Round-by-Round: Josh Taylor vs. Apinun Khongsong - 26 September 2020

[maverick23]

Well done to Taylor for being the first World Champion to agree to defend his title since covid. (I think I've got that right lol).

There have been a few. Katie Taylor, Jamel Herring and a few others.

[Nightmare Roy]

If anyone deserves an easy one it’s Taylor

[Ricky]

I know it looked OTT but surely Khongsong wouldnt overreact to that extreme, looked in genuine distress, maybe a broken rib and struggling to breathe, or maybe he ruptured something

Maybe he had Taylor r1

[Counter-puncher]

Frampton brilliant pundit

He did a bit on C5 as I recall and I really liked him. Natural authoritative presence, calm and analytical. Haven’t seen tonight yet but glad he’s getting air time he seems to have real potential. And he’ll need a few quid once he’s through the wringer in court I fear.

[handsofstone]

I know it looked OTT but surely Khongsong wouldnt overreact to that extreme, looked in genuine distress, maybe a broken rib and struggling to breathe, or maybe he ruptured something

Maybe he had Taylor r1

if he did, a minute on the canvas would've done

[NoScoutingReports]

Ramirez time

[bobcatbox]

Straight to the liver. Coming from a southpaw. That was a harder shot than it looked. Once it sunk in Khongsong was finished.

Looked like it could’ve been a really good fight if not decided to early. Khongsong was there to bring it.

[sykessta]

Probably a little premature but how does anyone think hed do against Bud? I see he's 5'10" which is tall for 140. Both are with TR. Both are lanky southpaws who can hit.

[dookus]

Straight to the liver. Coming from a southpaw. That was a harder shot than it looked.

Yep. I don't think Khongsong was faking.

[DrDuke]

Taylor ran through that guy, as it had been expected.

Now bring Ramirez on, f*ck all mismatches.

[Ruthless-RKO]

[keirw]

Straight to the liver. Coming from a southpaw. That was a harder shot than it looked. Once it sunk in Khongsong was finished.

Looked like it could’ve been a really good fight if not decided to early. Khongsong was there to bring it.

Yeah, that can be the problem with bodyshots, they are more about precision than taking someones head off.

A guy on the floor with broken ribs and empty lungs tends not to get as much sympathy as the guy who is sparked by a left hook.

Khong may actually be a decent fighter, he just ran into a genuine elite level opponent at the peak of his powers.

[Fightnight Scores]

Was skeptical of this match up, but in fairness Khongsong was throwing some good shots with intent up until the end.
It wasn't be best camera angle for the live broadcast of the ending shot, but you could hear the thud it made and clearly a sickener on the replay angle.

Anyway Khongsong might now drop to the empty number 2 slot on the IBF rankings

[handsofstone]

Going off Twitter everyone seems in agreement that it was farcical, nobody actually really saying Khongsong took a dive but not many taking it seriously, it certainly never looked a big shot but I've seen it plenty times over the years where a fighter gets creased by an average looking shot downstairs, just precision and landing on a pressure point, even Jermell's KO of Rosario last night, just a jab to the gut but Rosario looked in distress

Also if Khongsong took a dive why would he insist on milking it to that extreme? Surely a minute would suffice, he looked strong right up until folding, I think I'd need to see him again to decide whether he's either another overrated padded mandatory with biscuit ribs or he just got caught with a perfect body shot which did some real lasting damage like a broken rib or fracture or a rupture

[margaret thatcher]

Ya, its just the thing with body shots, doesnt take a great looking punch to have a devestating effect

i remember kovalev broke cedric agnews rib and stopped him with a jab to the body, pulev stopped skelton with one too

[JimStone]

Can tell all the non-fighters who've never taken a decent shot to the body. Great shot.

[THEBUTCH]

Vicious left hook to the body from Taylor. If there's a gap, Taylor will find it very quickly and is so technically brilliant the effect can be devastating.

That's boxing !

Khongsong might not have been that great, we didn't get a proper chance to find out, but in the short time it lasted he boxed with confidence and from the first one-two that he threw in the opening seconds, IMO he definitely carried power.

It might not have helped the audience that BT's John Rawling just couldn't grasp what happened and then suddenly there seems to be some sort of bizarre or controversial ending ! Not at all, the guy simply got crippled by a vicious body shot in double quick time

[Verdi]

Taylor is the UK's best talent. If he keeps his mind in the game, he's got the potential to go down as one of the UK's ATG's. His timing is impeccable. I can't wait till he moves up and fights guys like Crawford. I even think he could move upto super welter and beat guys like Brook, Lara or Soro.

[Wee Tommy]

Taylor has really good short power. I know folk who’ve sparred him, much bigger fighters and they say his sneaky body shots are killers.

No thai professionals would writhe around like that otherwise. They are brought up tough. That shot did some damage and he just wasn’t expecting it.

[handsofstone]

Taylor has really good short power. I know folk who’ve sparred him, much bigger fighters and they say his sneaky body shots are killers.

No thai professionals would writhe around like that otherwise. They are brought up tough. That shot did some damage and he just wasn’t expecting it.

[forcefraser]

Hard to say. Was a cracking body shot, but that guy did look dangerous due to his size and Taylor said he carried Bellew style POWAHH

Anyway, onwards and upwards for Josh. Best talent in the UK by some margin perhaps with the exception of Fury

[THEBUTCH]

No doubt he's Britain's number one IMO, plus Taylor thrashes Fury for entertainment value

[MightyWarrior]

Best fighter in the UK by some distance for me. Phenomenal talent.

He said he felt the guy’s power and it woke him up, and what a shot that was, short-circuiting the Thai.

He looked so big you’d think it’s probably to do with the way they boil fighters down a division in Thailand - no wonder he went for body shots.

[KiwiRider]

If anyone deserves an easy one it’s Taylor

100%
So true Roy.
From Postol onwards, he probably has one of the toughest resumes in the UK.
That's on paper, and in the ring.
Khongsong 'looked' a pretty intimidating physical opponent, leading up to, and at the weigh-in , so there was a possibility for yet another hard night for Josh.
And Josh showed what a world class champion is made of- again

[margaret thatcher]

Agree that he earned it, but nah, it was always obvious khongsong was a patsy