ROUND BY ROUND

Round by round for super-welterweight championship fight between Oscar De La Hoya and Shane Mosley (J-official judges; T-Times staff):

ROUND 1

What happened: Shane Mosley, wearing powder blue/navy blue trunks, immediately looks to establish his jab, pressing the action against De La Hoya. De La Hoya, dressed in black shorts, tosses two lefts before landing the fight’s first good punch: a right hand to Mosley’s head. Mosley responds quickly with a good left that shakes De La Hoya. Mosley continues jabbing, moving forward as the round ends.

JUDGING:

J-Ford D 10-9

J-Christodoulou M 10-9

J-Hongtongkam M 10-9

T-Springer M 10-9

T-Harvey D 10-9

*

ROUND 2

What happened: Mosley doesn’t look undersized after moving up from 147 pounds. He misses a hard right. De La Hoya pursues his best weapon, the jab. He lands two at the top of Mosley’s head, acting encouraged by the development, as he repeats a sharper combination seconds later. Mosley dives in with a left hook, De La Hoya tries to pounce on an opening but misses. De La Hoya pops in a good jab in the final seconds.

JUDGING:

J-Ford M 10-9

J-Christodoulou D 10-9

J-Hongtongkam D 10-9

T-Springer D 10-9

T-Harvey D 10-9

*

ROUND 3

What happened: The fight settles down after referee Joe Cortez checks De La Hoya’s controversial high-fitting kidney belt. Mosley lands a good left to De La Hoya’s head. The fighters are tactical, looking for an opening. Mosley gets in a shot, a solid right to De La Hoya’s chin. De La Hoya answers with a stinging left to Mosley’s mouth.

JUDGING:

J-Ford D 10-9

J-Christodoulou D 10-9

J-Hongtongkam M 10-9

T-Springer 10-10

T-Harvey M 10-9

*

ROUND 4

What happened: Mosley, ducking a left 30 seconds into the round, butts heads with De La Hoya, opening a cut to the side of De La Hoya’s right eyebrow. A doctor examines as blood trickles from the cut. Mosley appears more aggressive, landing an effective jab to the head. De La Hoya wipes blood from the cut with the thumb of his glove. Mosley aims punches at De La Hoya’s body, inserting a strong right, then an effective combination. De La Hoya has slowed.

JUDGING:

J-Ford D 10-9

J-Christodoulou D 10-9

J-Hongtongkam D 10-9

T-Springer D 10-9

T-Harvey M 10-9

*

ROUND 5

What happened: Salve applied during the break slows De La Hoya’s blood flow from the cut. Mosley lands a sharp right hand to end an exchange. De La Hoya is patient until the last 30 seconds, landing an impressive uppercut. Mosley sneaks in his own. The fight’s best exchange follows, with De La Hoya belting Mosley with a right-handed punch that nearly knocks out the fighter’s mouthpiece. Mosley prompts another exchange and raises his fist to the crowd at the bell.

JUDGING:

J-Ford D 10-9

J-Christodoulou M 10-9

J-Hongtongkam D 10-9

T-Springer M 10-9

T-Harvey D 10-9

*

ROUND 6

What happened: De La Hoya punches Mosley with a right, and Mosley accepts the opening with his own right to De La Hoya’s face. De La Hoya nearly trips in a later conflict, exhaling as he remains upright. Cortez calls timeout to re-tape De La Hoya’s left glove with 33 seconds remaining. De La Hoya buries an effective right to Mosley’s head.

JUDGING:

J-Ford M 10-9

J-Christodoulou M 10-9

J-Hongtongkam D 10-9

T-Springer D 10-9

T-Harvey D 10-9

*

ROUND 7

What happened: The crowd briefly boos as the fighters turn tactical following a big right hand by De La Hoya and a solid left by Mosley. Mosley gets the best of another fine exchange. De La Hoya’s impressive over-the-top right hand punctuates the final seconds.

JUDGING:

J-Ford D 10-9

J-Christodoulou D 10-9

J-Hongtongkam D 10-9

T-Springer D 10-9

T-Harvey M 10-9

*

ROUND 8

What happened: De La Hoya irritates Mosley by pushing him against the ropes. De La Hoya delivers a strong right hand. Mosley comes back with two crisp lefts. With 40 seconds remaining, De La Hoya’s impressive right punch hints that the fighters are headed to a decision. The last 30 seconds are dull, drawing boos again from a greedy crowd used to fiercer action.

JUDGING:

J-Ford M 10-9

J-Christodoulou D 10-9

J-Hongtongkam M 10-9

T-Springer M 10-9

T-Harvey D 10-9

*

ROUND 9

What happened: The fight’s best round. The fighters exchange big rights, drawing consecutive roars from the sellout throng. Mosley’s left hook, which has resulted in scoring shots to the body and head, whips De La Hoya’s head. Mosley again punches left-handed, belting De La Hoya in the ribs. De La Hoya responds impressively with a combination anchored by a left hand in a highlight-reel exchange. When the furious action slows, Mosley holds De La Hoya’s head down with his right glove, then follows seconds later with two more strong lefts. De La Hoya is protecting his right side.

JUDGING:

J-Ford M 10-9

J-Christodoulou M 10-9

J-Hongtongkam M 10-9

T-Springer M 10-9

T-Harvey M 10-9

*

ROUND 10

What happened: Amid the pro-De La Hoya crowd are obvious chants of “Mosley!” He delivers a good left to the head, then a hard right to De La Hoya’s side. Brushing it off, De La Hoya smacks Mosley with a combination to the head. In a lull, Cortez urges action. Mosley throws a left that gets stuck past De La Hoya, leaving an opening De La Hoya fills with a strong right-handed punch. Another crowd-thrilling exchange follows. Mosley’s big right at the end caps the action.

JUDGING:

J-Ford M 10-9

J-Christodoulou M 10-9

J-Hongtongkam M 10-9

T-Springer M 10-9

T-Harvey M 10-9

*

ROUND 11

What happened: In the round De La Hoya knocked out his last opponent, Fernando Vargas, there are no sensational punches halfway in. Mosley’s good left increases the action, and he’s aggressive with De La Hoya against the ropes near a neutral corner. Again, De La Hoya’s obvious skill shines. He belts Mosley in the mouth, causing the challenger to lose his mouthpiece with 43 seconds remaining. De La Hoya adds another impressive left-right combination.

JUDGING:

J-Ford M 10-9

J-Christodoulou M 10-9

J-Hongtongkam M 10-9

T-Springer M 10-9

T-Harvey M 10-9

*

ROUND 12

What happened: The fighters raise their gloves and nearly hug before the bell starting the closing round. A big Mosley right and his peppering of stiff rights as the fighters lock are obvious to spectators. De La Hoya counters with a damaging right punch and a push of Mosley. The aggression heightens in a rousing exchange that Mosley follows with a scoring right and left. The compelling first minute has left a toll. De La Hoya spits drool. Mosley is obviously fatigued, and De La Hoya lands a strong punch to the side of Mosley’s face, followed another punishing combination. Mosley again attacks De La Hoya’s body, then smacks him in the face with a right. The fight’s last punch is a soft left by Mosley.

JUDGING:

J-Ford M 10-9

J-Christodoulou M 10-9

J-Hongtongkam M 10-9

T-Springer D 10-9

T-Harvey M 10-9

*

TOTALS:

J-Ford M 115-113

J-Christodoulou M 115-113

J-Hongtongkam M 115-113

T-Springer M 115-114

T-Harvey M 115-113

-- LANCE PUGMIRE