Thursday, July 27, 2006

A Newlywed's Win

It was back to the Sabre Room last night for a show fight. Sadiq's wife--yes, he got married on Tuesday--came along. "I'm so nervous for him," Lauren said. She turned out to be a good calming influence on him, especially when he found out he was fighting a guy named JD instead of the boxer whose tapes he had been studying.

Steve told Sadiq that JD postures a lot in the ring and fights wildly. When JD was introduced, he flexed his arms and gritted his teeth at Sadiq from across the ring. Sadiq was doing well during the first two rounds, catching JD with jabs and solid rights. JD's technique involved rushing at Sadiq and brawling. There was a moment when the referee broke the two fighters apart after JB threw what looked like an illegal punch to Sadiq's body. After the break, Sadiq seemed to think for a moment, then he popped JD with a body shot. The referee admonished him.

The third round seemed not to be in Sadiq's favor. There were a few times when it looked as if he was waiting to see what JD would do instead of continuing to work the jab. JD's haphazard punches were connecting more than usual. Sadiq did get in a shot that cut JD's lip open. When it was all over, the decision was given to Sadiq. JD complimented him profusely afterwards, even pointing out his own mistakes that cost him the victory over Sadiq.

Josh didn't get a match, and unfortunately, last night was probably the last opportunity for him to get a fight. He's a young man on the move, checking out grad schools and preparing to travel to Japan to teach English for several months.

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