Ortiz stops Vargas in 7

Vergil Ortiz Jr. kept his perfect knockout record intact as he stopped Samuel Vargas in round seven of their scheduled 10-round welterweight bout at The Fantasy Springs Resort in Indio, California.

In round two, Vargas started to bleed over his right eye.

Ortiz continued to land more power punches with each round. The fight became an onslaught for Ortiz as he started pounding away at Vargas in round six. In round seven, it was target practice for Ortiz as he was all over Vargas he landed booming flurries until referee Jack Reiss stopped the bout at 2:58.

Ortiz, 147 lbs of Grand Prairie, TX is 15-0 with 15 knockouts. Vargas, 146.6 lbs of Bogota, COL is 31-6-2.

“I didn’t really notice fighting with no fans. I’m so focused on the fight. With or without fans is how we spar, so didn’t make a difference. 

“I hit him to the body a lot. I don’t know how he didn’t go down. He was hurt the entire time – I asked him. I knew it was time to take him out. If it went to eight rounds he would have been hurt worse. When I take rounds off like that I try to get used to timing, and miss some shots. 

“I would like to fight Danny Garcia or Keith Thurman. They’re good opponents I can beat. I want to take risks. I’m not here to take easy fights. I’m in the hardest division in boxing, so when I win a title it will mean a lot more. 

“Against a guy like that a solid B+. He brought it out of me, hardest opponent to date. My hands took a beating punching him the whole time, so when they’re healed I’ll be back.”

Shane Mosley Jr. won an eight-round unanimous decision over Jeremy Ramos in a middleweight fight.

Mosley outlanded Ramos 209-104.

Mosley, 159.4 lbs of Pomona, CA won by scores of 80-72 twice and 79-73 and is now 16-3. Ramos, 160 lbs of Colorado Springs, CO is 11-9.

“This was a great experience. This was my first fight as a Golden Boy fighter. I’m glad I got the win and got to knock some dust off of me. It was different due to the circumstances. Ultimately, it’s still a fight. He came to win. I think it was a good performance from me, but I still have to add some more things to my game, like adding more punches to the body.”

Seniesa Estrada destroyed Miranda Adkins in seven seconds of their light flyweight bout.

Estrada jumped out of her corner and landed six booming punches to the head that knocked Adkins down and out.

Estrada, 107.8 lbs of East Los Angeles is 19-0 with eight knockouts. Adkins, 106.8 lbs of Topkea, KS is 5-1.

“It was the outcome I expected,” said Seniesa Estrada. “I give her respect for stepping into the ring with me while having a 5-0 record. If it weren’t for her, I probably wouldn’t have had an opponent tonight, so I thank her. Hopefully next time I can fight someone who is a world champion.”

“I give Adkins so much credit because she stood up and took the fight. Due to the COVID situation we tried to get current champions, former champions, and Miranda was the only one who stepped in to take the fight. I had more experience than her in the professionals and amateurs, so I let my punches go and couldn’t stop. I knew the outcome would be a knockout for sure, but didn’t know how long it would take. God Bless Adkins and hope Adkins is okay.

“I want all the champions, I’m ready for it! At 105 lbs., 108lbs., or 112 lbs. I want Anabel Ortiz who has the WBA title at 105 lbs., and Yesenia Gomez who has the WBC title at 108 lbs. I want a world champion fight. Marlen Esparza, l will give her the rematch. Let’s go!”

Hector Valdez remained perfect with eight-round unanimous decision over Josue Morales in a super bantamweight bout.

Valdez outlanded Morales 140-89.

Valdez, 121.6 lbs of Dallas, TX won by scores of 80-72 twice and 79-73 and is now 13-0. Morales, 120.6 lbs of Houston, TX is 11-12-4.

“I felt I had an OK performance,” said Hector Valdez. “I give myself a 7 out of 10. I was calm, which is good. But now I need to work on being calm and being active with my punches. Now I’m going to go back to the gym, and I hope to come back soon on another Golden Boy card.”

Evan Sanchez remained undefeated by winning a six-round unanimous decision over Issouf Kinda in a welterweight fight.

In round four, Sanchez dropped Kinda with a right hook to the top of the head.

Sanchez outlanded Kinda 43-34.

Sanchez, 147 lbs of Parlier, CA won by scores of 60-53, 59-54 and 58-55 and is now 8-0. Kinda, 144.6 lbs of Bronx, NY is 18-5.

“I felt a little rusty in there,” said Evan Sanchez. “But I’m honored to be opening up for Golden Boy.  I know a lot of people were watching. I hope to get a two-week break and come back very soon.”




Damien Vazquez in disbelief of majority draw verdict against Josue Morales

Up and coming bantamweight prospect Damien Vazquez couldn’t help but shake his head in disbelief at two of the scorecards issued in his fight against Josue Morales in Edinburgh, Texas.  One judge scored the fight a reasonable 58-56 in Vazquez’s favor but that was overruled by the other two judges who scored the fight a head scratching 57-57.  Most observers of the FS2 televised fight felt that Vazquez won at least 4 rounds of the bout.

Morales fights out of Houston, Texas but Vazquez wasn’t worried about fighting him in his home state.  Vazquez is willing to fight anyone, anytime and anywhere – as long as the officiating is done without bias.

“I thought I won that fight clearly.  I went to his state and out boxed him. I respect the judges but those scores were BS.  No way he won more than two rounds.  I am going to come back even better than this.  Everyone knows I won that fight,” said Vazquez.

The 22 year old Vazquez was fighting for the first time since his first loss as a professional to former champion Juan Carlos Payano in March. He wants to get right back in the ring as he works his way towards a world title shot.

“We are looking for the big fights.  I hope to be back soon and I will put on a show for all the fans.  I am still young and improving.  You haven’t seen the best of me yet,” Vazquez stated.




Joshua Can Wait: Wilder-Fury draw sets up a rematch


LOS ANGELES –Forget Anthony Joshua. Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury still have some unfinished business.

A Wilder-Fury draw in a terrific fight Saturday night at Staples Center made a rematch a lot more likely than a big money date with Joshua for either heavyweight.

Both Fury and Wilder showed great resilience, power and – in the end – guts in a bout that was close most of the time.

In the final three minutes, both fighters fought their way out of trouble and defeat.

Wilder needed at least a knockdown. He got it with a concussive right-left combo. For a fleeting second, it looked as if Fury would not get up. Wilder went to a neutral corner, rolled his shoulders and smiled.

But the celebration was premature. He, like everybody else, had underestimated Fury, who about a year ago was about 150 pounds heavier than he was at opening bell for Showtime pay-per-view bout.

Fury got up, avoided the loss, survived for another day, another shot at Wilder. Judge Alejandro Rochin of Mexico scored it 115-111 for Wilder. Robert Tapper of Canada scored it 114-112 for Fury on a card initially announced at 114-110 and then corrected. The third card announced was from judge Phil Edwards, who scored it 113-113. Edwards is from the UK, Fury’s home country. UK fans filled Staples Center. They probably wanted to give Edwards his Brexit papers. But they, too, probably want a rematch

“Let’s do it,’’ said Wilder (40-0-1, 39 KOs), who kept his World Boxing Council belt. “In the UK, wherever. Wherever there’s the most money.’’

If the Staples crowd reaction was any indication, both Fury and Wilder can expect raise. Wilder was guaranteed $4 million, according to the California Commission. Fury collected a $3 million guarantee. The crowd screamed for more, especially through the six final rounds.

In the early going, Fury appeared to be in control. Wilder missed and missed with his big wind-up shots. But in the ninth, Wilder’s feared power touched Fury just enough to knock down the Manchester City fighter for the first of two times.

“With two knockdowns, I thought won the fight,’’ Wilder said.

But the clever Fury made Wilder looked awkward with agile footwork. It often left Wilder looking like a windmill, swinging his arms aimlessly, above and short of Fury. All the while, Fury mocked him.

“Listen, I got knocked down twice,’’ Fury said. “But I got up twice and won the fight.’’

The argument will continue. The only answer rests in a rematch.

Hurd’s body shot ends Welborn’s upset bid

Jarrett Hurd calls himself Swift. Make that Swift To Respond.

Just as it looked as if Hurd (23-0, 16 KOs) might lose his junior-middleweight belts in a significant upset, he rallied, throwing a wicked body shot that finished the UK’s Jason Welborn (24-7, 7 KOs) at 1:55 of the fourth round.

The aggressive Welborn had been rocking Hurd with repeated shots from head to body through three-plus rounds. Then, Hurd, of Accokeek, MD, decided to go to work. He got it done with one punch.

Luis Ortiz ends dull fight with 10th-round stoppage

The Staples crowd booed. But Luis Ortiz didn’t hear their impatience until the end. Finally, however, the Cuban heavyweight did what could have been done five rounds earlier. He stopped Travis Kauffman of Reading, Penn., midway though the 10th and final round with a succession of punches.

Ortiz (29-1, 25 KOs) also knocked down Kauffman (32-3, 23 KOs) in sixth, eighth and earlier in the 10th. For Ortiz, there’s been talk of a rematch with Deontay Wilder, who was waiting in his dressing room waiting to defend his WBC title against Tyson Fury. Wilder got up from a knockdown and stopped Ortiz in the Cuban’s only loss.

UK heavyweight Joe Joyce opens pay-per-view card with first-round stoppage

Joe Joyce opened the Showtime pay-per-view part of the Fury-Wilder card at Staples with a UK accent. Joyce (7-0, 7 KOs) also kept it short and sweet, scoring a first-round stoppage of Newark heavyweight Joe Hanks (23-3, 15 KOs).

Joyce landed a right that forced Hanks to hold on to the ropes. Without those ropes, he would have been on the canvas. It should have been scored a knockdown. It wasn’t, but it didn’t matter. Seconds later, Joyce landed left, dropping Hanks, who was flat on the floor with no chance of continuing in a that ended at 2:25 of the first.

Guerrero wins comeback bout in a swift stoppage

It didn’t take long for Robert Guerrero to start his comeback. To be exact, he got it done within two rounds against overmatched Hungarian Adam Mate (28-13, 21 KOs). In winning a second-round stoppage, the 35-year-old Guerrero (34-6-1, 19 KOs) scored a knockdown in the first and two more in the second, unleashing three reasons to think his comeback has a real chance at succeeding.

Wilder family stays unbeaten with a Marcellos victory

The Wilders kept the 0 in the family midway through a card Saturday that would end with Deontay Wilder’s heavyweight title defense against Tyson Fury in a Showtime -pay-per-view bout.

Marcellos Wilder, Deontay’s little brother and a big cruiserweight, went to 3-0 (2 KOs) with a unanimous decision of David Damore (1-4-3) of Bakersfield, Calif. Marcellus, whose record includes two KOs, flashed some of Deontay’s power, knocking Damore through the ropes in the second round.

Light-flyweight Jessie Rodriquez stays unbeaten, wins unanimous decision

Jessie Rodriquez, a San Antonio light-flyweight trained by Robert Garcia, was quick and accurate, an overwhelming combination in a one-sided decision over Josue Morales (8-9-3) in the second bout on a card featured by the Wilder-Fury heavyweight title fight.

Philadelphia light-middle weight Julian Williams scores quick stoppage

It was never a question of if, just when. The when was early. A stronger Julian Williams (25-2, 16 KOs), a Philadelphia light-middleweight, sent Mexican Francisco Javier Castro (28-9, 23 KOs) crashing into the ropes. Seconds later, Castro was unable to defend himself in a bout stopped at 2:40 of the second round.

First Bell: UK featherweight Isaac Lowe wins fifth-round stoppage in opener to Fury-Wilder card

UK fans were still singing outside Staples Center when a UK fighter struck an opening key that they hope to hear throughout Saturday.

UK featherweight Isaac Lowe (16-0-3, 6 KOs) opened the Tyson Fury-Deontay Wilder show with a matinee victory, landing undefended strikes to the head and body that floored Argentine Lucas Rafael Baez (33-17-5, 17 KOs) twice in the fifth round. At 2:11 of the fifth, the non-televised bout was over in a stoppage that left a dazed and slumped over on a stool for a couple of minutes before he could leave the ring under his own power.




Miller stops Dinu in 4


In a battle of undefeated heavyweights, Jarrell Miller stopped Bpgdan Dinu in round four of their scheduled 12-round heavyweight fight at The Kansas Star Casino in Mulvane, Kansas.

It took Miller a couple round to get going, and then in round four he dropped Dinue twice. The 2nd knockdown was for the 10-count at 2:45.

Miller, 315.4 lbs of Brooklyn, NY is 23-0-1 with 20 knockouts. Dinu, 237.4 lbs of Romania is 18-1.

Claressa Shields retained the IBF and WBA as well as claiming the WBC Middleweight titles with a ten-round unanimous decision over Hannah Rankin.

Shields, 159.6 lbs of Flint, MI won by scores of 100-90 on all cards is now 7-0. Rankin, 158.6 lbs of Glasgow, Scotland is 5-3.

Nico Hernandez remained undefeated with a eight-round unanimous decision over Josue Morales in a flyweight bout.

Hernandez, 112.4 lbs of Wichita, KS won by scores of 80-72 twice and 79-73, and is now 6-0. Morales, 113 lbs of Houston is now 8-8-3.

Hernandez landed 120-519 punches. Morales landed 62-293.

Brandon Rios scored a 9th round stoppage over Ramon Alvarez in a junior middleweight war.

The two traded heavy shots in close with Rios seizing control in the 8th round, where Rios hurt Alvarez at the end of the frame. The fight ended with a hard combination on the ropes at 38 seconds.

Rios, 151.4 lbs of Oxnard, CA is now 35-4-1 with 26 knockouts. Alvarez, 151.4 lbs of Guadalajara, MX is 27-7-3.

Luis Arias and Gabriel Rosado fought to a spirited 12-round draw in a middleweight bout.

In round 12, Arias was cut over his right eye.

Each fighter took a card 116-112 and a third card read even at 114-114.

Arias, 159.4 lbs of Milwaukee, WI is 18-1-1. Rosado, 158.2 lbs of Philadelphia is 24-11-1.

Anthony Sims stopped Colby Courter in round two of a scheduled eight-round super middleweight bout.

Sims dropped Courter three times, and the fight was stopped at 40 seconds.

Sims, 170 lbs of Indiana is 17-0 with 16 knockouts. Courter of Misourri is 13-13.

Nikita Ababiy registered his 2nd consecutive 1st round stoppage as he got rid of Javier Rodriguez in their scheduled four-round middleweight bout.

In round one, Ababiy dropped Rodriguez with a hard right hand. Moments later, it was a body shot that was followed by a left that sent Rodriguez down, and the fight was stopped at 1:48.

Ababiy, 159.4 lbs of Brooklyn is 2-0 with two knockouts. Rodriguez, 154 lbs of Nebraska is 3-7-1.

Jeremy Nichols dropped Jeremiah page four times en-route to a first round stoppage in a scheduled six-round super middleweight bout.

In round one, Nichols dropped Page with a body shot. Moments later it was a flurry of punches that sent Page to the canvas. Page was sent down for a third time with a hard over hand right. Seconds later, the fight was finally stopped after a left sent Page down for a 4th a final time at 2:34.

Nichols, 155.4 lbs of Las Vegas is 9-1-1 with three knockouts.

Manny Thompson won a six-round unanimous decision over Leroy Jones in a super middleweight bout.

Jones dropped Thompson in the 1st frame. Jones was deducted a point for a low blow in round three.

Thompson, 173.4 lbs of Wichita, KS won by scores 59-54 twice, and 57-55 to raise his mark to 8-0. Jones of St. Louis, MO is 3-5.