By: Sean Crose
Showtime’s longtime struggle program ShoBox returned to the airwaves Friday evening with a 3 struggle card which was broadcast dwell from Topeka, Kansas. First up was a scheduled 8 spherical tremendous welterweight affair between the 10-0 Kurt Scoby and the 70-0-1 John Mannu. The first spherical noticed every man making an attempt to set the tone of the struggle. A terrific proper despatched Mannu to the canvas as the beginning of the second. Mannu acquired up, however was despatched down once more by a physique blow a second later. Getting up as soon as extra, he was subsequently despatched to the mat but once more. Mannus deserved credit score for getting up as soon as once more, however a thunderous Scuby despatched the sport Aussie down and out earlier than the spherical got here to an finish.
Next up, the 14-1 Misael Lopez battled the 13-1 Edward Vazquez in a scheduled 10 spherical featherweight affair. The first spherical was a sense out course of for each whereas the second noticed Lopez hit the mat. Yet the person got here again robust within the third whereas issues remained tight within the fourth. Vazquez banged away at his man within the fifth, and he continued to press the motion within the sixth, although Lopez fought on the rear foot viscously and successfully. Both males traded effectively within the seventh, although Lopez might have been the extra energetic of the 2.
By the eighth the struggle was clearly a battle of attrition, entertaining however brutal. The battle continued into the ninth the place Vazquez fired the stronger shot however Lopez fired extra regularly. The tenth and closing spherical noticed every man attempt to summon up the vitality to maintain up with the opposite. It was some struggle, one the judges dominated in favor of Vazquez by a break up choice.
It was time for the primary occasion. The 12-0 Ardreal Holmes Jr aimed to keep up his profitable methods in opposition to the 12-0 Ismael Villareal in a scheduled 10 spherical tremendous middleweight bout. Things began gradual, with Holmes holding Villareal at bay with a protracted jab. With that being stated Villareal pushed the motion within the second. Holmes was nonetheless capable of hold his man at bay within the third. By the fourth, nonetheless, Villareal was beginning to get to his man a bit.
By the fifth, the struggle was changing into monotonous, because it was a narrative of Holmes’ jab. Still, Villareal began having success within the sixth. Holmes started pushing the motion within the seventh. The eighth was just about extra of the identical. The ninth, as effectively. Villareal tried to make one thing occur within the tenth, but it surely was too little, too late. Holmes walked out with the choice win.
