PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a bantamweight MMA rules bout between William Henry Bonney (ranked 388 p4p, 12 weight class) and Boyko Kersikov (ranked 763 p4p, 32 weight class). This should be a great matchup!

Henry Bonney
vs
Kersikov

173 cm
37
141 lbs
33 - 15 - 1

167 cm
36
142 lbs
22 - 7 - 0

Good wrestling
World class boxer
Insanely flexible

Good wrestler
World class MT
Good gas tank

Aspire Clothing
Zenith Nutrition (160q/$200)

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 33 - 15 - 1, fighting out of Los Angeles, William Henry Bonney!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 22 - 7 - 0, fighting out of New York, Boyko Kersikov!
The judges for this bout are James Ackerman, Sam Margolis and James Glass.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Kersikov connects with a single shot there.
Bonney connects with a hook to the side of his opponent's head.
Kersikov dips down and scores with a jab to the body.
Bonney swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Kersikov scores with a nice right hand.

Kersikov has taken the fight to the clinch.
Kersikov controlling the action here for a moment.
Kersikov throws a punch but it's blocked by Bonney.
Kersikov content to slow the pace in the clinch.
Bonney content to slow the pace in the clinch.
Kersikov has Bonney pressed against the cage.
Bonney makes some space for himself and lands an uppercut.
Bonney is trying to stall.
Kersikov scores with a nice hook to the head.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Kersikov stalls.

That's one minute gone in the round.
A battle for position here, against the cage.
Kersikov throws a head punch that misses.
Bonney misses with a hook to the ribs.
Kersikov has a couple of punches blocked by Bonney.
Bonney with the Thai clinch, lands a knee to the head.
Kersikov throws a punch but it's blocked by Bonney.
Bonney working aggressively here.
Kersikov misses with the head strike.
Bonney fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
A short uppercut from Kersikov.
Bonney tries to land a shot to the body but it's blocked.
Bonney is trying to work for a single leg takedown but Kersikov pulls him back up using the underhooks.
Kersikov misses with the head strike.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Good body shot from Kersikov.
Kersikov is defending well against a takedown attempt.
Kersikov misses with the head strike.
Kersikov swings away with an uppercut that misses.
Bonney is looking to take this one to the mat.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for William Henry Bonney. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Kersikov misses with a punch on the inside.
Bonney wants to break free. God knows he wants to breaaaak freeee.
Bonney tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
Kersikov slowing the pace effectively.
Bonney taking a break, stalling in the clinch.
Kersikov misses with a hook from the clinch.
Kersikov lands punches inside but they're not really causing much damage.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Bonney holding his opponent close, against the cage.
Bonney blocks an uppercut.
Bonney scores with a hook to the body.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Kersikov misses with the head strike.

Bonney manages to break the clinch.
Bonney keeps the fight on the outside.
Bonney scores with a big left there. The judges will like that one.
Kersikov checks a leg kick nicely.

Bonney tries to keep at a distance but Kersikov has taken the fight into the clinch.
Kersikov misses with a hook from the clinch.

Bonney gets double underhooks and manages to take the fight to the ground.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Kersikov has control of Bonney's left arm, preventing Bonney from doing any damage.
Kersikov trying to keep a closed guard but Bonney is proving a slippery customer.
Kersikov is looking to get back to his feet but can't, whilst Bonney is controlling him.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Bonney trying to control but Kersikov is working from the bottom.
Kersikov is pulling down on Bonney's head to control his posture.
Bonney sitting in guard, not really doing much.
The referee is pacing around the two fighters - he looks like he's thinking about a standup.

The fighters are starting to get a bit slippery now, which will make submissions a bit more difficult.
Kersikov is looking for a guillotine. You can't force these things though and Bonney defends well.
Bonney tries to free his leg and advance position but Kersikov is retaining full guard.
Kersikov is avoiding any damage by keeping wrist control.

The referee has stepped in and called for a break in the action. We'll restart on the feet.
Kersikov takes a punch to the jaw and another one to the bread basket.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close round but Boyko Kersikov will probably get the nod.
The corners get their ten second warning. Both fighters stand from their stools and stare eachother down, ready to get back to the action.

Kersikov dips to his left and cracks Bonney with an uppercut!
Bonney ducks down and throws a hook to the body.
Nice uppercut there from Kersikov.
Kersikov cracks Bonney with a good shot that sees him stumbling back into the cage.
Bonney throws a series of punches but Kersikov moves out of range.
Kersikov throws a jab to the body, straight down the pipe. Boom. That sent Bonney stumbling backwards but he manages to regain his composure quickly.
A punch combination from Bonney misses.

Kersikov moves into the clinch successfully.
Kersikov swings away with an uppercut that misses.
A short right from Kersikov.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Kersikov lands a nice shot to the body.
Kersikov stays in close to his opponent and throws a right hand to the body.
Bonney wants to strike at distance but he can't break free of the clinch.

Bonney's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
Kersikov has been the more effective fighter overall so far.
Bonney looks to land a left hand but Kersikov moved out of range nicely.
Sloppy strikes from Kersikov. Those never looked like landing.
Kersikov connects with a looping right hand.
William Henry Bonney seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Kersikov moves out of range of the body kick from Bonney.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Nice jab there from Bonney.
Bonney displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Kersikov throws out the jab.
Boyko Kersikov seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Bonney lands with a thumping leg kick.
Kersikov throws a series of punches but Bonney moves out of range.
Kersikov throws a wild combination but nothing lands.
Bonney defending well as Kersikov loads up on a big left hand.
Bonney moves into range and connects with a jab.
Kersikov takes a swing at Bonney's ribcage but misses.
Bonney lands a kick to the ribs of his opponent. Nice work there - in and out in a flash.
Kersikov connects with a lovely jab that went straight through the gap between Bonney's hands.
Danga de danga de dang - Kersikov scores with a four punch combination!
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Bonney uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from Kersikov.
Bonney gets cracked with a nice right hand there by Kersikov.
Bonney misses with a double jab.
Bonney swinging wildly here.
Boyko Kersikov is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Kersikov connects with a jab.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Kersikov tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.
Bonney looks to land a body kick but Kersikov moved away.
Bonney avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
Bonney misses with a body shot.
Kersikov fails with an attempt to clinch.
Bonney scores with a nice looking left hook and follows it up with an uppercut!
Bonney on the wrong end of an overhand right that came out of nowhere.
Kersikov scores with a sloppy right hand. Bonney should have avoided that one.

Kersikov gets to the clinch - let's see what his plan is here.
Bonney can't find room to land a body shot as Kersikov controls the action.
Kersikov lands a right uppercut that snaps the head of Bonney backwards.
Bonney misses with some punches.
Kersikov misses with a punch on the inside.
Kersikov lands a left hand that snaps the head of Bonney backwards.
A short uppercut from Kersikov.
Kersikov misses with the head strike.
Bonney takes a shot to the head.
Boyko Kersikov seems to be working more effectively in the clinch in the fight so far.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Kersikov.
Bonney blocks a punch to the side of the head.
Bonney wants to break the clinch but can't.
Bonney blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
Kersikov misses with the head strike.
A head punch on the inside from Kersikov fails to land.
Some stalling of biblical proportions here from Kersikov.
A head punch on the inside from Kersikov fails to land.
Kersikov misses with a hook from the clinch.
A short left from Bonney.
Kersikov throws a head punch that misses.
Bonney working hard to break the clinch.
Bonney lands punches inside but they're not really causing much damage.
Bonney blocks an uppercut.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Knees in the clinch landing for Bonney.
Kersikov swings away with an uppercut that misses.
Bonney goes for a takedown attempt but Kersikov pushes him away and we're back to fighting at a distance.
Bonney throws a low kick but Kersikov moves out of range easily.
Kersikov fails in his attempt to clinch.
William Henry Bonney is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Kersikov wants to clinch.
Kersikov scores with a punch to the head.
A punch combination from Bonney misses.
Bonney lands with a kick to the temple. Kersikov shrugs as if to say "is that all you've got?"
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
The crowd applaud the fighters' efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Kersikov doesn't manage to clinch there - Bonney circles away.
Kersikov looks to land a left hand but Bonney moved out of range nicely.
Bonney drops his hands and takes a jab to the jaw for his troubles.
Bonney throws a nice head kick!
Kersikov throws a couple of head shots and lands with the final one - a decent hook, which struck Bonney on the side of the head.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Boyko Kersikov showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
The corners get their ten second warning. Both fighters stand from their stools and stare eachother down, ready to get back to the action. This is the final round!

Bonney keeps the fight on the outside.
Kersikov connects nicely with a jab. Noted by the judges no doubt.
Kersikov checks a low kick from Bonney.
Kersikov throws a hook but Bonney avoids it easily.
Bonney misses with a few strikes there.
The fight stays on the outside here - Kersikov looks like he's thinking about clinching though.

Bonney gets tackled into the cage by Kersikov. Kersikov maintains the clinch.
Kersikov lands a right uppercut that snaps the head of Bonney backwards.
Kersikov swings wildly with an uppercut but Bonney uses good head movement to avoid it.
Bonney wants a takedown but no success here.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Kersikov scores with a shoulder strike.
Bonney drops to a knee looking for a takedown but Kersikov gets the underhooks and prevents it.
Kersikov throws a head punch that misses.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Bonney letting Kersikov take a breather here.
Kersikov is trying to slow down the pace in the clinch, to catch his breath.
The referee is keeping an eye on Kersikov - much more stalling and he will separate the fighters.
Kersikov is struggling to control the position.
An uppercut to the body lands inside from Kersikov.
Bonney softening up his opponent with strikes, against the cage.
Kersikov prevents a body shot from Bonney.
Kersikov is struggling to control the position.
Kersikov misses with a hook to the ribs.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Kersikov lands with a short punch from the clinch.
Kersikov throws a punch but it's blocked by Bonney.
William Henry Bonney has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Kersikov working aggressively here.
Kersikov lands punches inside but they're not really causing much damage.

Bonney pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
Kersikov tries to clinch but Bonney is having none of it.
Kersikov works the jab nicely.
Kersikov showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from Bonney.
Kersikov uses good footwork to get in and out, landing a nice hook.
Kersikov is looking to take this fight into the clinch.
Bonney with a nice looking leg kick. You could hear that one land in a back row.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Kersikov takes a step back and watches a body kick go sailing past his mid section.
Kersikov wants to counter the offense by Bonney and move into the clinch position.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Kersikov works his jab well there, keeping his opponent at a distance.
Kersikov tries to clinch there but Bonney circles away.
Kersikov missing with a left hand there. Bonney was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
Bonney looks shocked there as he takes a right hand to the temple.
Kersikov misses with a double jab.
Bonney shoots for a double leg takedown but Kersikov sprawls well. He's pushed Bonney's face into the mat and manages to get back to his feet relatively easily.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for William Henry Bonney. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Bonney throws a leg kick but Kersikov sees it coming and moves out of range.
Kersikov slips in close and lands a nice hook before moving back out of range.
Bonney looks like he's developed a pretty tasty lump over his left eye. He'll need to avoid taking much more damage to that.
Kersikov lands with a straight right. Bonney didn't see that one coming.

Bonney tries to keep at a distance but Kersikov has taken the fight into the clinch.

Bonney's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
Kersikov scores with a one two! Bonney had his feet all tangled up there and couldn't avoid the strikes.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Kersikov connects with a crisp jab.

Bonney is rocked!
Kersikov swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.
Oh Bonney is still all over the place! His legs are completely gone! Will he be able to recover?!!
Kersikov scores with a punch to the gut of his opponent.
Bonney seems to have got his legs back now.
Bonney misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Kersikov sizes up Bonney with a pawing jab and scores with a straight right down the middle.
Kersikov tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.
Kersikov swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Decent striking displayed by Kersikov there.
Bonney throws a front kick that sends Kersikov stumbling back into the cage.
Bonney throws a body kick but he was well out of range there.
A solid leg kick lands there for Bonney.
Bonney looks to score with a combo but nothing lands.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Bonney throws a low kick, looking for Kersikov's leg but Kersikov calmly moves out of range.
Kersikov fails in his attempt to clinch.
Kersikov moves in looking to clinch but Bonney pushes him off.
Bonney throws a head kick but Kersikov moves out of range.
Bonney pivots as if he's going to throw a leg kick but stops half way.
Kersikov swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.
Kersikov misses with a jab, cross combination.
Bonney misses with a double jab.
Kersikov looks like he wants to counter punch here.
Bonney misses with a series of wild punches.

And that's the end of the fight!
Boyko Kersikov comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I've got Kersikov winning every round here. Surely the decision will go his way and he'll pick up a well deserved decision victory. 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 James Ackerman scores the fight 27:30
Judge Sam Margolis scores the fight 27:30
Judge James Glass scores the fight 27:30

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Boyko Kersikov!
An out of breath Boyko Kersikov thanked his loyal fans in his post fight interview, giving them credit for his success over the course of his career.