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(continuation)
Support Bout
Englishman Bruce Woodcock continued to show why he is held in such high regard by many boxing experts. He put on an entertaining display in defeating Pittsburgh's Bob Baker by unanimous decision (59-53 on all three cards), maintaining his perfect record.
Baker had fought gamely in losses to the group's top two seeds (Jackson and Gardner) but with the exception of an uneventful opening round, he was never in this one. Woodcock punished him throughout, especially during the fourth round, when the Pennsylvanian was dropped twice by jolting, single uppercuts.
Without a doubt, Bruce Woodcock must be considered a chance to make it through to the second stage of the tournament. So far, he's shown an impressive offensive arsenal and an aggressive disposition that might just be enough to upset either Gardner or Jackson. The bouts to come between these three will be fascinating to watch.
Co-Feature
Having just seen his fellow Englishman Bruce Woodcock improve to 3-0, Jack Gardner knew a victory against South Africa's Johnny DuPlooy was vital in maintaining his position in the group standings.
Well, Gardner was able to get that victory, but not before surviving a spirited resistance from DuPlooy. The 21 year-old South African gave Gardner an almighty scare, and with a little more luck, could have scored himself a mighty upset.
Gardner had the better of the opening round, but in the second, DuPlooy came out and fought fire with fire, trading punishing shots with the 27th seed to the delight of the enthusiastic Yokohama audience. The action slowed some in the third before the South African won the fourth in convincing fashion, staggering a listless looking Gardner on two separate occasions.
Going into the fifth, all three judge's cards showed an identical 38-38 score. The Englishman was able to finish the bout in a stronger fashion, doing just enough in the fifth before shutting down DuPlooy in the final stanza. As a result, he took the unanimous decision, 58-56 on each card.
DuPlooy must be one of the unluckiest competitors in the HBF. He's fought gamely in all three of his bouts but has been unable to claim a victory. He held James Tillis to a draw on debut before giving Bruce Woodcock all he could handle in Texas. Tonight's verdict against Gardner must have been hard for him to handle, and it won't get any easier. Next up for him is the group's top seed, Peter Jackson.
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