PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a featherweight kickboxing rules bout between Ping Pong (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Dirk Raeder (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Ping Pong could well score a knockout today. He has the power to get to Dirk Raeder's chin.

Pong
vs
Raeder

178 cm
19
147 lbs
2 - 0 - 0

180 cm
26
147 lbs
2 - 1 - 0

Excellent MT
Prefers standup

Great elbows
Good gas tank

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 5 rounds, in the featherweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 2 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Tokyo, Ping Pong!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 2 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Tokyo, Dirk Raeder!
The judges for this bout are Sosuke Kotani, Tatsuya Matsuyama and Shigeki Fujiwara.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Pong throws a right hand that Raeder ducks under and follows up with a left that Raeder also avoids with ease.
Some wild striking there from Raeder.
Raeder throws a combination but comes up with nothing but fresh air.

Raeder gets tackled into the ropes by Pong. Pong maintains the clinch.

Raeder breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Raeder tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Pong was well out of range. Poor timing from Raeder.

Raeder moves into the clinch.
Raeder is trying to push Pong away but Pong has him pressed against the ropes, so he's going nowhere.
Raeder creates a bit of distance and throws an elbow that only just misses.
Raeder throws a knee to the head but misses.
Raeder has had enough of the clinch but Pong keeps him there for the moment.
Pong throws an elbow but it's blocked.

Raeder breaks from the clinch.

Raeder clinches up with Pong and pushes him back against the ropes.
Pong looking to stall.
Raeder is trying to stall.
Raeder blocks the elbow strike.
Raeder avoiding damage as Pong throws knees to the body.
Raeder is trying to stall.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Raeder breaks the clinch.
Donk. Pong catches Raeder right on the button with a cross.

Raeder clinches.
Raeder working aggressively here.
Raeder with an attempt at a knee that misses.
Raeder lands a nice knee to the body.
Pong scores with an uppercut up the middle.
Nice body punch from Raeder - that landed with a thud.
Raeder creates a bit of distance and throws an elbow that only just misses.
Pong misses with a short punch on the inside.
Pong on the defensive, avoiding the knees to the body.
Raeder swings away with an uppercut that misses.
Raeder with a knee to the head.
Raeder crunches a lovely knee into Pong's ribcage.
Raeder can't break the clinch.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Raeder lands an elbow inside.

Raeder escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.

Raeder closes the distance and pushes Pong back into the ropes.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Pong is trying to maintain a safe position but Raeder gets an underhook and turns Pong into the ropes.
Raeder gets through Pong's defenses to land a nice punch to the side of the head.
Raeder working some nice short punches in the clinch.

Raeder pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
Good shot there by Pong.
Pong getting the better of the striking in that exchange.
Pong looking to take his opponent's legs away with the low kicks.

Raeder has Pong up against the ropes in a clinch.
Raeder misses with an elbow strike.
Pong trying to stall but Raeder improves his position.
Raeder tries a knee to the head but Pong blocks it.
Raeder misses with an elbow strike.
Stalling in the clinch from Pong.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Raeder is looking to score with knees to the body. Maybe he'll change it up and go body then head. Pong is defending well for now.
Pong on the defensive, avoiding the knees to the body.
Raeder is trying to force a seperation but Pong has the dominant position.
Raeder lands a shoulder strike.
Pong looking to stall.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Dirk Raeder dominated that round.
The fighters get back to their feet, the hooter sounds and we're back to the action!

Raeder moves into the clinch successfully.
Good body shot from Pong.

Raeder escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.

Raeder gets a clinch.

Raeder manages to break the clinch.
Raeder uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from Pong.

Pong tries to keep at a distance but Raeder has taken the fight into the clinch.
Pong stalling the fight.
Raeder just leaning against Pong, taking a breather.
Raeder connects with a nasty looking knee right to Pong's face.
Pong takes an elbow to the forehead.
Raeder lands with a short shot to the head.
Raeder lands an uppercut.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Pong misses with a shot to the kidneys.
Raeder lands a nice elbow from the clinch.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Pong taking a breather.
Pong landing some nice looking knees to the body.
Raeder throws a nice elbow but it doesn't land.
Pong is working hard here but doesn't seem to be able to control effectively, up against the ropes.
Raeder lands a knee to the body.
Pong working on landing some head shots here - that one got through nicely.
Pong managing to block the knees to the body from Raeder.
Pong misses with a short punch on the inside.
Pong scores with an uppercut up the middle.
Raeder working on landing some head shots here - that one got through nicely.
Raeder missing with knees to the body.

Raeder breaks the clinch.

Raeder moves into the clinch.
Raeder takes a knee to the side of the body.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Pong fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
Raeder misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Pong.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Raeder tries to land a knee to the head but Pong blocks with his arms.
Raeder throws a knee to the head but misses.
Pong dictating the pace here, as the fighters clinch against the ropes.
Dirk Raeder seems to be working more effectively in the clinch in the fight so far.
The fighters are starting to get sweaty, which will make takedowns a bit more tricky.
The crowd are getting pretty annoyed with Pong for his constant stalling in the clinch and are voicing their displeasure.
Raeder tries to land a knee to the body but he is off balance and Pong avoids it.
A short left from Pong.
Pong lands with a good tight uppercut to the head.
Raeder is working hard here but doesn't seem to be able to control effectively, up against the ropes.
A quick uppercut on the inside from Pong.
Pong trying to land knees to the body.
Raeder has had enough of the clinch and is looking to separate.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Pong managing to block the knees to the body from Raeder.
Pong throws a knee to the head but misses.
Pong digs a right hand into Raeder's ribs. Those have got to be taking their toll on Raeder's gas tank.
Pong has Raeder pressed against the ropes, preventing Raeder from circling away and getting back to striking at range.
A short right from Raeder on the inside.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Dirk Raeder showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
The fighters get back to their feet, the hooter sounds and we're back to the action!

Raeder pushes Pong up against the ropes in a clinch.
Pong misses with a knee strike.
A real battle for position is taking place between these two warriors.
Pong dodges an elbow strike from Raeder.
Raeder misses with an elbow strike.
Raeder missing with knees to the body.
Pong misses with some punches.
Raeder with the Thai clinch. He's looking to land a big knee but he's not managed it this time.
Pong working some nice short punches in the clinch.
Pong misses with a knee strike.
A head punch on the inside from Pong fails to land.
Pong avoids a wild elbow strike from Raeder.
Pong trying to stall but Raeder improves his position.
Pong tries to throw a body punch but Raeder avoids it by throwing Pong back against the ropes.
Raeder fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
Raeder content to slow the pace in the clinch.
Pong throws a head punch that misses.
Pong has a couple of punches blocked by Raeder.
Pong stalling in the clinch.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Raeder managing to block the knees to the body from Pong.
Pong has Raeder pressed against the ropes.
Raeder missing with knees to the body.
Raeder looking to stall.
Pong wants to stall.
Pong blocks a knee to the body. He'll have a nicely bruised forearm in the morning.
Pong lands a left hand that snaps the head of Raeder backwards.
A real battle for position is taking place between these two warriors.
Pong blocks an elbow strike from Raeder.
Raeder lands a knee to the body.
Raeder throws an elbow but it misses.
Raeder lands a left hand.
Pong is working hard here but doesn't seem to be able to control effectively, up against the ropes.
Raeder lands a nice elbow from the clinch.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Raeder's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
Raeder looks to land a combination but Pong avoids it well.
Raeder takes a really solid shot there but just smiles back and shrugs his shoulders.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!

Pong rushes Raeder and pushes him back against the ropes in a clinch.
Pong misses with a knee to the head.
Pong lands an uppercut.
Raeder misses with an elbow over the top.
Pong misses with a body punch.
Raeder is trying to work out of this bad position, with his back against the ropes.
Raeder lands an elbow inside.
Raeder trying to stall but Pong improves his position.
Pong blocks a punch to the side of the head.
Raeder blocks an uppercut.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Pong has Raeder pushed against the ropes.
Good anti-grappling being displayed by Pong as Raeder tries to tie him up.
Raeder blocks an elbow strike from Pong.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close third round but Dirk Raeder just about did enough to take it.
The corners get their ten second warning. Both fighters stand from their stools and stare eachother down, ready to get back to the action.

Raeder tries to move into range but Pong moves to the side and lands with a nice right hand.

Raeder pushes Pong up against the ropes in a clinch.
Pong missing with knees to the body.
Raeder wants to break free. God knows he wants to breaaaak freeee.
Raeder looks to throw an elbow but misses.
Pong blocks an elbow strike from Raeder.
Pong misses with the head strike.
Pong misses with the head strike.
Pong blocks an elbow strike from Raeder.
Pong taking a breather.
Raeder landing knees to the body.
Pong misses with some punches.
Raeder misses with some punches.
Raeder throws a vicious knee straight up the middle but Pong blocks it with crossed arms.
Raeder lands a left hand that snaps the head of Pong backwards.
Pong controlling the action here for a moment.
Pong looks to throw an elbow but misses.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Raeder lands an elbow that stopped Pong in his tracks for a moment.
Both guys are working to get underhooks.
Pong avoiding damage as Raeder throws knees to the body.
Raeder pushes off and fires off an elbow that misses, before clinching up again, against the ropes.
A shot in the inside from Raeder.

Raeder's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.

Raeder closes the distance and clinches.
Raeder lands a hook to the side of the head.
Raeder pushes off and fires off an elbow that misses, before clinching up again, against the ropes.
A right hand to the body from Pong.
Pong pushes Raeder back against the ropes and lands a hook to the side of the head.
A real battle for position is taking place between these two warriors.
Raeder tries to land a knee to the body but he is off balance and Pong avoids it.
Good anti-grappling being displayed by Pong as Raeder tries to tie him up.
Pong content to slow the pace in the clinch.
Pong wants to stall.
Pong lands a nice looking hook to the body, against the ropes.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Raeder with an attempt at a knee that misses.
Pong misses with a hook from the clinch.
Pong is trying to slow down the pace in the clinch, to catch his breath.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Pong misses with a hook from the clinch.
Raeder lands an elbow inside that Pong shrugs off.
Raeder lands a body shot.
Raeder working hard to break the clinch.
Pong lands with a good tight uppercut to the head.

Raeder pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
A jab from Pong misses.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Oooooooooooh, not good. A low kick from Pong lands where it shouldn't have, right in the... well, you know what he did? He kicked him in the penis. He's injured, injured bad. The referee sends both fighters to their corners and Raeder has 5 minutes to recover. He's OK now though... a thumbs up from Raeder and we're back underway with a touch of gloves.

Pong moves into the clinch.
Raeder blocking some punches.
Raeder tries to land knees in the clinch but Pong avoids the damage to the body.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close fourth round but Dirk Raeder will probably get the nod - 10:9.
That's time! Back to the action! This is the final round!

Raeder throws a right hand that Pong ducks under and follows up with a left that Pong also avoids with ease.

Raeder gets to the clinch - let's see what his plan is here.
Pong misses with some punches.
Raeder blocks an uppercut.
Pong misses with some punches.
Raeder fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
Pong blocks the elbow strike.
Raeder creates a bit of space for himself and sneaks an elbow through Pong's defenses.
Raeder wants to push off and get back to the center of the mat but Pong has him pressed against the ropes.
Raeder blocks an elbow strike.
Pong doesn't land with the attempted body shot.
Pong lands a hook to the body. It's hard to tell if that hurt Raeder or not.

Raeder breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.

Pong has Raeder up against the ropes in a clinch.
Pong managing to block the knees to the body from Raeder.
Raeder comes over the top with an elbow. That landed flush.
Pong working on landing some head shots here - that one got through nicely.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Raeder lands an elbow just above Pong 's eye.
Raeder blocks an uppercut.
Pong is trying to stall.
Raeder tries to land a knee to the head but misses.
A short right from Pong.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Pong.
Pong dodges an elbow strike from Raeder.
Pong swings away with an uppercut that misses.
Pong managing to block the knees to the body from Raeder.
Pong is trying to stall.
Pong lands punches inside but they're not really causing much damage.
Raeder trying to stall but Pong improves his position.
Pong tries to work over Raeder's body with a swooping hook but it only glances the target.
Raeder with an attempt at a knee that misses.
Pong tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
Pong softening up his opponent with strikes, against the ropes.
Pong with the Thai clinch. He's looking to land a big knee but he's not managed it this time.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Raeder lands with a quick shot inside that doesn't really do much damage.
Pong tried to land a shot to the body but connects with Raeder's elbow.
Pong working aggressively here.
Raeder avoiding damage as Pong throws knees to the body.
A real battle for position is taking place between these two warriors.
Pong stalling in the clinch.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Raeder looking to stall.
Pong keeps the fight in the clinch, despite Raeder's efforts to push away.
Pong throws a knee to the head but misses.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Raeder missing with knees to the body.
Pong misses with the head strike.
Ping Pong has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Dirk Raeder is fighting for a decision - hopefully he's judged it right and he's actually winning the fight.
A head punch on the inside from Pong fails to land.

And that's the end of the fight!
Ping Pong showed his dominance in that final round.
I think Raeder has won this one but let's see whether the judges agree with me. Over to the ring announcer for the scorecards.

Ladies and gentlemen, after 5 rounds of action, we go to the scorecards for a decision.
Judge Sosuke Kotani scores the fight 47:48
Judge Tatsuya Matsuyama scores the fight 47:48
Judge Shigeki Fujiwara scores the fight 47:49

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Dirk Raeder!