Wednesday Night Fights: Terrance Cauthen VS Alexis Camacho

ESPN Boxing Broadcast: Wednesday Night Fights.

Date: July 16, 2008
Division: Welterweight
Rounds Scheduled: 8
Place: Municipal Auditorium, San Antonio, Texas, United States

Fighters:

Alexis Camacho

Record:16-0 with 15 kayos
Height: 5'10
Weight: 147.5 LBS
Age: 27
Residence: Austin, Texas (from Mexico)

*Comes from a family of circus performers. To cut weight, Teddy Atlas remarks, Camacho came running in in full plastic gear in 100 degree whether. Teddy worries if it will take strength from Camacho. Joe remarks that Camacho has sparred with Kermit Cintron and Carlos Baldomir.

Terrance Cauthen:

Record: 32-4-0 with 9 kayos
Height: 5'9
Weight: 147 lbs
Age: 32
Hometown: Trenton, New Jersey

*Joe Tessitore remarks that Cauthen is the 1996 Olympic Bronze medalist, a crafty boxer but not a puncher.Cauthen lost a fight to current titlist Paul Williams. He has been fighting at junior middleweight.

BE's round by round scoring and breakdown:

R1: for Camacho: Cautiously landing slightly but more. This is what I see, punch stats did not seem to agree.

R2: for Cauthen: Cauthen gets into control in this round faster and more agile than Camacho, landing several more times with seeming ease. He tries to hold Camacho around the waist and strike for a moment until the ref breaks them apart.

R3: for Cauthen: Camacho is looking very amateurish with punches you can see coming a mile away and aren't really making their mark. Cauthen takes the round looking much more professional and athletic. Camacho does finally find the range to land three different straight rights very well but it's not enough for the round.

R4: for Cauthen: Cauthen looks like he is starting to hurt Camacho although he isn't known for his power. He does seem to land with more authority.

R5: for Camacho: Tessitore says that Cauthen has a cut around his left eye and that Camacho has a cut on the bridge of his forehead. Camacho looks badly but he is trying to pressure his man. He seems to be frustrated and trying to act like the bigger man when he knows he isn't the better fighter by any means in terms of skill. The ref stops the action to take Camacho to the doctor to look at the cut then they look at Cauthen's cut immediately afterward. They replay where they think the cut happened and say it must have been a clash of heads. Cauthen falls to the canvas and it is rightly ruled a slip and not a knock down. They get tangled up again at the end. Camacho gets the round weakly.

R6: for Cauthen: Camacho isn't jabbing or using his height advantage. Cauthen seems so comfortable using the ring space and taking advantage of Camacho's amateurish swings whenever he can counter. Camacho's record has been brought up several times as one of ''those'' records. Built up against lousy opposition where the fighter isn't really gaining any highly valuable ring experience because he's not fighting good enough men. It's unfortunate that they put him in with such a fair boxer as Cauthen now that he's likely used to tomato cans.

R7: for Cauthen: Both guys are still bleeding from their respective cuts. Camacho's swings are borderline ridiculous but he is trying. The ref's job isn't easy as these guys keep getting entangled awkwardly. Thoroughly outclassing Camacho, Cauthen wins this round with ease as well.

R8: for Camacho: Cauthen's ring generalship and speed are really frustrating Camacho. Teddy says Camacho hurts Cauthen with a wild right hand. I'm not sure how much it shook him but he did hold for a moment to get straightened out and then looked fine to me. I still have to give Camacho the round though it wasn't as great as all the movement. Cauthen tried to flurry and take it at the end but they were pitter patter shots that I don't think made it past Camacho's guard. Camacho acts as if he won, raising his hand in victory and making a tough guy face but I don't see how a judge good award him with the victory.

Outcome:

BE's scorecard: 5 rounds to 3, 77-75 for Cauthen.
Teddy Atlas' scorecard: Teddy had the first round even at 10/10, giving him a 78-75 for Cauthen.

Official Scores:

Unanimous Decision for Terrance Cauthen:
78-74
77-75
77-75

Bottom Line: Camacho has now been shown that his game isn't anywhere near as good as the top level fighters yet and he simply needs to go back to work and bring his game up. You can't fight slick fighters with wide punches and no foot work. Your name may be Camacho but you're not exactly Macho. Cauthen showed tremendous ring intelligence and skill. He didn't fight like a crowd pleaser but maybe he should stick around at welterweight instead of going back to junior middle with the stronger men. He's good here, even if the division is overflowing with talent and stars, he could be one of them.