HANOVER, Md. – Francois Scarboro Jnr was dragged into a war and was able to escape with a victory, defeating the resilient and capable Brandon Valdes by unanimous decision here at Maryland Live Casino on Friday.
Two judges saw the competitive junior lightweight contest at 96-94, while the third scored the action far wider than it seemed at 99-91.
Scarboro was coming off a first-round TKO of an undefeated opponent two months ago and was stepping in with a foe whose record was far less impressive. Yet Scarboro was also realistic in interviews, telling one reporter that he didn’t want to get drawn into looking for a knockout, and that Valdes was a capable fighter who was even more motivated than normal.
After all, Valdes was coming in having lost four fights in a row. And he was intent on this not being his fifth. He appeared to be in great shape and was game to give Scarboro a test. The first round still belonged to Scarboro, who took a left to the body but retaliated with a right hand upstairs, and who scored with a good 1-2 in the final 10 seconds and then opened up with a barrage of looping shots.
The second was better for Valdes, who succeeded with single shots – a clean left hook and a flush right hand – and often led the action.
But with a Valdes fan yelling from nearby at the start of the third round that Scarboro couldn’t hurt his foe, Scarboro did just that, rocking Valdes with an overhand right. Valdes wasn’t badly hurt, though, and soon fired back with a four-punch combo. He also caught Scarboro with his gloves low while in-range, Valdes crashing a right hand into his opponent’s face.
The firefight continued in the fourth. Scarboro landed the bigger shots but could not deter Valdes, who worked when Scarboro rested. Similar action took place in the fifth. One man would volley, then the other. There might not be a single knockout blow in this battle, but this would clearly be a war of attrition.
It wasn’t just a physically grueling fight but a mentally draining one as well. Scarboro walked himself into counters and got caught with flush leads in the sixth, a prospect’s flaws becoming even more evident as exhaustion and punishment accumulated.
This was Scarboro’s first scheduled 10-rounder, something he said wouldn’t be a problem, while Valdes had gone this distance five times before. Scarboro dug deep into his reserves, yet he also loaded up on power shots too often, and he needlessly traded wildly as the seventh round came to a close, getting caught with tighter return fire as a result.
Valdes showed signs of slowing down himself in the eighth, the action calming somewhat with Valdes on the back foot as Scarboro pursued. Valdes also had reserves to tap into, though, and exchanges broke out in the final minute of the round.
The action was sloppier from both men in the ninth, wild and weary swings resulting in missed shots, desperate haymakers landing but no longer carrying as much oomph.
Valdes was the aggressor to start the 10th and final round, ready to sprint for the finish line. When Scarboro wanted to box behind a jab, Valdes threw out three hard blows that may not have done much damage but were more attention-grabbing. So was the single left hook that landed flush to Scarboro’s face.
Minutes later, Scarboro heard his name announced as the winner. The question is how much he can grow from here. He is 29 years old but has fought professionally for less than four years. The win brings the resident of Cheverly, Maryland, to 13-0 (9 KOs). He’ll need to perform much better if he’s going to continue stepping up his level of opposition and remain undefeated in the process.
Valdes is now 15-8 with 7 KOs. The Colombian fighter, a 27-year-old who now lives in Rosemead, California, remains on a losing streak but has surely earned himself another opportunity.
David Greisman, who has covered boxing since 2004, is on Twitter @FightingWords2. David’s book, “Fighting Words: The Heart and Heartbreak of Boxing,” is available on Amazon.
