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Grano Win Over Kauffman Due
To Low Blow,
Loss Of Mouthpiece & A Throw Down
By "Bret "The
Threat" Newton
Tony Grano may be praised for being the first to put a loss
on prospect Travis Kauffman's record, however as it often
happens in the sport of boxing, with the win came
controversy.
For the first three rounds, the two exchanged in some
exciting action in the middle of the ring. Both seemed to
suit one another with their styles, but Kauffman appeared to
have the upper hand in each round. Kauffman was staggered
momentarily early in round 2, but outboxed Grano for the
remainder of that round.
In the 4th round, Kauffman had Grano in all kinds of
trouble. Grano was staggered from rope to rope and looked
ready to go. That's when the oldest trick in the book came
about: A Low Blow. Whether intentional or not, this gave
Grano a chance to recuperate from the beating he was taking
as Kauffman immediately turned his back in pain. Kauffman
wanted to finish him right then and there and wasted no time
letting the referee know he was ready to continue. As the
fight resumed, wouldn't you know it, out comes the
mouthpiece of Grano, which has recently become a big hit in
boxing's sneaky tactics. The time Grano had been given was
enough to stop Kauffman's momentum in what was surely
Grano's final moments in the fight. Not one, but two pauses
in action where Grano needed a miracle to make it out of the
round.
As Grano's mouthpiece was finally inserted after several
moments, the fight resumed once again as Kauffman appeared
slightly winded now while Grano had a new burst of energy.
Grano caught Kauffman with a counter and with that Kaufman
was on the staggering end of the round. Grano went to work,
knowing this was his golden opportunity. Kauffman staggered
defenselessly in the center of the ring, but refused to go
down from a single shot, nor from the accumulation. As Grano
went in for the final time, the two's feet tangled as
Kauffman began to trip. Grano's left glove, which was
holding the jaw of Kauffman, was used to push him down for
what was wrongly ruled a knockdown. Since Kauffman was still
woozy from the previous assault of punches, he struggled to
get up which prompted the referee to stop the fight.
Commentators reviewed the replay of the knockdown and said
it "clearly was NOT a knockdown".
There was no protest from the Kauffman camp, but surely
there were a few mishaps on Grano and the referee's part
that cost him the win.
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