By John Wayne Parr
February 12, 2009
 
Deon Elam vs Hino Ehikhamenor

Round 1: As the fight starts, Hino looks nice and relaxed, shooting out his jab as a feeler getting his range. Deon looks a little tense and uneasy firing out his jab as well, but with out much success. Hino is taking advantage with his jab, firing to the head then down to the body then back up again. Not much action this round but enough for Hino to take it 10-9
 
Round 2: Both fighters have now found their groove and have become relaxed. Deon has a few good moments in the round landing the odd hook, but when Hino puts the pressure on there is nothing Deon can do to stop the onslaught. Hino lets go with a nice right hook that puts Deon on his back foot making him a little shaky, then just before the bell, Hino continues with a big flurry landing 5 hard punches right on the kisser. Again Hino is dictating the pace, so he wins the round 10-9.
 
Round 3: Deon is down on points and now has a lot of pressure on himself if he wants to win.  Hino knows he is ahead and takes his time landing enough punches this round to take the points 10-9. Deon really needs to let it all go with his punches if he wants to be in this fight.
 
Round 4: As the bell sounds for the start of the round, Deon comes out a different fighter firing out hard jabs that are finding the mark and pushing Hino back onto the ropes. Deon sets Hino up and lands a solid right hand that rocks Hino on his feet and he has to dig deep to hang on. Hino tries to fire back to keep Deon away but now Deon is teeing off on him with great power shots, making Hino wonder what day it is. This is Deon’s best round so far and now we can see why is he such a threat to anyone he steps in the ring with.  It’s a shame he didn't bring the same intensity earlier on in the fight. This round Deon all the way 10-9
 
Round 5: Hino knows he lost round 4 and now picks the pace up again to make sure he doesn't let the fight slip through his fingers. Deon tries to apply the same pressure as the last round, but Hino isn't having a bar of it, making Deon miss with his punches slipping and countering. When Hino is relaxed he is very hard to hit. Deon slows down half way through the round when he can’t make any shots land. Hino does enough to put the points in his favor, another round to Hino 10-9.
 
I score the fight easily to Hino 49-46 as do all three judges. It could have been a much closer fight only if Deon put it all on the line like in round 4. I am sure looking at the fight Deon will see he had a chance of making the final as he has the skills, but showed Hino too much respect.
 
 
Rico vs the Comeback Kid.

 
Round 1: Joell starts the round firing jabs to the head and body.  He sets himself at a high pace up on his toes moving in and out. After seeing what Joell was going to bring to the table and feeling out his power, Rico starts to let go with some punches of his own and now we have a good fight on our hands. Both guys are giving and taking making it a very hard round to score. I can’t split them and score the 1st round a draw.
 
Round 2: Both fighters want to put the pressure on each other and the start of round 2 they stand in front of one another throwing sharp crisp punches. Rico starts to get the better of the exchanges and starts to push Joell back. Rico loves a close fight and is happy to stand shoulder to shoulder and work punches from the inside. Joell is having a good go and isn't letting Rico have his own way but Joell is out punching him and landing the more scoring shots. 10-9 Rico.
 
Round 3: Joell comes out in the start of the round and is having some good fortune landing some scoring shots. Rico isn’t going to give it away that easy though and pushes Joell back onto the ropes works the inside again. Joell is a great fighter from the out side, but once against the ropes tends to get lazy and when the pressure is on doesn't fight back as much as he should.  Another competitive round and a hard one to score, I give it another draw 10-10
 
Round 4: This round Joell comes out like a true professional, relaxed, hands down and up on his toes. Joell looks so relaxed, and starts picking Rico apart from the outside, not letting him come inside and using the whole ring to his advantage. I am not sure if Rico is having a round off, or if he is put off by Joell's fancy razzle dazzle foot work. Easy round for Joell 10-9.  Now we have a very close fight on our hands.

Round 5: Joell wants to keep the fight going the same as the 4th, but now Rico is applying more pressure and not letting him stay at range. So far in the competition, Rico has been a busy fighter, but doesn't throw many power punches. But, in this round you can really see the difference; he is putting his whole body weight behind every shot. Joell is now getting hit with huge shots, standing right in front of Rico letting him tee off. Rico lands a nice combo near the end of the round and referee breaks them, when the referee says to fight on Joell takes a knee and gets an 8 count, not sure why as nothing really crazy seemed to land unless he just needed a breathe. The bell rings and the 8 count seals the round to Rico 10-8.
 
Just from where I am sitting I score the fight 49-47 the judges scored it 50-44, 48-46, 49-45.
 
The final four looks very competitive and is going to be a hard one to call. I still think with Troy's two big early KO's he would have to be the favorite to win the whole show. This is fighting though, and anything can happen when it’s time to throw punches at each others face.