THAT wasn’t too bad for someone who was expected, by even some of our local boxing experts to just roll over and die. Gerry Penalosa gave it his all and executed his game plan well.
The fight itself was closer than the scores would seem to suggest. Three inept and myopic judges somehow scored it 119-109 (twice) and 120-108.
I had Gerry winning by two points and it’s not because I predicted him to win.
If you think I’m biased then I deplore you to take a look again at the scorecards. It was nowhere near the vicinity of a shutout as it was a close, competitive fight all the way. A two or three point margin either way would have been deemed acceptable. At the end of the day however, we have to accept the inescapable fact that judging a fight is, like beauty, in the eye of the beholder. It is subjective and prone to one’s preferences and partiality.
Be that as it may, please allow me to share with you some insights on why Gerry’s work was not appreciated.
MISUNDERSTOOD. Counterpunching is mostly a misunderstood craft. Most of the time, it is the boxers and the punchers who are awarded clear cut points over counter-punchers.
Boxers pile up points because they look pretty good. They flick a jab here and there, maybe follow it up with a booming right hand, then dance out of harm’s way, all the while having the gumption to probably stick out a tongue or do a shuffle. Think Sugar Ray Leonard and Muhammad Ali.
Punchers earn points the obvious way. They hurt people by backing them up or knocking them down. Here, Mike Tyson and George Foreman come to mind. And no, biting an opponent’s ears is not included in a puncher’s repertoire.
What boxers and punchers do have in common is that majority of the time, they are initiating the attacks and the movement. Hence, they appear to be the aggressor or at least appear to be pressing the action and controlling the fight.
Counter punchers like Gerry, on the other hand, seldom initiate but prefer to wait for the opponent to make a mistake and then capitalize. They will allow you to begin the exchange. When you lower your right hand to throw a body punch, the counter-puncher will either parry it or beat you to it with a beautifully timed left hook to the jaw.
He is forever setting up traps, looking for openings. He might even entice you to punch him by exposing one side of his body, all the while waiting to counter you at every turn. Sometimes, he will allow your punch to land on his arms, his gloves or even on the side of the head, anywhere that to him is safe, so that they can feed you with counters so accurate they seem to be radar guided.
Do you know why Gerry seemed to land the harder punches in that fight? It was not because he was the stronger fighter out there. It was because he was more accurate and precise and so his punches had more impact. To them, timing is everything and hence, it is a difficult craft to master.
Of course, not every trap ensnares and not every one is fooled every time and so some punches will land. It’s boxing guys, and not chess, so you obviously get hit.
However, to the untrained observer, this system of waiting and setting up counters translates to passivity and the judge who prefers activity and aggression is more likely to score the round in favor of the initiator.
To my mind, the judges saw a more active De Leon throwing plenty of leather and flailing on Gerry’s gloves, arms, elbows, and forehead. Whatever, as long as he’s landing he’s scoring. But the question is, is he necessarily the better fighter? The Last Round says it’s a big no. He obviously meant for these punches to be landing elsewhere and the fact that the counter-puncher has him where he wants him shows who is controlling the fight. Gerry imposed his will on De Leon and not the other way around. He was having fun out there, while De Leon was clearly the confused and frustrated fighter. That’s why Gerry should have won.
THE LAST ROUND. Today’s last round is on my best buddy Edge, who waved goodbye to lovely Boston and his adoring wife Mei a few weeks ago, to visit family and friends here. We missed you dude, and welcome back. Cheers!
