PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a bantamweight kickboxing rules bout between John Luther (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Hanz Bekker (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Bekker has chosen Young Jeezy - I Luv It as his entrance music. Both these guys have solid standup skills and neither is particularly fantastic on the ground, so let's hope for a nice standup war!

Luther
vs
Bekker

180 cm
18
145 lbs
2 - 0 - 0

173 cm
18
140 lbs
2 - 0 - 0

Excellent MT
Cuts easily

Excellent MT
Fast

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the bantamweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 2 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Tokyo, John Luther!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 2 - 0 - 0, fighting out of New York, Hanz Bekker!
The judges for this bout are Don Winkell, Jack Bonds and .

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Luther is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Bekker.
Luther throws a big shot that misses.
Luther has been working on his boxing with his coaches at Black Manta in the buildup to the fight.
Bekker steps to the side to avoid the strikes from Luther.
Bekker throws a low kick but his opponent is out of range.
Luther checks a leg kick.
Bekker bobs and weaves and then throws a good body kick.
Bekker keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from Luther.
A telegraphed right hand from Luther misses the target.
Luther throws the kick towards the body but Bekker avoids it.
Luther throws an overhand right that lands on Bekker's shoulder, as Bekker tries to avoid the shot.
Luther connects with a jab.
Luther pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
Bekker slips a jab from Luther.
Bekker staying out of range there.
Luther loads up on a big right hand but Bekker slips the punch.
Luther is really head hunting here, hardly looking to strike to the body at all.
Luther blocks a low kick nicely.
Luther throws a hook to the side of Bekker's head but Bekker sees it coming and ducks under it beautifully.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Luther throws a nice looking combination but Bekker bobs and weaves to avoid any damage.
Luther lands a glancing blow to the side of Bekker's head.
Bekker has done a lot of speed work in the buildup to this fight.
Bekker misses with the body kick
and Luther counters with a straight right hand.

Bekker fakes with an overhand right and moves in to clinch with Luther, pushing him back against the ropes.
Bekker tries to land knees in the clinch but Luther avoids the damage to the body.
Bekker blocks a body shot from Luther.
Luther on the defensive, avoiding the knees to the body.
Luther tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
Luther swings away with an uppercut that misses.

Bekker breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Luther looks to land a left hand but Bekker moved out of range nicely.
Luther cracks Bekker with an open hand slap.
Bekker throws a solid leg kick but Luther takes the impact on his shin and smiles at Bekker.
Bekker is looking to chop away at Luther's legs.
Luther throws an uppercut from half a mile away. Bekker sees it coming and avoids it easily.
Luther connects with a right hand. Bekker shakes it off.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Bekker throws a leg kick
and Luther counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
Luther takes a push kick to the midsection and stumbles backwards.
Bekker lands a nice looking body kick.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Bekker fakes with the hands and throws a leg kick but Luther is out of range.
Luther lands three nice shots there - that looked like it hurt!
Bekker shakes his hands off, looking to compose himself, but takes a jab to the jaw whilst he does it.
Luther is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Bekker.
Good work by Bekker as he checks the leg kick.
Bekker slips under a jab.
Bekker tries to land a leg kick but Luther saw it coming and moves away.
Luther throws a monster uppercut resembling something out of street fighter but it doesn't land.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Bekker looks shocked there as he takes a right hand to the temple.
Luther fakes a jab and then connects with a hook.
Luther really does look like a pencil wearing a pair of gloves. Let's hope he has a gameplan to suit that ridiculous body shape.
Luther getting the better of the striking in that exchange.
Bekker defending well as Luther loads up on a big left hand.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

John Luther dominated that round.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action!

Luther misses with a body shot.
Bekker slips a straight right by Luther.
Luther throws a good cross that connects.
Bekker shapes like he's going to throw a leg kick but settles back down.
Bekker ducks right into an uppercut from Luther.
Luther misses with a hook. Bekker ducked under it nicely.
Luther takes a swing at Bekker's ribcage but misses.
Luther misses with a jab and misses with a cross straight after too.
Luther throws a combination but comes up with nothing but fresh air.

Bekker has closed the distance and engaged Luther in a clinch.
Luther avoiding damage as Bekker throws knees to the body.
Bekker stalling.
Bekker tries a knee to the head but he's missed.
Bekker tries to land a knee to the body but he is off balance and Luther avoids it.

Bekker breaks from the clinch.
Luther swings for the body but Bekker moves out of range.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Luther throws the left hand but Bekker avoids the punch easily.
Luther tries to score with a low kick but Bekker moves his leg out of the way.
Luther misses with a wild body shot.
Bekker looking to land some kicks to the body here.
John Luther is winning the standup battle so far.
Luther throws a hook but Bekker avoids it easily.
Bekker wants to land a leg kick but Luther is out of range.
Bekker avoids a punch combination nicely.
Luther walks forward and throws out a flicking leg kick. Bekker checks it nicely though, as he moves to the side.
Luther steps to his left, right into the path of a big body kick from Bekker. That one must have hurt.
Luther misses with the combination.
Bekker throws a nice inside leg kick.
A jab from Luther finds it's way through Bekker's defenses.
Bekker throws a front kick that sends Luther stumbling back into the ropes.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Luther will need to tighten up his combinations if he doesn't want to gas himself out, swinging at thin air.
Luther throws a couple of head shots and lands with the final one - a decent hook, which struck Bekker on the side of the head.
Luther moves out of range of the leg kick from Bekker.
A slow jab from Luther misses its intended target.

Bekker closes the distance and pushes Luther back into the ropes.
Luther on the defensive, avoiding the knees to the body.
Bekker is trying to wear down his opponent with knees to the body.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Luther misses with a punch on the inside.
Luther struggles to land a body shot inside as Bekker controls his hands.
Bekker tries to land a knee to the body but he is off balance and Luther avoids it.
Bekker trying to land knees to the body.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Luther.

Bekker breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Luther throws a couple of head shots and lands with the final one - a decent hook, which struck Bekker on the side of the head.
A bone on bone clash there as Luther blocks the leg kick.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close second round but Hanz Bekker will probably get the nod - 10:9.
Well, the break between rounds is over. Let's get back to the scrappin! The crowd applaud as we get ready to start the final round!

Luther throws a looping overhand right but Bekker ducks down to avoid it.
Bekker misses with a kick to the body.
Luther looks to score with a jab to the body but Bekker is just out of range.
Luther throws a jab when Bekker was well out of range.
Bekker slips under a jab from Luther.
Some bone on bone action there as Bekker checks a low kick. Luckily it wasn't a particularly hard one.
Bekker connects with a leg kick. He turned his hip over nicely there.
John Luther seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Luther misses the shot to the body.
Bekker keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Bekker throws a sloppy head kick and Luther moves out of range easily.

Bekker has managed to clinch.
Luther can't find room to land a body shot as Bekker controls the action.
Luther throws a punch but it's blocked by Bekker.
Luther tries to land a shot to the body but it's blocked.
Luther misses with a short punch on the inside.
Bekker tries to land knees in the clinch but Luther avoids the damage to the body.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Bekker blocking some punches.

Bekker breaks from the clinch.
Luther tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Bekker was well out of range. Poor timing from Luther.
Luther pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
A swing and a miss from Luther.
A solid leg kick lands there for Bekker.
Luther throws the left hand but Bekker avoids the punch easily.
Luther throws a hook but Bekker blocks it.
Luther misses with an uppercut. Bekker saw that one coming.
Luther waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract Bekker.
Luther misses with a left hand
and Bekker counters with a nice kick to the body.
Luther throws a hook but Bekker avoids it easily.
Luther scores with a body shot.
Nice jab there from Luther.
Good work by Luther as he checks the leg kick.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Bekker has taken the fight to the clinch.
Bekker tries a knee to the head but he's missed.
Luther tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
Luther lands with a left to the head.
Bekker tries to land knees in the clinch but Luther avoids the damage to the body.
Bekker landing knees to the body. They look like they could hurt.
The fans in attendance giving it up for the two fighters, who have really let it all hang out in the last minute or so!
The fighters are going at a pretty good pace and they're both starting to sweat now.
Luther throws a head punch that misses.
A head punch on the inside from Luther fails to land.
A head punch blocked on the inside by Bekker.
Luther managing to block the knees to the body from Bekker.
Bekker trying to land knees to the body.
Luther misses with a punch to the body.
Bekker trying to land knees to the body.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Bekker working Luther over with knees to the body.
Luther tries to break free but Bekker pushes him back against the ropes.
Hanz Bekker seems to be working more effectively in the clinch in the fight so far.
Luther struggles to land a body shot inside as Bekker controls his hands.
Luther pushes off an throws an elbow but Bekker leans to the side and avoids it. We're back to clinching against the ropes.

And that's the end of the fight!
That was a close round. You could make an argument for either fighter but I would give it to John Luther.
I think Luther has won this one but let's see what the judges have to say. 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 Don Winkell scores the fight 29:28
Judge Jack Bonds scores the fight 28:29
Judge Percy O'Donnell scores the fight 29:28

In favor of your winner, by split decision... John Luther!
A relieved looking John Luther thanked the fans for their support and gave the usual line about them being amazing. They seemed to believe that he actually meant it.