PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a welterweight kickboxing rules bout between Sam Chen (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Piugnu Kopo (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Chen's entrance music is Surfing with the Alien. A fine choice. This should be fireworks!

Chen
vs
Kopo

180 cm
29
180 lbs
7 - 8 - 0

169 cm
26
165 lbs
2 - 6 - 0

Solid boxing
Insanely flexible

Good kicks
Knockout power

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 7 - 8 - 0, fighting out of St Petersburg, Sam Chen!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 2 - 6 - 0, fighting out of St Petersburg, Piugnu Kopo!
The judges for this bout are Aleksei Zolotukhin, Fedor Mirinova and Aleksandr Martynov.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!

Kopo darts in and clinches Chen up against the ropes.
The pace really dropping off here, momentarily.

Kopo's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.

The fight moves into the clinch position.
Chen wants to break free but Kopo has control.
Kopo is working hard here but doesn't seem to be able to control effectively, up against the ropes.
Kopo using the Thai plumb to throw knees but Chen has his back arched nicely, preventing the strike.

Kopo breaks the clinch.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Kopo closes the distance and presses his opponent up against the ropes.
Chen wants to get back to striking at distance but Kopo won't allow it.
Chen keeps control of Kopo as he tries to wriggle out of the double underhooks.
Kopo dictating the pace here, as the fighters clinch against the ropes.

Kopo breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Kopo tries to clinch up.

Chen moves into the clinch.

Kopo breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.

Chen gets tackled into the ropes by Kopo. Kopo maintains the clinch.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Kopo escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
Kopo connects with a high kick.
Kopo darts in trying to clinch
and Chen counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.

The fight moves into the clinch position.
Kopo is looking to break free of the clinch but Chen has double underhooks.
Kopo tries to land a knee to the body but he is off balance and Chen avoids it.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Kopo is trying to slow down the pace of the fight but Chen is keeping busy.

Kopo breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.

Chen gets a clinch.
Chen looks like he'd prefer to be striking at range right now.
Kopo goes for a body shot but it's blocked.

Kopo breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
A head kick misses from Kopo.
Kopo tries to close the distance and clinch but Chen swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.

Kopo forces Chen back against the ropes and clinches.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Chen avoiding damage as Kopo throws knees to the body.
Kopo keeps the fight in the clinch, despite Chen's efforts to push away.
Kopo is looking to break free of the clinch but Chen has double underhooks.
Chen wants to break free. God knows he wants to breaaaak freeee.

Kopo breaks from the clinch.
Chen circles away from the clinch attempt.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.

Kopo fakes with an overhand right and moves in to clinch with Chen, pushing him back against the ropes.
Kopo stalling in the clinch.
Kopo tries to break the clinch but Chen is controlling the position.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Piugnu Kopo dominated that round.
That's the end of the round. The referee orders the cornermen out of the ring so we can get back down to business.

Kopo tries to close the distance and clinch up but Chen swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Kopo misses with a few strikes there.
Kopo avoids the body shot from Chen.

Chen has managed to clinch.
Kopo misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Chen.
Chen working hard to break the clinch.
Kopo trying to control the position but instead, Chen has worked for underhooks and has pushed Kopo into the ropes.
Chen wants to get back to striking at distance but Kopo won't allow it.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Kopo has Chen pressed against the ropes, preventing Chen from circling away and getting back to striking at range.

Kopo breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Kopo tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Chen was well out of range. Poor timing from Kopo.
Chen throws a hook to the side of Kopo's head but Kopo sees it coming and ducks under it beautifully.
Kopo tries to clinch but fails miserably

and Chen moves into the clinch.

Kopo manages to break the clinch.
The fight stays on the outside here - Kopo looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
Kopo is looking to clinch but Chen is avoiding it.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Chen on the receiving end of a decent leg kick there by Kopo. Kopo obviously looking to wear him down.
Kopo tries to score with an inside leg kick but telegraphs it and Chen is able to avoid easily.
Kopo misses with a few strikes there.

Kopo gets to the clinch - let's see what his plan is here.
Kopo is pushing Chen up against the ropes, for a bit of lean and pray action. Action being used the in the loosest possible sense of the word.
Chen wants to break free but Kopo has control.
Kopo avoiding damage.
Kopo is trying to break the clinch but Chen has him pressed against the ropes.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Kopo wants to push off and get back to the center of the mat but Chen has him pressed against the ropes.
Chen on the defensive, avoiding the knees to the body.
Kopo is looking to break free of the clinch but Chen has double underhooks.
Good anti-grappling being displayed by Chen as Kopo tries to tie him up.
Kopo is trying to break the clinch but Chen has him pressed against the ropes.

Chen breaks the clinch.
Kopo is looking to clinch but Chen is avoiding it.
Sam Chen is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Chen misses with a hook. Kopo ducked under it nicely.

That's four minutes gone in the round.

Chen has managed to clinch.
Chen is trying to break free.
Chen is looking to break free of the clinch but Kopo has double underhooks.
Chen tries to break free but Kopo pushes him back against the ropes.

Kopo breaks the clinch.
Kopo slips under a jab from Chen.
Kopo wants to clinch.
Kopo ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Piugnu Kopo showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business. This is the final round!

Chen keeps the fight on the outside.
Kopo rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but Chen moves out of range and avoids them all easily.
Kopo tries to clinch up.
Chen swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Chen uses good head movement to avoid the hook from Kopo.
A big left from Chen misses.
Kopo looking to take his opponent's legs away with the low kicks.

Chen fakes with an overhand right and moves in to clinch with Kopo, pushing him back against the ropes.
The fighters are starting to get sweaty, which will make takedowns a bit more tricky.
Chen is trying to break the clinch but Kopo has him pressed against the ropes.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Chen is trying to break free.

Kopo's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
Kopo uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from Chen.
Kopo looks to score with a jab to the body but Chen is just out of range.
Nice defenses there by Kopo.
Chen keeps the fight on the outside.
Piugnu Kopo seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.

Chen clinches with his opponent.
Kopo stalling here - the referee won't stand for too much of that.
Chen working hard to break the clinch.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Kopo is trying to break the clinch but Chen has him pressed against the ropes.
Kopo wants to strike at distance but he can't break free of the clinch.
Kopo has Chen pressed against the ropes, preventing Chen from circling away and getting back to striking at range.
Knees to the body from Kopo.
Kopo tries a knee to the head but he's missed.
Chen has had enough of the clinch and is looking to separate.

Kopo breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Kopo tries to clinch up but Chen circles away and keeps his distance.
Kopo tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Chen has managed to clinch.
Kopo is pushing Chen up against the ropes, for a bit of lean and pray action. Action being used the in the loosest possible sense of the word.
Chen is trying to break the clinch but Kopo has him pressed against the ropes.
Kopo is looking to control Chen's arms but Chen gets an underhook and turns him. Now Kopo has his back to the ropes.
The two fighters are working to gain dominance in the clinch.
Kopo with an attempt at a knee that misses.

That's four minutes gone in the round.

Kopo breaks from the clinch.
Kopo is looking to clinch but Chen is avoiding it.

Chen closes the distance and pushes Kopo back into the ropes.
Piugnu Kopo seems to be working more effectively in the clinch in the fight so far.
Chen wants to get back to striking at distance but Kopo won't allow it.
Kopo tries to break free but Chen pushes him back against the ropes.
Chen is trying to push Kopo away but Kopo has him pressed against the ropes, so he's going nowhere.
Kopo content to slow the pace in the clinch.
Kopo tries to stall but Chen uses the opportunity to gain a better position.
Kopo is looking to score with knees to the body. Maybe he'll change it up and go body then head. Chen is defending well for now.
Sam Chen has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Piugnu Kopo is fighting for a decision - hopefully he's judged it right and he's actually winning the fight.
Chen misses with the head strike.

And that's the end of the fight!
I would just about give that final round to Piugnu Kopo.
Well Kopo 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 Aleksei Zolotukhin scores the fight 27:30
Judge Fedor Mirinova scores the fight 27:30
Judge Aleksandr Martynov scores the fight 27:30

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Piugnu Kopo!