PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a light heavyweight kickboxing rules bout between Josh Walsh (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Akihiko Yamato (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). These two fighters really are very evenly matched on the feet - it will be fascinating to see who can assert themselves in that aspect of the fight.

Walsh
vs
Yamato

187 cm
25
190 lbs
1 - 1 - 0

191 cm
18
205 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

Dangerous knees
Prefers standup

Lethal high kicks
Heavy handed

Condemned

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the light heavyweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 1 - 1 - 0, fighting out of London, Josh Walsh!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Amsterdam, Akihiko Yamato!
The judges for this bout are Sam Margolis, Daniel Bishop and Andrew Berry.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Yamato lands a front kick.
Walsh thumps Yamato with a low kick.
Walsh throws a wild combination but nothing lands.
No joy there for Walsh, who threw a few shots but didn't land.
Yamato throws out a loose jab but Walsh uses good head movement to avoid it.
Yamato blocks a jab.
Yamato throws a low kick, looking for Walsh's leg but Walsh calmly moves out of range.
Walsh on the wrong end of a nice low kick. He's acting like it's no big deal but he doesn't want to take many more of those.
Walsh ducks under a wild hook from Yamato.
A big left from Walsh misses.
Walsh displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Yamato throws out the jab.
Yamato tries a low kick but Walsh avoids it.
Walsh avoids the head kick by Yamato.
Walsh on the wrong end of an overhand right that came out of nowhere.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Some wild striking there from Walsh.
Yamato swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Walsh checks a low kick. Bone on bone - not my idea of a good time.
Walsh avoids the head kick by Yamato.
Yamato lands with a nice low kick. That'll leave a bruise.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Walsh throws a low kick, looking for Yamato's leg but Yamato calmly moves out of range.
Yamato misses with a head kick.
Walsh misses with a looping left.
Yamato throws a sloppy body shot
and Walsh counters with a stiff right hand.
Yamato checks the leg kick.
A telegraphed right hand from Yamato misses the target.
Walsh throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Yamato throws a leg kick but Walsh sees it coming and checks it nicely.
Walsh tries to bum rush Yamato with a series of wild strikes but Yamato uses good footwork to avoid the assault.
Walsh avoids a low kick by using good footwork.
Yamato pulls out of a head kick attempt.
Yamato fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Walsh manages to avoid it.
Yamato lands with an uppercut that bounces Walsh off the ropes and back into range.
Yamato throws a body kick but he was well out of range there.
Yamato misses the shot to the body.
Yamato misses with a body kick.
Walsh scores with a punch to the head.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Yamato throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
A looping hook to the body misses from Yamato. Walsh does a little dance to reset his feet.
Yamato avoids a punch combination nicely.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Walsh motions for Yamato to come forward. Walsh throws a leg kick but it misses it's target.
Walsh scores with a jab to the head.
Yamato scores with a sloppy punch to the body. Not much technique there but it did the business.
Walsh swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.
Walsh is breathing heavily.
Yamato dances in quickly and lands a nice inside leg kick on Walsh. That did some damage!
Yamato fakes with a right hand and throws a good leg kick, right into the thigh. That had to hurt Walsh.
An inside leg kick from Yamato misses.
Yamato tries a head kick but it misses.
Walsh moves out of range of the body kick.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
A nice leg kick lands there from Yamato.
Yamato is throwing a lot of body shots here, looking to wear down Walsh rather than just go for the knockout.
A bone on bone clash there as Walsh blocks the leg kick.
Walsh uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from Yamato.
Yamato throws a solid leg kick but Walsh takes the impact on his shin and smiles at Yamato.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Akihiko Yamato dominated that round.
The corners get their ten second warning. Both fighters stand from their stools and stare eachother down, ready to get back to the action.

Yamato throws out a loose jab but Walsh uses good head movement to avoid it.
A head kick misses from Yamato.
Walsh swings away with a leg kick that misses.
A good leg kick by Walsh.
Walsh scoring well with a low kick there.
Yamato on the wrong end of an overhand right that came out of nowhere.
Yamato scores with a reasonable looking shot to the body. Walsh doesn't seem bothered though.
Walsh getting the better of the striking in that exchange.
Yamato misses with a low kick.
Yamato scores with a jab to the body.
Walsh jabs Yamato to the body, keeping him at a distance.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Walsh looking to take his opponent's legs away with the low kicks.
Nice defenses there by Walsh.
Walsh tries to bum rush Yamato with a series of wild strikes but Yamato uses good footwork to avoid the assault.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
Walsh ducks under a wild hook from Yamato.
Walsh misses with the combination.
Yamato cracks a nice hook into Walsh's ribs.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Walsh chopped to the floor by a nice leg kick but he springs right back up before Yamato can pounce on him.
Yamato chopping away at his opponent's legs.
Yamato scores with a head kick.
Yamato throws out a loose jab but Walsh uses good head movement to avoid it.
Good exchange - Yamato coming out on top.
Yamato wants to slow Walsh down by chopping away at his legs.
Yamato swings for the body but Walsh moves out of range.
Yamato throws a front kick aimed at Walsh's knee but Walsh avoids it well.
Yamato throws a predictable looking body shot
and Walsh counters with a straight right hand.
Walsh keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Yamato swings and misses with a hook to the body.
A combination from Walsh does no damage.
Walsh misses with a jab and misses with a cross straight after too.
Walsh scores with a one two! Yamato had his feet all tangled up there and couldn't avoid the strikes.
Yamato stuns Walsh with a nice body shot, before stepping back out of range.
Josh Walsh is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
A left lands for Yamato.
Yamato lands with an overhand left.
Yamato throws a body kick but he was well out of range there.
Yamato lands with a nice low kick. That'll leave a bruise.
Walsh avoids the body shot from Yamato.
Donk. Yamato catches Walsh right on the button with a cross.
Walsh is hobbling a little on that front leg after taking quite a few leg kicks so far in this fight.
A good leg kick by Yamato.
Walsh takes one on the chin but keeps coming.
Yamato fakes with a right hand and throws a good leg kick, right into the thigh. That had to hurt Walsh.
Yamato jabs at Walsh's body.
Yamato cracks Walsh with a good jab.
Walsh moves forwards but Yamato connects with a nice, crisp jab.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Yamato throws a jab to the body, straight down the pipe. Boom. That sent Walsh stumbling backwards but he manages to regain his composure quickly.
Yamato wings a very wild body shot but it does the job and lands to the midsection.
Yamato misses with a head kick.
Yamato misses the shot to the body.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Akihiko Yamato showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action! This is the final round!

Boom, another hit is landed. "You're gunna get knocked out" taunts Walsh, as that shot connected.
Walsh takes a head kick and shrugs it off.
Walsh throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Yamato throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Walsh misses with the combination.
Walsh scores with a sloppy punch to the body. Not much technique there but it did the business.
Yamato throws a leg kick but Walsh sees it coming and checks it nicely.
Akihiko Yamato seems to be getting the better of the standup.
A head kick misses from Yamato.
Walsh moves out of range of the body kick.
Walsh jabs at Yamato's body.
Walsh tries to work over Yamato's front leg with a kick but Yamato checks it.
Walsh keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
A cross from Walsh lands.
Yamato throws a hook but Walsh avoids it easily.
Yamato sizes up Walsh with a pawing jab and scores with a straight right down the middle.
Walsh throws a quick inside leg kick.
Josh Walsh has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!

That's one minute gone in the round.
A looping hook to the body misses from Walsh. Yamato does a little dance to reset his feet.
Akihiko Yamato seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Yamato connects with a solid leg kick.
Yamato misses with a body kick.
Yamato dodges the punch combination from Walsh.
Walsh tries to score with an inside leg kick but telegraphs it and Yamato is able to avoid easily.
Yamato connects with a solid leg kick.
Yamato tries to land a leg kick but Walsh saw it coming and moves away.
Yamato throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.
The sound of bone on bone echoes around the arena as Yamato checks a leg kick.
Walsh throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
A clash of legs there as Walsh blocks the low kick.
Walsh catches Yamato with a nice straight right. He seems pissed - ooooh, it's on now! On like donkey kong!
Walsh misses with a body kick.
Yamato shapes like he's going to throw a leg kick but settles back down.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Walsh walks into a stiff left hand from Yamato.
Walsh looks to be in better condition than last time we saw him fight. Obviously he's been working hard on his cardio.
Yamato lands a nice leg kick that just misses Walsh's sensitive parts.
A leg kick checked by Walsh.
Walsh misses the shot to the body.
A looping hook to the body misses from Yamato. Walsh does a little dance to reset his feet.
Yamato misses with a body kick.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Yamato throws a body punch but Walsh moves out of range.
Walsh throws out a token jab with nothing on it.
Yamato tries a head kick but it misses.
Akihiko Yamato is fighting for a decision - hopefully he's judged it right and he's actually winning the fight.
Yamato scores with a jab to the jaw of his opponent.
Yamato cracks Walsh with a hook to the jaw. Both fighters smile at eachother and high-five before getting back down to business.
A good leg kick by Yamato.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Yamato throws a jab to the body, straight down the pipe. Boom. That sent Walsh stumbling backwards but he manages to regain his composure quickly.
A lazy left from Yamato finds it's target.
Yamato cracks Walsh with a good jab.
Yamato closes the distance and takes a jab right on the nose as he does so.

And that's the end of the fight!
Akihiko Yamato comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
Well Yamato has outworked and out performed his opponent in all aspects of the game today. He was simply too good and the decision should be no more than a formality. Over to the ring announcer for the scorecards.

Ladies and gentlemen, after 3 rounds of action, we go to the scorecards for a decision.
Judge Sam Margolis scores the fight 27:30
Judge Daniel Bishop scores the fight 27:30
Judge Andrew Berry scores the fight 27:30

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Akihiko Yamato!