When a boxer answers every pre-fight question with “well, if the cut’s don’t open up” then you know the fight is going to be interesting and bloody. Such was the case in the ESPN2’s Friday Night Fights junior welterweight main event between Oakland native Juaquin Gallardo and Venezuelan Patrick Lopez. Gallardo was the aforementioned bleeder; he had had cuts open in four of his last six fights. His Scranton experience held to form.

After a clash of heads in the fifth a cut opened to the right of Gallardo’s nose. Despite the streaming blood Juaquin moved forward impervious to the streaming plasma. In the sixth Lopez’ skillful motion for allowed an easy assault on the one-dimensional forward moving Gallardo opening up a cut on the Californian’s left eye.

Their heads met again in the seventh causing more cuts on both fighter’s faces, one on Gallardo’s forehead and one on Lopez’ nose. By the end of this brawling round Gallardo’s face was fully red. and completely obscured. Early in the eighth Lopez tried to again assert in technical dominance and skillful boxing but by the round’s end the fight had descended into a wild action-filled scrap.

The fight’s best round was a rugged a ninth which brought applause from the crowd and led ESPN2 announcer Joe Tessitore to exclaim that “they came to fight tonight.” Video above.

The ninth, however, was much like the fight itself: gamely one-sided and clear evidence of Lopez’ dominance. Lopez scored a unanimous decision 98-92, 98-92, and 97-93.

Something was different about ESPN2’s Friday Night Fights. I was relaxed. I was soothed. I wasn’t stressed. I didn’t change the channel. I wasn’t yelling “please stop talking” at the television. The mute button was not engaged. What was the difference? The increasingly annoying team of Joe Tessitore and Teddy Atlas was replaced last night with the always excellent Brian Kenny and ex-heavyweight champ and Transporter 2 actor Shannon Briggs.

I’m not denying Teddy Atlas’ extensive knowledge or his boxing acumen. He’s a likable guy who every five minutes forgets more about boxing than I’ll ever know. My main problem is that during his broadcasts he reminds you how much he knows during every second of every match. Sometimes I just want to watch, and take in both the ringside noise and the sounds of the fight. Atlas never allows for personal reflection; the fight always becomes only what he thinks.

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