-Leon showed 0 lateral footwork.
Once he was pressured against the cage it was all but inevitable for him to get taken down. Usman did the same exact thing in the first title fight, (even better actually) until he got kicked in the head.
Usman literally had the fight won and let off the gas, allowed Leon to pressure him instead and got head kicked for it.
Edward’s lack of lateral footwork showed a real obvious lack of preparation and game planning.
-Leon does not posses a check hook.
A key counter strike when circling out would be the check hook. Leon didn’t attempt to use it, because he doesn’t train it or have it in his arsenal.
I’d say in general Leon’s footwork could definitely be improved greatly.
-Belal’s boxing was better than Leon’s.
What allowed Belal to get the takedowns against the cage was his pressure. He stayed in boxing range, pushed Edward’s back and took him down. Not to mention for every single punch Leon threw, Belal threw 3-4 punch combinations. His hands were legitimately faster and better than Leon’s, as bizarre as that is to say. Belal also has that Khabib noggin, which allows him to take punishment and eat it like it’s nothing.
-Edward’s fought very hard each round.
He won the end of round 2, 3, 4, and 5.
Literally reversed position in every single round except round 1. He was controlled by Belal in every one of those rounds except round 3, where Leon held Belal’s back for basically the whole round.
Leon wasn’t tired, off, slow, unmotivated, etc. He got controlled, paced himself, and tried to win. Just didn’t have the skills to do it
