COMPUBOX POST-FIGHT ANALYSIS
August 7, 2006 - by Bob Canobbio
As the New York City streets baked in the summer heat, Vernon Forrest's early Christmas present arrived Saturday night at The Theater in Madison Square Garden.
The tone and pace of this junior welterweight crossroads fight between former welterweight champions was set in the opening round.
Forrest, on his horse, threw 89 total punches, landing just 16 (18%). Among those 89 offerings were 48 jabs courtesy of his surgically-repaired left shoulder. Not much snap, or accuracy, as only 6 landed.
Quartey cut off the ring effectively and picked his shots, landing the harder punches. Ike threw 38 total punches in round one, landing 15 (39%). He even outjabbed the jabber (at least the perception going into this fight), landing 8 of 24 attempts.
The busier Forrest won that first round on all 3 judges cards.
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| FIGHTERS |
Ike Quartey |
Vernon Forrest |
| TOTAL PUNCHES |
| Thrown |
481 |
818 |
| Connected |
201 |
184 |
| % |
42% |
22% |
| JABS |
| Thrown |
258 |
428 |
| Connected |
82 |
50 |
| % |
32% |
12% |
| POWER PUNCHES |
| Thrown |
223 |
390 |
| Connected |
119 |
134 |
| % |
53% |
34% |
| JUDGES SCORECARDS |
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Quartey upped his total punch count to 59 in round two, landing an impressive 30 total punches (51%), including 24 of 36 power shots, scoring heavily to Vernon's flanks. Forrest got off 86 punches, landing 18, but only 6 of 48 jabs found their mark- not effective enough to hold off Ike.
Quartey's round on all 3 cards.
Quartey then went into a bit of punch funk over the next five rounds. He threw 44 in the third, 44 in the fourth and 44 in the fifth, then 43 in the sixth and just three more than that in the seventh. Forrest calmed a bit, yet continued his high output, averaging 74 total punches thrown per round in those five rounds, including 39 jabs per round, landing 12% though. Impressive enough to win four of those rounds on one card and three of five on the other two.
Ike got it back in gear in the next two rounds, landing 30 of 57 total punches (53% -- his high totals for the fight), in the eighth and 20 of 25 power shots (80%) in the ninth. Forrest responded by landing 25 of 86 total punches (his high total connects for the fight) in the eighth and 22 of 87 in the ninth. Quartey appeared to have the advantage in those close eighth and ninth rounds, landing the harder shots, yet all 3 judges gave them to the busier Forrest, who also lost a point in the ninth following yet another low blow.
Quartey now unknowingly needed a 10-8 round, or a knockout to win the fight going into the tenth. He landed 24 of 56 total punches (43%) to 23 of 100 for Forrest. All three judges gave the round to the more efficient Quartey over the busier Forrest, too little, too late. Forrest gets the nod: 95-94; 96-93 & 95-94.
Overall, Quartey landed 201 of 481 (42%) total punches to 184 of 818 (22%) for Forrest.
Quartey, who holds the CompuBox record for all weight classes with 313 jabs landed in his 10/17/97 draw with Jose Luis Lopez, outjabbed Forrest too, landing 82 of 258 (32%) to just 50 of 428 for Vernon (12%- Forrrest never was terribly accurate with his jab, it's more of a range finder and defensive mechanism. He landed just 16% of his jabs in his wins over Shane Mosley and in his losses to Ricardo Mayorga.).
Quartey, who took off 14 months after his split-decision loss to Oscar De La Hoyain '99, was as dejected as a fighter could be following the announcement of the decision, as the crowd serenaded officials with chants of B.S... B.S... Ike will be 37 years old in November, he needs to get back in the saddle asap. He can't afford another extended mourning period following a disappointing loss. As for Forrest, 35, he too needs to get back in the ring and shake off some more rust (or is it age?), but first he'll probably enjoy his early gift from Santa on a hot New York City summer night.
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