Boxers

BYRON POLLEY

Clash of the Titans June 30 2004

MWBA Heavyweight Title

Byron Polley (14-4,6 KO) vs. Andy Sample (31-7-2,22 KO)

Give the first round to Andy because he used his reach advantage to jab in order to keep Polley at a distance. When Byron did get inside the jabs, he pinned Sample against the ropes and threw Left/Right combinations to the head and body. The problem is that almost all of the were blocked. A toss up second round as Byron was able to pin Andy to the ropes more but again most punches were blocked. The trend of Sample from the outside then Polley on the inside continued in the third round. Very tough for me to score - another toss up. Byron decided to press the issue in the fourth and start the round pinning Andy on the ropes. This was enough to give him the round. The fifth round Andy again used space to his advantage by landing a good Upper Cut. The sixth round was another toss up. Byron controlled the first two minutes of the seventh round but Sample landed a nice Upper Cut followed by a good Over Hand Right late in the round. Give Polley the overall round. The eighth round saw Andy use space and movement to get the round. This fight was a battle of styles. Sample needed to work from the outside in order to use his reach advantage while Byron was only effective on the inside. Now to the score cards: 80-72, 77-75, and 80-72 for Andy Sample. This did not make the hometown crowd very happy. All I can say is I had it two rounds for Polley, three rounds for Sample, and three toss up rounds. A fair enough decision but I would question the two 80-72 scores giving every round to Sample.

River Rumble August 13 2004

Calvin Miller (5-17-1, 4 KO's) vs. Byron Polley (14-5, 6 KO's)

I am going to summarize this fight instead of giving a round by round. Polley controlled the entire fight but Miller was more than game. Miller has good defense but Polley's was better. Byron was ultimately in better shape because he was able to go the distance with showing little signs of fatigue. The most amazing thing was how well Polley listened to his corner. Time after time he would do exactly what the corner asked. At the end of the fight, all judges saw the score 60-54 for Byron. Calvin was game but clearly out matched.