PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a lightweight kickboxing rules bout between James Ward (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Rhakesh Alhazred (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). This should be fireworks!

Ward
vs
Alhazred

180 cm
22
160 lbs
2 - 0 - 0

179 cm
31
160 lbs
15 - 14 - 0

World class boxer
Granite chin

Excellent MT
Powerful

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 5 rounds, in the lightweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 2 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Montreal, James Ward!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 15 - 14 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Rhakesh Alhazred!
The judges for this bout are Yasuomi Hirokawa, Shigeki Fujiwara and Yuuki Gou.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Alhazred lands a slapping body shot.
Ward scores with a nice body kick.
Ward thows a left - swing and a miss!
Ward works Alhazred's body with a nice hook.
Alhazred lands a jab. Then a cross. Then finally a nice hook to the body. Good work there by Alhazred.
Alhazred cracks Ward with a good jab.
Alhazred misses with a double jab.
Ward bobs and weaves and unloads with a good uppercut.
Ward thows a body kick. Alhazred tries to catch it but that hurt him.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Alhazred misses with a body shot.
Ward with a jab.
Ward misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
Ward misses with a body kick.
Ward lunges in with swinging rights and lefts but Alhazred circles away quickly and effectively.
Alhazred defending well as Ward loads up on a big left hand.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Ward rushes in with a sloppy looking punch
and Alhazred counters with an inside leg kick.
Ward swings for the body but Alhazred moves out of range.
Alhazred throws a jab but it's blocked by Ward.
Alhazred takes a step back and watches a body kick go sailing past his mid section.
Danga de danga de dang - Ward scores with a four punch combination!

It looks like Rhakesh Alhazred has been cut.
Alhazred tries a head kick but it misses.
Ward throws a right hand that Alhazred ducks under and follows up with a left that Alhazred also avoids with ease.
A looping hook to the body misses from Ward. Alhazred does a little dance to reset his feet.
Alhazred checks a leg kick.
James Ward seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Ward misses with a wild body shot.
This fight brought to you by 5M nutrition - it's mmmmm tasty. Nice jab by Ward.
Ward lunges at Alhazred with a hook that half lands and is half blocked by Alhazred's hand.
Ward just misses with a punch to the body.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Ward scores to the head and body with a nice combination!

Alhazred is rocked!
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!
Ward slips a jab from Alhazred.
Alhazred is still on wobbly legs! Can Ward finish him?
The fighters circling - Ward throws out the jab but it was never going to land.
Alhazred misses with a body kick.
Alhazred seems to have recovered his senses.
Ward lands a front kick.
Ward misses with a double jab.
Alhazred lands a jab-cross combination.
Alhazred misses with a body shot.
Ward connects with a leg kick. Alhazred looked like he was expecting something else and didn't defend it.
A good leg kick by Ward.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Ward fails to land with the punch combination there - jab, cross, hook, miss, miss, miss.
Ward scores with a punch to the head.
Alhazred 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.

James Ward dominated that round.
The cut man is working on Rhakesh Alhazred's cut.
OK. That's time! The bell goes and we're back to the action.

Ward swings for the body but Alhazred moves out of range.
Ward misses the shot to the body.
Ward throws a series of punches but Alhazred moves out of range.
Ward fails to land with a series of punches.
Ward throws a right and a left that both miss.
Ward misses with a few strikes there.
Ward lets the fists fly and connects with a left straight followed by a right hook.
Ward throws a leg kick
and Alhazred counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.
Ward takes a solid shot to the body. That one hurt him but he's trying not to show it.
Alhazred slips a jab and a cross from Ward.
Ward throws a nice looking combination but Alhazred bobs and weaves to avoid any damage.
Ward misses with a combination
and Alhazred counters with a two punch combo.
Well, he's not going to score with shots like that. A lazy body kick attempt from Ward.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Ward looks shocked there as he takes a right hand to the temple.
Ward goes to the watering hole and comes back with a big thumbs up from the judges as he scores a three punch combo.
Nice straight punches there by Ward. You know Roy Jones Jr respects the hands of Ward.
Alhazred throws a low kick but Ward moves out of range easily.
James Ward is winning the standup battle so far.
Ward lands a body shot.
Ward stooping low to avoid any incoming strikes and then lunges in with an uppercut come cross that lands flush.
A leg kick checked by Alhazred.
Ward bobbing and weaving, closes the distance and lands a hook to the side of Alhazred's head.
Some wild striking there from Alhazred.
Alhazred misses with a series of wild punches.
Ward lands a really nice looking cross but Alhazred seems unphased.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Ward throws a wild combination but nothing lands.
Alhazred jabs Ward to the body, keeping him at a distance.
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!
Ward scores with a push kick.
A looping hook to the body misses from Alhazred. Ward does a little dance to reset his feet.
Alhazred avoids a punch combination nicely.
Ward misses with a double jab
letting Alhazred counter with a right hand.
A swing and a miss from Ward.
Alhazred uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Ward.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
A left and a right from Ward both land. Nice combination.
Ward throws a body kick but he wasn't in range.
Alhazred closes the distance and lands a one-two.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

James Ward dominated that second round.
The cut man is working on Rhakesh Alhazred's cut.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action!

Ward throws a decent looking leg kick but it doesn't land clean.
Ward looks to land a body kick but Alhazred moved away.
Alhazred takes a nice looking leg kick right on the meat of his thigh there.
Ward throws a push kick but Alhazred slaps the foot to one side.
Alhazred has his front leg slapped to the side - a nice low kick landing there from Ward.
Ward looks to score with a jab to the body but Alhazred is just out of range.
Ward works the jab nicely.
Alhazred throws a looping overhand right but Ward ducks down to avoid it.
Alhazred slips a jab and a cross from Ward.
A solid leg kick lands there for Ward.
Alhazred misses with a jab and misses with a cross straight after too.
Ward throws a nice inside leg kick.
Ward takes a step towards his opponent and connects with a left hand, before circling away.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Ward throws a quick head kick that skims the top of Alhazred's head.
Ward throws a body kick that misses.
Ward moves out of range of the body kick.
Ward looks to throw a body kick
and Alhazred counters with a low kick, right behind Ward 's knee.
Alhazred scores with a three punch combo!
Ward connects with a solid leg kick.
Ward misses with a few strikes there.
Alhazred lands a nice looking body shot.
Ward throws a body kick the misses
and Alhazred counters with a head kick. That will keep Ward thinking before he tries any more sloppy attacks!
Ward throws a wild combination but nothing lands.
Ward looks to throw a body kick
and Alhazred counters with a straight punch to the midsection.
Ward thows a leg kick but Alhazred checks it
and Alhazred counters with a leg kick.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Alhazred throws a series of punches but Ward avoids them all with ease.
Ward misses with a combination
and Alhazred counters with a lovely straight right hand!
Alhazred moves out of range as Ward throws a body kick.
Ward stuns Alhazred with a nice body shot, before stepping back out of range.
Ouch! a nice leg kick from Ward, right into the meat.
Alhazred scores with a punch to the head.
Ward looking to take his opponent's legs away with the low kicks.
Alhazred bobs and weaves and then throws a good body kick.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Alhazred throws a right and a left that both miss.
Ward missing with a left hand there. Alhazred was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
Ward swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

James Ward clearly takes that round.
The cut man is working on Rhakesh Alhazred's cut.
The minute break is over - no more time for sponges and pep talks - back to the action!

Ward thows a leg kick but Alhazred checks it
and Alhazred counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
Alhazred ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.
Ward looks to land a combination but Alhazred avoids it well.
Ward throws a jab, cross combination which is slipped
and Alhazred makes him pay by landing a nice hook to the body before moving out of range.
Ward on the wrong end of an overhand right that came out of nowhere.
Alhazred misses with a double jab.
Ward lets loose with a powerful body kick. Alhazred will feel that in the morning.
Ward throws a lazy body kick
and Alhazred counters with a left and a right that stings Ward.
Ward fakes low and throws an overhand right that catches Alhazred on the side of the head.
Ward getting the better of the striking in that exchange.
The fighters circling - Alhazred throws out the jab but it was never going to land.
Alhazred throws a body punch but Ward moves out of range.
Ward pulls out of a head kick attempt.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Ward throws a jab when Alhazred was well out of range.
Alhazred lands a nice looking kick to the body. Ward takes a step back to recover.
A swing and a miss from Ward.
Ward tries to land a front kick but Alhazred steps back. That was a bit too telegraphed.
Alhazred misses the jab.
Ward misses with a kick to the body.
Alhazred keeping at a good range here, avoiding a leg kick.
Ward throws a leg kick which misses Alhazred's front leg but catches the back leg as Alhazred tries to avoid it.
Ward throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Ward goes for a spinning back kick but it misses.
Alhazred throws a looping overhand right but Ward ducks down to avoid it.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Alhazred takes a body punch that cleary hurt but he's trying not to show any weakness.
Ward moves into range and throws a lovely three punch combination.
Ward throws a push kick but Alhazred slaps the foot to one side.
Alhazred connects with a leg kick. Ward looked like he was expecting something else and didn't defend it.
Ward lands with a nice combination. Alhazred backs away looking to recover.
Alhazred tries to score with a low kick but Ward moves his leg out of the way.
Ward throws a push kick but Alhazred slaps the foot to one side.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
A punch combination from Alhazred misses.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Ward moves out of range of the strikes.
Alhazred scores with a kick to the body.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

James Ward had his way with Rhakesh Alhazred in that round.
The cut man is working on Rhakesh Alhazred's cut.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business. This is the final round!

Ward getting the better of the striking in that exchange.
Ward throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Some wild striking there from Ward.
Alhazred moves out of range of the body kick.
Well, he's not going to score with shots like that. A lazy body kick attempt from Ward.
Ward throws a body punch but Alhazred moves out of range.
Ward slips under a jab from Alhazred.
A combination from Ward does no damage.
Alhazred moves out of range of the body kick.
Ward pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
Ward looks to throw a body kick
and Alhazred counters with a lovely shot to the body.
Ward misses with a kick to the body.
James Ward is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Ward ducks right into an uppercut from Alhazred.
Ward fails to land with a series of punches.
Ward fails to land with the punch combination there - jab, cross, hook, miss, miss, miss.
Both of our modern day gladiators look out of it here - an gruelling 5 rounds of action taking it's toll on them, no doubt.
Ward misses with a low kick.
Ward tries to land a body kick
and Alhazred counters with a low kick, right behind Ward 's knee.
Rhakesh Alhazred has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Ward throws a right hand that Alhazred ducks under and follows up with a left that Alhazred also avoids with ease.
Alhazred misses with the combination.
Ward has his front leg slapped to the side - a nice low kick landing there from Alhazred.
Ward looks to land a combination but Alhazred avoids it well.
Ward lands with a kick to the ribs.
Ward takes a swing at Alhazred's ribcage but misses.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Ward throws a half hearted mid kick.
Alhazred misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Ward.
Alhazred throws a combination but it was largely blocked by Ward.
Ward ducks right into an uppercut from Alhazred.
Alhazred drops his hands and takes a jab to the jaw for his troubles.
Ward misses with a wild body shot.
Alhazred throws a shot from downtown. Ward moves away and avoids it.
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!
Alhazred ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Ward moves away.
Ward is looking to land body kicks.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Nice body punch from Ward.
Ward looking to take his opponent's legs away with the low kicks.

And that's the end of the fight!
That was a close round. You could make an argument for either fighter but I would give it to James Ward.
Well Ward has outscored his opponent in every aspect of the fight today. Only a scarily incompetent judge or two will keep him from a well deserved win... 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 Yasuomi Hirokawa scores the fight 50:45
Judge Shigeki Fujiwara scores the fight 50:45
Judge Yuuki Gou scores the fight 50:45

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... James Ward!
James Ward thanked the fans post fight for their support.