Welborn and Langford Put on Another Great Show
In a much anticipated rematch of a fight that ended in a split decision in May, this time around was just as competitive.
Jason Welborn took home the aforementioned split decision which would make him the BBBofC champion in this fight.
It was evident going into both fights that Tommy Langford was the much more skilled fighter. He is faster, younger, has more agility and boxes from the. outside better than his opponent.
But as the old saying goes, “no matter how much better you may be, sometimes your opponent just has your number!”
Welborn started the fight applying pressure behind a high guard and looking to counter over his opponent’s jab. The game-plan for Langford was simple; use your superior boxing ability and keep him on the end of the jab.
Early-On
The problem for Langford early on was he kept getting caught sticking around on the inside with the intention of stepping out. He was just a bit too slow in doing so.
Late in the first round, Welborn caught him against the ropes and landed an overhand right on the back of the jaw as the younger fighter attempted to land a left hook to the body. Lanford went down, but was able to recover.
The fans saw him suffer from his inability to move swiftly after throwing combinations again in the third round. Another counter right hand would land and floor him for a second time. However, this knockdown was much more brutal.
Lanford was clearly suffering from the after-effects as he struggled to find his legs. With a minute still left in the round, Welborn put the pressure on “full throttle” while his opponent hung on for dear life.
Turning the Tide
The corner of the former champion pleaded with their fighter establish distance and use the aggression of the champion against him.
The motivational speech worked beautifully for the next four rounds. Langford became a much more disciplined fighter at the start of the fourth round and started to dominate the champion from the outside. By the end of the eighth round, the tone of the fight was that the tide was drastically changing.
While on cruise control in the ninth, déjà vu struck Langford as a fatigued Welborn was able to muster up enough energy to hurt his opponent again. However, the challenger had boxed well enough early on to return to the corner as the winner.
The Conclusion
Round twelve could be seen as a candidate as one of the better rounds of the year. Welborn came out on a mission, landing thunderous shots and hurting Langford again.
The former champion was able to stay on his feet but understanding the need to make up for the previous knockdowns, he kept throwing punches and became the aggressor. While Welborn landed the bigger shots, Langford was the busier fighter.
As the final bell rung, the judges took their time before submitting scorecards that would ultimately proclaim a winner for such a close fight.
Officially, the scorecards read: 114-113 for Langford, 114-113 and 115-114 for Welborn, another split-decision win for the champion.
Welborn improves to 24-6 with 7 knockouts. Immediately after the bout, fans, commentators and Langofrd himself all wanted a trilogy. As of now it remains to be seen what will happen but anyone who saw this fight cannot deny a trilogy would be just as exciting!
By: EJ Williams
