PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a welterweight kickboxing rules bout between Bartholomäus Wolff (ranked 2757 p4p, 1576 weight class) and Hokuto Akira (ranked 352 p4p, 214 weight class). Both these guys have solid standup skills and neither is particularly fantastic on the ground, so let's hope for a nice standup war!

Wolff
vs
Akira

202 cm
38
180
29 - 9 - 1

176 cm
34
166
21 - 5 - 1

World class boxer
Insanely flexible

World class MT
Good gas tank

Paddy's Enhancing Drugs (160Q)

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 5 rounds, for the welterweight championship of the world!
Introducing the champion to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 29 - 9 - 1, fighting out of Las Vegas, Bartholomäus Wolff!
And introducing the challenger to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 21 - 5 - 1, fighting out of Montreal, Hokuto Akira!
The judges for this bout are Kenichi Hosakawa, Yasuomi Hirokawa and Taro Takaoka.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Akira moves out of range of the body kick.
Bartholomäus Wolff seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Wolff turns his hip over beautifully as he lands a nice leg kick.
Wolff scores with a leg kick.

Akira has closed the distance and engaged Wolff in a clinch.
Wolff fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
Akira misses with a shot to the kidneys.
Akira lands a body punch - he's looking to wear down Wolff.
A nice right hand lands inside from Wolff.
Wolff misses with a punch to the body.
A head punch on the inside from Wolff fails to land.
Akira lands with a light punch inside.
Akira blocks a punch to the side of the head.

Wolff breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Akira is looking to take this fight into the clinch.
Wolff scores with a nice strike.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Wolff fakes and then throws a beautiful body shot. Akira looks a bit winded and takes a step backwards to take a breath.
Ooooh, nice body kick lands from Wolff. Akira shrugs it off though.
Wolff keeps his opponent at a distance with a nice jab.

Akira instigates a clinch.
A head punch on the inside from Wolff fails to land.
Akira lands a shoulder strike.
Nice body punch from Wolff - that landed with a thud.
Wolff can't find room to land a body shot as Akira controls the action.
A left hand lands to the body for Wolff.
Wolff digs a right hand into Akira's ribs. Those have got to be taking their toll on Akira's gas tank.
Wolff lands a right uppercut that snaps the head of Akira backwards.
Wolff tries a body shot but Akira blocks it.
Akira takes a shot to the head.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Wolff scores with a nice hook to the head.
Wolff really does look like a pencil wearing a pair of gloves. Let's hope he has a gameplan to suit that ridiculous body shape.
Wolff tries to throw a body punch but Akira avoids it by throwing Wolff back against the ropes.
Wolff misses with a punch on the inside.
Wolff working aggressively here.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Wolff fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
Wolff working aggressively here.
Wolff throws a punch but it's blocked by Akira.
Wolff tries to land a shot to the body but it's blocked.
Akira swings wildly with an uppercut but Wolff uses good head movement to avoid it.
Akira misses with some punches.
A short right from Wolff.
Wolff works on Akira's body with a couple of short punches.
Wolff lands punches inside but they're not really causing much damage.
Wolff prevents a body shot from Akira.
Akira digs a right hand underneath Wolff's ribcage. Wolff let out a lung full of air as it connected.
Akira lands a right hand.
Akira blocking some punches.
Wolff is trying to break the clinch but Akira is controlling him.
Wolff lands with a quick shot inside that doesn't really do much damage.
Akira's head jolts backwards as he takes an uppercut right on the button!
Akira pressing his opponent against the ropes.
Wolff tries to throw a body punch but Akira avoids it by throwing Wolff back against the ropes.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Wolff pushes off and fires off an elbow that misses, before clinching up again, against the ropes.
Wolff swings away with an uppercut that misses.
A nice left hand lands by Akira.
Wolff lands with a right to the head.
Wolff being controlled against the ropes.
Akira lands a hook to the side of the head.
Wolff working on landing some head shots here - that one got through nicely.
Akira misses with a body punch.
Wolff scores with a nice hook to the head.

Wolff manages to break the clinch.
Wolff wants to slow Akira down by chopping away at his legs.
Akira let fly with a counter punch to the body but it didn't land.
Wolff throws a lazy uppercut
and Wolff takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
Wolff lands an overhand left. A wild punch that just about connected.
Wolff comes forward and lands a shot to the body, then darts back out of range.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Wolff misses with an uppercut. Akira saw that one coming.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Akira takes a shot right to the bread basket.
Wolff throws a low kick but Akira moves out of range easily.

Akira cracks Wolff with a perfect right hand that drops him to the mat! Wolff is sitting up but I can't see if he's OK from my position. The referee's count has reached 5,6,7 and Wolff is still not up. Can he make it? 8,9, he's up! Wow, he cut that one a bit fine!
Akira drops his hands momentarily and Wolff takes advantage with a crisp shot to the head.
Akira misses with a body shot
and he gets countered with a snapping leg kick.
Wolff lands with a cross to side of his opponent's head.

It looks like Hokuto Akira has been cut.
The fighters circling - Akira throws out the jab but it was never going to land.
Wolff is using his reach advantage well here, landing the more effective single shots from range.
Wolff motions for Akira to come forward. Wolff throws a leg kick but it misses it's target.
Akira with poor footwork there. He got himself in a bit of a tangle, enabling Wolff to score with a decent uppercut.
The crowd applaud the fighters' efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Nice defenses there by Wolff.
Wolff just misses with a punch to the body.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

Having scored a knockdown, Hokuto Akira should take round 1, putting pressure on his opponene back strong in round 2.
The cut man is working on Hokuto Akira's cut.
The minute break is over - no more time for sponges and pep talks - back to the action!

Wolff misses with an uppercut
and Akira counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.
Wolff stooping low to avoid any incoming strikes and then lunges in with an uppercut come cross that lands flush.
Wolff uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from Akira.
Wolff is looking to counter punch.
Wolff looks to throw the jab but Akira is out of range.
It looks like Wolff has been trying to sharpen up his punching technique, as it looks crisper than last time we saw him.
Wolff throws a solid leg kick but Akira takes the impact on his shin and smiles at Wolff.
Akira defending well as Wolff loads up on a big left hand.
Wolff throws a leg kick but he was too far away and it doesn't land.
Wolff throws a jab but it's blocked by Akira.
And an attempted straight right on the counter from Akira! But no joy.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Wolff looking to land some kicks to the body here.
Akira looks like he wants to counter punch here.
A lazy left from Wolff finds it's target.
Wolff motions for Akira to come forward. Wolff throws a leg kick but it misses it's target.
Akira throws a poor cross that misses
and Wolff counters with a slapping leg kick.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Akira takes a kick to the side of the head.
Akira on the receiving end of a decent leg kick there by Wolff. Wolff obviously looking to wear him down.
Wolff feints and then cracks Akira's leading leg with a nice low kick. He's obviously looking to slow Akira down.
Wolff throws the left hand but Akira avoids the punch easily.
Akira doesn't fully commit to the body shot counter.
A leg kick checked by Akira.
Akira misses with a body shot
and Wolff counters with a slapping leg kick.
Akira pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
Wolff moves out of range as Akira strikes.
A head kick misses from Wolff.
Akira keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Akira throws out a counter right but Wolff avoids it with no problem.
Wolff ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Akira moves away.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Wolff lands a nice looking kick to the body. Akira takes a step back to recover.
Wolff jabs at Akira's body.
Wolff looks to score with a jab to the body but Akira is just out of range.
Wolff with a nice calf kick.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Wolff fakes with a right hand and throws a good leg kick, right into the thigh. That had to hurt Akira.
Bartholomäus Wolff is winning the standup battle so far.
Akira misses with a body shot.
Both fighters circling a little - Wolff finishes the exchange with a kick to the body.
Wolff with a nice calf kick.
Wolff throws a couple of head shots and lands with the final one - a decent hook, which struck Akira on the side of the head.
Akira works the jab nicely.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Wolff wants to slow Akira down by chopping away at his legs.
A countering left hand to the body from Akira misses.
Akira's leg has a nasty welt from taking a succession of leg kicks. That must be slowing him down.
Wolff throws a right hand that misses
and Akira counters with a lovely shot to the body.
Akira takes a body kick right on the floating rib. Ouchie.

Wolff gets tackled into the ropes by Akira. Akira maintains the clinch.
Akira misses with a hook to the ribs.
Wolff misses with a hook from the clinch.
Wolff swings away with an uppercut that misses.
Still in the clinch, Akira scores with a nice short uppercut.
The fighters are starting to perspire pretty heavily.
A head punch blocked on the inside by Wolff.
Akira stalling the fight.
Wolff lands an uppercut.
Akira blocks a punch to the side of the head.
Wolff throws a head punch that misses.
Wolff throws a punch but it's blocked by Akira.
Wolff tries a body shot but Akira blocks it.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Wolff lands with a short head shot on the inside.
Wolff is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that Akira can do to turn this around?
Akira gets through Wolff's defenses to land a nice punch to the side of the head.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.

Wolff escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
Good work by Akira as he checks the leg kick.
Akira misses with a double jab.
Wolff throws a decent looking leg kick but it doesn't land clean.
Akira throws out a counter right but Wolff avoids it with no problem.
Crunch! Wolff slams his shin into Akira's torso.
Akira swings widly with a right hand
and Wolff counters with an inside leg kick.
Wolff throws a looping overhand right but Akira ducks down to avoid it.

Akira gets in close and instigates a clinch.
A left hand lands to the body for Akira.
Wolff misses with a hook from the clinch.
Wolff fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
Akira lands a hook to the side of the head.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

Bartholomäus Wolff dominated that second round.
The cut man is working on Hokuto Akira's cut.
That's time! Back to the action!

Some wild striking there from Wolff.
Wolff wants to land a leg kick but Akira is out of range.
Wolff swings widly with a right hand
and Akira counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.
Akira jabbing away but nothing is landing.
Wolff misses with a double jab.
Akira connects with a good right hand that stumbles Wolff. Wolff circles away out of range and recomposes himself.

Wolff is rocked!
Wolff walks into a picture perfect straight right hand from Akira! He's gone down face first to the canvas, unconscious before he even hit the floor! Ohhhh. My. Goodness! That boys and girls was a beautiful knockout! Give that man a biscuit!

Ladies and gentlemen, after 0:45 of round 3, we have a winner by way of KO (Punch). Hokuto Akira! Hokuto Akira retains his welterweight title!
An out of breath Hokuto Akira thanked his loyal fans in his post fight interview, giving them credit for his success over the course of his career.