Antonio Escalante vs. Miguel Roman: Friday Night Fights Round By Round

We're just about set for the FNF main event, pitting Antonio Escalante against childhood foe Miguel Roman. The Don Haskins Convention Center in El Paso is ready to see hometown boy Escalante do his thing.

Escalante is 22-2 with 14 KOs and is riding an eight-fight winning streak. Roman is 28-6, but only 3-4 over his last seven bouts.

The introductions are done and we're ready for a scheduled 10 rounds.

Round 1

Roman ducks low and tries the body as Escalante stands his ground. Antonio bounces and flurries. Good left hand and some in-fighting by Roman. Combination punching forces Roman to cover up. Micky keeps coming forward but is getting beaten to the punch. Now he lands a crunching left hook and both men trade in the final seconds.

Franchise: 10-9 Escalante

Round 2

Escalante tries to keep Roman at bay with some jabs. Both guys are just missing, but Roman manages to connect with a left hook. Tony stays on the outside, reaching with jabs and right hands. Roman walks into a right hand and a good scrap breaks out again just before the bell.

Franchise: 10-9 Escalante

Round 3

The ref has to step in during the early going of the third. Escalante is staying very busy but is eating some return fire. A battle in the corner sees both fighters score with some hard shots. Roman loops in some hooks to the body and head. Tony responds with a clean two-shot combo to the head. It will be interesting to see if either man wears down.

Franchise: 10-9 Escalante

Round 4

Roman keeps pressing forward but he is taking two for each one he lands right now. Escalante flashes the hand speed and gets caught with a left hand coming back. The fans respond to the action as the hometown boy scores with two or three in a row. Roman is relentless and just keeps coming. Teddy Atlas wonders aloud if Escalante can keep up the pace.

Franchise: 10-9 Escalante

Round 5

Escalante stumbles a bit froma left hook. Roman tries to press his advantage but it's fleeting. Escalante stays light on his feet and circles back. Roman lands an uppercut. There's another one as Escalante attempts to gather himself and fight back. Tony lets his hands go but not all of the punches land. Roman gives and takes in the corner to finish his best round so far.

Franchise: 10-9 Roman

Round 6

Escalante attempts to start quickly in the sixth. Roman tries to close the distance but his foe keeps popping him from a distance. Roman holds and hits with his right hand. Escalante unleashes some uppercuts as he backs up. More in-fighting keeps the referee busy. Tony literally turns Miguel around and just misses a big right hand.

Franchise: 10-9 Escalante

Round 7

Roman has to weather another early storm in the first 15 seconds. The fighters stand and trade in the corner until Escalante can pivot away. A flurry from Tony elicits no response. Finally Roman gets low and tries to dig to the body. The crowd chants to get Escalante going. Roman lands punches from close range and takes some counters as well. Neither man is giving an inch.

Franchise: 10-9 Escalante

Round 8

Escalante carries the early action until Roman connects with a nice right hand. Both men land as Tony tries to battle out of the corner. The ref pulls them apart as both men lean on each other a bit. Roman backs Escalante up, but Tony digs in and throws a vicious combo that plants Roman on the canvas. He beats the count and battles gamely for the remainder of the round.

Franchise: 10-8 Escalante

Round 9

It was a left hand that scored the knockdown for Escalante. Roman wants to turn it into a brawl right away. Escalante ties up. He is on his bike now, much to Roman's disgust. Miguel gets his way and both boxers swing away in the corner. Roman marches forward and shows a ton of heart. Punches land both ways, but Escalante's are cleaner. The announcers do think he's getting tired though.

Franchise: 10-9 Roman

Round 10

Because of Roman's pressure, this fight is actually closer than the scores are going to indicate. We'll see if there is any drama in the final three minutes. Roman shows quite a chin as Escalante drills him repeatedly in the opening minute. Roman mocks Escalante for backing up. Escalante batters Roman with wide punches but return punches are still coming. Tony fires more head shots; Roman comes right back. Ten seconds to go. The final bell rings and the fans show their appreciation for the serious heart and determination on display tonight.

Franchise: 10-9 Escalante

Franchise: 98-91 Escalante

The judges score it 97-92 and 96-93 twice, all for the winner by unanimous decision, Antonio Escalante.

Posted by The Franchise