Ricardo Lopez vs. Hideyuki Ohashi

This is the first good fight that we'll review with many more to come. Feel free to post your thoughts on the fight and I'll come back with my own later.

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IVbtya9JYbwhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1WKErHrZhTsAnyways I don't think it's necessary to tell someone how to watch a fight since there are different ways of looking at it; however I believe that Thomas gave some good advice about seeing what's happening:

Originally Posted by ThomasTabin

...I think this a good fight for this board to analyze because the fight follows and repeats the same pattern for every round where one fighter instantly takes control and maintains his control throughout the course of the fight. This makes it easier to observe whats happening because in other fights there are several patterns that constantly shift and adapt through the fight. Its easy to lose track in all of the seemingly random action. In this fight there really is only one pattern. Essentially, you will be seeing the same thing in every round. This is common to Floyd Mayweather fights and fighters that are like Floyd.


I don't want to give you any strict guideline to follow when you watch this fight because that would cause you to follow that guide instead of depending on your own critical thinking ability. Theres one thing I think you should look for as you watch the fight though. What are the punches Floyd is leading with and what are the punches Bruseles is leading with? Its very important to note this right away because it determines what counter punches can be available to either fighter if any.

Just watch the fight and try to understand why things are happening. Why some punches are landing and why some others are not. Post a review of your thoughts and I'll come back and try to share some of my own with you.

i dont think highly of hideyuki, isn't this when he moved back down to 105 cause he was ko'ed at 108?

never seen this fight before but did lopez perform poor or hideyuki did well before getting stopped by ricardo? oh wait this was lopez first title fight right?

what made you choose this fight chris? how about lopez alveraz 1 or 2?

I'm actually somewhat of a neophyte when it comes to watching fights. Part of the reason why I picked this fight (I haven't watched it all the way through yet) is that it showcases Ricardo Lopez who I consider a great fighter with excellent fundamentals. It's his text-book fundamentals, which is doing everything right that impresses me. greynotsoold also spoke highly of him which has lead me to believe that Ricardo Lopez is a fighter worth studying.

Granted that the Lopez/Ohashi fight is shorter than an Alveraz war, I figured that we'd at get to see Lopez in top form, and the fight would be easier to digest. There'll be more fights to come, but for starters you can't go wrong with a Ricardo Lopez fight.

Thanks for doing this Chris.

Am going to watch it this weekend, and will have my homework in by Sunday.

Ok... first round Lopez is throwing mostly jabs that are too far to make contact. Then once in a while he goes down to the body with more or less success. Hideyuki isn't throwing very much and is landing only a few and no hard shots. At the end he is getting in and landing a few power shots... man I feel like a newbie

Second round, I see a lot more power shots. Lopez is clearly controlling the fight. Hideyuki is barely landing any, if any at all shots. Lopez often gets in with a jab to the midsection if I'm not mistaken. For some reason, beyond my knowledge, Lopez is in total control: Hideyuki isn't even throwing... I need not say it again

Third round, I can't see much different from second round: Lopez is still shooting his jabs from out of distance (though it appears he is landing more jabs) but they begin combinations which are landing, like left hooks and right crosses.

Fourth round, his right cross is landing alarmingly often. I don't think he missed with it that round. That is what put Ohashi down. Again Hideyuki isn't throwing. He is constantly following Lopez but Lopez is always just out of reach but Ricardo is always able to jump in, land, then get back out of distance. Lopez is clearly in control and it seems to me like it is his distance-control.

Fifth round, again Ohashi goes down with a right. Lopez seems to be just out of distance but he is able to close that easily with a straight right. And it is always landing. Second knockdown: Lopez is in closer and this time it is a left hook that puts Ohashi down. Lopez is quite patient though. Rather than wildly throwing flurries after the first knockdown he jabs until he finds an opportunity to get in then knocks Ohashi down a second time. And this time Hideyuki Ohashi isn't able to continue and Ricardo Lopez wins.

I'll get better at this... I'm sure I will

Anybody?

Totally forgot about this.Not my usual stomping ground here in the Trainer section.Just dug up the tape,went through first round.This deals with the exterior of the fight and out ofthe ring but one thing I like was the way the announcer introduces each judge and they stand in full view of the camera.....it would be nice if this was the norm,puts a face on some of these shady scores we see far to often

Lopez has that left constantly working...it sort of has a bounce and floats out there so he can quickly turn it over into a hook in addition to a sharp jab.Lopez as per norm has alot of mobility,side to side and very calculating in through the first round.Right about the 33 sec mark,Lopez sort of side arms the left and Ohashi comes over the top with a very nice right hand....it definatly seemed to get Lopez's attention and he stepped up the movement circling,steps in with crisp combo and gets out of range.Lopez in control.

Round 1
Lopez is the technically sounder boxer,but he's blowing too much energy on his shoulder feints and got tired toward the end of the round.He's definitely afraid to close.
The cross the announcers allmost wet themselves over wasnt that solid,he caught him moving away from the punch.

Only watched vid number one.

They were just feeling themselves out for a long while simular to a sword fight at distance with full front stance;; little going square, if any at all.
Havent seen the other guy before but he is mirroring Lopez well if that not his usual style.

Both men are old style elbows in launching vertical fist jabs for speed suited to on toes fast feeling out reaCTIONS ETC and both are keeping the elbows out swings and hooks crosses stuff for the correct distance and when they are figting out of a landing position, both very simular so far. No one opening up yet.

Im not going to get into the visually obvius like a fight call here trying to score it, im going to try for what they are thinking and its effects on style.
Or what i thnk they are going through upstairs.

Round two Lopez has felt the reactions and knows he can remain in the same mode safe, but now uses his footwork to launch leaping jabs and still has time to react to the reaction in saftey. He pays once for landing and going out square to him. No biggie cause he is still moveing out when caught. I think his style forces others to try and throw caution to the wind at some point, stand their ground,move and try to come around his tight arms ,but this guy isnt buying any of that yet he is still mirroring to a large degree but he is back a split second through continual checking.

ill watch it again cant remeber round 3 much,(had to leave here for while and come back), other than they were starting to open a bit more I felt Ohashi may just be following Lopez pattern to keep up more than trying anything really of his own but hey first time I've seen him. Both opened up more took more risks closing distance and sticking it some flourishes that land in both ranges, in both styles old elbows in and elbows out in the closer range.They still arent sitting on their punches in close cause they are cautious and still want to be able to move back into sword fighting range but you can feel its comming soon.

Oh yeah i remember, lopez is thnking :right you arnt opening up, this is like shadow boxing a mirror I cant get around those extended arms Im going lower and comming in on a slight angle and aiming right between those tight elbows and see if i can slice your stye open with a few lead uppercuts see how you react to that for future reference just i and out stay if you react wrong (nearly worked).Put that in the bank...

Started off the same ohashi mirroring the basic jab and stance.Seems what ever Lopez does Ohashi tries too. Even a wild round house punch is mirrored Lopez thinks right then lets get those arms down a bit, fast low jabs gets them down.Think s right lets see you mirror this lot. Slight adjust ment and straight Opening right hands beat him to the draw.the reaction isnt there lopez all over all around him.
Ohashis arms arnt the same anymore his mind isnt either after tasting power. Lopez has his power measured and has his timing down So lopez is bodily jumping in with shots that are takig there toll, he's all over him like a rash.
Made Ohashi think about three differerent things and made him pay for each in between the transition.
Lopez was a cat playing for a while till he got bored. Fought the dude left handed for while then went to town feints etc ,moving away with his head but bringing the right hand into play like whip by moving bodily to create the opening for it and closing distance at the same time while on the move.
Ohashi never was in this fight, he was just allowed to think so at the onset.

This is a great idea. I signed up just to be able to contribute. I probably risk sounding a little esoteric, but I can always clarify unclear points later.

First a slight preamble, as this is relevant to my reading of the fight.

The art of technical boxing is that of controlling distance. Now, this statement - most often made on its own - is a bit vague. How do you control distance? Well, there MUST necessarily exist a deterrent to the opponent's advance. If there is no deterrent, he can just walk inside your personal sphere and punch any time he cares to do so. The punches themselves are NOT the real deterrents. This would make a mockery of the notion of "the sweet science", for there it is no incredible feat of science to determine that getting punched hurts! No - the science is in the stance and in the expression of your awareness. Correct stance carries with it a more indirect threat of force; how your weight is distributed, how your hands and arms are carried, and how you give distinguishing feeling to the right side in contrast with the left side of your body.

Starting in the first round, Lopez shows a very tight and technical stance. He is very, very well schooled. A principle that most boxers know of subconsciously but rarely if ever recognize outright, is that of "high-low".

The left arm, held correctly, threatens from the left iliac crest portion of the hips through the forearm directed at the opponent's center-line. In other words, it threatens from down low and up. The left arm is the active threat - a gatekeeper, a knife point, an antennae, the light infantry.

The right arm, held correctly, threatens from the back of the shoulder of the arm held on top of the right side of the hip. In other words it threatens from up high and downwards. The right arm is an indirect threat - the sledgehammer, the cavalry.

If this is properly implemented, the opponent must thus constantly be on guard against two different threats from two different angles. When I was a kid, one of my favorite shows was Quantum Leap. I remember how in one episode featured a dilemma where Scott Bacula's character had to win a game at the pool table. His assistant/guide Al, visible only to Bacula, helped him by putting holographic beams of light from the balls to the pockets. I often imagine these kinds of beams projected invisibly from the left side and the right side. Both are diagonal, up and down.

In the first round specifically, Lopez absolutely dominates with his left side. It is all the things I described. A gatekeeper that checks Ohashi's aggression, a well directed knife point that is a constant threat, antennae to gauge his intention and light infantry to skirmish and score points. Notice how he throws it straight from the shoulder, in a hammering motion, nothing behind it... just tapping, tapping, tapping lightly. Then he suddenly drops some weight on his left left leg and comes with it straight from underneath. I call it pet and slap. You pet it, lull it into docility, then slap it unexpectedly! Then you pet it again, and so on.

Ohashi, on the other hand, offers absolutely nothing with his left side. His forearm is always directed at the ceiling instead of at Lopez and he is dazzled by Lopez' movement and left hand. His own left is absolutely neutralized. This leaves him with his sledgehammer (right hand), but nothing to set it up with.

Lopez' movement is masterful. He is always flirting with stepping on line with his opponent - that is to say, Lopez keeps his left foot in line with Ohashi's left foot and forces him to be wary. At any time Lopez might step from behind the cover of "the wall" (the area outside of Ohashi's left foot) and blast him with something heavy. Another thing is Lopez' choice of distance. If we distinguish the three ranges of boxing as close, medium and long... Lopez is forever on the outer reaches of medium range, always ready to go to long range and thus drawing his opponent in. Ohashi becomes the proverbial donkey following a carrot on a stick. He is being led by the intention he puts behind his own right hand.

In boxing, initiative is held by the man who makes the other guy react to him. Again, another boxing truism that is more than a little vague. But imagine two kings on a chess board (meaning one square at a time in any direction). One moves, and the other shadows. The one that moves first dictates the movement of the other... but only if he is exactly one move ahead at all times. If he is two or three squares ahead, his initiative is lost. The opponent is free to do whatever he pleases. One step ahead and the opponent must shadow your move to maintain the position. While he is catching up, you are in control. You can feint him, turn him, punch him or whatever else.

So Lopez is doing two seemingly noncomplementary things at the same time.

1) He is maintaining the distance with his stance.
2) He is drawing his opponent in with his movement.

However, if he did one without the other, his performance would be much less effective. By doing both, Ohashi is constantly encouraged to come forward, yet has to step through a tunnel of booby traps every time he tries to go for the inner sanctum. If the distance were greater, Ohashi would not be compelled to advance. He could enage at his leisure.

Lopez walks Ohashi into harder punches and throws more combinations as the rounds go on. Notice that most of his movement is to the right, away from his opponent's right. Lopez then makes a little movement to the left, enough to get Ohashi set to punch and then he's off in the other direction, punishing the defused champion from a different angle.

By the fifth round, Lopez is hitting his opponent so easily, that the end is inevitable.

May I suggest Mike McCallum vs Donald Curry as the next subject?

Dadi, that was a salient post, thanks for posting that. Your post has prompted me to get back to this. Thanks for everyone that has taken the time to watch the fight and has posted what they have seen. I apologize for not following up earlier, anyways here's some of my notes that I made before:

Round 1
"Ricardo is being patient; he isn’t committing himself too early in the fight and is mostly throwing jabs to gauge distance. He maintains a distance just outside of punching range, rarely stepping in close. However he does step in with his jab, which is a quick lunge and jab that is all in one movement. In this fashion, Ricardo begins to lead with a straight left to body. Hideyuki’s answer to this is to parry while stepping backwards.
For the most part, Ricardo is dictating the distance, staying out of range until he lunges. He occasionally steps in to lead with his right, but does not stay in range long enough to allow for an exchange. He does seem to dip forward, crouching slightly on several occasions, perhaps looking for any openings in his opponent. As Ricardo continues to step in with his straight left to the body, Hideyuki is having increasing trouble defending against it. Ricardo also begins to shift his leads to his opponent’s head.

Hideyuki’s jab when he steps in is slower than Ricardo’s. This is because unlike the way that Ricardo steps with his jab which is one movement (i.e. his jab thrown in sync with his left foot), Hideyuki on the other hand is not. Hideyuki jabs after he steps which gives Ricardo more time to react. At 1 minute and 9 seconds left on the clock, Ricardo steps in with another jab to Hideyuki’s head, in which Hideyuki slips and throws a right-cross that Ricardo manages to avoid by dipping inside of it. Ricardo then separates and bangs in a quick left hook off the side Hideyuki’s head that Hideyuki can’t see because he was looking downward at that moment.

With about a half-minute left, Hideyuki quickly advances toward Ricardo, and then slipping inside of a jab he throws a right-cross counter that lands. This is Hideyuki’s best punch of the round, if perhaps the only punch of his that has landed. With 17 seconds left, Ricardo jumps in, leading with a jab that lands flush against Hideyuki’s face right between the gloves. He then attempts to follow it up with a right hand, and then two left-uppercuts. Things are heating up as the round comes to a close. Ricardo lands a jab on Hideyuki’s face, and then follows up with a left uppercut that grazes past Hideyuki’s head. They’re now standing in punching range and Ricardo throws a 1-2, a moment later Hideyuki throws a left hook to the body that Ricardo manages to evade.

Round 2
The fight resumes with Ricardo gauging distance, and once again he starts to lung with a straight left. Hideyuki rushes at Ricardo, swinging with his left and missing as Ricardo quickly retreats back out of range. Seconds later they both step forward into punching range. Hideyuki slips to the outside of a straight right, and Ricardo then proceeds to follow up with a left hook that Hideyuki ducks under. Ricardo quickly pivots to the right of Hideyuki, and through shifting tries to feint a right hand, but it yields no reaction from Hideyuki.

Ricardo leads with another straight left. It’s deceptive because can’t be sure of whether it’s aimed at the head or the body. Therefore Hideyuki is having trouble defending against with these leads. Again Ricardo goes back to measuring with his left, crouching slightly ever so often, perhaps because he’s looking for an opening or it’s to make Hideyuki unsure of where he will lead to next. Ricardo’s next jab penetrates between his opponent’s gloves, and Ricardo follows up with a right hand. The right hand is becoming more prevalent as the fight goes on. After Ricardo’s next jab is parried he tries to follow up with a left hook. Soon thereafter Ricardo leads with a right hand then circles to his right. Ricardo scores with another lightning fast, fencer-like jab at Hideyuki’s head. He moves in low throwing a right uppercut, and then gets hit clean with a left-hook from Hideyuki as he begins his own left-hook. Moments later he lunges forward and bangs a jab off Hideyuki’s face and follows up with a right hand.

Hideyuki is measuring with his left, and then feints with his right. Ricardo then leads with a left hook and follows up with a right hand that lands cleanly. Ricardo then feints a jab and then steps in with a jab to the head that appears to get parried, but follows up with a left hook..."


Going over the fight like this was getting tedious, so next time I'll just go over the main points in a fight.

In this fight, Lopez was constantly dictating the distance, and thereby he was able to walk Ohashi into punches. He would often snipe from the outside with those quick stepping jabs of his. Lopez has very good movement, which he used frequently to limit the exchanges, hardly giving Ohashi a chance to hit him back. He opens up with the rest of his punches as the fight goes on because Ohashi is walking into his line of fire. Even when the fight excalated to close range, Ricardo Lopez was getting the best of Ohashi.

Anyways, Mike McCallum vs Donald Curry sounds good to me. I haven't watched that fight yet.