BROOKLYN, NY – Errol Spence Jr. (23-0, 20 KO) successfully made the first defense of his IBF welterweight title by battering former two-division world champion Lamont Peterson (35-4-1, 17 KO) en route to a seventh-round stoppage victory in front of 12,107 fight fans at the Barclay’s Center.

It was as impressive of a title defense one could expect from the Desoto, TX native, who, except for a brief stretch in the third round, controlled the fight from the opening bell to it’s commencement.

In the early rounds, the 28-year old Spence was both patient and aggressive.  The former US Olympian used his jab to head and body establish distance between he and his counterpart.  Spence, a former 2012 US Olympian, would wait for a small opening, and then explode into Peterson before quickly retreating out of range.

In the third round, the 33 year-old Peterson began to engage more and midway through the frame landed a straight right the face of Spence, sandwiched between two thumping left hooks that landed behind the champion’s right ear.  Although Peterson showed signs of life, the round ultimately still belonged to Spence, who regained control and landed his shots before quickly retreating out of range.

In the fifth, Spence’s punches began to regularly penetrate Peterson’s guard.  After landing a sharp right hook, Spence unleashed a vicious left hook around Peterson’s defense that landed flush on Peterson’s temple, sending him crashing back to the mat.  Peterson beat referee Harvey Dock’s ten count, but was clearly still dazed.  Smelling blood in the water, the Derrick James-trained Spence stepped on the gas and continued to batter Peterson around the ring until the bell mercifully sounded.

In the sixth, “The Truth” picked up right where he left off in the fifth and immediately unloaded on Peterson, delivering a calculated and thorough beat-down for the round’s duration.

After the seventh round, a round that very much mirrored the two before, referee Harvey Dock, acting on advice from Barry Hunter and Peterson’s corner, called a halt to the contest.

It was Spence’s tenth straight win inside the distance and his first time in the ring since capturing his title via stoppage against Kell Brook last May.

The loss marked only the second time in Peterson’s career he was stopped.  The other TKO loss came courtesy of Lucas Matthysse in 2013.

Spence spoke after the fight, saying, “My coach came with a great game plan and I just followed through with it.  Keep my range, keep my composure.”

He continued, “I didn’t know I would dominate like that. I expected to get the knockout, but this was a great performance. We were facing a great fighter like Lamont Peterson and we did well in there.”

As for what’s next for Spence, the champion made his intentions clear.  “I want Keith Thurman. He has two of the belts and we both have big names. It’s an easy fight to make and I want it.”

Peterson also spoke afterward regarding his corners decision to stop the fight, stating, ““I always respect Barry’s decision. If he asks me to fight a million people, I will. If he asks me to stop. I will stop. I will never question his decision. I know he has my best interests at heart.”

Hunter echoed that sentiment, saying, ““It was really hard [to stop the fight], but if you know Lamont, you know he was not going to give up. So I had to stop it. At the end of the day this is my son right here. And there’s nothing more valuable than he’s well-being. If it comes to him or winning, I pick him. I care about him.”

As for Peterson’s next step, the 33-year old DC native, with over 280 professional bouts under his belt, admitted that retirement might be something for him to consider in the coming weeks.

Easter Scores Controversial Split Decision Win Over Fortuna

IBF lightweight champion Robert Easter Jr. (21-0, 14 KO) earned a controversial split decision victory over crafty veteran southpaw, Javier Fortuna (33-2-1, 23 KO), in a twelve round bout that saw both fighters have their fair share of success.

Originally, the contest was slated to be for Easter’s IBF lightweight title, but Fortuna tipped the scales at 136.4 lbs. at Friday’s weigh-in — a pound and a half over the lightweight maximum – and was ruled ineligible to challenge for the belt.

Easter, who had a 5-inch height and 7.5-inch reach advantage, failed to box on the outside.  Rather, the Ohio native willingly walked forward to engage the much smaller Fortuna.  This played into Fortuna hands, who knew his best chance at landing anything significant would likely come via counterpunch.  If he were to score with any big left hands, he would need the 26-year old Easter to be a willing participant, and forego his reach advantage and engage.

And engage Easter did.  Time and time again, the 26-year old champion came forward and exchanged with his Dominican foe, willing to eat a left hand in order to deliver his own punches.

The 28-year old Fortuna had his best success in round seven as it drew to a close.  With his back against the ropes, uncorked a left cross that buzzed Easter and sent him in retreat.  The southpaw quickly followed up and landed another clean left before the bell sounded to end the round.

Easter did his best work when the fight was fought in the center of the ring, which wasn’t often.  Once he followed Fortuna to the ropes and the proximity between fighters got closer, both fighters had their share of success.  But when Easter could sneak shots in in the center of the ring, he scored.

At the end of twelve, judge John McKaie scored the contest 114-113, Fortuna.  Glenn Feldman and Kevin Morgan saw it the other way, scoring the bout 14-113 and 115-112 for Easter.

In the second round, Fortuna was deducted a point in the second round by referee Ricky Gonzalez after he repeatedly rabbit punched Easter behind the head.

For Easter, although he picked up the win, it was the second straight contest where he failed to impress and his second straight controversial decision.  In June 2017, Easter scored a unanimous decision over Denis Shafikov in a fight that many believed Shafikov to have won.

With the split decision ruling, the Sampson Lewkowicz-managed Fortuna suffered his second career loss.  The other came via eleventh-round TKO against Jason Sosa.

“It was a tough fight, he’s a former world champion for a reason,” Easter said afterward. “We made it tough trying to counter punch. He wasn’t throwing much and it made it difficult for me to chase this guy around.”

He continued, “I couldn’t get the knockout but we got the win and that’s all that matter. I knew he was going to run once he felt my power. He just wanted to grab and hold the whole fight.

Fortuna also spoke after the fight, saying, “The public knows what happened here. They booed because they know that I won this fight.

“If he’s a man let’s fight again at 135-pounds. I will definitely make the weight. I didn’t give myself enough time to train.”

Browne Blasts Ntetu, Destroys Him In One

Light heavyweight Marcus Browne (21-5, 16 KO) is beginning to make a habit of winning via early knockout.  Fresh off his two-round demolition of Seanie Monaghan last April, Browne picked up where he left off and destroyed Francy Ntetu (17-2, 4 KO) in just 2:15.

Midway through the first of a scheduled ten rounds, the ex-US Olympian Browne landed a clean one-two, right-hook, straight-left combo, that collapsed the 35 year-old Ntetu’s legs and sent him face forward to the padded mat.  Knowing he had wounded prey in front of him, Browne was relentless for the remainder of the fight.  The former 3-time New York Golden Gloves champion unleashed hell on Ntetu, who was unable to survive his southpaw counterpart’s onslaught.  After 27 year-old Browne put together one final string of unopposed punches, referee Arthur Mercante Jr. jumped between the two boxers to stop the bout at the 2:15 mark of the first round.

The fight marked the Quebec-native Ntetu’s second career loss, the other coming courtesy of unbeaten lightweight champion David Benavidez in 2016.

“I did not expect him to be that explosive,” Ntetu said. “He got me with his right hook and a straight left.

He continued, giving credit to his opponent.  “[Browne] is very explosive, congrats to him. He’s explosive, he’s fast, he’s smart.”

Browne also spoke after the match.  “We worked for this win. He walked into a sure shot and I made him pay,” he said afterward.  “The overhand left caught him and that was the beginning of the end for him. I knew he was hurt.”

As for what’s next for Browne?  “I need a world title shot. I’m ready to take on any of the champions. I don’t have any preferences.”

Blood, Guts, and Thunder:  Kownacki Stops Kiladze Inside 6

In an all-action slugfest that brought the Barclay’s Center crowd to their feet round after round, Polish-born Brooklyn heavyweight, Adam “Baby Face” Kownacki (17-0, 14 KO) sent Iago Kiladze (26-2, 18 KO) to the mat twice en route to a sixth round TKO win.

It was bombs away from the opening bell, which saw Kownacki charge forward and bullrush his fellow Brooklyn transplant.  The two fighters engaged immediately and seemingly didn’t stop until the final blow landed.

After weathering the initial Kownacki offensive, Kiladze was able to mount his own offense and opened a cut over Kownacki’s left eye midway through the first that immediately drew blood.

The second and third rounds played out much like the opening frame, with Kownacki letting his shots fly, and the Georgian-born Kiladze standing his ground, picking spots to fire back with his own fully-loaded punches.

But as the fight progressed, it was the 28 year-old heavyweight they call “Baby Face” who started getting the better of his opponent.  Perhaps sparked by adrenaline born from having hundreds of enthusiastic Polish fans chanting his name, or by the fact doctors were closely monitoring the state of his increasingly swelling eye, Kownacki fought each round with a sense of urgency — with a burning need to close the show in style.

In the fourth round, a straight right connected and put Kildaze on the mat.  Two rounds later, after raining down a barrage of heavy-handed shots, Kownacki unloaded a straight right that sent a dazed Kildaze stumbling backwards and to the canvas for the second and final time.  Although he beat referee Shada Murdaugh’s ten count, Murdaugh deemed that Kildaze was in no state to continue and called a stop to the fight at the 2:08 mark of the round 6.

Tonight’s fight was the first time Kownacki was back in action since scoring the biggest win of his career, a fourth round TKO of fellow Pole and former heavyweight title challenger, Artur Szpilka.

“I think I made the fight a lot harder than I should have,” Kownacki said after the fight.  “It’s another learning experience and I got the win. That’s all that matters.”

In his post-fight remarks, Kownacki also acknowledged his Polish supporters, stating, “I’m so thankful to all my Polish fans who come out and give me that extra support. I’m going to keep fighting for the fans and give everyone a great show.”

One Round Beatdown:  Price Destroys Ramos, Stays Unbeaten

Mayweather Promotions bantamweight prospect Dylan Price (5-0, 5 KO) displayed a full arsenal of weapons during his one round beatdown of Nestor Ramos (7-8-3, 3 KO).  Price, a Slickerville, NJ native showcased lightning-quick hand speed, launching fists at his Mexican counterpart from all kinds of crazy angles, smothering Ramos with gloved fists for what seemed like the entirety of the first round.  As it turned out, that would be the fight’s only round, as referee Shada Murdaugh, acting on advice from Ramos’ corner, stopped the contest between rounds.

The win makes it 5 stoppage wins in 5 fights for “The Real Dyl”, who is trained by his father, Dave Price.  The loss makes it six in a row for Ramos, who hasn’t earned a win since October 2014.

Anthony Peterson Cruises To Ten Round UD Victory

In just his second fight in the last twenty-seven months, Anthony Peterson (38-1, 24 KO) earned a ten round unanimous decision victory over fellow veteran junior welterweight, Luis Eduardo Florez (23-9, 19 KO).

Peterson, the younger brother of the night’s co-headliner, Lamont Peterson, was the non-stop aggressor, pressing the action all fight, walking forward, letting his hands fly, and battering his Colombian counterpart in the process.  To his credit, the hard-nosed Florez hung in to the best of his ability, and at times was able to sneak in clean counterpunches that momentarily halted Peterson’s momentum.  Florez’s small victories were few and far between, however, and the fight belonged to Peterson, who easily won every round.

After ten, all three judges cards scored a shutout for the DC native Peterson, 100-89 and 100-90, twice.

Peterson’s lone blemish remains a disqualification loss to Brandon Rios in 2010.

Golub Bounces Back From Defeat, Stops Munoz In 3

Ivan Golub (13-1, 12 KO) bounced back from his sole defeat last June and scored a third round TKO win over veteran Fidel Monterrosa Munoz (38-15-1, 30 KO) in a welterweight contest slated for 8.  After a second round that saw Golub on the mat, albeit never hurt, the Ukranian-born Brooklyn transplant came roaring back to put Munoz on the canvas twice in the same round.  In the third round, Munoz found himself on the mat four more times, only twice officially, and never from punches of serious consequence.  The Colombian was fighting on unsteady legs, and was unable to stand toe-to-toe with the eager southpaw.  After Munoz dropped to his knees his fourth time on the ground in a matter of minutes, referee Ricky Gonzalez stopped the contest midway through the round.

Gonzalez Makes Easy Work Of Serna

Ridgewood, NY native Matthew Gonzalez (3-0, 2 KO) bruised and battered fellow middleweight Alexander Serna (1-2, 1 KO) en route to a four round unanimous decision victory.  Gonzalez looked sharp and used his superior skill-set to have his way with Serna over the course of their twelve minute scrap.  In the end, all judges scored the obvious 40-36 shutout in favor of Gonzalez.

Williams and Okoth Fight To Draw

Welterweights Keyshawn Williams (1-0-1, 1 KO) and Denis Okoth (1-0-1, 1 KO) battled to a four round split draw in the first fight of a nine bout card from the Barclay’s Center that will commence when undefeated IBF welterweight world champion Errol Spence Jr. defends his title against rugged veteran, Lamont Peterson.

After four hard fought rounds, Judge Larry Hazzard Jr. scored the night’s opening contest 39-37 for the 24 year old Kenyan, Okoth. Robin Taylor saw it the other way, 39-37 for the 20 year old DC native, Williams.  Carlos Ortiz Jr. cemented the split draw result by scoring the bout even, 38-38, a score 15rounds.com agreed with.

NEW YORK CITY –Sergey Kovalev (31-2-1, 27 KO) returned to pre-Andre Ward fight form and captured the WBO world light heavyweight title, blasting through Vyacheslav Shabranskyy (19-2, 16 KO), sending him to the canvas three times inside two rounds en route to a TKO victory.

After a brief “feeling-out” period, where Kovalev was momentarily backed up by a Shabranskyy jab, the 34 year-old Russian marched forward, uncorking massive right hands that seemingly landed at will.  It was midway through the first when a “Krusher” right landed flush on the side of Shabranskyy’s head and sent him down to the mat for the first time.

Upon beating the count, Kovalev greeted his 30 year-old Ukrainian counterpart with more haymakers and eventually connected with an even bigger right that collapsed Shabranskyy to the mat again.  The “Lionheart” beat referee Harvey Dock’s ten count and was able to survive the round.

In the second round, Kovalev picked up right where he left off, fighting as ruthless and relentless as ever, plodding forward and unloading vicious bombs that continually connected with an alarming success rate.

 A left-right-left combo midway through the second sent Shabranskyy down for the third time.  Again, Shabranskyy beat the ten-count, but this time he stood on extremely unsteady legs.  Kovalev continued to wail on an absent Shabranskyy until referee Harvey Dock stepped between the two combatants and called a half to the bout at the 2:36 mark of round two.

It was Kovalev’s first performance since dropping two straight fights to Andre Ward, both controversial in their own right.  In their first meeting, Ward scored a split decision victory, despite hitting the canvas in the second round.  In their rematch, referee Tony Weeks controversially waved off the match in the eighth round after a series of borderline low-blow body shots hurt the 34 year-old Russian and left him defenseless.

 Tonight also marked Kovalev’s first fight working with head trainer, Abror Tursunpulatov.  Previously, Kovalev had been working with John David Jackson.  Rumors of a fractured relationship between Kovalev and Jackson began to swirl between the first and second Ward fights, and in October, the inevitable parting of ways become official when Kovalev formally announced Tursunpulatov as his new coach.

 Prior to tonight’s devastating loss, Shabranskyy was having himself a solid 2017, scoring back to back stoppage wins over Larry Pryor and Todd Unthank May, respectively.  Those wins were enough to land him his first title shot tonight against Kovalev.

 Shabranskyy’s only other loss came courtesy of Sullivan Barrera in December 2016.

 Barrera, who scored a unanimous decision victory earlier in the night against Dominican, Felix Valera, is certainly a candidate to fight for Kovalev’s title in the near future.

 “It’s my goal to be the best in the division,” Kovalev said afterward.  “Here tonight was great boxing for me and I love boxing and I want to make great fights.

Bombs Away — Barrera Scores UD Win Over Valera

Sullivan Barrera (21-1, 14 KO) out-slugged and earned a ten round unanimous decision victory over Felix Valera (15-2, 13 KO) in a light heavyweight contest marred by low-blows.

 There were fireworks from the opening bell and midway through the bout’s first round, the free swinging Dominican, Valera, caught his Cuban counterpart with a monster left hook that sent Barrera down the canvas.  The 35 year-old Barrera was able to shake the knockdown and score one of his own later in the round right as the bell sounded, when a glancing Barrera shot sent an off-balance Valera to the mat.

 The first of four point deductions administered by referee Mike Ortega, Jr. for low blows came in the second round when Valera nailed Barrera below the waistline for the second time.  Valera would also be deducted a point in the sixth and eighth rounds.  Barrera was deducted a point for low blows in the ninth.

 It was a bombs away type affair, with both fighters swinging wildly at times, knowing that they possessed the power to end the fight with one punch.  But time and time again, however, it was Barrera who landed the more meaningful, significant shots.

In an attempt to rattle Barrera flamboyant Valera tried anything he could to disrupt the always-composed Cuban.  The 29 year-old Dominican flailed his arms wildly, stuck his tongue out at Barrera, and even jumped up and down — all to no avail.

 At the end of ten, all judges scored the bout widely for Barrera.  Don Ackerman had it 98-88, Tom Schreck 97-89, and Glenn Feldman 97-90.

 It was another solid win for Barrera, whose only defeat came at the hands of Andre Ward in March 2016.  Barrera last fought in July against Joe Smith, Jr., where much like tonight, he rose off the canvas to score a unanimous decision victory.

 For the durable Valera, it was his second professional defeat, the other coming courtesy of undefeated superstar, Dmitry Bivol.

Gamboa Earns Controversial Decision Over Sosa

Yuriorkis Gamboa (28-2, 17 KO) scored a controversial ten round majority decision victory against Jason Sosa (20-3-4, 15 KO) in what many viewed as a make or break fight for the former three-division world champion.

It was clear early on that the 35 year-old former Olympic Gold Medalist’s gameplan was to stick-and-move, get-in and get-out.  Conversely, Sosa’s plan was to plod forward, apply as much pressure as he could, while landing the bigger, more significant power punches.

After a first round where both fighters staked their flag, Sosa unloaded a looping right that caught Gamboa on the button as the second round drew to a close.  Any Sosa attempt to throw follow up shots were quickly squandered by the dinging of the bell.

Gamboa got right back to work in the middle rounds, however, staying true to his stick-and-move gameplan, landing a few shots, then slipping most of Sosa’s return-fire.

Sosa began to swing the momentum back his way in the sixth, and in the seventh, a Sosa left hook clipped an off-balance Gamboa whose gloved fist made contact with the canvas.  Referee Ron Lipton immediately ruled a knockdown.

The final three rounds saw good action, with Sosa coming forward, and Gamboa trying to hit and move.

In the tenth round, referee Ron Lipton controversially deducted a point from Gamboa for holding.

At the conclusion of ten, judge Robin Taylor scored the contest even, 94-94.  She was overruled by judges John McKaie and Don Trella, who scored the bout 95-93 and 96-92, respectively.  15rounds.com scored the fight 95-94 for Gamboa.

Sosa was initially slated to face Robinson Castellanos (24-13, 14 KO), who scored an upset TKO win against Gamboa in May.  However, an injury earlier this month forced the Mexican to withdraw, and Gamboa was called in as a late replacement.

The win makes it two straight for “El Ciclon” since suffering that shocking defeat to Castellanos.

For Sosa, the tough-luck loss his is second in a row, the other coming back in April courtesy of Vasily Lomachenko.

 “It was a good fight.  I didn’t have enough time to train.  I only had three weeks.  I didn’t have time to get ready.  I needed 2 or 3 more weeks to lose the weight correctly,” Gamboa said afterward.

 He continued, “Of course the decision was good.  I think won every round.  Except for the knockdown and the point deduction.”

 Sosa also spoke afterward, saying, “I was a fun fight.  I took some breaks but I thought I did enough to win. I know I did enough to win the fight.”

Murtazaliev Destroys Galvan In 5, Wins IBA Super Welterweight Title

Bakhram Murtazaliev (11-0, 9 KO) methodically broke down Carlos Galvan (16-6-1, 15 KO) before closing the show in spectacular fashion in the fifth round of a super welterweight contest slated for ten.

 The heavy-handed Russian, who operates under the tutelage of Sergey Kovalev’s new trainer, Abror Tursunpulatov, stalked his Colombian counterpart round after round.  Like waves on a shore, Murtazaliev kept coming forward, forcing Galvan to fight going backwards, something he was clearly uncomfortable doing.

 After four rounds of systematically crushing Galvan’s will, the 24 year-old Russian broke through in the fifth, sending Galvan to the mat with a vicious one-two.  About a minute later, Murtazaliev finished off his wounded foe with a thundering left hook to the liver that put Galvan on the mat for good.  Referee Ricky Gonzalez opted not to administer a ten-count and instead, called a stop to the contest at the 1:31 mark of round five.

It was the fourth stoppage defeat in six overall losses for Galvan.  It was also his fourth time fighting in the United States, and his fourth loss.

Galarza Grabs UD Win In Return To Ring

 Brooklyn’s Frank Galarza (18-2-2, 11 KO) returned to the ring after a fourteen month layoff and scored a unanimous decision win over Chicago’s Jamie Herrera (15-5-1, 8 KO) in an eight round super welterweight contest.

 The victory was hard-earned and well-deserved for Galarza, who had dropped his previous two contests — a TKO loss to Jarrett Hurd and a majority decision loss to veteran Ishe Smith, a fight that saw Galarza hit the canvas in the second round.

 It was a gutsy affair between two veteran prizefighters who each were coming off lengthy layoffs.  For Galarza, who in July inked a new promotional deal with Main Events, the fight marked just his second fight in the last twenty-four months, and the first since September 2016.  For the Mexican-American Herrera, it was just his first fight since November 2016, when he suffered UD loss to Taras Shelestyuk.

The fight was a back and forth contest, with a predictable, but entertaining ebb and flow.  Round after round, both fighters willingly engaged, eating a few shots before landing their own.  But while both fighters enjoyed success over the duration of the contest, it was the 33 year-old Galarza who punches landed cleaner and with more frequency.

In the fifth round, a Galarza right hand opened up a cut over his 28 year-old counterparts left eye.  In the seventh, a booming right to the body by Galarza hurt Herrera, hunching him forward where he was met with a flurry of Galarza lefts and rights until Herrera was able to weather the storm.

The Chicagoan’s high-pressure style was both a blessing and a curse for him in that it seemed to slowly wear down Galarza, but also left him vulnerable to Galarza stick-and-move pot-shots as he tried to work his way inside his reach.  
At the end of eight rounds, all three judges scored the contest for Galarza.  Robin Taylor scored it a shutout 80-72, while referees John McKaie and Allen Nace saw it 78-74 and 79-73, respectively.

 “I feel good after a 14 month layoff, shaking off some ring rust. I’m so grateful for Main Events to put me on their card,” Galarza remarked afterward.

He continued, “Hopefully I’ll be back in the Garden soon. It felt great, it was where I belong. It felt right. Not many places you can call home, but this is one for me.”

 Galarza also acknowledged his legion of fans in the crowd tonight.  “I’m grateful for my supporters, for people who waited it out for me,” he said.  “As a Brooklyn native, a person from New York who’s been around, they support me and that’s the best thing.”

Nursultanov Stays Perfect, Hands Moon First Loss Inside Two

 In a battle that pitted two undefeated middleweights against one another, Kazakhstan’s Meiirim Nursultanov (5-0, 4 KO) made quick work of Marietta, Georgia’s Eric Moon (7-1, 6 KO), stopping him inside two rounds.

 It was all Nursultanov from start to finish, as he pressured and battered Moon from the opening bell.  Midway through the second, Nursultanov pinned Moon against the ropes and wailed away, mixing shots to the body and head.  At the 1:54 mark of the second round, referee Ricky Gonzalez decided Moon had eaten too many uncontested shots and called a halt to the contest.

 The win makes it four kayos in five professional fights for the Egis Klimas managed, Main Events promoted, Nursultanov.

Thunder In His Hands, LeShawn Rodriguez Stops Duarte In 3

 In a middleweight contest slated for six, former New York Golden Gloves Champion and 2016 US Olympic alternate “Lightning” LeShawn Rodriguez (8-0, 7 KO) powered his way past Sao Paolo’s Brazil’s Alex Duarte (13-3-1, 10 KO) en route to a third round KO victory.

It was an impressive display of patience, prowess, and power from the 24 year-old New York native, who balanced his attack, working to both the head and body of his 37 year-old counterpart.

Midway through the second, Rodriguez ripped a left to the body that put Duarte on his knees.  The Brazilian beat Steve Smoger’s ten count and was able to survive the round.

In the third however, a Rodriguez left-right combo to the body and head, sent Duarte to the canvas for good, where he was unable to beat Smogers count.  The official time of stoppage was the 1:48 mark of round three.

It was Duarte’s third loss of his career, all of which have come via stoppage.

“It feels good always to win, but to win by knockout is better, sensational, spectacular,” Rodriguez said afterward.  “I felt at home. A lot of people came out to see me. This is the first time I’ve fought in New York since I turned pro.”

Gogokhia Stays Perfect, Decisions Abreau

 Enriko Gogokhia remained perfect (7-0, 3 KO) with a unanimous decision win over Jose Antonio Abreau (13-3, 8 KO) in a six round welterweight contest.

Action picked up toward the end of the second round when the southpaw, Gogokhia, floored his Dominican counterpart.  The 29 year-old Abrea beat the ten count and was immediately met with a barrage of punches as the round drew to a close.

In the next few rounds, the Egis Klimas managed Gogokhia, pressed his foot on the gas and forced the action, continually getting the better of the boxer’s exchanges.

In the end, all three judges scored it widely for the 26 year-old Georgian native, Gogokhia.  Scores were 60-53 and 59-54, twice.  The judges’ decision resulted in Abreau’s third career loss, all of which have been on US soil.

 “It was a good fight, good opponent with a good record,” Gogokhia said afterward.  “It was harder because the opponent was ready and he also wanted to win. I was just getting started by the last round. Still, a victory is a victory.”

Villareal Kicks Off Pro Campaign With Win

The undercard of Sergey Kovalev vs. Vyacheslav Shabranskyy kicked off with the successful debut of former two-time New York Golden Gloves champion, Ismael Villareal (1-0).  The former amatuer standout scored a unimous decision victory over Race Sawyer (0-5) in a four round super welterweight contest.

Villareal, who fights out of John’s Gym in the Bronx is trained by his father, former welterweight Otilio Villareal, who over his 32 bout pro career, shared the ring with the likes of Zab Judah, Kermit Cintron, and Hector Camacho.

Villareal controlled the contest bell to bell, bruising and battering Utah’s Sawyer with head snapping blows.  The 21 year old Bronx debutant would have benefitted by putting in more work to his foe’s body, but that was not on the agenda tonight.

All in all, Villareal won’t have too much to complain about tonight.  The Ecuadorian-American pitched a shutout on all three judges scorecards. Don Trella had it 40-35, and John McKaie and Robin Taylor scored it 40-36.

 After the contest, Villareal did speak about having some debut butterflies.

 “It totally felt different than the amateurs,” he said. “There were so many more people looking at me. I was trying to look good, I was focused on the knockout because it was my very first professional fight.

“I learned I have to work harder and be careful not to get hit.”

UNIONDALE, NY — Daniel “The Miracle Man” Jacobs (33-2, 29KO) earned a unanimous decision victory over Luis Arias (18-1, 9KO) in a twelve round middleweight contest at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum. The bout headlined the first ever fight card promoted on US soil by Britain’s lead promoter, Eddie Hearn, and his company’s newly created American branch, Matchroom Boxing USA. The fight also marked the first of a three fight HBO deal that Matchroom and Jacobs signed earlier this year.

The Brooklyn-born Jacobs started fast, landing a big right hand behind Arias’ head that buzzed his 27 year old counterpart. Jacobs followed up quickly, perhaps envisioning a Peter Quillin repeat, and quickly bombarded “Cuba” with lefts and rights. Jacobs was unable to replicate his first round magic, however, and Arias survive the barrage.

The 30 year old Jacobs controlled to early-middle rounds, out-boxing Arias, dishing out the more punishing blows, while slipping most of Arias’ return-fire. Jacobs kept his Milwaukee-born foe under pressure for most of the contest, forcing him to fight off his back foot, having to slip punches before he could throw any of his own.

The middle rounds saw quality boxing, with Jacobs consistently besting Arias, who is trained by John David Jackson, during their exchanges. But even when Arias had success, like he did in the sixth when he landed a nice clean one-two, Jacobs responded with his own combinations, and closed the round with a hellacious flurry that may have stolen the round on some judge’s cards.

In the tenth, a Jacobs left hand hurt Arias, who absorbed a few more blows before initiating a clinch. The 30 year old Jacobs continued to press the action for the rest of the tenth and for the two subsequent rounds, seemingly making a conscious effort to try and stop Arias. In the eleventh, a Jacobs punch knocked Arias off-balance to the point where his glove scraped the mat and a knockdown was scored. A stoppage, however, wasn’t meant to be, and the durable Arias fought till the final bell.

All three judges scored the contest in favor of Jacobs. Judge Julie Lederman scored it a shutout, 120-107, Steve Weisfeld had it 119-108, and Larry Hazzard, Jr., 118-109.

The victory marked another chapter written in the Danny Jacobs storybook. From his 2010 defeat via 5th round KO at the hands of Dmitry Pirog, to his battle with osteosarcoma, a form of bone cancer, “The Miracle Man” has risen off the mat in both life and the ring. With two more dates guaranteed on HBO, Jacobs is now in position to take on some of the middleweight power players. Dates with David Lemieux, Canelo Alvarez, and GGG are all reasonable possibilities in 2018.

Huge Win For “Big Baby” — Miller Stops Wach In 8

In a battle of heavyweight contenders, Jarrell “Big Baby” Miller (20-0-1, 17KO) wore down former world title challenger Mariusz Wach (33-3, 17KO), en route to a ninth round TKO victory. It was an impressive effort from the 6’4” Miller, who cut sixteen pounds off his previous fight weight, slimming down to a trim 283lbs.

Throughout the fight, the ex-kickboxer-turned-boxer Miller pressed forward, repeatedly forcing his 6’7” counterpart to choose between expending energy fending him off or finding himself on the receiving end of “Big Baby” barrages. By the third round, the constant pressure was beginning to get to the Polish native, Wach, who was visibly tiring and breathing through his mouth.

Sometime during the early rounds, perhaps during the fifth round, Wach seemingly suffered a left hand injury. He complained of pain to his corner and had a brief conversation with the ringside physician before continuing on.

In the seventh, Miller began to hurt Wach, reigning down a flurry of punches which forced Wach to retreat, while Miller pursued. The giant Pole was able to weather the seventh round storm and live to see another round.

But he wouldn’t live to make it out of the eight. About a minute into the round, the ringside physician stepped up onto the apron and advised referee David Fields to call a stop to the bout, which he did at the 1:02 mark of round eight.

The fight marked only the second time in Wach’s thirty-six fight career he was stopped. The other time coming courtesy of Alexander Povetkin.

Seldin Hammers Ortiz, Stops Him In Three

Cletus “The Hebrew Hammer” Seldin (21-0, 17KO) dazzled in his HBO debut, bloodying and battering Roberto Ortiz (35-2-2, 26KO) over the course of two-plus rounds. The 31 year old Seldin delivered loaded right after loaded right to his Mexican counterpart, who twice hit the mat in the bout’s opening round. Seldin, who riled up his hometown crowd early by entering the ring to Hulk Hogan’s theme song and sporting an American flag bandana, continued to throw fully-cocked rights in the second round and opened a nasty gash over Ortiz’s left eye that immediately started streaming blood. The veteran Mexican had no answer for the Seldon right hand, and continued to eat shots to the left side of the face. Eventually, after an accidental clash, referee Shada Murdaugh called timeout so a ringside physician could inspect Ortiz’s cut. The doctor ultimately advised Murdaugh to call a halt to the contest. The official time of the stoppage was 2:43 of the third round.

For Seldin, this marked only the sixth time he has fought outside of Huntington, NY’s Paramount Theater in his twenty-one fight career. For Ortiz, this was just his second fight on US soil, and his second loss. His other loss came at the hands of Lucas Matthysse in 2014.

Benn Destroys Sanudo In US Debut

Britain’s Conor “The Destroyer” Benn (10-0, 8KO) made quite the introduction to US boxing fans, scoring a vicious second round KO over Mexican Brandon Sanudo (7-7, 4 KO), in a welterweight contest originally slated for six. Benn, the son of former two-division world champion, Nigel Benn, became the first of Matchroom Sport’s British boxers to fight on a Matchroom Sport promotional card on American soil. Benn controlled the fight’s first round, operating in a composed manner, working well behind his jab. In the second, the 21 year old Brit picked up his offense, and moved forward with fury. With Sanudo backing up toward the ropes, Benn landed a thudding left to the liver that dropped Sanudo to all fours. With referee Tony Chiarantano administering a ten count over him, Sanudo spit out his mouthpiece, grimaced, and remained on all fours until the contest was waved off. The official time of the knockout came at the 1-minute mark of round two.

Hernandez Wins Hard Fought Decision Over Dezurn

Jesse Angel Hernandez (10-1, 7KO) handed Glenn Dezurn (9-1-1, 6 KO) his first career loss when he scored a unanimous decision victory in an eight round bantamweight contest. Hernandez used his height and reach advantage to keep the smaller Dezurn at bay, punishing him each time he tried to get inside his reach. Despite his physical disadvantage, Dezurn, a 30 year old Baltimore native, turned in a spirited effort against Hernandez, who was a clear step up in competition for Dezurn. For the Texas southpaw, Hernandez, 2017 continues to be a career-defining year, having seen him hand his previous two opponents their first career losses. In August, Hernandez stopped the formerly unbeaten Vladimir Tikhonov. Tonight, judges scorecards of 79-73, 78-74, and 77-75 for Hernandez resulted in Dezurn tasting defeat for the first time, and Hernandez cementing his contender status.

Rainone and Sosa Battle To Draw

Long Island native Tommy “Razor” Rainone and Dominican-born New Jerseyan George Sosa (16-10, 15KO) battled their way to a majority draw in a six round welterweight contest. It was a hard-fought, gutsy affair, that mostly saw Sosa the aggressor and the southpaw, Rainone, fighting off his back foot. At times, both boxers landed clean shots, though the 37-year old Rainone’s effective punches were fewer and farther between than those of his counterpart. At the end of six, there was little doubt Rainone’s face was worse for the wear, courtesy of Sosa’s two gloved fists. At the end of six, the judges were split, however. Tony Paolillo’s 59-55 scorecard for Sosa was overruled by John McKaie and Jim Pierce’s scores of a 57-57 draw. 15rounds.com scored the bout 59-55 for Sosa.

The draw was the first of Sosa’s career and adds more character to an already interesting record. Each of Sosa’s fifteen victories have come via stoppage and taken place in the Dominican Republic. On US soil, however, he hasn’t had much luck, winning only one time in ten attempts. The fight was a milestone for Rainone, as well. The “Razor” crossed over the 200 round mark in his career and now has 202 professional rounds under his belt.

Best Bet — Lucky Stays Unbeaten

Long Island native Tyrone James (6-0, 3KO) improved on his perfect record with a six round unanimous decision victory over “The Hudson Valley Kid”, Daniel Sostre (13-15-1, 5 KO). It was all James from opening to closing bell, as the hometown hero parlayed a minor height and reach advantage with superior athletic ability to dominate the contest for three minutes per round, for six rounds. Midway through the third James dropped his 33 year old counterpart courtesy of a right hand. Sostre, who has now lost 12 of his last 14 contests, was able to get off the mat and battle on till the final bell. In the end, all three judges scored widely for James, 60-53.

Lightning Strikes — Niyazov Stops Mauras In Five

Kazakh-born Staten Islander, Dimash “Lightning” Niyazov (13-0-3, 6 KO), disposed of hard-nosed Massachusetts native, Agustine Mauras (6-4-3, 3 KO), inside five rounds in a junior welterweight contest slated for six. The historic bout kicked-off the first US fight card promoted by Britain’s lead boxing promoter, Eddie Hearn, and his company’s new American branch, Matchroom Boxing USA. Niyazov dominated the first four rounds of the scrap, before cranking up the heat in the fifth, dropping Mauras with two right hands before landing a clean left on the button, prompting referee Tony Chiarantano to stop the action at the 2:55 mark of the fifth round.

NEWARK, NJ – IBF cruiserweight champion Murat “Iron” Gassiev (25-0, 18 KO) defeated longtime division Iron Man, Krzysztof “Diablo” Wlodarczyk (53-4-1, 37 KO), to retain his title and advance to the World Boxing Super Series semifinal. The definitive punch came early in the third round courtesy of a meaty Gassiev left hook to Wlodarczyk’s liver. The punch immediately shut down the former titlist’s system, forcing him at first to a knee, before his body collapsed face down on the canvas. The 36-year old Wlodarczyk failed to referee Earl Brown’s ten count, and the contest was halted at the 1:57 mark of round 3. It is only the second time in Wlodarczyk’s career he was stopped, the other coming in 2003 vs. Pavel Melkomyan.

At times, the Abel Sanchez trained Gassiev looked like a spitting image of his stablemate, Gennady Golovkin. Over the course of three rounds the 24-year old Gassiev methodically cut off the ring, wasting no movement, and landing the most effective punches. Gassiev forced Wlodarczyk to fight going backwards, and in doing so, never put himself in an unfavorable position.

Midway through the third round with Gassiev coming forward and Wlodarczyk backing up toward the ropes, Gassiev unloaded two lefts to the body. The first landed straight to the sternum. It was followed quickly by a show stopping left-hook to Wlodarczyk’s liver that ended the fight.

“He threw a short uppercut and then a left hand that Wlodarczyk turned right into and it hit him flush. It’s something we work on a lot,” Sanchez said after the fight. “I know that when Gassiev lands a punch correctly, the opponent isn’t getting up.

It was a raucous environment inside Newark’s Prudential Center where a split crowd made up of Polish Wlodarczyk fans and Russian Gassiev supporters cheered on their fighter. Many of the Gassiev supporters wove Ossetian flags, which is the region of Russia where Gassiev hails from.

Gassiev will now go on to face will go on to face undefeated Cuban knockout artist, Yunier Dorticos, in the World Boxing Super Series semifinals. The winner of that contest will take on the winner of Oleksander Usyk vs. Mairis Briedis in the tournament finals in May 2018.

“I had a great opponent tonight,” Gassiev said afterward. “I prepared myself for a tough fight but it is boxing and anything can happen…We do a lot of work in the gym and I just listened to my coach round after round and he told me what I needed to do. That’s all I needed.”

A visibly disappointed Wlodarczyk also spoke afterward. “We worked hard to try to avoid this kind of shot but unfortunately he got a really hard shot through and hurt me,” the veteran fighter said.

He continued, “We knew how good he was and we prepared hard for it. I wanted to use the jab as much as possible. My strength is the second part of the fight and we were hoping to bring him to the later part of the fight and take advantage.”

Gassiev’s semifinal opponent, Yunier Dorticos also spoke after the bout.

“I really wanted Gassiev to win, because he’s going to taste the power of a real man against me. His opponent tonight was past his time, I’m ready to show him what a champion looks like and give him a challenge he’s never faced before.”

“I want to take his belt. I want to get in the ring and destroy Gassiev.”

Taking the high road, Gassiev said, “Dorticos is a very good fighter with great experience. He’s undefeated and I can’t wait to give all the boxing fans the gift of a great fight against Dorticos.”

Mateusz Masternak vs. Stivens Bujaj – 10 rounds, cruiserweight

The night’s cruiserweight co-feature witnessed Poland’s Mateusz Masternak (40-4, 25 KO) steamroll past New York’s Stivens Bujaj (16-2-1, 11 KO) en route to a late round stoppage victory. It was domination from the start by the tough Pole, who fought each minute of each round on his terms. Masternak fought patiently and with purpose, fighting at a comfortable distance, and landing cleanly and effectively round after round. Bujaj never seemed to get comfortable and failed to mount any significant offense in any round. In the seventh, with Bujaj fatiguing quickly, Masternak blasted a perfect one-two that crumbled Bujaj to the mat. The Albanian-born New York transplant barely beat referee Shada Murdaugh’s ten-count and, standing on wobbly legs, hung on to survive the round. In between rounds, however, after examining the state of Bujaj, the ringside physician advised Murdaugh to stop the contest.

The fight marked Masternak’s second victory at the Prudential Center, the previous victory coming back in 2009 on the undercard of Tomasz Adamek vs. Bobby Gunn.

“I got stronger as the fight went on,” Masternak said. “I was ready to go hard rounds and use my attack to overwhelm him. Once I started using combinations I was very effective in hurting him. That made the difference for me.

“I stayed focused and kept my right hand ready to deliver damage. I’m ready to fight with anyone they put in front of me. I’m always ready in the gym and I can’t wait to get back in the ring.”

A dejected Bujaj also spoke after the fight. “I’m disappointed in myself,” he said. “I know I could have fought better than that and performed better. I just didn’t feel like myself tonight.”

Maciej Sulecki vs. Jack Culcay – 10 rounds, super welterweight

In a back and forth WBC super welterweight eliminator, Poland’s Maciej Sulecki (26-0, 10 KO) stayed undefeated, earning a unanimous decision victory against Germany’s “Golden” Jack Culcay (22-3, 11 KO). Throughout the bout, the Polish-born Sulecki tried to use his height and reach advantage to his benefit, snapping jabs at his counterpart in an attempt to keep him at bay. Early on, however, it was quite clear that the smaller Culcay would not be easily tamed. When Culcay punched, he punched with purpose. His punches were thrown with ferocity, with more steam. They also came from more angles. Culcay looped lefts around Sulecki’s gloves early, and over the duration of the contest, threw numerous windmilling rights, that would surely end the fight if he connected cleanly.

It was a classic seesawing contest that saw momentum swings inside each round. As the fight progressed, it became more entertaining, with Cuclay initiating, but not always getting the better of, the exchanges.

At the open of the seventh round, Culcay raced off his stool and immediately bombarded an unsuspecting Sulecki with lefts and rights. The Ecuadorean-born German threw wildly, and continually tried to land his homerun punch, the looping overhand right. About 30 seconds into his onslaught, “Golden Jack” cleanly connected with a right that momentarily wobbled Sulecki. The hard-nosed Pole hung on to survive the onslaught and dish out some punishment of his own before the round commenced.

In the ninth, Culcay again buckled Sulecki a bit and backed him into the ropes. But this minor victory would be short-lived and the hard-nosed Pole came right back with a right hand of his own that landed behind Culcay’s ear and briefly wobbled him.

The ebb and flow continued into the tenth and final round, when with time ticking down, Culcay landed a monstrous right stunned Sulecki. The German immediately followed up with more ill intended punches until the final bell sounded.

In the end, however, all three judges scored the contest in favor of the unbeaten Pole.

Lindsey Paige saw the fight 98-92, Paul Wallace, 97-93, & James Kinney, 96-94. 15rounds.com scored the contest 95-95.

“It was a close fight. Hard to tell but I felt like I was winning,” Culcay said after the fight. “It was very close but I really thought I was winning.

He continued, “I felt like I was strong. I thought that I hurt him. But this is boxing. I would love a rematch, but either way I will be back even stronger.”

Sulecki credited his counterpart afterward. “It was a very tough fight and I had to be at my best,” Sulecki said. “I didn’t think he’d be quite as tough, but I wanted to fight him and I got him.

He added, “I prepared for about four or five weeks for this opponent. The seventh round was the toughest round for me. I got hit with a couple big shots, but I wanted a war. I was never going to let down.”

Money Powell IV vs. Brandon Adams – 6 rounds, super welterweight

In an entertaining 6 round super welterweight scrap, Money Powell IV (5-0, 2 KO) scored a unanimous decision victory over Brandon Adams (4-5-1, 2 KO). From the get-go, both fighters came off their stools firing at will and during an early exchange, the southpaw, Adams, connected with a looping left that caught Powell off-guard, sending him to the canvas. Powell easily beat the ensuing ten-count and enjoyed his own share of success in the bout’s opening round. The following rounds saw the two prizefighters continuing to engage, willing to eat a few punches to land some of their own, with Powell tending to get the better of Adams. In the fourth, the 19-year old Powell threw a straight right that exploded on Adams’ chin, wobbling and spinning him around all at once. Powell turned up the heat on his legless foe, applied more pressure to the body, and continued to connect with purposeful head shots. Adams was able to weather the storm, however, and escape the round on two feet. Powell continued to get the better of Adams in the fight’s final rounds and at the end of the contest, all three judges scored the bout for Powell. Debra Barnes saw it 59-55, Lawrence Layton 59-56, and Robin Taylor 58-55.

Efe Ajagba vs. Luke Lyons – 6 rounds, heavyweights

Former Nigerian Olympian, Efe Ajagba (2-0, 2 KO) made quick work of formerly undefeated Luke Lyons (5-1, 2 KO), dropping him twice in the opening round of their heavyweight bout en route to a TKO victory. The 6’3” Ajagbe, who is now based in Houston and trained by Ronnie Shields, dominated Lyons from the opening ding until the 2:19 mark of round one, when referee Harvey Dock called a halt the contest. Initially, it was a sledgehammer of a left-hook that Ajagbe dug to Lyons’ liver that forced him to a knee for the first time. Less than a minute later, Ajagbe finished off his Kentucky-born counterpart with a left-hook to the body, straight-right to the head combo that brought Lyons to a knee for the second time. Although he beat Dock’s ten-count, the referee deemed Lyon’s was in no condition to continue and stopped the contest.

Skender Halili vs. Samuel Amoako – 6 rounds, super welterweight

Skender Halili (15-2, 13 KO) easily outpointed Samuel Amoako (19-16, 16 KO) in a six round super welterweight contest, kicking off a night of fights that will culminate when IBF cruiserweight champion Murat Gassiev squares off against former two-time cruiserweight titlist, Krzysztof Wlodarczyk, in a World Boxing Super Series quarterfinal. It was a nice bounceback performance for Halii, who suffered a setback in Mexico his last time in the ring, when he was outpointed by relative novice, Adrian Haro Campos. The Kosovo-born Bronx resident, Halili, was back on his game tonight, however, working well behind his jab, using it to control range and the ring. At the conclusion of six, judges Debra Barnes, Lawrence Layton, and Robin Taylor all had it a shutout for Halili, 60-54.

BROOKLYN, NY — In the highly anticipated main event witnessed live by 12,084 fans at the Barclay’s Center, Mikey Garcia (37-0, 30KO) had no issues dealing with Adrien “The Problem” Broner (33-3, 24KO).  Apart from a first round that Broner may have won on jabs alone, it was the Oxnard, CA native, Garcia, who dictated and controlled the fight for the majority of the twelve round super lightweight bout.

Early and often the 29 year old former three-division world champion, Garcia, walked down Broner, waited until him to retreat into a defensive shell, then unleashed thumping body shots and straight rights that occasionally broke through Broner’s high-guard.  It was a scene that would play out time and time again over the course of the contest.

The Cincinnati native, Broner, who was previously unbeaten at 140lbs., found success in the fourth, snapping crisp jabs that would momentarily disrupt Garcia’s rhythm.  But like waves lapping on a shoreline, Garcia kept plodding forward, patiently waiting for openings in Broner’s guard before unloading.

Likely sensing he was behind on the scorecards, Broner began to show urgency in the ninth round.  The former four division world champ began became more aggressive, willing to meet Garcia, a super lightweight debutant, in the middle of the ring, and exchange blows with his Mexican-American counterpart.  Toward the end of the ninth, Broner hammered Garcia’s body before coming back upstairs shortly after, connecting with a clean left hook just as the round came to a close.

Again in the tenth Broner found success with the left, landing another clean uncontested hook to Garcia’s jaw that stopped the former three division champion in his tracks.  Garcia took the shot well, and Broner was unable to capitalize on any openings.

After stringing together two straight effective rounds, any momentum that Broner might have been building was quickly squashed by Garcia in the championship rounds.  The always-composed Garcia continued to walk down Broner, working behind his jab, and getting the better of the exchanges with Broner.

At the end of twelve, it went to the scorecards.  Judge Eric Marlinski scored it 117-111 and judges Don Ackerman and Steve Weisfeld saw it 116-112, all in favor for the still undefeated Garcia.

15rounds.com scored the bout 117-112, Garcia, with the first round being scored 10-10.

“This is definitely one of my best performances ever. I think I controlled the fight in the early rounds and I kept the activity up. [Broner] is a great fighter who has great skills,” Garcia said post-fight.  “I was the superior fighter tonight.

He continued, “We trained for 10 weeks, we had a great training camp and great sparring. We knew it was going to be a tough fight so we had to be in great shape.”

As to what weight class he’ll fight in in the future, Garcia said, “Maybe I’ll go down to 135, stay at 140 or go up to 147.”

Broner also spoke after the fight, congratulating Garcia on his win before talking about his previous career accomplishments.

“At the end of the day I’m still a four-time world champion at four different weight classes and I’ll still be in the history books.”

Charlo Blasts Past Heiland In Middleweight Debut

In his first fight at middleweight Jermall Charlo (26-0, 20KO) walked through Argentine southpaw Jorge Sebastian Heiland (29-5-2, 16KO) en route to a fourth round stoppage.  From the onset, Heiland’s legs looked stiff, his movements were jagged and robotic; and as a result, his punches lacked conviction.  It would later be revealed that Heiland was suffering from a left knee injury.  The veteran southpaw attempted to enter the ring with a taped left knee, but the brace was removed by the New York State Athletic Commission.

Charlo, fresh off a monumental 2016 where he outpointed Austin Trout and KO’d Julian Williams, started composed, feeling out his awkward opponent.  In the second, the Texan turned up the heat and caught Heiland with a short right that exploded on his chin and collapsed him to the canvas.  Heiland, whose signature win came in 2014 against Matthew Macklin, survived the round, but his inability to plant his left leg worried ringside physicians enough to examine his knee between rounds.

Once cleared, the gutsy Heiland continued on, but it was only to absorb punishment from the explosive Charlo.  In the fourth, after connecting with a flurry of punches, Charlo finished the debilitated Heiland off with a crisp left hook that sent the Argentine to the mat.  After initially beating referee Benjy Esteves’ 10 count, Heiland stumbled backwards and was help upright by the ropes.  Esteves stepped in at that moment and immediately stopped the contest at the 2:13 mark of round four.

“My coach told me to stay behind my job like I did; continue to work and it’s going to come,” Charlo said afterward.

“I’m ready, bring on the biggest names at 160… I’m the real Tommy Hearns… I feel like it’s my turn and I’m going to go get it,” he continued.

A disappointed Heiland also spoke afterward and addressed his injury.  “I turned my left knee in the first round, but I did not want to give up. I tried to give it my all, but it was not my night. I had bad luck but I am going to work harder than ever to get back and get another opportunity to achieve my dream and win a world title.”

It’s Miller Time; Big Baby Blasts Washington

Jarrell Miller (19-0-1, 17 KOs) remained undefeated by stopping former world title challenger Gerald Washington (18-2-1) after round seven of their scheduled ten round heavyweight clash

Miller came stalking and landing hard shots that had Washington on the defensive from the get-go.  In round four, Miller opened up and landed several bombs that drew “Ooohs and Ahhs from the crowd.  In round six, Washington mounted a furious rally where handed ten flush shots to the head and ample body of Miller.  Miller was able to gain his 2nd wind, as at the end of the round he landed some head snapping punches in the corner.

Miller continued to beat down Washington until the bout was stopped in the corner after round seven.

UNIONDALE, NY – There was no ring rust evident for Omar “El Panterita” Figueroa (27-0-1, 19KO), who returned to action after a nineteen-month layoff. The native of south Texas walked through former four-time world champion Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero (33-6-1, 18KO), dropping him five times inside three rounds to score a TKO victory. The welterweight fight, which was witnessed live by 7,492 fans, headlined the first night of boxing inside Long Island’s Nassau Coliseum since Mike Tyson’s eight-and-a-half-minute demolition of Steve Zouski 31 years prior.

It was a fight viewed by many as a “must win” for both former world champions. Guerrero was coming off two straight defeats, three in his last four contests. Figueroa, of Weslaco, TX, was returning to the ring for the first time since outpointing Antonio DeMarco in December 2015.

The first of the scheduled ten rounds went to Guerrero. The Gilroy, CA native, applied pressure, pressed the action, and landed the more significant shots. Figueroa, who reunited with trainer Joel Diaz for the first time since 2014, seemed a bit hesitant to let his hands fly in the opening round, perhaps reluctant to test his oft-injured hands. All perceived caution went out the window in the second round, however, when both fighters willingly traded violent blows.

At the sound of the bell signaling round two, Guerrero, a southpaw, came out of the corner and immediately crowded Figueroa’s personal space. It was a move welcomed by Figueroa, who has always excelled as an inside fighter. The two were engaged in a close-range exchange when a Figueroa left uppercut snapped Guerrero’s neck back and collapsed both his legs, dropping “The Ghost” to his knees. A gutsy Guerrero beat the ten count and surprisingly charged forward, bull-rushing Figueroa and landing head whipping shots of his own. The tide turned once again when Figueroa landed two short rights behind Guerrero’s ear that sent him to his knees for the second time in the round. As the frame neared conclusion, Figueroa dug a right to the body, followed by two lefts to the head hat sent an already-unsteady Guerrero, to the mat again.

In the third, Guerrero came off his stool as if shot from a cannon, racing to meet Figueroa and uncorking vicious shots that landed cleanly. But momentum quickly swung back Figueroa’s way, and another perfectly placed uppercut dropped Guerrero for the fourth time. Sensing he could end the fight, “El Panterita” pounced on the wounded Guerrero and planted two left hooks to the liver that sent “The Ghost” to the mat for the fifth and final time. Referee Ron Lipton called a stop to the contest at the 1:34 mark of the third round. It was the first time in his career that Guerrero has been stopped.

“After the first knockdown I knew that the instinct would kick-in for him and he’d go all out,” Figueroa said afterward. “I thought it was going to be over after the first knockdown of the second round but the ref let it keep going.”

He continued, “I haven’t fought this way in a long time because I didn’t have the power in my hands. I’ll always find a way to come out on top though.”

According to CompuBox, Figueroa landed 47.6% of his punches, and 55.5% of his power punches.

The South-Texan went on to state that he intends to drop back down to 140 pounds and fight once more this year.

For Guerrero, who was transported to Nassau University Medical Center after the bout as a precaution, the stoppage marked his third consecutive loss, and fourth in his last five matches and will certainly leave him contemplating his future in the sport.

Browne Powers Past Monaghan To Win “Battle of the Islands”

In a light heavyweight bout featuring two undefeated former sparring partners, Staten Island’s Marcus Browne (20-0, 15KO) scored a second round TKO stoppage victory over Long Island’s Seanie Monaghan (28-1, 17KO). Browne, a former US Olympian and three-time Golden Glove winner, came out firing with ill intentions from the opening bell. Less than a minute into the fight, which was scheduled for ten rounds, Browne caught Monaghan with a straight left that sent him crashing to the mat. The Irish-American beat he ensuing ten count, but was still reeling from the knockdown once back on his feet. Sensing an opportunity to end the fight early, Browne charged forward and applied pressure, unleashing a barrage of punches on his injured opponent. Fortunately for Monaghan, Browne landed a hard left below the belt, which allowed Monaghan to take a few minutes to recover before action resumed, and he ultimately escaped the round.

Monaghan never seemed to recover from the early knockdown, however, and in the second round he once again found himself being battered by the southpaw, Browne. Early in the second round, Browne landed a short right hand behind the ear that offset Monaghan’s equilibrium. Browne then followed up with rights and lefts that met their target without resistance. At the :40 mark of the second round, referee Steve Willis jumped between fighters and stopped the contest.

“I could tell that I hurt him, but I didn’t want to rush and walk into anything,” Browne said afterward, referencing his first round knockdown. “I just took my time and allowed everything to fall into place.

“I told Seanie afterward that I was thankful that he took the fight and stepped up to the plate. I hope he gets back in the ring to bounce back from this loss,” Browne added.

Monaghan reciprocated the mutual respect.

“Marcus has always been a fast starter. He always comes out very fast. I thought I was ready for the speed, but he is very skilled,” Monaghan said. “It was an honor for me to represent Long Island. I knew that it was a big task tonight. Marcus is even faster than in sparring.

“I’ll be alright though, I’m happy to lose to a guy the quality of Marcus Browne.”

Polska Power: Kownacki Blasts Szpilka, Stops Him Inside Four

In an all-Polish heavyweight showdown, undefeated Adam Kownacki (16-0, 13KO) scored an upset TKO victory over former heavyweight title challenger, Artur Szpilka (20-3, 15KO). It was set to be a crossroads bout of sorts, with Kownacki taking a step up in the level of competition, while Szpilka was attempting to rebound from his failed title challenge against Deontay Wilder in January of 2016.

The fight, which was scheduled for ten rounds, was the first of the three fights televised on FOX and thanks to a legion of Polish fans on hand to support Kownacki, the Polish-born, Brooklyn transplant, the Nassau Coliseum was electric. The sea of red and white sang, chanted, and encouraged their fighter throughout the bout, perhaps giving Kownacki an emotional boost on his way to victory.

The fight plan for Kownacki was simple: walk down Szpilka, let hands fly.

For a fighter in superior condition and twenty pounds lighter than his counterpart, Szpilka was touched far too easily.

Kownacki’s steps were slow, albeit efficient and calculated. But Kownacki doesn’t present his opponent any puzzles. He’s a volume-punching heavyweight who throws punches while coming forward. Despite knowing this, Szpilka could not escape Kownacki’s range and continuously found himself being battered by thudding lefts and stiff straight rights.

Halfway through the fourth round, Kownacki caught Szpilka with a huge right hand that rocked that sent Szpilka stumbling and disarmed his defense. With his hands at his side, Szpilka ate left after right and right after left until he crumbled to the canvas. Szpilka rose to beat Arthur Mercante’s ten count, but Kownacki quickly applied more pressure, delivering an uncontested combination to Szpilka’s face, until Mercante stepped in to halt the contest. The time of stoppage was 1:37 of the fourth round.

It was the third loss of Szpilka’s career, and the third time he has been stopped, the other two coming courtesy of Wilder and Bryant Jennings.

“I always knew that I had him. From the first shot I hit him in the body, I knew he didn’t have enough,” Kownacki said. “My pressure was too much.”

He continued, “Whatever he was doing, I was ready for. I worked for four weeks with Tomasz Adamek in Poland and then four weeks here so it was really an ideal camp. I was able to really just focus on boxing and put myself in this position.”

A visibly dejected Szpilka also spoke after the match. “I wish Adam the best going forward. This is a very hard moment for me,” he said. “I’m going to rest now. This was not how I wanted this to go and I’m very disappointed.”

Jamal James Rebounds From First Loss, Outpoints Jo Jo Dan

Jamal “Shango” James (21-1, 9KO) bounced back from his August 2016 loss against Yordenis Ugas to score a unanimous decision victory over veteran Jo Jo Dan in a ten round welterweight contest. James used his height and reach advantage to dictate the distance at which the fight would be fought. Dan, a crafty southpaw who has shared the ring with Kell Brook and Jarrett Hurd, did his best work when he was able to get inside James’ reach and hammer at his opponent’s body. Those moments were few and far between, however, and James comfortably outpointed his counterpart.

Judge Robin Taylor 99-91, Glenn Feldman 98-92, and Kevin Morgan 97-93.

“My range was working perfectly. I knew he was going to be tough and he was a little tougher than I thought,” James said afterward. He continued, “I was catching him with nice clean shots, but he kept coming. I knew he was going to keep coming forward. He started moving his head and made me miss a couple times. I was trying to avoid a big shot but he did get me with some body shots.”

As for what his future holds, James said, “I want to get at least one or two more fights this year and then really explode next year and set myself up to be a top contender.”

Brandon Figueroa Cruises To Unanimous Decision Win

The first of the night’s fights televised on FS1, saw junior featherweight Brandon “Heartbreaker” Figueroa (13-0, 8KO) battle veteran Fatiou Fassinou (28-8-3, 15KO) in an eight round contest. Figueroa, younger brother of Omar Figueroa, outworked Benin’s Fatiou Fassinou bell to bell en route to a unanimous decision victory. Cut from the same cloth as his older brother, Figueroa also subscribes to the theory that “offense is your best defense.” The Heartbreaker smothered Fassinou, landing 242 of his 596 punches.

All three judges scored the bout in favor of Figueroa, 79-73 and 78-74 twice.

The fight marked Figueroa’s first time fighting east of the Missippi, with all his previous bouts taking place in Texas or California. For Fassinou, it was his second time fighting in the United States and his second time failing to pick up a victory. He suffered defeat at the hands of Matt Remillard in July 2016.

“I knew that he was a flashy fighter that was going to have a lot of speed and movement,” Figueroa said after the match.” He continued, “I wanted to break him down. He took my punches well. I think he won a round or two. I needed to catch my breath and I was hoping to stop him late. Either way, I got the win and I’m happy.”

Seize the Day: Patrick Day Shines In Win

In front of hometown fans, Long Island’s Patrick Day (14-2-1, 6KO) scored the biggest win of his professional career when he outpointed Eric “Baby Faced Assassin” Walker (15-1, 8KO), handing Walker his first professional defeat and snatching his WBC Continental Americas title in the process.

After a relatively quiet first round, action picked up in the second and never slowed down. Early in the second, Day bullied Walker back to the ropes where he unleashed a barrage of body shots, clearly demonstrating he had the power to impose his will on Walker. Conversely, Walker realized Day’s defense, at times, can be suspect, and found success firing straight rights over Day’s outstretched jab.

In the third, Day started to get the better of fiery and borderline reckless exchanges. Day carried built-up momentum into the fourth round where he knocked Walker to the mat courtesy of straight right, which also opened a cut above the Assassin’s left eye.

To his credit, Walker kept letting his hands fly, engaging in exchanges and leaving himself vulnerable to punches from a fighter he already knew could hurt him. And hurt him some more, Day did. Although Walker had his successes in the later round, it was Day who continued to land the more damaging punches throughout the duration of the bout.

At the conclusion of ten rounds, judges John McKai and Glenn Feldman 96-93, while Robin Taylor scored it 95-94, all for Day.

15rounds.com concurred with McKai and Feldman, scoring the fight 96-93, Day.

Monterrosa Sneaks By Rainone In US Debut

The opening bout of the evening saw Colombian Fidel Monterrosa (38-13-1, 30KO) outpoint local veteran Tommy Rainone (26-8-1, 6KO) in a six round junior welterweight contest. It was a successful US debut for Monterrosa, who has previously shared the ring with hard-nosed Mexicans Antonio DeMarco, Pablo Cesar Cano, and Humberto Soto.

In truth, both fighters would likely agree it was a lackluster performance by each of them. However, it was Monterrosa who was pressing the action, forcing Rainone to fight going backward. Simply on aggression alone, Monterrosa banked enough rounds to pull out the victory.

In the final round, both fighters received a one-point deduction from referee Ron Lipton. Monterrosa, who resides in Ecatepec, Mexico, received his deduction for headbutts, while Rainone, a native of Rockville Centre, NY, lost a point for holding.

Julie Lederman and Kevin Morgan scored the fight 58-54, and Alan Mays saw it 57-55 all for Monterrosa.

By Kyle Kinder-

Four bouts prior to Terence Crawford’s thorough dissection of Felix Diaz on May 20th, Teofimo Lopez III performed a celebratory backflip inside the boxing ring at Madison Square Garden. His opponent that night, Ronald Rivas, lay ten feet his opposite, flat on his back, staring up at the rafters atop the “World’s Most Famous Arena.” It was Lopez’s fifth professional fight. His fifth victory. His fifth knockout.

For a 19 year old kid born just a few subway stops from Broadway, in Brooklyn, there
could be no bigger thrill. But the very sport that provided that stage hasn’t always been kind to the Top Rank prospect, who since the age of five has called Davie, FL home.

While preparing to compete at the US Olympic trials in Reno, NV, in an attempt to
qualify for the 2016 Rio games, Lopez received some unexpected news.

“USA boxing actually called me about two or three weeks prior to the Olympic trials,” Lopez, said. “They let me know that [Carlos] Balderas got the spot [at lightweight].”

Lopez, who is trained by his father, Teofimo Lopez, Jr., continued, “I got off the phone with Mike Martino (executive director of USA Boxing) and Matthew Johnson (director of high performance at USA Boxing) and they told me that Balderas qualified and earned an Olympic berth for the 2016 games and that there was nothing they could do.”

Shortly before Olympic trials, Balderas participated in the World Series of Boxing (WSB), a lengthy international competition run by the International Boxing Association (AIBA). AIBA, the governing body that oversees international amateur boxing, including the Olympics, awarded Balderas an Olympic slot based on his fourth place WSB finish. In doing so, Balderas became the first US boxer to qualify for the 2016 summer Olympics and the first in US history to qualify via this roundabout route. AIBA’s decision handcuffed all other American lightweight hopefuls.

Reflecting on that phone call with USA boxing, Lopez recalled, “I just felt like my soul…I was cold, I was dead.” Later adding, “All the hard work that you put in, they took it away.”

Determined to prove that he was the best American amateur at 132lbs., the 2015 National
Golden Gloves Champion and his father packed their bags and headed to Reno. When the tournament concluded, five days after it began, Lopez had accomplished what he set out to do: win the US Olympic Trials.

But because Balderas already occupied USA’s lightweight slot, Lopez sought and found an alternative route to Brazil, earning an opportunity to represent his parents’ birth country, Honduras.

Lopez’s dream of winning a gold medal was short-lived, however, when he found himself on the losing end of a controversial unanimous decision against France’s Sofiane Oumiha in the tournament’s opening round.

“I truly believe that I won that fight. All judges had it for my opponent,” Lopez said. “I don’t ever recall, and I had over 170 amateur fights, losing by unanimous decision. I felt that I would win that fight by split decision. I didn’t like the second round, but I felt that I still won the fight.”

Less than two months after the Olympics commenced, AIBA suspended all 36 judges and
referees that participated in the Rio games.

Eager to forego his amateur status and begin a new chapter in his pugilistic journey, Lopez linked up with manager David McWater of Split-T Management and signed a multiyear promotional contract with Top Rank in October 2016.

“Amateur style was never for me. I’ve always had a pro style since I was 13,” Lopez said. “I’m so happy, I’m so comfortable, there’s so much weight off my shoulders because I’m not an amateur fighter anymore.”

Lopez, who formerly sparred with the likes of Guillermo Rigondeaux and Shawn Porter, debuted last November on the Manny Pacquiao-Jesse Vargas undercard. In his first pro fight, the energetic Honduran-American sent Ishwar Siqueiros to the mat four times inside two rounds. The definitive blow came courtesy of a meaty left hook to the liver; a punch that forced Siqueiros to a knee, where he remained for a ten count and beyond.

Since then, Lopez has continued to mow down his opponents, stopping all four challengers inside the scheduled distance.

“I don’t look for the knockouts, they just come,” Lopez said. “With my placement, I break them down little by little and they feel it. Whether it’s a TKO or a knockout, it’s going to be a stoppage.”

When discussing what makes him so dangerous between the ropes, the energetic Brooklyn-born fighter said, “I’m accurate, I’m fast, I’m sharp, smart, defensive…I have the whole package, I have all the tools.”

And while he is not shy to tout his impressive skillset, Lopez is also aware that a fighter never knows all.

“I still have a lot more to learn, I’m only 19 years old and I’m just growing, getting older and maturing,” Lopez declared.

“I know I’m young, but I’m not dumb. I know at any moment a punch can change a
fight,” the former Golden Gloves champ said. He later added, “You’re going to get hit in this sport, but it’s about how you react when you do get it and how you adapt. A true champion can adapt to anything.”

Lopez is scheduled to be back in the ring on July 7 in Orlando, FL. No doubt his yet-to-be-determined opponent will be carefully selected by Top Rank’s veteran matchmakers, Brad Goodman and Bruce Trampler.
Well aware that as his career progresses, the level of fighting ability his opponents possess will steadily increase, Lopez is confident that he can be a chameleon inside the ring if necessary. He knows soon enough he’ll be pitted against a foe that presents stylistic obstacles that must be overcome in order earn to a victory.

“Styles make fights. If I have a sharp fighter in front of me I’m going to be sharp and you’ll see a whole different side of me,” Lopez said. “But every fighter is different and every fighter makes me different.”

So far, Lopez has dazzled in his first five fights, punching with purpose and delighting crowds with knockout victories. For a kid from Brooklyn, with an uncommon name, who’s had his ups and downs in the sport of boxing, it’s as good a start to a pro career as one could have hoped for.

“Teofimo Lopez is unique, nobody’s ever heard of that name,” Lopez remarked.

If there is any truth to that statement now — rest assured, if Lopez fulfills his fistic potential, it will only be a matter of time before that statement is rendered false.

NEW YORK CITY -Inside the main arena at Madison Square Garden, Terence “Bud” Crawford proved why he’s king of the lightweight mountain.  For ten consecutive rounds, Omaha’s favorite son delivered a thorough beating to former Olympic Gold Medalist, Felix Diaz.  At the end of the tenth, Diaz’s trainer Joel Diaz, intervened and stopped the contest, resulting in a TKO victory for Crawford.

Beltran One-Punch Kayos Maicelo, Stuns Garden Crowd

Brick City Bomber: Stevenson Scores First Round KO

In his second professional fight, former Olympic Silver Medalist Shakur Stevenson scored a first round TKO victory over fellow featherweight, Carlos Suarez of Argentina.  Newark’s Stevenson found his range immediately, connecting with short right hooks and straight lefts that clearly demonstrated his power.

In the third stanza of the opening round, Stevenson unleashed a barrage of punches that concluded with a left hook to the chin that sent Suarez tumbling forward until his stomach lay flat on the mat.  While the ten count was being administered by referee Arthur Mercante Jr., Suarez attempted to get to his knees, but stumbled backwards.  At that time, the 2:35 mark of the first round, Mercante decided to call a stop to the contest.

“I hit him with a straight left to the chin. That’s my money punch,” Stevenson said after the fight.   “I only wish this fight could have gone longer for my fans here.”

The perfect start to Stevenson’s pro career continues as he improves to 2-0, 2KO. Suarez’s resume now reads 6-4-2, 1 KO

Tong Hui Cruises Past Calzada

Chinese super welterweight Li Tong Hui easily outpointed veteran Daniel Calzada to earn a unanimous decision victory.

Round after round Tong Hui peppered Calzada with lefts and rights born from all angles, hardly taking any punches in return.  To his credit, Calzada, a fighter with more than 160 professional rounds in his rearview, took Hui’s punches well and never stopped trying to land something significant.

In the end, it was all Tong Hui, though.  All three judges scored the fight a shutout for the man from China, 60-54.

Tong Hui improves his record to 9-1, 6KO, while Calzada’s record now reads 14-17-3, 2KO

Lopez Knocks Rivas Out Cold

In a lightweight matchup slated for six rounds, Brooklyn-born Honduran Olympian, Teofimo Lopez, scored a scary one-punch KO victory against Ronald Rivas.  The definitive punch came courtesy of a counter left hook that exploded on Rivas chin.  The punch immediately collapsed shut down Rivas system, and collapsed him to the canvas.  Clearly out cold upon impact, referee Arthur Mercante Jr. wasted no time in calling a halt to the contest.  The official time of the stoppage came at 2:21 of the second round.

Lopez keeps both his undefeated and knockout streak intact and now boasts a professional record of 5-0, 5KOs.  Rivas drops below the .500 mark to 5-6-2, 3KO.

Ponomarev Remains Unbeaten With UD Victory

In an eight round battle between two veteran super welterweights, Abel Sanchez-trained and regular Triple G sparring partner, Konstantin Ponomarev, scored a hard-earned unanimous decision victory over Ed Paredes.

Ponomarev started slow and initially kept his distance, but as the fight progressed began to wear down and impose his will on Paredes.

In the sixth round, Ponomarev seemed to stun Paredes with a straight right and kept the pressure on, stalking his injured opponent and connecting with more clean shots.  Just when it felt like Ponomarev was about to pump up the pressure even more, Paredes landed a clean left counter-hook, stopping the Russian in his tracks and thwarting his attack.

In the eighth and final round, Paredes landed his most successful shots of the match, courtesy of two straight rights.  Before the final bell sounded, Ponomarov answered those punches with vicious rights of his own, one of which momentarily wobbled Paredes.

At the end of eight, all three judges scored the bout 78-72 in favor of the Russian.

In fairness to Paredes, the wide scorecards don’t accurately reflect the closeness in which some rounds were fought.  15rounds.com scored the bout 79-73, Ponomarov, but noted four close rounds, three of which were given to Ponomarov.

With the win, the Ponomarev runs his already impressive record up to 32-0, 13KO, while Parades drops 37-7-1, 24KO.

Uzbekistan’s Olympic Hero Stays Perfect

Former Rio Olympic Gold Medalist, Fazliddin Gaibnazarov, battered Massachusett’s Agustine Mauras around the ring, three minutes at a time, for eight rounds.  In front of about fifty or so fellow Uzbekistanis cheering on their fighter, the super lightweight showcased his superior skills, rhythmically landing one punch at a time before slipping away from anything Mauras would attempt to land.

It was a near flawless performance for the southpaw as he fought nearly every minute of every round on his terms.  Perhaps the only knock against him would be that he seemed to lack a killer instinct.  Gaibnazarov was content to hit and move — which works, no question — but rarely did the ex-Olympian piece together effective combinations, save for two in the opening moments of the final round.

At the end of eight rounds, all three judges scored the bout a shutout in favor of Gaibnazarov, 80-72.

Gaibnazarov’s professional record now reads 2-0, 2KO, while the hard-nosed Maraus’ record falls to 6-3-3, 3KO.

Lebron Dominates Estrada – Scores A Second Round TKO Stoppage

In a contest slated for four rounds, Puerto Rican super featherweight Henry Lebron scored an impressive TKO victory over New Mexico’s Johnny Estrada.  After dominating the first five minutes of the match, Lebron landed a perfectly thrown left that knocked Estrada out on his feet.  Lebron instinctively followed up and connected with a straight right that would have sent Estrada to the mat if not for referee Arthur Mercante Jr.’s intervention to keep the flailing fighter upright. The fight was stopped at the :52 mark of the second round.

Lebron stays perfect with the win, moving to 2-0, 2KO, while Estrada drops to 0-2.

Nelson Makes Quick Work Of Rubio 

In a light heavyweight contest slated for six rounds, the night’s opening bout saw Terence Crawford stablemate Steven Nelson make quick work of his Mexican counterpart, Gilberto Rubio.  In just under four minutes, Nelson sent Rubio to the canvas three time en route to a second round TKO victory.

The first knockdown came courtesy of a left-hook, right-uppercut combo as the round neared conclusion.  In the second round, Nelson dug two meaty left hooks to Rubio’s liver, forcing him to a knee each time — the second of which resulted in referee Shawn Clark calling a halt to the contest at the :36 mark of the second round.

Nelson continues his ascent in the light heavyweight division and improves his record to 7-0, 6KOs. The Mexican, Rubio, sees his record drop to 7-6, 5 KOs.

By Kyle Kinder-

The seeds of boxing were planted in Newark in the 1880s. Roughly thirty years later they took root when blue-collar immigrants from Ireland and Germany, along with ethnic Jews, streamed into the city and fought for ethnic pride. To date, over fifty boxers from Newark have been inducted into the New Jersey Boxing Hall of Fame. One fighter born within city limits is forever enshrined in Canastota. Of course, that’s Marvin Hagler.

But no fighter to emerge from New Jersey’s largest city has had greater expectations levied upon his shoulders than Shakur Stevenson. Trained by his grandfather, Wali Moses, since age 5, Stevenson quickly rose to be one of the best amateur fighters in the US by the time he reached his teens. In 2013, Stevenson earned Gold at the Junior World Championships in Kiev, Ukraine and immediately followed that performance by caputring another Gold Medal in 2014 at the Youth Olympic Games in China. Stevenson then cruised through US Olympic qualifying and in August 2016 found himself in Rio de Janeiro fighting for his country.

In Brazil, Stevenson shutout his first two opponents. His semifinal foe, Russian Vladimir Nikitin, withdrew due to cuts, and Stevenson earned a free pass to the Gold Medal match against Cuban fighter, Robeisy Ramirez.

The table was set for Stevenson to be the first American boxer since Andre Ward to have the Star-Spangled Banner played over an Olympic sound system. The charming kid from Brick City was poised to win Gold.

The country expected it. Newark expected it. Stevenson expected it.

But it wasn’t meant to be. Stevenson lost a close split decision to Ramirez and left the ring in a heap of tears.

Upon return to American soil, Silver Medal in tow, Newark’s Olympic hero was honored by his city with an extravagant parade down Market Street, complete with a police escort, floats, and drumlines.

“Today is the proudest day in the city of Newark,” mayor Ras Baraka said on the steps of City Hall. “I just want to tell all these young people out here, if you all need somebody to look up to, Shakur Stevenson is somebody you should be focusing on.”

Stevenson is the role model and fighter that a city with such deep boxing tradition deserves. True, Hagler was born in Newark, but the city can’t lay claim to him. Hagler belonged to Brockton. Newark is Stevenson’s city. In his amateur career alone, Stevenson was able to captivate the hearts and minds of the people in his city. Stevenson loves his city, and his city loves him back.

On Saturday night at Madison Square Garden, thirteen miles east of Newark, Stevenson will step into the ring for his second professional bout. He scored a TKO victory over Edgar Brito in his debut in Los Angeles last month. But Saturday’s fight against Argentine Carlos Gaston Suarez will be his east coast debut and first professional fight in front of family and friends.

Presuming he sports the same gear worn in California, Stevenson will wear trunks that spell the name of his city in shiny silver letters across his waist: N-E-W-A-R-K. A constant reminder of where he came from, who he is, and who he fights for.

While Stevenson’s dreams of Olympic Gold were dashed in Rio, his goal to become a world champion and “revolutionize” the sport remains. The second step in a long journey ahead awaits him Saturday night.

A Poem For My Son
Think GOLD and Never FOLD!
Let It Be Told; Just 17 years old.
When it Comes To Your GOAL Firmly Believe in them…
He’s Living Proof and His Name Is Shakur Stevenson
– Shahid Guyton, Shakur Stevenson’s father

BROOKLYN, NY — In an ugly fight marred by headbutts, Shawn Porter scored a hard-nosed TKO stoppage over Andre Berto.

After a first round where both fighters jockeyed for position, the action picked up in the second round. Early in the second round, Porter charged forward and pinned Berto against the ropes. Once Berto had nowhere to go, Porter went to work. The Akron, Ohio native unloaded shots with both hands, finding success to the body and head of Berto. At some point during the inside exchange, a clash of heads caused a deep cut over Porter’s right eye. With about twenty seconds left in the round, both fighters threw right hands, but it was Porter’s punch that landed with impact, catching Berto high atop his head and sending him to the mat.

The following rounds played out like a street fight with Porter continuously bull-rushing Berto, forcing the action to take place inside the proverbial phone booth. Towards the end of the fourth round, both fighters received cuts courtesy of headbutts. Berto’s cut appeared just above his left eye and Porter’s fresh gash left him with slits over both eyes.

It was clear that Porter wanted to fight close, to fight nose-to-nose. Somewhat surprisingly, Berto seemed helpless to prevent Porter’s forward charges. In the past, Berto has uncoiled fight-ended uppercuts that would have been the perfect remedy to Porter’s head-down bull-rushes. Tonight, those punches never landed because they were never thrown.

Henceforth, the brawl continued through the middle rounds with Porter continuing to do his best work in tight spaces. Seemingly all of round eight was spent with Berto’s back to the ropes while Porter banged away at his body.

In the ninth round, Porter kept the heat on, firing away while charging forward. After a combination of punches, some of which got through Berto’s defense cleanly, a straight right sent Berto flailing backward where he was held upright by the ropes. Referee Mark Nelson scored a knockdown and administered a count.

In complete control of the fight, Porter kept his foot on the gas and continued to rain down punches on a defenseless Berto. At the 1:31 mark of the ninth round, referee Mark Nelson decided Berto had been punished enough and called a halt to the bout.

After the fight, Porter spoke about the headbutts. “I got to clean up those head butts. We tried to use the whole ring, but sometimes in the heat of the battle, I’m a fighter and Mr. Berto is a fighter as well, those head butts were just the two of us going in and fighting,” he said.

Berto, clearly upset about the headbutts also spoke after the contest. “I have to give him credit, but he’s a rough fighter. He has great skills but, at the same time, he’s going to be rough and try to handle me anyway he can…We had a good, competitive fight until the head butts got to be a little too much for me. But I thought it was a really good fight before that.”

With the TKO loss, Berto suffers his fifth professional defeat. Porter’s record improves to 27-2, 17KO.

Jermell Charlo made a statement. In what was arguably the biggest fight of his career, Charlo one-punch KO’d Charles Hatley to retain his WBC Welterweight Championship. It was a scary ending to a fight that seemed to be leading up to that dramatic moment from the get-go.

The opening round started slow with neither fighter landing any punches of significance. The fighters continued to jockey for position through much of the second round, but as it drew to a close Charlo unleashed a straight right that caught Hatley where the neck meets the collarbone and sent him stumbling backwards to the ropes. Charlo hustled toward the off-balance Hatley, but the bell sounded before Charlo could inflict any more damage.

Charlo, perhaps gaining confidence from how the previous round concluded, started round three aggressively. About a minute into the round, Charlo rocked Hatley with a huge one-two – the right landed flush on the side of Hatley’s head and set him crashing hard to the canvas. Hatley beat the ten count, regained his legs, and was able to escape further punishment for the rest of the round.

Rounds four and five saw Charlo turn up the heat and keep the pressure on. He controlled the pace and tempo of both rounds and continued to look for openings where he could unleash that straight right.

Charlo came out of the corner in round six like a man possessed. From the bell Charlo let both hands fly, unleashing a swarm of punches that seemed to overwhelm Hatley. Hatley decided to try and bang back with Charlo, but during an exchange near the corner of the ring Charlo delivered a murderous right that knocked Hatley out cold before his body hit the canvas. Referee Harvey Dock immediately stopped the bout. The official time of stoppage was :32 of round six.

“I used that jab to set up the right hand,” Charlo said after the fight. “I knew Charles Hatley goes down and he gets back up – he’s a warrior – and I knew I had to get in there and be a lion.”

With that spectacular KO victory, Charlo continues to win and do so in style. His record now reads 29-0, 14KO. Hatley, who was coming off two solid wins against veterans Saul Roman and Anthony Mundine, suffers his first defeat since 2012 and drops to 26-2-1, 18KO.

Home crowd favorite Amanda Serrano became boxing’s first female fighter to capture five world titles when she stopped her Dominican counterpart Dahiana Santana in the seventh round of their bantamweight title bout. Serrano fought slick fight, landing her punches and moving out of danger. Only once, early in round four, did Santana pose any threat of danger when she landed a hard left hook, which momentarily wobbled Serrano. Later in that same round, Santana would have a point deducted for holding.

In the seventh round, Serrano continued to apply pressure and after a seemingly mild flurry of punches, referee Benjy Esteves, Jr. decided Santana had endured enough punishment and stopped the contest at the 1:14 mark of round 8.

After the bout, Serrano spoke about what becoming the first female to win five world titles means to her. “It means everything to me…we’ve worked so hard for this moment. To be the first fighter to do so and the first Puerto Rican to do so…I’m so proud to be Puerto Rican,” she said, fighting back tears. “It feels so good to be Boricua, it’s in my heart…I can retire today and be the happiest woman alive.”

The history-making victory boosts Serrano’s professional record to 32-1-1, 24 KO. Santana’s record now stands at 35-9, 15KO.

The first of Showtime Extreme’s televised bouts saw two heavy-handed KO artists slug it out for six-plus rounds until Jose Miguel Borrego finally finished off John Delperdang via TKO.

Borrego controlled the action in the first round, continuously planting vicious shots to both sides of Delperdang’s exposed torso. During the one-minute interval between the first and second rounds, both fighters’ must have decided it was worth taking a shot to land one. The ensuing rounds saw a perpetual give and take that at times had the early arriving Brooklyn crowd on it’s feet.

Borrego’s most successful punch of the night was his left uppercut – a punch that he landed at will throughout the fight – and a punch that caused Delperdang’s nose to break and leak blood from round three on.

Few and far between, Delperdang’s best moments came courtesy his left-hook, which he was able to land periodically during the middle rounds.

Although the middle rounds saw some explosive exchanges between the two fighters, the tide turned for good in round six when Borrego continued his onslaught of uppercuts, mixed with sharp combinations that Delperdang had no answer for.

In the seventh round, Borrego sensed blood in the water and kicked up the pressure. Borrego was on Delperdang from the bell, landing at will and backing his opponent to the ropes. Borrego stalked his Delperdang from one end of the ring to the other until he was able to land a fight-ending uppercut that caused referee Eric Dali to step between fighters and call a stop to the bout. The time of stoppage was 2:01 of the seventh round.

Borrego wins for the second time on US soil, both by stoppage, and improves his record to 12-0, 11KO. Delperdang has now lost two consecutive bouts and his record now reads 10-3, 9KO.

In the night’s third contest, Brooklyn’s Jason Sosa scored a crowd-pleasing TKO win over Emmanuel Valadez. Sosa started the fight composed and aggressive, fighting on his terms and forcing Valadez back on his heels. Midway through the opening round, Sosa landed a crisp left hook that found Valadez’s chin and dropped him to the mat.

Sosa continued to wear down his foe over the next round a half until he fired an overhand right that rocketed over Valadez’s defense and sent him crashing to the canvas. Before Valadez had a chance to beat the ten count, referee Alan Harkins stopped the bout at the 1:55 mark of round three.

With the win, Sosa remains undefeated and bolsters his record to 8-0-1, 3KO. Valadez still has yet to the go the distance in any of his seven professional fights. His record drops to 3-4, with all four losses coming by knockout.

Joseph Williams improved his unblemished record to 12-0 with a third round TKO victory against battle-tested veteran Felipe Romero. Williams controlled the fight from the onset, applying pressure and varying his punches, scoring freely behind his jab.

Midway through the third round Williams landed a heat-seeking right that sent Romero stumbling from one corner to another. As Williams walked down his prey to inflict more punishment, Benjy Esteves Jr. jumped between fighters and called a halt to the contest at the 2:43 mark of the third round. Williams joins the likes of David Benavidez, Oleksandr Usyk, and Krzysztof Glowacki as fighters who have TKO’d the hard-nosed Mexican. The loss drops Romero’s record to 19-13-1.

Staten Island’s Kenny Robles defeated Latorie Woodberry via first round TKO. It was the second time Robles has scored a victory over Woodberry in 2017. They first met at the Barclay’s Center in January where judges awarded a unanimous decision victory.

This time, after being touched early in the fight’s opening minute, Robles turned up the pressure and after landing a series of punches, staggered Woodberry. Robles never let up and Woodberry never recovered. Referee Eric Dali jumped in to stop the contest at the 1:53 mark of the opening round.

Robles moves to 2-0, 1 KO, with both wins coming against Woodberry in Brooklyn. Woodberry’s record now stands at 1-4-1.

Former Haitian Olympian, Richardson Hitchins scored a four round unanimous decision victory over Alex Picot. Hitchins controlled the bout from start to finish and seemingly scored at will, but will likely be disappointed that he was unable to stop his Puerto Rican counterpart. Hitchins starts his career 2-1, 1KO, while Picot falls to 2-3-1.

RANDOLPH, N.J. – Skender Halili cruised to his first ever victory by decision against Ecuador’s Eduardo Flores on Thursday night at the Skylands Event and Conference Center. Halili, now a Bronx resident with Albanian roots, delighted the large Albanian contingency at ringside by controlling the contest from opening to closing bell.

In the first two rounds, Halili set the tone, working well behind his jab and keeping his smaller opponent at a safe distance. In the third round, Halili turned up the heat and came out swinging, landing hard and clean punches. To his credit, Flores, a veteran fighter with over 318 rounds under his belt, took Halili’s punches well and always seemed to return fire, at times finding some success of his own. While Flores was able to sneak in a few punches here and there, they had little effect on Halili who not once was stopped in his tracks.

Not for lack of trying, Halili went the distance for just the second time in his career. This time, however, he would be the victor. All three ringside judges, Steven Weisfeld, Al Bennet, and James Kinney scored shutouts in favor of Halili, 60-50.

“I’m happy I went the distance,” Halili said after the fight. “I showed that I could and [that I] can win every round.”

Halili improved his record to 14-1, 13 KO, while Flores’ record dropped to 25-26-3, 15 KO.

—

The night’s most entertaining and evenly matched contest saw Paterson, New Jersey’s Ian Green outpoint upstate New York’s Andy Mejias. It was Mejias first fight in almost three and a half years. There was no ring rust evident, however, as Mejias came out firing, attempting to land overhand rights. Early in the second round the Puerto Rican-American did just that. In fact, he landed two heavy-handed rights that clearly shook Green. That early success with the right might have ultimately doomed Mejias, however, as it seemed that was all he looked to land the rest of the fight. Although he was the aggressor and the fighter who pressed the action, Mejias put little work into the body of his foe.

Conversely, Green seemed content to fight a defensive fight, not unlike the fight Daniel Jacobs fought against Gennady Golovkin this past Saturday. Green dealt with Mejias’ pressure well, and effectively countered before ducking out of danger.

After six hard-to-score, entertaining rounds, the judges turned in their scorecards.

Judge Steve Weisfeld’s 57-57 draw was overruled by judges Al Bennett and James Kinney who scored the contest 58-56 in favor of Green.

15rounds.com had it the other way, scoring the contest 58-56 for Mejias.

Green improved to 12-1, 9 KO, while Mejias suffered his first professional defeat and is now 15-1, 6 KO.

—

In the night’s co-feature, Enver Halili, fighting in just his second bout since 2014, defeated Nicaragua’s Ariel Vasquez via TKO. It took Halili about 90 seconds to shake any ring rust before he found his groove. Halili finished the first round strong, landing crisp jabs and nice combinations, varying his attacks to the head and the body. In the second round, Halili kicked it into another gear and came out firing. Everything he threw seemed to find its intended target. Eventually, Halili dropped Vasquez with a combination that concluded with a hard right to the body. Although Vasquez would make it back to his corner at the end of round 4, he would not answer the bell to start round 5. The result was a TKO victory for Halili, who improved to 9-0, 3 KO. Vasquez’s record fell to 13-17-2, 9 KO.

—

Yurik “Don’t Be Careful, Be Sorry” Mamedov scored a second round TKO victory over Ghana’s Francis “Black Tiger” Gakpetor. Mamedov imposed his will from the onset of this fight, but it was ultimately a left hook to the body that accelerated Gakpetor’s demise. The vicious left hook planted on Gakpetor’s liver in the early goings of round two forced the “Black Tiger” to a knee. When he got up he was immediately greeted by Mamedov who scored at will until referee Sparkle Lee stepped in and called a halt to the contest. The fight was stopped at the 1:15 mark of round two.

Mamedov stayed perfect with the win, improving to 5-0, 3 KO, while Gakpetor’s record drops to 4-3-1, 3 KO.

—

In his US debut, Kazhakstan’s Aidos Yerbossynuly was awarded a TKO victory after Riarus Dudley suffered a hand injury early in round two and could not continue. The first major exchange of the second round led to Dudley walking across the ring to take a knee. In visible pain, Dudley kept shaking his right hand, trying to get it to respond properly. That would not be the case, however, and when he returned to his feet Dudley informed referee Shada’ Murdaugh that he could not continue. The fight was stopped at the :39 second mark of the second round.

Yerbossynuly improved to 5-0, 5 KO, while Dudley dropped to 5-2-1, 2 KO.

—

The night’s opening act saw Paris-born Brooklyn-resident Frederick Julian defeat North Carolina’s Jermaine Corley via fourth round TKO. In the second round, Julian forced Corley down to a knee courtesy of a left hook to the liver. Corley, cousin of “Chop-Chop”, beat the count and escaped the round.

In the fourth and final round, Julian again dug a hard left to Corley’s liver, extracting a wince. In pain, Corley retreated toward his corner and soon found himself with his back against the ropes and being smothered with a barrage Julian’s punches. Not sensing much of a response from Corley, referee Eric Dali jumped between fighters to call a halt to the bout with just nine seconds remaining in the contest.

With the win, Julian improved to 4-0, 2 KO, while Corley’s record slipped to 0-6.

Trenton, NJ – In the main event from the Sun National Bank Center, Yenifel Vicente scored a scary one-punch knockout over Juan Dominguez that led to Dominguez being carried out of the ring in a stretcher.

The third round had just begun when Vicente floated a weak jab in Dominguez’s direction, followed by a vicious overhand right. In reaction to the jab, Dominguez pulled straight back, far enough to elude the jab, but not far enough to escape the overhand right that followed. The punch, which Dominguez never saw coming, instantly ended the fight, as it sent him flailing to the ground, where he would remain motionless until paramedics removed him from the ring in stretcher.

From the opening bell the fight saw good action, and both boxers found their share of success. Halfway through the first round Vicente seemingly wobbled “Baby Tito”, albeit briefly. Dominguez was able to recover and launch his own offensive attacks during the final third of the first frame.

In the second round, Dominguez was deducted one point by referee Earl Brown after he hit Vicente below the waist on two occasions.

But it was only twenty seconds into the third round that Brown stood over a sprawled out Dominguez, calling an obvious halt to the bout.

With the victory, Vicente earns arguably the biggest win of his career and improves his record to 28-3-2, 20 KO. Dominguez suffers his first professional loss and is now 19-1, 13 KO.

In an eight round middleweight bout former Virginia Golden Gloves champion, Immanuwel Aleem upped his perfect record to 15-0, 9 KO with a hard earned split decision victory over Colombian Carlos Galvan (11-4-1, 10 KO). Both technically sound fighters found their share of success throughout the bout, but ultimately it was Aleem who landed the more impressionable blows.

Judge John McKai and Lawrence Layton scored the bout for Aleem, 77-75 and 78-74, respectively. While John Stewart saw the fight in favor of Galvan, scoring it 77-75 for the Colombian.

In the first of the televised bouts on Fox Sports 1, Keith “Machine Gun” Tapia (17-0, 11 KO) slugged out a unanimous decision victory over Philadelphia’s Garret Wilson (16-10-1, 9KO). The first round saw immediate action with the Puerto Rican Tapia coming out of his corner like a man possessed, immediately rushing to greet Wilson and let his hands fly – setting a fast-paced tone that would define the fight over the first six rounds.

The second round saw even more fireworks than its predecessor, sparked by a Wilson right hand that caught Tapia on the top of his head, briefly wobbling him. Tapia responding by unleashing a barrage of punches on Wilson, which turned into a barbaric exchange that ultimately left Tapia with a cut over his left eye. Midway through round three, Wilson landed another flush right that seemed to momentarily shake Tapia. Again, the Puerto Rican immediately responded with a monster right of his own, which led to a vicious trading of blows while Wilson’s back was against the ropes.

The fourth and fifth rounds played host to more willing exchanges by the cruiserweights, highlighted by Wilson’s landing of two clean overhand rights in the fourth and a counter left uppercut from Tapia toward the end of round five. In the sixth, Tapia found success with lead left hooks and uppercuts. Earlier in the fight, Tapia was trying to set up right hands behind his jab, but in the sixth stanza his change of approach resulted in the “Machine Gun” landing some of his best power shots.

Toward the end of the ninth, Tapia again unloaded on Wilson, who somehow managed to stay on his feet as he absorbed huge right hands and two head-snapping uppercuts.

Somehow, the fight went the distance and when it was all said and done, Tapia earned the decision from the ringside judges.

Judge John Stewart scored the bout 97-93, while Robin Taylor and Lawrence Layton had it 99-91.

“I never looked for a knockout and I knew he was a tough son-of-a-gun,” Tapia said afterward. “I respect him one-thousand percent…this was my toughest fight.”

After a fourteen-month layoff, former light heavyweight champion, “Bad” Chad Dawson stepped back between the ropes and scored a unanimous decision victory over Shujaa El Amin. After a tentative first round that was highlighted by a Dawson low blow, action picked up in the second round when the former champ landed a beautifully thrown left uppercut right on the button. Dawson followed that up with a flurry of punches that sent El Amin retreating toward a neutral corner, where he would cover up for the duration of the round. The rest of the fight played out like the movie Groundhog Day – where round after round Dawson would back El Amin into a corner, before settling in and letting his hands fly. To his credit, El Amin absorbed everything Dawson had to offer, and never found himself in danger of losing via knockout. However, he also never put himself in a position to win a round.

At the conclusion of round ten, all three judges scored it a shutout: 100-90, Dawson.

“I showed I was prepared to go ten rounds, I said I could go ten rounds,” Dawson said. “I think I’m 2 or 3 fights away from a title fight.”

Dawson’s record improves to 33-4, 18 KO, while El Amin’s slips to 12-9, 6 KOs.

In a four round heavyweight scrap, Dan Pasciolla (6-1) earned a unanimous decision over Corey Morley (0-1-1). Working well behind an effective jab, Pasciolla controlled the tempo of the fight — keeping his smaller, heavier opponent at a safe distance throughout. At the end of round four, all three judges turned in scorecards of 40-36, Pasciolla.

Philadelphia super middleweight Christopher Brooker (5-1, 5 KO) scored a sixth round TKO over Oklahoma’s Zaccariah Kelly (5-13, 5 KO). Brooker used his height and reach advantage to keep Kelly at distance throughout most of the bout. In the firth round, Brooker began raining bombs on Kelly, sending him into survival mode. Referee Earl Brown debated stopping the fight late in the round, but just when he seemed ready to jump between fighters, the bell sounded. Kelly lasted just :32 into the sixth and final round before Brown stepped in to call a halt to the bout.

In his professional debut, Baltimore’s Jordan “Shortdog” White (1-0, 1 KO) needed just twenty seconds and three punches to KO Puerto Rico’s Jose Roman (0-4). A straight left hand sent Roman to the canvas where he would fail to beat referee Sparkle Lee’s ten count. White’s career begins 1-0, 1 KO, while Roman remains winless and drops to 0-5.

In a welterweight bout, Chicago’s Alex Martin stayed undefeated with a unanimous decision victory over Cameron Kreal of Las Vegas. Martin’s record goes to 11-0, 5 KO, while Kreal’s drops to 8-9-2, 1 KO. All three judges scored it a shutout for Martin, 60-54.

BROOKLYN, NY – In the Battle for Brooklyn, Daniel Jacobs retained his middleweight title and shocked the Barclay’s Center crowd by scoring a first round stoppage over Peter Quillin. Less than a minute into the opening round, Jacobs connected with a huge overhand right that buckled Quillin’s knees. From that point on, it was all-in or bust for Jacobs who rained down a barrage of punches on the staggering Quillin. The definitive punch came courtesy of another Jacobs overhand right that landed flush on Quillin’s temple. The crushing blow offset Quillin’s equilibrium, locked his knees, and sent him awkwardly stumbling across the ring. Referee Harvey Dock took a look at Quillin, and briefly hesitated before he jumped between the fighters to stop the contest. The time of the stoppage was 1:25 of round one.

“I hope he’s okay,” Jacobs said. “I was patient and when I came with an uppercut I knew I hurt him and that’s when I went for the kill.

“I told him I love him. Me and Peter go back to the Golden Glove days. I respect him to death, but I knew this fight would be my night. There are no lucky shots in boxing. Obviously I caught him with a shot. Once I knew I had him hurt I kept going.

“I saw his eyes and it looked like his equilibrium was off. I’m not a referee, but if I was I probably would have still gave him another opportunity.”

“I definitely would give him a rematch,” Jacobs continued. “I’m willing to fight him next if that’s what the fans want.”

Quillin seemed to disagree with the stoppage until watching the replay during his SHOWTIME post-fight interview.

“That’s right on the temple,” Quillin said. “In the moment you don’t know what happens until you see it in the replay.

“This is a time you sit with your family and figure out what you have to do. I have a lot of options, maybe a rematch is the best option.

“I can’t think of a better person to lose to than Danny Jacobs.”

Jesus Ceullar v Jonathan Oquendo — 12 Rounds, for Cuellar’s WBA Featherweight Championship

In Saturday night’s co-feature, Jesus Cuellar (28-1, 21 KO) decisioned Jonathan Oquendo (26-5, 16 KO) by wide margins to retain his WBA featherweight title.

Cuellar was the more active fighter throughout the bout, throwing over 300 more punches than his counterpart. He was also the fighter who pressed the action, forcing Oquendo to a fight mostly defensive-style bout.

The largely uneventful contest did feature a flash knockdown in the fourth found when Cuellar and Oquendo’s legs tangled and a straight left hand sent an off-balance Oquendo briefly to the mat.

The knockdown had no significant impact on the fight, as all three judges scored the fight in favor of Cuellar by significant margins.

Judges Kevin Morgan and John McKaie scored the bout 116-111, while Robin Taylor scored it a shutout for Cuellar, 120-107.

15Rounds.com scored the bout 118-109, Cuellar.

“We knew the fight would be difficult but we accomplished everything we wanted to during training camp,” Cuellar said. “The only thing that was left was the knockout, but because of the movement of his head it was impossible.

“First we’re going to rest and then we’re going to determine what’s next,” Cuellar said.
“We’ll have two more fights at featherweight and then move up in weight. Hopefully we get Leo Santa Cruz next.”

After the fight, Oquendo acknowledged that he didn’t properly implement his game plan.

“I have to give credit to Cuellar. I never got to use my game plan and he fought a good fight and he’s a good champion,” Oquendo said. “I needed to start more aggressive but I started boxing. That was my mistake. The head butt made it hard for me to see as well.

“I have time to come back and get another world title opportunity. I am disappointed, but I will be back in the gym ready to get back to work soon.”

—

Chris Algieri v Erick Bone – 10 rounds, welterweight

Chris Algieri (21-2, 8 KO) bounced back from consecutive losses to Manny Pacquiao and Amir Khan to earn a unanimous decision victory over Erick Bone (16-3, 8 KO). Algieri never looked sharp or comfortable against his Ecuadorian counterpart, often finding himself engaging blow-for-blow with his Ecuadorian counterpart. “I probably fought on the inside a little too much,” Algieri admitted after the fight.

Although he threw less punches than Bone, Algieri connected on 49% of his power punches, and landed 247 total punches, to Bone’s 185.

In the eight round, due to an undetected tangle of feet, Algieri knocked an off-balance Bone to the canvas with a straight right hand. That knockdown, which should have been ruled a slip or a trip, ended up being the deciding point on judge Julie Lederman’s scorecard who saw the fight 95-94, Algieri. Judges Ron McNair and Steve Weisfeld scored the bout wider with scores of 97-92.

“Erick said that he was going to have surprises, but I had a few of my own in there,” Algieri said. “I boxed a little bit and slugged more than I should have, but I was just having fun. He’s got a good punch, he’s an underestimated fighter and you could tell he was in great shape.

“This is big. Bone is a real tough guy and I felt in control. I thought the fight was mine the whole way. I wanted to get the knockout, but he was in great shape. I’m looking forward to big fights in 2016.”
—

Marcus Browne v Francisco Sierra — 10 rounds, light heavyweight

Former three-time New York Golden Gloves champion Marcus Browne stayed undefeated and earned his 17th professional victory with a TKO3 over his Mexican foe, Francisco Sierra. Browne shell-shocked Sierra in the first round, landing shot after shot, and within the first 90 seconds of the match had opened up a huge cut over Sierra’s right eye that continued to worsen as the fight progressed.

Between rounds three and four, referee Earl Brown called a halt to the bout, acting on advice from the ringside physician, who inspected Sierra’s cut and felt it best that the fight be stopped.

“I saw I cut him early, but I had to stay persistent and consistent,” said Browne, of Staten Island. “I had to work the jab and keep working it. I felt like I seized this opportunity to put my name out there.

“It is an honor to fight at Barclays Center for the 10th time. It was a nice stoppage – not necessarily the kind of stoppage that you want, but a stoppage is a stoppage.”
—

Yuri Foreman v Lenwood Dozier, 8 rounds, welterweight

In an eight round bout, former welterweight champion Yuri Foreman fought his way to a unanimous decision victory over Lenwood Dozier. Foreman, who hadn’t entered the ring in over two years before this contest, never seemed to get into his signature stick-and-go rhythm that propelled him to his championship back in 2009. Because of this, he found himself on the receiving end Dozier’s right hand on numerous occasions – including a stunning overhand shot in the middle of the first round. To his credit, Foreman was able to weather all storms, and at the conclusion of round eight, all three judges – Julie Lederman, Ron McNair, and Frank Lombardi – turned in scores of 77-75, Foreman.

Foreman’s record improves to 33-2, 9 KO, while Dozier’s record falls to 9-10, 4 KO.

—

Will Rosinsky v Joe Smith, Jr. — 10 rounds, light heavyweight

Joe Smith, Jr. (20-1, 16 KO) decisioned fellow New York light heavyweight Will Rosinsky (19-3, 10 KO) to notch the biggest win of his career. Smith Jr. used his bigger frame to impose his will on his smaller opponent – often walking Rosinsky backward before settling in to throw heavy punches. Both fighters excited early arrivers at the Barclay’s Center with their willingness to take a punch in order to land their own; engaging in numerous ruthless exchanges throughout. At the conclusion of the fight, all three judges scored the fight in favor of Smith Jr. Judge Ron McNair saw it 98-92; Frank Lombardi scored it 97-93; and Steve Weisfeld had it 96-92.

—

Luis Garcia v Willie Williams – 4 rounds, cruiserweight

Undefeated Cuban cruiserweight Luis Garcia scored a first round TKO over Willie Williams. With the win, Garcia, who now fights out of Cork, Ireland improves his record to 13-0, 10 KO, while Williams’ record now reads 14-11-2, 4 KO.

—

Titus Williams v Emmanuel Castro — 6 rounds, featherweight

In a six round bout that saw both fighters hit the canvas in round one, Long Island’s Titus Williams (4-0, 2 KO) outlasted Los Angeles’ Emmanuel Castro to stay undefeated. Williams earned a unanimous decision victory by scores of 60-54, 60-53, and 59-54.

—

Heather Hardy v Noemi Bosques — 8 rounds, bantomweight

Brooklyn’s Heather Hardy defeated Florida’s Noemi Bosques for the second time in seven months via a unanimous decision. Hardy earned a split decision victory of Bosques back in May, but this time around left no doubts in the judge’s minds as she dominated the contest from start to finish. Judge’s scorecards read 80-72, twice, and 79-73, all in favor of Hardy.

BROOKLYN, NY – In a Battle of Boroughs, Bronx native Chris Galeano outpointed Brooklyn’s Shawn Cameron to claim the New York State Middleweight Championship and up his perfect record to 10-0, 1 KO. From the get-go, Galeano’s superior speed troubled Cameron, who never looked comfortable during the bout. In the third round, Galeano pinned Cameron against the ropes and delivered a head-snapping left hand to Cameron’s jaw. Later in the same round, Galeano landed a brilliant counter right that ended one of Cameron’s rare offensive attacks. The middle rounds mirrored much of the earlier rounds, seeing Galeano as the aggressor, and landing the better blows. The final two rounds were perhaps Cameron’s best, as he was able to take advantage of a tiring Galeano, whose work rate noticeably slowed. However, Cameron’s late round efforts were not enough to overwrite his early deficit on the scorecards. At the conclusion of round ten, all three judges scored the contest in favor of Galeano, scoring the fight 99-91, 98-92, and 97-93. After suffering his first professional defeat, Cameron’s record now reads 10-1, 5 KO.

ALSO ON THE CARD:

Brooklyn’s Amanda Serrano (26-1-1, 18 KO) defeated her Belgian opponent, Djemilla Gontaruk (9-3, 1 KO) by second round TKO.

Cork, Ireland’s Noel Murphy (6-0, 2 KO) stayed undefeated with a unanimous decision victory over Anton Williamson (1-6).

Tyrone James (1-0, 1 KO) scored a third round knockout in his professional debut over David Perez (0-2).

Artur Akavov (14-1, 6 KO) defeated Fredy Lopez (10-3, 7 KO) by technical knockout in the second round.

Carlos Garcia (9-14-1, 8 KO) stunned the Brooklyn, New York crowd with a first round TKO over Patrick Day (11-2-1, 6 KO).

Francy Ntetu (16-0, 3 KO) earned a split-decision victory over Oscar Riojas (9-4, 3 KO).

NORTH BERGEN, NEW JERSEY — The Scheutzen Park Ballroom in North Bergen, New Jersey played host to many “firsts” on Saturday night — first professional fights; first wins; first losses; and, perhaps, a first in the history of boxing.

Well, if not in the history of boxing, at least it was something Harold Lederman has — and I quote — “NEVER!” seen.

The originally scheduled main event was supposed to feature Union City’s Juan “The Beast” Rodriguez vs. Massachusetts native Zack Ramsey. That all came undone when sometime last week Ramsey was hit by a motor vehicle while riding his bicycle. The NJ State Commission refused a few potential replacements, and all of the sudden the night’s scheduled main attraction shifted from a welterweight scrap to a heavyweight bout.

—

At Friday’s weigh-in, Jersey City firefighter Patrick “Paddy Boy” Farrell stood nose to nose with Chicago’s Phillip Triantafillo. It was all the normal pre-fight smack talk, until Triantafillo literally smacked Farrell across his face, prompting Farrell’s brother to interject and try to beat the living hell of Triantafillo.

So on Saturday when Triantafillo made the short and heavily escorted walk from the dressing room to the grand ballroom, the electric pro-Farrell crowd showered him with predictable boos and profanities. Paddy Boy, conversely, endured nothing but words of encouragement and roars of “Paddy! Paddy!” during his entrance to the ring. After introductions were read, but before gloves were touched, an extremely agitated Triantafillo forced his way past his cornerman, shuffled his 232 pound frame through the ropes and walked out of the ring. He simply LEFT and the fight was off. No explanation given.

As he made his way back toward the locker room to a chorus of “PUSSY! PUSSY!”, Triantafillo shot the Scheutzen Park crowd a Randy Moss style ‘moon’ — that is, he went through the motions, but his trunks (thankfully) never left his hips.

The ring announcer declared Farrell the winner by disqualification, but the Commission will likely have a different take. They’ll likely, and if so, correctly, rule that since the bell did not ring, the fight did not take place. Deputy Commissioner Sylvester Cuyler told me that the matter will be looked into and an official result would not be declared Saturday, but seemed to hint that this bout will be wiped off the books.

Now to the actual action between bells, which was brought to actualization by KEA Boxing …

Nydia Feliciano and Crystal Hoy squared off in a highly entertaining ten round battle for the IWBF bantamweight title.

Punches came one after another from bell to bell throughout all ten rounds, but unfortunately for Hoy, she found herself continually on the receiving end Feliciano’s fists.

Feliciano was smoother and slicker, smarter and quicker fighter. The Bronx native was best served throwing her jabs, landing a few straight rights, and moving her feet; get in and get out. But even when Hoy had it her way, and forced the fight to the inside, it was still Feliciano getting the better of her counterpart, at one point finding a home for four consecutive lefts while Hoy clung on to Feliciano’s torso.

In the end, all three judges, Pierre Benoist, Kason Cheeks, and Waleska Roldan scored the fight 99-91 for the new IWBF bantamweight champion, Nydia Feliciano (7-4).

The most shocking result of the night came when Justin “Baby Boy” Johnson scored a well-deserved unanimous decision victory over former New Jersey Golden Gloves champion Anthony Gangemi … ” The tone for this one was set early on in the first round when Johnson rocketed a right hand over an outstretched Gangemi jab and sent the 23 year-old flying backward to the mat. Gangemi recovered well and dominated the second round bell to bell, seeming to have turned the page. But in the third round, he once again found himself on the mat courtesy of a Johnson right. In the sixth and final round, Gangemi – sensing that he needed a knockout to win – started throwing a bit more recklessly, trying to catch Baby Boy. But Johnson exploited his opponent’s aggression and found an opening in Gangemi’s defense to send him down one last time. In the end, all three judges scored the bout in favor of Johnson — John McKaie seeing it 59-53, John Poturaj 58-53, and Eugene Grant 57-54. Johnson’s record now reads 6-4-1, while Gangemi’s previously unblemished record now stands at 4-1, 3 KO.

Jersey City heavyweight Tyrell Wright scored a TKO victory against a game, but still winless, Eric George of Niagra Falls. After two rounds of swinging wildly, and putting all his strength behind his punches, George found himself gassed in the third round. Wright, sensing this, turned up the heat and spent the entirety of the shortened round beating George like Rocky beat frozen meat. Referee Ricardo Vera called a halt to the action when George clumsily turned his back to Wright and stumbled toward a vacant corner. Wright moves to 3-0, 2 KO with the win.

In a battle where someone’s “O” had to go, with two fighters making their pro debuts, Newark’s Dion Richardson overpowered Montclair, New Jersey’s Dwayne Holman. Richardson sent Holman to the canvas four times in the first round — leaving referee Sammy Viruet little choice but the stop the fight.

Anthony Jones of Newark improved his undefeated record to 4-0, scoring his first TKO victory when he stopped Adrian Armstrong (3-3) in two rounds.

Kyle Kinder can be reached at KyleKinder1@gmail.com

PART 1

PART 2

PART 3

PART 4

NUTLEY, NJ — In the very gymnasium where Martha Stewart once took phys. ed, Nutley native Thomas “Cornflake” LaManna TKO’d Ohio’s Daniel Crabtree igniting the hometown crowd, as well as almost starting a riot.

The first round was favorable for the taller LaManna, who showcased his impressive arsenal of offensive weapons. He worked well behind his stiff jab and pieced together crisp combinations.

The second round, however, proved to be a bit tougher for LaManna, who increasingly on the receiving end of Crabtree’s punches.

When the bell rang to signal the start of round three, LaManna once again began to press the action. Cornflake landed a hugh right hand that sent Crabtree off balance, forcing his glove to touch the canvass in order to keep him on his feet. Referee Randy Neumann, however, didn’t witness the glove scraping the mat, and never ruled the knockdown.

LaManna showed great natural instincts immediately rushing to finish off the injured Crabtree. He chased the Ohioan from corner to corner until finally, referee Randy Neumann stepped in to call a halt to the bout.

Immediately after Neumann’s stoppage, which was arguably premature, Crabtree’s trainer rushed into the ring to give the New Jersey Hall of Fame ref a piece of his mind. He then got into it with LaManna’s father, Vinny LaManna, who engaged him in a brief shoving match before authorities intervened.

With the win, Thomas Cornflake LaManna stays undefeated and improves to 7-0, 5 KO, while Crabtree falls to 3-4, 3 KO.

Richard Pierson v Anibal Acevedo — 6 Rounds, middleweight

Anibal Acevedo is a 38 year old Puerto Rican fighter who looks 48, at best. He sports a mostly-gray head of hair and a somewhat lengthy goatee for a boxer. His skin on his face, neck, and chest were wrinkled and a bit rubbery — think Ric Flair circa 1998. His opponent, Richard Pierson, although only 8 years his junior, sports a baby face and is in phenomenal shape.

The first round was rather interesting. Acevedo, a southpaw, exhibited craftiness — sneaking uppercuts here and there, landing some impressive shots along the way. But the round ultimately belonged to Pierson, who kept sticking his stiff jab in Acevedo’s face. As the round came to conclusion, Acevedo walked back to his corner, sat on his stool and immediately began wincing in pain. The referee almost instantly signaled the bout was over and motioned for the EMTs to enter the ring.

The word ringside was maybe a rib, or even his testicles. But whatever happened to Acevedo, it had him in what looked to be unbearable pain. An oxygen was placed on his face, his shorts were cut open, and he was placed on a stretcher and taken to a hospital for further examination.

Acevedo’s record now reads 13-9-1, 11 KO, while Pierson improves to 10-2, 7 KO.

John Thompson v Laureno Laracuente — 4 Rounds, middleweight

Newark’s John Thompson battered Puerto Rico’s Laureno Laracuente for twelve straight minutes en route to a TKO 3 victory. From the onset it was clear that Laracuente would be overmatched and that Thompson was the more skilled, more athletic boxer. After twelve minutes of being on the receiving end of Thompson punches, trainer Jose Rosario stepped in and saved his fighter from suffering any more punishment. With Laracuente failing to answer the bell for 4, his record fell to 7-5-1, 2 KO, while Thompson stays undefeated and moves to 6-0, 2 KO.

John Lennox v Miles Kelly — 6 Rounds, heavyweight

In an extremely strange heavyweight bout, local attraction John Lennox scored a first round KO over Arkansas’ Miles Kelly. Much like the night’s other heavyweight scrap, Lennox and Kelly came out guns-a-blazin’. About thirty seonds into the first round, Kelly sucked the air out of the Nutley High gymnasium when he landed a crushing right hand on Lennox’s left cheek that wobbled the big man’s legs. Kelly followed up until Lennox collapsed to the canvass. After beating Randy Nuemann’s ten count, Lennox still stood on wobbly legs. He moved slowly and his steps were deliberate — it was as if his feet were in two buckets of cement.

Kelly didn’t take advantage, however, and Lennox soon recovered. Towards the end of round one, Lennox landed a massive right of his own sending Kelly to the canvass where we would remain until Nuemann reached the count of ten.

The time of stoppage was 1:28 in the first round. Lennox improves to 10-1, 5 KO, while Kelly drops to 2-7, 2 KO.

Godson Noel v Satchell James — 4 Rounds, middleweight

In his professional debut, Bloomfield, New Jersey’s Godson Noel disposed of Alabama’s Satchell James via first round KO. James seemingly punched himself out in the first 90 seconds or so, and paid the price for the last 90 seconds. Noel battered James during the final minute of the first round, ultimately sending him to the canvass where he was unable to beat referee Sparkle Lee’s 10 count.

The time of the stoppage was 2:59 into the first round.

Noel’s professional career begins with a record of 1-0, 1 KO.

James, who was also making his professional debut, starts his career 0-1.

Alantez Fox v Fitzgerald Johnson — 4 Rounds, middleweight

Fitzgerald Johnson will likely have trouble sleeping tonight.

Heading into the fight — on paper — this looked like a mismatch. Alantez Fox — who is managed by Cameron Dunkin — entered the ring with at least a 4” height advantage over Fitzgerald and he also sported a perfect record of 6-0, 3 KO.

At the conclusion of the first stanza, it was clear that this wouldn’t be a one-sided fight, but Fox was in control; he was snapping his jab, maintaining distance between himself and his shorter foe.

But midway through round three everything changed with one short, crisp hook delivered on Fox’s chin courtesy of Johnson’s left fist. Fox stumbled backward, his legs turned into Jell-O. Fox’s knees bent funny and he quickly found himself with his back against the ropes. When he stepped forward, his legs almost gave out again.

Instead of immediately rushing forward to try and finish off his opposition, Johnson nonchalantly walked forward and allowed himself to get tied up. As Fox retreated to the other side of the ring, Johnson stalked him, but with no urgency. By the time Johnson let his hands go again, Fox had enough of his legs back under him to survive the round and ultimately win the fight.

All three judges had Fox winning 39-37, giving him rounds 1, 3, and 4.

Fox improves to 7-0, 3 KO, while Johnson falls to 2-6, 1 KO.

Aaron Kinch v Donnie Crawford — 4 Rounds, heavyweight

Brick City’s Aaron Kinch treated his hometown crowd to a third round KO victory over West Virginia’s Donnie Crawford. The two big men traded wild punches right from the opening bell — like two lumberjacks hacking away at a Redwood with a dull axe. Their swings were wild, aggressive, and with purpose. While both men had success at times, it was ultimately a sweeping right hands to Crawford’s gut that sent the Mountaineer down to a knee wincing in pain. Before referee Randy Nuemann could even reach the count of 10, Crawford waved Nuemann off to signal that he wouldn’t be able to continue. Kinch improves to 2-0-1, 1 KO, while Crawford drops to 1-3, 1 KO.

Jose Calderon v Jonathan Garcia — 4 Rounds, junior welterweight

In the night’s opening bout — a battle between two Boricuas — Jonathan Garcia scored a majority decision victory against Jose Calderon, who suffered his first professional loss. Judges Larry Layton and John McKaie scored the contest 39-37, while judge Julie Lederman saw the bout a draw, 38-38. With the majority decision victory, Garcia improves to 2-1, 1 KO, while Calderon tastes defeat for the first time and now possesses a record of 3-1, 3 KO.

NORTH BERGEN, NJ–— North Bergen’s own, Danny McDermott, righted his two fight losing streak with a sensational fourth round TKO victory against a very game Brian Abraham.

From the bell it was clear that both fighter’s would be willing to eat their opponent’s punches to land some of their own. In the first round, both fighter’s willingly engaged in exchanges, with McDermott getting the best of Abraham. The best punch of the round came around the midway point when McDermott placed a crisp left hook on Abraham’s chin, who took it well, but clearly felt McDermott’s power.

Abraham was able to regroup between rounds and get the best of McDermott in the second round. Momentum swung back McDermott’s way in the beginning of the third round after he landed a thudding right hand on Abraham’s left ear, which sent the Schenectady, New York native in retreat. Midway through the round, however, McDermott — whose looked a bit soft — was beginning to tire, and Abraham stepped on the gas. Abraham walked down McDermott, firing shots around the hometown fighter’s guard. With about a minute remaining in the round, McDermott struck Abraham below the belt, resulting in a brief stoppage of the fight. No point was deducted.

When the bell sounded to start the fourth round, a rejuvenated McDermott rose of his stool and — with the crowd behind him — began to overwhelm Abraham. A huge right hand about a minute into the round hurt Abraham, who immediately started to backpedal. Unfortunately, there was no where to go, and McDermott continued to pummel Abraham while he was pinned in the corner. Eventually, after McDermott chased his counterpart to all four sides of the squared circled — peppering him with power punches — referee Earl Morton stepped in at the 2:28 mark of the fourth round to call a halt to the action.

With the win, McDermott improves to 9-3-1, 4 KO, while Abraham drops to 5-10-2, 3 KO.

Danny Terrill v Daniel Crabtree — 4 Rounds, welterweight

Ohio’s Daniel Crabtree spoiled the professional debut of Danny Terrill by stopping the Long Island native in third round of their scheduled four round scrap. Vicious exchanges were riddled throughout the fight, with both fighter’s finding their fare share of success. Ultimately, however, in the third round, Crabtree took command of the fight. After Crabtree’s right hand sent Terrill to the canvas for the second time, the referee saw fit to step in and stop the fight at the 1:18 mark of the third round.

Crabtree improves his record to 2-3, 2 KO.

Terrill drops his debut. He is now 0-1.

Ian James v Tevin Farmer — 4 Rounds, super featherweights

Philadelphia’s Tevin Farmer overwhelmed Brooklyn’s Ian James, stopping him at the :23 mark of the second round. James was unable to ever get started, while Farmer seemed to never stop. The Philly fighter exploded right from the bell and didn’t let up. He scored a vicious knockdown as the first round was coming to conclusion and in the second round, he needed only twenty-three seconds to pick up where he left off and finish the job for a TKO victory. The referee stepped in Farmer teed off on a defenseless James who was pinned back in the ring’s blue corner. The time of the stoppage was :23 into round 2.

Farmer improves to 3-2-1, 1 KO.

James’ record slides to 1-2, 1 KO.

Thomas Baldwin v Dominique Foster — 4 Rounds, junior middleweight

In the night’s only bout to go to the judge’s scorecards, Newark’s Thomas Baldwin and Ohio’s Dominique Foster fought to a draw.

The turning point of the fight came in the third round, when Foster dropped Baldwin with a huge right hand that landed right on the button. Baldwin was able to survive round three and

The judges scorecards read, 38-37 Foster; 38-37 Baldwin; and 38-38.

Baldwin’s record now reads 2-0-2, 1 KO.

Foster, who was making his professional debut, starts his career off 0-0-1.

Santander Silgado v Glen Williams — 6 Rounds, heavyweights

In the bout’s opening scrap, Colombian heavyweight prospect Santander Silgado made easy work of his opponent, Glen Williams, to improve his already perfect record to 19-0, 17 KO. Friday night’s bout marked Silgado’s first in the United States, having previously only fought in his native Colombia or in Argentina.

Towards the end of the first round, Silgado placed a crisp one-two on William’s chin, forcing his legs to give out, resulting in a knockdown. Then in round two, Silgado landed another straight right, forcing Williams to crash to the mat again. Although he beat the 10 count, referee Earl Morton stepped in to stop the fight at the 2:51 mark of round two.

Williams’ record is now 7-6-1, 5 KO.

PART 2

PART 3

PART 4

PART 5

“And now the time is here, and Dawson faces the final curtain…”

I hope Bernard Hopkins’ once again enters the ring to Artie Rabin’s customized version of “My Way.” Why? Because I like it. It’s an old school song for an old school fighter.

But the song really is irrelevant — other than the fact that I’d much prefer it to some hip-hop song I’ve never heard of. What is relevant, however, is what will happen once Hopkins steps inside the ring, not what happens as he walks toward it.

And once the Philadelphia native steps inside squared circle, he will be staring down Chad Dawson, a counterpart eighteen years his younger.

If Dawson is to win the fight, the key will be the effectiveness of his jab. The long and lanky Dawson must find success with his snapping jab or else the forty-six year old champ will be given no reason to be uncomfortable. With regards to that very jab, I doubt that Dawson will land much cleanly. It’s likely that jab will land on Hopkins’ elbows and forearms more than it does his chin, but he’ll have to be persistent and keep throwing it — it must not be abandoned.

If Dawson does get frustrated and vent that frustration in the form of abandoning his jab in favor of power punches, that would mean the fight is going very very well for the aging champ. There’s no doubt Hopkins will use veteran tricks to throw Dawson off his game and make it a dirty fight — as per usual in a Hopkins bout. I’m sure he’ll try to fight a bit on the inside, rough Dawson up using elbows, forearms, and headbutts – oh my!

It’s par for the course for Hopkins to fight a little dirty. When you face an opponent like BHop, you aren’t just battling the Executioner physically, but you also have to have the mental fortitude to put up with the crafty veteran’s mind games. Jean Pascal failed Professor Hopkins’ psychology test and I’m not all that convinced Dawson will pass with flying colors.

With that said, Dawson is well-rounded boxer in his prime fighting years. Las Vegas sees “Bad” Chad as a -140 favorite, Hopkins a +100 ‘dog.

If you’re a gamblin’ man, this is probably a fight you’ll want to bet — not because there is an obvious play — but because this is one of the rare times in boxing lately where you can actually make money on both sides of the betting aisle. For instance, against Victor Ortiz, Floyd Mayweather was a -500 favorite when the bell sounded; and Manny Pacquiao is a -1000 favorite over Juan Manuel Marquez for their Nov. 12 bout.

So on Saturday night, we’ll find out who the class of the light heavyweight division is. Dawson’s motivation couldn’t be clearer — a chance to win the Ring Magazine light heavyweight title and be recognized as the best light heavyweight on the big blue marble.

For Hopkins, the motivation is a bit different. At forty-six, the future Hall of Famer has accomplished almost all you can in the sport; his last win against Pascal crowned him oldest prizefighter to ever win a championship.

His motivation this fight? To keep his title — to keep it for over two years, in fact. If he does that, he will surpass the Old Mongoose, Archie Moore’s record as the oldest champion (Moore defending his title until he was 48 years old).

“I look forward to making history and breaking the great Mongoose, Archie Moore’s, title defense record at the Light Heavyweight record,” Hopkins said at the New York press conference. “I believe when he was 47 or 48 years old he defended that title. That to me is impressive. I want that title. I want that record. I want that history.”

I don’t know if he’ll get that record, but I do think old man Hopkins gets a step closer to it with a victory on Saturday night. Only father time will tell.

Kyle Kinder can be reached via Twitter.com/KyleKinder

On Friday October 28, a twenty-nine year old family man from South Jersey will make his eleventh professional appearance inside a boxing ring.

Ninety-nine times out of one hundred, a fighter who fits above billing would be nothing to write home about. But then again, there is only one Derrick “Take It To The Bank” Webster.

Although he committed to the fight game at a relatively late age – “about twenty-one, twenty-two years old” – the 10-0, 6 KO Webster was exposed to boxing as a little kid.

“Tony Thornton, The Postman, he was from Glassboro [New Jersey] and I would always watch him run and train,” Webster recalled. “The funny thing is, though, as a kid, I didn’t have that love I have now for boxing. Boxing is just something I picked up. In a way, I would say boxing chose me, I guess. When I was a kid I would watch it, but I would kind of stay away by it.”

And since that day just less than ten years ago when boxing became an integral part in a young Derrick Webster’s life, the 6’4” light heavyweight from South Jersey has made the most of every opportunity that has presented itself.

“In amateurs I went 38-2 and won the Golden Gloves about eight times — mostly at the novice level,” Webster remembers. “I had the aspirations of making the Olympic team, but I fell short of that. I broke my hand in one of the tournaments, but there was nothing I can do but let it heal up.”

But even as his Olympic dreams were broken along with the bones in his hand, Webster didn’t get discouraged. Rather, he turned his attention to the professional ranks and set his sights on becoming a world champion; a goal that becomes more realistic each time Webster steps through the ropes.

Like most boxers, Webster’s journey as a professional prizefighter hasn’t come without setbacks, however. Besides the broken hand suffered in his amateurs days, Webster’s biggest roadblock in his career has been his ability to secure opponents.

After turning professional in May 2009, Webster made two more appearances inside the ring that same year. With 2010 set to be his breakout year, Webster was only able to scrap twice, once in January and the other in February.

As Webster’s 2010 rolled on without him stepping into the ring for over a ten month time period, he finally linked up with Central-Jersey based promoter, Nedal Abuhumoud, who heads up Nedal Promotions.

Webster describes how the two linked up. “I went down to Trenton to Mugsy’s Gym and was boxing his fighter’s down there. Mugsy [Episcopo] took a real liking to me and my style and we sat down and talked to Nedal,” he said.

Webster went on, “My trainer [Denny Brown] actually knew Nedal, they already had a relationship from the past and he thought it was a good idea to sit down and talk with him. All of 2010 I was always scheduled to fight, but we had a lot of fighter’s pull out of fights and I didn’t fight at all.”

Since linking up with Nedal, Webster has fought with regularity. Since January, Webster has fought five times and is slated to make his sixth appearance on Friday October 28 at Harrah’s in Chester, Pennsylvania – a outdoors fight that was scheduled to take place last weekend, but was postponed until the 28th due to undesirable weather.

“To sign with Nedal now and to be moving the way I am now, he’s made a tremendous impact on my career and everything he told me he was going to do, he’s doing so far. He’s doing a great job promoting me.”

His high-rate of in-ring activity has been just what the 10-0, 6 KO Webster has needed. “I want to stay as busy as possible. I’m not someone who parties or drinks or anything like that so my body is always in excellent shape. I’m always ready to fight.”

Make no mistake, not all fighter’s are ready to go 24/7. Most boxer’s fight, allow time for rest and relaxation, recuperate, and then get back to the gym. But not Webster. He has a constant and underlying motivation that pushes him to the best he can be, to be prepared to fight at all times.

“My motivation is wanting to provide a life for my family and give them things I didn’t have growing up,” Webster said. “I’ve always just been one of those kids that always wanted to strive to have more, I’m not a complacent person. Even if I were to make a million dollars in a fight, I would even try to push more to make more than that. So the motivation really just comes from me wanted to provide and give my family things that I didn’t have.”

And so far, with Nedal Abuhamoud and Denny Brown’s guidance, Webster is navigating rather easily through the super middleweight and light heavyweight waters on the East Coast.

Webster is an impressive physical specimen – 6’4” southpaw with an 80” reach. He’s lean, but solid – pure muscle.

“I have the total package. You’ll find a lot of times fighter’s have speed but no power or power, but no speed. I got speed and power.”

That speed and power caught the eye of Bernard Hopkin’s strength and conditioning coach, Danny Davis, who thought it a good idea to bring in the undefeated Webster in as a sparring partner of Hopkins’ as the 46 year-old future Hall of Famer prepares for his October 15 Pay-Per-View bout against “Bad” Chad Dawson.

His time inside the ropes with Hopkins will prove to be valuable as he continues his pursuit of a world championship.

When describing why he is so unique, Webster said, “boxing’s a thinking man’s game. On top of speed and power, I can box, brawl. If I get you the right way, my aggressiveness can cause a devastating knockout, which a lot of fighter’s have encountered that so far.”

His polished mixture of the above attributes have carried the Glassboro, New Jersey native to his 10-0, 6 KO record so far, and Webster hopes it will bring him a regional title by the end of 2011 or early 2012.

There’s a humble confidence that Webster exudes – one that almost heirs on the side of cockiness, although not intended that way. He just knows that if you come to see him fight, you’re going to see his efforts, his motivation, his working towards accomplishing his goals all on display, inside the ropes.

“I run into a lot of people that say they don’t watch boxing anymore because they say the Hagler’s are gone and the Sugar Ray Leonard’s are gone. They say boxing’s not exciting anymore. That is something I try to bring everytime I step in the ring — that excitement that everybody says is missing. That will to want to come out and see a fighter. I want people to come and see me not because they know me but because they like what I do inside the ring.”

Webster had trouble securing fights in 2010, but he stayed in shape, always fight-ready. This year, 2011, he linked up with Nedal Promotions, a partnership that seems like the gift that keeps on giving. It’s been fight after fight for Webster. He has been able to showcase his talents with regularity, getting more eyeballs on him, more mouths talking about him. But in many 2011 has just been a set-up year – a primary year. The South Jersey southpaw is setting himself up for something much bigger next year.

It’s for this reason that I’ll go on record: Derrick Webster in 2012.

Kyle Kinder can be reached at KyleKinder1@gmail.com or Twitter.com/KyleKinder

“You can’t make history all the time. You can have a winning record, a winning season, but to actually make history — a baseball player hitting 500 home runs or something like that — these things don’t happen all the time.” — Bernard Hopkins

Before his second meeting with Jean Pascal back in May, Bernard Hopkins made it clear that occupying more space in boxing’s history book was a major motivation for him. At 46 years of age, a win for Hopkins against Pascal would make him the oldest professional boxer to ever win a championship belt.

After twelve rounds and thirty-six minutes between the ropes, the Executioner grabbed both that championship belt and also that place in boxing history that meant so much to him. The archivists who keep that giant book of boxing history were forced to dust it off, erase George Foreman’s name next to “Oldest Fighter To Win A Title,” and replace it with Bernard Hopkins.

Now, having accomplished that goal, being the boxing historian and student of the game that he is — Hopkins has flipped through the history book and has set his sights on a new record. He wants to be the oldest champion to defend his championship hardware.

While it’s biologically impossible for that occur on October 15, the date in which Hopkins and “Bad” Chad Dawson will duke it out, the Executioner will need to come away victorious if he wants to keep that dream alive. If it were to happen down the road, he would replace another legend in in the record books, this time Hopkins’ name would be inserted at the expense of The Old Mongoose, Archie Moore, and it would come two-plus years down the road.

Depending who your source is, Moore was either born in 1910 or 1913 — Moore and his mother couldn’t even agree on that. What is indisputable, however, is Moore’s jaw-dropping record of 185-23-10, 131 KO and 1 no contest. Even more astonishing is that Moore held the title for over nine years straight, defending it until the ripe old age of 48.

So in order for Hopkins to keep that record in his sights, he’ll have to defeat 29 year-old former light heavyweight champion, Chad Dawson. Dawson’s only loss – you’ll remember – came at the fists of the aforementioned Pascal last August.

Last week, Hopkins’ trainer Naazim Richardson called Dawson “the most technically sound light heavyweight” but added that “Pascal was the most dangerous…as Chad found out.”

If you subscribe to that, then Hopkins beat the most dangerous man in the division and if he beats Dawson, he will have beaten the most technically sound fighter in the weight class. After Dawson, the clouds begin to part a bit, and Hopkins could stare Archie Moore’s record in the face.

Perhaps a showdown with Tavoris Cloud would be in the works, or a scrap with titleholder Beibut Shumenov. Regardless, beating Dawson is a tall order. But if it happens, then Hopkins holding onto his title for another two years is as realistic as ever. Realistically speaking the light heavyweight is not 140. It’s pretty thin.

Hopkins knows it can happen. He sees it is in his sights.

“I look forward to making history and breaking the great Mongoose, Archie Moore’s, title defense record at the Light Heavyweight record,” Hopkins said last week. “I believe when he was 47 or 48 years old he defended that title. That to me is impressive. I want that title. I want that record. I want that history.”

Archie Moore’s record really is Hopkins’ carrot on a stick. Even with a win, he can’t get it just yet. But it will be his motivation, his goal. And as long as Hopkins stays in this game, you can bet that he’ll be in peak physical condition and give himself a chance to win every fight he’s in. He’ll never embarrass himself. He cares too much about his legacy and his place in boxing history.

Kyle Kinder can be reached at Twitter.com/KyleKinder or KyleKinder1@gmail.com

Photo by Claudia Bocanegra