By CompuBox
The subjective nature of scoring boxing matches was propelled to the forefront during Saturday night’s HBO doubleheader that featured Tavoris Cloud’s grueling victory over the ageless Glen Johnson and Devon Alexander’s underwhelming win over ex-champ Andreas Kotelnik.
Cloud and Alexander received commanding 116-112 scores from each of the three judges but neither the CompuBox numbers nor the crowd reaction jibed with the jurists’ opinions. For example the highly pro-Alexander crowd of more than 9,000 didn’t seem too jazzed when their hometown hero held up a T-shirt declaring “Bradley U Next.” Perhaps they know that Alexander will have to up his game considerably if “Alexander The Great” wants to conquer “Desert Storm.”
Earnest but ineffective activity and friendly geography helped Alexander pull out the win. Averaging nearly 93 punches per round Alexander out-threw Kotelnik 1,113-763. His output never fell below 80 per round and he exceeded the 100-punch mark three times (rounds two, seven and eight) while Kotelnik surpassed 70 punches only twice (rounds six and eight). That hyperkenetic activity effectively camouflaged Kotelnik’s superior accuracy and harder blows.
Despite throwing 350 fewer punches – nearly 30 per round – Kotelnik out-landed Alexander 225-202 overall and nearly doubled his jab connect total (116-64). Alexander fired 647 jabs (nearly 54 per round) but landed a little less than 10 percent of them while Kotelnik connected on 29 percent of his 397 jabs. The round-by-round numbers revealed that Kotelnik enjoyed five double-digit connect rounds, with his best being 16 in round one. Alexander posted two such rounds with round four’s 14 representing his peak.
Kotelnik landed more punches in seven of the 12 rounds and he won his rounds by bigger margins (7.14 connects in Kotelnik’s seven to Alexander’s 5.4 in his five). Alexander’s overall connect percentage was in the teens in most rounds and surpassed 20 percent only four times (topping off at 29 percent in found four). Conversely, Kotelnik’s topped 30 percent six times and peaked at 36 in the sixth.
Alexander’s saving grace – besides the fight site – was his power numbers, where he went 138 of 466 (30 percent) to Kotelnik’s 109 of 366 (30 percent). He out-performed Kotelnik in that category in eight of the 12 rounds and reached double-digit connects seven times, topping off at 22 in round eight. Kotelnik reached double-digits eight times, but his best – also in round eight – was 14 connects.
The PunchZone charts revealed that Kotelnik’s left to the head was his most effective punch as he struck Alexander 120 times while Alexander’s blows to Kotelnik’s chin landed most often (55 times). Kotelnik landed rights to the head 51 times (as did Alexander) and struck Alexander’s chin 35 times. Alexander hit Kotelnik with the left cross 46 times.
Kotelnik’s body punching was far more effective as his right landed 32 times and his left 18 times. Meanwhile, Alexander registered 19 hits – 10 with the left and nine with the right. Neither registered a low blow.
While Alexander’s work rate carried him to a disputed victory, Glen Johnson did not receive the same good fortune against Cloud. The 41-year-old wonder cranked out 883 punches – 201 more than his 28-year-old counterpart – and out-landed him 254-246 overall and 134-79 in jabs.
Because much of the action took place in close quarters, power punches played a big role in determining the winner, and here Cloud was the clear victor. He landed 167 of his 373 attempts for an excellent 45 percent connect rate while Johnson went 120 of 371 for 32 percent accuracy. That, and edges of 40-32 (total connects) and 28-21 (power connects) in the final two rounds, surely helped the younger man’s cause.
The round-by-round breakdowns showed that Cloud had a slim 6-5-1 advantage in total connects but that Johnson won his rounds bigger (9.6 connects to 6.6). Like Alexander, Cloud out-did Johnson in power connects eight times but unlike Kotelnik Johnson only out-did Cloud twice in this category because there were two tied rounds (two and six).
The PunchZone breakdown showed that each was equally effective with the right cross as both registered 80 connects. Cloud’s left to the head was more successful as he out-landed Johnson 71-51 while also edging out “The Road Warrior” 53-36 in chin connects. Johnson made up some considerable ground with his body attack as he rolled up an 87-45 connect gap. Johnson’s hook landed 47 times and the right 40 times while Cloud’s right to the ribs registered 30 connects while the left landed 15 times.
For Cloud, this was a valuable developmental fight in terms of handling championship pressure against a worthy opponent while for Johnson it was just another heartbreak in a career filled with them.