I know this is a topic that has been discussed to death, but I just don't understand how people can rewatch Romero Whittaker 2 and come away thinking Romero won.

Round 1 and 2 are 100% Whittaker. Not even a question. Rob was getting off tons of offense. Romero goes into his corner at the end of round 2 with a broken orbital.

Round 3 is definitely Romero's round. Romero knocks Rob down early and rushes with flurries to try and get the finish. I've heard people call this round a 10-8, but I think that's a little difficult to justify. After the KD and scramble, Romero is gassed and clinches for a pretty long period of time. Rob also gets off some really good offense (huge head kick) and actually ends the round in control of Romero on the fence.

Round 4 Romero comes out looking really tired and Rob is finding a lot of success on the feet. It's looking like round 2 all over again before the accidental groin strike. Maybe a little bit of gamesmanship by Romero to sell it and get an extended break, but you never know for sure. Rob's foot did make contact with the cup so fair enough. After the break, Romero was looking better but Rob was still winning. If Romero hadn't landed that huge shot at the end of the round, this round wouldn't even warrant discussion. Rob is undeniably wobbled, but he doesn't go down. IF Romero had KD Rob, my opinion on this round might be different. But I don't think one big shot is enough to steal the round. 10-9 Whittaker.

Round 5 Similar to round 3, clearly Romero's round. The question is whether it's a 10-8 or a 10-9 round? In the first 1:30, both fighters land offense. I would say Rob is getting the better of the exchanges before Romero lands a bomb that puts Rob on the mat. For the next 3 minutes, Romero is in control. Rob is fighting back and working to get position. Both men are clearly gassed. Both are really only holding on before Big Dan breaks them up. My perspective is that Romero was not landing enough offense during this period to warrant a 10-8 round. BUT I can understand if someone else saw it differently. 10-7 is a joke.

Honestly, after watching this fight 4 times, I'm 60-40 on whether this was a Rob win or a tie. I lean towards the win, but I'm admittedly biased towards Rob. I don't see any real argument for this being a Romero win other than someone being a Romero fan who was overly biased by the announcer commentary right after the fight ended.

Anyways, writing this has been a really poor use of time. Reading it has probably been the same for you.