They HAD to fight... It was CLOSE...

[CLBinTX]

...that's pretty much it in a nutshell. It was a mandatory defense. The fight was VERY close. Personally, I thought Tomasz won but I wouldn't have been put off by a draw or a close (1-2 pts) decision either way. I would imagine the 4th round will serve as a case study for judges in the future. How do you score a round where one fighter dominates the vast majority of the round only to get dropped at the very end? 8-10 against the knocked down fighter, 9-10 against, 10-10, 10-9 FOR????

I think when Steve watches the tape, he will see that it was a VERY winnable fight from his perspective. More commitment to the jab & the straight right hand combined with better left-hand defense (Tomasz made a living coming over the top of Steve's left with his right most of the evening) and the result might have been very different. Steve had a significant reach advantage and simply gave it away, IMHO. A significant tactical error, but certainly one that could be rectified given another opportunity.

The former champion did MORE enough to be afforded an opportunity to reclaim the belt. Not to mention the fact that he conducted himself with a champion's class throughout the buildup & the fight. Call me old-fashioned but it's the type of behavior that ought to be encouraged.

All in all, the fight was entertaining enough that the principals & a promoter should be able to make enough shekels to do it again.

Hopefully, the public won't have to sit through too many "gadget" fights in the interim.

[brownsugar]

very entertaining would love to see the rematch