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Michael Carbajal goes against Baby Jake Matalala for the IBA Light Flyweight Title on HBO Boxing
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00:00Cherokee Kid, Sinbad's HBO movie, Sinbad's Summer Jam 3, the 70s Soul Music Festival with Evelyn Champagne King.
00:37In our 25th year, the following is a special presentation of HBO Sports.
00:45New Mexico. It's called the land of enchantment.
00:48But Albuquerque natives Johnny Tapia and Danny Romero, world champion prize fighters in the same weight class, are anything but
00:55enchanted with one another.
00:58This is boxing's most intense crosstown rivalry.
01:01One fighter from Albuquerque's South Valley, Johnny Tapia, one from its North Valley, Danny Romero.
01:06As boys, they trained in the same gym.
01:08But as men with very different lives, they came to represent opposite sides of their community's experience.
01:19Johnny Tapia's road through life has been marred by poverty, crime, violence,
01:24and a cocaine-created three-and-a-half-year absence from the ring.
01:28But through it all, he sprinted through the 115-pound division to become a world champion
01:34and has never lost a prize fight.
01:42Danny Romero's journey faced no such difficulties.
01:45Nurtured and molded by his father since age five to be a championship fighter and model citizen,
01:51in 1995, he became the first American in 63 years to win the flyweight title.
01:56He's only lost the result of a freak eye injury.
02:03They went from being friends who respected one another
02:06to enemies who despise each other.
02:12Tonight, the fighters and their fans have traveled to Las Vegas
02:15for this Albuquerque Turf War showdown
02:17to decide who is the best junior bantamweight in New Mexico
02:20and, by extension, the world.
02:51Bigfoot.
03:19Tonight, from the Thomas and Max Center in Las Vegas, Nevada,
03:22HBO Sports presents World Championship Boxing.
03:25Our night begins with a junior flyweight bout between former champion Michael Carbajal
03:30and the smallest professional boxer in the world, 4'10", Baby Jake Matlala.
03:37Then in our main event, a hometown rivalry to rival all rivalries.
03:41As fellow Albuquerqueans Danny Romero and Johnny Tapia finally come together in their battle
03:45for the junior bantamweight championship of the world.
03:48The Terp War to top this generation.
03:52We look back to find similar confrontations between fighters from the same towns or cities
03:57over the years.
03:58Ike Williams, born in Trenton, later adopted Philadelphia as one of his hometowns.
04:03Chacon against Danny Little Red Lopez.
04:04Carlos Zarate against Alfonso Zamora.
04:07Just some of the fights which might have compared in historical terms to what's happening here
04:12tonight between Johnny Tapia and Danny Romero.
04:14And because of the enormous emotion that attaches to this Albuquerque battle, extraordinary precautions
04:20in the Thomas and Max Center tonight.
04:23Close to 100 uniformed police visible in the arena.
04:28Every single patron and official who enters walking through a screener and scanned for metal content.
04:35And among those Las Vegas policemen who are working about three specially trained gang observation
04:41units to watch the body language and the communication in the crowd here in Las Vegas.
04:47So many of these people having made the long trek nine or ten hours or more by automobile up from
04:54Albuquerque
04:55to be a part of this event.
04:56Hello again everybody.
04:57I'm Jim Lafley.
04:58We welcome you to an HBO World Championship boxing edition which all of us have looked forward
05:03to for a long, long time.
05:04First, we'll see Michael Carbajal trying to bounce back from an upset loss in his most
05:09recent title defense fighting against the colorful baby Jake Matlala from South Africa
05:13who at 4 feet 10 inches tall claims to be the shortest professional fighter in the world.
05:18And then the long-awaited bout between Danny Romero Jr. and Johnny Tapia.
05:23During the bout and before, we'll be taking you to Albuquerque to see the scene there where
05:28thousands of fans are gathering in various places to watch together in what amounts to a colorful
05:34piece of pageantry in the history of Albuquerque sport.
05:37Working with me as always, HBO Boxing analyst Larry Merchant.
05:40Larry, as we get ready for Tapia and Romero, so much has been written and said about the
05:45two fighters and their relationship to one another that you might think this is the second
05:49coming of Kane versus Abel.
05:51Is it really that deep a rivalry or have we all bought in to a mountain of hype?
05:56Jim, I don't think you could make this one up.
05:59There is absolutely no precedent amongst all of the great rivalries down through the ages
06:04of boxing when a hometown rivalry is so hot and so volatile that you can't have the fight
06:11in the hometown.
06:12We should be in Albuquerque trying to hear ourselves sink them into a din of 20,000 passionate
06:18fans.
06:18There's also no precedent for a hotel pulling out of a fight.
06:24Fighters pull out of fights all the time.
06:26We just heard, for example, that Ray Mercer has pulled out of the fight with Andrew Gulotta
06:30scheduled for next month because he has to have a neck operation on Monday.
06:34But a hotel pulling out of a fight, well, after the rampage of a few hundred of Mike Tyson's
06:43worst friends a few weeks ago in the MGM Grand, the Hilton threw Tapia and Romero out on the
06:50street like a couple of card-counting blackjack players.
06:55So this is truly real, Jim.
06:58It's real real, almost too real.
07:01A lot of people wanted this fight to take place in Albuquerque because of the mutual
07:05decision of co-promoters Cedric Kushner and Bob Arum.
07:08It's being held here in Las Vegas instead.
07:10But to catch the flavor of what's going on in the two fighters' hometown, our reporter
07:14Nicole Watson, whom you'll know from her work on Inside the NFL, is standing by at the Isleta
07:19Gaming Palace in Albuquerque where a large crowd has gathered to watch on a big screen.
07:24And Nicole, what's the atmosphere where you are?
07:27Well, Jim, for the people in Albuquerque, Isleta is like the next best thing to do.
07:31To being right there in Las Vegas.
07:33The capacity here is 2,500 and we are expecting a full house tonight.
07:38Now, the people here are almost obsessed with this.
07:40It's a Super Bowl-type mentality.
07:41So with that, we decided to take our own survey to get a general consensus of who people were
07:47with in this fight and why they thought they were going to win.
07:49And we were somewhat surprised with the answer.
07:51They didn't take a technical point of view.
07:53They didn't analyze the fight.
07:54They talked about the character of these two young men.
07:57Remember, this is their homegrown talent.
07:59They feel like they're connected to each fighter.
08:01For Romero, his fans talk about his clean-cut image.
08:05How he reaches out to the community through his television commercials, his public service announcements,
08:09and his charity work.
08:10For Johnny Tapia, his fans says that he's a kid from the streets and he's proud of it.
08:14That he reaches out to them one-on-one.
08:17That he is loyal to his fans and they reciprocate that same loyalty.
08:21But it doesn't matter what side of the tracks you are from here.
08:24Everyone has an opinion upon the fight and they are not shy about expressing it.
08:28Now, the security here has been beefed up.
08:30The personnel has been increased here.
08:33And they are taking extra precautionary measures to make sure that they check each one's handbag
08:38as they enter the arena.
08:39And it's a general policy of this letter not to have alcohol on the premises.
08:43So, guys, we think that there will be no fighting here.
08:46We're going to leave that up to you in Las Vegas.
08:47Of course, in the ring with Tapia and Romero.
08:50Nicole, one question.
08:52Can you tell, in sampling the opinion of the crowd there,
08:55whether greater numbers of fans are for one fighter or the other?
08:58Well, they tell us right now that we're somewhat in Tapia territory.
09:01We're in the South Valley.
09:03This is kind of his backyard.
09:04So we think that the fans right now will favor them.
09:07They're still filing in.
09:08We expect more this evening.
09:09But right now, we think that it's leaning towards Tapia.
09:11All right, thanks very much, Nicole Watson.
09:13We'll come back to you live later before the main event.
09:16Right now, we're going to turn our attention to the opening bout here tonight
09:20between Michael Carbajal and Baby Jake Matlala of South Africa.
09:24And here to call the fight involving the smallest fighter in the world
09:27is one of the biggest two-time heavyweight champion George Foreman.
09:30Baby Jake Matlala, 4 feet 10 inches tall, claims to be the shortest fighter in the world.
09:34And I know you frequently tell me, George, that such a short stature in the ring isn't necessarily a disadvantage.
09:40Not at all.
09:41As a matter of fact, you're taught to keep your hands up at all times.
09:45You're taught to make sure that you protect yourself.
09:48When you are taller, you have a tendency to drop those hands.
09:51But when a shorter opponent, the hands are up.
09:53So everything, you go to the body properly, all punches were made for the shorter opponent.
09:57So I think that he may have an advantage at this point.
10:00Carbajal's chances of bouncing back from his subpar performance in his last title defense against Mauricio Pastrana.
10:06Carbajal, one of the best fighters of all time.
10:08He's a great champion.
10:09And I do believe they just caught him on an off night on his last fight.
10:13This time, he can redeem himself.
10:15And I'm pretty sure he's going to do as much.
10:17All right.
10:17So let's get ready for Michael Carbajal against Baby Jake Matlala of South Africa.
10:21Tail of the tape for these two fighters fighting in the 108-pound weight class.
10:27And you can see that Carbajal weighed in at 107 1⁄2.
10:30Matlala still fighting at 35 years old.
10:33This will be his 58th professional prize fight as they enter the ring tonight.
10:37Matlala has gained 7 pounds since the weigh-in yesterday.
10:41Carbajal about 4 1⁄2.
10:42You see the 4-inch reach advantage for Michael.
10:45Punch stat numbers, Larry Merchant.
10:48Hi, Jim.
10:48Here's a profile of how active these fighters are.
10:51You can see that Matlala likes to throw a lot of punches.
10:55Carbajal is a measured fighter, throws harder punches, and is more accurate.
11:03The jabs reflect their styles.
11:06Matlala keeps his left hand out there to probe his opponent.
11:10Carbajal uses it to set up his big punches.
11:13Rules of the bout with our unofficial ringside scorer, Harold Letterman.
11:17The Michael Carbajal, Baby Jake Matlala fight is scheduled for 12 rounds.
11:22There is no standing eight count.
11:24The three-knockdown rule is in effect.
11:26Only the referee can stop the fight, and you can be saved by the bell in the 12th and final
11:31round only.
11:32Jim.
11:33All right, Harold, and no special lens needed to give you the head-to-toe shot of Jake Matlala as
11:41he prepares to leave his dressing room.
11:4351 of the previous 57 fights, as you can see, having taken place in his native South Africa.
11:49And Larry Merchant, I think all you can say is, what a guy.
11:53Now, here's a guy who was dealt the worst hand possible and made the most out of it.
11:59Little guy from Soweto, one of the poorest regions in the world.
12:06And yet he's been fighting professionally for 17 years.
12:09He's had eight years of college, two business degrees.
12:14There's a chain of restaurants underway in South Africa called Baby Jake's.
12:21George, just that name makes me slobber.
12:23I just want to go to Baby Jake's after the fight.
12:26Sounds like good eating to me.
12:30Well, Baby Jake is going to have to hope that he does not get barbecued by Michael Carbajal.
12:35Carbajal coming in with a lot of incentive and by far the heavier puncher of the two.
12:40Baby Jake bows deeply.
12:44The curious fans as he circles the ring.
12:47There's the record.
12:4845 wins, 10 losses, two draws, 21 KOs.
12:51As you can see, not a particularly powerful puncher.
12:54Seven of his 10 losses by decision.
12:57Baby Jake Matlala of South Africa.
13:00I don't think he's an inch taller than 4-4.
13:03He met Nelson Mandela recently and said,
13:05Don't come to any more of my functions.
13:06You get too much attention.
13:13Michael Carbajal really put the little giants of boxing on the map and on the tube in America
13:20when he was successful in the 1988 Olympics and went on to have three wonderful fights with the Mexican Conchita
13:31Gonzalez.
13:32The first of which he won with a sensational knockout.
13:36The last two of which Gonzalez won on decision.
13:41He's a brand name in America and so he wants to extend his career as long as possible.
13:46He's really looking forward to creating some big money matches for himself against the likes of Hector Lopez.
13:56Ricardo Lopez.
13:57Ricardo Lopez, excuse me.
13:59The strawweight world champion.
14:01The 404 pounder from Mexico who is an outstanding fighter.
14:06And the record for Michael Carbajal who has made more money and gotten more exposure in this weight class
14:13than probably any American fighter in history.
14:1545 wins, three losses.
14:17The two losses by decision to Humberto Chiquita Gonzalez and then the surprise loss in his most recent title defense
14:23against the unknown Mauricio Pastrana.
14:26Let's go to ring announcer Mark Biro for the official introductions.
14:30Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the Thomas and Mack Center in fabulous Las Vegas, Nevada
14:36for an evening of HBO's World Championship Boxing.
14:41Under the promotion of Cedric Kushner Promotions and Top Rank Incorporated
14:47in association with Caesars Palace and Budweiser, this Bud's for you.
14:52Tonight's bouts are under the auspices of the Nevada State Athletic Commission.
14:57The chairman, Dr. Elias Ghanem.
14:59Your commissioners are Nat Paraselli, Lorenzo Fertitta, Luther Mack, and Dr. James Name.
15:08Your attending executive director is Mark Ratner.
15:13Ring officials assigned by the Nevada State Athletic Commission.
15:15Your ringside physicians are Dr. Flip Hamansky, Dr. James Game, Dr. William Berliner, and Dr. Margaret Goodman.
15:25Your timekeeper and counting for the knockdowns at the bell working on a rotation system for the championship bouts,
15:33Al Bicek, and Mike Lacella.
15:37This is your first championship bout of the evening.
15:41It is scheduled for 12 rounds for the IBA Light Flyweight Championship of the World.
15:48Ring officials assigned by the International Boxing Association.
15:52President Cy Young Gray Dean Chance, Supervisor Irvin Marcus, and World Ratings Chairman Norm Lockton.
16:01Your judges at ringside, all from Las Vegas, Nevada.
16:06Dwayne Ford, Bill Graham, and Art Lurie.
16:11Your referee for this event, also from Las Vegas, working his 136th World Championship fight, Richard Steele.
16:29Introducing now the principal's first in the blue corner to my right, wearing the white trunks, red trim.
16:35He weighs 108 pounds.
16:39His professional record reads 45 victories, 10 defeats, 2 draws.
16:46He has 21 wins by way of knockout.
16:49He hails from Johannesburg, South Africa, the former WBO junior flyweight champion of the world
16:57world and the challenger, Jacob Baby J Madlala.
17:08His opponent in the red corner, wearing the white trunks, red accessories.
17:14He weighs in at 107 and one half pounds.
17:19His professional record, 45 victories, 3 defeats.
17:25He has 30 wins by way of knockout.
17:28El Hijo de la República de Mexico, boxing out of Phoenix, Arizona.
17:34The IBA light flyweight champion of the world, Michael Little Hands of Stone.
17:42Guard him behind.
17:45Guard him behind.
17:4712 rounds, IBA light flyweight championship.
17:54Okay, I spoke to both fighters in the dressing room.
17:57I'm cautioning you again.
17:58Obey my commands at all times.
18:00Shake hands, good luck.
18:04Jim, I heard that a part of Baby Jake's purse is a 10-year supply of baby oil.
18:13Well, he's broken a good sweat as he gets ready for this, huh?
18:16Yeah, he's already used some of it.
18:19I mean, Carvajal towers over this guy, and he's 5'5".
18:23Michael Carvajal looking for something spectacular tonight
18:27after having lost to Mauricio Pastrana in this arena just a few months ago
18:32in a surprisingly lackluster performance.
18:35Carvajal has always depended on the accuracy of his power punching.
18:40Here, he has a chance to keep the short of Matlala away with his jab.
18:50He has a chance to keep the short of Matlala away with his power punching.
18:50Carvajal telling us yesterday, George, the left jab would be the key to the bout
18:54because if he could keep Matlala out away from him with the left jab,
18:57then he'll have room to throw his power punches.
19:00As a fact, right, but Carvajal, he has a good reach advantage
19:04and punches good with his jab, but that's not his fight.
19:06He's gonna have to become small, too, if you wanna win these fights and win them right.
19:10Just can't stay out there with the left jab.
19:12He just doesn't know how to do that.
19:14He's not a jab-and-move fighter.
19:16Michael Carvajal has always fought as a warrior.
19:23Baby Jake trying to bob and sneak inside.
19:27Carvajal moving backward and countering with the left hook.
19:34As Matlala shows you some of the moves which have served him
19:38through his 57-bout professional career.
19:43What has happened is Carvajal is laying back, trying to be a hit on the left jab.
19:47He gets behind on his fights, and he's desperate in.
19:49He's gotta wade in and fight.
19:51Carvajal told us yesterday that he has had difficulty with short opponents in the past.
19:56Humberto Jiquita Gonzalez was one who was significantly shorter than Michael.
20:01So was Mauricio Pastrana, who was able to get in and out on him so effectively in the last fight.
20:07Yeah, he decides that he's gonna stand back and box, and the other guys start boxing, too.
20:12Right hand just a little bit short by Carvajal.
20:23Good left hook to the body by Carvajal. He doubles up, bringing it upstairs.
20:29Just missed with the left uppercut. Baby Jake sneaking in a counter.
20:34Now Jake tries to go to the body, and Carvajal goes back to firing the jab.
20:40Carvajal is fighting a smart fight. He's boxing when he wants to,
20:43and when the other guy decides to fight, he starts boxing again.
20:47But then he starts fighting when the other guy wants to box.
20:51Short right hand to the body by Michael Carvajal.
20:55Now Baby Jake getting a chance inside and landing a couple of left hands himself.
21:00There's a left hook by Carvajal that just missed.
21:12Final ten seconds of round number one.
21:15When we go to Jake Matlala's corner, where the spoken language could be Zulu,
21:20our interpreter is Vianni Gabota.
21:22And when we go to Michael Carvajal's corner, it's Spanishly spoken.
21:25Our interpreter there is Ray Torres.
21:29Good job, Dave. You got so big breath.
21:33What did you do? You got so close to him.
21:35I got so close to him. I got so close to him.
21:37I got so close to him. I got so close to him.
21:38I got so close to him. I got so close to him.
21:39I got so close to him.
21:39I got so close to him.
21:40Just remember one thing.
21:41You stand in the fight off well.
21:43I got so close to him.
21:44Just keep that type of fighting.
21:47And try and get in close.
21:49Pick up here, you know.
21:52Just don't get on.
21:54Keep that.
21:55Don't get there.
21:56Don't get there.
21:57Don't get there.
21:58Don't get there.
21:59All short punches.
22:04They show you throw a combination.
22:10Okay.
22:11Take it down.
22:22In round one by CompuBox numbers, baby Jake Metlala threw 110 punches.
22:28only landed 27 of them
22:31for a 25% connect rate.
22:32Carbajal connecting at a higher rate.
22:34You can see that Harold Letterman
22:35gave the first round to Carbajal,
22:37and Matlala comes forward
22:38to begin round two.
22:42For whatever it's worth,
22:43I gave the first round to Matlala.
22:50Michael Carbajal certainly doesn't expect
22:53nor want the fight to go the distance.
22:58But Matlala is out of range
22:59for early knockout.
23:01You're not going to get it.
23:02It's going to take a while
23:03to make him stand up
23:05and expect a knockout,
23:06punch up high,
23:07then you can catch him with a hard shot.
23:12Looks like he'd make
23:13a hell of a lead up here.
23:18Hard left hook by Carbajal,
23:19but most of the damage
23:20in this exchange being done
23:22by Matlala.
23:23Now Carbajal lands again
23:24with the left hook.
23:24Matlala sneaking in
23:26a counter right hand over the top.
23:27They both go to the body
23:29with lefts and rights.
23:30Good exchange in the corner.
23:36A lot of Matlala punches
23:37that are just going to make
23:38Carbajal mad.
23:39Yeah, he has baby power
23:41to go with his baby nickname, right?
23:43Yeah.
23:43Carbajal not only can
23:45get in a good shot,
23:46but he can take one also.
23:50Matlala's corner
23:50asking him to go to the body.
23:53And Matlala listening to the instruction
23:55and throwing more body punches
23:57than was the case in round one.
24:01More and more, Carbajal waits
24:03and tries to land one big blow.
24:05Now he goes back to popping the jab
24:07and moving away.
24:15If you're going to use your left jab,
24:17you've got to keep stepping to your left
24:18so that you don't find your body
24:20on the rope.
24:21Carbajal's got to make sure
24:22he stays in the middle of the ring.
24:24Crowd warms to Carbajal landing.
24:26Three or four unimpeded blows inside
24:28before Matlala stepped away.
24:29Now Matlala comes back in
24:31and when he gets inside,
24:33he doesn't waste the chance, George.
24:35He throws and keeps throwing.
24:36He's doing the right thing.
24:38Carbajal is best.
24:39You step and you step around.
24:41Don't make any backwards steps.
24:42You only give Matlala courage.
24:45Unnecessary courage.
24:50Good body punching
24:52by Carbajal in there now.
24:54Excellent.
24:54Left's end, rights to the body.
24:56Still another one.
24:57He always finds himself
24:58against that ring, against the rope.
25:01That's something that you don't want to do.
25:02Seeing some interesting infighting here, George,
25:05as the two fighters
25:06both try to do damage inside
25:08and with slightly different styles
25:09as they go at it.
25:12Every time Carbajal goes to the body,
25:14he's got to go with everything he has
25:15because he's got to come up quick.
25:17But Matlala,
25:18he just lays punches right there to the stomach.
25:21He's a contact hitter.
25:22He's just trying to get a bat on the ball.
25:28So after two action-filled rounds
25:30between Matlala and Carbajal,
25:31we remind you, still to come,
25:32the long-awaited Battle of Albuquerque,
25:34Danny Romero
25:35defending his championship
25:37against Johnny Tapia.
25:39Johnny Tapia has waited a long time
25:41for a chance to get into the ring
25:43against the young man
25:43whose father,
25:45Danny Romero Sr.,
25:46once trained Tapia
25:48in the gym
25:49where he introduced Danny
25:50to the sport of boxing.
26:02Those punches
26:02got to be short, Michael.
26:04When you get them in the close,
26:06throw the uppercut.
26:07But they've got to be
26:08in the middle and short.
26:13As we await Tapia and Romero,
26:17this note,
26:18Carbajal fought both of them
26:20in the amateurs.
26:21Tapia defeated him
26:23on a decision in the amateurs.
26:25And when they were real little,
26:27he sparred with
26:29and fought with
26:32Romero.
26:33Kind of unusual
26:34for Michael Carbajal
26:36to be on the undercard
26:37of a junior bantamweight
26:38world championship fight,
26:40but Carbajal's quite comfortable
26:41with it
26:42because he knows Tapia
26:43and Romero well,
26:44as Larry points out.
26:45And he said
26:45he can't wait
26:46to get out of the dressing room
26:47after the fight
26:48and come back in and watch.
26:52Baby Jake Matlala
26:54in the second round
26:54threw 133 punches.
26:57So he's thrown
26:57more than 250 punches
26:59in two rounds
26:59and he's going right back
27:00to work here
27:01in round three.
27:02And he's 35 years old, George.
27:05Yeah, that's nothing
27:06these days.
27:08He's only 35.
27:10Way behind the ear.
27:14Carbajal is making
27:15a gigantic mistake
27:16lying up against those ropes.
27:18Someone should teach
27:19these guys
27:19that the ring,
27:20although it's square,
27:20you should fight it
27:21in the circle.
27:27Carbajal backing
27:28into the corner there
27:28and giving Matlala
27:29a chance to do some damage
27:31to the body again.
27:32Matlala not a very hard puncher,
27:34but he keeps at it.
27:36Pesky little contact hitter.
27:38Hit to right, bunt,
27:39move the runner along.
27:40Doing a good job of it.
27:42Let me tell you,
27:42when you put those gloves on,
27:44you may not get knocked out
27:45about them,
27:45but every punch hurt.
27:48Good right hands.
27:49This is a series
27:50of about three this round.
27:51There's a good left hook
27:53to the body by Carbajal,
27:54just a tiny bit short
27:56with the left hook upstairs
27:57as he doubled up.
28:00Chopping right hand
28:01over the top lands
28:02for Carbajal.
28:04Matlala landing more punches,
28:06Carbajal landing
28:07the harder blows.
28:23Left hook lands up top
28:25for Carbajal.
28:26He didn't really have
28:26his feet set.
28:27Matlala comes right back,
28:29throwing punches in bunches.
28:36Right hand landed from Matlala,
28:38one of his hardest punches so far.
28:40It's a lead right hand also.
28:41That's hard to hit
28:42a taller guy with.
28:43But he faints to the left
28:45and then throws it
28:46with great effect.
28:46He's got head movement
28:48at all times.
28:49And whenever Carbajal
28:50is throwing,
28:51his hands are up
28:52because he's shorter.
28:53Carbajal is hitting
28:54his gloves a lot.
29:00Carbajal just a little bit wide
29:02with a straight right hand,
29:03lands the jab.
29:05Michael hasn't gone back
29:07to the body
29:07when Jake Matlala
29:10comes at him.
29:11And Matlala continuing
29:13to keep Carbajal busy
29:14as he throws
29:15and throws some more.
29:20Lively action
29:21in round three.
29:37You're coming up
29:38all right now.
29:41Keep your guards up.
29:43Keep your guards up.
29:46He's open.
29:48When you catch him
29:49with his punches,
29:50keep them up.
29:50Keep your punches up.
29:52Set them upstairs.
29:54You're looking very good.
29:55Don't let him rest.
29:56Don't let him rest.
29:57He's very good.
29:58He's got to get inside here.
29:59He's got to get inside here.
30:01Here you see baby Jake
30:03with his two quick
30:05little right hands.
30:06You can't see him coming.
30:07Short arms,
30:08short punches,
30:09not a lot of power in them.
30:11But they add up
30:12because right now
30:13he seems to be out
30:14hustling Carbajal.
30:22Carbajal landed
30:23half the punches
30:24he threw
30:24in round number three
30:25but by punch stat
30:26computations
30:27he threw
30:2847 fewer punches
30:30than Matlala.
30:31So as Larry points out,
30:33Matlala continuing
30:34to keep Carbajal busy
30:35with his own
30:36relentless drive.
30:37Harold,
30:38how do you have it scored?
30:39Jim,
30:392-1,
30:4029-28,
30:41baby Jake Matlala.
30:42Just like Larry says,
30:44baby Jake is out
30:45working him.
30:45He stays on top of him
30:47and he just keeps
30:47throwing and throwing
30:48and throwing.
30:49I think he's winning
30:50this on an effective
30:51aggressiveness
30:52which is a big part
30:53of scoring boxing.
30:55An upset would make
30:57the 35-year-old Matlala
30:59a title contender
31:00for the first time
31:01in his career
31:03and would pose
31:03serious questions
31:04as to Carbajal's future.
31:06Carbajal has this look
31:07of,
31:08I can't believe this.
31:09In the last two boxing
31:10matches he's been in,
31:11he's had this belief,
31:12I don't know what's happening.
31:14I can't believe it.
31:15And he's fighting like it.
31:17I'm the better man.
31:18Why are these guys hitting me?
31:20Well, he's getting
31:20outworked again, George,
31:21and he got outworked
31:22against Pastrana,
31:23so this is the second time
31:25this year that Carbajal
31:26faced the same situation.
31:27He couldn't find a way
31:29to turn it around
31:29against Mauricio.
31:30Let's see if he can do it
31:31against baby Jake.
31:33It's a mistake of trainers.
31:36You got a guy
31:37who can fight,
31:38make him fight,
31:39train him to fight.
31:39Forget this,
31:40step around, jab him.
31:41Now Carbajal starts to land
31:43the right hand
31:44with some purpose.
31:45Two straight right hands
31:46woke the crowd up.
31:47Matlala comes back
31:48with a right,
31:49left, right of his own
31:50and another combination there.
31:53Carbajal pausing
31:54to regain his bearings
31:56after throwing
31:58various punches
31:59at Matlala.
32:00Matlala takes advantage
32:01of the pause
32:01to come right back at it.
32:04Don't hold him.
32:04Don't hold him.
32:05Petman.
32:06He just keeps coming.
32:09That'd be a good nickname
32:10for a fighter.
32:11I'm telling you,
32:11you hit him with good shots
32:13and you expect him
32:13to give you some respect
32:14and he just waits
32:16and starts jumping
32:16on you again.
32:17Carbajal with a right
32:18and a left to the body.
32:19Baby Jake lands a left
32:20to the body of his own.
32:23Constant head movement
32:24from Matlala.
32:26But Carbajal is able
32:27to land a left hook
32:28against the side
32:29of Matlala's head.
32:30Just misses the chin
32:31with another left hook
32:32and backs away.
32:34Carbajal is getting smart now.
32:36Get away from those ropes.
32:37Stay away from the ring.
32:39Carbajal is starting
32:40to work to put more room
32:41between himself
32:41and Matlala
32:42so that that long right hand
32:44can begin to count
32:44for something.
32:46And he can keep things even
32:47if he stays off those ropes.
32:57Baby Jake score
32:58yelling for him
32:59to stay inside
33:00on Carbajal's chest.
33:02Right hand lands
33:04for Matlala.
33:06You see when Matlala
33:07throws those right hands
33:09Carbajal is against the ropes.
33:10He's got nowhere to run.
33:11He has to get hit.
33:22He punches after the bell
33:24by Carbajal.
33:25Richard Steele
33:27asks Michael to pause
33:28and warns him
33:29against more punching
33:30after the bell.
33:31Well coming up in October
33:33HBO's exclusive documentary
33:35Where Have You Gone?
33:36Joe DiMaggio
33:37in the rich tradition
33:38of HBO sports documentaries.
33:40You'll see one of America's
33:41most beloved
33:42but reclusive athletic icons
33:44as never before
33:45with the use of home movies
33:47and rare film.
33:48HBO chronicles
33:49Joe's majestic baseball career,
33:52his unusual personal life,
33:53and his happy life since
33:55giving you a side
33:57of Joe DiMaggio
33:57you may never have seen before.
33:59The Yankee Clipper.
34:00Don't miss it.
34:02Coming up in October
34:02on HBO Sports.
34:11Don't miss it.
34:12Coming up in October
34:13on HBO Sports.
34:19Michael, as soon as he stops punching,
34:21you start punching.
34:22You gotta get off, Michael.
34:30By punch stat numbers,
34:31in round number four,
34:32Carvajal landed 43 punches
34:34and Matlala landed 43 punches.
34:36Michael Carvajal only had to throw 80
34:38to land 43.
34:40Matlala threw 132.
34:45For an old guy, George,
34:46it's amazing the activity of this guy.
34:49You know,
34:50fighters in the lower weight divisions
34:52often burn out
34:53in their mid-20s
34:55much less fighting
34:57at their mid-30s
34:58because quickness is so important.
35:00And here's this guy
35:01with 45s throwing 120,
35:04130 punches a round.
35:05And again,
35:06Carvajal stands still
35:07against the ring post
35:08and allows Matlala
35:10to get off
35:10with much greater effect
35:12than might be the case
35:13in the center of the ring.
35:14And it's gonna be very hard
35:15to recover from those kind of rounds
35:17where you lie against the rope
35:19and you receive a lot of punches
35:21and the judges are watching.
35:23Stay away from the rope.
35:25Keep this guy
35:26in the middle of the ring.
35:28And there's no contest.
35:38He's like a fly
35:39that you can't get rid of.
35:41Just keeps wailing.
35:43You wonder why a guy
35:44who's been to eight years of college
35:45and has two degrees
35:46is still in boxing.
35:47You need only to watch Matlala
35:49and see why.
35:50He enjoys it.
35:51He's having a ball in there.
35:52Yeah.
35:54One thing we know
35:55for certain age
35:56has nothing to do with it.
35:57Those are just numbers.
35:58You've proven that, George,
36:00but a lot of people
36:01would say, okay,
36:02sure it's true
36:03in the heavyweights
36:03where you don't have
36:04to make weight.
36:05This guy's been making
36:06108 for a long time.
36:08No, not true.
36:09In the heavyweights,
36:09you have to make weight, too.
36:11Because if you're not
36:12at your effective fighting weight...
36:13Yeah, you are.
36:14It's the same thing.
36:15So we start knocking down
36:17all of those he said,
36:18she said about the heavyweights,
36:19and now some lightweight,
36:22middleweights have got
36:22to start doing the same thing.
36:24Well, you're inspiring
36:24a lot of fighters
36:25to think that their careers
36:26can be longer, George.
36:28Look, if you're going to live
36:28and have babies,
36:29you may as well make some money.
36:32That's what baby Jake says.
36:35You've got babies,
36:36you can't call yourself old.
36:46Hard right hand by Carvajal,
36:48interrupting that series
36:49of rights and lefts
36:50by Matlala.
36:51Matlala using his jab
36:52as a range finder,
36:54holds Carvajal at bay
36:55with the left
36:55and fires to the body
36:57with the right,
36:57then comes upstairs
36:58with two right hands,
36:59and Carvajal
37:01looking to counter
37:02but often stymied
37:03by the overwhelming
37:04activity rate
37:05of Jake Matlala.
37:07Hard right hand
37:08to the body by Carvajal.
37:09He misses with the right up top.
37:11Carvajal should have been
37:12fighting these,
37:13this kind of fight
37:14in the first couple of rounds
37:15to establish himself
37:16as the puncher,
37:17as the power
37:18to make this guy respect him.
37:20Sometimes you can start
37:21too late.
37:22The rounds are going by
37:24and Michael Carvajal
37:26has never had a knockdown
37:27past the eighth round
37:28in his whole career.
37:42You're working hard.
37:44You're working hard.
37:46You're working hard.
37:52You're getting him right.
37:53You're getting them.
37:54Don't get out of him at all.
37:56Don't move away.
38:00Change your hand gloves
38:01and don't look at him.
38:02Just get into him all the time.
38:03Don't get off when you're hitting.
38:05Don't allow him
38:06to get straight into you.
38:12You're countering him well.
38:16You're countering him well,
38:17but please keep away
38:18from those ropes.
38:19You're staying on the ropes
38:20and he's getting the best of you.
38:22Don't stay in those corners.
38:29Michael Carvajal
38:30trying to bounce back
38:31from a title fight loss
38:32against hand-picked opponent
38:34Baby Jake Maglala
38:36refuted to be the shortest boxer
38:38in the sport
38:39at four feet, 10 inches tall.
38:40And for the first five rounds,
38:42Maglala giving Carvajal
38:44a tactical package
38:45that's very difficult
38:46for him to handle.
38:47And it's kind of hard now
38:48because Maglala
38:50is starting to land punches
38:51in the middle of the ring,
38:52which is supposed to be
38:54Carvajal's strong area.
38:58You're not supposed to let
38:59your shorter opponent
39:00hit you in the middle of the ring.
39:01It's not supposed to happen.
39:03Incidentally, guys,
39:04and how poetic is this?
39:06As we all wait
39:07for Johnny Tapia
39:08and Danny Romero
39:09to enter the ring,
39:10we are told that at this moment
39:12their hometown of Albuquerque
39:13is besieged
39:14by violent thunderstorms.
39:22Thunder and lightning
39:24were looking for
39:25thunder and lightning
39:26in the main event.
39:27In Albuquerque
39:28and in Las Vegas.
39:37Bout is scheduled
39:38for 12 rounds here.
39:41So we're bearing down
39:42on halfway through
39:43and Maglala continues
39:45to peck away at Carvajal.
39:47Maglala's activity rate
39:49not dipping yet.
39:51In fact, in the fifth round,
39:52he reached his high
39:55high for this fight
39:55throwing 143 punches
39:58in the fifth
39:58by CompuBox numbers.
40:00It's a right hand
40:01that lands from Alala.
40:02You can just keep calling
40:03the lefts and the rights
40:04as baby Jake
40:05tap, tap, taps away.
40:07Carvajal is making a mistake
40:09of waiting for that
40:09one or two good shots.
40:11You just can't do that
40:12in these matches.
40:13These guys are too quick.
40:18Cut over the left eye
40:20of Carvajal.
40:21All those punches.
40:22A lot of blood.
40:23Finally break through
40:24the skin.
40:25So this makes
40:26the third consecutive fight
40:27in which Carvajal
40:28has been cut
40:29over that left eye
40:31against both Pastrana
40:32and Olsen,
40:33the two preceding opponents.
40:34Same cut,
40:35same bleeding.
40:36Now here it comes again
40:37and it is bound
40:38to distract Carvajal
40:39as he tries to turn things
40:41around in this fight.
40:45Impossible for us
40:46to tell right now
40:47whether that cut
40:48came from a butt
40:49or a punch.
40:51Well, with all the punches
40:52he's throwing,
40:52I have to assume
40:53it was a punch.
40:56I haven't seen
40:57their heads collide,
40:58although they are
40:58at close quarters.
41:02He certainly landed
41:03enough punches
41:03to have done
41:04the damage himself,
41:05that's for sure.
41:09And Matlala
41:10seemingly energized
41:11by the sight
41:12of Carvajal's blood
41:13begins throwing punches
41:15and bunches again.
41:16Carvajal lands
41:17a solid left hook
41:18and Matlala backs up.
41:19And let me tell you,
41:20those punches hurt
41:21Matlala.
41:22Carvajal has got to
41:23save enough energy
41:24to finish up
41:24on those shots.
41:26Carvajal committing
41:27the power punches now.
41:29He's landed
41:30one good right hand
41:31and a solid left
41:32in this round
41:33and a quick left hook
41:34just after the bell
41:36does damage as well.
41:37The blood appears
41:38to be running
41:39along the side
41:40of his eye.
41:41I'm not sure
41:41how much is actually
41:42running into the eye.
41:44It's not too bad.
41:44It's not bad.
41:49Cut man
41:49in Michael Carvajal's
41:51corner is his brother
41:52and trainer,
41:53Danny Carvajal.
41:55And the clock
41:56shows you
41:57how much time
41:57Danny Carvajal has
41:58to try to stanch
41:59the flow of blood.
42:01I got it.
42:02It's not bad.
42:03It's not a bad cut at all.
42:07You got him.
42:08You almost had him
42:08right now.
42:09Keep your hands up.
42:14You've got to keep
42:14those hands up,
42:15Michael.
42:16All the time.
42:18Don't let him,
42:19don't drop him.
42:25It was a punch.
42:27We have been informed.
42:29Referee Richard Steele
42:30says it was a punch.
42:36So the cut is ruled
42:37to have been the product
42:38of a Matlala punch
42:39and that gives Matlala
42:40yet another potential
42:41advantage on the scorecards
42:43down the stretch.
42:44We all know that
42:45fighters who are bleeding
42:47don't tend to get
42:48the benefit of the doubt
42:49from the judges
42:50unless they fight
42:51extraordinarily well.
42:52And Matlala
42:53isn't giving Carvajal
42:55too much room to breathe.
42:58Carvajal's corner
42:58told him to keep
42:59his hands up.
43:00That's a difficult task
43:01when you think
43:02his opponent
43:03so much shorter
43:04you ought to drop
43:05your hand
43:05just to get a good aim.
43:10Carvajal seems
43:11to be in real trouble
43:12here now.
43:13Either that
43:14or he's just looking
43:15to land one big punch
43:16to end the fight
43:17and he hasn't shown
43:17any signs of being
43:18able to do it yet.
43:19Got a right up
43:21and under
43:21and then a quick right
43:22over the top
43:23but Matlala
43:23not backing off at all.
43:25Continues to home in
43:27and throw hard
43:28at Michael Carvajal.
43:30But don't ever ask
43:31to underestimate Carvajal.
43:32He's come from behind
43:33on more than one occasion.
43:35The great fight he had
43:37with Conchita Gonzalez
43:39being the most memorable
43:40and dramatic.
43:41Seats filling up
43:42here in the Thomas
43:43and Matts Center.
43:44We expect a big crowd
43:45by the time
43:45the main event arrives
43:46with Johnny Tapia
43:47against Danny Romero.
43:49Literally thousands
43:50making the trek up
43:51from Albuquerque
43:52for this weekend
43:53in Vegas.
43:59So often you see
44:00the shorter guys
44:01in the ring
44:01don't know how to fight
44:02tall guys
44:03but this guy
44:04Matlala is short
44:05and he knows
44:05how to fight short.
44:06Well he's never
44:07fought anybody
44:07shorter than him
44:08or even as tall
44:09as he is.
44:10And that's why.
44:12Carvajal just got
44:13worn for throwing
44:14a low blow
44:14against Matlala
44:15and that's a bit
44:16of a gymnastic feat.
44:19Matlala coming up
44:20with the uppercut
44:20inside.
44:21Alternating left
44:22and right uppercuts.
44:23Carvajal trying
44:24to get left hooks
44:25to the body
44:26and whacking away
44:27with the right as well
44:28but Matlala continues
44:29to press forward.
44:31Carvajal has put
44:32on an exhibition
44:33with those body punches.
44:34They've been some
44:35of the best body punches
44:36you're going to see
44:36but you've got to
44:37come back up.
44:38You've got to come
44:39back up at some point.
44:40And Matlala isn't
44:41showing too much ill effects
44:42from the body punches
44:43either, George.
44:43Yeah, he's not
44:44been able to go down
44:45to the body two or three
44:46times and then come on top
44:47with a right hand
44:47or a left hook.
44:51There's Carvajal
44:52right and left
44:53to the body
44:53but he backs off
44:54and Matlala backs
44:55him off some more
44:55as he homes in
44:57and throws more punches.
44:59Well, I don't know
45:01about Jim and George
45:02when some fighters
45:03are cut, they fight back.
45:07Yeah, you've got
45:08to understand in boxing
45:09this is no modeling show.
45:11There are going to be
45:12a lot of scratches
45:13and a lot of cuts
45:14so you can't go back
45:15to the corner and say
45:15I wish that hadn't happened.
45:17You've got to fight.
45:18Some fighters believe
45:19they fight better
45:19once they see
45:20their own blood.
45:21Johnny Tapia,
45:22whom you'll see
45:22in the main event,
45:23is one of them.
45:24Come on, Jake!
45:25Come on, Jake!
45:28Come on, Jake!
45:30Come on!
45:33Seven rounds
45:34in the books
45:35and Michael Carvajal
45:36having difficulty
45:37with baby Jake Matlala
45:38as Johnny Tapia
45:40warms in his dressing room
45:41for the fight of his life.
45:43his chance to face off
45:45against the kid
45:47who was a little boy
45:48around the gym
45:49when Johnny Tapia
45:50trained with Danny
45:51Romero's father
45:51early in his career.
45:53That was a headbutt, man.
45:54Who knew?
45:59That was a real bad headbutt.
46:02Get the ref to call that.
46:05That was a headbutt.
46:06Richard, didn't you see it?
46:08Right now, right at the end
46:09of the round.
46:11Richard, he's doing it
46:12intentionally, man.
46:13That was a headbutt.
46:14He's bringing that head in,
46:15Richard.
46:18Now there's a cut
46:19on the right eye
46:20of Carvajal as well,
46:22and they're claiming
46:23that was a butt.
46:24Let's see if we can find
46:26if it was a butt right here.
46:27A straight left hand,
46:29another left hand inside.
46:32We don't know
46:33if that's when the cut opened.
46:34We can't authenticate that.
46:37But now,
46:38there's blood coming down
46:39from Carvajal's both eyes.
46:43This could be the last few
46:44rounds of his career
46:45if he doesn't break out of this.
46:47Harold, how do you have it scored?
46:49Okay, Jim.
46:50Four rounds to three.
46:5267-66.
46:53Baby Jake Matlala.
46:54I thought Michael Carvajal
46:55fought that real game
46:56in that seventh round.
46:57Landed some real,
46:58real good hot shots.
46:59But this kid just keeps working.
47:01Working, working, working.
47:02He certainly should be
47:03ahead in this fight.
47:04I got it very close.
47:05But one point
47:06for Baby Jake Matlala.
47:07Four rounds to three.
47:08I have the same score.
47:10How difficult for Carvajal
47:11to ignore the cuts
47:12over both eyes, George.
47:14Yeah, and Baby Jake
47:16knows that he's not a puncher.
47:18He's landing three, four,
47:20five punches at a time
47:21knowing that, hey,
47:21I'm not going to get a knockdown,
47:23but I'm going to get a hit
47:23on these points.
47:24He's thinking he's ahead.
47:26And I don't know.
47:27I like the punching power
47:28of Carvajal.
47:29I like the way
47:30Harold Letterman called
47:31Baby Jake this kid.
47:32This kid is 35.
47:34The oldest baby
47:35on the planet.
47:36In his 58th professional fight.
47:38But he is fighting like a kid,
47:41still throwing 120
47:43to 130 punches per round.
47:46Jim, the blood shouldn't
47:48affect the scoring in this fight.
47:49The judges are supposed
47:50to score the punches,
47:51not the blood.
47:52It's very important.
47:53Supposed to.
47:54Supposed to, Jim.
47:54There's no question.
47:55Sometimes the judges
47:56do get affected by it,
47:57but they're supposed
47:58to watch those punches.
47:59Yeah, but human nature
48:00is that when a guy
48:01is bloodied over both eyes
48:02like this,
48:03it's hard not to be affected.
48:05And that's when it gets tough
48:06to be a boxing judge.
48:07You're supposed
48:07to score the punches,
48:09not the blood.
48:11That's a hard fight
48:12when you're trying
48:12to keep blood out of your eyes,
48:14and you know the blood is there.
48:16And the guy will not give you
48:18any breathing room.
48:19Michael Carvajal
48:20has never lost a fight
48:21on a stoppage,
48:22never a knockout,
48:23never a TKO.
48:24All three of his losses
48:25as a professional
48:26by decisions.
48:31I once saw
48:32the great Bobby Chacon
48:33in a fight like this
48:35where his entire face
48:37was painted in blood
48:38over the first half
48:39of the fight,
48:40and he won the fight
48:41over Bazooka Limon.
48:45That was Bobby Chacon.
48:47This is Michael Carvajal.
48:51And right now,
48:52the reputed
48:53shortest prize fighter
48:54in the world,
48:554'10",
48:56baby Jake Madlala
48:57is just giving
48:58Carvajal pure hell.
49:00Yeah, this is when
49:01you have a corner.
49:02Brothers,
49:03things of that nature
49:04working in your corner
49:05is kind of difficult
49:06because they'll let you
49:06go on and take chances.
49:08An ordinary trainer
49:09who's not related to you
49:10will not let you do.
49:11Are you suggesting
49:12that they should stop
49:13the fight because
49:14of these cuts, George?
49:15Yeah, these are
49:16some serious cuts.
49:17And unless your guy
49:18is really showing
49:18that he's going to do
49:19something big now,
49:20you think about
49:21saving his everything,
49:23his eyesight and his career,
49:25if he's got a career left.
49:27Well, he's trying
49:28to find the punching power
49:29to turn it around,
49:30but he's having to
49:31paw in his eyes
49:32and try to wipe the blood away
49:34even as he goes at it.
49:36Round eight comes to a close.
49:41How do you feel, Michael?
49:50Give me one more round.
49:53Skip Hamansky,
49:54the commissioned doctor,
49:55is examining
49:57Carvajal closely.
49:58You have to see it
49:59for safety.
49:59There.
50:04If you open it,
50:05you stretch it out,
50:06you make it bigger.
50:18Let's get the Vaseline
50:19on that eye.
50:24There you see
50:25Matlala
50:26continuing to do
50:27what he has done
50:29throughout this fight.
50:31Dr. Hamansky spoke
50:33to Richard Steele
50:35before the round.
50:36I don't know
50:37what instructions
50:37you gave him,
50:38but obviously
50:39he has to watch the eyes.
50:42Carvajal has had
50:43a great career.
50:44You don't want to jeopardize
50:45his eyesight
50:46for the rest of his life.
50:48Well, fighting like
50:49his countryman,
50:49Philip Holliday,
50:51maybe Jake Matlala
50:52is on pace
50:53to break the CompuBox
50:55punch stat
50:55all-time total punch record
50:57of 1,596,
50:59established by
51:00Zach Padilla
51:01in his fight
51:01with Ray Oliveira.
51:03So, if this fight
51:05goes to 12-round distance,
51:07Baby Jake may well
51:08break the CompuBox record
51:09for most punches
51:10attempted
51:11in a 12-round bout
51:12any weight class.
51:14Baby Jake has
51:15this great ability
51:16to throw punches
51:17that are not even hard.
51:18He just throws punches.
51:20And when you do that,
51:21it's hard to defend yourself.
51:22He has the timing
51:23to throw, throw, throw,
51:24and still be in
51:24a defensive position
51:25when you throw.
51:26Yeah, and they're
51:27not hard punches.
51:28That is why
51:29it's not throwing
51:29him off balance.
51:30He just lands something
51:31to keep you thinking
51:32and word and defending
51:34yourself.
51:39If he was throwing
51:40big punches
51:41one at a time,
51:42did not say,
51:43save Carverhoff.
51:44Let him stay round
51:45after round.
51:47How many times
51:48do you throw punches,
51:49George, just to land them
51:51without worrying
51:51about whether they're
51:52hard punches?
51:52You've got to do it,
51:53especially when you're
51:54fighting a guy
51:54who's not going
51:55to invest anything in.
51:56But let's see
51:58what's going on.
51:58Once again,
51:59Richard Steele
51:59is taking Carverhoff
52:01to the corner,
52:02and once again,
52:03he's being examined
52:03by Dr. Homansky.
52:05What's the story coming?
52:06Don't shuffle.
52:07That's it, Richard.
52:08Don't shuffle.
52:11Dr. Flip Homansky
52:14with three words.
52:15That's it, Richard.
52:17Turned baby Jake Matlala
52:18into a surprise title
52:20contender.
52:20And I think he did
52:21the job that his brother
52:22in the corner
52:23should have done
52:23around earlier.
52:24So thanks goodness
52:25for good doctors
52:26by ringside.
52:28That could have been
52:29the functional end
52:30of Michael Carverhoff's
52:31career.
52:32That's right.
52:33And so sometimes
52:33you have, like I said,
52:34relatives in the family,
52:35and they don't want
52:36to look at you
52:37the next day
52:37and you'll be upset
52:38with them.
52:39You take a lot
52:39of chances.
52:41You get the doctors
52:42right there
52:43ringside who don't
52:44have anything
52:44to gain or lose.
52:46They make the proper
52:47decisions for us.
52:48You see the two cuts
52:50and the one over
52:50the right eye
52:51was particularly bad.
52:52Michael Carverhoff,
52:53one of the stars
52:54of the 1988
52:55United States
52:56Olympic team
52:56and a tremendous
52:58box office star
52:59in these lower weight
53:01classes throughout
53:02most of his career
53:03has now suffered
53:05two upset losses
53:06in Las Vegas
53:07this year.
53:08For the first time
53:08in his career,
53:09he's subjected
53:10to a stoppage.
53:11All three previous
53:12losses by decision
53:13and baby Jake
53:15Matlala
53:16with an unbelievable
53:17barrage of punches
53:19headed toward
53:20a 12-round record
53:21for most punches
53:21thrown
53:22gets the technical
53:23knockout
53:24over Michael Carverhoff.
53:27And there's
53:27a round-by-round look
53:28at how many punches
53:29Matlala threw
53:30and just look
53:30at those numbers,
53:31George.
53:32133 in the second,
53:33132 in the fourth,
53:35143 punches
53:36in the fifth round,
53:37138 punches
53:38in the seventh round.
53:39He had already
53:40thrown 80 by the time
53:41the fight was stopped
53:42in the ninth round
53:43and that's just
53:45a hailstorm of punches.
53:46And the punches
53:46he was throwing
53:48were not punches
53:48you could counter.
53:50Tap, tap, tap,
53:51cut you, cut you, cut you.
53:52Let's go to
53:52ring announcer Mark Barrow
53:54for the official particulars.
54:01Ladies and gentlemen,
54:03the time,
54:05one minute,
54:0624 seconds
54:07of the ninth round.
54:09The referee
54:10stops the bout
54:11on the advice
54:12of the doctor
54:13because of cuts
54:14over both eyes
54:15of the red corner.
54:16the winner
54:17and new
54:19IBA
54:20light flyweight
54:21champion of the world,
54:23Jacob
54:24Baby Jake
54:27Matlala.
54:29Matlala.
54:36Matlala was leading
54:38on two of the three
54:39scorecards
54:40at the time
54:40when the fight
54:41was stopped.
54:4277-75 on one card,
54:4377-75 on a second card.
54:47On a third card,
54:47it was all even
54:48at 76 apiece.
54:50So Baby Jake,
54:51by a narrow margin,
54:52was in position
54:53to go on
54:54toward a decision
54:55victory in the fight,
54:56but it was close.
54:58Then judges
54:59watching Carbajal
55:00are thinking,
55:00oh, he's ahead.
55:02This guy's not
55:02doing this to him.
55:03He's a champion fighter,
55:04yeah.
55:05And so it'll take a run.
55:06They can sort of
55:07not count this thing
55:07correctly.
55:08All right,
55:09Larry Merchant
55:10with Michael Carbajal.
55:11All right,
55:12Michael Carbajal
55:14you've lost the fight.
55:15Your eyes have been
55:16bloodied.
55:17Why would you go on
55:19with your career
55:19if you will go on?
55:21Well,
55:21I think I'm still
55:23a good fighter,
55:24and it just,
55:25it was,
55:25it was no,
55:26it just,
55:27you know,
55:27I got caught
55:28with two small
55:29headbutts inside.
55:30And,
55:31you know,
55:31he's a tough fighter
55:33and respect Jake a lot.
55:34And for all you
55:35little kids
55:36who see little baby Jake,
55:38hey, man,
55:38he has a lot of heart
55:39and look up to him
55:40because he's a damn
55:42great fighter
55:42and I give him
55:43all those things.
55:43Was he just too busy
55:45for you to get off
55:46with your power shots?
55:47No,
55:48I don't,
55:48I think I was landing
55:49some good shots.
55:49He can take a hell
55:50of a punch.
55:51I think at the end,
55:52when I landed
55:53the last couple of shots
55:54right before they
55:55stopped the fight,
55:56I think they backed
55:56him up quite a bit.
55:59How long have you been
56:00dreaming of fighting
56:01Michael?
56:01For five years, Larry,
56:02for five years.
56:03I could say I could beat him.
56:04He's a tough kid,
56:06but I could see
56:06that the style of fighting
56:08I'm far better than him.
56:12I wake up.
56:13You didn't feel
56:13that he had the quickness
56:15or the firepower
56:17to deal with you?
56:18Yeah,
56:18he doesn't have
56:19the fighting power
56:19that he could beat me.
56:21I mean,
56:21he could beat other
56:21tuna flowers,
56:22not me.
56:22I mean,
56:23I'm a hell of a tough kid
56:24from Soweto.
56:25So are you going
56:26to see Nelson Mandela
56:28when you go home,
56:28do you think?
56:29As usual.
56:30He has to invite me
56:31for lunch.
56:31He's my hero,
56:34and he's supposed
56:34to put me all the way.
56:35All right.
56:36So lunch with Nelson Mandela,
56:38a championship belt,
56:39a victory over
56:40Michael Carbajal.
56:42What a...
56:43Let's get ready now
56:44for the big event
56:45of the evening,
56:45the Battle of Albuquerque
56:46between Johnny Tapia
56:49and Danny Romero Jr.
56:51As we showed you...
56:51For baby Jake.
56:52Jim?
56:53All right.
56:54Thanks, Larry.
56:54And let's look back
56:55and see what we can
56:56learn about the two cuts.
56:58First cut,
56:58round six.
56:59And we believe
57:00that punch right there
57:02may have been the one
57:03which opened the cut
57:03over Carbajal's left eye
57:05in round number six.
57:06We cannot find evidence
57:08that a headbutt
57:09might have caused
57:11that bleeding.
57:14Blood starting to flow
57:15by this point.
57:16And again,
57:16you saw
57:17the two sharp right hands
57:19that Matlala landed
57:20prior to that.
57:21Now,
57:21the right eye
57:22started to bleed
57:22in round number seven.
57:23We'll take a look here
57:24and look for
57:25that headbutt
57:27which would appear
57:28to have been
57:28the likely cause
57:29of the cut
57:30over the right eye.
57:31So,
57:32to the best of
57:33our judgment,
57:34looking at our videotapes,
57:36we think
57:36the left eye cut
57:37was probably caused
57:39by a punch
57:39and the right eye cut
57:41was caused
57:42by a headbutt.
57:43All in all,
57:43George,
57:44he's four feet
57:44ten inches tall,
57:45he's 35 years old,
57:47he showed a great
57:47tactical command
57:48and a will in there.
57:49You gotta love him.
57:50We have a new South Africa,
57:52now we have a new baby.
57:54That's right.
57:54South Africa produces
57:55its baby championship contender.
57:57I think it's wonderful.
57:58I hope he takes us
57:59down to Cape Town
58:00and introduces us
58:01to Nelson Mandela.
58:02Let me tell you,
58:02Carbohal will be back,
58:03he should be back,
58:04this is a fine fighter,
58:05I did see a headbutt
58:07and he shouldn't blame
58:07himself totally
58:08for that stoppage.
58:09Yeah,
58:09I'm pretty sure
58:10that the second cut
58:11was caused by a headbutt,
58:12that video seemed
58:12to indicate that.
58:13Carbohal will come back.
58:14All right,
58:14so that does it
58:15for Michael Carbohal
58:16against Baby Jake Matlala.
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