Erik Morales vs. Danny Garcia Saturday night fight thread

[Spicoli]

Seeing Morales with a muffin top and getting knocked around like that is embarrassing. This is mostly mental now for Garcia...he's faster, sharper and Morales looks lethargic and forced. Garcia needs to start pace and finish pace and not be in aww. Its all there.

[fan johnny]

I think Garcia is too slow but tough. The other you fights Morales face were a little faster. I don't know if he's just a slow starter but it doen't look like he'll win on the score cards.

[Gandalf]

The judges have Garcia 2 up after 4? WTF?

Morales is winning this 4-1 as far as I can see. We don't need anymore officiating nonsense.

[Gandalf]

Garcia's round. 4-2.

Is Morales starting to go into the trenches?

[Redhawk05]

There was nothing "dirty" about the stoppage. It's frustratig and leaves us unsatisfied, but there's nothing dirty at work and no reason to get on that "This is why boxing is dying" soapbox.

This was a classic case of letter-of-the-law versus intent-of-the-law that happens in EVERY sport: Flagrant fouls in basketball, roughing penalties in football, balk violations in baseball, etc. By the letter of the law, the ref was supposed to DQ Molina. His corner stepped into the ring; that's a DQ. Now by the intent of the law, the ref could have (should have) let it slide. But nobody would be all disgusted and upset if Molina was clearly losing the fight; it only looks like an injustice because he was winning.

My biggest problem is with Harold Lederman blaming the Texas ringside officials for not keeping Molina's corner out of the ring. Every cornerman knows they're not supposed to get in the ring before the round is over; so what were the Texas people supposed to do, physically hold them back?

I could swear I heard the bell n hence the end of the round

Exactly. It was a massive screw up.

Not exactly. On the replay where they kept the camera on Kirkland post-knockdown and we could hear the ref, you saw one of Kirkland's cornermen immediately started jumping up and down and -- what it looked to me -- calling out Molina's guy for getting in the ring. So that's at least one other person who knew a rule had been broken.

It's too bad that the knockdown happened right at the end of the round and it was such weird timing for everyone involved. It's too bad that we couldn't see a clean end to the fight. But I'm seeing everybody railing on the Texas officials and the refs, and nobody is blaming Molina's corner guy. Think about it: Why was he the only one to get in the ring? None of Molina's other corner guys got in the ring, and none of Kirkland's corner even moved toward the ring, because they all knew it wasn't the right time.

[Gandalf]

I really didn't need to see a replay of that stoppage. The bell was heard. Utter bullshit.

[Mars_ax]

Lederman has it even through 8. 78-78 or 4-4 in rounds, seems about right to me.

Garcia has his best success when he backs Morales into the ropes.

[Gandalf]

The fight has closed, but it seems the judges are trying to give it to Garcia no matter what. Morales has to go for broke as this sport is crooked.

[fan johnny]

Lederman has it even through 8. 78-78 or 4-4 in rounds, seems about right to me.

Garcia has his best success when he backs Morales into the ropes.

I have Garcia winning the last 4 rounds.

[Mars_ax]

Morales seems to be lathargic, and not fighting with his usual zeal, he's also getting hit with a lot of big punches.

[Redhawk05]

I really didn't need to see a replay of that stoppage. The bell was heard. Utter bullshit.

Just because the bell rang doesn't mean Molina's guy can get into the ring while the ref is still counting. It wasn't even like he was on 7 or 8 and about to officially end the round. He was on 5. Plain and simple, Molina's guy jumped the gun and it cost his fighter. Why is nobody blaming him?

[Spicoli]

I'm asking myself why a ref who had already noticed a corner man enter the ring, after a bell rang but completed count and used discretion to continue fight, has to walk over to a judge (the really massive dude in background)...kneel down and have a prolonged conversation...and only then decide to jump up and wave it off on technicality

Is that Delahoyas Father sitting next to Oscar in background ?

[Gandalf]

I have the fight even, but I don't trust these judges.

[fan johnny]

I just gave that last one to Morales, but missed the first 3 rounds. I'm guessing its pretty even.

[Mars_ax]

Lederman still has it even after 10, 95-95 or 5 rounds each.

Morales down in the 11th.