PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a featherweight MMA rules bout between Sven Johansson (ranked 294 p4p, 405 weight class) and James River (ranked 31 p4p, 42 weight class). Both fighters look fresh as a daisy as they make their way towards the cage.

Johansson
vs
River

182 cm
25
148
14 - 5 - 1

170 cm
24
147
10 - 3 - 0

Great wrestler
Excellent boxer
Granite chin

Good wrestler
Excellent boxer
Good gas tank

Shadow Realm Apparel

Conquer
Conviction

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 5 rounds, in the featherweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 14 - 5 - 1, fighting out of Las Vegas, Sven Johansson!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 10 - 3 - 0, fighting out of New York, James River !
The judges for this bout are William Gold, Paul Tew and Steven Brown.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Johansson changes levels and scores with a jab to the body.
River misses with a looping right.
Johansson thows a left - swing and a miss!
Johansson scores with a nice head shot.
River connects with a lovely jab that went straight through the gap between Johansson's hands.
River looks to land a left hand but Johansson moved out of range nicely.
Johansson is looking to counter punch.
River moving in and out of range nicely, whilst landing the scoring shot.
A swing and a miss from Johansson.
River cracks Johansson with an open hand slap.
A big right from River misses.
River swings away with a body shot that misses
and Johansson connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
Johansson thows a left - swing and a miss!
River throws out a loose jab but Johansson uses good head movement to avoid it.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
River lands with a hook. Johansson tried to avoid it but it clipped the top of his head.

River gets to the clinch - let's see what his plan is here.
River tries to throw a body punch but Johansson avoids it by throwing River back against the cage.
Johansson is pressed up against the cage. River has hold of a leg and is looking to drag Johansson down to the mat. Johansson avoids the attempt though and has circled away. We're back to striking at a distance.
Johansson throws an ugly left hook that misses
and River connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
Johansson staying out of range there.
River moves away from the strike by Johansson.
Johansson doesn't react quick enough there as he takes a shot to the body.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Johansson scores with a one two! River had his feet all tangled up there and couldn't avoid the strikes.
Johansson loads up on a big right hand but River slips the punch.
River lands with a hook. Johansson tried to avoid it but it clipped the top of his head.
Johansson lands a slapping body shot.
A swing and a miss from Johansson.
River feints the counter takedown.

River gets in close and instigates a clinch.
Johansson swings wildly with an uppercut but River uses good head movement to avoid it.
Johansson has a couple of punches blocked by River .
Johansson working hard to break the clinch.
River misses with a hook from the clinch.
Johansson gets underhooks to prevent River 's takedown attempt.
A short right hand to the side of the head by Johansson.

Johansson breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
River walks into a stiff left hand from Johansson.
This has been an exciting period of action!
River throws a hook but Johansson blocks it.
A little feinted left hand from Johansson on the counter but he doesn't commit to it.
River misses the shot to the body.
Johansson circles away from the clinch attempt.
River bobs and weaves well there to avoid the strikes.
River displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Johansson throws out the jab.
Johansson really does look like a pencil wearing a pair of gloves. Let's hope he has a gameplan to suit that ridiculous body shape.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Johansson misses with a hook.
Sven Johansson is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Johansson scores with a punch to the gut of his opponent.
River moves out of range as Johansson strikes.
Johansson is really head hunting here, hardly looking to strike to the body at all.
River takes a punch to the jaw and another one to the bread basket.
Johansson is moving around nicely and scores here with a single head shot.
Johansson lands a jab to the head.
River throws the left hand but Johansson avoids the punch easily.
River lands a jab to Johansson's midsection.
Johansson uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from River .
River throws an off balance right hand
and Johansson counters with a lovely straight right hand!
Johansson with a hook.
Johansson ducks down and throws a hook to the body.
River lands with a cross.
Johansson misses with a looping left.
Wow, both these guys are really going for it!
Johansson lands a glancing blow to the side of River 's head.
River ducks under a wild hook from Johansson.
Johansson takes one on the chin but keeps coming.
Johansson moves out of range as River strikes.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
River connects with a good right hand that stumbles Johansson. Johansson circles away out of range and recomposes himself.
Johansson with a body punch. A glancing blow.
River misses with an uppercut.
Johansson takes a jab right on the kisser.
Johansson throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Johansson takes a solid shot to the body. That one hurt him but he's trying not to show it.
Johansson looks to have improved his striking defense since last time we saw him fight.
Johansson avoids the body shot from River .
Johansson misses with a looping right.
Johansson throws a jab but it's blocked by River .
River tries a counter takedown but it's more of a dummy move, and he uses it to push himself away.
River misses the body punch
and Johansson connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
Johansson slips a straight right by River .
River jabs at Johansson's body.
Johansson misses with a hook.
River is moving around nicely and scores here with a single head shot.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Johansson throws a jab but it's blocked by River .
River tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.
River moves out of range as Johansson strikes.
River now looks to counter with a shot at the body.
River is looking to clinch.
River misses with an uppercut.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
A looping hook to the body misses from River . Johansson does a little dance to reset his feet.
A big left from River misses.
Johansson misses with a lunging right hand
and River counters with a left to the body.
Johansson misses with an uppercut
letting River counter with a right hand.
River ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Johansson moves away.
Nice body punch from Johansson.
Johansson cracks River with a good shot that sees him stumbling back into the cage.
River throws a body shot but no joy.
River throws a shot from downtown. Johansson moves away and avoids it.
River with a hook.
River lands a straight punch to the body, keeping Johansson at a distance.
Johansson is really peppering his opponent's head with punches.
River looks to land a right hand but Johansson moved out of range.
Johansson looks to throw the jab but River is out of range.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
A telegraphed right hand from Johansson misses the target.
Johansson connects with a nice looking jab.
A big left from River misses.
River lands a really nice looking cross but Johansson seems unphased.
Johansson ducks under a wild hook from River .
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

A close round but James River will probably get the nod.
The minute break is over - no more time for sponges and pep talks - back to the action!

A looping hook to the body misses from River . Johansson does a little dance to reset his feet.
Johansson throws a body shot but no joy.
River scores with a body shot.
River throws a jab but it's blocked by Johansson.
River has his head snapped back a nice jab. A little nod from River there as he acknowledges the shot.
River moves away from the strike by Johansson.
River swings away with a counter right hand but no contact made.
Johansson misses with a straight right.
River uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from Johansson.
Johansson misses with a hook.
Johansson throws a jab when River was well out of range.
Johansson wings a very wild body shot but it does the job and lands to the midsection.
Johansson moves out of range of the strikes.
River throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
River ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Johansson moves away.
River misses with a body shot.
Sloppy strikes from Johansson. Those never looked like landing.
Johansson looks to score with a jab to the body but River is just out of range.
Johansson thows a left - swing and a miss!
River throws out a counter right but Johansson avoids it with no problem.
River slips in close and lands a nice hook before moving back out of range.

That's one minute gone in the round.
River lands with a right hand.
Johansson swats away the attempt to clinch by River .
Johansson avoids the body shot from River .
Johansson throws a monster uppercut resembling something out of street fighter but it doesn't land.
River throws the left hand but Johansson avoids the punch easily.
River lunges at Johansson with a hook that half lands and is half blocked by Johansson's hand.
River cracks a nice hook into Johansson's ribs.
Nice body punch from Johansson.
Johansson ducks down and throws a hook to the body but River moves away.
River stuns Johansson with a nice body shot, before stepping back out of range.
River with a lazy takedown attempt
letting Johansson counter with a right hand.
Johansson looks to land a combination but River avoids it well.
River ducks under a wild hook from Johansson.
River uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from Johansson.
Johansson just misses with a punch to the body.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Johansson avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
Sven Johansson is winning the standup battle so far.
Johansson digs a good hook to River 's body.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Johansson throws the left hand but River avoids the punch easily.
Good standup being displayed there by Johansson as he connects with a hook.
River connects with a looping left hand that seems like it dazed Johansson momentarily.

River pushes Johansson up against the cage in a clinch.
A short uppercut from Johansson.

Johansson breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Johansson uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by River .
Johansson loads up on a big right hand but River slips the punch.
A punch combination from River misses.
River lunges in with an uppercut that skims his opponent's chin.
Johansson connects with a jab.
A looping hook to the body misses from Johansson. River does a little dance to reset his feet.
A lazy left from Johansson finds it's target.
River slips a straight right by Johansson.
River pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
Johansson misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from River .
River misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Johansson.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
River misses with a wild body shot.
Johansson throws a hook to the side of River 's head but River sees it coming and ducks under it beautifully.
Johansson cracks River with a nice right hand that draws applause from the crowd.
River throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Johansson misses with an uppercut
and River connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
River throws out a loose jab but Johansson uses good head movement to avoid it.
As River looks to move away, Johansson throws a big counter combo but River just gets out of the way.
Johansson keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from River .
Johansson throws a hook but River avoids it easily.
River misses with a telegraphed body shot
and Johansson makes him pay by landing a nice hook to the body before moving out of range.
A jab from Johansson misses.
River throws out a counter right but Johansson avoids it with no problem.
Johansson looks to land a right hand but River moved out of range.
River gets cracked there but stands up to it.
Johansson's hands are dropping dangerously low here and River connects clean with a right hook that sends him down to one knee! Johansson scrambles back to his feet.
Johansson throws an uppercut from half a mile away. River sees it coming and avoids it easily.
Johansson misses with an uppercut. River saw that one coming.
Johansson misses with a body shot.
Johansson looks to score with a jab to the body but River is just out of range.
River misses with a body shot.
Johansson looks like he's developed a pretty tasty lump over his left eye. He'll need to avoid taking much more damage to that.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
River lands with a cross.
River throws a hook but Johansson blocks it.
Johansson misses with a body shot.
And an attempted straight right on the counter from River ! But no joy.
Good standup being displayed there by River as he connects with a hook.
River on the wrong end of a decent looking cross there.
Johansson takes a big uppercut there. He seems a bit wobbly but no, he's OK.
Johansson throws a jab but it's blocked by River .
River uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from Johansson.
River throws out a counter right but Johansson avoids it with no problem.
Johansson defending well as River loads up on a big left hand.
Johansson throws a big shot that misses.
Johansson throws a monster uppercut resembling something out of street fighter but it doesn't land.
Horrible takedown attempt by River or perhaps it was just good defense by Johansson, which made it look bad.
The crowd applaud the fighters' efforts here as the round comes to an end.
River looks to throw the jab but Johansson is out of range.
River ducks under a wild hook from Johansson.
River swings and misses with a hook to the body.
River connects with a crisp jab.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

That was a close second round but I would say that Sven Johansson will probably get the nod.
That's time! Johansson's corner gives him a slap on the ass as he gets ready to fight.

Johansson lands with a hook. River tried to avoid it but it clipped the top of his head.
Johansson throws a predictable looking body shot
and River counters with a nice uppercut.
Johansson bobs and weaves well there to avoid the strikes.
Johansson misses with a body shot.
A slow jab from Johansson misses its intended target.
River lands with a shot to the body.
River misses with a wild body shot.
River digs a good hook to Johansson's body.
River connects with a right hand. Johansson shakes it off.
River throws a body punch but Johansson moves out of range.
River throws a body shot but no joy.
Johansson blocks a jab.
Johansson connects with a body shot that sends River 's belly button to the back.
River will have to do better than that with his takedown attempts.
River throws a hook but Johansson avoids it easily.
River lands with a cross to side of his opponent's head.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Johansson's jab looks to have found its range, popping River under the eye.
River throws a jab but it's blocked by Johansson.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Johansson misses with an uppercut
and River counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.
River misses with an uppercut. Johansson saw that one coming.
Johansson throws the left hand but River avoids the punch easily.
Johansson lands a right hook to the body.
Nice shot by Johansson.
River shoots in but Johansson avoids the takedown attempt easily.
Johansson thuds his right hand into River 's forehead from close range. That could be painful for both fighters.
Johansson tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but River was well out of range. Poor timing from Johansson.
Johansson swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
River throws an off balance right hand
and Johansson cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
Johansson misses with an uppercut. River saw that one coming.
River keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from Johansson.
A looping hook to the body misses from River . Johansson does a little dance to reset his feet.
Johansson uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by River .
Johansson displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as River throws out the jab.
Johansson seem to be loading up, looking for a big counter.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Johansson scores with a reasonable looking shot to the body. River doesn't seem bothered though.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Johansson shakes his hands off, looking to compose himself, but takes a jab to the jaw whilst he does it.
Johansson connects with a right hand. River shakes it off.
Johansson bobbing and weaving, closes the distance and lands a hook to the side of River 's head.
Johansson throws a jab but it's blocked by River .
River connects with a slap. Keep your fist closed son.
River wings a very wild body shot but it does the job and lands to the midsection.
Johansson walks into a left hand.
Johansson lands a lovely overhand right.
Johansson swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
River just misses with a punch to the body.
Johansson misses with a looping right.
River misses with a looping left.
River takes a shot right to the bread basket.
River slips under a jab.
Johansson uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by River .
Johansson takes a solid shot to the body. That one hurt him but he's trying not to show it.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
River moves away from the strike by Johansson.
Johansson lands a straight punch to the body, keeping River at a distance.
River uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Johansson.
Johansson uses good head movement to avoid the hook from River .
Johansson throwing a counter right hand but River manages to avoid it.
River swings and misses with a shot to the body
letting Johansson counter with a right hand.
River slips a straight right by Johansson.
Johansson walks into a jab.
Some wild striking there from River .
River tries to clinch there but Johansson circles away.
Nice jab there from Johansson.
Some wild striking there from Johansson.
River misses with a takedown attempt - Johansson sprawls well and throws a nice strike on the way out which just misses.
Johansson throwing a counter right hand but River manages to avoid it.
Sven Johansson has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of James River .
Johansson throws a shot from downtown. River moves away and avoids it.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Johansson uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by River .
Johansson digs a good body shot into River 's ribs.
Johansson takes a shot to the eye socket. That's gotta hurt.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
River moves out of range as Johansson strikes.
River misses with a body shot.
River swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Johansson takes a jab right on the nose. That must have hurt but he shrugs his shoulders and looks to return the favor.
Johansson moves out of range as River strikes.
River swings widly with a right hand
and Johansson counters with a lovely straight right hand!
Johansson swings wildly with a hook that is half blocked by River .
River uses good footwork to get in and out, landing a nice hook.
Johansson takes a step towards his opponent and connects with a left hand, before circling away.
River gets cracked there but stands up to it.
The crowd applaud the fighters' efforts here as the round comes to an end.
River swinging wildly here.
Johansson ducks under a wild hook from River .
River ducks under a wild hook from Johansson.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

That was a close round but Sven Johansson did the better work so I'd imagine he'll take it.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action!

River jabs at Johansson's body.
Johansson ducks under a wild hook from River .
River lands a nice looking body shot.
A big right from Johansson misses.
And River tries to counter it with a takedown but Johansson pushes his down on his head and steps out.
River misses the shot to the body.
River moves away from the strike by Johansson.
A little jabbing left from River on the counter but it doesn't find it's target.
The crowd cheers as Johansson lands an impressive looking overhand right. River doesn't seem phased though.
Johansson takes a jab right on the kisser.
River fails with the takedown.
A little feinted left hand from Johansson on the counter but he doesn't commit to it.
Johansson lands with an overhand left.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Johansson lands a beauty of a right hand that gets the crowd cheering.
Johansson scores with a crisp jab that stopped River in his tracks.
River sizes up Johansson with a pawing jab and scores with a straight right down the middle.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Johansson catches River with a nice straight right. He seems pissed - ooooh, it's on now! On like donkey kong!
A telegraphed right hand from River misses the target.

That's one minute gone in the round.
A looping hook to the body misses from River . Johansson does a little dance to reset his feet.
River tries to clinch up against the cage, rushing in to close the distance. Johansson manages to break the clinch and circles back to the middle of the mat.
Johansson takes a body punch but keeps moving.
River tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Johansson paws at him with a jab and circles away.
River throws a combination that misses
and Johansson counters with a straight punch to the midsection.
Johansson bobs and weaves well there to avoid the strikes.
Nice shot lands for Johansson.
River moves out of range as Johansson strikes.
Johansson clobbers River with an overhand right that has the crowd gasping. That made a horrendous noise.
River missing with a left hand there. Johansson was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
River scores with a punch to the gut of his opponent.
Johansson scores with a one two! River had his feet all tangled up there and couldn't avoid the strikes.
River throws a nice looking combination but Johansson bobs and weaves to avoid any damage.
Johansson lands an overhand left. A wild punch that just about connected.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
River misses with a looping right.
Johansson thows a left - swing and a miss!
River avoids the body shot from Johansson.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Johansson avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
Johansson just misses with a punch to the body.
Johansson staying out of range there.
River avoids a lazy jab quite easily.
Donk. River catches Johansson right on the button with a cross.
Johansson defending well as River loads up on a big left hand.
River shoots for a double leg takedown but Johansson sprawls well. He's pushed River 's face into the mat and manages to get back to his feet relatively easily.
River looks shocked there as he takes a right hand to the temple.
River misses with a looping left.
A big right from River misses.
Johansson keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from River .
Johansson misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from River .
Johansson works the jab nicely.
Johansson slips under a jab.
Johansson showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from River .

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Johansson avoids the body shot from River .
River looks to throw the jab but Johansson is out of range.
River lands with a good body shot.
River throws a couple of head shots and lands with the final one - a decent hook, which struck Johansson on the side of the head.
Johansson lands with a hook. River tried to avoid it but it clipped the top of his head.
River takes a solid shot to the body. That one hurt him but he's trying not to show it.
Johansson uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by River .
River lands a right hook to the body.
Johansson scores with a nice right hand.
A looping hook to the body misses from River . Johansson does a little dance to reset his feet.

Excellent takedown into side control there by River .
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Johansson is looking for a sweep.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Johansson takes a couple of big shots there - the referee warns him that he has to defend himself better.
River landing with strikes to the head and body from side control.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Johansson can't do much from the bottom here.
Johansson tries to work a leg under to get back to half guard but River wriggles his own leg back out and remains in side control.
River prevents Johansson from escaping the position.

River looking for an arm triangle but it's way too loose to do anything.
You can see the frustration on Johansson's face, being in this tough position on the bottom.
River throwing shots but missing, from side control.
Johansson tries to get back to half guard but can't.
River lands a knee to the body and a forearm to the face.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

A close fourth round but James River will probably get the nod - 10:9.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business. This is the final round!

Good shot there by Johansson.
River tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Johansson was well out of range. Poor timing from River .
Johansson is looking to counter punch.
Johansson scores with a jab to the head.
Johansson misses the shot to the body.
River jabbing away but nothing is landing.
A looping hook to the body misses from River . Johansson does a little dance to reset his feet.
Johansson slips under a jab.
River takes a swing at Johansson's ribcage but misses.
A counter left hand to the body from Johansson misses its target.
River throws a body shot but no joy.
A shot to the liver by River . Beautiful body shot.
A looping hook to the body misses from River . Johansson does a little dance to reset his feet.
Johansson doesn't react quick enough there as he takes a shot to the body.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Johansson displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as River throws out the jab.
Johansson is using his reach advantage well here, landing the more effective single shots from range.
River scores with a shot to the body.
Johansson throws a jab when River was well out of range.
River slips under a jab from Johansson.
River looked like he wanted to counter with a punch but didn't throw it.
River misses with a hook. Johansson ducked under it nicely.

That's one minute gone in the round.
River misses with a body shot.
It looked like Johansson wanted to counter with a hook but didn't fully commit.
River wants to clinch up but Johansson keeps it at a distance.
River comes forward and lands a shot to the body, then darts back out of range.
River throws an overhand right that lands on Johansson's shoulder, as Johansson tries to avoid the shot.
River fakes a jab and then connects with a hook.
Johansson connects with a crisp jab.
River keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Johansson takes a shot to the eye socket. That's gotta hurt.
River throws a body punch but Johansson moves out of range.
Johansson misses with a left hand

and River counters with a shoot takedown. Johansson fights it but they end up in guard.
River trying to control but Johansson is working from the bottom.
Johansson wants to stand up but River is controlling him.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
River wants to pass the guard but Johansson is keeping the position.
Johansson is controlling River 's posture.
River lands a couple of elbows.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
River preventing the sweep.
Johansson managing to control the position.
River is pushing down on Johansson's leg trying to pass to half guard. Johansson is fighting to maintain full guard but River has managed to sneak the leg through.
Johansson taking some punishment here, with River in his half guard.

Johansson is defending against the submission attempts here by River .

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Johansson wants to get back to full guard.
Johansson is trying to stand.
Johansson is refusing to be controlled, as River sits in half guard.
River passes the guard and advances to mount!
River lands a couple of good shots and Johansson has given up his back, trying to escape the position!
Johansson takes a big shot to the side of the head.
River missing with punches from the back.
James River has got the better of the ground game so far.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Johansson wants to control his opponent's hands but River gets his hands free.
Johansson wants to get back to his feet.
River misses with punches from the back.
Johansson rolls, trying to escape but River keeps control of the position.

Johansson preventing the rear naked choke attempt from River .
Johansson looks to control his opponent's hands but he's not mananging it at the moment.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
I really don't envy Johansson right now.
River scores with punches to the body.

And that's the end of the fight!
James River comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I think River has won this one but let's see whether the judges agree with me. Over to the ring announcer for the scorecards.

Ladies and gentlemen, after 5 rounds of action, we go to the scorecards for a decision.
Judge William Gold scores the fight 45:50
Judge Paul Tew scores the fight 49:46
Judge Steven Brown scores the fight 47:48

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