
00:35:32Both coming in with their heads.
00:35:35Double job, double job on your way,
00:35:39then you're going to set him up with the right hand.
00:35:40You're going to knock him out with the right hand.
00:35:42You got me, Leonard?
00:35:43So if you don't do that, you come in and you give it.
00:35:46It's a tough job for you.
00:35:47Okay.
00:35:47Because it comes in combination.
00:35:48Okay?
00:35:49You got to set up with quick, quick speed.
00:35:52Runner, the rest of the...
00:35:53The doctor can stop the fight if you get hit like this.
00:35:56Don't give yourself nothing with your head.
00:35:58Use your job on your way, then the right hand is coming.
00:36:00Come on.
00:36:10So you heard Doreen Skornerman telling him
00:36:16that he must step up the activity level yet again
00:36:19And try to prevent the doctor from taking advantage of the possibility to stop the fight given that his face is busting up
00:36:27Harold, how do you have it through six? I'll get you fifty nine fifty five five rounds to one bro
00:36:32Balby, you know, Leonard Doreen just has a hard time seeing those shots coming up those cuts are above the eye
00:36:38The blood's going into Doreen's eye. It opens up very early in a round and Balby's just peppering him with good heart clean
00:36:43You know combinations left hooks, right hands
00:36:46So based on a clean punch and that like Raul Balby, Doreen gets an occasional good shot, but Balby's just there in the two minutes
00:36:53Well, there may now be a cut on Balby's right eye
00:36:57Unless that's Doreen's blood
00:37:02Low blow from Doreen
00:37:04Now he's gonna get five minutes and you're right Larry. I believe no, I think that's Doreen's blood on Balby's right eye, huh?
00:37:11You gotta bring those punches so one indicator being that nobody has not put the glove up to his eye a single time
00:37:19Okay, he's not looking to see if it's his own and he wants to fight again. That's a good point Jim
00:37:25Normally for fighters cut you see him start picking and killing this special man who said he's never been cut in his life immediately
00:37:31He would probably panic. Remember Sonny Liston in the third round against Cassius Clay in Miami Beach in 1964
00:37:37Immediately putting his glove to his eye as if as if to say what's no point?
00:37:40He cuts you better yet July 7th. I remember getting picked to Camacho jr. Yeah, there you go
00:37:45We'll be talking about that in a minute
00:37:51As we shut up our main event
00:37:54Green is trying simply to impose his energy as well
00:38:05There's the first real life slip of the fight and it happened in several of our undercourts
00:38:11Yeah, he's trying to impose all that on a guy who's unimposable at this point larry
00:38:18Right? That's where it looks
00:38:22You wonder what effect his weight advantage has
00:38:26Having come in at 148
00:38:29Before this fight
00:38:3113 pounds over the
00:38:33Lightweight limit
00:38:35And and unofficially seven pounds heavier than the ring he's going down the stretch. I think that weight's gonna be a good advantage for him
00:38:42In addition to his energy level
00:38:48In addition to his greater variety of skills. Yes, he's very very very focused fights with a lot of spirit
00:38:56In addition to the fact that it's hard for judges to give around to a guy who looks like the ring
00:39:01Yes, and the ring is with the blood is starting to bother him a lot too
00:39:06No, no, no given the devaluation of the peso in argentina
00:39:11He is a very hungry young fighter still
00:39:14I got it. I got it. I got it. I got it
00:39:20I got it. Let's go
00:39:24Made 45,000 dollars for winning the belt. He doesn't know how much it's worth anymore
00:39:34The belt to the 45
00:39:35What he's doing here tonight is more important than any belt
00:39:45As we watch these tremendous action fighters
00:39:48What do you take on who are the top action fighters in the sport?
00:39:51Well, we put together a graphic of the guys who come to fight leah ward gaddy
00:39:55Asselino freitas who fights a big fight next week against joel casemayor in the junior lightweight division
00:40:03But we have a list of a few others in the left hand side
00:40:08You see some champions and ex-champions
00:40:10Barrera mostly trinidad vargas zoo aella castillo giroff you could put
00:40:16Johnny tapping in there many pacquiao and on the right ranked fighters
00:40:20Jesus chavez
00:40:23Antonio diaz
00:40:25Julio gonzalez and the others all guys who come to fight nobody who comes to their fights
00:40:33thinks they wasted their money or their time
00:40:38Arrows lederman gives yet another round to raul balbi who's now won every round on the letterman card since the first last round
00:40:45was the first one in which balbi by coffee box numbers both threw and landed more punches than doreen so doreen
00:40:52seeming to begin to slow just a little bit almost certainly as the result of the swollen and bleeding eyes
00:41:01I'd say the furious pace has something to do with it
00:41:06However the golden palace.com people have come up with a better ink than was the case in the hopkins trinidad fight
00:41:12Is that the cow was gone by this time on hopkins back and it is purely visible to this point still on doreen well
00:41:19They stuck it on hopkins back in this time they painted it on doreen back
00:41:24When hopkins sat down between rounds it came out for the quarterfans
00:41:27live and learn
00:41:29Come on
00:41:31They can fight this inside a cell phone if I clean keep it clean keep it clean let's go one of the five the manual steward carries
00:41:56Come on come on come on
00:41:58And he toss a cell phone in there so they can fight this fight in it which one at 18 oh anyway
00:42:03That's a nice one three the rising
00:42:07I got I got it. I'm wondering what we prefer
00:42:23Three hard lefts in a three punch combination to the head three lefts to the bottom
00:42:29You can take a good body punch when you hit on this like hitting on a piece of meat
00:42:33You just hit on it enough right there. Don't let it become tender
00:42:37Just try to imagine if you're a layman sitting at home
00:42:40The kind of work it takes in the gym day after day month after month year after year
00:42:45To get to a level where you can push forth this kind of effort face to face. It is
00:42:51It's the toughest sport unlike a lot of the sports you can't say time out
00:42:56Jim you can sit down Larry you can come in. I know that's it
00:43:00This is like running a marathon while people are hitting you
00:43:07To make solid shot by Doreen right on the point of Balby's skin and Balby just keeps on coming
00:43:15Don't hold it don't hold it
00:43:17You see if you throw if you throw you won't get hit
00:43:35Put that jab in there put that jab in there
00:43:45Incidentally if there is anyone out there who happens to have
00:43:50Legible videotape of the 1992 u.s. Olympic trials match between shane mosley and vernon forest
00:43:56The last time mostly was declared the loser rather than the winner in a boxing match
00:44:01Please call the number that you saw on your screen. We are looking here at hbo for videotape of that fight
00:44:08I got no punch
00:44:13As soon as the barrel rung, Balby comes out and starts punching right away
00:44:18Normally Doreen has everyone moving away and he can take his time and pace himself and try to corner the guys
00:44:24He has someone that is making him fight a lot faster than he normally fights
00:44:28Well, I have to say that the same is true for Balby
00:44:34Yeah
00:44:39And if Balby's primarily getting mostly hit with one thing the short left off
00:44:44The same thing when he gets in close does not realize that he has to keep the right hand on the side of the head
00:44:50I got it no punching no punching let's go get that clear
00:44:52There it is again as emmanuel stu pointed out in the early rounds that left hook left hook left uppercut
00:45:02left uppercut after that that balby throws so well
00:45:07Come on, come on, come on
00:45:16If this is making you dizzy take a deep breath and relax and get ready for the main event which will provide
00:45:22Much the same kind of action
00:45:24Unless we miss our guests
00:45:26I don't think it's going to be that much action in the next fight compared to this one
00:45:29I think it will be a second place
00:45:31I got it no puncher clean let's go
00:45:32Because jesse james leha has legitimate professional boxing skills
00:45:36Yes, jesse is not really that much of a brawler unlike the way the image is going into this fight
00:45:42He's a very conservative laid-back fight fighter that places his punches very well
00:45:46Fundamentally is very sound
00:45:49But mickey ward would be at home in this fight
00:45:50Mickey ward has said that this is what he works
00:46:01I got it, I got it, I got it, let's go
00:46:03That's the that's the punches doing so much damage to the eyes
00:46:09I got it, no puncher
00:46:10That is the first moment that I thought Doreen just looked hopelessly weary
00:46:14And worn down by the action here
00:46:19There's a look of defeat in Doreen's face although his body is still moving
00:46:23Beautiful right hand by Doreen and a left hook and a left hook
00:46:34And a left hook and a left hook
00:46:36And I think he hurt Balby there
00:46:38And another left hook
00:46:39He definitely hurt Balby, Balby trying to regain his legs
00:46:42Even as he keeps throwing punches neither man willing to play
00:46:45And Balby's defense is down right now too
00:46:49Another shot like that and we could get a reversal of fortune right there
00:46:52But one thing that Balby did when he stayed in close and he smothered Doreen there
00:46:56Because that's where he popped the short of Doreen's arm just
00:46:59Now using his shoulder he's keeping Doreen from getting second and a mile to clean punch
00:47:05That is the first time in the fight
00:47:08That one of them was stopped in his tracks
00:47:11This next round could be very interesting
00:47:14Yeah, no, no, he's finished on us
00:47:16Hey, listen to me, we've got nine minutes to go my friend, nine minutes
00:47:26Just as I was about to count him out, Doreen stepped up his level of effort one more time
00:47:31And may, at least for the moment, have turned the tide
00:47:35Top lightweights, Larry, who are they?
00:47:37Let's take a look at this division
00:47:39Celino Fritas and Floyd Mayweather, junior lightweights are going to be moving up to the 135-pound class
00:47:47To face some of these guys, Castillo, Spadafore, and Balby own the belts
00:47:51Castillo recognizes the champion, but no clear-cut star here
00:47:56Lascano, Manfredi, and former champions D.D. Johnson still in the picture
00:48:02Lascano and Manfredi have mandatory shots coming up
00:48:05This is going to be an active division in the next couple of years
00:48:09With one or both of these guys in the picture
00:48:13Incidentally, Lascano has on his record a disputed decision over Jesse James Lehow
00:48:18We will see in the main event
00:48:20All of Lehow's supporters believe he should have gotten the call against Lascano
00:48:25What a shot that is
00:48:30Should have given him that little extra confidence that he probably needed at the stage of the fight
00:48:35Carol, did Doreen finally win a round on your card?
00:48:38Oh, yeah
00:48:38Without question, Leonard Doreen won a round line
00:48:40I got seven rounds to two
00:48:42Uh, 88-83 favorite Raul Balby
00:48:45I mean, Jim, I don't know how in God's name you could give Doreen a round from uh
00:48:49From the second up until the ninth
00:48:51Raul Balby just kept working and working and working and busting the guy up
00:48:55I mean, he was really bothered by the blood going up in his eyes
00:48:57Bob Miller, veteran cut man from Albany, New York, kept him in the fight
00:49:01Doing a good job in Doreen's corner
00:49:03But even still, Leonard Doreen bleeding badly
00:49:06And I know it's him doing his research
00:49:08Can't see the shots coming most of the time
00:49:10Interestingly enough, uh
00:49:12Asfaldo Rivera has been screaming at Rafael Ramos
00:49:15The referee to stop the fight
00:49:16This is the manager of Raul Balby
00:49:19But you know, Rafael's not being intimidated by it
00:49:22I like the job that Rafael Ramirez has done so far
00:49:25Or Rafael Ramos, I should say
00:49:27Referee
00:49:33Helped to give the spectators some fantastic boxing action here in San Antonio
00:49:37That was another low blow
00:49:42That was another low blow
00:49:43The right hand missed, but the low blow didn't
00:49:45You got everything that comes, let's talk
00:49:47And a point deduction
00:49:49So Doreen gives away whatever he gained by winning the ninth round
00:49:54With a point deduction here in the tent
00:50:00You okay?
00:50:00Well, that's the way to slow your opponent down for a minute
00:50:04Stay there
00:50:11Manny, let's take a look at a replay of the low blow
00:50:13I bet
00:50:17That's
00:50:18That wasn't that bad a low blow
00:50:19But the fact that the man's body is probably tired
00:50:22Probably hurt
00:50:22But it wasn't one of the worst that I've saw
00:50:26And there's another one
00:50:27Come on, come on
00:50:30And I don't think he's doing it on purpose
00:50:32I think it's just the way his hand is being pulled down at the time when he's punching
00:50:35Well, Ramos is facing a possible disqualification issue here now
00:50:38The referee
00:50:40As he'll have to penalize Doreen a second time in the round
00:50:44No, he doesn't have to penalize him
00:50:45No, he doesn't have to
00:50:46No, he doesn't have to
00:50:46That's right
00:50:47That's right, he doesn't have to
00:50:48He's been warning him about a disqualification, however
00:50:51Hey, you gotta keep those punches off, okay?
00:50:55You understand?
00:50:56Okay, let's go
00:50:57That's what we were talking about
00:51:13This is about as vicious a fight as I have seen in a very long time
00:51:19I got him, no punching
00:51:20Let's go
00:51:25Outside of say, play it to the bone or rocky five
00:51:31I mean, this is, uh
00:51:33Morales, Barrera, one
00:51:35If the stakes were as high, if we knew these guys, we'd be saying this is just as good a fight as that one
00:51:40Look at me up, look at me up
00:51:47Moregamos, Barrera 2 likely to take place in 2002
00:51:50Doreen is being very effective with that short right hand
00:51:52He's been able to lay on a short right hand now that
00:51:54Balby seems to just stand straight upright.
00:51:56And as he gets close to him,
00:51:57he's been able to lay on a short right hand,
00:51:59right on the chain, continuing him.
00:52:05No punche, no punche. Let's go, let's go.
00:52:07Let's go.
00:52:08Down!
00:52:13Both fighters making a lot of friends
00:52:15here in San Antonio and around the country.
00:52:18As they get ready to go to the championship rounds,
00:52:2110 and 12.
00:52:36You've got to bring your conscious self, okay?
00:52:38Bring your conscious self.
00:52:40We need a super right hand here.
00:52:42Super right hand with speed.
00:52:44Understand?
00:52:46Yes, sir.
00:52:48You say yes, but you don't do it.
00:52:50And they do that job!
00:52:51These are fighters who know how to win fights and fans.
00:52:57How about the low blows, Manny?
00:52:59The low blows are low, but they're not the worst type.
00:53:01It's really hardly on the cup,
00:53:03and sometimes he'd probably been better off getting hit better
00:53:05and getting hit directly in the solar plexus.
00:53:07Well, plus the referee before the fight told Bobby that he was wearing his trunks a little high anyway
00:53:15I think Bobby maybe that's a little bit fatigue like they need a little kind of break in round 10
00:53:20177 total punches thrown by the two fighters 171 of them power shots
00:53:26Saying that the Marine won the round but of course a point was deducted because of low blows and now there's another slip
00:53:32crowd getting tired of
00:53:37Valby's
00:53:39To the canvas and the rest period for the low blows they would just as soon see bullfighters continue to
00:53:46risk themselves to the max
00:53:56Once again, Doreen
00:53:58Doreen staggered
00:54:01Valby momentarily this time with a short left hand if you have a little more power
00:54:08If he just had a little more power
00:54:10So he's landing a lot of extreme punches
00:54:12And just as a power shot is just the biggest problem exactly at this stage if he was a power puncher
00:54:19I think he's talking to be ahead in the fight
00:54:21We watch when he get inside now babby's using his shoulders quite a bit human experiences from professional fighting when they get in close
00:54:30after he started pushing with his left shoulders
00:54:32One of those left uppercutts by Valby so effective throughout the fight
00:54:42One of those left uppercutts by Valby so effective throughout the fight
00:54:45I got it, I got it, I got it, I got it, let's go
00:54:52Doreen working to the body but mostly with arm punches
00:54:55Now there's a right hand shot upstairs
00:54:57Yeah, right hands are becoming effective in the last rounds
00:55:00Straight right hands
00:55:01Both of them are landing right hands a lot now
00:55:07Doreen when he just runs at Valby and fires that straight right hand lead
00:55:11Is usually able to catch him as Valby starts with his defense low
00:55:14He starts off with his best sword and gets caught with that short right hand
00:55:18But sometimes he gets off and catches
00:55:20Doreen right on the chin as he's coming in
00:55:22Oh, I got it, I got it, I got it, I got it
00:55:26Valby's using his left shoulder with a lot to latch around
00:55:29There's a straight right hand by Valby and another right hand on a counter inside
00:55:33And a big left hook and now it's Doreen who is wobbled by Valby's stud
00:55:36But Valby should take a step back or move off from an angle
00:55:39He would be more effective, he still stays in a straight line
00:55:42That's the only thing that's helping Doreen keep his balance
00:55:45If Valby did that, he wouldn't be Valby
00:55:49Another low blow by Doreen
00:55:52He would be team
00:55:53I don't know if Ramos actually saw this low blow
00:55:55Ramos didn't see this low blow
00:55:57He does what he does
00:55:59He does what he does
00:56:00That's pretty good
00:56:01Doreen trying to take advantage
00:56:04I got it, I got it, I got it, I got it, I got it
00:56:09Let's go
00:56:10He takes it off and just keeps going
00:56:12Time!
00:56:25Well, here's the good news, Raul
00:56:28If you can make it through one more round, you probably won the fight
00:56:31The bad news is, it'll be like walking through a carpet bombing session in Afghanistan
00:56:46What's going on?
00:56:47Last round Pepe
00:56:49We gotta win this round
00:56:51Don't punch no more, alright?
00:56:53Okay
00:56:54Right into the head hook
00:56:55Right into the hook
00:56:56Right into the hook
00:56:57Your hook is good, okay?
00:56:58Okay, Leo
00:56:59You gotta beat
00:57:00Hit him with everything you got
00:57:04And that, good position
00:57:09Explosion
00:57:10Explosion
00:57:11Okay?
00:57:12You got it, Leo
00:57:13Explosion energy
00:57:14Come on
00:57:15Let's go
00:57:16Let's go
00:57:17Let's go
00:57:18Let's go
00:57:19Let's go
00:57:20Let's go
00:57:21Let's go
00:57:22Let's go
00:57:23Let's go
00:57:24Let's go
00:57:25Let's go
00:57:26Let's go
00:57:27Let's go
00:57:28That's your caption for the fight
00:57:30Come on, come on
00:57:31This fight doesn't need words
00:57:33Well
00:57:34The fans putting their hands together can tell you the kind of fight it's been
00:57:42Lana of Doreen has thrown 997 punches in 11 rounds
00:57:55Raoul Balvi, 864
00:57:57Both are landing punches at about a 40% connect rate
00:57:59High level of punishment in San Antonio
00:58:02235 pound fighters coming to the 12th round
00:58:04I got it. I got it. No punch it. No punch it. Please remember
00:58:10I got it, no puncher, no puncher, let's go.
00:58:15Another straight right hand by Doreen,
00:58:17cut shotting Valvis.
00:58:29I got it, I got it, no puncher, no puncher.
00:58:31When they get in close,
00:58:32Valvis is crossing his legs.
00:58:34He's kind of leaning to the right
00:58:35and got his legs halfway crossed.
00:58:37And Doreen is taking good advantage up
00:58:39with the little short left hook
00:58:40when they get in close after that.
00:58:41As Doreen comes toward him,
00:58:43Manny, Valvis is starting to lean early
00:58:45to try to counter the physical strength
00:58:47of Doreen as he leans into it.
00:58:51That's dangerous.
00:58:52He can lean right into a punch.
00:58:53Right into a punch.
00:58:58Come on, I got it, I got it, I got it, let's go.
00:59:03No, no, no, no, no, no, no.
00:59:07No, no, no puncher.
00:59:09It's hard to imagine what, if anything,
00:59:10Leonard Doreen can see at this point.
00:59:15But he lands a perfect right hand shot
00:59:17directly on the jaw of Balvin.
00:59:19Well, one thing, Balvin's not dancing
00:59:21and jumping on the ring,
00:59:22so he just has to anticipate where he's at
00:59:24and let the puncher's go.
00:59:25He's not even creating the slightest angle.
00:59:26He's just standing right in front of Doreen.
00:59:28Perfect right hand again.
00:59:29He just, he's walking straight through
00:59:32letting the little tank.
00:59:37Late rally in the fight
00:59:38by Leonard Doreen of Romania
00:59:41and now Canada
00:59:42may have been sabotaged
00:59:43by the low blow penalty.
00:59:48Read the puncher.
00:59:49Let's go, Cleet.
00:59:49Let it go, let it go, let it go.
00:59:56It's a tough first act to follow
00:59:58to Jesse James Reha and Nicky Ward.
01:00:03But if anybody's up to it,
01:00:06those two might be the ones.
01:00:11Keep it clean, guys.
01:00:12Keep it clean.
01:00:12Beautiful right hand lead again by Doreen.
01:00:21Half a minute to go in the fight.
01:00:23Let it go, let it go, let it go.
01:00:23And Leonard Doreen do something
01:00:25to pull out the upset
01:00:27against reigning 135-pound title holder
01:00:30Raoul Balvin,
01:00:31one of three different belt holders
01:00:33in the division.
01:00:35He took this person of the title
01:00:36from Julian Lorci in Paris.
01:00:39Something of an upset,
01:00:40but a clear decision for Balvin.
01:00:42Oh, no, no, no, no.
01:00:43Watch it, watch it.
01:00:44Look cool.
01:00:45Doreen is really trying to land
01:00:46those right hand leads a lot now.
01:00:48A little too late.
01:00:51They keep on throwing
01:00:52and the crowd rises
01:00:54in a standing ovation
01:00:56for two fighters
01:00:58who provided
01:00:58about as much entertainment
01:01:00as our sports can offer.
01:01:03Great fight.
01:01:04Great fight.
01:01:04Great fight.
01:01:05Great fight.
01:01:07Take up a way to start the new year.
01:01:12Harold, 12 rounds in the books.
01:01:24How do you have it?
01:01:25Okay, Jim,
01:01:26I thought that Leonard Doreen
01:01:27really looked strong
01:01:28in the last four rounds.
01:01:29Certainly that one-point deduction
01:01:30and attempt didn't help him.
01:01:32115, 112, 7-4,
01:01:35one even.
01:01:36Raoul Balvin.
01:01:37You know, Jim,
01:01:38he had a tremendous early lead.
01:01:39Should have had a big enough
01:01:40early lead to retain the title.
01:01:42I think without question,
01:01:43he's got to win the fight.
01:01:45You know,
01:01:45Doreen did the best he could
01:01:47in the last four rounds,
01:01:47but it was too little too late.
01:01:49I think Balvin just had
01:01:50too big an early lead.
01:01:52I honestly believe
01:01:53that Raoul Balvin deserves this fight.
01:01:55But Leonard Doreen,
01:01:56what a gutty performer.
01:01:58Tremendous performance
01:01:59in the last four rounds.
01:02:01I had Balvin ahead as well
01:02:03by a couple of points.
01:02:04Maybe seven rounds to five.
01:02:09Any penalty thrown in?
01:02:11Well, it's one of the old sayings
01:02:13in the fight game.
01:02:15The fight could have been
01:02:15fought in a phone booth.
01:02:16And early on,
01:02:17you heard Larry Merchant say,
01:02:19hey, this one could be
01:02:19fought in a phone.
01:02:20Hey, it could be fought
01:02:21in a cell phone.
01:02:22So this is the kind of action
01:02:24that obtained
01:02:25throughout the bout.
01:02:26I would call these highlights,
01:02:28except, of course,
01:02:29that the fight was pretty much
01:02:30fought on the same plane
01:02:32all the way through.
01:02:33No highlights,
01:02:34no lowlights,
01:02:35just this stuff
01:02:36over and over and over.
01:02:43Let's go up to Michael Buffer
01:02:44and find out who won.
01:02:49Ladies and gentlemen,
01:02:50after 12 rounds of boxing,
01:02:51we go to the scorecards.
01:02:53Ray Hawkins scores the bout,
01:02:55115-112.
01:02:57He has it for Balbe.
01:03:00Dwayne Ford scores the bout,
01:03:01114-113.
01:03:04He scores it for Dorin.
01:03:08Gail Van Oy scores the bout,
01:03:10115-112,
01:03:12for the winner on split decision.
01:03:14And new champion,
01:03:18King Royce Romaniya,
01:03:21Leonard Dorin!
01:03:24Now we go back to Romania.
01:03:54We go back to Romania with the belt.
01:04:01Final CompuBox numbers, and you will see that Balby landed by CompuBox count, 345 out of 927.
01:04:08Doreen throwing more, landing more, ultimately landing at a higher connect percentage.
01:04:13Maybe that's what the two judges saw who chose Doreen as the winner in the fight.
01:04:18Power shots, and you can see that once again it was Doreen who landed more, Doreen who threw more.
01:04:23And Doreen who landed a higher connect percentage.
01:04:25Those are CompuBox numbers throughout the fight.
01:04:27We thought because Balby's shots appeared so much cleaner and more effective in the early going,
01:04:33that perhaps he had built an insurmountable lead.
01:04:36It doesn't turn out that way.
01:04:38Emmanuel, you had a look of shock on your face when the decision was announced.
01:04:41I definitely thought he was going to give it to Balby, but it was a type of a fight that,
01:04:45if I was in either corner, I would not complain.
01:04:47It was a very good fight.
01:04:48And the fact that Doreen's face looks so bad can sometimes be misleading.
01:04:52And the fact that earlier, as Balby told us, he has never been cut his entire career.
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