Arnold Khegai vs Belmar Preciado (10-08-2024) Full Fight
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SportsTranscript
00:00♪♪
00:02Gentlemen, you both received your instructions,
00:04so I expect you to obey my commands.
00:06-♪♪
00:10Protect yourselves at all times.
00:12We're here to see a good, clean fight.
00:13That's what I expect.
00:14Touch gloves. Good luck.
00:15-♪♪
00:18All right, Arnold Kagai,
00:20who was the number-one-ranked contender at 122 pounds,
00:24now moving up to featherweight and across the ring,
00:27Belmar Preciado, a knockout artist.
00:29Fifteen of his 22 wins have come by knockout.
00:32His last five wins have been by stoppage.
00:35Bernardo Osuna alongside Mark Kriegel,
00:37and what a story for the Korean born in Ukraine,
00:41Arnold Kagai, to get to this point of his career.
00:44Hopes he can continue to make this a banner year
00:46for Ukrainian boxing.
00:50Good stab-jab there for Arnold Kagai.
00:53His first 12 fights happened in Russia.
00:57He's fought in the United Arab Emirates,
00:59in Germany, Spain, Ukraine.
01:02This is his sixth fight here in the United States.
01:07He was expecting at one point to get the winner,
01:10and it was presumably Robesi Ramirez,
01:13of Ramirez Espinosa, but that's going to get a rematch,
01:18so he's buying his time here.
01:22When the war broke out in Ukraine,
01:24he's from Odessa,
01:26made his way with his family to Paris,
01:28and been spending a lot of time at the Wild Card.
01:32Got a friend of mine,
01:34rent at Mishima, spars with him pretty regularly,
01:37and every time he does, he comes back and,
01:40hey, my ribs hurt.
01:43Yeah, you see the body work there
01:44with that double left hook from Kagai.
01:51Well-schooled fighter, but started off as a Muay Thai fighter.
01:57Nice right hand around the guard.
02:02You mentioned he started as a Muay Thai fighter,
02:05made the transition to boxing,
02:07first off because he wanted to make more money,
02:09but second of all, he had a knee injury,
02:11so that forced the transition.
02:14You see the power behind that overhand right from Kagai.
02:19Seems like a pretty good choice.
02:20I mean, he is,
02:21it's a brief sample size,
02:24but he does things well.
02:26Jab to the body, the right around the guard.
02:29I like the way he slips punches,
02:31the way he manages distance.
02:33Nice angles that he creates for his offense.
02:40Not getting too far ahead of himself
02:43against a fighter like Preciado.
02:45Yeah, he's got a lot of power.
02:46He's got a lot of power.
02:47He's got a lot of power.
02:48He's got a lot of power.
02:49Now, against a fighter like Preciado,
02:52who's five and six over his last 11,
02:54wants to put Ibageto Lima, Columbia on the map.
02:58He's also been all over the world.
02:59Fifth fight in the US.
03:01Colombia, his native country for 22 fights
03:03and three times in Mexico, one time in Japan,
03:06a loss to Hiroshige Osawa in 2018.
03:13The corner of Preciado making his fighter aware.
03:16He's dropping his left hand
03:17so he can go over the top with the right,
03:18He decides to go down with a left hook downstairs, his best punch of the fight so far.
03:31First round in the books and Arnold Kagai goes back to be counseled by Marvin Simodeo.
03:39Long time right hand of Freddie Roach.
03:42Good training, very calm.
04:13Be careful.
04:14Might hit you.
04:15Go under or hands up, right?
04:26Excellent instruction from Marvin Simodeo.
04:28Not only telling him what to do, but also how to evade the best punch that Belmar Preciado has been able to throw so far.
04:37Let's see how well he follows instructions now.
04:39He started off with that jab to the body.
04:41Marvin's telling him to fake, then shoot the hook up.
04:46Had to throw combinations so he doesn't just see one shot coming.
04:50Preciado trained by Eddie Gonzalez out of the Forge Gym in Los Angeles.
04:55So two Southern California trained fighters inside the ring as Preciado landed a nice left hook and sets up the overhand right.
05:06Let him go, let him go.
05:10Stop!
05:11Step back.
05:14Mark, you're spoiled.
05:15You see the beach every time you open your front door out in Santa Monica.
05:19But one of the reasons that Belmar Preciado wanted to fight, he'd never seen the ocean.
05:24So one of the first tournaments he went to was to Cartagena, Colombia.
05:28Eventually bought a house in Cartagena before moving back to his hometown of Ibague.
05:36Never saw the beach, huh?
05:38Yeah.
05:42Left hook there from Cagay on the belt line.
05:45Tell you what, Preciado didn't get the memo that he's the B-side here.
05:49He came to fight.
05:54Nice short right hand there from Cagay.
05:56Didn't load up on it.
05:57It was just crisp and he turned it.
06:02There goes that right around the guard again.
06:08Cagay's hitting with some really hard shots.
06:10There was just a battering ram jab before.
06:17Preciado, when he starts to let his hands go.
06:19Good defense though from Cagay.
06:20Pairing some of those.
06:22Preciado seems undiscouraged.
06:28That's how you discourage a guy with a body shot.
06:30And then what does Preciado do?
06:31Comes over the top with the left hook.
06:34Nice right uppercut from Preciado.
06:40He said, look, nobody gave me anything.
06:42And this is a great opportunity against a ranked fighter.
06:44So I'm going to go out there and give everything I have.
06:47That's what I've sacrificed in the gym to do is for this opportunity.
06:51He's a big dude too, Preciado, right?
06:54Yeah.
06:55That's a big featherweight.
06:57Yeah, he actually quit boxing from 2021 to 2023.
07:00His disillusion wasn't getting shot in the fights that he wanted.
07:04Imagine that.
07:05Yeah, so he said, you know, they put Cagay's name out there.
07:08He says, okay.
07:10But Cagay here putting him up against the ropes.
07:13That's not a place you want to be up against.
07:19Double left hook from Cagay.
07:21Good control.
07:22Then he goes downstairs with that same hand.
07:24These are vicious shots Cagay's hitting with.
07:27I can see why your buddy comes home with bruised wrists.
07:31Every time.
07:32Every time he holds the Miz, he goes, well, it hurts a little bit today.
07:37Stop!
07:38Tonight's main event will feature Luis Alberto El Venado Lopez.
07:43And last time we saw El Venado, it was against Reyya Abe.
07:48And he told us in the fighter meetings, Mark, I'm not, he's going to want to run this fight.
07:52I'm going to wear him down, break him down.
07:54And once he got the support of the crowd in that eighth round, he went right after him.
07:59And he got the stoppage win.
08:00The referee had to peel him off of the amateur.
08:04How many years have you been doing this?
08:05How many years have you been covering boxing?
08:07Who? You.
08:0830 years.
08:09All right.
08:10About that too.
08:11A little bit more.
08:12I've never seen a guy fight like this, except in the cartoons.
08:15And that's why guys like Josh Warrington, Mick Conlin, an Olympian,
08:19Joe Ed Gonzalez, what a great amateur career and multiple title shots.
08:24Couldn't figure him out.
08:27Warrington has been tough to figure too.
08:29He has a windmill type style.
08:31But the whole idea of being willing to go where, frankly, other fighters aren't willing to go.
08:38Everyone calls himself or herself, I'm the A-side, I'm the A-side, I'm the A-side.
08:44Venado takes great pride in, okay, you're the A-side.
08:48I'm whatever you want to call me.
08:49I'm going to beat you up anyway.
08:50What do you want to do?
08:51You're hometown?
08:52Yeah, I'll travel.
08:53I have a passport, we'll travel.
08:55It's also given him, in a sport and in a division where it's very difficult to distinguish yourself,
09:02it's given him an identity and it's given him some buzz.
09:05Yeah, he really loves the moniker of the road warrior.
09:08And our production team has a wonderful animation that's going to show his path to a title
09:14and defending that title three times so far.
09:17This will be his fourth title defense.
09:19And it really is a treat to see how he follows in the footsteps of great legends
09:25that have gone and had to do it in their opponent's hometown.
09:30The thing of it is, is that most fighters, if you're going to go to someone's hometown,
09:38for instance, like Tim Bradd.
09:40Go Fight Junior winner in Britain.
09:43You let that stuff go once you get the belt.
09:47It's become part of his game plan.
09:49And then the style itself is, I dare you to hit me.
09:55Yeah, good luck with that.
09:57I heard a great story we were talking the other day.
09:59Coach told him, hey, you know, you can't do that.
10:01Oh, really?
10:02He said, where did you win your titles?
10:08It's like he needs to fight like that.
10:11Unapologetically himself.
10:14Nice overhand right there from Preciado.
10:17After a great start from Kagai, and there's that left hook.
10:20I mean, it's pick your poison with Kagai so far here through first three rounds.
10:26Watch your hands. Watch your hands.
10:31What a great boxing country, though.
10:34Absolutely.
10:35When you think about what's happened with Ukraine this year,
10:40with Usyk, Loma winning another title,
10:44Berenchik in an upset winning his title.
10:48Now, he's the most popular lightweight in the world.
10:50Everybody wants him.
10:51But he did it against a guy who was unapologetically himself,
10:55who rode it until the wheels fell off, Emanuel Navarrete.
10:59You know, we know in our main event that Bernardo Lopez has been beaten before,
11:03including a loss at the hands of Ruben Villa,
11:07who we just saw upset by Sagawa last week.
11:10Ruben Villa was the right kind of fighter to beat him with the high pedigree, great skill.
11:15I personally think that Villa got a little stale in his last fight.
11:20But see that as it may, I don't think that Navarrete was necessarily in shape last time out as a lightweight.
11:30We've never seen Bernardo Lopez not in shape.
11:33Bernardo's work ethic is impressive.
11:35Even when his team tells him, hey, it's time to go home, he's like, no, let's do another round.
11:40You talk about work ethic.
11:41There's Bob Arum.
11:42First fight of the night.
11:43And here he is, just like always, short overhand right.
11:47And he puts Bresciato in trouble here at the end of round number three.
11:53So the right hand is working for Arnold Cagay.
11:57But really, the best punch that he's thrown during this fight, Mark, has been this educated left hook.
12:03It starts downstairs.
12:05You mentioned that early on.
12:06And then he doubles it up upstairs.
12:08And he's just very hard to get away from that shot.
12:13I also think that right hand around the guard, there's nothing to sneeze at either.
12:19He's been successful with that.
12:26Stay focused.
12:27Throw combinations.
12:29Speed.
12:31That's all we need.
12:37You hear Marvin asking him for more footwork.
12:43To a fair amount to the fight, he set Bresciato against the ropes where he wants him.
12:49Interesting, at the end of the last round, Bresciato got off a flurry of hooks to the body.
12:59But Cagay basically caught all of them with his elbows.
13:03They were rough, tough punches, but they were caught.
13:07Sounded good.
13:09But at the end of the day, when you start catching punches with the elbow or the forearm or the bicep,
13:15that also takes a little bit out of you as well.
13:17So nice quick right hand from Cagay to get things started as Bresciato was shooting a left hook.
13:22Just really good timing, good eyes from Cagay.
13:26Also, again, look at the distance because he'll do something very slick.
13:30He'll just step back and let Bresciato hit air.
13:34Watch, he's so up on him now.
13:36Take a little step back and watch him miss.
13:38There he goes.
13:39Slips a punch.
13:41Watch the pushing.
13:42Despite a one-inch reach advantage from Bresciato as well.
13:48See this distance he's got?
13:49See how that is?
13:51And it's one of those things where he's right in front of you, yet he's not.
13:56Nice body shot there from Bresciato.
14:02And then Cagay gets off a series of punches.
14:07You mentioned he's been living in France since the war broke out in Ukraine.
14:12Trained two months in Paris and then one month in L.A. with Marvin Simodio.
14:18Getting great work there at the wild card, as you mentioned.
14:23Watch your heads, watch your heads.
14:24Nice left hook there from Bresciato.
14:26Lands an overhand right himself.
14:34That was a right uppercut started.
14:37A combination that culminated with a left hook from Cagay.
14:40And then Bresciato digs to the body himself.
14:44Unlike most of the Ukrainian fighters we've seen, he wasn't...
14:50He had about 100 amateur fights, but he's not an Olympian.
14:54He wasn't part of the Anatoly Lomachenko assault on boxing.
15:01But he's pretty damn good.
15:03Here he is on the brink of a world title shot.
15:06I mean, he's the kind of guy you could see in with a Robesi or an Espinoso or guys of that caliber.
15:16He's got really good timing, makes Cagay, I mean, makes Bresciato miss and then counters.
15:23He doesn't, well, you know, should actually ask Chris Algieri about this,
15:26because he was a kickboxer before he was a boxer.
15:31This is the kind of guy that makes it look like a seamless transition.
15:37Good feet.
15:46Listen for the bell.
15:49Nice short left there from Arnold Cagay and then follows up with a right as Bresciato tries to throw a shot of his own.
15:57The dream is to become a world champion.
16:00These are the current titleists at 126.
16:02Nick Ball, the smallest of the group.
16:05Luis Alberto Lopez, who is in action tonight.
16:08Ray Vargas from Mexico.
16:09Rafael Espinosa, who stands at 6'1".
16:13And when you think about it, this is who he's angling for,
16:16because he is ranked by the WBO as the number three fighter in the world.
16:22So there's Robesi and Shushu Carrington above Arnold Cagay.
16:26Then Tomoki Kameda and Luis Panterita Neri coming off of that fight,
16:30a knockout loss, where he dropped Naoya Inoue, moving up to featherweight.
16:36So there is a path for him.
16:38One of the things about featherweight, or at least this configuration of featherweight,
16:44is the variety of body types.
16:47Like, Nick Ball's a bowling ball, right?
16:50He ain't little, he's just short.
16:53But Espinosa, I've never seen, I don't think he's ever been a 6'1'' featherweight champion.
17:00There has not until now.
17:02And that's after Ray Vargas, who stood 5'11", was an anomaly himself.
17:07So a very stacked division at 126 pounds.
17:12So when you get an opportunity like today to open up a top-ranked boxing on ESPN Plus card
17:17in a 10-rounder, Cagay has to make a statement,
17:20just like Sagawa is now getting a shot at Shushu Carrington,
17:25one of the top prospects in the game today on September 27th.
17:29Well, nothing against Sagawa.
17:33I think we're going to see him next month against Shushu, right?
17:36Yep, September 27th.
17:38I'm looking forward to it.
17:39But I don't think Sagawa is Cagay.
17:42No, no, there's different levels.
17:44Obviously, you don't get to be the top-ranked fighter in a weight class like Cagay did at 126.
17:50Oh, that's a nice right hand there from Cagay.
17:52He's got Rosario in trouble.
17:54Did you see how he shifted by moving to his right?
17:57Just good footwork.
17:59We've talked about the angles he creates.
18:03Nice left hook.
18:06You know, he's an aggressive fighter.
18:09He's a come-forward fighter.
18:11But he doesn't have any of the...
18:13There's nothing crude in his game.
18:15Yeah.
18:16There's not a lot of bells and whistles either, but it just works for him.
18:19Like, he's not crude.
18:20There's not a lot of bells and whistles, but he's just effective.
18:24And give me that any day.
18:26Plus, he's got some pop.
18:2713 knockouts and 21 wins.
18:29Already, referee Robert Velez told Belmar Preciado,
18:34show me something or I'm going to stop this fight.
18:37The corner, Preciado says, I need you to move your head.
18:39If you're going to stand there, at least move your head.
18:42But the body's still there, and that's what Cagay loves to go to.
18:45And then an overhand right.
18:50I mean, he's punishing in how he fights.
18:52A lot of variety of punches.
18:57Not that many straight rights.
18:59But he's throwing it around the guard.
19:01He's coming up with it.
19:03He's stepping around.
19:04He's stepping around.
19:05He's doing a lot of stuff with his feet to create his punches.
19:10The jab to the body's worked pretty much flawlessly.
19:13See that step to the right?
19:17He usually gets something off that.
19:24He's stalking Preciado.
19:26Preciado's not throwing anymore.
19:28Keep your head up.
19:29Box.
19:32But I guess that's what Marvin was talking about,
19:35that even when he's got Preciado up against the ropes...
19:39That was a nice left hook.
19:41And that was a left hook that put him up against the ropes,
19:43and now he's got him pinned.
19:44But his feet are still...
19:45He's still thinking with his feet.
19:47Yeah.
19:49Nice right to the body.
19:55Pick him up with punches. Pick him up.
19:59You think about winning the fight with your fists,
20:02but you set things up with your feet.
20:05And that's what Arnold Cagay has really shown in this fight,
20:09his ability to create angles.
20:11Look at the right foot,
20:12and how he sets up the angle from the outside
20:14for that overhand right.
20:16It wasn't there.
20:17He creates the opening for it,
20:19and he follows through.
20:20There's the angle.
20:21And boom.
20:22Overhand right catches Belmar Preciado twice.
20:26He's got very smart feet.
20:27Yeah.
20:29Hard hands.
20:30And that's not the case with a lot of come forward fighters
20:34who want to throw a lot of punches,
20:35who want to throw a lot of hard shots.
20:37But that's what's impressed me.
20:39Even when he has him in the corner,
20:41and it's not really a situation where you think about moving,
20:44he's always thinking about shifting his position,
20:46a minor adjustment with his feet,
20:48maybe a pivot to the right to set up additional shots.
20:52And he's just as proficient with his left hook downstairs
20:55that he doubles up to the head as he is with the overhand right.
20:58So, really, it's really difficult to defend against a fighter
21:02with the skills of Arnold Cagay.
21:08And he's in your face the entire time.
21:11Now he starts to use that jab to set up the other shot.
21:15It's one of the things that my friend Wynter told me,
21:18really high IQ.
21:22Preciado, though, throws a nice overhand right
21:24that catches Cagay on the counter.
21:26Able to walk through those shots so far.
21:28Watch that hand, watch that hand.
21:30He's big and strong.
21:31He's posting with that, or jousting with that jab,
21:34was the guy who goes up and down.
21:36He's got a lot of power.
21:37He's got a lot of power.
21:38He's got a lot of power.
21:39He's got a lot of power.
21:40He's got a lot of power.
21:41He's got a lot of power.
21:42He's got a lot of power.
21:43He's got a lot of power.
21:44He's got a lot of power.
21:45He's got a lot of power.
21:50Nice.
21:51He did it again.
21:52He did it again.
21:53And then, referee Robert Vela says, hey, that's two.
21:56So he's been warned.
22:00The corner of Preciado wants him to throw straight shots
22:03to break down that high guard of Cagay.
22:08Easier said than done, but the overhand right works.
22:10Might be Preciado's best round, and if you think about it, he's coming off a pretty rough
22:18time against the ropes in the last round.
22:20Yeah, where the referee said, yo, show me something.
22:22That's a short left hook from Cagay, right on the chin and a right uppercut.
22:27What a flurry from Cagay.
22:34You see Preciado breathing from the mouth, trying to get his air, gasping for air because
22:39the bodywork of Cagay has been consistent from round one.
22:44We don't, obviously, you know, when I come in and start a broadcast, we don't get too
22:47many ten-rounders.
22:48Were you complaining last time?
22:53I complain every time.
22:55But you also don't see guys this level of talent to start off the night.
23:01Not in an opener.
23:07Another stab jab from Cagay.
23:10I hope Preciado hangs out for a little while, goes back to California, looks at the beach,
23:17because he's going to be hurting on the way home.
23:21He really is.
23:22No matter what.
23:23And all respect to him.
23:25Nice right uppercut there from Preciado, but once again, Cagay takes it well.
23:34You look at him catch those shots, Cagay, and then he'll take a little step back.
23:40I mean, he's there, but he's not there.
23:42It's about six inches.
23:45Short right hand again from Cagay.
23:50He's just walking down Preciado at this point.
23:55Puts him up against the ropes.
23:56Preciado's trying to use that basket guard, not working for him.
24:00Preciado's got a hell of a chin.
24:03He's got a ton of heart.
24:04Let's listen in to the corner of the Colombian.
24:08It's Eddie Gonzalez from Forge Gym in L.A. with the instructions.
24:13This is your best round.
24:18Take a deep breath.
24:21Take three deep breaths.
24:23Don't exhale yet.
24:24One more.
24:25Now exhale.
24:26One more.
24:27Exhale.
24:28Are you good?
24:36You did good work in the center of the ring.
24:39That's where I need you to work.
24:42You have better punches in the center of the ring, so you need to work.
24:46You're going to throw away all the hard work you put in?
24:50Don't do that.
24:51What about the house you want to buy in Colombia?
24:55Let's go.
24:56Come on.
24:57Let's get a man up here.
24:58I want you to go out there, show your desire, but always protect yourself.
25:07Those were the words of Eddie Gonzalez for Belmar Preciado here as we get into round
25:13eight of a scheduled 10-round opener here in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
25:17Bernardo Usuda alongside Mark Crego and Kegay says, those might be great instructions from
25:22him over that corner, but my corner said, shoot that overhead right and punish Preciado.
25:27Eddie Gonzalez, talk to Preciado about don't you want to buy that house?
25:33There's got to be better ways to buy a house.
25:37You know what?
25:38The economics, though, in Latin America, you would be surprised how bad it is.
25:43That's why fighters decide to do this.
25:47This is the way out.
25:49It was for Kegay out in Ukraine.
25:51He was bullied as a Korean-born Ukrainian, and he earned the respect of his community
25:57by fighting.
25:58Bullying is different than hungry, and I'm sure Kegay was hungry, too, but he was one
26:07of very few Koreans in his neighborhood in Odessa, and he had to fight for his respect.
26:17Once again, the admonishment from the referee, Robert Velez, saying, hey, you've got to show
26:21me something, Preciado.
26:26Everyone wants Preciado to go back home to his 15-year-old daughter and his one-year-old
26:29son with health and money to buy that house.
26:35Kegay says, I want to send him home with an L.
26:39I don't think that Archie Moore putting a hand on your face move is helping Preciado.
26:47What's that called?
26:48What you call it before?
26:49The basket defense, like Foreman used to do a little bit.
26:52Oh, nice left hook, a leaping left hook.
26:55As I was saying.
26:56Yeah.
26:57And there you see a flurry.
27:00Kegay here basically forcing Robert Velez or the corner to do their job and stop the
27:05punishment.
27:07There's a nice body shot once again.
27:10If it was Loma, he'd take a step back and say, you see, come on, save the kid.
27:14It was just the anniversary of that moment a few weeks ago out there at the theater at
27:21MSG against Richard Comey, a memorable moment.
27:28Now he took a step back, gave him a chance, come on, let's bring it to the center of the
27:32ring.
27:33I'm not sure that was in his interest, Kegay.
27:37Back on the ropes right now.
27:38You've got Preciado moving backwards just based on the attack of Kegay.
27:43But you saw Gonzalez tell Preciado, you're better in the center of the ring than he was.
27:49The seventh was his best round.
27:51And even after Kegay let him off the hook, let him come back out there, the pressure
27:56and the foot movement is such that we're back against the ropes.
28:02Listen for the bell.
28:11Etienne off in the corner, the bell saves Preciado.
28:14We'll listen in to Marvin Simodio with Arnold Kegay.
28:32Good.
28:33We just need to stay with him, you throw combinations, but after he's going to quit.
28:39You don't want to fight anymore.
28:40Or you cannot use your energy like too much.
28:43Keep your punches short, right?
28:45And quit.
28:46Good.
28:47When you put him on the ropes, you start with the body, finish with the head.
28:50Or use the double punches, man.
28:52Hook, hook.
28:53Yeah?
28:54And finish with right.
28:55Yeah?
28:56Mix it up, the uppercuts and hooks.
29:00And don't forget the jab, right?
29:02Always jab.
29:11We're at 5,500 feet of altitude and Arnold Kegay is not even breathing hard.
29:16Yet he's working hard.
29:19Preciado's three consecutive overhand rights in the corner.
29:23And then starts it off with a sledgehammer.
29:26Look, I'd see Kegay against anybody.
29:29I don't know if he'd knock anyone out or not or whatever.
29:32But you can see he's a really good, smart fighter.
29:38And he fights with his legs first.
29:42Preciado just landed a nice right to the body and he got a spurt out of Kegay saying,
29:46Okay, you sure you want to do this?
29:48You heard what Marvin said in between rounds.
29:51He doesn't want to fight anymore.
29:54I don't want to cast any aspersions at all against Preciado's heart.
29:57Because he doesn't deserve them at all.
29:59And he's fought with a great amount, a great deal of heart tonight.
30:02But I thought that indicative to that, to Marvin's point,
30:06was when Kegay brought it back out to the center of the ring and he just kind of gave up.
30:11Within a couple seconds he was back where he started.
30:14Against the ropes.
30:17The last words that Marvin said before setting out Kegay was,
30:21He's going to quit.
30:24I don't know.
30:26There's different ways of quitting.
30:28I think that the idea that he doesn't really want to fight,
30:31that a lot has been taken out of him,
30:34is again indicative of the fact that he wound up back against the ropes.
30:37But quit, I don't know.
30:40I agree.
30:42He's nine rounds in.
30:45Round 8, a little uppercut.
30:50Excuse me.
30:51Keep your head up, keep your head up.
30:59I mean, the one thing that Preciado can take with him now is at least going the distance.
31:07That's his victory here now.
31:09Yeah, but it's at what cost?
31:11Right now, at this pace, it's fine.
31:14If he's taking the punishment, he was taking it round 6, then it's not.
31:17And now he's basically in full retreat now.
31:19You see him going around the ring that way.
31:25Kegay recognizes that, pins him against the ropes.
31:35Kind of says, hey, how about we bring it back to the center of the ring then?
31:38Yeah.
31:41I mean, the referee, Velez, he's watching closely,
31:45but there's nothing really that he can jump on at this point.
31:54But if Kegay puts another flurry together like he did in the 6th round,
31:58then maybe he can force referee Robert Velez to make a decision.
32:03And he has an interest in doing that too.
32:07It's money in the bank.
32:08Absolutely.
32:10Especially in a division this crowded and this talented.
32:15Winning is important. How you win is just as important.
32:20All right, let's listen in to Preciado's corner, see what their thought process is.
32:26You want us to stop and say yes?
32:28Fight's over.
32:30There it is.
32:31The question came from Eddie Gonzalez.
32:33The answer, which is very rare, Mark, from Belmar, Preciado said yes.
32:38Let's stop it.
32:39So the fight is done.
32:41Although, I don't know that he stopped it.
32:52I mean, he told the...
32:55Maybe he said, do you want to go on?
32:57And he said yes.
32:58No, no, he said, do you want to stop the fight?
33:00Do I stop the fight? Yes.
33:08There it is.
33:09In the corner, Eddie Gonzalez says, ref, we are done.
33:14That was awkward.
33:15Yeah, I mean, well, I think, look, he asked...
33:18Eddie Gonzalez asked Belmar Preciado, do you want me to stop the fight?
33:22The immediate answer was yes.
33:23He repeated the question, and then the immediate answer again was yes.
33:27And then I think they decided to give him a chance to catch his breath.
33:30And we signaled to the referee, Robert Velez, is this going to end?
33:34And he says, yes, it's going to be over.
33:36And eventually, Eddie Gonzalez, I think, made the right choice, Mark,
33:40and let the referee know this is done.
33:43Eddie Gonzalez did the work for Velez.
33:47Yeah, but that's what you hope.
33:49No, absolutely.
33:51That's what you hope when you have someone in your corner,
33:54is that they take care of you.
33:56First, the guy who's supposed to be caring for you the most is your corner,
34:01and we see that far too infrequently.
34:04Yeah, and you know what?
34:06Eddie Gonzalez, all credit to him because he asked the right question.
34:10And sometimes, Mark, we talk about the fighters having to be protected from themselves.
34:14Even Belmar Preciado, in this case, knew that the fight was over
34:18and there was maybe no need to receive six more minutes of punishment.
34:23Go to the beach. Enjoy your kid.
34:24Absolutely.
34:25You'll go back to his 15-year-old daughter, his 1-year-old son.
34:29Take them out to Cartagena, Colombia to see the beach.
34:32Also saw at the end of the last round, it wasn't a handshake, but it was a hand touch.
34:36It was kind of like, hey, all right.
34:38I gave you what I had.
34:40And you took everything I had.
34:42And Arnold Cagay earns his 14th knockout win in 22 professional victories.
34:48Looks impressive.
34:50And this was his jump to featherweight after being the number one ranked fighter
34:54at junior featherweight.
34:56Mark Chinook has the official time.
34:59Ladies and gentlemen, here inside the Tingley Coliseum in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
35:03The blue corner at the conclusion of the eighth round informs Robert Velez
35:07their fighter can no longer continue.
35:09Therefore, your winner by technical knockout, Arnold Cagay.
35:16So Arnold Cagay gets the 22 victories.
35:20Looks impressive doing it in his featherweight debut.
35:24And he will be a name that we will be mentioning in terms of the top fighters
35:29at 126 pounds, a fighter to contend with in the next round.