SPADAFORA-DORIN Bout ends in a draw; rematch is expected

The decision earned roars of disapproval from the hometown customers.
By BOB ROTH
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
PITTSBURGH -- Saturday night, in the first boxing event at the Petersen Events Center, a 12-round bout between Paul Spadafora and Leonard Dorin, intended as a unification fight for the International Boxing Federation and World Boxing Association lightweight titles, failed the objective, as three judges called the fight a draw.
Spadafora (36-0-1), the IBF champ, and Dorin, the WBA belt-holder, battled through 36 minutes of sensational non-stop action.
A crowd of more than 5,200, which roared its approval of the action throughout the bout, didn't agree with the decision, but co-promoter Lou Dibella said, "This isn't about the judges; they were on the ball. This is about a great fight which was great for boxing."
The 33-year-old Dorin (21-0-1), who fights out of Montreal but is from Bucharest, Romania, came out swinging from the opening bell.
He forced the action continually attacking with right hand leads, causing a welt over Spadafora's left eye in the first round.
Southpaw jabbed
In the rounds that followed, as Dorin was cutting off the ring, Spadafora, a southpaw, kept a flicking right jab in his face and banged home good combinations with ripping shots to the body.
But the Romanian would come in with a short right that was devastating.
He tagged Spadafora with a solid right in the third round that opened a cut above his opponent's left eye.
Spadafora answered with a straight left that opened a cut over Dorin's right eye.
The fourth and fifth rounds, each with good exchanges at mid-ring and with Spadafora fighting off the ropes, belonged to Dorin, who was scoring repeatedly with right hand leads. But, with blood flowing from above his left eye, Spadafora stayed elusive, countering with a right jab and combinations.
Another cut
Once again, though, Spadafora chose to work punch for punch with his opponent, allowing Dorin to take his attack to Spadafora on the ropes, and when the eighth round ended Spadafora was cut over both eyes.
In round nine, Spadafora began scoring more with straight lefts and uppercuts to the head and body, and had a great finish to the round with left hook-straight right combination on him.
The 10th round had slugging exchanges with Dorin continuing to press the attack and scoring with a solid right cross.
More blood
Spadafora came back with solid body shots and a countering right to the head, but Dorin closed out the round with a solid right. At the bell both fighters were bleeding.
The 11th round seemed to favor Spadafora as he came out of several good exchanges with countering left hand shots, but Dorin was still landing rights to the head.
The 12th round was fought with the entire crowd on its feet, as Spadafora, with a solid left hook and short shot combinations, had Dorin bleeding profusely from both eyes, yet the Romanian continued to throw punches.
At the final bell the fighters embraced. Judge Pat Russell voted 115-113 for Dorin and Guillermo Perez voted 115-114 for Spadafora. The final judge, Gary Merritt voted 114-114.
"I think I won the fight with good boxing and good strength inside and outside throughout the fight," Spadafora said. "I wanted to establish my momentum early in the fight, I wanted to show him that I was just as strong or even stronger than him and my plan was to work inside on him because I knew he cut.
"I want to thank Leonard Dorin for coming to my hometown to unify our titles and I will gladly do the same for him as I will fight him anywhere in a battle that has to happen and soon."