GOOD
Joe George looked so-so at best for eight-plus rounds in his rematch with Marcos Escudero on the Angelo Leo-Tramaine Williams card Saturday.
The light heavyweight from Houston spent far too much time with his back against the ropes, where Escudero teed off. He generally threw punches one at a time, not in combination. And he was generally outworked by his Argentine rival, who led on two cards after eight rounds.
Indeed, things looked bleak for George as the bell rang to start Round 9.
Then, in one of those eye-popping moments unusual to combat sports, Escudero ducked under a right hand from George and was nailed by a perfect left uppercut that put him on his back and rendered him semiconscious.
Fight over. Viral video born.
The knockout is one of the most brutal elements of boxing. It’s also one of the most thrilling and dramatic, a violent reminder that any fight can change in an instant when a fist traveling at a high rate of speed finds its target in just the right way.
Few would’ve been talking about the George-Escudero fight had it gone the distance, except perhaps one unexplainable card (see below). As it was, George stole the first post-lockdown Showtime-PBC show with his mighty blow.
For most fans, it was boxing at its most appealing.
BAD
Sometimes you see or hear the scoring of a particularly fight and think, “huh?”
That was the case when the scores of the George-Escudero fight were announced. Don Trella and Steve Weisfeld had Escudero winning 79-73 and 77-75 after eight rounds, which reflected what happened in the ring. I had it 78-74 for Escuedro.
The third judge, Tom Carusone of Connecticut, had George leading 79-73, or seven rounds to one. George landed some eye-catching power shots and blocked most of the punches directed his way when his back was against the ropes.
Still, giving Escudero only one round was out of whack. The Argentine took the fight to George from beginning to end. He threw and landed many more punches than George did, which is the name of the game.
At worst, if he give George every single benefit of the doubt, a draw wouldn’t have been criminally outrageous. Seven rounds to one? No way.
Fortunately, Carusone’s scoring had no impact on the result. George took care of that. However, any highly questionable scoring should be a red flag.
I hope authorities in Connecticut review Carusone’s card with him, ask him how he arrived at 79-73 in favor of George and then take these steps: explain to him where he went wrong, require that he attend a refresher course on scoring and keep a close eye on him.
Honestly, I don’t want to be too hard on Carusone. Maybe it was just a bad night. At the same time, such scoring is damaging to the sport.
WORSE
I keep thinking about Stephen Fulton.
The talented 122-pounder was set to fight Angelo Leo for a vacant title in the main event Saturday on Showtime. Instead, after testing positive for COVID-19, he could only watch from a distance as Leo outpointed Tramaine Williams to realize his dream – and that of Fulton – of becoming a world champion.
Fulton put up a good front. He was all smiles and seemed to be taking his fate in stride during an interview on the Showtime telecast, but he had to be hurting.
He had to watch the fight and think, “I should be in there.” And when a jubilant Leo had his hand raised, “That should be me.”
Remember that fighters become obsessed with winning shiny championship belts from the moment they walk into the gym for the first time. And it was within Fulton’s reach … until a virus stepped in.
Fulton, only 26, is in position to challenge Leo for his new title. At least that’s the intention of the WBO, which designated the No. 1-ranked contender its mandatory challenger and gave the Leo-Williams winner 180 days to fight him.
If that happens, if Fulton gets his shot within six months, then the missed opportunity could end up being a blip in his career. One never knows, though. A lot can happen in 180 days to postpone his opportunity again.
Let’s hope that he and Leo reach an agreement to fight soon and actually step through the ropes. Fulton has earned that.
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