The Scorecard Treatment: Anselmo Moreno vs Nehomar Cermeno I

Bantamweights Anselmo Moreno and Nehomar Cermeno will be renewing hostilities this Saturday night in Panama.  Their first battle fought back in March was a very tight affair, with Moreno emerging with a split decision victory after twelve tense rounds.  Some observers felt that the classy southpaw had indeed done enough to earn the win, while others were of the opinion that Cermeno actually deserved to walk away the winner.

With the fighters ready to get it on once more, it's a good time to give the first encounter the scorecard treatment...

Round 1

Moreno scored with the occasional straight left, which was enough to earn the win in a very cautious opening session. The Panamanian pushed the pace of the round, steadily coming forward while Cermeno circled away from any potential exchanges.

10-9 Moreno

Could the round have been scored for Cermeno? No. He did absolutely nothing.

Round 2

A more aggressive 3 minutes from Cermeno gave him the edge in another round that featured very few meaningful shots. Cermeno landed a couple solid rights – including one with about 30 seconds left which drew a reaction from the crowd.

10-9 Cermeno

Could the round have been scored for Moreno? No. As with the first round, the winner really didn’t do a whole lot… but when the other fighter doesn’t do anything, it’s enough.

19-19 Even after 2

Round 3

It was a cagey frame with very few punches of note landing. Moreno earned the honors by showing more initiative and also landing a nice right hand during an exchange during the last few seconds of the round.

Moreno 10-9

Could the round have gone the other way? It would be a stretch as Cermeno didn’t do a whole lot other than land a shot to the body which replays indicated may have been below the belt-line.

Moreno 29-28 after 3

Round 4

The occasional clean shot from Moreno was enough to carry another cagey and cautious 3 minutes.

10-9 Moreno

Could this round have been scored the other way? I don’t think so, as Cermeno is just not doing much of anything to score points. When he does jump in – and those moments haven’t been frequent – he’s had a very difficult time finding the mark with anything clean.

Thoughts through 4 rounds...

After four nip and tuck rounds, this card has Moreno up 39-37. There's an intensity to the fight that keeps the action engaging though it's clear the style match-up between these two will never lead to a real fan friendly battle.  Moreno seems slightly more comfortable, though he's still struggling to get much done against Cermeno's awkward style.  The Venezuelan fighter is tough to coral as he moves well, and the way he jumps in from time to time makes him a tough proposition to attack.

I should also mention that I'm scoring the bout on YouTube, which is far from ideal.  The picture quality isn't great, and there's no way to slow down the action which makes it nearly impossible to determine if so some punches landed or just missed.

Round 5

Cermeno’s best round of the fight so far. He showed much more willingness to take some chances and picked his spots to jump in and fire off his right hand, landing a few good ones in the process.

10-9 Cermeno

Could this round have gone the other way? No. Moreno landed a couple left hands, but the better work was clearly done by Cermeno.

48-47 Moreno after 5

Round 6

This was Moreno’s round on the strength a nice straight left hand early in the session. Cermeno tried to rally late and did land a right to the body just before the bell – which looked a little better than it was due to Moreno being off balance.

10-9 Moreno

Could this round have gone the other way? Very little happened and an argument could be made that Cermeno’s late flurry was enough to even the score. I’ve said it many times – but for rounds like this, having the option to score 10 – 9 ½ would be nice

58-56 Moreno at the mid-way point

Round 7

A good round for Cermeno, punctuated by a twenty second spurt starting around the mid-way point that included several solid right hands. Overall it was a spirited 3 minutes with more action than any of the previous 6 sessions have provided.

10-9 Cermeno

Could the round have gone the other way? No, Moreno had a couple decent moments, but the stronger work was clearly done by Cermeno.

67-66 Moreno after 7

Round 8

Cermeno’s right hand continued to find the mark, especially during the middle third of the round when he landed several good ones that had Moreno briefly looking a little uncomfortable. Moreno responded well and the final minute was fought at a good pace with some of the best exchanges we’ve seen so far from these two.

10-9 Cermeno

Could the round have been scored for Moreno? No, though he did have his moments.

Thoughts through 8 rounds...

Cermeno's picked it up nicely over the last four rounds.  It took him awhile to get his timing down, but he's started to have some real success with his right hand.  Moreno's still edging forward confidently, but he's getting tagged for his troubles far more frequently than earlier in the bout.  Cermeno's willingness to take some chances has also done wonders for the bout's entertainment level, though it's still much more of a tactical battle than a back and forth brawl.

One unfortunate factor that's playing havoc with the bout is the canvas.  It's covered with advertising and the fighters are having a difficult time with their footing.  Let's hope similar issues aren't in play for the rematch as it's an unnecessary complication that takes away from both men's ability to compete at their best.

76-76 after 8

Round 9

Having had the play taken away from him over the previous couple of rounds, Moreno stepped up his intensity with a strong display to take the round. He pushed forward from the start and let his hands fly with purpose, landing some nice straight lefts from range and the occasional solid right in close. Cermeno tried to jump in with right hands, but found only limited success.

10-9 Moreno

Could this round have been scored for Cermeno? No, he absorbed the majority of significant punches while fighting in retreat.

86-85 Moreno through 9

Round 10

Moreno pressed the action throughout the three minutes, but it was Cermeno that landed the majority of solid blows, finding the target with his right hand several times. He also strayed very low on one occasion, catching Moreno in the groin with a wayward right hand that required a break in the action for the visiting fighter to recover.

10-9 Cermeno

Could this round have been scored for Moreno? He pushed the action and did land his share of punches, but he was outfought for the majority of the round and Cermeno appeared to have a clear edge.

95-95 with 2 to go

Round 11

With 1:10 left in the round, Cermeno drilled Moreno in the groin area for what must have been at least the fourth or fifth time in the fight. After showing remarkable tolerance for the home fighter’s constant infringement of the rules, this was the last straw for referee Luis Pabon and the official finally took a point from Cermeno. The deduction seemed to light a fire under Cermeno, as he outhustled Moreno over the last minute to win a round that had been up for grabs at the point of the foul.

9-9 (10-9 Cermeno minus the deduction)

Could this round have gone the other way? Moreno may have had a slight edge until getting hammered low, but the strong finish from Cermeno clearly earned him the session.

104-104 through 11

Round 12

Note – The version on YouTube is missing the first 25 seconds of the round.

I watched the round – at least the 2:35 seconds I had access to – three times, and was unable to separate the fighters. In terms of clean effective punches, there was nothing in it. Moreno had a very slight edge at the mid-way point, with Cermeno taking the final 90 seconds by an equally slight margin. In most rounds, Moreno’s willingness to come forward would have given him the advantage, but in this session it was Cermeno pressing – though failing to find the mark time and again due to Moreno’s impeccable defense.

10-10 even

Could this round have been scored another way? If you feel Moreno’s slick defensive work pushed him ahead, then an argument can be made in his favor – and if you feel Cermeno’s aggression deserves to be rewarded, then the edge certainly could have gone his way. For me, this was a 50/50 round and fights shouldn’t be decided on coin-flips, so 10-10 it is.

Final Score

114-114 - A Draw

This was a very close fight, though most of the rounds had a reasonably clear winner.  Only rounds 6 and 12 caused much consternation when filling out my scorecard, with Moreno holding a 1-0-1 edge in those sessions.  Give Cermeno the benefit of the doubt in either round and he wins it on this card.

Looking ahead to the rematch...

It took a few rounds for Cermeno to figure out what he needed to do and get busier - chances are he won't require a similar feeling out period on Saturday night.  Given he had the edge over the final 8 rounds on this card, it stands to reason that starting his motor sooner could mean the difference between winning and losing this time.

Looking at it from the other side's perspective, you have to assume a clever operator like Moreno learned a few tricks over the course of the twelve rounds.  Cermeno leaves himself open when he lunges in, which could be dangerous if Moreno has figured out a way to time those lunges with well place counters.  It's not easy however to stand in against a fighter that jumps into exchanges, as there's always the very real danger of getting butted.

Fighting in Panama should help Moreno as well.  He was forced to absorb several hard shots to the groin area, which may have taken some of the pep from his legs over the second half of the bout.  You have to assume if Cermeno works that sensitive zone again, it won't take until the 11th round before he suffers the consequences and loses a point.

Whatever adjustments are made, it's safe to say we can expect to see another interesting match-up - likely short on fireworks - but closely contested and intriguing throughout.

e-mail Andrew Fruman