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(continuation of post #1086)
ROUND THREE
Very little of note happens during the top half of the round, with both men circling each other and throwing out the occasional shot before tieing each other up. Langford lands a number of jabs, keeping Sharkey at a distance more than anything else. But at the 1:35 mark it livens up considerably. After Langford is unsuccessful trying to double up on the jab there's a brief but fierce exchange, both men scoring shots but Langford coming out of it the better, the audience applauding the action.
It's from that point on that the Canadian asserts his will, dominating the rest of the round and catching Sharkey with a series of flush shots: two minutes in, a hard combination rocks Sharkey, putting him back on his heels, followed by a jolting uppercut and a sneaky, snapping right hand shortly after. The Irishman has little as a response and Langford peppers him with the jab, connects with the uppercut from in close and, in an eye-popping moment, makes a little room for himself and staggers Sharkey with a lightning trio of jabs and then a straight right, the bell sounding before he can do any more damage.
*
Langford showing his class in that round, no doubt. I have to say that no other competitor in the Heavyweight Boxing Federation has impressed me more through the organisation's first six months of life than this young man. Sharkey will have to dig deep to pull this fight out.
My scorecard: Langford 10-9
(Langford 29-28 after Round Three)
Punch totals for Round Three
Langford: 38/92 (41.3%)
Sharkey: 6/21 (28.6%)
Punch totals after Round Three
Langford: 83/196 (42.3%)
Sharkey: 42/127 (33.1%)
ROUND FOUR
As was the case in the third, round four opens quietly, the first minute uneventful although Langford is clearly the busier fighter. He brings a groan from the Irish sections of the crowd when he drops the right hand on Sharkey, sweat spitting from his head as it snaps around on impact. He wabbles backwards but regains his senses quickly and is able to wrap Langford up in a clinch.
Sharkey is looking like he's out of gas at the moment, content to tie Langford up and avoid any exchanges. The Canadian scores with his staple, that pumping jab. Swelling is starting to appear on the right side of Sharkey's face.
Just when it seems the Irish slugger has already offered his all, he lands a big right hand. The shot clearly hurts Langford, the pain showing on his face. But Sharkey can't follow it up and it's actually the Canadian that fires away, ripping a left-right combo to the body and missing with a right hand to end the round.
*
Clealry, Sharkey is just holding on at this point. He's never had to face anyone with Langford's aggression and skill to this point in his career and he's finding a world of trouble trying to repel him. He needs to turn the contest around now, or else he'll be undefeated no more in about fifteen minutes.
My scorecard: Langford 10-9
(Langford 39-37 after Round Four)
Punch totals for Round Four
Langford: 23/51 (45.1%)
Sharkey: 7/19 (36.8%)
Punch totals after Round Four
Langford: 106/247 (42.9%)
Sharkey: 49/146 (33.6%)
(to be continued)
(Sorry, I know I said the next post would go through to the conclusion of the bout but I've just typed this up at home before going to work. The rest of the fight will be up in about four hours, I promise.)
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