Nelson Tops Jhonson in Las Vegas

By Marc Livitz: Wille "The Great" Nelson scored an upset tonight with a unanimous decision win over Yudel Jhonson at the Texas Station Casino Hotel in Las Vegas in a ten round junior middleweight contest. The bout’s initial round saw Nelson do his best to establish his jab as well as utilize his sizable reach advantage. Jhonson, (12(8)-2), stood at 5’10", while Nelson, (19(11)-1), reigned tall at an impressive 6’3". The first knockdown of the fight came inside the halfway point of the second round when Nelson connected with a solid right hook that momentarily dropped the 2004 Olympic silver medalist, which was the first professional knockdown of his brief career. Jhonson landed a number of hard lefts to end the round.

In the third, Nelson was able to connect with his right hands in a straightforward fashion, while Jhonson was made to work hard for the looping shot. The Cleveland fighter was able to keep his Cuban opponent at bay. The fourth proved to be Jhonson’s window to close the gap on his American opponent. He worked with much pugilistic diligence to get close to Nelson. His opportunity arrived with less than forty seconds to go. Jhonson landed a solid left hook to the chin of Nelson which sent the Ohio native to the canvas. He rose quickly. Yudel swarmed Nelson after the knockdown, but the American was able to survive. He did his best to shake the cobwebs in the fifth and he staggered his Cuban rival more than once. After five rounds, the fight was perhaps a toss-up.

Jhonson became the counter puncher in the sixth. He clearly hoped to catch Nelson as the lanky fighter from Ohio began to lean into his shots. Each took a somewhat conservative approach in the seventh round, although Jhonson did his best to force his taller opponent back. The fight began to slow to a bit of a grind in the eight, much thanks to the jab of Willie Nelson. He tried to push the action in round nine, although Jhonson had some answers of his own whenever Nelson got to too close. The Cuban defector seemed to sense trouble as the tenth and final round began. Two to three lateral steps for Jhonson only meant one for the much taller Nelson. He outworked Jhonson tonight. The decision was left to the judges, as was the undercard. When the totals were counted, they read as follows: 95-94 and two saw it 97-92, all for Willie "The Great" Nelson by way of unanimous decision.

Undercard Report

In a matchup between two undefeated fighters, Alexander Brand (17(15)-0) of Colombia made his second appearance in the United States as he faced Swede Badou Jack "The Ripper" (10(8)-0) in an eight round super middleweight contest. The bout was Jack’s first at 168 lbs. The opening bout was very much a case of the two combatants making an attempt to get to know the other. Many jabs were exchanged, but not much else. The 35 year old Brand did his best to push the action in the second as he used his forcefulness and size to rough up his foe. The Colombian found a home for his left jab and right cross in the third, which helped to nullify the height advantage held by Jack. Brand had Gabriel Sarmiento in his corner (trainer of Sergio Martinez) and the sparring he had put forth with "Maravilla" Martinez had certainly proved to be to his benefit in the first three rounds of the fight.

In the fourth, long time amateur Brand almost mimicked the hands-down style of Martinez and scored at will. Throughout the opening rounds, Badou Jack did maintain the proper amount of discipline, yet it was Brand who was simply doing more. Jack found a bit of a revival in the fifth as he found a spot for his effective left/right combinations. The sixth saw Brand retake the momentum with constant pressure and movement.  The Swede (by way of Gambia) tried in vain to land his left hook, which allowed Brand to connect with his right cross. By this point, Brand held the upper hand in quantity, while Jack was in the good with quality. The eighth and final period was one minute gone when time was stopped for Sarmiento to adjust Brand’s protective gear. Once this intermission passed, the two fighters commenced to battle the last minute of the round to a resounding conclusion. Considering his age, Brand did well. The final decision was left to the three judges at ringside. Their results were as follows: 77-75 (Jack), 77-75(Brand) and 77-75 for Jack. Alexander Brand suffered his first defeat.

Undercard Report

In a matchup between two undefeated fighters, Alexander Brand (17(15)-0) of Colombia made his second appearance in the United States as he faced Swede Badou Jack "The Ripper" (10(8)-0) in an eight round super middleweight contest. The bout was Jack’s first at 168 lbs. The opening bout was very much a case of the two combatants making an attempt to get to know the other. Many jabs were exchanged, but not much else. The 35 year old Brand did his best to push the action in the second as he used his forcefulness and size to rough up his foe. The Colombian found a home for his left jab and right cross in the third, which helped to nullify the height advantage held by Jack. Brand had Gabriel Sarmiento in his corner (trainer of Sergio Martinez) and the sparring he had put forth with "Maravilla" Martinez had certainly proved to be to his benefit in the first three rounds of the fight.

In the fourth, long time amateur Brand almost mimicked the hands-down style of Martinez and scored at will. Throughout the opening rounds, Badou Jack did maintain the proper amount of discipline, yet it was Brand who was simply doing more. Jack found a bit of a revival in the fifth as he found a spot for his effective left/right combinations. The sixth saw Brand retake the momentum with constant pressure and movement.  The Swede (by way of Gambia) tried in vain to land his left hook, which allowed Brand to connect with his right cross. By this point, Brand held the upper hand in quantity, while Jack was in the good with quality. The eighth and final period was one minute gone when time was stopped for Sarmiento to adjust Brand’s protective gear. Once this intermission passed, the two fighters commenced to battle the last minute of the round to a resounding conclusion. Considering his age, Brand did well. The final decision was left to the three judges at ringside. Their results were as follows: 77-75 (Jack), 77-75(Brand) and 77-75 for Jack. Alexander Brand suffered his first defeat.

May 11, 2012