Tag Archives: results

Posted on 06/09/2018

Diego De La Hoya (21-0, 10 KOs), the quick-handed super bantamweight contender of Mexicali, Mexico, successfully defended his NABF and NABO Super Bantamweight Titles against Jose “Sugar” Salgado (35-5-2, 28 KOs) of Cozumel, Mexico via technical knockout at the end of the seventh round of the scheduled 10-round main event of the June 8 edition of Golden Boy Boxing on ESPN at Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, N.Y. De La Hoya’s relentless and fast-paced aggression were too much for Salgado to handle, which forced his corner to call a halt to the bout at the end of the aforementioned round.

Photo Credit: Matt Heasley – Hoganphotos/Golden Boy Promotions

“We knew that he [Salgado] had been training since October of last year,” said Diego De La Hoya.”Obviously that’s because the fight was delayed, but the fight took place tonight and thank God it was great. I brawled so that people would see that I am indeed a Mexican fighter. He has a lot of experience and a lot of power, but I still brawled to give a great show. I’ll need to talk to my team about what’s next, but hopefully something very good.”

“I felt really tight in this fight, but that’s because the inactivity really affected me,” said Jose Salgado. “I take no credit away from Diego De La Hoya, and I fought a good fight despite the inactivity. He’s a great fighter, and he’ll be a future world champion.”

In tonight’s co-main event,Travell “Black Magic” Mazion (13-0, 11 KOs) of Austin, Texas retained his undefeated record as he beat Orlando, Florida’s Daquan Pauldo (17-2, 9 KOs) by unanimous eight-round decision. Mazion won with scores of 77-75, 77-75 and 78-74.

Danielto Zorrilla (7-0, 6 KOs) of Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico delivered a devastating left hook to the body to defeat stop Julio Perez (4-3) of Aguadilla, Puerto Rico in the first of a scheduled four-round super lightweight fight.

Golden Boy Promotions prospect Alex Rincon (4-0, 4 KOs) of Carrollton, Texas scored two knockdowns en route to a first-round technical knockout victory over Engelberto Valenzuela (11-14, 3 KOs) of Agua Prieta, Mexico. The fight, which was originally slated for four rounds at the middleweight limit of 160 pounds, was stopped at 1:35 of the aforementioned round.

Lawrence Gabriel (3-1-1, 2 KOs) of Syracuse, New York scored a second-round technical knockout victory against Jimmy Blevins (0-3) of Buffalo, New York in a fight that was originally scheduled for four rounds in the heavyweight division.

Isaac Rodrigues (25-2, 20 KOs) Mocajuba, Brazil stopped Frankie Filippone (25-8-1, 9 KOs) of Chesapeake, Virginia in the fourth round of an eight-round light heavyweight clash. Rodrigues scored two knockdowns, the second of which forced the stoppage at 1:46 of the fourth round.

Armus Guyton (1-0) from Ithaca, N.Y. defeated Mike Diorio (0-1) from Cortland, N.Y. by unanimous decision in the opening bout, a four-round cruiserweight contest. Both fighters made their professional debut in a fight that Guyton won with scores of 39-37, 39-37 and 40-36.

Posted on 05/27/2018

By: Sean Crose

Fresno State in California offered some boxing from the 115 pound realm on Saturday. The 29-1-1 Jerwin Ancajas battled the 14-3 Jonas Sultan for the IBF word super flyweight title. On the undercard, the 23-0 Khalid Yafai faced off against the 21-5-5 David Carmona for Yafai’s WBA super flyweight title. The fights were aired live on ESPN+, ESPNs new streaming platform from which the network hopes will spawn big things.

The night opened with Yafai and Carmona. Before the bout, Carmona had expressed his waning interest in the sport of boxing to the ESPN team. Still, the man fought his heart out in what proved to be an exciting affair. Yafai dropped his man in the first, but Carmona got off the mat and actually seemed to hurt the champion himself before the bell rang to end the round.

Yafai resumed control, but Carmona simply was not going to allow the Englishman to have an easy night’s work. After being dropped again in the fourth and once more in the fifth, it was obvious that Yafai was the dominant fighter. Carmona kept things exciting, though, and at no point in the bout did it seem like Yafai was blithely walking away with things. Ultimately, Carmona’s corner stopped the bout in between the seventh and eight rounds, apparently convinced that their man had simply had enough. There was no mistaking, though, that Carmona had made a good showing of himself throughout the fight.

It was time for the main event. This match, for the IBF strap, was between two Filipinos who entered the ring looking and acting more like gentlemen than they did contemporary showboating athletes. Ancajas, the champion, was entering the fight with the reputation of being the more polished fighter of the two, while the challenger Sultan was known to be aggressive and entertaining. Both men lived up to their reputations. The crowd may have booed at times for the match not being a slugfest, but discerning fans saw a lot to appreciate in the skill set of Ancajas, who worked an effective jab and kept his distance throughout the fight.

Sultan had certainly come to win and he did, in fact, have his moments. Those moments were too few and far between, however, and Ancajas walked away with a one sided decision victory. The fact that Ancajas was able to dominate as he did was a credit to the man’s craftsmanship. The defending champion simply never allowed Sultan to get into the match with any kind of regularity.

Posted on 05/20/2018

By: William Holmes

Showtime has shown no signs of slowing down in putting on competitive fights with a split site double header on their Showtime World Championship Boxing telecast.

The opening bout of the night was between Gary Russell Jr. (28-1) and Joseph Diaz (26-0) for the WBC Featherweight Title. This bout took place at The Theater at the MGM Grand National Harbor in Maryland.

Joseph Diaz entered the ring first and Russell second to a much louder ovation.

Photo Credit: Showtime Boxing Twitter Account

Both boxers were southpaws and Diaz looked like the bigger fighter, but Russell established early on that he had the better hand speed. He was active with his jab in the opening round and had a strong start to the fight.

Russell continued with his jab in the early parts of the second round, but Diaz had some moderate success to the body and ended the round strong.

The third round was a closer round, but it looked like Diaz was willing to take a few punches from Russell in order to land one punch of his own. Diaz ended the round with two good straight left hands.

Diaz kept a high guard in the fourth and fifth rounds but Russell landed the higher volume of punches while Diaz landed the harder shots to the body. Diaz had a strong fifth round, but Russell came back in the sixth round with his active jab and high volume output.

Russell was the first man to throw and land in the seventh and eighth rounds and looked like he was beginning to walk away with the fight. Russell hand speed was on full display in the ninth round as Diaz was simply not throwing enough punches.

Diaz had a better tenth round and took more risks than earlier rounds, but was also countered more often by the faster Russell.

The final two rounds featured several fierce exchanges, and Russell looked like he was beginning to fade a little bit in the last round, but Diaz wasn’t able to do enough to get a stoppage.
The Judges scored the fight 115-113, 117-111, and 117-111.

The last fight televised by Showtime was a WBC Light Heavyweight Title Fight between Champion Adonis Stevenson (29-1) and challenger Badou Jack (22-1-2) at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Canada.

Stevenson, a southpaw, and Jack, fighting out of an orthodox stance, had spent the better part of two rounds feeling each other out and tried to find their range. Stevenson was able to land some straight left hands in the second and was more active in the third, but Jack was able to land some counters in the third round.

Photo Credit: Showtime Boxing Twitter Account

Jack was able to fire off his punches first in the fourth round but took a good left uppercut from Stevenson with about thirty seconds left. Stevenson was the aggressor in the fifth and sixth rounds while Jack fought mainly out of a tight high guard. Jack was warned for a low blow at the end of the sixth round.

Jack started to come forward in the seventh round and hurt Stevenson with a short right hand followed up by combinations. Jack was snapping the head of Stevenson in the seventh with his uppercuts, but he was warned for a low blow again at the end of the round.

Jack opened up the eighth round with another low blow and Adonis Stevenson was given time to recover. Jack followed up with short right hooks and uppercuts and was able to bust open the nose of Badou jack.

Jack looked like the fresher fighter in the ninth round and had Stevenson stumbling at one point. Stevenson was able to come back and have a strong tenth round when he hurt Jack with a body shot and had Jack peddling backwards.

Stevenson pressed the pace early on in the eleventh round and had Jack in full retreat, but he tired in the middle of the round and Jack re-established dominance in the ring.

Both boxers were able to land some good shots in the final round, but Jack ended the fight strong with a hard combination as the final bell rang.

The judges scored the bout 114-114, 115-113 Jack, 114-114 for a majority draw.

Adonis Steven retains the title with a draw.

Posted on 05/19/2018

By: Sean Crose

In the raucous cauldron of Elland Road, hometown favourite, Josh Warrington became the new IBF featherweight champion, and Leeds’ first boxing world champion after earning a split decision over ‘Lighting’ Lee Selby.

From the first bell the crowd bayed for blood, and that’s exactly what they got as, within the first two rounds Lee Selby sustained a cut to his left eye, from what the crowd presumed to be a head clash, though it didn’t seem to deter the Welsh champion from taking the centre of the ring.

Photo Credit: BoxNation Twitter Account

Selby was fighting well from distance through 4 but seemed unable to react when Warrington rushed in and fired off combinations that threw the Welshman off his stride. By the 5th round, Selby’s face was streaming with blood, but the heavily favoured Warrington crowd were loving it, as Josh landed the crowd-pleasing punches, and began to gather momentum both psychologically and physically.

Into the middle rounds, and Warrington began to dominate, but the question remained over whether the Leeds native had the power to take Selby out. The IBF champion seemed so unable to avoid Warrington’s hooks. Time and time again ‘Lighting’ Lee looked dominant from a distance but as soon as Josh piled on the pressure, there was nowhere to hide for the Welshman as he struggled to dodge the attack coming his way.

The championship rounds were upon us in what seemed like fleeting moments, this was a featherweight classic, as both fighters seemed to be going hell for leather through rounds 9 & 10. By now, Selby’s right eye was cut along with his left.

In some cases, a boxer’s face post-fight doesn’t adequately tell the story, in this case however, it probably did. Warrington began to take control over ‘Lightening’ Lee through 10, 11 & 12, though not without a fight from Selby, but it proved not enough.

The scorecards came back as, 113-115 Selby, 116-112, 115-113 Warrington, and a new featherweight champion was crowned.

Selby understandably made a quick exit from the stadium post-fight, but Warrington was more than happy to talk about tonight’s bout, and the battles to come,
‘I’ve been doubted for a very long time…I’ve always been confident throughout the build-up of this fight. Press conferences, open workouts, I’ve always massively believed I’ve had this fight won…As soon as I got into the venue tonight, it all lifted.’

‘I was doubted at English level, I was doubted at British level…I haven’t got punching power, I haven’t got the speed, I haven’t got the boxing intelligence, but I’ve just out boxed and outfought and outsmarted a brilliant champion in Lee Selby.’

When asked about future fights, the new IBF champion wasn’t shy in mentioning Frampton in his plans,

‘Carl Frampton keeps on getting mentioned but Windsor Park might be a little bit too soon. I wouldn’t mind going back to the (First Direct) Arena and defend this baby, and then possibly see about fighting Carl after that.’

Jack Catterall vs Christopher Sebire

In what would’ve been the headline act of the undercard, if it hadn’t of ended so early, Jack Catterall continued his momentum by earning a technical knockout over Christopher Sebire.

Sebire weighed 2lbs over the limit going into the bout, but it made no difference to ‘El Gato’ as he went in for the kill as the first bell tolled. The Frenchman was knocked down by a precise left-hand straight from Catterall, and he stayed down from then on. Sebire complained of an injured shoulder, but even if true, he wanted nothing to do with the British super lightweight.

Catterall now moves on to bigger and better fights. Domestically, many fans are calling for an Ohara Davies vs ‘El Gato’ matchup, which would see how far Catterall is from the best of the British super lightweights, Josh Taylor.

Nicola Adams vs Soledad del Valle Frias

In her first scheduled 10-rounder, Nicola Adams made lightwork of three-time world title challenger, and now, 13-12-4, Soledad del Valle Frias.

As expected, Nicola dominated from the first bell and looked to impress her home crowd of Leeds fans immediately, though her body shot KO came just before the end of the 1st round and left a number of the crowd confused as to whether the fight had ended or not.

It turned out it had, as the referee waved away Valle Frias, and opened the door for Adams to challenge the likes of current super flyweight champions, Linda Luca, Guadalupe Guzman, Debora Dionicius, or the German based, Raja Amasheh.

Posted on 05/18/2018

By: Ken Hissner

At the Fantasy Springs Casino, Indio, CA, Thursday night over ESPN Oscar de La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions put on a five fight card.

In the Main Event Lightweight Romero “Ruthless” Duno, 17-1 (14), of General Santos City, Philippines, living in L.A. defeated Gilberto “El Flaco” Gonzalez, 26-5 (22), of Mexico City, MEX, in an all action 10 rounds.

Photo Credit: Golden Boy Boxing Twitter Account

In the first round it was all Gonzalez who switched to southpaw after half a minute. Duno was pressing and finally landed rights to the body and head of Gonzalez. In the second round it was all Gonzalez until an overhand right from Duno landed on his head. Gonzalez pinned Duno in a corner with a flurry of punches until Duno worked his way out with several rights to the head of Gonzalez who suffered a cut by the right eye.

In the third round Gonzalez started out fast going from southpaw to orthodox and back. Duno landed a solid right to the head of Gonzalez putting him on the run. Gonzalez landed a good lead left to the chin of Duno. Referee Edward Hernandez, Sr. finally warned Gonzalez about using his shoulder.

In the fourth round Duno hurt Gonzalez with a right to the mid-section. Both boxers landed well. Near the end of the round Duno landed a hard right and left to the chin of Gonzalez drawing blood from the nose. In the fifth round Duno backed Gonzalez up with several rights to the chin. Gonzalez continues to be busy especially with his jab. Duno had a good round.

In the sixth round both boxers were letting it all hang out in a terrific exchange of punches. Both boxers were getting their licks in at a non-stop pace. Gonzalez drove Duno into a corner but fought his way out. They slugged it out right to the bell. Gonzalez had quite a bit of swelling under his right eye. In the seventh round Duno landed several rights to the body of Gonzalez ending with a left hook to the chin. Gonzalez came fighting back landing the final punch of the round.

In the eighth round Gonzalez was landing well until Duno countered with a right to the body backing Gonzalez up. Both landed left hooks at the bell to the head. In the ninth Duno landed well to the body with uppercuts continually backing Gonzalez up. Gonzalez seemed to take a breather in the round with Duno easily outscoring him.

In the tenth and final round Duno was loading up with lead rights to the chin of Gonzalez fighting southpaw. Gonzalez used his jab well with an occasional left to the chin of Duno. With less than a minute left in the round Duno hurt Gonzalez with a right to the chin.

Judges had it 97-93 twice and 98-92 with this writer having it 97-93.

In the co-feature Lightweight Oscar Duarte, 14-0-1 (9), of Chihuahua, MEX, defeated Rey “The Technician” Perez, 22-10 (6), of Santa Rosa City, Philippines, in a good 10 rounds of action.

In the first round Perez was lining up Durate with his left and got in a left hook to the head of Durate. Durate almost at the halfway point of the round landed a right to the head rocking Perez. Just prior to the bell, Durate landed a hard right to the head of Perez. In the second round Durate went right after Perez landing a flurry of punches until he got hit with an uppercut by Perez causing a red mark under the eye. Durate kept pushing Perez but got hit with a left hook.

In the third round Perez landed the first punch a right to the chin of Durate. Perez kept Durante at bey with his jab and and occasional right body shot. With seconds to go in the round Durate landed a big right to the chin of Perez. In the fourth round Durate landed a double left hook to the chin of Perez who was moving backwards. When in the middle of the ring Perez landed a combination to the head of Durate. Durate continued pressing the action landing half of his punches.

In the fifth round Durate landed a good left hook to the body. He followed up with a flurry of body shots until a left hook from Perez landed on his chin. Perez countered with a right to the head of Durate. At the end of the round Perez had a red mark over his right eye from the left hooks by Durate.
In the sixth round Durate landed three left hooks to the head of Perez. Perez turned southpaw landing a right uppercut to the chin of Durate. He then switched back to orthodox. Durate drove Perez against the ropes with body shots until he was hit by a chopping right from Perez on the chin. Durate ended the round with a left hook to the chin of Perez.

In the seventh round Perez landed a lead right on three separate occasions to the head of Durate. Durate came back with a right of his own to the head of Perez. Both boxers mixed it up well in the middle of the ring at the halfway point of the round. In the eighth round Perez came out strong landing punches to the head of Durate before going backwards. Durate landed well with several body shots dropping Perez.

Perez jumped on him landing a double left hook to the body and head. Another flurry of body punches dropped Perez again. He was up fighting back but was being overwhelmed by Durate with body shots. Perez ended the round with a right to the chin of Durate.

In the ninth round Durate was encouraged by his trainer Joe Diaz, Sr. to finish him. Durate kept after Perez halfway through the round but got countered with a right to the chin of Perez. Durate couldn’t land a big punch as Perez did well to get through the round. In the tenth and final round a minute into it Durate landed a flurry of head shots. Perez never gave up and was a good opponent for the young Durate and hung into the final bell taking plenty of body shots from Durate.

Scores of the judges were 98-90, 99-89 twice. This writer had it 97-91.

Featherweight Francisco “Alacran” Esparza, 8-0-1 (3), of Las Vegas, NV, shut out Edgar Cantu, 7-4-2 (1), of Laredo, TX, over 8 rounds.

Super Middleweight Georgian Jaba Khositashvili, 3-0 (2), of Philadelphia, PA, knocked out Fabian Valdez, 2-3 (0), of Sonora, MEX, at 0:26 of the second round.

Posted on 05/13/2018

By: Oliver McManus

In the dust of Linares-Lomachenko over on ESPN there were two more world title tilts live on HBO, from the Turning Stone Resort & Casino, Verona, New York, in a card lacking the hype of legacy but delivering buckets of credibility and tasty match-ups.

Sadam Ali vs Jaime Munguia was the headlining bout with Ali’s WBO Super Welterweight title at stake – Munguia, 28-0, arrived in New York the vast underdog having taken up the challenge on less than two weeks’ notice, following Liam ‘Beefy’ Smith’s withdrawal, and Ali, 26-1, was on a quest to prove his victory over Miguel Cotto last year was not a mere fluke.

Photo Credit: HBO Boxing Twitter Account

The fight started off with Ali visibly looking the smaller, more diminutive figure – his opponent a natural middleweight – and whilst Ali looked to be the more mobile of the two fighters and put his sprightly figure to good use, it was Munguia who started off the brighter with a clipping left hand dropping the champion in the first round… twice.

The Mexican challenger seemed in complete domination, easing his way into his rhythm and never completely stepping up the gas, round two came and he simply reverted back to his jab that saw him have so much success in the first – the key, beforehand, was to work on the counter-attack but Munguia simply did not give Ali a chance to impose his gameplan, twice more would Cotto’s conqueror crumple to the canvas.

That was before the bell to signal the end of round two even went and when it sounded again to start round three, the story was much the same – sheer domination from the unexpected challenger who was putting to short shrift the naysayers, seizing his chance opportunity at the title – a near knockdown in the third put beyond doubt whether this would go the distance with the crowd warming to Munguia.

A third of the way into the fight and at the fourth round came the climatic ending, another knockdown from a supreme, confident Munguia left Ali out of his depth and reeling – in visible pain, this wasn’t a fluke victory by Munguia, this was an utter demolition job, a bank robbery almost, and there could be no questioning the skill and shot selection from the brave 21 year old… AND NEW WBO SUPER WELTERWEIGHT CHAMPION OF THE WORLD.
Rey Vargas, expecting a “wild war” went into his fifth world title fight against a game, gritty, Azat Hovhannisyan, following two comfortable points victory in the back-end of 2017 to retain his WBC Super Bantamweight title against Oscar Negrete and Ronny Rios, respectively.
Hovhannisyan, nicknamed crazy, was also coming off the back of a win over Ronny Rios – a sixth round knockout – in March of this year and was confident of continuing his momentum all the world to grabbing that prestigious world title belt.

And he started off looking the fresher, more prepared of the fighters, going to the centre of the ring in the opening round in a bid so shock Vargas into submission but it failed to rattle the Mexican who instead opted to trade some bruising shots with his Armenian counterpart.

Startled but little else, Vargas hit back with some big shots of his own but came off visibly worse when a cut above his left eye started to open up… superficial damage, that’s all.

The brawl-like contest continued much into the first third of this fight and it seemed evident that Azat was aware the only way he was going to win this fight was by pushing Vargas into the unknown, the uncomfortable.

But whilst Vargas was, arguably, mentally uncomfortable, he was physically serene and targeted the body of Hovhannisyan – everyone’s weak point – sending huge combinations into the guts of the Armenian before letting a flurry unravel towards the latter stage of the third round.

Aware that this was have success, Vargas continued this onslaught of an assault to the Armenian’s body and started to utilise his left hook a bit more – really opening up Azat – but the challenger responded in the sixth with, a last, do or die effort, swinging wildly in an attempt to connect with a final bomb.
The fatigue showed going into the final half with Vargas’ attempted-toppler slowing demonstrably and suffering from the affects of the body shot – another cut was opened up, this time above Vargas right eye – and whilst there were periods of success for the challenger they were all too brief and all to rare.

A brawl, an ugly but spectacular brawl, Vargas dealt with it comfortably enough to earn the win on all three scorecards, 112-116, 111-117, 110-118.

Posted on 05/12/2018

By: William Holmes

Madison Square Garden in New York City was the host site for tonight’s collaborative effort between Top Rank Promotions and Golden Boy Promotions to put on a highly anticipated main event between Vasyl Lomachenko and Jorge Linares for the WBA Lightweight Title.

The opening bout of the night was between Carlos Adames (13-0) and Alejandro Barrera (29-4) in the welterweight division.

Adames is a high ceiling prospect for Top Rank and he made it known why early on. His straight right hand was finding it’s home often and he was in control. Barrera was able to sneek some punches in past the guard of Adames, but they didn’t appear to hurt him.

In the sixth round he switched to a southpaw stance and was still able to land shots at will. His power shots came from his right hand, but he was still fluid and smooth in his southpaw stance.

Photo Credit: Top Rank Twitter Account

Barrera was able to do some decent body work in the seventh round and was a little more effective. His counter uppercut found it’s home but Adames was landing the harder shots. Barrera continued to hang in the fight into the eighth round and showed a willingness to exchange, and he may have stolen the round when he landed some short shots on Adames when his back was against the ropes.

The ninth round featured fierce exchanges and started with Barrera walking Adames down, but Adames was able to turn the momentum back in his favor with sharp left hooks. A clash of heads occurred in the final moments of the ninth round that caused a cut by the right eye of Barrera.

Barrera needed a knockout in the final round to win, and he was the more active fighter and landed more shots in the final round, but that knockout never came.

Carlos Adames wins by decision with scores of 97-93, 96-94, and 98-92.

The main event of the night was between Jorge Linares (44-3) and Vasyl Lomachenko (10-1) for the WBA Lightweight Title.

Lomachenko, the favorite, entered the ring first while the champion, Linares, entered second.

Photo Credit: Top Rank Twitter Account

Linares looked like the significantly bigger man in the ring and was able to land his straight left hand from his southpaw stance early on in the first round. Linares though was accurate with his counter punches in the first and landed a good lead left hook at the end of the round.

Lomachenko looked to be a little looser in the second round and was landing more, and by the third round his foot movement was on point as he danced around Linares and landed multiple combinations. Lomachenko continued to stay on the attack in the fourth round. Linares was warned for rabbit punches in the fourth and Lomachenko responded by landing hard right uppercuts.

Lomachenko was able to bloody the nose of Linares in the fifth round. Linares was warned for a low blow in the fifth and sixth rounds and appeared to be fading fast. However, a clean straight right hand by Linares in the sixth round sent Lomachenko to the mat.

Linares pressed the action in the seventh round and Lomachenko was no longer on the offensive. Linares was able to land good shots to the body and head of Lomachenko.

Lomachenko looked like he was recovered by the eight round and was able to get a cut over the left eye of Linares. Lomachenko was focusing on that cut throughout the remainder of the eighth round as momentum swung back in his favor.

Linares and Lomachenko had several good exchanges in the ninth round and that round could have been scored either way, but it appeared Lomachenko was landing more shots than Linares but Linares was landing the harder shots.

Linares came right at Lomachenko in the beginning of the tenth round but Lomachenko was able to slow him down with an accurate jab. Lomachenko connected with a multi punch combination to the head and ended it with a liver shot that sent Linares crumbling in pain to the mat.

The referee counted to nine before waiving off the fight as he could tell that Linares was unable to continue.

Lomachenko wins by body shot knockout at 2:08 of the tenth round.

Posted on 05/12/2018

By: Ken Hissner

Hard Hitting Promotions, Greg Cohen Promotions and Devin Haney Promotions over Sho-Box before a standing room only crowd at the 2300 Arena in Philly Friday night.

In the Main Event Super Lightweight Devin “The Dream” Haney, 19-0 (12), of Las Vegas, NV, forced Mason “Rock Hard Mighty” Menard, 33-3 (24), of Rayne, LA, to retire after nine shut out rounds to win the vacant USBA Lightweight title.

Photo Credit: Showtime Boxing Twitter Account

This one was a mismatch from the opening bell with Haney dazzling Menard who couldn’t land but a handful of punches the entire fight. Haney had a machine gun like jab throughout. He would land the right hand almost at will though Menard had his hands held high at all times. Round after round Haney dominated. He made this vacant USBA title bout look so easy. He forced Menard to not come out for the tenth and final round. Haney will deservingly be in the top ten of the IBF rankings with this shout out of a match.

Super Bantamweight Glenn Dezurn, 9-2-1 (6), of Baltimore, MD, was stopped at 1:47 of the 8th round losing to Joshua “Don’t Blink” Greer, Jr., 17-1-1 (9), of Chicago, IL.

From the opening round up until the sixth round Greer dominated. Dezurn started to turn things around in the sixth and seventh rounds. In the eighth round Greer landed a hard right to the chin of Dezurn and down he went. He was up at the count of 8 from Referee Benjy Esteves, Jr. Greer raced across the ring having Dezurn defenseless forcing Referee Esteves, to wave it off!

Light Heavyweight Alvin “Iron Majik” Vermall, Jr., 15-1-1 (12), of Catskill, NY, was defeated by southpaw Charles ”The Truth” Foster, 16-0 (8), of New Haven, CT, over 8 rounds.

In the first round the taller Foster used his jab with Vermall trying to get inside. Foster keeps measuring Vermall who is missing more than landing. Foster landed a lead left to the mid-section of Vermall. Foster ended the round with a hard left uppercut to the chin of Vermall. In the second round Vermall rocked Foster with a right uppercut. He keeps leaping in trying to land the big punch on Foster who is not co-operating. Referee Rosato warns Foster for hitting behind the head. Foster landed a 3-punch combination. Vermall came right back just before the bell landing a solid right to the chin of Foster. In the third round Foster keeps pawing with the jab with Vermall rushing in and ending in a clinch. Foster uses an occasional left uppercut to the chin of Vermall who seems frustrated not getting his punches in.

In the fourth round Vermall leaped in with a left hook to the head of Foster. Foster lands a lead left to the chin with Vermall coming right back with a right to the chin of Foster. Too many clinches on the part of both. Vermall ends the round with a solid right to the chin of Foster. In the fifth round Vermall comes out trying to make a brawl of it while Foster lands a chopping left to the head of Vermall who comes in low. Foster lands a solid left uppercut to the chin of Vermall. Vermall hurt Foster with a wild right to the chin at the bell.

In the sixth round Foster is trying to keep Vermall at bay but Vermall jumps in with wild punches to the head of Foster. Foster continues to get the better of the always coming forward Vermall. In the seventh round

Super Bantamweight Arnold “Arni” Khegai, 12-0-1 (5), of Odessa, UKR, defeated Adam “Mantequilla” Lopez, 16-3-2 (8), of San Antonio, TX, over 8 rounds.

In the first round Khegai is pushing Lopez back with little action in the round. In the second round Khegai landed a lead right to the chin of Lopez. Khegai landed a right hand to the chin of Lopez driving him back halfway across the ring. In the third round Lopez landed a 3-punch combination rocking Khegai. Khegai landed a lead right to the chin of Lopez just prior to the bell. In the fourth round Khegai landed a lead right to the chin of Lopez who came right back with a left hook to the head of Khegai. Halfway through the round things started to heat up a bit.

In the fifth round Khegai landed a chopping right while in a clinch and then was warned for using the cuff of his glove. Both fighters have received numerous warnings. In the sixth round Referee Benjy Esteves, Jr. took a point from Khegai. Both boxers are throwing wild punches with neither gaining an edge. In the seventh round both boxers are throwing bombs and then falling into a clinch. It’s been a very sloppy showing up to the eighth and final round. In the eighth round Khegai rocked Lopez with a right hand to the chin. Lopez came back with a combination to the head of Khegai. Khegai landed a left hook to the chin of Lopez heard throughout the arena.

Judge Braswell and DiPalo had it 78-74 and Carter 78-73. This writer had it 77-74.

Lightweight southpaw Jeremy “King” Cuevas, 9-0 (7), of Philadelphia, stopped Hector Marengo, 7-12-4 (4), of Arecibo, PR, at 1:51 of the second round.

In the first round Cuevas landed a lead left to the chin of Marengo knocking him back several steps. Cuevas landed a lead left to the head of Marengo stunning him. It was all Cuevas with little action. In the second round Cuevas landed a flurry of punches pinning Marengo in a corner. Cuevas landed a dozen punches finally dropping Marengo to a knee. Cuevas jumped on him causing referee Shawn Clarke to wave it off.

Lightweight Branden “The Gift” Pizarro, 10-1 (4), of North Philly Badlands, shut out Israel “Isra” Villela, 6-10 (2) of Cancun, MEX, over 6 rounds.

In the first two rounds Pizarro dominated with his jab while Villela got in a right to the body and a left hook to the head. Pizarro briefly turned southpaw. In the third round Pizarro continued to move well using his jab with an occasional right to the head of Villela. Pizarro got warned by Referee Bashir for pulling Villela by the back of the neck. In the fourth round the flashy Pizarro landed a right uppercut to the body of Villela. Villela was chasing Pizarro until he ran into a flurry of punches. Villela landed a right to the head of Pizarro who shook his head as if there was little on it. Pizarro landed a right to the head followed by a left hook to the body. Pizarro landed a hard right uppercut to the chin of Villela that got the fans into it.

In the fifth round Villela landed an overhand right to the chin of Pizarro. Pizarro switches from orthodox to southpaw with little coming from southpaw. The fans start chanting “Branden, Branden”, just prior to the bell. In the sixth and final round Villela walked into a Pizarro left hook to the chin. Both boxers warned for infractions by the referee. Pizarro ended the round with a left hook to the chin of Villela.

Judge Carter, Weisfeld and DiPallo had it 60-54 as did this writer.

Light Heavyweight David “One-Two” Murray, 7-2-1 (6), of Wilmington, DE, was knocked out by Jamaican Craig “Danger” Duncan, 11-1-1 (9), of Apopka, FL, at 2:45 of the fourth round.

In the first round both fighters are known for their punching power which means there is little action with one waiting for the other to land a bomb. The last thrown punch of the round was Duncan landing the first right hand to the chin of Murray. In the second round Duncan continues to stalk Murray finally both are opening up. Duncan carries his hands to his side finally landing an uppercut to the body of Murray. Duncan pinned Murray against the ropes. Murray landed a right to the head of Duncan.

In the third round Duncan comes out using a lot of feints and landed a right to the head of Murray. Murray landed a right of his own to the head of Duncan seconds later. Duncan forced Murray to hold after landing a pair of body shots. With half a minute left in the round Duncan landed a flurry of punches. In the fourth round Murray landed a double left hook to the head of Duncan. Duncan came back pinning Murray against the ropes with both fighters landing haymakers. Duncan landed an uppercut to the chin of Murray and down he went to a knee. Duncan landed a lead right to the chin of Murray who went face first down and out cold. It took about 10 minutes before Murray was assisted from the ring.

In the opening bout returning after 18 months Super Lightweight, Milton ”El Santo” Santiago, 17-0 (3), of North Philadelphia, shut out Jorge L Munguia, 13-12 (5), of Tegucigalpha, Honduras, over 6 rounds.

In the first round both fighters were mixing it up. Santiago landed a combination dropping Munguia. Santiago ran across the ring jumping right on Munguia knocking his mouthpiece out. Santiago was warned twice about hitting behind the head by Referee Ron Bashir. In the second round Santiago continue to press Munguia who wouldn’t give up. Santiago landed a lead right to the head of Munguia. Munguia started pressing Santiago until he ran into a combination from Santiago.

In the third round Santiago was warned for a third time by Referee Bashir this time for using his head. Munguia was warned for a low blow. Santiago controlled the round but the action slowed down. In the fourth round Santiago backed Munguia into a corner but Munguia fought himself out of the corner. Santiago is going to the body with uppercuts from both hands. Munguia is very game. In the fifth round Santiago is still throwing punches but Munguia shows him no respect fighting back. Santiago is warned for pushing. Munguia is throwing punches but can’t match Santiago. In the sixth and last round missed with a pair of uppercuts. Both boxers raised their arms up trying to get the fans into it. Santiago has a pleasing style but little power or Munguia would have been out by now. Munguia was warned for a low blow.

Judges Page had it 60-54 Judge Carter, Weisfeld and this writer had it 60-53.

Posted on 04/29/2018

By: Ken Hissner

Top Rank and Peltz Boxing Promotions brought back big time boxing to Philadelphia Saturday, at Temple University’s Liacouras Center via ESPN before a well entertained crowd.
In the Main Event WBO World Junior Featherweight champion southpaw Jesse Magdelano, 25-1 (18), of Las Vegas, NV, tasted defeat for the first time losing to interim WBO champion Isaac Dogboe, 19-0 (13), of Accra, GH, who stopped him at 1:38 of the eleventh round of a scheduled 12.

In the first round Dogboe was the aggressor. Dogboe landed a solid left hook to the head of Magdelano but got countered with a 3 punch combination dropping him. Magdelano lead with a left hand to the chin of Dogboe hurting him but Dogboe tossed him to the canvas. In the second round Dogboe led with a right but got countered by a Magdelano left to the head. Dogboe rocked Magdelano with a lead overhand right to the head.

Photo Credit: Top Rank Twitter Account

In the third round Dogboe led with a right to the chin of Magdelano making him clinch. A left uppercut to the chin by Magdelano buckled the knees of Dogboe. Dogboe came back with a good combination to the body and head of Magdelano. At the bell Dogboe landed a hard overhand right to the chin of Magdelano. In the fourth round both landed with exchanges. A pair of rights to the head from Dogboe rocked Magdelano.

In the fifth round Dogboe dropped Magdelano with a vicious right to the chin. Then he went after him with a flurry of punches making Magdelano hold on. In the sixth round Dogboe drove Magdelano into the ropes on several occasions making him hold on. The sixth and seventh rounds were dominated by Dogboe though Magdelano was always dangerous. In the eighth round Dogboe continued to go after Magdelano with body and head shots. Dogboe told this writer prior to the fight he would “outsmart Magdelano” and that is the way he fought.

In the ninth round Dogboe backed up Magdelano without throwing any punches for the most part as Dogboe seemed to be loading up. Referee Benjy Esteves, Jr. had trouble at times sepeerating the two with Magdelano refusing to let go of Dogboe. It was a cat and mouse round with Magdelano getting chased.

In the tenth round Dogboe landed half a dozen punches hurting Magdelano who would pound on his own chest as if he was hurt but was. A body shot by Dogboe from a right to the body hurt Magdelano. Magdelano walked on shaky legs back to his corner. In the eleventh round Dogboe landed four unanswered punches. Seconds later a combination from Dogboe dropped Magdelano to his knees. Dogboe jumped all over him with body shots until a right uppercut dropping him until referee Esteves wisely stopped the onslaught. Dogboe made Magdelano pay for his remarks at the press conference!

Dogboe got off to a slow start but from the fourth round on it was all his fight. This humble God loving fighter will be taking the championship belt back to his home in Ghana! It couldn’t happen to a nicer God loving man!

Co-Feature Event Super Middleweight WBO No. 1 contender Jesse “Hollywood” Hart, 24-1 (20), of Philadelphia, overwhelmed Demond “D’Bestatit” Nicholson, 18-3-1 (17), of Laurel, MD, at 2:26 of the seventh round for the vacant NABF Super Middleweight title.

Photo Credit: Top Rank Twitter Account

In the first round Hart came out like a wild man trying to end it early. He is not the puncher like his father. He has better tools but not the punch of “the Cyclone”. He controlled the entire round up until the final seconds when Nicholson hit him with a right knocking him across the ring into the ropes which should have been ruled a knockdown by referee Shawn Clark. In the third round Hart landed a left to the body causing a delayed knockdown. Hart landed a left hook to the chin of Nicholson almost dropping him.

In the fourth round Hart continued to man handle Nicholson throughout with Nicholson landing an occasional right to the head of Hart. In the fifth round Hart continued to throw the right hand bomb but got countered with a solid right from Nicholson on the chin. Nicholson kept slipping most of Hart’s wild punches but got hit enough not to win the round. Nicholson showed too much respect for Hart who at the press conference said “I looked up to him when I was just 14!”

In the sixth round Hart landed three right hands to the head while in close. Nicholson finally came back with a left hook to the head of Hart. Hart kept pinning Nicholson to the ropes where Nicholson was defenseless. A Hart uppercut to the chin of Nicholson rocked him. Nicholson landed a hard right uppercut to the chin of Hart and came back with two more ending the round.

In the seventh round it was Nicholson turning aggressor. Hart looked like he was spent from all the punching he did earlier and all of a sudden he seemed to hurt Nicholson but went after him and missed with a left hook but seemed to push Nicholson to the canvas who argued with the referee Clark but wouldn’t get up. When he did the referee waved it off.

There was a controversy afterwards between both fighters almost coming to blows. The Nicholson camp and the fighter were unhappy with the ending but he lost every round and should have let his hands not his mouth do the talking.

Heavyweight Bryant “By-By” Jennings, 23-2 (13), won a close hard decision over Joey “Tank” Dawejko, 19-5-4 (11), of Philadelphia, for the vacant USA PA Heavyweight title over 10 rounds.

In the first round Dawejko landed several left hooks to the body of Jennings. Jennings came back with a double jab to the chin. Dawejko landed a double left hook to body and head of Jennings. Jennings depended on his jab the entire round. Dawejko was much more active. In the second round Jennings started off with a left hook to the head of Dawejko. Dawejko dug in a left hook to the body of Jennings whiono continues using his jab to chin and mid-section. Dawejko warned for low punch by referee Gary Rosato. Dawejko came back with a right to the head. Jennings ended the round with a solid left hook to the head of Dawejko.

In the third round Dawejko landed a lead overhand right to the head of Jennings. Dawejko landed a trip left hook to the body and head of Jennings. Jennings came back to do the same combination. In the fourth round Jennings landed a double jab to the chin. Dawejko came back with a combination to the head. Dawejko landed a right uppercut to the chin and followed with a left hook to the head of Jennings. Dawejko missed with a left hook while Jennings countered with his best punch a right to the head of Dawejko. At the ten second warning Jennings landed a low punch causing referee Rosato to warn him.

In the fifth round Dawejko landed a looping left hook to the head of Jennings. Both fighters exchanged good body shots inside. Jennings continues to use an effective jab. Dawejko continues to stalk him. At the ten second warning Jennings landed a solid right following a jab to the chin of Dawejko getting his attention. In the sixth round Jennings landed a left hook to the head of Dawejko knocking him off balance. Jennings halfway through the round started using the ring to avoid any exchanges giving away the round.

In the seventh round Dawejko went after Jennings with left hooks to the body and head. Jennings kept peppering Dawejko with his jab. Jennings countered Dawejko with a right uppercut to the chin. In the eighth round Jennings started thins off with a right to the body and head of Dawejko. Dawejko pinned Jennings to the ropes while Jennings tried to spin him off but ended in a clinch. Dawejko drove Jennings into a corner with a flurry of punches.

In the ninth round Jennings landed a good left hook to the chin of Dawejko who acknowledged it as a good one. Dawejko pushed Jennings into a corner forcing Jennings to tie him up. Jennings landed a lead straight right to the chin of Dawejko getting a reaction from the crowd. Dawejko ended the round with a combination to the body of Jennings.

In the tenth and final round Dawejko pinned Jennings against the ropes while referee Rosado again stepped in separating the two. Jennings knocked the mouthpiece of Dawejko out with a right to the chin. Jennings landed a 3-punch combination to the head and body of Dawejko. Dawejko landed a half dozen unanswered punches before Jennings landed a solid left hook to the head.

“I thought it was a competitive fight and maybe I should have done more,” said Dawejko. That was a statement from a very humble Dawejko. He did mention that he felt the referee separated them too much when he had Jennings against the ropes throwing punches. Both fighters showed respect at the press conference for each other and it seemed to carry on after the fight but from press row this writer was not able to hear Jennings comments and since the Executive Director Greg Sirb doesn’t allow this writer into the locker rooms after fights I was not able to talk to Jennings.

“Styles make good fights and I thought I came out with the win. With a new trainer I have to try to get what he wants me to do. I believe good things are coming. Joey is a slick fighter trying to set traps for me. It isn’t easy fighting a smaller fighter at times. I felt the scoring was what I felt it should have been. I was hurt once in the fight. He is a helluva fighter. We showed respect for one another knowing when we got warned from the referee it was not intentional on our parts,” said Jennings.

Judges all had it 98-92 for Jennings but this writer had it 97-93 for Dawejko. The press favored Jennings for the most part.

2016 Olympian southpaw Shakur Stevenson, 6-0 (3), of Newark, NJ, won by TKO over Roxberg Patrick Riley, 12-1 (6), Dallas, GA, at 1:35 of the second reound in a scheduled 8.

In the first round Stevenson used an effective jab to control the pace. Stevenson hurt Riley with a straight left to the mid-section of Riley. In the second round a left hook from Stevenson drove Riley into the ropes. Stevenson knocked Riley down with a combination of punches. He followed up with an onslaught of punches causing referee Clark to call a halt.

Super Featherweight 2016 Olympic Gold Medalist Robson Conceicao, 7-0 (4), of Salvador, Bahia, BRZ, pitched a shutout over Mexican Alex Torres “Azteca de Oro” Rynn, 6-2 (3), of Calgary, Ontario, CAN, over 6 rounds.

In the first round Conceicao dominated Rynn with good body work and occasional head shots. In the second round Conceicao continued with solid body work with both hands. Rynn kept switching from orthodox to southpaw and back. Conceicao landed a hard combination to the head and ended the round with a right to the chin of Rynn.

In the third round Conceicao kept landing with body punches but Rynn landed a hard counter right from the southpaw stance. From the third round through to the sixth Conceicao put on a good exhibition of his boxing skills.

All 3 judges and this writer had it 60-54.

Popular Bantamweight Christian Carto, 12-0 (8), of South Philadelphia, won an easy decision over Edwin “Puto” Rodriguez, 8-5-1 (4), of PR, over 8 rounds.

In the first round Carto controlled with his jab. Rodriguez landed a left hook which was countered by a Carto right to the head. Carto landed a solid right to the head of Rodriguez who was coming forward. Carto landed a double left hook as the bell sounded ending the round. In the second round Carto landed a double jab followed by a left hook to the body of Rodriguez. Both fighters exchanged left hooks to the head. Carto landed a lightning fast lead right to the chin of Rodriguez. Carto continued to set the pace with his jab.

In the third round Carto landed a 3-punch combination to body and head of Rodriguez. Carto landed a left hook to the ribs of Rodriguez. Carto landed a jab follwed by a right to the head of Rodriguez. Carto continued to make Rodriguez miss. Rodriguez landed a left hook to the chin of Carto at the bell. In the fourth round Rodriguez landed a double left hook to the body of Carto. Carto landed a double left hook to the body and head of Rodriguez. Carto controlled with his jab but got countered by a Rodriguez right to the chin. Rodriguez landed a left hook to the chin of Carto who countered with a left hook to the chin at the bell.

In the fifth round both boxers landed several body punches. Carto hurt Rodriguez with a hard left hook to the head. Carto landed several lead rights to the chin of Rodriguez. Both exchanged rights to the head. Carto ended the round with a 3-punch combination to body and head. In the sixth round Rodriguez landed a right to the head of Carto. There was a clash of heads leaving a lump on the top of Carto’s head. While using the ring well Carto countered with rights to the head of Rodriguez. Carto continued at times backing into the ropes and countered Rodriguez well.
In the seventh round both boxers exchanged rights to the head. Carto landed several counter left’s to the body of Rodriguez. Rodriguez landed a short right to the chin of Carto. In the eighth and final round Carto countered a Rodriguez left with a combination to the head. Carto continues to impress with each fight.

“He was a tough fighter. I thought I got head butted in the sixth round. It was a tough fight but I’m learning”, said Carto. His trainer is Mickey Rosati, his brother Frankie is the assistant and manager while cut-man Joey Eye rounded out team Carto.

Judges had it 77-75 twice and 78-74 while this writer had it 80-72.

Super Lightweight Kent “The Puerto Rican Sensation” Cruz, 14-0-1 (9), of St. Louis, MO, and Mohamed Rodriguez, 11-4-1 (4), of San Luis Potosi, MEX, drew in a lack luster 8 rounds.
In the first round the boxers felt each other out as Cruz stalked Rodriguez landing an occasional jab. Rodriguez missed with a wild left hook. Cruz landed a partially blocked right to the head of Rodriguez. In the second round Rodriguez missed with a wild right. Cruz landed a double jab to the chin of Rodriguez. Cruz missed a right and was countered by a Rodriguez left hook to the chin. Rodriguez landed a right to the head of Cruz just prior to the end of the round.

In the third round Cruz threw a pair of left hooks with the second one landing on the chin of Rodriguez. In close Cruz landed a left hook to the head of Rodriguez. Rodriguez missed with 3 punches. In the fourth round little action continued with Cruz using his jab. Cruz received a warning for hitting the back of the head of Rodriguez. In the fifth round Rodriguez missed with a right while Cruz countered with a solid left hook to the chin of Rodriguez which was the best punch of the fight up until then.

In the sixth round Cruz continued using the jab. Cruz landed a right to the body of Rodriguez. Both boxers exchanged jabs to the mid-section. In the seventh round both landed left hooks to the head at the same time. Rodriguez continued to miss more than landing. In the eighth and final round Rodriguez landed a left hook to the chin of Cruz and did a little dance. Rodriguez landed a left hook to the head of Cruz and missed with a second one.

The Judges had it 78-74 Cruz, 77-75 Rodriguez, and 76-76. This writer had it 77-75 Cruz. This entire fight was without anything to get the crowd into it.
Hot prospect Lightweight Joseph “Blessed Hands” Adorno, 7-0 (7), of Allentown, PA, stopped Jorge Hugo “Dandy” Padron, 3-2 (3), of Sonora, MEX, at 1:11 of the first round in a scheduled 6 rounds.

In the first round Adorno stalked Padron landing a solid left to the body. Seconds later Adorno landed a jab followed by a wicked right to the ribs of Padron dropping him to a knee and unable to continue. Adorn brought many fans from the Lehigh County with him.

Opening the event Super Welterweight Marcel Rivers, 5-0 (4), of Philadelphia, stopped Ronald Logan, 0-3 (0), of the Bronx, NY, at 0:40 of the second round of a scheduled 4 rounds.

In the first round Rivers landed the first solid punch a right to the head of Logan backing him up several steps. Shortly thereafter a Rivers right to the mid-section backed Logan up several steps. Rivers continued to stalk Logan. Logan threw an overhand right that missed while Rivers countered with a combination to the head of Logan. In the second round Rivers landed a solid left hook to the head of Logan who started to run backwards until he fell on his own. Referee Rosato ruled it a slip. Upon rising Logan started to limp and indicated he couldn’t continue forcing the referee to halt the fight.

Ring announcer Lupe Contreras is back in the east and doing his usual great job.

Posted on 04/21/2018

By: Ken Hissner

Mayweather Promotions, TGB Promotians and DiBella Entertainment on USA Showtime, at the Barclay Center, Brooklyn, NY, put on a triple header Saturday night.

In the Main Event welterweights with former WBA World Super Lightweight champion Welterweight Adrien “The Problem” Broner, 33-3-1 (24), of Cinn., OH, ended in a majority draw with former WBO World Welterweight champion Jesse “Pride of Las Vegas” Vargas, 28-2-1 (10), of Las Vegas, NV, over 12 rounds.

Photo Credit: Showtime Boxing Twitter Account

In the first round after exchanging jabs Broner landed a left hook to the chin of Vargas. After over a minute of the round Broner landed a combination to the head of Vargas. It wasn’t until under a minute left in the round that Vargas landed a stiff jab to the chin of Broner. In the second round Vargas landed his first right of the fight to the chin of Broner. Broner with hands high is only using a jab in the round up to this point. Vargas landed half a dozen punches without return. Broner just shook his head as if to say “nothing on it!” Vargas landed a 3-punch combination in taking a good round.

In the third round Vargas used a jab to the mid-section of Broner. He followed upt with a good combination before Broner landed a good combination in return. Both exchanged body shots. The pace really picked up in the round. Both were throwing punches at the bell. In the fourth round Broner counters with solid rights to the chin of Vargas. Both boxers landed well. Vargas landed a pair of rights to the head and Broner back with a right uppercut to the chin. Broner landed a good combination with Vargas countering with a right to the head at the bell.

In the fifth round Vargas continues to out work Broner until Broner rocked Vargas with a right to the chin. There was a mouse under the left eye of Vargas. Vargas landed half a dozen of unanswered punches as Broner came back just prior to the bell with a right of his own. In the sixth round Broner came out firing unlike previous rounds. Vargas landed an array of punches in what is a very good fight. Broner landed a 3-punch combination. Vargas landed a straight right to the chin of Broner who shook his head. With half a minute left Broner landed a low blow giving Vargas a half minute rest from referee Charlie Fitch.

In the seventh round Vargas comes out with a solid jab. Vargas landed a right to the chin of Broner who countered with a right of his own to the chin. Broner warned for using his elbow by referee Fitch. Broner ended the right with a right uppercut to the chin of Vargas. In the eighth round both boxers landed left hooks to the chin at same time. Broner landed Bof one another. Vargas continued landing good body shots. Vargas landed a right at the bell but was warned by referee Fitch for a late hit.

In the ninth round Broner came out dominating Vargas through the first minute. Vargas came back landing a big right to the head of Broner. Broner landed a good left hook with Vargas came back with a solid right to the chin of Broner. With half a minute left Broner turned up the heat getting the fans cheering with Broner rocking Vargas who almost looked like he was out on his feet at the bell. In the tenth round Broner went on the attack pushing Vargas back. Broner with hands to his side was trying to bait Vargas in. With half a minute left in the round Vargas landed a solid right to the head of Broner. Just prior to the bell Broner ended it landing a flurry of punches.

In the eleventh round Vargas is throwing rights to the head of Broner who is the aggressor. Broner landed a good right to the head of Vargas whose left eye is almost closed. It was a good close round. In the twelfth and final round Broner landed a good chopping right to the head of Vargas who is continuing backing up. Vargas started raising his hands at the halfway mark showboating. Vargas with less than half a minute to go landed a 3-punch combination to head and body of Broner. Broner’s new trainer Kevin Cunningham urged Broner throughout to do more. While Vargas trainer Mike “Body Snatcher” McCallum urged body work. It was an excellent fight.

Judge Lederman had it 115-113 Broner. Morgan and Marlinski had it 114-114. This writer had it 117-111 for Vargas.

Former World Super Featherweight champion southpaw Champion Gervonta “Tank” Davis, 20-0 (19), of Baltimore, MD, regained a world title when he stopped former WBA World Featherweight champion southpaw Jesus Marcelo Andres “El Jinete” Cuellar, 28-3 (21), of Bueno Aires, ARG, at 2:45 of round 3 for the WBA Super World Super Featherweight title, scheduled for 12 rounds.

In the first round Cuellar used a good jab while Davis was a little slower using his jab and a nice right uppercut to the body which may have hurt Cuellar with about a minute left in the round. Half a minute to go and Davis landed a right uppercut to the chin of Cuellar. Davis landed a good combination to the head of Cuellar right before the bell. In the second round Davis landed a lead left into the mid-section of Cuellar dropping him for the 8 count from referee Benjy Esteves, Jr. Cuellar was up and going after Davis for the remainder of the round until Davis landed a straight left to the chin of Cuellar.

In the third round after about a minute Cuellar landed a right hook to the left eye of Davis he shook his head from being hurt. Less than a minute to go in the round and Davis dropped Cuellar with his body landing three punches, body, head, body dropping him for a second time. Upon rising Cuellar had Davis all over him landing half a dozen punches with the final one a left hook to the chin dropping him for a third time in the fight causing referee Esteves, Jr. to wisely wave it off.

“I want to thank God,” said Davis. Upon being asked who he would like to fight next he answered “I would like to unify!”

Former IBF World Super Welterweight champion Jermall Charlo, 27-0 (22), of Houston, TX, knocked out Hugo “The Boss” Centeno, 26-2 (14), of Oxnard, CA, at 0:55 of the second round for interim WBC World Middleweight title, 12 rounds.

In the first round Charlo came forward with a lot of feinting while Centeno was using his jab. It was into the final minute of the feeling out round before Charlo landed a double jab. The referee Steve Willis was slow breaking up the numerous clinches. In the second round Charlo landed a chopping right followed by another right and a left hook that had Centeno hurt, clash of heads and a left having Centeno going down and another right putting him on his back. Referee Willis didn’t have to count but did.

“I first want to thank God for who I wouldn’t be here without. Also, thank my manager, Al Haymon. I want Triple GGG, lets get it on,” said Charlo.

Posted on 04/21/2018

By: Eric Lunger

It was a sold-out Echo Arena in Liverpool, UK, that saw the return of former Super Lightweight Champion Amir Khan to the ring after an almost two-year hiatus from the sport. For Khan (31-4, 19 KO’s) there were two main questions to be answered. First, how much did the time off diminish his hand-speed and timing? Second, what effect (if any) did the scary Alvarez knock out have on the Bolton, UK, native?

Unfortunately, the bout didn’t really last long enough to get definitive answers to those questions. In the first round, Lo Greco came out fighting behind an awkward high, pawing jab. Almost immediately, Khan blasted an overhand right straight past Lo Greco’s defense, and the Canadian went down hard. Lo Greco got back to his feet, smiling as though he couldn’t believe he could be so careless. But Khan pounced — exhibiting his hand speed of old — and Lo Greco had no answers for Khan’s sudden onslaught. That was it, Khan wins by TKO in the first round.

In the post-fight interview, Khan acknowledged the supportive fans: “I was a little nervous, coming back to a full Liverpool crowd, but guess what: I’m back! Khan is back!” He went on to promise that he would continue to fight in the UK, “I want to be a world champion again, to bring a big name back to England and fight him here.” Khan also insisted that his future was in the welterweight division, not at 154 lbs.

The broadcast team tried to goad Khan into calling out former IBF Welterweight Champion Kell Brook, who was ring-side as a SKY Sports commentator, but Khan repeated his intention to fight next at 147. When Brook entered the ring, the boxers went on a fairly conventional (and artificial) verbal sparring match that lasted longer than the actual main event.

In the featured undercard bout, Tommy “Boom Boom” Coyle (24-4, 11 KOs) took on Commonwealth Lightweight Champion Sean “Masher” Dodd (15-3-1, 3 KOs). It was a competitive and entertaining bout from the opening bell, with both fighters taking risks and throwing offensive punches. Coyle caught Dodd with an overhand right with ten seconds left in the fourth round, but Dodd managed to survive till the bell. In the sixth, Coyle landed a perfect right counter, dropping Dodd awkwardly to the matt, and the former champion banged his gloves in rueful frustration before rising to his feet. This time, however, Coyle piled on, leaving Dodd’s corner no choice but to throw in the towel.

It was a treat for US boxing fans to be able to stream a SKY Sports broadcast, via the new ESPN+ service. The next ESPN+ boxing live stream on June 9th features WBO Welterweight Champion Jeff Horn taking on American superstar Terrence “Bud” Crawford, as the Omaha fighter moves up to 147 lbs.

Posted on 04/20/2018

By: Ken Hissner

Oscar de Lay Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions with Miguel Cotto Promotions were at the Coliseo Jose Miguel Agrelot, San Juan, Puerto Rico, over ESPN2 Thursday night.

In the Main Event Super Featherweight Lamont Roach, Jr., 16-0-1 (6), of Upper Marlboro, MD, and southpaw Orlando “El Olimpico” Cruz, 25-6-2 (13), of San Juan, PR, ended in a 10 round draw.

Photo Credit: Hector Santos Guia

In the first round after a slow start Roach landed a pair of rights to the head of Cruz backing him up several steps. Cruz landed a lead left to the head of Roach. In the second round Cruz landed a left uppercut to the chin of a ducking Roach. Roach landed a lead right to the chin of Cruz. Cruz landed an overhand left to the head of Roach. Just prior to the end of the round Roach rocked Cruz with a lead right to the chin.

In the third round Cruz countered with a pair of left’s to the chin of Roach. Roach is being told by his trainer to throw more punches as he is outworked by Cruz. In the fourth round Roach landed a lead right to the mid-section of Cruz and got countered with a straight left from Cruz to the chin of Roach. Cruz landed a 3-punch combination to the body and head of Roach. Cruz caused a bloody nose on Roach.

In the fifth round Roach countered with a solid right to the chin of Cruz. Roach landed a right to the chin of Cruz but got countered by a Cruz left to the chin. Cruz landed a good right hook to the chin of the oncoming Roach. In the sixth round Cruz was out working Roach before getting hit with a counter right to the chin. Cruz landed a solid right hook to the chin of Roach. Roach landed a wicked right hand body shot to the mid-section of Cruz.

In the seventh round Cruz drove a pair of right uppercuts to the body of Roach. Cruz gets a cheer from the crowd after landing a jab followed by a left to the chin of Roach. Cruz landed a left to the chin of Roach. In the eighth round Roach landed a lead right to the chin of Cruz. Cruz came back landing three overhand lefts to the head of Roach.

In the ninth round Cruz landed a combination to the head of Roach. Roach landed a solid left hook followed by a right to the chin of Cruz buckling his knees and falling to the canvas as he backed up but the referee called it a slip. In the tenth and final round Roach lands a lead right to the chin of Cruz twice. Cruz comes back with a lead left to the chin of Roach. Roach missed with a lead right but landed with his left to the head of Cruz.

Scores were 97-93 Roach, 96-94 Cruz and 95-95 with this writer 96-94 Cruz.

In the co-feature Super Featherweight Jose “Wonder Boy” Lopez, 20-2-1 (14), of Carolina, PR, defeated Miguel Angel “Miguelito” Gonzalez, 22-4 (19), of Los Mochis, Sinaloa, MEX, over 10 rounds.

In the first round Gonzalez was cut over the left eye. He rushed in digging into the body of Lopez forcing him to the ropes. Left uppercuts to the body by Gonzalez had Lopez backed into the ropes as the round came to an end. In the second round Lopez was digging left hooks into the body of Gonzalez with one going low causing referee Robert Ramirez, Jr. to warn Lopez and again shortly there afterward. Gonzalez dug into the body but leaving himself open Lopez landed a straight right to the head of Gonzalez.

In the third round Gonzalez pushed Lopez against the ropes with a body attack. Lopez came back with a good left hook to the head of Gonzalez. Gonzalez came back with a left hook to the head of Lopez. Gonzalez lowers his head and digs to the body of Lopez. In the fourth round Gonzalez landed a flurry of body punches keeping Lopez on the defense with his back against the ropes. Both landed left hooks to the chin of one another.

In the fifth round Gonzalez dug into the body of Lopez who countered with a body flurry of his own. In the sixth round both boxers exchanged lead rights to the chin. Gonzalez drove Lopez into a neutral corner but got spun around with Lopez landing a flurry of punches. Backing up Lopez landed a solid left hook to the head of Gonzalez. Lopez ended the round the last ten seconds dancing away from Gonzalez.

In the seventh round Gonzalez backed Lopez into the ropes with a flurry of body punches ending with a solid left hook to the head of Lopez. Lopez countered well having his best round of the bout so far. In the eighth round Lopez turns to dirty tactics pushing Gonzalez with a straight arm into the ropes and laying on him but the referee warned Gonzalez for bending over. Lopez dances around the ring not looking to mix it up with the oncoming Gonzalez until the final seconds of the round landing a combination to the head.

In the ninth round Lopez continued to dance around the ring before stopping to counter with several punches to the head of Gonzalez throughout the round. In the tenth and final round Gonzalez missed with a wild right hand and got countered by a combination to the head from Lopez. Lopez continues to dance around the ring with Gonzalez asking him to fight. Gonzalez got Lopez into the ropes but got caught with a big right from Lopez on the chin near the end of the round. Lopez got away with too many fouls with warning from the ref.

The scores were 97-93, 98-91 and 99-91 for Lopez while this writer had it 95-95.

Middleweight 2012 Olympian Magdiel Cotto, 9-0 (7), of Comerio, PR, defeated Haitian Elie “Eli” Augustama, 6-8 (3), of Miami, FL, over 6.

In the first round Cotto landed a right cross to the chin of Augustama causing him to grab Cotto. The tall lanky Augustama dug a left hook to the body of Cotto. Cotto was the aggressor. In the second round Augustama dug a pair of right uppercuts to the mid-section of Cotto. Cotto landed a 3-Punch combination to the body and head of Augustama. Augustama stopped backing up and kept the fight in the middle of the ring landing jab’s and long rights to the body of Cotto who stayed in the counter punching mode.

In the third round Augustama continued to use his reach while back to moving around the ring. Cotto landed several overhand rights to the head of Augustama. Cotto pinned Augustama in a corner landing a flurry of unanswered punches. Augustama’s jab caused a cut under the left eye of Cotto. In the fourth round Augustama came out southpaw and pushing Cotto back with jabs. Cotto landed a left hook to the chin of Augustama causing him to go back several steps off balance. Augustama back to orthodox landed a left hook to the body of Cotto.

In the fifth round Augustama came out southpaw with Cotto driving him back to the ropes. A clash of head seemed to hurt Augustama more than Cotto. Back to orthodox Augustama got caught with a right hand to the head driving him into a neutral corner. Cotto walked right into a right to the head from Augustama while throwing a right of his own. In the sixth and final round Augustama lowered his head and dug into the body of Cotto. Cotto chased Augustama into a corner landing with several rights to the head of Augustama. Augustama ended the round countering with a flurry to the defensive minded Cotto.

Scores were 58-56 twice and 57-57 with this writer 57-57.

Posted on 03/24/2018

By: Ste Rowen

Dillian ‘The Body Snatcher’ Whyte sent a cold message to the rest of the heavyweight scene with a savage one punch knockout of unbeaten Australian, Lucas Browne at London’s O2 Arena.

It was a tentative start from the first bell even as Browne developed a cut late in the round on his left eye. Whyte took over from thereafter though with the cleaner, more precise punching. Browne seemed to be without a game plan, plodding forwards without any obvious intent and no sign of the power he promised to bring pre-fight.

Into the 5th round Whyte was firmly on top, working behind the jab to pick at the cut on Browne’s eye and by now, his busted nose. Then in the 6th round, Whyte fired off a brutal left hook which sent Browne, face first onto the canvas.

Without little hesitation the referee waved it off and Whyte’s celebration became slightly muted as the medics rushed into the ring.

Thankfully, Browne got to his feet and the attention could turn back once again to the victor, in Dillian Whyte, now 23-1 (17KOs) and his future.

‘Hopefully Lucas Browne’s okay,’ said Whyte, ‘I’m a good fighter but no one has seen it yet. I might not have 22 knockouts but I can crack…When they stand up in front of me it’s a different story.’

‘I wanna bring pain, my left hook is back. When I landed I walked away straight away ‘cause I knew that was that.’

The WBC silver champion will now turn his attention firmly to the current titlists, either WBC champion Deontay Wilder or the winner of next week’s unification showdown between WBA & IBF champ, Anthony Joshua and WBO holder, Joseph Parker in Cardiff.

‘Deontay Wilder where you at? June? Where you at Wilder let’s go! No more excuses! I’m number one baby let’s go! People are tired of Deontay Wilder fighting these halfway guys.’

On a potential rematch with Joshua,
‘Joshua want it? I don’t care. I wanna fight Joshua another 3, 4 times in my career.’

On the undercard…

Commonwealth light heavyweight champion Callum ‘The One’ Johnson scored the biggest surprise of the night when he stopped British champion, Frank Buglioni in the 1st round. Johnson, 17-0 (12KOs), coming off an 18-month injury layoff, came out firing and once one landed, Buglioni couldn’t do enough to keep the challenger for the Lonsdale belt off him. Callum had already knocked Buglioni down once before he sent his foe sprawling backwards again on unsure legs and the referee called an end to the fight just before, Buglioni’s trainer, Don Charles threw in the towel. The win blows the British light heavyweight scene wide open now with most of the talk before tonight’s bout being about who Frank face next; Now it’s all about where Callum goes from here with the likes of Anthony Yarde, Bob Ajisafe and even fellow gym mate, Hosea Burton pining for a chance at the British.

With the British lightweight belt on the line, Lewis ‘Sandman’ Ritson faced off against the former British champion, Scott Cardle in the ‘Sandman’s’ second defence. After an impressive all-action 1st round from the challenger, Ritson proved the more ruthless and efficient of the two men. Taking a more composed approach to the 2nd; working behind a strong jab, the champion landed a heavy left hook that left Cardle staggering backwards into the ropes forcing the referee to give Scott an 8-count. Ritson then put his foot down, landing power shot after power shot until Cardle’s corner threw in the towel.

In one of the earliest fights of the night, Dereck Chisora, now 28-8 (20KOs) knocked out Frenchman, Zakaria Azzouzi in the 2nd round of a woeful matchup. Fans were hopeful that Dereck would now move onto to a bout with David Haye protégé, Joe Joyce, on the HayeBellew2 undercard, although post-fight when Haye offered the fight once again to Chisora, Dereck laid out his terms,

‘If he (Joe Joyce) beats me you write me a cheque of £1. If I beat him, you give me your purse against Tony (Bellew) and your tv rights.’

To which Haye simply replied, ‘No.’

Highly rated welterweight prospect, Chris Kongo endured 6 difficult rounds with Serge Ambomo to move to 8-0 (6KOs) after picking up 60-55 victory. Ambomo, now 6-6 (2KOs) is, as Carl Froch put it in commentary, part of the ‘Who needs ‘em club?’ and although it wasn’t pretty, Kongo will have learnt a great deal, along the way to picking up another win.

And finally, Anthony Fowler scored a very dubious 5th round stoppage of unbeaten Frenchman, Kalilou Dembele to move to 5-0 (4KOs). Dembele was down in the 2nd and then again in the 5th but seemed perfectly capable of carrying on before referee, Bob Williams waved it off, despite protests from Kalilou. Fowler will be out again next month on the Khan vs Lo Greco card in Liverpool against an unnamed opponent.

Posted on 03/22/2018

By: Ken Hissner

At the Fantasy Springs Casino in Indio, CA, Thursday night over ESPN promoted by Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions Ryan “Kingry” Garcia and Eddie “E-boy” Gomez scored KO win’s.

In the Main Event, 19 year-old Super Featherweight Ryan “Kingry Flash” Garcia, 14-0 (13), of L.A. stopped Fernando Vargas, 32-14-3 (21), of Tijuana, MEX, at 2:55 of the first round in defense of his NABF Junior Super Featherweight title.

In the first round the shorter Vargas missed a right hand. Vargas landed a right to the chin of Garcia. Garcia used a long jab keeping Vargas at bay. Garcia landed a left hook to the chin of Vargas. Garcia landed a right to the chin of Vargas. As Vargas came forward Garcia led with a right following with a left hook to the chin of Vargas and down he went. He wasn’t beating the count as referee Jerry Cantu waved it off.

“I called it with my left hook. I was nervous in my first main event. I knew when I landed a jab I knew I would catch him,” said Garcia.

In the co-feature Welterweight Eddie “E-boy” Gomez, 21-3 (12), of the Bronx, NY, stopped Keandre Gibson, 18-2-1 (7), of St. Louis, MO, at 0:54 of round 2 in a scheduled 10 rounds.

In the first round there was hardly a punch landed. Talk about a “feeling out” round. In the second round Gomez countered a right over a Gibson jab to the chin and down went Gibson. He beat the count at 8 by referee Tony Kreb but didn’t make eye contact so Kreb waved it off to the objection of Gibson.

Featherweight Joet Gonzalez, 19-0 (11), of L.A., stopped Rolando “Smooth Operator” Magbanua, 28-7 (20), of Pigkawayan, PH, at 2:06 of the 5th round of a scheduled 10 rounds.

Super Bantamweight Emilio Sanchez, 15-1 (10), of North Hollywood, CA, was upset by Eugene “Rambo” Lagos, 13-5-2 (8), of Valencia City, PH, who scored a second round knockout at 0:35 of a scheduled 8 rounds.

Super Welterweight 2016 Olympian Raul “Cougar” Curiel, 3-0 (2), of Guadalajara, MEX, scored 2 knockdowns in stopping Quantavious Green 1-2-1 (1), of Shreveport, LA, at 1:29 of round 2 of a scheduled 6 rounds.

18 year-old Welterweight Aaron “The Silencer” McKenna, 2-0 (1), of Ireland, living in L.A. stopped Jose Palacious, 0-2 (0), of CO, at 2:40 of the first round of a scheduled 4 rounds.

In the first round McKenna pressed the action and after approximately two minutes into the round landed a left to the body dropping Palacious for an 8 count. McKenna jumped on Palacious landing a double left hook to the body of Palacious. A lead right uppercut by McKenna to the chin of Palacious hurt him and he complained of getting hit behind the head but didn’t choose to continue as referee Edward Hernandez had no choice but to halt the fight.

Posted on 03/10/2018

By: Ken Hissner

Lou DiBella’s DiBella Entertainment and USA Showtime promoted the interim World Boxing Council World Super Lightweight Title fight Friday night from Deadwood Mountain Grand, in Deadwood, South Dakota.

In the Main Event southpaw Regis “Ruga Rou” Prograis, 21-0 (18), of New Orleans, LA, living in Houston, TX, the WBC No. 2 contender, destroyed the former IBF World and WBA World Super Lightweight champion southpaw Julius “Blue Machine” Indongo, 22-2 (11), of Windhoek, Nambia, living in Omaha, NEB, the WBC No. 8 Contender, with four knockdowns at 2:54 of the second round.

In the first round the taller Indongo landed a combination to the head of Prograis. A solid right hook by Prograis to the chin of Indongo hurt him. A strong jab from Prograis to the chin of Indongo almost knocked him down. Prograis landed a right uppercut to the chin of Indongo dropped him to the canvas. In the second round Indongo used his jab with occasional long left hands to the chin of Prograis. Both fighters went to the body.

A left from Prograis to the chin of Indongo dropped him. Two more times left hands to the chin of Indongo dropped him for the second and third time forcing referee Ian John-Lewis to wave it off.
“I didn’t have a chance to show all my punches since it ended so soon. This 140 pound division is mine,” said Prograis.
Holden Production and Banner Promotions promoted the co-feature.

In the co-feature Russian born Super Lightweight Ivan “The Beast” Baranchyk, 18-0 (11), out of Brooklyn, NY, stopped late sub Russian Petr “El Czar” Petrov, 38-6-1 (19), out of Madrid, Spain, at 1:12 of the eighth round of a scheduled twelve.

In the first round a jab from Baranchyk scored a knockdown when Petrov as his gloves touched the canvas breaking his fall. Baranchyk leaped with a left hook to the chin of Petrov. Petrov used his jab keeping Baranchyk off balance.

Baranchyk landed a solid left hook to the chin of Petrov. In the second round a left hook from Baranchyk to the chin of Petrov knocked him to the canvas and he got up immediately and started fighting when referee Mark Nelson jumped in and started his count. Petrov came back with a good right to the side of the head of Baranchyk. Petrov ducked into a Baranchyk left uppercut to the chin. The round ended as Petrov landed a right to the chin of Baranchyk.

In the third round Petrov landed a left hook to the body of Baranchyk. Baranchyk dropped Petrov to a knee with a left hook to the body but referee Nelson called it a slip. Petrov landed a right to the head of Baranchyk but got countered with a right to the head almost dropping him. Just prior to the bell Baranchyk landed two left hooks to the body knocking Petrov into the ropes. In the fourth round Petrov landed a double left hook to the body of Baranchyk. Baranchyk landed a double left hook to the body and head of Petrov. Petrov came back with a left hook to the body followed by a right to the head of Baranchyk. Baranchyk came back with a 3-punch combination to the body and head of Petrov. Petrov ended the round with several rights to the body and head of Baranchyk.

In the fifth round Baranchyk continued to throw punches with “bad intentions” to the head of Petrov. Baranchyk landed a lead right to the head of Petrov. Petrov landed a pair of left hooks to the body of Baranchyk. That was the best round of the fight so far. Petrov took the fight on five days notice and stepped up the super lightweight. In the sixth round Petrov landed an over hand right to the head of Baranchyk. Baranchyk came back with a combination to the head of Petrov. Baranchyk landed an overhand right to the ear of Petrov dropping him.

In the seventh round Baranchyk landed a pair of combinations to the head of Petrov. Baranchyk landed a chopping right to the head of Petrov. Just prior to the end of the round Baranchyk landed a flurry of punches to the body and head of Petrov. In the eighth round Baranchyk continued to show how his power was much stronger than Petrov driving him into the corner with a flurry of punches until referee Nelson wisely called a halt.
This writer had Baranchyk up 69-61 after seven rounds. Baranchyk is managed by David McWater.

Heavyweights Junior Fa, 14-0 (8), of Papakura, New Zealand, won a lack luster majority decision of late sub Craig Lewis, 14-2-1 (8), of Detroit, MI, over 8 rounds.

In the first round Fa landed the first punch a right to the chin of Lewis. Lewis is mostly using a jab. He missed quite a bit with his right hand. Inside the final minute of the round Fa landed a solid left hook to the head of Lewis and followed up with several more punches before Lewis tied him up. In the second round Fa landed a solid left hook backing Lewis up several steps. There were a dozen clinches after this keeping referee Mark Nelson busy.

In the third round Fa landed a good left hook to the chin of Lewis while inside.

Fa landed a solid right to the chin of Lewis getting his attention. Another round of about ten clinches. In the fourth round Fa came out and landed the first combination of the fight starting with a left hook followed by a straight right to the chin of Lewis. Lewis took the fight on two weeks notice and had his mouth open already gasping for air. He had swelling around his left eye. Lewis jumped in with a left hook to the chin of Fa. Again, too many clinches.

In the fifth round Lewis continued to come forward walking into a Fa left hook on the chin. Both threw right hands at the same time with both missing and falling into a clinch. Lewis landed a right to the chin of Fa. Fa came back with a right to the chin of Lewis. A Lewis jab to the mid-section of Fa knocked Fa off balance. In the sixth round it was Fa missed with a right and fell into a clinch time after time.
In the seventh round Fa landed a good left hook to the chin of Lewis. Fa landed a combination to the head of Lewis.

Referee Nelson continued to tell both boxers to stop clinching. In the eighth and final round Fa landed a pair of right’s to the head of Lewis. Fa looked exhausted and Lewis did too but seemed more active. Fa continued to hold Lewis. Lewis landed a left uppercut just prior to the bell on the chin of Fa. This fight was like watching wall paper dry.

Judge Rey Danseco had it 76-76, Juan Carlos Pelayo had it 78-74 and ? 79-73. This writer had it 77-75.

Super Featherweight Matt “Sharp Shooter” Remillard, 27-1 (15), of Hartford, CT, won by TD in 8 at 1:58 of the round over Jesus A. “Chuito” Valdez, 22-4-1 (11), of Sonora, MEX, of a scheduled 8.

Heavyweight Trey Lippe, 14-0 (14), of Tulsa, OK, stopped Oswaldo Ortega, 3-8 (1), Sonora, MEX, at 1:13 of the third in a scheduled 6.

Super welterweight Charles Conwell, 7-0 (5), of Cleveland, OH, shut out Juan Jesus Rivera, 28-20 (18), of Aguascalientes, MEX, over 6 rounds.