Yuri Romanov vs Darien Ford
ST. CHARLES, Mo.–The “Belarussion Contender” Yuri Romanov (21-2, 14 KOs) (left) is a big favorite in this bout since Darien Ford (11-20, 4 KOs) has lost his last five fights, three by stoppage. Ford gets some sympathy for his patriotic choice of ring attire: a camouflage U.S. Army shirt and matching trunks. Ford knows why he’s here tonight so hopefully he’s willing to make a fight of it. Round-by-round scoring from ringside after the jump:
Round 1: Cautious start, Ford using his jab while Romanov comes forward but doesn’t throw much. Yuri is very deliberate in how he goes about his business in the ring; he doesn’t seem the least bit conerned about what his opponent it goine to do.
Yuri catches Ford with a straight right and stuns him briefly, follows him into the ropes with a combination. Ref warns Yuri for hitting behind the head. He’s got Ford on the ropes again and unloads another hard combination. 10-9 Romanov.
Round 2: Yuri working behind the jab a bit more now, lands a one-two combination and keeps coming forward. He’s starting to measure Ford and land the right hand. Ford is backing up, clenching, doing whatever he can to stay away from Yuri’s right. A flurry to the body puts Ford down for the first time just before the bell. 20-17 Romanov.
Round 3: They’re trading in the middle of the ring and Yuro catches Ford with another big right hand. He’s not trying anything special, just some straight-forward one-twos but it’s working. Ford is not really trying to win this fight. 30-26 Romanov.
Round 4: At this point the question is whether Romanov has what it takes to close the show early or if he’s going to make us sit here witness this uneven contest come to fruition. The folks right in front of me on press row are watching the Felix Sturm-Matthew Macklin fight via webcast and I can’t really blame them, as that still beats the live action in front of us.
I’d say this looks like a sparring session but I’m sure Yuri is a lot busier when he’s fighting in the gym. Nothing of note this round, but Ford hasn’t come close to winning one yet. 40-35 Romanov.
Round 5: It’s always tough to watch a fight when you know one man is just there to cash a paycheck. Just ask all the folks who coughed up the loot to watch Manny Pacquiao’s last fight. To his credit Ford is still trying, throwing jabs and keeping his feet moving but he just ate a vicious straight right from Romanov.
Ford tries to respond in game fashion but Yuri seizes the opportunity to floor him with a nasty right hand. The crowd is showing some appreciation. A short left hook floors Ford again and he’s going to have to work to make it through this round. Another short flurry ends with Ford on his seat and the ref stopping the fight at 1:50 of round 5.
Nice win for Yuri “The Czar"Romanov. He showed off a systematic approach in breaking Ford down and ultimately closing the show in impressive fashion. Can’t quibble with the performance, though maybe he could have gotten to business a little more quickly.
As he walked by press row Ford was smiling and in a surprisingly good mood for a man who had taken an ass whooping, as my neighbor from Da Truth Boxing noted.