Ali's Toughest Fight Explained! - Muhammad Ali vs Ken Norton | Fight Breakdown
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 23 ก.ย. 2021
- Back in the Golden Age of heavyweights, the world was full of talented contenders of all different styles and backgrounds. In 1973, Muhammad Ali was on the comeback after his loss to the legendary bob and weave powerhouse Joe Frazier. Ali had fought ten of the world’s best in just 2 years, and now he was just one fight away from clinching a fight with the current champion Big George Foreman. The only man that stood in his way was a man known as Black Hercules, the Fighting Marine Ken Norton.
Although Norton was a formidable contender with a unique style and the infamous Eddie Futch as his coach, few gave him any kind of chance. And that included Ali, who expected to run through Norton the same way he had all the others.
Like Frazier, Norton combined a cross guard with low line head movement, often turning a catch into a full on cross block. But where Frazier had his powerful left hook, Norton possessed excellent boxing along with intelligent combinations and sharp counter punching.
Aggressive Defense: www.modernmartialartist.com/do...
Footwork Wins Fights: www.modernmartialartist.com/do...
Principles of Power: www.modernmartialartist.com/do...
Mortal Weapons The Fight Comic: www.amazon.com/Mortal-Weapons... - กีฬา
Aggressive Defense: www.modernmartialartist.com/dowloads/head-movement-blocks-counters/
Footwork Wins Fights: www.modernmartialartist.com/downloads/footwork-wins-fights/
Principles of Power: www.modernmartialartist.com/downloads/power-of-the-pros/
Mortal Weapons the Fight Comic: www.amazon.com/Mortal-Weapons-David-Christian-ebook/dp/B07T4X4W1K/
Part 2 💯💯💯
My GF has me watching Big Brother right now and Frazier's son is on the show, and I pause often to tell my GF that Joe Frazier was a legend. I don't think she cares, but i'd rather rant about that than watch big brother
🤣same
Marvis Frazier? He was good boxer 2 though. Nothing like his father and he also had no business at heavyweight + he took on Fraziers style and that didn't suit him, Marvis was a boxer, not a pressure fighter.
How many time does she tell you shit you dont want to hear....time to return the favor
@@rubenaerts7284 It’s Joe Frazier’s youngest son Derek Frazier.
Unfortunately Marvis is probably most remembered from Larry Holmes’ and Mike Tyson’s knockout highlights that actually were his only 2 losses.
Big brother is pretty good though.
George Forman called Norton “the fairest of them all” because he was such a good person also out of the ring. That’s big respect.
@@gregsworks8547 wut
And Norton was factually dumb as a stump. Could not even speak correctly.
*FOREMAN
Many people in the Marines with Norton said he was an a##hole. That's understandable knowing the Marines history. They got to be tough. Norton was a great guy.
The craziest part is how easily George foreman ran through Norton, then still lost to Ali
Foreman was a nightmarish opponent style wise for fighters like Norton and Frazier.
@@Robban.D.Jonsson. because Norton and Frazier had low line head movement foreman style was built off framing the opponent into punches. Framing can hinder anybody with good head movement it keeps them stationary for a split second.
That's boxing for you
I love how the style matchups really affect the outcome of those fights
Styles make matches.
Just look at the bouts involving the Ali, Frazier, and Foreman..
Ali lost to Frazier once, Frazier was beaten by Foreman (and later, Ali), and Foreman lost to Ali.
Very rarely, a person can use sheer speed/strength to overwhelm a substantial degree of technique/tactics/experience.
Larry Holmes recently said Norton was the best fighter he ever fought. Said Norton had far more skill than people gave him credit for, and an ability to adapt his style, take away your strengiths and exploit your weaknesses as the fight went along.
ken norton is probably the most underrated heavyweight in history. He fought every contender of his time, beat most of them, and was at the top of his division for almost the entire decade. I wish he fought joe frazier because I would've loved to see who would've won that fight
I think him and Joe had the same trainer, that's why they never fought
@@b9479 and they liked and respected each other.
Norton wanted to fight Joe. But Joe didn't want to fight him. Not because he was afraid of him ( so he says) but because they were friends.
Both were disciples of Eddie Futch; the most Highly underated trainer/boxing brain ever. Ali was the man to beat that era, so Futch always produced fighters that could counter Ali's style. That's why his fighters excelled against Ali but faltered against other top contenders. Norton was just a taller, less durable, right handed Frazier, with a better jab.
I can tell you right now who would have won a fight between Norton and Frazier. Joe Frazier would have won! He had more pedigree than Norton. More ring savvy between the two. And he hit just hard enough to freeze Norton like a deer in head lights! Everyone knows Norton couldn't deal with big hitters, as his record shows. But I still considered him to be a great fighter.
0:02 George Foreman always looks so bored while beating his opponents up. Lol ;o)
According to him he was terrified a lot of the time too. Great poker face haha
Lol
A lot of people's faces go blank when inside they're basically trying really hard not to panic.
@@TheModernMartialArtist If you're interested I watched an Ali interview after this fight earlier and he said his jaw broke in the 2nd round. Idk really but I'd guess it's the punch that knocked him into the corner. That's why he came out dancing in the 3rd and why it got shut down so fast
@@tomgjgj and they success
That punch Norton threw at 01:02 was savage but his decision not to pummel a dazed opponent deserves respect. He had every right to light that dude up but he seemed to realize that the guy was losing his legs. Gotta respect Norton's restraint.... he saw the guy wobbling and just waited a few seconds for him to go down...
Facts. Gained even more respect for him after I seen that
Yeah, compare to someone like Tyson who'd try to see if he could pop the dude's head off his shoulders before he went down first
@@Taima th-cam.com/users/shortsfgtzQs82dgU?si=ML1iKww4wtPHLS3o More like Ray Mercer
Norton deserves his name written next to Ali, Frazier, and Foreman in the history books.
Yes. He fought 39 rounds with Ali.
so does Larry Holmes
@@nihaad344 he certainly does. But I think Holmes was from the next era.... dominated the era between Ali and Tyson
@@tcf2142 fair enough
It is right there with the others. The Mount Rushmore of 70s heavyweights is Ali, Frazier, Foreman and Norton.
When the Protagonist is gearing up for his big rematch with the Rival, but that new character shows up.
Cringe
@@Tom757 no
That's the situation with Ali frazier and foreman
Randy Boy Jr.
That's always happening in boxing, and unexpected things happen.
This feels like the real Rocky story
The pfp you have fits this so well
That was the Chuck Wepner fight
@@stat-x I know, but for me this feels more like the rocky story than the fight the movie was based on
I thought Joe Frazier was the real Rocky? Frazier was from Philly, just like Rocky.
Ironicall the Rocky movie was based on a Rocky Fight. One of the white dudes he boxed made Ali trip and Sylvester Stallone thought the white guy knocked Rocky down. It inspired him to write Rocky.
If my jaw was broken I would bawl and leave. “You guys are too mean I’m going home!” Respect
Wouldn’t we all 🤣
Like Cartman says : screw you guys ! I’m going home !
@@UntouchableBreakdowns tattyff to
@@UntouchableBreakdowns except all the TH-cam warriors out there. You know who you are 🤣
I got two ribs fractured in a fight and was still freezing up and losing exchanges from the pain despite having experienced far worse: can only imagine how crazy and iron-willed you have to be to continue to fight at this level with a broken jaw
Even though Ali's record against Norton was 2-1, Norton's unorthodox style always gave Ali trouble (like Joe Frazier) and it made for some great fights. Norton had problems with the big hitters, but fighters with the classic "boxing" style typically had a hard time with him. It's impressive enough that he had wins over big name heavyweights, but even more so considering he got a late start in boxing. Norton's story is a true underdog one, and for anyone that hasn't read Going the Distance, it's a great book and I'd definitely recommend it!
There seems to be a lot of people who think Norton was robbed in the third fight as well. Ali himself even stated he got beat.
@@chicken29843 I think Ali went further and said the judges basically gave him that fight.
@@goldman77700well the judges won't give it to Norton if he doesn't do anything to Ali like in the 1st fight
RIP to both legends
“Every time I watched his chest i know he was coming and when the jab touched the glove fireback” Ken Norton one of the best of all time
The intellect, knowledge, tactical breakdown and editing skills you put into these videos is world class. Bravo 👏🏿👏🏿
yeah fucking good... is like seeing a manga or something, like we could tell what the boxers were thinking at that moment.
My earliest memory of Muhammad Ali and the 1st fight i remember watching on TV(just turned 5yrs old). My oldest brother and his friends came over to my mom's house to watch. They fought 2 more times and Ali won in very close split decisions(some said Norton got robbed in the rubber match).
That last match was not a split decision. It was a unanimous decision. (edit spelling unanimous)
@@yuu9258 For which fighter in your opinion though? I haven't watched the 3rd fight yet.
Norton did get robbed
@@charliebates9098 No he didn't.
@@handzofstone1152 Norton beat him both times dude and the third he was robbed ... I boxed for almost 15 years and watched all of Ali and Frazier's fights at least 100 times trying to combine Frazier's head movement with Ali jab and foot work ... I was pretty good on the outside and knew how to get inside because of the head movement .... But either way I watched all their fights a ton of times and they were both my favorite fighters... Ali lost both fights to Norton! ... If I was a judge I would have given the second fight to Norton! He was the aggressor most the time, landed more punches ... I really don't know how they gave it to Ali! And this is coming from someone who Ali and Frazier was his hero!
Ali actually fought really well for having a broken jaw most of the fight.
Rocky with a broken nose still win a fight but Ali is better since he is faster
@@freddiereagan6705 Rocky fights ain't real dude 😂
@@youtoo2233 i meant real Rocky Marciano
Ali didn’t have a broken jaw thruout the fight ...it was broken in the final round, as Norton always said
@@jayedwards1205 were you there in the ring to check?
As an amateur/casual boxing fan, these videos blow my mind. Thank you for the effort you put in!
7:10
Norton Jive walkin back to his corner.
Meanwhile Ali walking back to his corner thinking "who IS this guy and WTF is going on right now??"
The fortitude of these legends is insane. Ali has a broken jaw, gets right back into the fight and still takes powerful blows to the face and hardly falters. A punch in the head hurts as is but with an already broken bone? Sheesh...
Ali doesn't get enough credit for how tough he was. Also, Ali dances. He's the greatest. Money dances, and he's a pussy not a fighter. Any fighter that looks to get punched in the face is a clown.
Adrenaline is one helluva drug
Smdh, can't even imagine the pain, and he fought Norton six months later, no fear.
That 70's HW era was freaking insane! Ali, Fraizer, Foreman, Norton, Holmes and I'll even throw Ron Lyle and Ernie Shavers in there. Even the contenders like Shavers and Lyle could have beaten the aforementioned champions on even given night if the champs weren't on there A game. Absolute golden age of Heavyweight boxing.
Cleveland Williams
@@SteelerzReignSupremeII His era was 50's and 60's
These fight breakdown videos are some of the best content on TH-cam
They're among the most knowledgeable, certainly.
Wow, what a fight. I love Ali so much, I have always struggled to watch his defeats. Norton was so good. Thanks!
I am the same way. I don’t like watching him lose.
Me too, it's tough to take & his final 2 Fights v Holmes & Berbick I refuse to watch & I never will, as far as I'm concerned they shouldn't even be on his Record!!
Styles truly make fights. A well-earned victory for the "Jaw Breaker." On a side note, It's somewhat hard to watch 70's Ali compared to watching his pre-exile form.
Yeah but judging from the Chuvalo fight I don't know how he would've fought the 70s heavyweights that way.
Ali not getting knocked out and fighting from round 2 on our w a broken jaw is truly legendary! He never been knocked out truly the goat!
Even harder to watch Ali post-Manila.
Now u talking boxing boss 🤜🏾🤛🏾
Nah some of alis best fights are post exile, maybe that because he became so much worse that it finally made fights actually fair on his opponents lmao
Ken Norton is one of the most underappreciated boxers of all time especially underappreciated for the legendary heavyweight he was
Mr T on the show "A Team" beats Ken Norton it was fun to watch. Norton was,a bad guy so I guess Mr T had to be the winner.
One of my all time favorite classic fights. I’m such a mark for NORTON.
Like most heavyweight fights in those days, I was watching. I was a big Ali fan and I knew he'd been beaten. I was devastated, but I knew he'd be back. Another great video!
The fact Ali got people back in rematches is what keeps his record better than anyone's at the time. If he didn't come back, risking double losses, to put the record straight, and just cut to Foreman for example, there would be a lot more debate about who was very best of the era. So many other characters would opt for an easier route.
Aw yea bois, I've been waitin' for this, rubbin' my tiny little hands together and cackling
this fight is so good even the ref's footwork is on point
The 70s era was like was filled with legends. Like shark infested waters.
Exactly. A free for all
' The butterfly's wing's have been clipped. The bee has lost it's stinger. You're finished" My god the poetic savagery in those few lines.
Badass Norton
I think Ken Norton can learn one or two things from Ali and Young. Ali was best against big framing sluggers that used guard manipulations well like Foreman. Young was by far the top 5 best defensive heavyweight in the 70s in my my opinion and was probably also one of the most adaptable. Norton had a 80 inch reach, 6’3, and was shown to be able to cut rings in a literal movement and switch into Ali’s style when sparing Fraizer. I think he could have gone the distance with Foreman and possibly also win.
Watching these fights highlights the weakness of the fight game today. The guys today maybe twice as big but almost all of them are short on heart and character.
My man Usyk came out as a complete underdog and fought a brilliant fight full of heart and character today. There are guys who still have it.
This is an inaccurate statement.
Andy Ruiz got up off the canvas after taking a punch that would KO a horse and won the belt from Joshua...they're not all without character.
If you put the 70's fighters in todays weight lifting, strength training and diet, they would all have at least another 10-15 pounds of muscle. Prime in shape Ali of the 70's would have fought at a chiseled 230 (not puffy) and a puffy but still effective (250) Fraizer would easily be about Tyson size. chiseled 215 - 220. Foreman a good chiseled 245
No man they're just fat and short
There’s just always been something about Ali’s fighting style that I love to watch, his head movement and foot work speed, he was before my time really, but it’s not just his fights and style of fighting but watching some of his interviews not just the flout like a butterfly sting like a bee either there’s a couple that would give me goosebumps because he was cocky and confident but I really believe he was a kind hearted soul there was one where he was saying he hope he would leave a cup of kindness a spoonful of caring that really gets you in your feels. And now with Tyson he was a straight up monster but hearing him talk in some of his interviews completely changed my pre conceived precession of him. Great content to man I really enjoy your breakdowns of these legendary fights and fighters.
When fighting a title fight in Germany once Ali bought all the servicemen on base tickets to attend, a really good hearted person. After he retired he went to Syria and talked Assad into releasing 8 American hostages without any media fanfare, Ali is the GOAT
Great Job David, the 2nd one is my favorite Ali fight ever actually so looking forward to that one. He was in excellent shape for that fight
He showed his great will in that fight, the last round was crucial in his career, i remember it well, we had not long got a TV.
@@mizofan Your so right. He looked like that round was the decision maker round and he came out with his greatness. I would call it a reserve he was saving, but he was active every round before that.
I've been deadass refreshing this all day waiting for the upload at my machine shop. Thank God and thank you to the modern marital artist.
Yea I was waiting all day at my 7-11.
Ali is the greatest for many reasons; the fact he fought the best array of competitors is one of them.
Pure brilliance, I love your Ali breakdowns, so we NEED Williams vs Ali next! Edit: OKAY STOP ARGUING! Maybe Zora Folley instead of Williams?
There’s a video that wylies boxing has done on it. Pretty good watch
@@UntouchableBreakdowns I’ll watch it! Thx
Williams was an half invalid when he fought Ali
Dont need a break down on that. Williams was past it and got dominated in every way physically possible
No, that's just comlete toture of a lifeless fighter. That's like asking Holmes vs Ali breakdown.
Loved this fight. One of the best I’ve seen. Amazing video once again. Can’t wait for the next 2. These videos are very in-depth and any new boxing fan should watch these. Gives you an insight on what really happens in match’s rather then just savage swinging. This is the sweet science for a reason
Hard to watch Ali get beaten up so badly.
Eddie Futch really had Ali solved, it was two of his fighters who beat him decisively and gave him the toughest fights of his career.
Another great narration David, Thanks
Ali was given some gift decisions in his career, Norton was one of them.
I met Ken Norton a long time ago at St. John's Hospital in Springfield, Illinois. What a great guy ! He seen me looking at him and he stopped shook my hand and talked to me. Great Guy
Finally a Norton video, I've been waiting for ages for this one.
What a great fight this was and you've done excellent work in helping us re-live it.
Norton was the rare type of fighter who fared better against technicians and defensive fighters than brawlers
This fight was like a slow, maneuvering chess game, with a closed center. A battle of patience and attrition.
Oh hell yes, more Ali fights! I love these videos, along with all the golden age fights.
This is such a great channel. Thank you for the hard work. I think the first one I watched ages ago was on Willie Pep. Excellent breakdown of his footwork.
This was an amazing fight and one of the best breakdowns for sure.
Your videos are absolute gold! Thank you so much for all the work you put into them and sharing them with us.
Much love from Portugal!
Ive been waiting for this treat thank you so much you got me from not caring about boxing at all to being absolutely obsessed with it
Awesome analysis breakdown of the fight. Always learn something from watching ur videos. Kudos to u. Anticipating ur next one.
Been waiting for so long, thanks David!
Very enjoyable and insightful breakdown, can't wait for second part. I've fallen in love with your content and can't thank you enough for sharing your knowledge
Amazing breakdown, specially the last note 📝
Thanks David..god bless
This is a brilliant analysis. Very insightful. Please break down Ali-Norton 2 so we can see how Ali changed his tactics.
Fantastic breakdown! You are a great combat sports mind.
GREAT analysis, the endurance and quick learning and adjustments Norton made were amazing. Looking fwd to the rematch analysis. Great work. Thank you.
Absolute stellar content. Your analysis is unmatched. Much love.
Oh yeah couldn't wait to see this video :) thank you sir!!
Norton was easily in the top five heavyweights of the era. Tough guy inside the ring, a nice guy outside.
Really great breakdown, you’ve given me a new perspective on a classic. Looking forward to the breakdown of the rematch!
Can't wait for the others in this series. I honestly think you are the best at breaking down fights.
Awesome breakdown, love the content!
Something I didn't think of initially was that Ali probably knew he couldn't dance every round because he didn't take this fight serious as mentioned and probably didn't train hard enough. Ken's body shots sapping the little energy he had left to dance by round 10 had just made everything worse for Ali. And the 8th round footage seems to indicate his jaw might have been broken and the 2nd round punch that wobbled him could very well have been the punch that caused it as Ali had said it was round 2 when it happened.
Could you go over the LaMotta Robinson saga?
No mentioning of likes or subs!
I'm getting so tired of these! Love it!
Liked it right away
That was a really fantastic breakdown. Nicely done!
We need the rematch breakdown asap
Your vids are so great I rewatch them daily
Thanks man! I have channels I do that with too, feels great to know some do the same with mine.
Your excellent narration made the fight even more exciting. Great work.
I love the commentating breakdown. Awesome work brother!!!
Norton was super underrated.
I remember most of these great heavyweights, but mostly in their later days since I was so young. I truly enjoy all your vids, especially from the older eras, being a lifelong boxing fan. My "expertise" began in the 80s with the great welterweights and my favorite boxer of all-time will always be Alexis Arguello. I hope you can do more of his great fights some time soon. From one boxing fan to another: thank you for your great work and I look forward to more and more in the future.
2
Can't wait to see the rematch!!. Love your videos.
Hey Christian this was a great breakdown again. Please do the breakdown of 2nd and 3rd fight with Norton too. I searched them before too on your channel. You're a master at breaking down the fights. Keep up the good work. Cheers.
This is one of the great underrated fights imo
Like Ali vs Frazier 2, I think it was damaged over time by bad camera angles. I would love to see this fight with the angles they had for The Fight of the Century.
amazing breakdown
Thank you Christian for doing this fight analysis. Had been hoping you'd do a video for this fight.
Great Video! Thank you for making this!
Great work as always, David!
Also, for a future video, can you please break down Joe Calzaghe vs Bernard Hopkins?
I wonder who that note was from?
@A l p h e u s Maybe Frazier?
@A l p h e u s They certainly hated each other enough for it.
@A l p h e u s I still need to read some of that.
B hop was old and still gave joe a great fight
@@williedesmond8201 Yes he was old but he was the champion, top 3 p4p and won the wbc, wba and ibf world titles after losing against calzaghe. So he was still one of the best boxers in the world despite his age.
Epic stuff.
The ref needs some credit too.
You don't see footwork from many refs like that now. And how old is he ???
Beautiful analysis loved it one of my all time favourite trilogies Ali v Norton thanks for your videos man 👍🏽
How can you not love fights like this? Kudos to the person who had the balls to write Ali & say "The butterfly has been clipped, bee lost its stinger". Bet they never imagined 50 plus years later that paper would be showed on a phone app cause Ali used it as motivation!
Ali's worst deficiency, as was normally the case, was underestimating his opponent, which was followed by a lack of training & preparation...(also a lack of motivation) Norton was probably the 4th best HW at that time. Never underestimate Kenny.
Ali is so overhyped and overrated (yes I say so) that people easily forget he got his ass whopped well a couple times.
@@johnaustin209yeah but he never got knocked out
*immediately collapsed at the Thrilla in Manila*
@@mendelevium2768 when bruh
George Chuvalo deserves mentioning as well. Class act and an all time tough guy. To quote Mr. Chuvalo after his loss to ali "He went to the hospital, I went dancing with my wife."
You're the best in the bizz man, really enjoy these breakdowns and your vast knowledge and understanding of the sport and techniques etc always shows me the fight I didn't see in real time an always learn new stuff, keep up the great work 👍
This series has taught me so much about boxing. I used to think Ali was fundamentally unsound and got away with it because of his speed -- I never knew there was so much going on behind the unorthodox tactics.
Please do a breakdown of Cleveland Big Cat Williams Vs Ali .... As always great video
No, that's just like asking a breakdown of Ali vs Holmes. Williams deserves respect
@@crazykocounters4741 I agree... But ali was at his prime and the footage available of the fight is of comparatively better quality
@@tcf2142 At least Terrell vs Ali breakdown is better.
@@crazykocounters4741 not at all like Ali Holmes,, Ali was completely shot while cat Williams had 11 or more victories after losing to Ali ..
@@active.7universal th-cam.com/video/O7b4N9rR1ko/w-d-xo.html
Awesome breakdown. You're the best in the biz.
Such a good breakdown. Good job. Waiting for the rematch
Thanks for the video. I always liked Norton--as a fighter and as a man. . . In my opinion Norton didn't lose any of his fights with Ali.
Ken Norton was Mohammad Ali's kryptonite. Style makes fight and Ali could never fully figure out Norton, even by his own said words.
They fought 3 times and Norton won 1 but the rematches was robbed. Ali won only because of his name. Norton in all 3 fights was the better boxer in the ring. Does that make Norton better? NO. BUT, he was simpley the opponent Ali could not master and topple. It is sad how they could robb Norton....
While I agree that the 3rd fight was a robbery Ali definitely won the 2nd fight he dominated the first 6 rounds and won the last he also deflected most of Norton punches Ali was boxing beautifully.
@@randydavis1943 Ali won with 2 against 1 score judge a SD contest, and it differed 1-2 rounds so close. Ali was better in this one that is true as he was in better shape, just as Norton always was in great physical condition.
Norton had Ali a lot on the defense and Ali had a great final round, a round I believe secured a stolen Norton victory.
I can see the argument Ali won the 2nd match. But when watching, I still see Norton being that "thorn" in Ali's style and Ali struggling to topple Norton as Norton's style was constructed as an "Anti-Ali" tactic developed by the late-great Eddie Futch.
At least Ali have given Norton his fare credit of being his most difficult opponent in his career. And Joe Frazier his most dangerous opponent And Earne Shavers to be the hardest puncher he ever fought
Thank you for an excellent video. I thought of Norton as just a hard hitter and you really showed his skills. Also showed that styles make the fight and how you struggle with one opponent easy clap another.
Commentary was awesome !!!! Great analysis 👍 👏 👌
People don’t talk enough about Ali’s sheer toughness.
Incredibly tough (and very fit too). However, heavyweights were much smaller then than they are now. I think that rope-a-dope could not work nearly as well these days.
That "Toughness" would come back to haunt him later....Foreman's the one not shaking like Ali in his older age.
@@johnaustin209 ali's parkinson was genetic
@@SouthpawsRule217 Yeah right.
@@johnaustin209yea many people who never boxed get Parkinson
The greatest era in Heavyweight boxing history, led by the greatest heavyweight of all time.
Agreed buddy
Greatest athlete of all time
Loved this one. Great analysis as always David.
Loved your round by round commentary!!