NEW YORK–In a rematch of heavyweights, Jerry Forrest and world-ranked Michael Hunter battled to a 10-round split draw at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City.

It was Forrest who landed the more impactful shots, and seemed to Hunter in trouble throughout the fight. Hunter rallied down the stretch to make it closer on the cards as it looked like Forrest deserved the verdict.

Forrest landed 110 of 402 punches; Hunter was 126-of 458.

Each fighter won a card 96-94 and a 3rd card was 95-95.

Hunter of Las Vegas is now 20-1-2. Forrest of Newport News, VA is 26-4-2.

The fight was a rematch of Hunter taking an eight-round unanimous decision on June 21, 2014.

George Arias won eight-round split decision over Cassius Chaney in a heavyweight bout.

Arias landed 79 of 309 punches; Chaney was 45 of 225.

Arias took two cards by 99-91 and 97-93. Chaney won a card 96-94.

Arias is now 17-0. Chaney is 21-1.

Khainell Wheeler took a six-round unanimous decision over previously undefeated Frederick Julan in a light heavyweight bout.

Julan landed 105 of 322 punches; Wheeler was 83 of 285.

Wheeler won by scores of 59-55 twice and 58-56 and is now 6-1. Julan is 12-1.

Mike Balogun stopped Trey Lippe Morrison in round one of their scheduled 10-round bout.

Balogun dropped two knockdowns and the bout was stopped at 2:40.

Balogun is now 18-0 with 14 knockouts. Morrison is 18-1.

Joe Jones stopped Junior Wright in round two of a scheduled six-round heavyweight bout.

Jones dropped Wright at the end of round one. Jones finished him off 13 seconds into round two.

Jones is now 13-4 with 10 knockouts. Wright is 18-4-1.

Photos by Nolan Shaffer

PUERTO VALLARTA, Mexico (November 24, 2021) Welterweight Jimmy Brenes scored a first round TKO in the first round of his pro debut against Herbert Cruz Lopez (0-1) on the undercard of Hernandez vs. Esquivel in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Brenes, who hails from Nicaragua, currently trains with Reniel Aponte and Mike Robles of KO Fitness Center in Hialeah, Miami. As a 95-15 amateur, Brenes competed in the Pan American Games, won Florida State Golden Gloves as well as the Florida State PAL Championship, before joining the Nicaraguan Olympic Team.

Trainer Mike Robles said, “He fought great. Very selective, not rushing anything, but very effective on his punches landed. Great performance coming from an elite amateur transforming to the pro style.” His opponent Herbert Cruz is a naturally bigger fighter who fought his pro debut two weight classes higher at 157 pounds. “So it’s showing our KO Fitness work. He displayed our work awesomely.”

At KO Fitness, Mike and Reniel also train Reniel’s son, the highly touted prospect Aaron Aponte (4-0, 2 KOs),who was also an elite level amateur turned pro in 2020, super featherweight Luis Melendez (17-1, 13 KOs), undefeated welterweight Harold Calderon (26-0, 17 KOs) and other up and comers.

The card was promoted by Eddie Hearn and Canelo Alvarez with the main card broadcast on DAZN.

Stephen Fulton retained the WBO and captured the WBC Super Bantamweight titles with a 12-round majority decision over Brandon Figueroa in a Fight of the Year Candidate in a battle of undefeated champions at The Park Theater in Las Vegas.

The stood toe-to-toe for much of the fight with Figueroa pushing the action and Fulton countering effectively. Not much separated the two combatants as the waged a savage war that thrilled the crowd in attendance as well as viewing audience on SHOWTIME. Fulton seemed to rally in the later rounds and picked up the win by scores of 116-112 twice and 114-114.

Fulton, 121.75 lbs of Philadelphia is 20-0. Figueroa, 121.75 lbs of Weslaco, TX is 22-1-1.

Aleem Decisions Baez

Raeese Aleem kept his perfect record intact with a 10-round majority decision over Eduardo Baez in a super bantamweight bout.

In round six, Baez was cut on the forehead by an accidental headbutt.

Aleem, 121.75 lbs of Muskegon, MI won by scores of 98-92, 96-94 and 95-95 and is now 19-0. Baez, 121.5 lbs of Mexicali, MEX is 19-2-2.

Russell Decisions Santiago

Gary Antonio Russell remains undefeated with a 12-round majority decision over Alejandro Santiago in a bantamweight contest.

Russell, 117.5 lbs of Capitol Heights, Maryland won by scores of 96-94 twice and 96-94 and is now 19-0. Santiago, 118 lbs of Tijuana, MEX is 24-3-5.

George Kambosos Jr. won the Undisputed Lightweight Title with a 12-round split decision over Teofimo Lopez at The Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden

Lopez came out extremally fast as he tried to stay true to his word and knock Kambosos out in the opening round. Late in the round, it was Kambosos who landed a huge right hand to the chin that sent Lopez to the deck. In round four, there was a cut over the left eye of Kambosos.

In round 10, Lopez sent Kambosos down with a hard combination. In round 11, Lopez was cut badly over the left eye.

Kambosos, 134.4 lbs of Sydney AUS won by scores of 115-111, 115-113 and Lopez won a card 114-113. Kambosos is now 20-0. Lopez, 135 lbs of Brooklyn, NY is 16-1.

Ogawa Decisions Fuzile; Wins IBF 130 lb. Title

Kenichi Ogawa won the vacant IBF Junior Lightweight title with a 12-round unanimous decision beatdown over Azinga Fuzile

In round five, Ogawa landed a huge right that dropped Fuzile to a knee.

In round nine, Fuzile started to bleed from his nose and was cut over the right eye. In round 12, Ogawa landed a hard right hand that sent Fuzile down again. Just before the fight ended, Ogawa put a capper on the fight by florring Fuzile again.

Ogawa, 129.4 lbs of Tokyo, JAP won by scores of 115-110 twice and 114-111, and is now 26-1-1-1. Fuzile, 129.6 lbs of East London, SA is 15-2.

Ford Stops Caraballo in 8

Raymond Ford remained undefeated with an 8th round stoppage over Felix Caraballo in a scheduled 10-round featherweight bout.

In round, eight, Ford landed a vicious eight-punch combination that forced a referee stoppage at 2:10.

Ford, 126 lbs of Camden, NJ is now 10-0-1 with six knockouts. Caraballo, 125.4 lbs of Mayaguez, PR is 13-4-2.

Zhang Stops Lewis in 2

Zheilei Zhang remained undefeated with a 2nd round stoppage over Craig Lewis in a heavyweight bout.

In round two, Zhang landed a big left that sent Lewis down. Seconds later, it was another straight left thatput Lewis down for a 2nd time, and the fight was stopped after the corner threw in the towel at 2:!0.

Zhang, 274 lbs of Zhoukou, CHN is 23-0-1 with 18 knockouts. Lewis, 273.4 lbs of Detroit is 14-5-1-1.

Ramla Ali remained undefeated with a four-round unanimous decision over Isela Vera in a super bantamweight fight.

Ali, 122 lbs of London, ENG, won by scores of 40-36 on all cards and is now 4-0. Vera, 121 lbs of Long Beach, CA is 1-1.

Christina Cruz remained undefeated with a six-round unanimous decision over Maryguenn Vellinga in a flyweight bout.

Cruz, 111.6 lbs of New York won by scores of 60-54 twice and 59-55 to raise her mark to 2-0. Velinga, 110.8 lbs of Park City, UT is 3-2-2.

In a battle of pro debuting bantamweights, Anthony Herrera stopped Jonathan Herrera in round two of a scheduled four-round bout.

The fight was stopped after a barrage of punches, and the fight was stopped at 2:32.

Anthony, 118 lbs of Los Angeles is 1-0 with one knockout. Jonathan, 115.4 lbs of Mexico City is 0-1.

Hector Gabriel Flores stopped former world title challenger Jay Harris in round six of their 10-round light flyweight bout at the Vale Sports Arena in Cardiff, Wales

In round six, Flores dropped Harris with a left to the body. Later in the round, Flores landed a left to the body that sent Harris to a knee and the fight was stopped at 132.

Flores, 107.5 lbs of Tijuana, MEX is 19-0-4 with 10 knockouts. Harris, 108 lbs of Swansea, WAL is 18-3.

Robinson Decisions Dragone

Jacob Robinson won a 10-round decision over Angelo Dragone in a featherweight fight.

In round six, Robinson was deducted a point for holding. In round eight. Robinson landed a perfect right uppercut to the chin of Dragone, who started to look like a beaten man with his right eye a bloody mess.

Robinson, 125.6 lba of Cardiff won by a 95-94 score and is now 9-2. Dragone, 126 lbs of Wales is 5-3.

Ennis-Brown decisions Combi

Akeem Ennis-Brown won a 10-round unanimous decision over Daniel Alejandro Combi in a junior welterweight bout.

In round five, Ennis-Brown was cut around the right eye.

Ennis-Brown of England won by scores of 99-91 and 98-92 twice and is now 15-1. Combi of Argentina is 9-5.

Kyran Jones won a four-round decision over Ivan Fleischhauser in a middleweight bout.

Jones registered a first-round knockdown.

Jones, 163 lbs of Wales won by a 40-35 score and is now 2-0. Felischhauser, 160 lbs of Russia is 1-10.

Ben Crocker stopped Sultan Ahmet in round two of their four-round welterweight bout.

In round two, Crocker dropped Ahmet with a hard right to the body. The towel was thrown in and the fight was stopped at 54 seconds .

Crocker, 149 lbs of Swansea, WAL is 2-0 with one knockout. Ahmet, 148.4 lbs of England is 0-1.

Muhammad Waseen won a 12-round unanimous decision over Ronald Barrera in a flyweight bout in Dubai.

Waseem, 112 lbs won by scores of 115-114, 117-111 and 115-113 and is now 12-1. Barrera of Colombia is 23-4.

Jack stops Crossed in 2

Former two-division world champion Badou Jack made his cruiserweight debut with a 2nd round stoppage over Sam Crossed in a scheduled 10-round bout.

In round two, Jack dropped Crossed with a right hand. Moments later, it was another straight right hand that put Crossed down. The fight was over when Jack landed a left to the body that put Crossed down for a 3rd and final time at 2:20.

Jack of Las Vegas via Stockholm, SWE is 25-3-3 with 15 knockouts. Crossed, 194 lbs of Greenbelt, MD is 11-2-1.

Davies Decisions Mwangi

Ohara Davies won a 10-round unanimous decision over Nicholas Mwangi in a junior welterweight bout.

Davies, 139.3 lbs of England won by scores of 99-89 on all cards and is now 23-2. Mwangi, 139.75 lbs of Kenya is 10-4-1.

Bader Samreem stopped Digari Mahesh in the opening round of their six-round lightweight bout.

In round one, Samreem dropped Mahesh with a right hand. It was a booming right hand that put Mahesh down for a 2nd time. Samreem ended things with a hard four punch combination that was punctuated by a right to the head that put Mahesh down again and, the fight was stopped at 2:51.

Samreem of Jordan is 4-0 with three knockouts. Mahesh of India is 5-3-1.

Fielding Stops Danso in 3

Rocky Fielding stopped Emmanuel Danso in round three of a scheduled eight-round light heavyweight bout.

In round two, Danso was deducted a point for holding. Later in the round, Fielding sent Danson to the canvas with a left hand. Danso did not answer the bell for round three.

Fielding, 174.3 lbs of Liverpool, England is 33-6 with 17 knockouts. Danso, 169 3/4 lbs of Accra, GHA is 32-7.

LAS VEGAS — Shawn Porter announced Saturday that will retire during the post-fight news conference following his stoppage loss to Terence Crawford for the welterweight title at Mandalay Bay’s Michelob ULTRA Arena.

“I am ending my career tonight,” Porter (31-4-1, 17 KOS) said after father and trainer Kenny Porter ended it in the 10th-round of a bout televised by ESPN+ pay-per-view.

Porter was knocked down twice in the 10th by Crawford (38-0, 29 KOs).

In losing for the first time by stoppage, Porter was knocked down as many times within one round as he was in his career — first by Adrian Broner and then by Errol Spence Jr.

LAS VEGAS – In the end, it was Terence Crawford’s dance floor.

He danced with his family. Danced with his mom. Maybe he danced to the top of the pound-for-pound debate.

Neither the dance nor the debate figures to end anytime soon. Above all, Crawford proved he still belongs on any dance floor and in any debate with a 10^th-round stoppage of Shawn Porter Saturday night in front of a capacity crowd at Mandalay Bay’s Michelob ULTRA Arena.

Porter came as advertised. He knows a lot of dance steps. But he couldn’t sustain them against the patient Crawford. He knows how to wait. Knows how to adjust. And how to finish.

The finish came at 1:21 of the 10^th round after two knockdowns of Porter. Porter’s first trip to the canvas started with a left-uppercut from. The return trip started with a combination followed by a left hand to the head. Frustrated, Porter got up and stomped his foot.

 But the gesture was futile. It was over. His father and trainer, Kenny Porter, was already up the steps with towel in hand. The towel was never thrown. The referee and inspector for the Nevada Commission saw it and acted. Kenny Porter would later say his son wasn’t properly prepared, confirming rumors that Shawn Porter had a problematic camp.

For Crawford, however, it was a moment that punctuated what he wanted to accomplish.

The belt, the World Boxing Organization’s version of the welterweight. Title, was still in his dangerous hands. More important, he strengthened his claim on the top spot in the pound-for-pound debate. Canelo Alvarez, are you listening?

One potential Crawford rival, however, was there. Listening and watching. Errol Spence had a ringside seat.

“Now wait, my thing is, who’s No. 1 in the welterweight division now?” Crawford said in a comment clearly intended for Spence.

At the top of the 147-pound division, it’s either Spence or Crawford. There is nobody else. Crawford made sure of it by eliminating Porter from any real say-so in the weight class. Crawford also has the last word, at least for now.

“You know who I want,’’ said Crawford, who collected about $6 million, $2 million more than Porter’s $4 million payday. “I’ve been calling him out all day. Maybe, Spence will get his tail out of his butt and fight me.’’

Maybe.

For now, there are questions about where Crawford is headed. Promotionally, he’s a free agent. His victory of Porter was the last fight on Top Rank contract.

Top Rank’s Bob Arum is confident he can re-sign him. Arum is already talking about a fight between Crawford and junior-welterweight champion Josh Taylor, who is preparing to move up in weight

For now, however, Crawford only wanted to celebrate a night that began with Porter coming out fast, moving forward and attacking throughout the first three minutes. For one round, it worked. He appeared to win the round with his aggressiveness.

He also was sending a message, one that he wore on the back of his black-and-orange robe. Marvelous War, it said. It was a tribute to legendary warrior, Marvin Hagler. It was note of respect to the past. But it was also a look at the immediate future, a sign of what Porter intended to do.

To wit: Crawford better be ready to brawl. He was. Porter unleashed a whirlwind of an arsenal — conventional, unconventional and often a blur of both.

“I figured that I had the reach and he had to take chances to come to him and he did what he normally does,’’ Crawford said.  “He tried to maul and push me back but I used my angles and I pushed him back at times as well.  Shawn Porter is a slick fighter he was doing some things in there and made me think

“I know I caught him with a good uppercut and then when I caught hidm with another left hook clean in his face that he was real hurt and his dad did the right thing by stopping it because I was coming with a vengeance.’’

In the end, there was nothing else to do but dance to Chaka Khan’ “Ain’t Nobody.’’

For one night, nobody but Terence Crawford.

Falcao wins technical decision in dull bout stopped by head butt

It was called an eliminator. In one way, it was. The crowd cheered when the final six rounds of the Esquiva Falcao-Patrice Volny was eliminated because head butt.

The butt came late in the sixth after Volny (16-1, 10 KOs), of Montreal, swung his head into Falcao’s face. The bout, so-called eliminator for a shot at the International Boxing Federation’s middleweight title. Everything before then was boring. Think deadly dull.

After it was determined that Falcao could not continue, the scorecards were turned in and counted. Two scores, 57-56 and 58-56 were for Falcao, an Olympic silver medalist from Brazil The third — a head scratcher — was for Volny, 86-84. Falcao (29-0, 20 KOs) got the victory by technical decision.

The crowd got some relief. At least, it was over.

Kazak middleweight Alimkhanuly wins stoppage

Janibek Alimkhanuly (11-0, 7KOs) ), a heavy-handed middleweight from Kazakhstan, administered a beating, landing lethal left hands that rocked Hassan N’Dam around the ring and off the ropes, virtually everywhere except on to the canvas.

Somehow, N’Dam (38-6, 21 KOs) , a former middleweight champion from Cameroon, stayed on his feet throughout the bout on a card featuring Crawford-Porter. But that wasn’t enough for him to have even a slim chance of winning. Finally, Kenny Bayless stopped it at 2:46 of the eighth round of a bout that could have easily been stopped a round or two earlier.

Unbeaten Raymond Muratalla wins fifth-round TKO

There was no stopping Raymond Muratalla (13-0, 11 KOs), a lightweight from Fontana CA. Elias Araujo (21-4, 8KOs), of Argentina, couldn’t. But Allen Huggins could. And did.

Huggins stepped in and ended the bout at 2:20 of the fifth round in the first ESPN + PPV bout on the Crawford-Porter card. Araujo protested, first in anger. Then, in tears. But the referee had seen enough. Muratalla began to land punch after punch. Blood began to drip from a cut on Araujo’s cheek and from his nose.

Huggins saved him from what would have been a bad beating.  

Dogboe wins majority decision

LAS VEGAS –Isaac Dogboe, a fighter from Ghana once projected to be a star, continued to try to regain some of his abundant promise, scoring a narrow victory — majority decision — over Puerto Rican Christopher Diaz (26-4, 16 KOs) on a card featuring Crawford-Porter.

Dogboe , a former 122-pound champion now at featherweight, won his third straight since his career(26-4, 16 KOs) was sidetracked by successive losses to Emanuel Navarrete.

Head butt leads to no decision

There was blood. But there was no decision.

Adan Ochoa (12-2, 5 KOs), a featherweight from Long Beach CA, was badly cut above his right eye in a head butt with Adam Lopez (15-3, 6 LOs of Glendale CA during the first round of a scheduled eight-rounder. on the Crawford-Porter card.

Late in the second, the blood began to flow into Ochoa’s eye. Just as the bell rang to start the third, the fight was stopped, declared a no decision because it had not gone at least four rounds.

Karlos Balderas wins fourth-round stoppage

Karlos Balderas (11-1, 10 KOs), a junior-lightweight from Santa Maria CA, was bigger and just better, scoring repeatedly with combinations, including a headrocking left-right that finished Julio Cortez (15-4, 11 KOs) of Ecuador at 2:13 of the fourth round in the second bout on the Crawford-Porter card.

First Bell: Tiger Jonson kicks off his career and Crawford-Porter card with TKO win

It was first bell. A debut, too.

Tiger Johnson, a welterweight from Cleveland, kicked off his career and the card featuring Terence Crawford-versus-Shawn Porter with a stoppage of Antonius Grable (3-3-1, 3 KOs) in a Saturday matinee at Mandalay Bay’s Michelob ULTRA Arena.

Johnson landed successive right hands, leaving Grable of Sarasota, FL dazed and done at 1:54 of the fourth round.

Just to make sure that everybody noticed, celebrated by walking toward retired welterweight champion Timothy Bradley, who was already in his ringside seat for he ESPN + pay-per-view telecast..

“I’m here, Tim,” Johnson shouted as he leaned over the ropes. “I’m here.”

PHILADELPHIA–Atif Oberlton stopped Brent Oren in round two of a scheduled sox-round light heavyweight bout in front of a large audience at the 2300 Arena.

Oberlton was patient early as landed some power punches. At the end of round one, Oberlton landed a hard left hand the bel.. That was a precursor of things to come as in round two, Oberlton ramped up the offense and dropped Oren twice. The second knockdown hurt Oren and the fight was stopped at 1:38.

Oberlton of Philadelphia was making his hometown debut and the heralded prospect is 4-0 with four knockouts. Oren of Harrisburg, PA is 4-7.

Quadir Albright needed just 29 seconds to destroy William Hernandez in their six-round junior welterweight bout.

Albright landed some vicious shots that hurt Hernandez. Albright landed more hard punches to a defenseless Hernandez and the fight was stopped.

Albright of Philadelphia is 4-0 with four knockouts. Hernandez of Kent, WA is 7-2.

James Bernadine made quick work by stopping Edgar Torres in just 76 seconds of their six-round welterweight fight.

In the opening seconds, Bernadine dropped Torres with a hard left hand. He was all over Torres and landed a hard flurry of punches and the bout was stopped.

Bernadine of Lancaster, PA is 5-0-1 with three knockouts. Torres of Woodbridge, VA is 8-3-1.

Jonathan Rodriguez and Roberto Pucheta battled to a six-round draw in a bantamweight contest.

Both fighters won cards by 59-56 scores and a third card read even at 57-57.

Rodriguez of Bethlehem, PA is 9-1-1. Pucheta of Mexico is 10-20-3.

Rasheed Johnson won a four-round split decision over Andres Abarca in a welterweight bout.

Johnson of Philadelphia took two cards by 39-37 tallies, while Abarca won a card 39-37.

Johnson is now 8-4. Abraca of Kent, WA is 2-6.

Julian Gonzalez stopped Tyriek Gainey in round one of their scheduled four-round junior lightweight bout.

Gonzalez dropped Gainey with a hard right hand. Gonzalez landed a flurry of punches that hurt Gainey on the ropes and the fight was stopped at 2:06.

Gainey of Reading, PA is 5-0 with five knockouts. Gainey of Paterson, NJ is 0-2.

Devon Young remained undefeated with a four-round unanimous decision over Nicoy Clarke in a heavyweight bout.

Young pounded away at a game Clarke and won by scores of 40-36 cards.

Young of Aiken, South Carolina is 2-0. Clarke of Jersey City, NJ is 2-7.

Demetrius Andrade remained undefeated and retained the WBO Middleweight title with a 2nd round destruction of Jason Quigley and SNHU Arena in Manchester, New Hampshire.

In round one, Andrade rocked Quigley with a right hook and a follow up shot put the Irish challenger on the canvas. In round two, Andrade landed a wicked overhand left that put Quigley down again. Andrade landed a leaping left that sent Quigley down and the fight was stopped at 2:24

Andrade, 160 lbs of Providence, RI is 31-0 with 18 knockouts. Quigley, 159 1/2 of Ireland is 19-2.

“I did what I said I would do, I looked good and felt good,” said Andrade. “I delivered a message tonight – what’s next and who’s next.
 
“Every time I get in the ring, I do something different, and I can do it all, and whatever I need. Patience. So many times, you see people get knocked down and then they knock the other guy down. So, I keep patient in there and wait for the shots to land. But you asked for KOs, and I give you KOs so let’s go.
 
“I’m 31-0, Olympian and World champion, so what more do I need to do?”

Martinez and Arroyo battle to a no-contest

The WBC Flyweight title bout was between Julio Cesar Martinez and McWilliams Arroyo was postponed three-times, They finally fought on Friday. The fight was full of action, but unfortunately the fight was ruled a no-contest after Arroyo was badly due to a headbutt after round two.

In round one, Arroyo with a hard right hand in between punches. Later in the round, Martinez caught Arroyo with a wicked right that sent him to the canvas. In round two, Arroyo was cut over his right eye. Later in the round, Martinez dropped Arroyo again with a left to the head. With Arroyo bleeding badly, the fight was ruled off after the round.

Martinez, 111.4 lbs of Mexico City is 18-1, 2 no-contest. Arroyo, 111.6 lbs of Fajardo, PR is 21-4, 1 NC

Akhmadaliev Decisions Velasquez; Retains Super Bantamweight Titles

Murodjon Akhmadaliev retained the IBF/WBA Super Bantamweight titles with a unanimous decision over sturdy late-replacement Jose Velasquez.

Akhmadaliev dominated the action as he backed up Velasquez with consistent punching for the duration of the fight.

Akhmadaliev landed 238 of 833 punches; Velasquez landed 170 of 551.

Akhmadaliev, 121.8 lbs of Uzbekistan won by scores of 119-109 on all cards and is now 10-0. Velasquez, 121.6 lbs of Quellon, CHL, stepped in for Ronny Rios who testes positive for COVID-19, is 29-7-2.

Reis Defeats Camara Via Split-Decision to become unified champion

In an action packed 10 round brawl, Kali Reis retained her WBA and won the vacant WBO Super Lightweight title over Jessica Camara.

Camara started strong and was able to get in some good left hooks. Reis came on down the stretch and showed championship experience.

In round 10, Camara was badly cut over her left eye.

The two waged a vicious war in that 10-round as Reis landed some hard punches.

Reis landed 158 of 556 punches; Camara was 159 of 547.

Reis, 138 lbs of Providence, RI won by scores of 97-93 twice with Camara taking a card 95-94

Reis is now 19-7-1. Camara, 139 lbs of Montreal is 8-3.

Reis will now take on Chantelle Cameron for the undisputed title.

“I thought I won the fight,” said Reis. “Jessica put up a brilliant fight, but I do feel I did the cleaner work. I’m so happy and I can’t wait to fight for the undisputed fight next year, that’s my dream.”

Demsey McKean stopped Don Haynesworth in round six of a scheduled eight-round heavyweight bout.

McKean dominated the action and landed a big flurry on the ropes in round six that forced a referee stoppage at 27 seconds.

McKean, 243 lbs of Queensland, AUS is 20-0 with 13 knockouts. Haynesworh, 293.6 lbs of New Rochelle, NY is 16-8-1.

Nelson Perez remained undefeated with a four-round unanimous decision over Raymundo Rios in a junior welterweight bout.

In round one, Perez dropped Rios with a left hook. In round two, Perez sent Rios down again with a left hook.

Perez, 140 lbs of Marlboro, MA won by scores of 40-34 on all cards, and is now 5-0. Rios, 139.6 lbs of Mexico is 3-8-2.

Thomas O’Toole made quick work of Mark Malone by scoring a 1st round stoppage in the four-round cruiserweight affair.

O’Toole landed a devastating left that sent Malone slumped to the canvas, and the fight was stopped at 1:31.

O’Toole, 186.8 lbs of Ireland is 2-0 with two knockouts. Malone., 198.6 lbs of Longview, TX is 1-1.

Khalil Coe and Aaron Casper battled to a four-round majority draw.

Coe, 175.8 lbs of Jersey City, NJ won by scores 39-37 and 38-38 twice.

Coe is 1-0-1. Casperm 174.8 lbs of Augusta, GA is 6-4-2.

PHILADELPHIA–Sonny Conto got a test for a couple of rounds, but he weathered some hard shots from Joel Caudle to knockout Caudle in round three of a scheduled six-round heavyweight bout in front of a capacity crowd at the inaugural fight card at Live Casino Hotel Philadelphia.

Caudle stood in and landed some flush shots. Conto gave as good as he received as he rocked Caudle several times over the first two rounds. In round three, Caudle continued to stand in and want to trade with the bigger Conto., but Conto landed a huge right hand that sent Caudle to the deck. Caudle got to his feet, but was wobbly, and referee Benjy Esteves stopped the fight at the end of round three.

Conto, 220.2 lbs of Philadelphia is 8-0 with seven knockouts. Caudle, 257.1 lbs of Raleigh, NC is 8-6-2.

In an entertaining contest, Christopher Burgos scored a mild upset by winning a six-round unanimous decision over Gerardo Martinez.

Burgos was able to land the more eye-catching blows in the fight, which saw each fighter take turns controlling the action.

Burgos, 138.9 lbs of Philadelphia won by scores of 59-55 twice and 58-56 and is now 3-4-1. Martinez, 138.7 lbs of Coatesville, PA is 5-2.

Daiyann Butt defeated Siefullah Wise via 3rd round disqualification in a scheduled six-round junior welterweight bout.

Wise was deducted points for holding and hitting in each of the first two rounds. Wise committed the same foul in round three, and referee Benji Esteves had seen enough and halted the action 53 seconds into round three.

Butt, 142.4 lbs of Philadelphia is 9-1. Wise, 144.6 lbs of Philadelphia is 4-7.

Jeremiah Kendrick made a successful pro debut with a opening round knockout of Tyrone Lewis in a scheduled four-round junior middleweight contest.

Kendrick landed a hard right to the head which stunned and hurt Lewis, and a follow up punch put him on the ground. Referee Shawn Clark stopped the fight upon Lewis getting to his feet at 1:05.

Bilal Quintyne needed a last second knockdown to eek out a four-round majority decision over Maurice Burke in a four-round battle of undefeated middleweights.

Burke controlled the first couple of rounds as he landed some solid right hands.

In round four, Quintyne dropped Burke with a hard right hand.

Quintyne, 159.8 lbs of Marietta, GA won by scores of 38-37 twice and 38-38 to raise his record to 2-0. Burke, 160.6 lbs of Philadelphia is 1-1.

Tariq Green made a successful pro debut with a four-round unanimous decision over Tunde Fatiregun in a light heavyweight battle.

Green, 174.5 lbs of Philadelphia won by scores of 40-36 and 39-37 twice and is now 1-0. Fatiregun, 176 lbs of New Brunswick, NJ is 1-1.

By Norm Frauenheim (Ringside) –

PHOENIX – There was a crowd of about 8,000. And there was an audience of one.

David Benavidez hopes he heard them.

All along, the Benavidez campaign has been about Canelo Alvarez. He’s been chasing Canelo for a couple of years. On Saturday, he delivered another performance in a homecoming that keeps him squarely in the mix for a shot at the undisputed super-middleweight champion.

Benavidez (25-0, 25 KOs) beat a tough Kyrone Davis (16-3-1, 6 KOs), forcing Davis’ corner to throw in the towel early in the seventh round at The Footprint Center.

“I think everybody wants to see me fight Canelo, right? Benavidez said in the middle of the ring moments after his victory.

The crowd roared yes. A Showtime audience heard it. Maybe, Canelo did too. The echoes will be there weeks from now as Canelo thinks about who’s next. There’s plenty of talk about a Benavidez-Canelo showdown on May 7. It’s a perfect match – Benavidez, a Mexican-American against Canelo, a Mexican — for the Cinco de Mayo celebration.

But Canelo, deliberate in the ring and out of it, said he won’t be in a rush to make a decision. He has the belts. He has the pay-per-view numbers. He has options aplenty. He has the time. He’s has it all.

For now, Benavidez can only wait. That won’t be easy.

“I don’t care what his assessment of my fight is,’’ Benavidez said of Canelo. “But they keep putting these contenders in front of me. 

“…They need to give me the opportunity. I’ll go through anybody.’’

At 24, Benavidez is still a maturing fighter with poise and power. He’s anxious to test that poise, use the power against the biggest name in the game.

Both were evident, again and again, through six rounds against Davis, who took huge shots from a relentless assault from the taller Benavidez.

Benavidez is known for throwing a so-called volume of punches. But there was no silencing Davis, a Terence Crawford sparring partner who agreed to the fight just two weeks before opening bell.  In the end, Davis trainer Stephen Edwards stepped in with a timely decision. It was time to end it. He did so at 47 seconds of the round

“David Benavidez is a tremendous fighter,’’ Edwards said. “He’s a monster.

“We fought. We tried to win. We didn’t come here to lay down. I think a lot people through that was the case. But I love this kid. I didn’t want to see him get hurt.’’

Seconds after the towel landed in the center of the ring, Benavidez showed his appreciation for Davis. He hugged him.

“He thanked me, thanked me for being a warrior,’’ Davis said.

David Benavidez’ victory helped his family and his fans forget about brother Jose Benavidez Jr.’s debatable majority draw with Argentine Francisco Torres (17-3-1, 5 KOs) in 10-round fight contracted to be at 159 pounds. Two judges scored it 95-95 each. One judged scored it 96-94 for Jose, who was fighting for the first time in three years. 15 Rounds scored it 96-94 for Torres.  

“I don’t know how I got a draw,’’ Jose Jr. (27-2, 18 KOs) said.  “We can run it back. I beat him. I thought I beat him. He kept running. He didn’t want to stay in the pocket. I can’t do anything about the judges’ decisions. I felt good. He just kept holding. I beat him every round. What can I do?

“I beat him. I beat him. He wasn’t hitting me hard. He just kept holding.’’

But the crowd seems to think otherwise. It booed Jose Benavidez. It cheered Torres.

In the end, however, there were only cheers.

For both David Benavidez and Davis.

Best of the Undercard

Junior-middleweight Elijah Garcia (9-0, 8 KOs) of nearby Glendale AZ, opened the show, flashing some prospect possibilities with a succession of power shots for a fifth-round TKO of Todd Manuel (2-91-1, 6 KOs) of Rayne, LA.

The Rest

Micky Scala (3-0, 1 KO), a Mesa AZ junior-middleweight who recently signed with Floyd Mayweather, endured some head-rocking shots, countered and in the end won a four-round unanimous decision over Martez Jackson (5-6-3, 2 KOs) of Macon GA.

Jesus Ibarra (12-0, 6 KOs), a junior-welterweight from Mesa AZ, calls himself Monsoon. He showed why in the second, storming Mexican Hector (12-14-2, 6 KOs) for a TKO victory at 2:05 of the round.

Farid Ngoga (12-0, 11 KOs), a junior-middleweight from Glendale AZ, employed a mix of speed and precision for a unanimous decision over Isaac Freeman (3-10-2, 3 KOs) of Los Angeles.

Junior-lightweight Jonathan Fierro (12-0, 11 KOs) didn’t waste any time. It took him 29 seconds to blow out fellow Mexican Victor Ruiz (13-12, 11 KOs). Officially it was a technical knockout. Nothing technical about it.

Phoenix featherweight Keenan Carbajal (23-2-1, 15 KOs) was too big for an overmatched Josean Bonilla (12-7-2, 9 KOs), who was bloodied and beaten after three rounds. The referee ended it after just two second of the fourth.

Jaime Munguia won a 12-round unanimous decision over Gabriel Rosado in a middleweight bout at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Califormia.

It was an exciting fights with both fighters standing toe-to-toe for most of the fight, but Mungua won by scores of 119-109, 118-110 and 117-111.

Munguia, 160 lbs of Tijuana, MEX is 38-0. Rosado, 159.4 lbs of Philadelphia, PA is 26-14-1.

Rocha stops Barraza in 9

Alexis Rocha beatdown Jeovannis Barraza and stopped him in round nine of a scheduled 10-round welterweight bout.

Rocha hit Barraza with everything and beat him up until the fight was stopped at 33 seconds.

Rocha, 146.2 lbs of Santa Ana, CA is 18-1 with 12 knockouts. Barraza, 146.4 lbs of Barranquilla, COL is 23-2.

Ballard Decisions Valenzuela

D’Mitrius Ballard remained undefeated with a 10-round unanimous decision over Paul Valenzuela Jr. in a middleweight bout.

Ballard, 159.8 lbs of Temple Hills, MD won by scores of 98-92 on all cards and is now 21-0-1. Valenzuela, 160 lbs of Mexico is 26-10,

Zepeda stops Moralde in 4

William Zepeda remained undefeated and notched his 14th straight knockout as he stopped John Moralde in round four of a scheduled 10-round lightweight bout.

Zepeda was the class in the fight as he dominated Moralde from the beginning. In round four, Zepeda landed a vicious flurry in the corner, and the fight was stopped at

Zepeda, 134.4 lbs of San Mateo, MEX us 24-0 with 22 knockouts. Moralde, 133.8 lbs of Miami, FL is 24-5.

Kiko Martinez became a two-weight world champion as he won the IBF Featherweight champion as he scored a shocking 6th round knockout of defending champion Kid Galahad at The Sheffield Arena in Sheffield, England

In round three, Martinez started to bleed over his right eye. In round five, Martinez dropped Galahad with a big overhand right. Martinez landed the first punch of round six just seconds into the stanza on the face of Galahad, who fell straight on his back and the fight was over at six seconds.

Martinez, 125.3 lbs of Alicante, SPA is 43-10-2 with 30 knockouts. Galahad, 125.5 lbs of Sheffield, ENG is 28-2.

Baumgardner Stops Harper in 4; Wins WBC Super Featherweight Title

Alycia Baumgardner scored a sensation 4th round stoppage over Terri Harper to win the WBC Super Featherweight championship.

In round four, Baumgardner landed a perfect over hand right that froze the reigning champ on her feet. The fight was stopped just as Baumgardner landed a left hook at 23 seconds.

Baumgardner, 129.5 lbs of Detroit, MI is 11-1 with seven knockouts. Harper, 129.4 lbs of Denby Main, ENG is 11-1-1.

Billiam-Smith Decisions Bregeon

Chris Billam-Smith retained his European Cruiserweight title with a 12-round unanimous decision over Dylan Bregeon.

Billiams-Smith, 199.2 lbs of Bournemouth, ENG won by scores of 120-109 and 119-109 twice and is now 14-1. Bregeon, 197.5 lbs of Nantes, FRA is 11-2-1.

In round four, Bregeon was cut around his right ear.

Dixon Decisions McCrory

Donte Dixon remained undefeated with a eight-round decision over Jordan McCrory in a super featherweight contest.

In round six, Dixon dropped McCrory with a body shot. Later in the round, McCrory was deducted a point for holding.

Dixon, 126.1 lbs of Sheffield, ENG won by an 80-71 tally and is now 6-0. McCrory, 131.3 lbs of Cambusling, SCO is `19-8-1.

Hunt Decisions Flint

Dom Hunt won a 10-round decision over James Flint in a battle of undefeated welterweights.

Hunt, 145.2 lbs of Wakefield, ENG won by a 98-93 score and is now 8-0. Flint, 145.5 lbs of Doncaster, ENG is 9-1-1.

By Norm Frauenheim–

PHOENIX – It was a pound that won’t matter Saturday, but it left questions that could have a heavy influence on David Benavidez’ career beyond his date against Kyrone Davis.

Benavidez came in at 169 pounds Friday, one more than the super-middleweight limit at the formal weigh-in at an outdoor pavilion in front of the Footprint Center, the Suns home arena in downtown Phoenix.

There were no immediate consequences. No penalty. The Showtime-televised bout, a scheduled 10-rounder, is contracted for 168, plus or minus a pound. Davis, a Terence Crawford sparring partner who agreed to the fight two weeks ago, was at 167.75.

“No title involved,’’ Benavidez promoter Sampson Lewkowicz. “No problem.’’

One-hundred-and-sixty-eight pounds – not an ounce more – is the weight at which Benavidez hopes to fight Canelo Alvarez, who won all of the significant pieces to the super-middleweight title last week in an 11th-round stoppage of Caleb Plant in Las Vegas.

Benavidez’ fight Saturday in his first Phoenix homecoming in more than six years has been called an audition. A stepping-stone.

“Sometimes, with stepping-stones, you trip,’’ Davis (16-2-1, 6 KOs) said.

Benavidez didn’t exactly trip when he stepped on and then off the scale. But he did raise some alarms. Although unbeaten, Benavidez (24-0, 21 KOs) has lost the World Boxing Council’s version of the super-middleweight title twice, first for testing positive for cocaine in 2018 and then last August for failing to make weight.

Benavidez was 2.8 pounds over the limit the day before a scheduled title defense against Roamer Alexis Angulo. The next day – August 15, he blew out Angulo, scoring a 10^th-round stoppage at the Mohegan Sun in Connecticut. But the WBC belt had already been stripped from him. He’s been chasing it — and Canelo — ever since.

Then, he blamed the scale fail on Pandemic protocol that had closed gyms and saunas. Then, Benavidez said he was sure he could still make the weight. He turns 25 on Dec. 17. He’s young man still growing into his prime. He’s going to grow out of the super-middleweight division. The question is when.

“Maybe two more fights,’’ his father and trainer Jose Benavidez Sr. said earlier this week.

Benavidez hopes for only one against Canelo, perhaps on May 7 in celebration of next year’s annual Cinco de Mayo holiday. Benavidez, a Mexican-American, against Canelo, a Mexican, looks like a perfect fit. But only if Benavidez can still be perfect on the scale, which means 168 and not an ounce more.

Nobody expects Canelo to wait around. He’s boxing biggest draw. He has a banquet full of options, one that grew this week with news that Ryota Murata will fight old Canelo rival Gennadiy Golovkin in Japan Dec. 29 in a middleweight bout.

If the winner agrees to move to 168, Canelo could choose to settle his differences with Golovkin with a third fight or expand his brand to Asia with a fight against Murata in Japan.

If not that, a jump to light-heavyweight is a possibility. So, too, is Jermall Charlo, an unbeaten WBC champ at middleweight who Canelo mentioned last Saturday after his crushing victory over Plant.

For now, at least, Benavidez can only wait. And make weight.

In another Showtime bout Saturday, Benavidez’ older brother, Jose, comes back after nearly more than three years against Argentine Francisco Torres. In a bout contracted to be at 159 pounds, Jose Benavidez Jr., (27-1, 18 KOs) a former welterweight, was at 158.75 pounds. Torres (17-3, 5 KOs) was at 157.50.

The Showtime telecast is scheduled to begin at 9 p.m., ET/6 p.m. PT. In Arizona (Mountain time), the non-televised part of the card is scheduled to begin at 4:40 p.m.

By Norm Frauenheim (Ringside)-

LAS VEGAS – It was a coronation.

Canelo’s coronation

It even included a crown, worn by Saul Canelo Alvarez as he paraded around the ring moments after his eleventh-round stoppage of Caleb Plant for all the pieces to the super-middleweight title Saturday night at the MGM Grand Garden Arena

It was a crown symbolic of a lot. He’s the first undisputed champion in the history of a division that dates back to 1967. That’s 54 years. Lots of kings come, go and are toppled within that time span.

We’ll have to wait and see how long Canelo’s reign lasts. But his history will endure mostly because of his deliberate, tireless pursuit of excellence. Go ahead and argue all you want about how he would do in another generation or against legends that were around half-a-century ago. But it’s hard to argue with numbers. And Canelo is putting up a lot of them.

With the super-middleweight title, the Mexican, already a champion at junior-middleweight, middleweight and light-heavyweight, is just the sixth unified champion in any division during boxing’s four-belt era.

Yeah, the battered game has been corrupted by too many belts, too many acronyms and too many weight classes. That said, Canelo (57-1-2, 39 KOs) has been winning as many of them as he can. That’s all he can do. He stays busy in a sport increasingly defined by more and more idle time. Yet in 11 months, Canelo fought four times to win all four of the 168-pound titles.

He’s the reigning exception. Let him wear that crown. It fits.

It also rests on a redhead that had been fitted for it long before he ever began his 168-pound campaign. Plant (21-1, 12 KOs) was just the last domino to fall, just another piece on Canelo’s blueprint to dominance.

Plant, who held the International Boxing Federation’s version of the belt never had much of a chance throughout Showtime’s pay-per-view telecast. The betting odds declined before opening bell, from 10-to-1 to 7-1. Money on Plant was coming in from a crowd that loves to play longshots. Maybe, they were betting on Canelo breaking an ankle on his way to the ring and up those three steps through the ropes.

Didn’t happen.

Canelo’s predictable dominance was apparent from the first round to the end – 1:01 of the eleventh. That’s when Canelo finished Plant with a succession of punches for a second knockdown in the round. The first knockdown was the result of a crushing left hand and successive rights as Plant fell onto his hands and knees on the canvas, a beaten challenger.

“It wasn’t easy to get to this place,’’ said Canelo, whose ability to conquer the challenges were compensated Saturday night by a $40-miliion payday.

It probably won’t be easy to move on either. A date with David Benavidez, who fights next Saturday night in Phoenix? A move back up to light-heavy?

“We don’t know,’’ Canelo said. “First, we need to rest.’’

There were no immediate comments from Plant, a Tennessean who collected $10-million.

He and Canelo hugged in the middle of the ring after the fight. Plant was then taken to Las Vegas’ University Medical Center for observation.

“I have a lot of respect for Caleb Plant,’’ said Canelo, who was angered by much of Plant’s pre-fight trash talk. “He was a difficult opponent with a lot of ability, and I do respect him. We are both men at the end of the day. He wanted to fight me and still continue. I told him there’s no shame. We had a great fight tonight.

“He was making the fight pretty difficult, but Eddy (Reynoso) told me to just stick to the game plan in the last two rounds. In the end, I got him. That’s the way it had to finish. He was already hurt and I went for the kill.”

There’d be no crown if King Canelo hadn’t.

Anthony Dirrell wins, scoring a huge KO

It was a lousy day for just about anybody wearing Michigan State gear other than Anthony Dirrell.

Dirrell, wearing the Spartan logo on green trunks trimmed in white, won a few hours Saturday after the No. 3 Spartans lost at Purdue in the final fight before the Canelo Alvarez-Caleb Plant ,main event at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.
Dirrell (34-2-2, 25 KOs), a super-middleweight from Flint MI, did it spectacularly

Violently, too.

He delivered a right-handed wheelhouse upper-cut for a concussive knockout of Marcos Hernandez (15-5-2, 3 KOs) at 22 seconds of the fourth round. Hernandez never saw the punch coming. He had to be helped onto a stool, where he sat and tried to regain his consciousness for a few very long moments..  

Rey Vargas says unbeaten, wins unanimous decision

Unbeaten Rey Vargas, a force at junior featherweight, moved up the scale. And he brought the force with him. He also stayed unbeaten.

Vargas (35-0, 22 KOs), long and lanky at 122 pounds, looked just as long and lanky at 126 Saturday with a skillful decision over fellow-Mexican Leonardo Baez (21-5, 12 KOs) on the pay-per-view part of the Showtime telecast of a card featuring super-middleweight Canelo Alvarez and Caleb Plant. 

Vargas, a junior-featherweight champion trained by Mexican geat Nacho Beristain, employed his long arms and punching precision to leave Baez bloodied under one eye and beaten on every scorecard —  100-90, 99-91, 100-90.   

Elvis Rodriguez storms back from loss with big KO

Elvis Rodriguez (12-1-1, 11 KOs) began to put prospect back into his resume.

The junior-welterweight from the Dominican Republic did so with power, scoring two knockdowns — one in the fourth and again in the fifth — for a convincing victory over Juan Pablo Romero (14-1, 9 KOs) of Mexico.He knocked out Romero with sweeping left hook in the closing seconds of the fifth round. Rodriguez, trained by Freddie Roach, raised a lot of questions about his future with a majority decision loss to Kenneth Sims Jr in May. He delivered a couple of answers Saturday night on the Canelo-Plant undercard.

Super-flyweight Fernando Diaz scores super KO

Fernando Diaz (10-1-1, 3 KOs), a super-flyweight from southern California, executed a left hook with perfect timing and unerring precision in the fourth fight on the Canelo-Plant card Saturday.. It landed,– boom — on Jan Salvatierra’s chin late in the fifth round.

Somehow, Salvatierra (7-1, 3 KOs) picked himself up and and on to his feet. But he didn;t stay there for long. Within a couple of seconds, he fell forward and into the ropes, a loser by knockout at 2:16 of the round.

Jose Antonio Meza survived a 1st round knockdown to eek out an eight-round unanimous decision over Jose Gomez in a super featherweight bout.

Meza, 132 lbs of Durango, MEX won by 76-75 tallies on all cards and is now 8-6. Gomez, 131 lbs of Huntington Park, CA is 12-1.

Mexican flyweight Velazquez scores scorecard shutout

Mexican flyweight Josesito Velazquez (14-0-1, 9 KOs) possessed more power and .and a lot  more aggression, both enough to score a unanimous decision over Gilberto Mendoza (19-1-3, 10 KOs) of San Francisco in an eight-rounder, the second fight on the Canelo-Plant card. Velazquez scored a shutout (80-72) on all three scorecards. 

First Bell: Rances Barthelemy opens the show with TKO win

In an empty building and in front of vacant seats, Cuban Rances Barthelemy (29-1-1, 15 KOs) got things started with a second round TKO of Argentine Gustvao Vittori (25-10-1, 12 KOs) in a junior-welterweight matinee on a card featuring Canelo Alvarez-Caleb Plant Saturday night at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Barthelemy, a former junior-lightweight and lightweight champion, landed a quick succession of punches that put Vittori down in his corner, finished at 1:54 of the second round. 

BY Norm Frauenheim-

LAS VEGAS – It was part weigh-in. Part popularity contest.

Caleb Plant made the weight and – from the sound of it – a ton of more enemies.

On any scale, Canelo Alvarez won Friday’s weigh-in by thunderous acclamation for Saturday night’s super-middleweight fight at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

That wasn’t exactly a surprise. Showtime’s pay-per-view telecast (6p.pm PT/9 pm ET) has always been Canelo’s show. He’s the draw, the irreplaceable dynamic that stirs up the interest, if not the drama. The odds say so. Canelo was still a 10-1 favorite late Friday, according to BetMGM.

The purses say so, too. Canelo will collect at least $40 million, or four times more than Plant’s $10-million guarantee, according to multiple sources.

Canelo, who was at the 168-pound limit Friday, appears to be close to having it all. A final piece, Plant’s International Boxing Federation belt, is expected to be in his possession. sometime Saturday night.

A lot of it depends on Plant (21-0, 12 KOs), however. Can he surprise – stun – the heavily-favored Canelo? His agile footwork and hand speed might give Canelo (56-1-2, 38 KOs) some trouble in the early rounds. Still, the questions are whether he has any real power and whether he can survive a predictable Canelo assault to body and head in the later rounds.

There were no sounds of doubt in Friday’s weigh-in crowd. There were only jeers, all for Plant at every turn. First, there were boos when he stepped onto the scale. Then, there were insults when he stepped off after weighing 167 pounds.

Plant fired back, mocking the Canelo crowd with gestures and words. He looked angry. Then, the Tennessee native turned defiant, sounding like a southern-fried Vanilla Ice.

“It’s easy to sit in those seats,’’ Plant said. “It ain’t easy to stand up here.’’

Canelo, of course, is saying that Plant won’t be standing at all when it’s over. The Mexican superstar says he’ll stop Plant between the seventh and ninth rounds.

With his growing command of English and all its expletives, Canelo trash-talked Plant while the two glared at each other. They were separated by the scale, regulators and promoters. Everybody was anxious to avoid an encore of the brawl that erupted two months ago during a news conference in Los Angeles.

Behind them, stood Mike Tyson, a former heavyweight champion known for wild news conferences and wilder moments. He was standing not far from the floor where he bit off a piece of Evander Holyfield’s ear in the notorious Bite Fight in 1997.

Tyson likes Canelo. He picks him to win

“He’s the he best fighter of his generation,’’ said Tyson, who at the time almost looked as if he were relieved not to be involved in any of the tension, words and other signs of imminent hostility.

Showtime’s Jim Gray asked him if he missed the scene, a mix of chaos and nervous anticipation.

“Not so much,’’ said Tyson, a Canelo fan who also knew how Plant felt.

He’s been there, a sign perhaps that just about anything can happen Saturday night.    Attachments area

LAS VEGAS--Mikaela Mayer retained her WBO and won the IBF Junior Lightweight titles In a classic junior lightweight unification bout at the Virgin Hotels.

The two stood inches from each other for most of the 20 minute brawl. Hamadouche was relentless as she basically attached herself to Mayer by landing good flurries on inside. On the rare occurrences that a few feet, Mayer was able to use her length and land some eye catching shots at distance. Those situations were few, as the two engaged in an action fight that was worthy of two champions.

Mayer seemed to have hurt Hamadouche in round six by landing a hard right hand. For about 45 seconds, and the only time in the fight, the French visitor took her feet off the gas. Mayer fought well on the inside, but Hamadouche seemed busier.

Mayer landed 239 of 594; punches; Hamadouche was 233 of 872.

Mayer, 129.6 lbs of Los Angeles won by wider then it seemed scores of 100-90, 99-91 and 98-92 to go to 16-0. Hamadouche, 128.2 lbs of France is 22-2.

“{I showed} I could bang it out on the inside. That wasn’t really the entire game plan,” Mayer said. “The game plan was to use my jab, but in the back of my head, I knew she was going to keep it close, keep me on the inside. Even though we trained for that, just being able to do that for 10 straight rounds taught me a lot.

“This is everything I trained for. It really hasn’t even sunk in, but I’m proud of what I did. I’m proud of my team. We’re going to celebrate this one, for sure.”

Added Top Rank chairman Bob Arum, “This was a sensational fight, one of the best fights of the year, male or female. These two ladies are a credit to the sport, and they left it all in the ring. It was a close fight, but I felt Mikaela did more than enough to have her hand raised.”

Mayer said, “I really wanted to show everyone in the division and the naysayers that I didn’t have the power and the grit to stay in there for 10 rounds with Hamadouche that I am the best in the division. I am coming to be undisputed, and I want the big fights. I’m definitely a threat.”

Luis Melendez pounded out an eight-round unanimous decision over Thomas Mattice in a junior lightweight fight.

Melendez landed 92 of 306 punches; Mattice was 131 of 408.

Melendez, 131.4 lbs of Miami won by scores of 77-75 cards and is now 17-1. Mattice, 131.4 lbs of Cleveland is 17-3-1.

Andres Cortes remained undefeated with a 3rd round stoppage over Mark Bernaldez in a scheduled eight-round junior lightweight bout.

In round three, Cortes landed a hard combination that drove Bernaldez into the ropes. Cortes followed up with seven unanswered blows and the fight was stopped at 2:32.

Cortes, 131.6 lbs of Las Vegas is 16-0 with nine knockouts. Bernaldez, 131.2 lbs of the Philippines is 23-5.

17 year-old prospect Abdullah Mason made a successful pro debut with a 2nd round stoppage over Jaylon Phillips in a lightweight bout.

In round two, Mason put together a big flurry of punches for which Phillips had no answer for and the fight was stopped at

Mason, 135.4 lbs of Cleveland is 1-0 with one knockout. Phillips, 134.6 lbs of Florida is 1-1.

Ian Green won a eight-round unanimous decision over previously undefeated Tyler Howard in a middleweight bout.

Howard was deducted a point in round four for hitting on the break.

Green, 160 lbs of Paterson, NJ won by scores of 80-71 and 79-72 twice and is now 17-2. Howard, 160 lbs of Crossville, TN is 19-1.

Rowdy Legend Montgomery stopped Martez McGregor in round three of their scheduled six-round super middleweight fight.

In round three, Montgomery landed a perfect right that sent McGregor down and out at 1:10.

Montgomery, 164 lbs of Victorville, CA is now 7-3-1 with five knockouts. McGregor, 166.8 lbs of Maywood, IL is 8-6.

Lewis Crocker stopped Artem Haroyan in round seven of their scheduled 10-round welterweight bout at Ulster Hall in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

Crocker dropped Haroyan once in round sic and again in round seven, and the bout was stopped at 47 seconds.

Crocker, 146 1/4 lbs of Belfast, NI is 14-0 with eight knockouts. Haroyan, 146 1/4 lbs of Spain is 17-3-1.

Paddy McCrory stopped Celso Neves in round two of a scheduled 10-round super middleweight bout.

In round two, McCrory landed a wicked left hook on the inside that dropped Neves and the fight was over at 35 seconds.

McCrory, 168 lbs of Belfast, IRE who is 13-0 with seven knockouts. Neves, 167.2 lbs of Portugal is 8-2-1/

Sean McComb won a decision over Ronnie Clark in an eight-round super lightweight bout.

McComb, 137 1/2 lbs won by a 79-74 score and is now 13-1. Clark is 21-6-2.

James McGivern remained undefeated with a six-round decision over Rustem Fatkullin in a super lightweight bout.

In round six, McGivern was marked up a little bit around the left eye.

McGivern, 136.1 lbs of Belfast, NI won by a score 60-54 and is 4-0. Fatullin, 143 lbs of Russia is 8-11.

Paul Ryan made quick work of David Esquisabel with an opening round stoppage in a scheduled four-round middleweight bout.

In round one, Ryan landed a combination to the head that dropped Esquisabel. Ryan finished the fight with a hard uppercut to the body that sent Esquisabel down again and the fight was stopped at 47 seconds.

Ryan, 155 lbs of Dublin, IRE is 2-0 with one knockout. Esquisabel, 156.2 lbs of Spain is 4-7.

Daniel Keating remained undefeated with a four-round decision over Jack Dempsey Eubank.

In round one, Keating dropped Eubank with a left hook.

Keating, 152.5 lbs of Cork, IRE won by a 40-35 score and is now 5-0. Dempsey, 152.3 lbs of Ashford, ENG is 4-2.

Despite being dropped twice in the opening round, Cain Lewis and Juan Lewis battled to a draw in a super featherweight fight.

In round one, Yin dropped Lewis with a hard left hand. Moments later it was another left hook that put Lewis on the deck. Lewis was able to win the final three rounds and salvage a draw by 37-37 scores on all cards.

Lewis, 126 1/4 lbs of Ireland is 1-0-1. Yin, 125 1/4 lbs of Madrid, SPA is 4-0-1.

NEW YORK (Nov. 1, 2021) — Three-weight kingpin Vasiliy “Loma” Lomachenko, the Ukrainian virtuoso who saves his best for the New York City spotlight, hopes his next oversized challenge is not a bridge too far. Lomachenko returns to Madison Square Garden on Saturday, Dec. 11 for a 12-round lightweight showdown against former world champion Richard “RC” Commey.

Lomachenko-Commey marks boxing’s return to the “Big Room” at Madison Square Garden for the first time in nearly two years, when Terence Crawford defended his welterweight title with a riveting knockout over Egidijus “Mean Machine” Kavaliauskas. In the 10-round co-feature, undefeated heavyweight sensation Jared “The Real Big Baby” Anderson will battle Oleksandr Teslenko.

Lomachenko-Commey and Anderson-Teslenko will air live on ESPN and ESPN Deportes (simulcast on ESPN+) at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT following the 2021 Heisman Ceremony. Puerto Rican junior middleweight standout Xander Zayas and middleweight prospect Nico Ali Walsh, grandson of Muhammad Ali, will also see action on this special New York City fight night.

Promoted by Top Rank, in association with DiBella Entertainment, tickets starting at $56 go on sale, Tuesday, Nov. 2 at 12 p.m. ET and can be purchased by visiting Ticketmaster.com or MSG.com.

“It is only fitting that the great Lomachenko headlines boxing’s highly anticipated return to Madison Square Garden. However, Richard Commey can never be counted out, as he’s a tough fighter who carries huge power in both hands,” said Top Rank chairman Bob Arum. “Jared Anderson is a future heavyweight champion, but I expect Teslenko to be his toughest challenge to date. I also can’t wait to see what Xander and Nico do next, as they are two of the most charismatic and exciting young fighters in the sport.”

Lomachenko (15-2, 11 KOs) has authored many of his most memorable moments under the MSG lights. He’s fought three times at the adjoining Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden, knocking out Roman Martinez in 2016 to become a two-weight world champion, forcing fellow two-time Olympic gold medalist Guillermo Rigondeaux to quit in 2017, and unifying lightweight world titles in December 2018 with a unanimous decision over Jose Pedraza. Lomachenko had a memorable bout against Jorge Linares at Madison Square Garden in May 2018, becoming a three-weight world champion when he knocked out the Venezuelan star the 10^th round with a body shot. He bounced back from his 2020 undisputed lightweight title defeat to Teofimo Lopez with June’s ninth-round stoppage over Japanese stalwart Masayoshi Nakatani.

Lomachenko said, “It is always special when I fight at Madison Square Garden, where so many great moments in my career have taken place. Richard Commey is a former world champion, an opponent I will not underestimate. I expect the best version of Commey, and I will be prepared for whatever he brings on December 11.” 

As has become his lightweight custom, Lomachenko will enter the ring as the smaller man. Commey (30-3, 27 KOs) has a nearly two-inch height advantage and 5.5 inches in reach. The New York City resident held the IBF lightweight world title in 2019, but in December of that year, he was stopped in two rounds by Lopez at Madison Square Garden. Commey took nearly 14 months off, returning in February to knock out Jackson Marinez in six rounds. One of the division’s most dangerous punchers, his other two losses have come via split decision to Robert Easter Jr. and Denis Shafikov. The winner of this fight becomes a logical world title challenger in 2022.

Commey said, “I want to thank my team of Michael Amoo-Bediako, Lou DiBella, and Keith Connolly for getting me this opportunity. Ever since the Lopez fight, all I have thought about is becoming a two-time world champion. This fight against Lomachenko will get me one step closer to my goal. I also want to thank Bob Arum and Top Rank for the opportunity to again grace the stage at Madison Square Garden, one of boxing’s most iconic venues. I know that most people consider me the underdog, but I am aiming to prove them all wrong and make Ghana proud once again.”

Anderson (10-0, 10 KOs), from Toledo, Ohio, rose to prominence due to his highlight-reel knockouts and status as heavyweight champion Tyson Fury’s most trusted sparring partner. He has scored three knockouts in 2021 and had his most high-profile assignment Oct. 9 on the Fury-Deontay Wilder III PPV undercard. Anderson opened the PPV telecast with a second-round blitzing over the previously undefeated Vladimir Tereshkin. Teslenko (17-1, 13 KOs), a 6’4, 220-pound prospect from Ukraine, built a 16-0 record before being knocked out in five rounds by Shawndell Winters in December 2019. He rebounded in fine form, knocking out Cesar David Crenz in three rounds in June 2021.

Anderson said, “I’ve made my mark in Las Vegas over the last two years and now it’s time to steal the show in my Madison Square Garden debut on December 11. The Mecca of Boxing holds so much history, and I can’t wait to add my name to list of legends who’ve fought there.”

Zayas (11-0, 8 KOs) can wrap up the 2021 Prospect of the Year award with an impressive showing at Madison Square Garden. The San Juan native is 5-0 in 2021, most recently knocking out Dan Karpency in four rounds on the Jamel Herring-Shakur Stevenson card Oct. 23 in Atlanta.

Ali Walsh (2-0, 2 KOs) turned pro Aug. 14 with a first-round knockout and makes his debut in the building where his grandfather fought some of his most legendary fights, including “The Fight of the Century” against Joe Frazier in 1971 and the 1974 Frazier rematch.  Ali Walsh shined alongside Zayas in Atlanta, notching a third-round stoppage over James Westley II.

In order to attend the event, all guests age 12 and older are required to provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination (this means having at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine prior to attending). MSG’s comprehensive COVID-19 guidelines, including those regarding children under 12, can be found at https://www.msg.com/madison-square-garden/faqs.

About Madison Square Garden Entertainment Corp.
Madison Square Garden Entertainment Corp. (MSG Entertainment) is a leader in live entertainment. The Company presents or hosts a broad array of events in its diverse collection of venues: New York’s Madison Square Garden, Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden, Radio City Music Hall and Beacon Theatre; and The Chicago Theatre. MSG Entertainment is also building a new state-of-the-art venue in Las Vegas, MSG Sphere at The Venetian. In addition, the Company features the original production – the Christmas Spectacular Starring the Radio City Rockettes – and through Boston Calling Events, produces the Boston Calling Music Festival. The Company’s two regional sports and entertainment networks, MSG Network and MSG+, deliver a wide range of live sports content and other programming. Also under the MSG Entertainment umbrella is Tao Group Hospitality, with entertainment dining and nightlife brands including: Tao, Marquee, Lavo, Beauty & Essex, Cathédrale, Hakkasan and Omnia. More information is available at www.msgentertainment.com.  

NEW YORK–The weigh-in fight was more competitive then the actual fight. Jose Zepeda annihilated Josue Vargas in the opening frame of their junior welterweight fight at The Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden.

Zepeda landed a short left to the head that froze Vragas, who immediately fell face first on the canvas. Vargas tried to get up and then crashed into the bottom rope. Vargas did eventually get to his feet but then ate a devastating barrage in the corner and the fight was stopped at 1:45.

Zepeda, 139.6 lbs of Long Beach, CA is 35-2 with 30 knockouts. Vragas, 139 lbs of Bronx, NY is 19-2.

JOSE ZEPEDA

“I was ready. I was 100 percent ready, and I told him in the press conference there’s levels to this. He was the one who wanted to fight me. I just accepted the fight, and it showed today that boxing is not a game in there. There’s levels to this.”

“I told him, and he probably knew I hit hard. I don’t think he recovered after that shot.”

“After the way he went down, I didn’t think {he’d recover}. He probably was going to head up, but he was going to be wobbly on his feet, and that’s what happened and I was able to finish him.”

“I’m 32 years old, and I’m in my prime. I want the WBC world title and all the belts, to be honest. I’m ready for it. I showed today I’m ready for the WBC world title.”

VARGAS

“He caught me with a good left hand, and I tried to recover, but I think I got up too fast. That’s what happened. Overall, I’m OK. I’m good. I’m healthy. We’re not stopping from here. It’s on to the next.”

“I learned from my disqualification loss, and now I learned from my second loss.”

“It’s part of the sport. The greatest athletes in boxing have losses. I’m not ashamed of myself. I’ll be back stronger, for sure.”

Sultan Knocks down Caraballo 4 times; Decisions Caraballo

Jonas Sulton pulled off an upset victory as he dropped previously perfect Carlos Caraballo and won a 10-round unanimous decision in a bantamweight fight.

In round two, Sultan dropped Caraballo with a flurry to the head. In round three, Sultan sent Caraballo to the deck again with a left right to the face. In round four, Caraballo came back to rock Sultan several times.

Sultan came back in round six as he sent Caraballo to the canvas with a left hook. In round eight, Caraballo began to rock Sultan with some hard left hooks and hurt his opponent several times. Sultan began to swell under his right eye, In round nine, Sultan seemed to have sealed the fight when he floored Caraballo with a hard counter right.

Sultan landed 92 of 480 punches; Caraballo was 137 of 352.

Sultan, 117.6 lbs of the Philippines won by scores of 94-93 on all cards and is now 18-5. Caraballo, 117.6 lbs of Puerto Rico is 14-1.

“This is boxing. This is war. And I came to win tonight. Caraballo is a tough man, but I wanted this one,” said Sultan

Carlos Jackson pounded out a eight-round unanimous decision over Jonathan Guzman in a junior featherweight bout.

Jackson landed 79 of 385 punches; Guzman 93 of 352.

Jackson, 123 lbs of Atlanta, GA won by scores of 78-74 and 77-75; Guzman won a card 77-75.

Jackson is now 18-1. Guzman, 123 lbs of Santo Domingo, DR is 24-2.

In a toe-to-toe war, Mathew Gonzalez and Dakota Linger stood chest to chest and wailed away on each other, and the six-round junior welterweight contest ended in a majority draw.

The two landed many hard blows, which included a sixth round that had the crowd on their feet as Linger made a furious stand and took the final round that got him the draw by scores of 58-56 for Gonzalez and 57-57 twice.

Gonzalez landed 150 of 522 punches; Linger was 122 of 509.

Gonzalez, 143 lbs of Ridgewood, NY is 12-0-1. Linger, 141.8 lbs of Buckhannon, WV is 12-5-3.

In a spirited and at times testy six-round welterweight bout, Pablo Valdez remained undefeated with a majority decision over Alejandro Martinez.

Valdez, 148.4 lbs of New York won by scores of 59-55 twice and 57-57 to go to 5-0. Martinez, 148.6 of East Los Angeles is 2-2-1.

Jahi Tucker stopped Jorge Rodrigo Sosa in round two of their scheduled six-round welterweight bout.

Tucker hurt Sosa several times during the fight and finished off with a hard combination in the corner that forced referee Shawn Clark to stop the bout at 2:18.

Tucker, 147.6 lbs of Deer Park, NY is 5-0 with three knockouts. Sosa, 145.2 lbs is 3-3.

Ray Cuadrado won a four-round unanimous decision over Michael Land in a junior lightweight contest.

Cuadrado, 129.6 lbs of Ridgewood, NY won by scores of 49=0-36 and 39-37 and is now 2-0. Land, 129.4 lbs of Dallas, TX is 1-4-1.

Kasir Goldston remained undefeated with a four-round unanimous decision over Marc Misiura in a junior welterweight fight.

In the final round, Misiura was docked a point for an intentional headbutt to the mouth.

Goldston, 142 lbs of Albany, NY won by scores of 40-35 on all cards and is now 4-0. Mislura, 142.2 lbs of Scranton, PA is 2-2.

NOTES—During the Caraballo-Sultan fight, the roof of the Hulu Theater began to shake due to a sold out concert featuring Harry Styles that was playing in the big room at Madison Square Garden.

Radzhab Butaev captured the WBA Lightweight title with a 7th round stoppage over Jamal James at The Michelob Ultra Arena inside the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.

In round five, Butaev was deducted a point for hitting James from behind.

In round seven, Butaev landed a series of punches but it did not seem James was in serious trouble, but referee Celestino Ruiz stopped the fight at 2:12.

Ennis Destroys Dulorme in 1

Jaron Ennis remained the hottest contender in the sport as he destroyed former world title challenger Thomas Dulorme inside of a round of a scheduled 10-round welterweight bout.

Ennis dropped Dulorme with a hard chopping right hand. Dulorme got up to land a couple punches, but he then he ate a big straight left that sent him to the canvas for a 2nd time. Dulorme tried to get up, but was unable to beat referee Michael Ortega’s count at 1:49.

Ennis, 146.6 lbs of Philadelphia is 28-0 with 26 knockouts. Dulorme, 146 lbs of Puerto Rico is 25-6-1.

Rivera Decisions Romero

Michel Rivera remained undefeated by winning a 10-round unanimous decision over Matias Romero in a lightweight fight.

Rivera outlanded Romero 202 to 106.

Rivera, 138 lbs of Santo Domingo, DR won by scores of 100-90 on all cards and is now 22-0. Romero, 135.4 lbs or Cordoba, ARG is now 24-2.

Archie Sharp remained undefeated by winning a 10-round unanimous decision over Alexis Boureima Kabore in a junior lightweight bout at York Hall in London.

Sharp, 129 1/4 lbs of London won by 100-90 scores on all cards and is now 21-0. Kabore, 129 1/4 lbs is 28-5.

Abreu Shocks Kulakhmet; Stops him in 7

Juan Carlos Abreu stunned previously undefeated and highly regarded Tursynbay Kulakhmet in round seven of yheir scheduled 10-round junior middleweight bout.

In round two, Kulakhmet dropped Abreu with a hard straight left.

That all changed in round seven as Abreu landed a perfect right to the jaw that sent Kulakhmet to the canvas. Kulakhmet was hurt, but trying to fight fight back until he ate another right to the jaw that sent him down face-first and the bout was over at 1:34.

Abreu, 153 1/4 lbs of the Dominican Republic is 24-6-1 with 22 knockouts. Kulkhmet, 153 1/2 lbs of Kazakhstan is 4-1.

Jordan Reynolds remained undefeated with a 1st round stoppage over Rodolfo Paterno in a scheduled six-round middleweight bout.

Reynolds landed a flurry of punches in the corner and the fight was stopped at 2:26.

Reynolds, 157 of England is 3-0 with one knockout. Paterno, 151 1/4 lbs of Italy is 2-5-2.

Shiloh Defreitas made a successful pro debut with a 4th round stoppage over Fonz Alexander in a scheduled six-round welterweight bout.

DeFreitas dropped Alexander in round four with a hard right hand. Alexander got to his feet, but was unable to continue at 1:37.

DeFreitas, 145 lbs of London is 1-0 with one knockout. Alexander, 148 1/2 lbs of Newark, ENG is 7-117.

Pierce O’Leary remained undefeated with a 7th round stoppage over Siar Ozgul in a scheduled eight-round super lightweight bout.

In round four, O’Leary dropped Ozgul with a right hand..

In round seven, O’Leary started to punish Ozgul and the fight was stopped at 1:13

O’Leary, 141 1/2 lbs of Dublin, IRE is 8-0 with four knockouts. Ozgul, 142 lbs of London is 15-7.

Sam Gilley remained undefeated undefeated with a six-round decision over Daniel Lartey in a middleweight fight.

Gilley, 157 1/2 lbs of England won by a 60-54 score and is now 12-1. Lartey, 161 1/4 lbs of Accra, GHA is 14-6-1.

HOLLYWOOD, FL–In the main event, Olympic Gold medalist Kayla Harrison (2-1-0 this season) fought Taylor Guardado (3-0-0) for her second $1,000,000 purse and PFL Lightweight Championship at The Seminole Hard Rock Casino Harrison showed superior strength and ground control for the first two rounds and secured an arm bar at the four minute mark to earn the victory.

Cooper III KOs Magomedkerimov for PFL Welterweight Title

Magomed Magomedkerimov (career record 28-5-0, 2-0-0 with PFL) was a -275 favorite to take the Welterweight World Championship. His opponent, Ray Cooper lll (22-8-1 career, 2-1-0 with PFL this season) didn’t seem to notice. After taking a low kick in the first round, Cooper came back to control the action throughout round two.

The tables momentarily turned in round three and Magomedkerimov landed several vicious knees. Cooper answered with a right hand of his own, then found an opening for the knockout with another right hand at 3:02 of round three.

Montes Decisions Shields at PFL

In a three-round, non-title contest, Mexico’s Abagail Montes (2-0) gave 2-time Olympic gold medalist and multi-division world champion boxer  Claressa Shields (1-0) a tough time by controlling distance, scoring takedowns, and initiating a vicious ground and pound. The fight went the distance with one judge scoring  29-28 for Shields, and the other two scoring 29-28 for the winner Abagail Montes.

Bruno Cappelozza (13-5, 3-0 this season) and Ante Delija (career 19-4-0) (2-1-0 this season in PFL)battled for the Heavyweight Championship in an exciting and violent contest that went the distance. Superior striking and ground and pound earned Bruno Cappelozza the decision on all cards. 48-46, 49-45 x 2.

Movlid Khaybulaev (3-0 this season with PFL) of Dagestan, Russia, undefeated in his professional MMA career with 18 wins and no losses faced Long Island’s Chris Wade (20-6 career , 3-0 this season with PFL) for the PFL Featherweight Championship.

 Round one opened with fireworks as Khaybulaev scored three big right hands to the head of Wade before a brief lull in grappling range. Then the fight began. With 30 seconds left in the first round Khabulaev looked like he could secure a rear naked choke but the bell disagreed.

Wade came out charging in round two with some high kicks as the crowd chanted “USA, USA!” Khaybulaev continued to score with heavy shots to the head, and ended the round with advantage in the grappling range.

Rounds three and four saw a lot of grappling with the advantage still leaning towards Khaybulaev.

Wade attempted a flying knee in the opening seconds of round five but Khaybulaev deflected the blow and took control of the action once again. The round ended on the ground and the fight went to the judges. PFL’s innovative fight stat display showed  eight takedowns for Khaybulaev, who was way ahead ion strikes as well, and none for Wade.

All judges scored the contest 50-45 for Khaybulaev.

Antonio Carlos Jr. (3-0) submitted Marthin Hamlet (2-2) for the PFL Light Heavyweight championship via Rear Naked Choke submission at 3:49 of round 1

Jordan White stopped Joe Perez in round six of their scheduled 10-round junior lightweight bout that headlined a fantastic eight-bout card in front of almost 3,000 enthusiastic fans at Live Casino Hotel Maryland in Hanover, Maryland.

In round one, White dropped Perez with a right behind the ear. In round three, White dropped Perez twice. In round five, White landed a hard jab that was followed by a blistering right that sent Perez to the canvas.

In round six, Perez suffered a cut over his right eye. Although Perez started steadying himself, the fight was halted after the 6th round due to the cut.

White, 130.6 lbs of Washington, DC is 11-1 with 10 knockouts. Perez, 129 lbs of San Diego is 15-6-2.

Demond Nicholson pounded out an eight-round unanimous decision over Victor Darocha in a super middleweight contest.

Daroach was tough early as he tried to take the fight to Nicholson. Nicholson came on strong over the second half of the fight and he hurt Darocha several times in rounds seven and eight.

Nicholson, 169 lbs of Laurel, MD won by scores of 79-73 twice and 78-74 to raise his mark to 24-4-1. Darocha, 168.2 lbs of Sao Paulo, BRA is 9-6-1.

Christian Otero remained undefeated with a six-round unanimous decision over Ebrima Jawara in a super featherweight encounter.

Otero, 132.2 lbs of New York won by scores of 59-55 and 58-55 twice and is now 4-0. Jawara, 132 lbs of Germantown, MD is 4-2,

AJ Williams won the ABF Atlantic Super Middleweight title with a six-round unanimous decision over Ricardo Beccerrill.

Williams used his height and length to control most of the most action. The two mixed it up on occasion with Beccerrill having little success as Williams got the best of most of the flurries. The tall Williams was effective using his body shots and left hooks upstairs.

Williams, 166.4 lbs of Baltimore won by scores of 60-57 and 59-55 twice to raise his record to 5-1. Beccerrill, 167.2 lbs of Kinston, NC is 2-10-1.

Brandon Chambers captured the ABF Mid-Atlantic super bantamweight title with a six-round split decision war over Blake Quintana in a fight that featured undefeated fighters.

Quintana came out quick and he backed Chambers up on the ropes and wailed away on the popular Baltimore fighter. Chambers weathered the storm and started to give as good as he got by setting up his flurries

Both guys took turns leading furious exchanges, but it was Chambers won by scores of 58-56 twice, while Quintana took a card 58-56.

Chambers, 122.8 lbs of Baltimore is 6-0-1. Quintana, 121.2 lbs of Nebraska is 4-1.

Ernest Hall won a four-round unanimous decision over Jaqeem Hutcherson in a super bantamweight clash.

Hall,121.2 lbs of Baltimore, MD won by scores of 40-36, 39-37 and 38-38 and is now 4-1. Hutcherson, 122.8 lbs of Forestville, MD is 2-1.

Joseph Veazey remained undefeated with a 4th and final round stoppage over Chameir Rice in a super welterweight clash.

In round two, Veazey dropped Rice with a short right hand. In round four, Veazey landed a right that badly wobbled Rice, and the fight was stopped.

Veazey, 148.4 lbs of Baltimore is 5-0 with four knockouts. Rice, 148.4 lbs of Spartanburg, SC is 1-4-1.

Antonio Dunton-El won a four-round majority decision over Chamar Flowers in a featherweight bout.

Dunton-El, 128 lbs of Baltimore, MD won by scores of 40-36, 39-37 and 38-38 and is now 1-0-1. Flowers, 127.6 lbs is 1-1.

Shakur Stevenson became a two-division champion with an emphatic 10th round stoppage over reigning champion Jamel Herring to capture the WBO Junior Lightweight championship at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia.

Stevenson used his superior ability to dominate the action and systematically beat down of Herring.

In Round three, Herring started to swell under his left eye

In round 10, Herring was cut over the eight eye. In round 10, Stevenson landed about seven shots for which forced a referee stoppage at 1:30.

Zayas stops Karpency after 4

Xander Zayas remained undefeated with a stoppage over Dan Karpency after round four of a six-round junior middleweight fight.

Zayas, 153.2 lbs of San Juan, PR is now 10-0 with eight knockouts. Karpency, 153.2 lbs of Adah, PA is 9-4-1.

Ali Walsh stops Westley II in 3

The grandson of Muhammad Ali, Nico Ali Walsh scored his 2nd consecutive knockout with a third round stoppage over James Westley II in a scheduled four-round middleweight fight.

In round two, Ali Walsh dropped Westley with a hard right.

At the beginning of round three, Walsh dropped Westley again with a right and Westley’s corner waved the towel at 2:30.

ALi Walsh, 162 lbs of Las Vegas is 2-0 with two knockouts. Westley, 159.6 lbs of Toledo, OH is 1-1.

Evan Holyfield stopped Charles Stanford in round two of a scheduled six-round junior middleweight fight.

In round two, Holyfield landed a booming left hook that was followed by a right cross that sent Stanford down and his head bounced off the canvas as the fight was stopped at 30 seconds.

Holyfield, 151.6 lbs is the son of the legendary Evander Holyfield and now raised his record to 8-0 with six knockouts. Stanford, 151.6 lbs of Cincinnati, OH is 6-4.

2021 U.S. Olympian Troy Isley stopped Nicholi Navarro in the 1st round of their four-round middleweight fight.

Isley bounced Navarro all over the ring until He landed two hard uppercuts that put Navarro down and the fight was stopped at 2:48.

Isley, 156.8 lbs of Alexandria, VA is 3-0 with two knockouts. Navarro, 156 lbs of Denver, CO is 2-2.

Eric Palmer scored an upset six-round split decision over previously undefeated Roddricus Livsey in a junior welterweight bout.

Palmer, 141 lbs of Uniontown, PA won by scores of 58-56 twice, while Livesey took a card 59-55.

Palmer is 13-14-6. Livsey, 142.4 lbs of Atlanta is 8-1-1.

Haven Brady Jr. remained undefeated with a four-round unanimous decision over Roberto Negrete in a battle of undefeated featherweights.

Brady, 127 lbs of Albany, GA won by scores of 40-36 on all cards and is now 4-0. Negrete, 127 lbs of Corpus Christie, TX is 3-1.

Antoine Cobb needed just 58 seconds to obliterate Jerrion Campbell in a four-round junior welterweight contest.

Cobb landed a booming right hand hat sent Campbell under the ropes and the fight was stopped.

Cobb, 144.2 lbs of Chicago was making his pro debut. Campbell, 142.4 lbs of Jacksonville, TX is 2-2

Harley Maderos won a four-round unanimous decision over Deljerro Randle in a lightweight fight.

In round one, Maderos dropped Ravello with a right hand.

Maderos, 136 lbs of Brooklyn, NY won on all cards 40-35 and is now 2-0. Randle, 135.8 lbs of Brighton, CO is 0-2.

Ganigan Lopez defeated previously undefeated Jose Soto via Disqualification in round five of their 10-round super flyweight bout in Mexico City.

In round five, Lopez suffered a bad cut over his left eye due to a headbutt. The deemed the headbutt intentional and disqualified Soto.

Lopez of Mexico is 37-11. Soto of Colombia is 15-1.

Brandon Jimenez stopped Kevin Cisneros in round two of their six-round flyweight bout.

Jimenez is 5-0. Cisneros is 3-1.

Edgardo Hernandez got off the deck to stop Francisco Contreras in the 1st round.

Contreras dropped Hernandez in the opening round. Seconds later, Hernandez landed a vicious combination that put Contreras on the canvas. Contreras got to his feet, but he stumbled into the referee and the fight was stopped.

Oscar Rivas became the 1st ever WBC Bridgeeweight champion with a 12-round unanimous decision over Ryan Rozicki in a bout that took place at the Olympic Theatre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

In round 11, blood started leaking from the nose of Rozicki

Rivas, 222.2 lbs of Montreal, won by scores of 116-111 and 115-112 on two cards, and is now 28-1. Rozicki, 203 lbs of Poland is 13-1.

Francis Charbonneau won a four-round unanimous decision over Alexandre Roberge in a heavyweight fight.

In round one, Charbonneau hurt Roberge with an uppercut and then dropped him with a right hand.

Charbboneau, 199.8 lbs won by scores of 40-35 and 39-36 twice and is now 4-1. Roberge, 207 lbs is 1-2-1.

Terry Osias remained undefeated with a six-round unanimous decision over Joaquin Muriega in a light heavyweight contest.

Osias, 172.6 lbs won by 60-54 scores on all cards, and is now 10-0. Muriega, 173.4 lbs if 9-10-3.

Alexis Barriere remained undefeated with a four-round unanimous decision over Rafael Sanchez Ruiz in a heavyweight bout.

In round one, Barriere dropped Ruiz with with a left hook. Moments later, it was another left that put Ruiz down.

Barriere, 235 lbs won by scores of 40-36 on all cards and is now 4-0. Ruiz, 211 lbs of Mexico is 5-2.

Kevin Menoche won a four-round unanimous decision over Thad Ridsdill in a junior middleweight fight.

In round one, Menoche dropped Ridsdill with a combination.

Menoche, 153.8 lbs won by scores of 39-36 and 38-37 and is now 5-0. Ridsdill, 153.4 lbs of Oshwa, ONT is 2-3,

David Cuellar scored a vicious 6th round stoppage over former world title challenger Moises Fuentes in a bantamweight bout.

In round three, The left eye of Fuentes began to swell.

In round six, Cuellar landed a devastating left hook that Fuentes down and out. The fight was stopped immediately with Fuentes needing medical attention to leave the ring.

Cuellar of Nuevo Laredo, MEX is 20-0 with 13 knockouts. Fuentas of Ciudad, MEX is 25-7-1.

Lopez Decisions Manzanilla

Christopher Lopez won a 10-round unanimous decision over Franklin Manzanilla in a super featherweight bout.

In round three, Lopez dropped Manzanilla with a hard flurry.

Lopez of Guadalajara, MX won by scores of 98-89, 97-91 and 95-93 and is now 14-0-1. Manzanilla of Caracas, VEN is 20-7.

Taras Shelestyuk remained undefeated with a 10th and final round stoppage over Ernesto Espana in a welterweight bout

In round 10, Shelestyuk landed a heavy combination on the ropes that forced a referee stoppage at 2:45.

Shelestyuk of Ukraine is 19-0 with 11 knockouts. Espana of Venezuela is 31-3-1.

Alberto Mora made a successful pro debut with a 2nd round stoppage over Nestor Mejia in super featherweight fight.

In round one, Mora dropped Mejia with an uppercut. In round two, he dropped Mejia with a left hook and the fight was stopped at 1:02.

Mora is 1-0 with one knockout. Mejia is 0-2.

Cletus Seldin scored a vicious 7th round stoppage over William Silva in a scheduled 10-round super lightweight bout at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

In round seven, Seldin unleashed a perfect overhand right to the chin and another straight right put Silva down and out at 24 seconds.

Seldin, 139.1 lbs of Brooklyn, NY is 26-1 with 22 knockouts. Silva, 139 lbs of Sao Paulo, BRA is 28-4.

Said a euphoric Seldin after the victory, “This was the hardest training in my life. Just a year ago I was sleeping on the floor, after three cancellations of a fight.  I am 100% giving myself an A+ on this, for all the hard work and determination I had to get here.”

 “We always went for body, head, body, head, and coming up with the right hand. If you go back and look at what my trainer said for that round, he said, ‘two jabs and throw a short overhand right.’ He wasn’t getting up after I landed those two big right hands.”

“The distance was close and I was able to land them. I went for the home run on that right-hand combination and got the knockout.”

Ananyan Decisions Gonzalez

Petros Ananyan won a 10-round majority decision over Daniel Gonzalez in a super lightweight contest.

In round four, Gonzalez began to bleed from his nose. That fight featured terrific back and forth action with the difference being the 9th round where Ananyan battered the bloody face of Gonzalez.

Ananyan landed 106 of 415 punches; Gonzalez was 103 of 442.

Ananyan, 139.4 lbs of Brooklyn, NY won by scores of 96-94 twice and 95-95 and is now 16-2-2. Gonzalez, 138.6 lbs of Woodhaven, NY is 20-3-1.

“This was a tough fight but I’m very happy with my performance. I’m ready now for better competition and look forward to bigger fights in the near future,” said Ananyan after the victory.

Madera stops Najmitdonov after five

Will Madera spoiked the American debut of Jamshidbek Najmitdinov after round five of a scheduled eight-round super lightweight fight.

In round four, The nose of Najmitdinov began to bleed. Najmitdinov also hurt his left arm, and the fight was halted after the round five because of those injuries.

Madera, 139.4 lbs of Albany, NY is now 17-1-3 with 10 knockouts. Najmitdinov, 139.8 lbs of Tashkent, UZB is 17-2.

“This was a tough fight against a strong guy,” said Madera. “I knew I was hurting him, he was shaking his head no but that usually means yet. He was getting tired from my body shots and I could hear him grunting after each one.”

Francis Decisions Roman

In a battle of undefeated super welterweight, Cesar Francis won an eight-round unanimous decision over Jose Roman.

In round four, Francis dropped Roman with a body shot.

Francis landed 71 of 320 punches; Roman was 62 of 273.

Francis, 144.4 lbs of Brooklyn won by scores of 79-72 and 78-73 twice and is now 9-0. Roman. 145.4 lbs of Bayamon, PR is 11-1.