PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a welterweight MMA rules bout between Malachi Lawrence (ranked 1058 p4p, 1107 weight class) and Giuseppe Turturro (ranked 147 p4p, 157 weight class). Fingers crossed for an exciting fight - I'm sure both fighters are looking for a nice under the table bonus!

Lawrence
vs
Turturro

180 cm
26
174
12 - 10 - 0

185 cm
27
184
12 - 9 - 0

Abu Dhabi Champ
World class boxer
Granite chin

Olympic wrestler
Excellent boxer
Granite chin

The Stuff
Knockaround Guys Fight Gear

Voodoo Nutrition
Conviction

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the welterweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 12 - 10 - 0, fighting out of Montreal, Malachi Lawrence!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 12 - 9 - 0, fighting out of New York, Giuseppe Turturro!
The judges for this bout are William Gold, James Glass and James Ackerman.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Lawrence waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract Turturro.
Turturro steps in looking to clinch after the strikes miss from Lawrence.
Turturro uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from Lawrence.
Turturro scores with a jab.
Lawrence swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.
Turturro steps in looking to clinch after the strikes miss from Lawrence.
Turturro lands an overhand left. A wild punch that just about connected.

It looks like Malachi Lawrence has been cut.
Lawrence takes one to the chin there.
We've been told by Lawrence's head coaches at Ludus Magnus that he's been working on his takedown defense in preparation for this fight.
Turturro scores with a crisp jab that stopped Lawrence in his tracks.
Lawrence takes a body punch but keeps moving.
Turturro scores with a jab.
Turturro tries to clinch up
and Lawrence counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Lawrence moves his head to the side to avoid a jab but walks straight into a cross.
Lawrence displaying good standup as he scores with a three punch combination.
Lawrence drops his hands momentarily and Turturro takes advantage with a crisp shot to the head.
Turturro scores with a jab to the head.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Turturro misses with a lunging right hand
and Lawrence counters with a right hand to the body.
Giuseppe Turturro seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Turturro connects with a body shot that sends Lawrence's belly button to the back.
We can't be sure of the tactics at this early stage but we have heard that Turturro has been working on his takedowns a lot in the buildup to the fight and we can only assume he's going to look to take this to the mat.
Lawrence throws a right and a left that Turturro avoids nicely.
Lawrence gets cracked with a nice right hand there by Turturro.
Turturro dodges the punch combination from Lawrence.
Turturro throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Turturro looks to land a left hand but Lawrence moved out of range nicely.

Turturro has closed the distance and engaged Lawrence in a clinch.
Lawrence blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
Turturro scores with an uppercut up the middle.

Lawrence breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Turturro tries to close the distance and clinch up but Lawrence swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Lawrence throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Turturro throws a shot from downtown. Lawrence moves away and avoids it.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Lawrence keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
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!
A cross from Turturro lands.
Turturro is landing a lot of head punches in this opening round! Lawrence had better start moving his head a bit unless he wants his face to turn into mush.
Turturro moves away from the strike by Lawrence.
Lawrence swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.
Turturro throws a hook but Lawrence avoids it easily.
Lawrence seem to be loading up, looking for a big counter.
Turturro cracks Lawrence with a good shot that sees him stumbling back into the cage.
Lawrence avoids the body shot from Turturro.
Lawrence swung with a counter punch to the body but it didn't connect.
Lawrence keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Lawrence misses with an uppercut. Turturro saw that one coming.
A jab from Turturro does it's job there.
Turturro looks to score with a jab to the body but Lawrence is just out of range.
It looked like Lawrence was trying to counter with a body shot coming off that last attack from Turturro.
Turturro smiles there as he lands a nice right hand right on the button.
Lawrence throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Turturro swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
A decent looking cross lands there for Turturro.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Lawrence uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from Turturro.
Turturro avoids the body shot from Lawrence.
Turturro swings and misses with a shot to the body
and Lawrence counters with a nice body shot.
Turturro thuds a left hand into Lawrence's body.
Turturro moves into range and connects with a jab.
Turturro takes a swing at Lawrence's ribcage but misses.
Lawrence is looking to counter with a shot to the body.
Turturro jabs at Lawrence's body.
A looping hook to the body misses from Turturro. Lawrence does a little dance to reset his feet.
Lawrence walks straight into a jab right on the nose. That one stung - he's blinking and trying to clear his head.
Lawrence misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
It seemed like Turturro was going to counter with the hook but didn't fully commit to it.
Lawrence misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Turturro.
Lawrence just misses with a punch to the body.
Lawrence throws a right hand that misses

and Turturro counters by clinching up.
A short body shot lands from Turturro as the two fighters clinch.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Lawrence is stalling here. The referee will be looking to step in if he doesn't pick up the pace.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Turturro lands a right hand.
Turturro makes some space for himself and lands an uppercut.

Lawrence manages to break the clinch.
Turturro missing with a left hand there. Lawrence was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
Lawrence ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Turturro moves away.
Turturro staying out of range there.
Turturro tries to counter by closing the distance.
Lawrence takes a shot to the nose. Hopefully that hasn't broken it.

Turturro clinches with his opponent.
Turturro blocking some punches.
Turturro working aggressively here.
Lawrence lands a right uppercut that snaps the head of Turturro backwards.
The crowd applaud the fighters' efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Turturro lands an uppercut.
Lawrence tries to land a shot to the body but it's blocked.
Lawrence lands a hook to the side of the head.
Lawrence can't find room to land a body shot as Turturro controls the action.
Turturro lands with a short shot to the head.

Turturro pulls guard.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

Giuseppe Turturro dominated that round.
The cut man is working on Malachi Lawrence's cut.
Well, the break between rounds is over. Let's get back to the scrappin!

Lawrence connects nicely with a jab. Noted by the judges no doubt.
Lawrence needs to keep his hands up - Turturro had a free shot at his head there.
Lawrence is looking to wear down Turturro with body shots, infact he's throwing more body shots than head shots at the moment.
Turturro wings a very wild body shot but it does the job and lands to the midsection.
Turturro throws out a token jab with nothing on it.
A swing and a miss from Lawrence.
Turturro works Lawrence's body with a nice hook.
Turturro gets cracked with a nice right hand there by Lawrence.
Lawrence throws a nice looking combination but Turturro bobs and weaves to avoid any damage.
Turturro displaying good standup as he scores with a three punch combination.
Lawrence moves into range and throws a lovely three punch combination.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Turturro misses with an uppercut
and Lawrence counters with a lovely shot to the body.
Lawrence misses with a body shot.
Malachi Lawrence is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Lawrence uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from Turturro.
Turturro lands a lovely overhand right.
Turturro takes a step towards his opponent and connects with a left hand, before circling away.
Turturro has been the more effective fighter overall so far.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Turturro moves into range and throws a lovely three punch combination.
Turturro lets the fists fly and connects with a left straight followed by a right hook.
Turturro tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.
Turturro lands a powerful looking uppercut that connected with his opponent's jaw.
Lawrence throws a series of strikes that have Turturro backpedaling.
Lawrence paws at his opponent with the jab and then lunges in with a straight, right on the button.
Turturro lands a pitter patter jab to the forehead of his opponent.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Turturro scores with a hook to the body. Lawrence takes a step back and tries to catch his breath.
Lawrence uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Turturro.
Turturro looks to throw the jab but Lawrence is out of range.
Turturro fakes a head shot and lands one to the body.
Lawrence ducks under a wild hook from Turturro.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Turturro dips down and scores with a jab to the body.
Giuseppe Turturro seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Turturro tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.
Turturro lands with a hook. Lawrence tried to avoid it but it clipped the top of his head.
Turturro throws a body shot but no joy.
A big right from Turturro misses.
Lawrence keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
A counter left hand to the body from Lawrence misses its target.
Nice defenses there by Lawrence.
A big right from Turturro misses.
Turturro throws a right hand that Lawrence ducks under and follows up with a left that Lawrence also avoids with ease.
Lawrence takes one on the chin but keeps coming.
Turturro uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Lawrence.
A telegraphed right hand from Turturro misses the target.
Turturro stooping low to avoid any incoming strikes and then lunges in with an uppercut come cross that lands flush.
Turturro punishes Lawrence's body with a nice straight punch.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Turturro takes a step towards his opponent and connects with a left hand, before circling away.
Turturro lands with an overhand left.
Turturro lands a right hook to the body.
Turturro dips down and scores with a jab to the body.
Turturro connects with a good right hand that stumbles Lawrence. Lawrence circles away out of range and recomposes himself.
Turturro lands an overhand right.
Lawrence punishes Turturro's body with a nice straight punch.
A combination from Turturro does no damage.
Lawrence takes a punch to the jaw and another one to the bread basket.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Turturro misses with a lunging right hand
enabling Lawrence to counter with a crisp jab.
Lawrence clobbers Turturro with an overhand right that has the crowd gasping. That made a horrendous noise.
Turturro connects with a body shot that sends Lawrence's belly button to the back.
Lawrence is pinned up against the cage taking some big shots here. The referee is looking closely deciding whether he should stop the fight.
Lawrence takes a jab on the nose there. A little bit of blood seems to be coming out. Hopefully that won't affect his breathing.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Turturro lunges in with swinging rights and lefts but Lawrence circles away quickly and effectively.
A telegraphed right hand from Turturro misses the target.
Turturro takes a shot right to the liver - Bas would have been proud of that punch.
Turturro looks to score with a jab to the body but Lawrence is just out of range.
Lawrence has his hands up protecting his head but a hook from Turturro finds it's way round the side to connect with Lawrence's head.
Lawrence staying out of range there.
Lawrence throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Lawrence takes a shot to the nose. Hopefully that hasn't broken it.
Donk. Turturro catches Lawrence right on the button with a cross.
Lawrence uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Turturro.
The crowd applaud the fighters' efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Turturro slips a straight right by Lawrence.
Lawrence walks into a straight right hand from Turturro.
Turturro throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

Giuseppe Turturro showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
The cut man is working on Malachi Lawrence's cut.
That's the end of the round. The referee orders the cornermen out of the cage so we can get back down to business. Ladies and gentlemen, this is the final round!

Lawrence ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.
Lawrence ducks down and throws a hook to the body.
Nice defenses there by Lawrence.
Turturro misses with a body shot.
Turturro is looking to take this fight into the clinch.
Turturro lands with a nice body punch.
Turturro swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
Turturro misses with an uppercut.
Lawrence looks like he's developed a pretty tasty lump over his left eye. He'll need to avoid taking much more damage to that.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Turturro throws a lazy right hand but Lawrence sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily.
Turturro tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Lawrence was well out of range. Poor timing from Turturro.
Turturro is moving around nicely and scores here with a single head shot.
Turturro tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Lawrence paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Lawrence is looking to counter punch.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Lawrence throws a series of punches but Turturro avoids them all with ease.
Lawrence misses the shot to the body.
Lawrence takes a swing at Turturro's ribcage but misses.
Turturro scores with a body shot.
Turturro lands with a straight right. Lawrence didn't see that one coming.
Lawrence throws a jab when Turturro was well out of range.
Turturro bobs and weaves and unloads with a good uppercut.
Lawrence gets his head snapped back by a nice shot there.
Lawrence throws a combination but comes up with nothing but fresh air.
Turturro lands a nice shot that snaps Lawrence's head back.
Turturro scores with a crisp jab that stopped Lawrence in his tracks.
Lawrence takes a swing at Turturro's ribcage but misses.
Turturro scores with a jab. Lawrence acknowledges it with a nod of the head.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
A cross from Lawrence lands.
Giuseppe Turturro is fighting for a decision - hopefully he's judged it right and he's actually winning the fight.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Lawrence takes one on the chin but keeps coming.
Lawrence throws a series of punches but Turturro moves out of range.
Lawrence swings and misses with a shot to the body

and Turturro holds on and brings the fighters into a clinch.
Lawrence misses with some punches.
Lawrence is working hard here but doesn't seem to be able to control effectively, up against the cage.
Turturro goes for a body shot but it's blocked.
Lawrence working aggressively here.
Lawrence is working hard here but doesn't seem to be able to control effectively, up against the cage.
Turturro blocks an uppercut.
Malachi Lawrence has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Lawrence misses with a punch to the body.
Turturro's head jolts backwards as he takes an uppercut right on the button!
Giuseppe Turturro seems to be working more effectively in the clinch in the fight so far.
Lawrence misses with a shot to the kidneys.
Lawrence wants to break the clinch but can't.
Lawrence swings wildly with an uppercut but Turturro uses good head movement to avoid it.
Lawrence lands an uppercut.
Lawrence tries to land a shot to the body but it's blocked.
A head punch blocked on the inside by Turturro.
A short body shot lands from Turturro as the two fighters clinch.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Lawrence.
Turturro misses with a punch to the body.

Lawrence escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
Lawrence looks to score with a jab to the body but Turturro is just out of range.
Lawrence scores with a nice head shot.
Turturro cracks Lawrence with an open hand slap.
Lawrence walks into a stiff left hand from Turturro.
Turturro moves into range and connects with a jab.
Lawrence drops his hands and takes a jab to the jaw for his troubles.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Turturro scores with a hook to the body. Lawrence takes a step back and tries to catch his breath.
Lawrence walks into a stiff left hand from Turturro.
Turturro is looking to clinch.
Lawrence throws a right hand that Turturro ducks under and follows up with a left that Turturro also avoids with ease.

And that's the end of the fight!
Giuseppe Turturro comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
Well Turturro 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 William Gold scores the fight 27:30
Judge James Glass scores the fight 27:30
Judge James Ackerman scores the fight 27:30

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Giuseppe Turturro!
Giuseppe Turturro decided to hype himself up post fight. It was going well but he went on about it a bit too long and the crowd turned on him a little.