Joshua Franco retained the WBA Super Flyweight title with a 12-round unanimous decision over Andrew Moloney in their trilogy fight at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Franco landed 168 of 772 punches; Moloney was 107 of 730.

Franco of San Antonio, Texas won by scores of 116-112 on all cards and is now 18-1-2. Moloney of Melbourne, Australia is 21-2.

Franco said, “I had to switch it up on him. He thought I was going to put pressure on him the whole time. That wasn’t working, so I had to switch it up and go to my boxing skills. 

“I had fun with my rhythm, with my jab, my feet. I’m comfortable in there, and that’s what I did.

“We just told each other, all that talking is part of the game, part of building the fight up. He’ll be world champion again. He’s a strong fighter. Nothing but respect to him. I wish him the best in his career.”

Moloney said, “I’ll have to use this as motivation to come back stronger. It’s going to be a long road back.” 

Muhammad Ali’s Grandson; Nico Ali Walsh scores 1st round KO in Debut

The Grandson of Muhammad Ali, Nico Ali Walsh made a successful pro debut with a 1st round stoppage over Jordan Weeks in a scheduled four round middleweight bout.

Walsh dropped Weeks with a nice counter right hand. Walsh finished off Weeks with a flurry of punches, and the bout was stopped.

Walsh of Las Vegas is 1-0 with one knockout. Weeks of Lexington, SC is 4-2.

Ali Walsh said, “This lived up completely to my expectations. It’s been an emotional journey this whole ride these last couple of months.
 
“Obviously, my grandfather, I’m thinking about him so much. I miss him. It’s just an emotional journey, and thank you to Jordan Weeks and his people. Tough, tough kid. I think me and him made a little bit of history tonight.
 
“Honestly, it seems like a lot of pressure, but to me, it’s just my grandfather. To everyone else, to you guys and the crowd, he’s the greatest fighter who ever lived, maybe the greatest person. But to me, he’s the greatest grandfather.
 
“To hear those Ali chants was something that I’ll never forget. I didn’t expect that, to be honest, but it was special.”

Barboza Decisions Moran

Arnold Barboza Jr. won a 10-round unanimous decision over Antonio Moran in a junior welterweight bout.

Barboza landed 278 of 702 punches; Moran was 82 of 823.

Barboza of South El Monte, California won by scores of 99-91 twice and 98-92 to go to 26-0. Moran of Mexico City is 26-5-1.

Barboza said, “Moran is a true Mexican warrior. I thought I’d get the knockout, but he ate a lot of punches. My goal is to get that world title shot, but I am going to keep going until I make that a reality. I want any of the big names at 140 pounds.”

Jason Moloney won a 10-round unanimous decision over Joshua Greer in a bantamweight bout.

Moloney of Melbourne, AUS won by scores of 98-92 twice and 96-94 and is now 22-2. Greer of Chicago, IL is 22-3-2.

Trey Lippe-Morrison went the distance for the first time in his career, but remained undefeated with a six-round unanimous decision over Don Haynesworth in a heavyweight bout.

Morrison of Tulsa, Oklahoma won by scores of 60-54 on all cards and is now 18-0. Haynesworth is 16-7-1.

Karlos Balderas stopped Fidel Cervantes in round two of a scheduled six-round junior lightweight bout.

In round one, Balderas landed a booming left hook that he followed up with three vicious shots that sent Cervantes to the deck. The assault continued in round two as Balderas continues to land blistering combinations that forced the stoppage at 2:03

Balderas, 131.6 lbs of Santa Maria, CA is now 10-1 with nine knockouts. Cervantes, 131.6 lbs of Kansas City, KS is 9-2-1.

Balderas said, “I’m back and better than ever. Even with this victory, I have things to work on. I’m going straight back to the gym to get ready for the next one. Thanks to Top Rank for the opportunity and my manager, Sam Katkovski, for making this happen. I’m only getting started.”

Andres Cortes knocked out former world title challenger Genesis Servania in the opening round of their lightweight bout.

In the opening frame, Cortes landed a perfect right that hurt Servania. Cortes followed with a perfect left hook that sent Servania to the deck and the fight was stopped at 3:00.

Cortes, 133 lbs of Las Vegas is 15-0 with eight knockouts. Servania, 132.8 lbs of the Philippines is 34-3.

World-Ranked Albert Bell remained undefeated with an eight-round unanimous decision over Julio Cortez in a lightweight bout.

In round four, the right eye of Cortez began to close.

Bell, 132.8 lbs of Toledo, OH won by scores of 80-72 on all cards, and is now 19-0. Cirtez, 132.4 lbs of Ecuador is 15-3.

Bell said, “I knew he was a tough, aggressive fighter who was going to come forward all night. I’m happy with my performance, and I look forward to fighting my way to a title shot.” 

Abraham Nova remained undefeated with an eight-round unanimous decision over Richard Pumicpic in a featherweight bout.

Nova, 127.2 lbs of Albany, NY won by scores of 79-73 twice and 78-74 is now 20-0. Pumicpic, 127.1 lbs of Manila, PHL is 22-12-2.

Vergil Ortiz Jr. fough through adversity, but showed he is a legitimate contender to comeback and stop former world title challenger in round eight of their scheduled 12-round welterweight bout at the Star in Frisco, Texas.

In round two, Kavaiauskas hurt Ortz with a right hand, and set off a fiery exchange that looked like it sent Ortiz to the canvas but it was ruled a slip. In round three, Kavaliauskas hurt Ortiz again with a right hand, but this time Ortiz came off the ropes and fired off a left hook that sent Kavaliauskas to the canvas.

In round eight, Ortiz dropped Kavaliauskas three times. The first was a left hook to the body. The next two were from hard left hooks to the head and the fight was stopped at

Ortiz, 147 lbs of Grand Prairie, TX is 18-0 with 18 knockouts. Kavaliauskas, 146.1 lbs of Lithuania is 22-2-1.

Ortiz said, “I feel good. The fight started off slow in my opinion and I just had to adjust. After the second round, I had to adjust and try to find a way to wear him down. I started using my jab more and fought more intelligently. After the third round, I felt more confident because I knew that I could control the fight moving forward. But he is a tough guy, a very strong fighter, and I respect that he came to fight.” 

“I came here to fight, I was sure I would stop him. I prepared myself so hard to be ready for this fight. I was 100% in shape, I was fast, I was strong. But you know, it is what it is, today he was stronger, he is a tremendous fighter. He has good power and good speed, good jab, good technique, he is a good fighter. I was thinking that I was going to end the fight in the second round, but he survived. He is a warrior,” said Kavaliauskas. 

Gutierrez Decisions Alvarado; Retains 130 lb Title

Roger Gutierrez defended the WBA Super Featherweight title with a 12-round unanimous decision from the man he won the belt from Rene Alvarado in their trilogy bout.

Gutierrez, 130 lbs of Venezuela won by scores of 116-112 twice and 115-113 and is now 26-3-1. Alvarado, 129.2 lbs is 32-10.

“I hurt my right hand, it was very inconvenient because I feel like I could have ended the fight earlier. But I want to thank god we were victorious and that is the most important thing. I know Rene is a warrior, but we had a good fight today and we are happy to take on the next challenge, and perhaps fight Leo Santa Cruz,” said Gutierrez. 

Alvarado stated, “I feel like I dominated the majority of the fight. I do not feel like the decision was fair. In the last round, I did get the cut on my left eye and I couldn’t see, but I know that I closed those two rounds.”

Alvarado Destroys Vazquez in 1

Light-Flyweight world champion Felix Alvarado destroyed late-replacement Israel Vazquez in the opening round of their scheduled 10-round non-title bout.

Alvarado landed a hard counter right that sent Vazquez down and out at 2:50.

Alvarado, 107.6 lbs of Managua, NIC is 37-2 with 32 knockouts. Vazquez, 107.6 lbs of Bayamon, PR is 10-5-2.

“I did feel a little unstable with the change of opponents and of course I would love to fight Eric Lopez, but unfortunately that didn’t happen due to the visa issues. Fortunately, we had a good training camp and we were prepared for Israel. Luckily the fight ended early enough where he wasn’t injured and I wasn’t injured,” said Alvarado. 

Rincon Decisions Buzolin

George Rincon remained undefeated with an eight-round unanimous decision over Nikolai Buzolin in a welterweight bout.

Rincon, 142.2 lbs of Dallas, TX won by scores of 80-72 on all cards and is now 12-0. Buzolin, 143 lbs of Brooklyn, NY is 8-4-1.

“He was a shorter fighter with a very awkward style and I had to be careful with those looping hands. There were a few things that I wish that I could have made more clear during the fight, but his style didn’t really help. Just happy that I was able to be here, fight in my hometown, in front of my friends and family. Glad we got the win and I plan to go back to the gym and keep getting better,” said Rincon.

Alex Martin won a 10-round unanimous decision over Josec Ruiz in a super welterweight bout.

Martin, 137 lbs of Chicago is 17-3. Ruiz, 135.4 lbs of Miami, FL is 23-5-3.

Martin said, “I knew that I hurt him with that body shot in the last round and he started to fold over. I still could have followed up with more body shots, but I am happy I got the win. I am ready to come back. I am motivated and just thankful to God for the opportunity.”

Alex Rincon remained undefeated with a eight-round unanimous decision over Sanny Duversonne in a middleweight contest.

Rincon, 153.4 lbs of Dallas, TX win by scores of 80-72, 79-73 and 78-74 and is now 9-0. Duversonne, 154.8 lbs of Avon Park, FL is 11-4-2.

“He was a tough warrior, you have to respect him. I knew he was going to be a durable fighter. I also knew that I needed to use my jab to counter his jab and set up the shot. But I feel good, I think it was about time I got some war wounds so people can believe I am a fighter,” said Rincon. 

Joshua Buatsi stopped Ricards Bolotniks in round 11 of a scheduled 12-round light heavyweight bout at the Matchroom HQ in Essex, England

In round six, Buatsi dropped Bolotniks with a vicious left hook.

In round eight, Buatsi was deducted a point for a low blow. In round 11, Buatsi landed a booming right that sent Bolotniks to the deck and the fight was stopped at 2:08.

Buatsi, 174 3/4 lbs of Croydon, ENG is 15-0 with 13 knockouts. Bolotniks, 174 1/2 lbs of Riga, LAT is 18-6-1.

“Most importantly I have to thank God for the victory, different fighters have different things that work for them, I made it clear to you lot that that’s what works for me,” Buatsi told DAZN. “In my changing room I don’t need to hear anything, don’t tell me what I did in camp, tell me Josh is written in the bible. That’s what gears me up when I walk down there, what’s written in the bible.
 
“I’m grateful man, Bolotniks big credit to him he pushed me. I think he said Josh hasn’t been past seven rounds before so after seven we’ll see. I was there until 11 and landed a good shot. I worked every round, but I want to congratulate him – he’s a good champion.
 
“When I sat down, I said, ‘Buatsi who told you to empty the tank, you’ve got six left?’ but I’ve worked hard. You see in camp the sparring is hard man, big credit to my sparring partners they know who they are. I do a hard six run then a fresh one gets in so into the second half I said I’ve been here: I’ve done it before I’ve been here many times in camp.
 
“I’ve got a great team, I’ve got a promoter that believes in me, he’s been pushing for fights like this because he knows I can do it. Tonight, I went out there and showed people I can do it, we just build from here.
 
“We all make sacrifices, I don’t want to single myself out, everyone sacrifices to be where they want to be in life. For me, yeah, I sacrificed, I’m always away from my family and I truly miss them but most importantly I want to get to the top. I feel like I’m in the right team with the right people, I’ve got a great promoter who gives me the opportunities I need. I’ll keep sacrificing.”

Cordina Destroys Hernandez in 1st

Joe Cordina needed just 53 seconds to dispose of Joshua Hernandez in a scheduled 10-round lightweight bout.

Cordina landed a blistering 1-2 that sent Hernandez down for the 10-count.

Cordina, 134 lbs of Cardiff, WAL is 13-0 with eight knockouts. Hernandez, 132 3/4 lbs of Chicago, IL is 10-4.

“Chris Colbert went eight rounds with Hernandez and what I watched of it, it was quite a tough fight for him,” Cordina told Matchroom. “I watched that fight and a couple others of Hernadez and me and Tony came up with a game plan. We were going through in the changing rooms, and it came off a peach.
 
“I had to prove a point, I said in an interview earlier in the week that I don’t take criticism from people I wouldn’t go to for advice. I don’t really value many people’s opinions so yeah, it’s one of those things, you’re going to get people criticizing and it’s whether you take it onboard or not. A lot of people didn’t take into consideration that I’d been out the ring for 16 months, had an operation of my hand, we proved the point tonight and got him out of there early on.
 
“I always look to just get the win, box, if the knockout is there, I’ll take it. As soon as he threw his first jab, I knew he wasn’t going to catch me with that, my sharpness of feet and head movement would get me out of trouble. I started putting my lead hand downstairs and whipping the right hand over the top and I caught him the first time, I knew he was a little bit wobbly. I didn’t want to rush in and try and get him out of there straight away, I knew if I could catch him twice with it there’s going to be a third time and I did exactly that. We got him out of there in great fashion.
 
“I was watching Fight Camp last year and there was no crowd, but even when there wasn’t a crowd it felt like there was a massive atmosphere. When I saw the first Fight Camp week at home, I thought, ‘oh my god I’m fighting there in two weeks, it’s going to be amazing’. I’m glad that I’m able to tick it of my list now. 
 
“Eddie watched me in York Hall in 2009 and said, ‘you’re going to be a World Champion’. It’s nice to hear that but I’ve got to keep improving, keep pushing on and proving him right. I know I’ve got the ability to be a World Champion very soon, but I’ve just got to keep winning. I’ve got the ability to mix it with any of them, it’s just about taking those steps up the ladder to become a World Champion and that’s what I plan on doing. Maybe have two weeks at home, go back to the gym and see what I want to do with Tony.
 
“I know people say it but if you speak to my S&C coach and Tony this was probably one of the best camps I’ve ever had. That’s with the boxing, plus my S&C, everything just came together. Don’t get me wrong I had to be at home for my new-born son but everything’s coming together now. I’m glad I got the win tonight in great fashion and now it’s time to build on it.” 

World-Rated welterweight Michael McKinson remained undefeated with a 10-round unanimous decision over Przemyslaw Runowki.

McKinson, 146 1/2 lbs of Portsmouth, ENG won by scores of 99-91 twice and 98-92 and is now 21-0. Runowski, 146 1/4 lbs of Shupsk, POL is 19-2.

“I’m happy, that was easier than I thought it would be, I didn’t really get out of first gear,” McKinson told Matchroom. “I visibly hurt him a few times, but I boxed to instructions and got the win. To be fair I didn’t think he won a round against me, but he was a tough guy. Him and his team were very confident beforehand, I liked the energy they brought all week, but I just had to show I was a level above, and I was a few levels above – I’m happy.

“They keep giving me harder opposition, they keep telling me it’s a step up and I’m making it look easier and easier. What people forget is I’m learning every day on the job as well; I’m developing and who knows where I can be in a year or twos time. I’m in a position where a lot of boxers dream of being in, all I can do it stay focused, keep learning and keep working my way to the top.

“First time on the A side you know, not many people can say they’ve boxed in Gibraltar and not many people can say they’ve boxed in Eddie’s back garden and done both this year. I can’t moan or complain, I’m really happy and blessed.

“2021 and my career has just started, 21-0 and making it look easy. I really want to keep stepping up, keep challenging myself, keep having more and more tests. I’m still learning but I’m learning quick and finding it easy now. I want opponents that will make me step through the gears, a few times I hurt him there like I can punch, I don’t need to, I boxed to instructions. I didn’t really get out of first gear.

“I believe I’m the best 147 pounder in the country. I like Conor, I get on well with him, but if he can’t get them two guys the Brooks or the Khans, I’m always here. I’ll fight whoever they give me, I’ve never turned down a fight and that’s a fact – I don’t plan on turning down fights. I really do believe in myself, and I believe in my development as well. I’m going to be going to the top I promise you.

“I’m really happy for Liam Taylor because he never really gets a fair ranking and he’s a good fighter so I’m happy he’s got that opportunity. I’m not far behind, I’d like the winner, but I’ll fight whoever makes sense and whoever my management team want to get me next – the answer is always yes. That guy there I just beat took Josh Taylor to points on short notice, he had a full camp against me, his team were so confident talking to me in the hotel.

“Like I said, I make their confidence fade round by round, they don’t call me ‘The Problem’ for no reason. I will carry on being a problem as I step through the levels as the opposition gets better, trust me.

“Josh Kelly has got a lot of ability, he’s a skilful fighter, I like Josh – even after the Avanesyan defeat I still think he’s a top fighter. Florian Marku talks a lot doesn’t he, he didn’t know who I was a few months ago on social media on an interview, he said he didn’t know who I was. At least they’re talking about me now, let him prove himself because I don’t think he’s proved himself at a decent level yet, not saying he’s not a good fighter, but he does need to prove himself as a fighter to be respected. Good luck to all of them, I wish nothing but the best for all my rivals, you know I’m here and I’ll fight anybody.

“Even when we go back to proper arenas and stuff, wait till we get hundreds and hundreds of Portsmouth fans loud and proud. I’ve got great support and it’s always growing; I know there’s a lot of people that didn’t come today but when they’re allowed everyone will see the Portsmouth fans.”

In a battle of undefeated super bantamweights, Hopey Price won a six-round decision over Claudio Grande.

In the closing seconds of the fight, Price dropped Grande with a straight left.

Price, 123 1/4 lbs of Leeds, ENG won by a 58-55 score and is now 5-0. Grande, 121 1/2 lbs of Massa, ITA is now 5-1.

“It was a good performance, considering I had six months outside the ring, which for a young prospect like me isn’t ideal,” Price told Matchroom. “You can spar as much as you want but it’s not the same feeling as when you’re under the lights. Now looking forward, I’ve got Leeds in three weeks, that’s put me in very good stead – you’ll see the best of me in three weeks’ time.

“I remember Dave [Coldwell] shouting at me finish strong, finish strong, and he was just coming in – what we’ve been working on in the gym – I felt like I was catching him with that shot all fight and he just walked onto it lovely at the end and he was gone.

“I’m not fighting these journeyman and people with losing records, that’s a proper fight, he’s 5-0, three knockouts, I’m sure he wanted to be a star over there in Italy. He was coming to win and was defeated, I put a stop to that and gave him his first loss.

“You began to see it, it’s been coming slowly but surely, now over the next year or so you’ll see the best of me.

“I feel like I’m developing more as a fighter under Dave and more as a man – big thanks to Danny Wilson at Boxing Science, he’s making me a lot stronger, and I think you saw it there in the last ten seconds. I’m not just a young kid that people can walk through.

“I want to go right to the top. I don’t want to be a World Champion; I want to be a pound-for-pound star and Dave’s the man to take me there. I’ll keep listening, learning, developing and I promise you I will get there one day.

“I think fighting in Leeds on September 4 shows the confidence and ability – and the confidence my team has in me – to take a fight like that three weeks before and coming through with flying colours, no injuries. I’m ready to go in my hometown in front of 20,00 fans, I’ll steal the show there 100%.

“I’m ready for Zahid Hussain, 100%, I was ready for it back in September and the magic man didn’t turn up. So, we’ll see this time if he comes and if he does, I promise Hopey Price will come out the victor.

“I said it from my second pro fight, I believe there are levels to boxing and my boxing brain is one of the best in Britain. I believe I’m levels above Zahid Hussain.”

Kash Farooq won a 10-round unanimous decision over Luis Gerardo Castillo in a bantamweight bout.

In round five, Farooq was cut under his right eye and Castillo had swelling under his right eye from a headbutt.

Farooq, 117 1/2 lbs of Glasgow, SCO won by scores of 100-90 twice and 100-91 and is now 16-1. Castillo, 116 1/4 lbs of Mexico is 28-3.

“I boxed to the game plan, that was it, you want to get in there and always entertain but I followed the game plan that was it,” Farooq told Matchroom. “I listened to my trainer, and he just told me to box, you couldn’t get any footage of him, so I didn’t know what he was about, I adapted on the night and did what I had to do.

“I showed tonight the other side of me that can box as well. He’s not world class but it’s a different side of my boxing that I showed, he was tough and game. We didn’t know what we were up against.

“If you let anybody hit you, they can punch, he had a bit of sting to his punches, but the name of the game is hit and don’t get hit and that’s what I did in this fight.

“He [Gerardo] can’t speak and can’t hear so it’s something different, people were saying he’s come to win, and this was going to change his life, these types of boys want to win but he was up against me so – I wanted to win as much as he did.

“These boys are coming from nothing, some of them grew up in poverty and it’s a different lifestyle in Mexico – they fight for a living to make their lives better. It’s either me or him and it wasn’t going to be me today.

“It was another learning fight for me, and I’ll progress again, it’s something I picked up – for me it’s just about developing and getting better. This is just another clinical performance by me.

“My job is just to fight, and they tell me what route they’re going to go through. If I had a choice I’d fight [McGregor] but it’s down to them and they’ll make the right decision for me.

“He wants to fight just like I do but he’s got managers telling him what the best options are like I do as well. The next few weeks my managers are going to sit down with Eddie and discuss what the best options are and what route to go down – if it’s that one next then I’m more than happy to take it.

“It is a big fight for Scotland, me and Lee can sell out the SSE Hydro, if it’s the right time and it has a good build me, we can do it. It’s just me and him boxing each other.

“For me I’ll take a few days off but it’s back to training. When I’ll really take some time off is when I call it a day and retire. Now I’ve still got levels to progress, go back to the gym and work on things, it’s a lifestyle in boxing and it a short career, you don’t know when retirement is coming. For me I’m going to put everything into boxing for the next few years of my life.”

Raymond Ford remained undefeated as he stopped Reece Bellotti in round three of a scheduled 10-round featherweight bout.

In round three, Ford landed a right hook that staggered Bellotti. Ford was all over Bellotti and landed a bout 15 unanswered shots and the fight was stopped at 39 seconds.

Ford, 126 lbs of Camden, NJ is 9-0-1 with five knockouts. Bellotti, 125 1/4 lbs of Watford, ENG is 14-5.

“In the third round I was going to start to box and slow it down because I was throwing too many fast, hard shots to hurt him early,” Ford told Matchroom. “My team told me to settle down because we had ten rounds to go and then he came on and ran into the shot. I knew if I didn’t get him out of there when I had him hurt, he was just going to be a tough guy and keep coming forward. When I hit my shot, I had to get him out of there.

“It feels great, one of my dreams that came true, the real dream and goal is to get to these World Championship titles.

“I knew that he [Bellotti] was kind of the bully and everything so I wanted to beat the bully in the fight. I heard a lot about his power, guys saying his power was up there at the top, I just wanted to show I can be a bigger bully and that’s what I did.

“I said yesterday that I was going to handle the pressure. I was just starting to warm up and settle in but the more the fight would have went, the more you would have seen me relaxed and be sharper. I was getting hit by some dumb shots but that was because I was warming up and getting a feel of everything – being back after five months.

“I love it in the UK, all week people have been showing me love so I want to come back and fight here again. I want to be one the greatest to ever do it, not just in my division, I just want to be the best and go down as a legend.

“It’s important to be patient but I feel like I have the skills and I was blessed with the talents I have where I can fight these top guys at a young age. I want to keep stepping up and get these tougher fights.”

Zelfa Barrett stopped Viorel Simion after round five of their scheduled eight-round lightweight bout.

In round one, Barrett dropped Simion with a body shot. Barrett continued to punish Simion and the fight was stopped after round five.

Barrett, 136 1/4 lbs of Manchester, ENG is 26-1 with 16 knockouts. Simion, 139 3/4 lbs of Romania is 22-7.

By Norm Frauenheim

David Benavidez, unbeaten in the ring, can’t win one outside of it.

The super-middleweight’s string of trouble continued Wednesday with his withdrawal from an August 28 homecoming in Phoenix against Jose Uzcategui because of a positive test for COVID, according to multiple Phoenix sources who confirmed a story first reported by Boxing Scene.

Benavidez (24-0, 21 KOs) was supposed to fight Uzcategui (31-4,26 KOs), of Venezuela, in a 12-round eliminator for a mandatory shot at the World Boxing Council’s version of the 168-pound title, currently held by Canelo Alvarez. Benavidez, 24, is already the WBC’s No. 1 contender for a title he has held and lost twice.

He was stripped of the belt for a positive cocaine test in September 2019. He regained it, then lost it on the scale, failing to make weight for a title defense in August 2020.

As of Wednesday, it wasn’t clear whether the bout at the newly-named Footprint Center, the Phoenix Suns home arena, would be canceled or postponed. A postponement looked likely. Tickets have been for sale since the Showtime-televised card was announced in mid-July.

A request for formal approval of the card was on the agenda Wednesday at a meeting of the Arizona State Boxing & MMA Commission.

On the undercard, there’s a scheduled comeback by Benavidez brother Jose, who won his first title – a World Boxing Association interim welterweight belt – in May 2015, also at the Suns Arena.

Jose Benavidez, set to come back against Argentine Francisco Torres (17-3, 5 KOs), hasn’t fought since Terence Crawford stopped him in the twelfth round in October 2018.

The undercard also has included unbeaten Phoenix featherweight Carlos Castro (26-0, 11 KOs) against Oscar Escandon (26-5, 18 KOs) of Colombia.

Showtime was expected to televise both Jose Benavidez-Torres and Castro-Escandon.

PHILADELPHIA–Brandon Chambers remained undefeated as he stopped Donald Stewart in round two of a featherweight that headlined a Jeter Promotions card in front of a sold-out crowd at 2300 Arena.

Chambers battered Stewart all over the ring, and showed he was the class of the fight over the six-minute bout. Stewart’s corner bowed their man out of the fight following the completion of round two.

Chambers of Gwynn Oak, MD is 5-0-1 with three knockouts. Stewart of Saint Charles, MO is 2-5.

Thyler Williams scored a 2nd round stoppage over Jordan Morales in the junior welterweight bout.

In round two, Williams dropped Morales with a left hook to the body. It was another left hook to the body that dropped Morales for a 2nd time. Williams then landed a huge flurry that finished the night off at 2:02.

Williams of Philadelphia is 5-0 with four knockouts. Morales of Sunbury, PA is 4-9.

AJ Williams won a unanimous decision over Ricardo Becerill in a super middleweight fight.

Williams, 166 lbs of Cockeysville, MD won by scores of 39-36 and 38-37 twice and is now 4-1. Vecerill, 165 lbs of Brooklyn, NY is 2-8-1.

Victor Williams made it two consecutive knockouts to start his career as he stopped Jeff Bozier Jr. in round three of their junior middleweight bout.

In round three, Williams hurt Bozier with a right hand. Bozier stumbled across the ring and another right hand put him down and the fight was stopped at 1:51 of round three.

Williams is now 2-0 with two knockouts. Bozier was making his pro debut.

John Leonardo won a four-round unanimous decision over Jalen Woodmore in a featherweight bout.

Leonardo, 125.9 lbs of Englishtown, NJ won by scores of 40-36 on all cards and is now 3-0-1. Woodmore, 119.7 lbs of Brooklyn was making his pro debut.

Naheem Parker won a four-round unanimous decision over Joshua Zimmerman in a junior welterweight contest.

Parker, 138.8 lbs of Camden, NJ won by scores of 40-36 on all cards and is now 3-0. Zimmerman, 138.2 lbs of Brooklyn, NY is 0-3.

Jaqeem Hutcherson won a four-round unanimous decision over Elie Charles in a super bantamweight fight.

Hutcherson, 122.1 lbs of Forrestville, MD won by scores of 39-37 on all cards, and is now 2-0. Charles, 122.5 lbs of Brooklyn, NY is 0-2.

Matthew Castro made a successful pro debut by stopping McArio DelCastillo in the fourth round of their junior middleweight bout.

Castro could nit miss with his right hand, but DelCastillo took the shots well. In round four, Castro landed a solid barrage of punches that forced referee Eric Dali to stop the bout at 38 seconds.

Castro, 150.3 lbs of Brooklyn is 1-0 with one knockout. DelCastillo, 153.4 lbs of Salam, VA is 0-5.

Evan Harker stopped debuting Alvin Scott in the opening round of their welterweight bout.

Harker landed a couple of decent punches, and Scott looked hurt and the fight was stopped at 1:44.

Harker, 147 lbs of Baltimore, MD is 1-1 with one knockout. Scott, 154.7 lbs of Baltimore is 0-1.

Steve Moore stopped Antonio Allen in round four of their welterweight bout.

In round four, Moore was credited with a knockdown after landing a heavy barrage of punches on the ropes. Seconds later, it was a hard right that forced referee Eric Dali to stop the bout at 1:27.

Moore, 143.8 lbs of Orange, NJ is 5-8 with four knockouts. Allen, 146.1 lbs of Philadelphia is 1-13-1.

Kid Galahad won the vacant IBF Featherweight Title after stopping Jazza Dickens in a rematch from eight-years ago, at the Matchroom HQ in Essex, England.

Galahad beat up Dickens throughout the bout as he cut Dickens over the left eye as early as round two. Galahad continued to win rounds, as the cut worsened on Dickens. Dickens was deducted a point in round ten for stepping on the foot of Galahad. With the face of Dickens looking like a bloody mess, the fight was halted in the corner after round 11.

Galahad, 125 4/4 lbs of Sheffield, ENG is now 28-1 with 17 knockouts. Dickens, 125 1/4 lbs of Liverpool. ENG is 30-4.

“I’ve been waiting 19 years for this and it’s finally here, I’ve finally got it – IBF Champion of the World,” Galahad told DAZN. “Not a little bit, the whole world. This doesn’t say regular champion, this says World Champion. People can think what they want. I come to fight. I’m a full time professional, I don’t take no days off. Jazza Dickens will become a World Champion 100%. Without a doubt, he’ll become a World Champion. I’m just over the moon.
 
“Thank you Eddie Hearn. If it weren’t for Eddie Hearn I wouldn’t be in this position right now. Thank you to DAZN. I’m just over the moon man. Brendan Ingle told me that I’m going to win everything from Super-Bantamweight up to Lightweight. Nobody believed me and everyone doubted me when I said I’d become Word Champion. Before I met Brendan, I would have probably been locked up in jail. He was the only person that gave me hope. If it wasn’t for boxing, Eddie Hearn, DAZN, Brendan Ingle, my mum I’d probably be locked up or dead. 
 
“Naseem Hamed, I met him at the local mosque. I said to him, ‘Naz, I want to be a World Champion like you’. He told me if I wanted to become a World Champion I needed to go and find Brendan Ingle at the St Thomas’ Boxing Club. The rest is history. I went and met Brendan and that’s it. 
 
“Every single day two busses. 45 minutes. I used to get up at 5.45 to get in for 6.45. Every single day from the age of 12-years-old. When I was 15 I moved out of my area. Brendan told me I’d end up locked up or dead if I stayed in that area. I lived in a crappy house at the bottom of the road with about five other boxers. There were rats and everything. I used to have a mattress on the floor. I lived there from the age of 15 until I was 20 and I got enough money to get my own house. 
 
“My mum is over there somewhere. She’s over the moon. We’ve come from nothing. Hopefully I make a few quid out of this and get her a nice house, and get out of the area. I’m going to dominate the division. I always told Eddie I was going to dominate this division. I will make sure that I clean up this division. Nobody is going to beat me. I just beat the guy who beat Leigh Wood. This says IBF Champion of the whole World. This is not a regular title.”

Wardley stops Webb in 1

Fabio Wardley remained undefeated with a 1st round stoppage over Nick Webb scheduled 10-round heavyweight bout.

Wardley hurt Webb with a hard right hand that backed Webb into the corner. Wardley landed a couple more punches that sent Webb down, and the fight was stopped at 2:30.

Wardley is now 12-0 with 11 knockouts. Webb is 17-3.

“It was a big one for me because this was a good test,” Wardley told Matchroom. “He was coming off a good win and we had to just make a bit of an impact, make a bit of a statement. Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t the cleanest performance but sometimes you’ve just got to grit these ones out and get it done. I proved the difference. I proved that I can take a shot and keep moving like I proved against Molina. You can hit me and I’ll still come back at you with full force. He caught me a few times but it doesn’t faze me, I keep moving and I’ll move to take you out. 
 
“I wasn’t going to let him off the hook. That’s something that we’ve been building on, that killer instinct – to notice and pay attention to when you’ve got someone going. I think in my last few fights I’ve been getting that going. When I hit someone and I see that little chink in their armour, I’m going in and I’m getting the kill. 
 
“I respect every fighter that’s ever stepped in the ring because it’s a dangerous sport and anything can happen. I had to do what I did to get Nick in the ring in the first place because I’ve been chasing Nick for a year. I had to switch up my approach and go for the more aggressive stance and call him out and call him a few names. It’s all for the love of the sport at the end of the day. I respect everyone that gets in there. 
 
“I think I’ve made the most out of every opportunity that’s been put in front of me. I’ve never said no to an opportunity that Ed has given me. I’m becoming increasingly more difficult to match because me, Dill and the team, we don’t say no. If you want to meet me in the ring I’m happy to go there, let’s go. It feels like a dream, it feels like a weird rollercoaster and I’m just running with it. I’m just loving what I’m doing and I’m staying focused. 
 
“I’ve won the English and I’ve defended it; I think that’s me done with it now. Moving forwards for the British, Commonwealth, European – those types of belts are what I’ve got my eyes set on next and obviously Joe (Joyce) is holding onto them. He’s going to be moving on, he’s trying to move to that world level and he’s going to want to drop them sooner or later. I’ll be there ready and waiting.”

Babic Stops Bennett After 5

Alen Babic remained perfect by stopping Mark Bennett after five rounds of their scheduled eight-round heavyweight bout.

Over the course of the fight, Babic beat up Bennett by landing many heay shots. Bennett was competitive early, but after round three, Babic hurt Bennett repeatedly and the fight could have been stopped any time over rounds three, four or five. Bennett’s corner mercifully pulled the plug on the contest after round five.

Babic, 210 lbs of Zagreb, CRO is 8-0 with eight knockouts. Bennett, 272 1/2 lbs of Duncanville, ENG is 7-2.

After the fight, Babic successfully proposed to his girlfriend.

“I feel great,” Babic told DAZN. “Thank you for having me, it was a very very tough fight. I didn’t expect that – I’ve got to say that. All kudos to him. He’s a very very tough warrior, a legit warrior. I threw maybe 100 power punches at his head, and I have knockout punches, so it was a very tough and competitive fight. I thank him for that. 
 
“Left, right and I was like, ‘fall, it’s your time to fall’, but he just didn’t want to fall. He really caught me with a few ones. He didn’t catch me flush because I always bob and weave but he’s a very tough man and I respect him. 
 
“This guy was 30kg heavier than me and you saw what happened, he wasn’t stronger in that ring. I can do everything. I’m here to represent the little people who can’t do nothing. I am just little like them – the smallest Heavyweight alive! You can do it if I can do it, I’m nothing special. I just put my mind to it. If you put your mind to it, there’s nothing you can’t do.”

Fisher Stops Whitaker in 2

Johnny Fisher remained undefeated with a 2nd round stoppage over Danny Whitaker in a scheduled four-round heavyweight bout.

In round two, Fisher dropped Whitaker with a right hand. Seconds later, it was another right that put Whitaker down to a knee. Fisher jumped on Whitaker and landed a barrage of punches that forced a referee stoppage at 1:08.

Fisher, 238 1/4 lbs of Rpmford, ENG is 3-0 with three knockouts. Whitaker, 259 1/2 lbs of Silsden, ENG is 4-4.

“It felt fantastic, especially in front of some of my supporters here,” Fisher told Matchroom. “In the future we’ll get a lot more in. It was great to have that little taste of what the future can hold. Respect to Danny Whitaker, a great man and a great opponent. I’m ready for the next step. I feel like I prepared better for this fight than any of my previous fights – especially with Mark being back. I’ve got a great assistant trainer in Steve Andrews. We’ve got a long way to go but I’m in a good place. 

“My mum and dad are here, and my brothers are here. It’s brilliant. My little sister is at home. We’re going to have a nice Chinese now and celebrate. I think it’s the confidence that you can take from knowing that you have prepared well. Lennox Lewis sent me a message before my debut, ‘the more I prepare, the less I worry’, and that was testament to the work that we’ve been doing in the gym. 

“I’ve definitely calmed down from the second fight. I think it’s different when you’ve got someone with a winning record in there. I’ve got a long long way to go to calm myself down and box on the back foot, but I know I can box on the back foot because I’ve showed it before in sparring. Doing it in the ring is another thing and that’s why we have a process. I’m only 22-years-old and I’ve got to build. You’ve got to stay humble and you’ve got to stay ready. 

“We all know in our area about Mark Tibbs and his dad and how great they are. It’s not just that he’s my boxing trainer, we’re good friends and we get on really well. He said to me once that it’s like we’ve known each other forever and it is. It’s brilliant to be working with someone who is such a legend in the sport. Boxing is a very brutal sport and it can end at any time for anyone, especially at Heavyweight. You’ve got to have respect for all of your opponents. You’ve got to be ready for anything, and the best way to be is to be honest.” 

Bridges Stops Connolly in 3

Former world title challenger Ebanie Bridges was impressive in stopping Bec Connolly in round three of a scheduled eight-round bantamweight bout.

In round three, Bridges landed a hard uppercut that was followed by a flurry to the head that sent Connolly to the deck. Bridges then landed a hard overhand right that was followed by a left to the jaw that forced a referee stoppage at 1:22.

Bridges, 118 3/4 lbs of New South Wales, AUS is now 6-1 with three knockouts. Connolly, 118 lbs of Swindon, ENG is 3-10.

“To be back here in the UK, and to win and get my hand raised is amazing,” Bridges told DAZN. “Las time I was unlucky, although I still got a good reception. It was good to get in here and get my hand raised for my fans. I had a few people here supporting me so shout out to everyone that came. I saw you there with your Aussie flags and I appreciate you. It feels great.
 
“Winning is what it’s all about. It’s all good having the fanbase and the social media presence but if you’re not winning it can only go so far. Winning is important. It feels good. She was more difficult in the sense she was holding and a bit rough on the inside. That was new for me. I’m not used to people holding. 
 
“I thought I would finish it in the later rounds. I knew I would break her down. I was just aiming for her body for the first few rounds because I wanted to break her body down so I could open her up to the head, and that’s exactly what we did. That’s what our plan was. 
 
“By the third round I already had her hands dropping from going to the body and then that’s why that right hand was landing. That’s the one that stopped it. Obviously I want the rematch with ‘Shanny’. That’s what everyone wants, not just me. I know I want it, the fans want it, I’m pretty sure Eddie Hearn wants it. The only one that doesn’t want it is her. 
 
“Hopefully she wants it, but then again she’s on her journey and I’ve got to focus on mine. I don’t hold my breath. The ball is in her court, and if she doesn’t take it, I suppose it looks a bit like she’s running.
 
“To all my fans and everyone that supported me tonight – I hope you enjoyed it. I love being back in the UK and I love being on DAZN. It’s a great platform as well with Eddie Hearn and Matchroom so a big thank you to them. This is just the comeback.”

Aqib Fiaz remained undefeated with a eight-round decision over Kevin Baldospino in a super featherweight bout.

Fiaz, 131 3/4 lbs of Oldham, ENG won by a 77-76 score and is now 7-0. Baldpspino, 131 1/4 lbs of Miranda, de Ebro, SPA is 9-6-2.

“I’m just glad to be back after such a long layoff,” Fiaz told Matchroom. “It’s good to get back in there and get the win. It wasn’t my best performance, but I got the win most importantly. It was emotional to get back in there, especially here as well. It meant a lot to me. I had to come in and do my job no matter what.

“It wasn’t my best performance. We’re going to go away and look at the mistakes I made, then we’ll definitely work on them and be better next time. Even going into the last round, I felt I did enough to win. It was probably the right decision yeah. He was a tough man. I hurt him a couple of times and he stuck in there and dug in. Credit to him.

“I expected to be better than that, and I definitely am better than that. I need to be better than that. The fight didn’t go the way I wanted to. It’s about learning, and I feel like that’s a good learning fight. I’m definitely better than that, I just need activity. The more time I’m in the ring, the better I’ll be.

“I’ve had a lot going on, and my team have had my back. They’re like father figures to me. They’ve been there for me when I’ve been at my lowest. I’m here today because of them. Ten months is probably the longest layoff that I’ve ever had in my amateur career and pro. It’s good to be back, but let’s be back soon.”

NEW YORK–Top-10 Heavyweight Michael Hunter scored a sensational fourth round stoppage over Mike Wilson in a scheduled 10-round heavyweight bout at the Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden.

In round four, Hunter uncorked a crushing right to the face that put Wilson on the deck. The punch opened up cuts on the face of Wilson. Wilson got up at the count of nine, but the fight was rightfully stopped at

Hunter, 217 1/4 lbs of Las Vegas is 20-1-1 with 14 knockouts. Wilson, 224 1/4 lbs of Medford, OR is 21-2.

Former world champion Chris Algieri won a 10-round unanimous decision over former world title challenger Mikkel LesPierre in a junior welterweight bout.

Algieri landed 242 of 609 punches; LesPierre was 142 of 430.

Algieri, 142 3/4 lbs of Huntington, NY won by scores of 100-90 twice and 99-91 and is now 25-3. LesPierre, 144 lbs of Brooklyn, NY is 22-3-1.

Aponte stops Gonzalez in 2

Aaron Aponte destroyed Gerardo Gonzalez in round two of a scheduled four-round junior welterweight bout.

In round one, Aponte dropped Gonzalez with a hard straight right. In round two, Aponte dropped Gonzalez with a blistering combination, and the fight was stopped at 30 seconds.

Aponte, 139 3/4 lbs of Hialiah Gardens, FL is 4-0 with two knockouts. Gonzalez, 138 3/4 lbs of Las Vegas is 2-1.

Highly decorated amateur Christina Cruz made her long-awaited pro debut in the flyweight division winning a spirited four-round decision over Indeya Smith, (1-3-1, 1 KO), of Dallas, TX. The New York City native Cruz was victorious by majority decision scores of 40-36, 39-37 and 38-38.

Undefeated light-heavyweight prospect Matthew Tinker, (7-0, 6 KOs), of Yorkshire, UK stopped Utica, New York’s Michael Rycraft, (4-2-1, 3 KOs) by technical knockout. Following two rounds of one-way traffic from Tinker, Rycraft’s corner stopped the bout before the third stanza started.

Fighting in the heavyweight division, Brooklyn’s Robert Sabbagh improved to 3-0 with a four-round unanimous decision over Cleveland Billingsley III, (3-6, 3 KOs), of Chattanooga, TN. Scores for the impressive victory over the valiant Billingsley were 40-36 twice and 39-37.

Opening the show in a tremendous battle of undefeated super welterweight prospects, Guido Schramm, (12-0-1, 8 KOs), of Los Angeles, CA won a six-round unanimous decision over Nikoloz Sekhniashvili, (7-1, 5 KOs), of Gori, Georgia. Scores for the fight which featured excellent two-way action throughout were 59-55, 58-56 and 58-55 for Schramm as both combatants raised their stock.

NEWARK, NJ–In the main event of a PBC on FOX card from the Prudential Center, South Carolina’s Jonathan Rice (14-6-1, 10KO) scored an upset fifth round stoppage over previously unbeaten ex-Marine Michael Coffie (12-1, 9KO).  

Rice, a late replacement for Gerald Washington who tested positive for COVID-19 earlier in the week, set the tone early in round one, consistently finding a home for his right hand.

Uncomfortable with how the first three minutes played out, the orthodox Coffie switched to southpaw in the second and experienced brief success before the momentum pendulum swung back in the 34 year-old Rice’s favor who kept the right hands coming behind an active jab. 

Coffie, a 35 year-old former US Marine, was unable to make the necessary adjustments to stymie Rice’s offense, and eventually, midway through round five, the dam broke.  Right hands from Rice sent an exhausted and energy-zapped Coffie lazily retreating toward a neutral corner.  An ensuing brief barrage of uncontested blows by Rice was enough for referee Eric Dali to step in and save Coffie from further punishment at the 2:19 mark.

Vito Mielnicki Scores TKO2 Over Noah Kidd

In the contest in which most fans in attendance came to witness, Jersey boy Vito Mielnicki Jr. (9-1, 6KO) powered his way to a TKO2 over late replacement Noah Kidd (6-4-2, 5KO).  

Up until yesterday afternoon Mielnicki had his sights set on extracting revenge against James Martin, who eked out a majority decision over him in April.  However, when Martin came in 4.5 pounds overweight the 147 welterweight limit on Friday, the Martin rematch was called off and in stepped Kidd.  

And any frustration Mielnicki harbored toward Martin missing weight, he took out on Kidd.  The 19 year-old put his power on display, landing a perfectly leveraged counter left hook that simultaneously dropped Kidd his ass while bringing hundreds of Mielnicki supporters roaring to their feet. 

In the second, another Mielnicki left caused a wounded Kidd’s hands to drop as he slowly retreated.  Smelling blood in the water Mielnicki turned up the heat, bullying Kidd to the ringpost where he unloaded a barrage of body shots.  Moments later, after clipping Kidd once more with a left on the chin, referee Eric Dali stepped in to halt the action at the 2:32 mark of round two.  

“There were no issues with the change of opponent,” Mielnicki said post-fight.  “I trained for a more technical fighter. Kidd was more awkward than Martin. We got the job done in front of my hometown fans, so I’m happy.  

On the hundreds of fans who flocked to downtown Newark to show support, Mielnicki said, “This is my home and these are my people. Whenever we fight in Jersey this is where we’re doing it. I’m looking forward to many more fights here.”

Spencer Cruises To Wide Decision Over Martin

In the first of three contests to be aired nationally on FOX, Joey Spencer (13-0, 9KO) battled his way to a unanimous decision victory over Philadelphia’s James Martin (7-3).  At the end of eight rounds, judges cards read 79-73×2 and 80-72 all for Michigan’s Spencer.  

There wasn’t much in this 24 minute “middleweight” affair…little risks (especially from Spencer) and fewer rewards.  Martin, who has yet to score a win via KO in his ten fight career tried to walk down the bigger and stronger Spencer, who was more than happy to invite Martin in and pepper him with jabs and left hooks en route to his wide decision victory. 

Up until about 1pm Eastern yesterday, both fighters were slated to face different opponents.  Martin was penciled in to rematch Vito Mielnicki Jr., who he bested by majority decision in April, while Spencer was scheduled to square off against Pennsylvania’s Dan Karpency.  However, both Martin and Spencer missed weight Friday afternoon — Martin quite egregiously, coming in 4.5 pounds over his 147 pound target, and Spencer at 156.5, 2.5 pounds over his contractually agreed to weight.  

“There were one or two rounds where he was throwing and he had a lot of activity, but I was blocking,” Spencer said afterward.  “I only took one or two shots and to be honest I would have thought it would be a shutout.”

Andre Dirrell Makes It 2-For-2 At Light Heavyweight; Stops Brooker In Three 

Former Olympic bronze medalist and interim IBF super middleweight champion Andre “The Matrix” Dirrell (28-3, 18KO) continued his comeback at light heavyweight, scoring an impressive third round TKO over Philadelphia’s Christopher Brooker (16-8, 6KO).  

It was all Dirrell from the opening bell, as the southpaw controlled the fight with his jab, rarely letting his left hand fly.  Midway through the second round though, Dirrell started to use that jab to set up his left, which almost exclusively was fired at Brooker’s body.  Then in the third Dirrell put all his punches together, and dropped Brooker with a body shot to the liver.  Brooker beat Ricky Gonzalez’s ten-count but was dropped to a knee moments later following a barrage of punches from Dirrell.  After getting back to his feet one final time, the 37 year-old Dirrell greeted Brooker with more fists of fury until Gonzalez stepped in and stopped the bout at the 2:58 mark.  

Tonight marked the first time Dirrell has fought since November 2019.  

Paterson’s Norman Neely Stays Perfect, Earns UD Over Juan Torres 

Paterson New Jersey’s Norman Neely (9-0, KO) rewarded his patiently waiting fans and remained undefeated by earning a wide six round unanimous decision (60-52, 60-54×2) over fellow heavyweight Juan Torres (6-4-1, 3KO). 

In the early rounds, the Texan Torres tried to employ a bull-rush strategy, where he continually charged Neely with the intention of making it an ugly, scrappy affair.  But as the rounds wore on, the soft and doughy Torres began to tire, which allowed for Neely to better manage the distance.  

In the fourth, fighting at his desired range, the 31 year-old Neely began to pick apart Torres and as the round drew to a close, viciously battered Torres who was mercifully saved by the bell.

Neely did his best to dispose of the hard-nosed Torres, but there would be no knockdowns, no Great Falls.  Torres joins only Nicoy Clarke as fighters who have managed to go the distance with Silk City’s Neely.

Dargan Detonates Two Rights; Scores TKO2 Over Delgado

In the first match of the FS1 portion of tonight’s card, Philadelphia’s Karl “Dynamite” Dargan (20-1, 10KO) sent Los Angeles’s Ivan Delgado (13-4-2, 6KO) crashing to the canvas twice en route to an emphatic second round TKO victory. 

Though it was Dargan’s first fight in almost three years, there was no ring rust evident.  After a competitive first two rounds, Dargan uncorked a vicious counter right uppercut that nearly ripped Delgado’s head off his neck and sent him to the mat.  Too brave for his own good, Delgado beat referee Harvey Dock’s ten count, but was only destined to survive another :30 seconds or so.  The end came when the 36 year-old Dargan landed a right cross to the chin that collapsed Delgado to his knees.  And while Delgado again made it quickly to his feet, referee Dock correctly halted the fight at the 1:09 mark.

In addition to tonight being Dargan’s first fight since November 2018, it was also his first fight without his uncle, the late Naazim Richardson in his corner.  

 Anderson Scores TKO When Rogers Doesn’t Answer Bell For Rd2

Newark-born Michael Anderson (21-3-1, 15KO) scored a TKO1 over Tennessee’s Demarcus Rogers (14-4-1, 5KO) when Rogers was unable to answer the bell for the second round.  After a fairly competitive first three minutes, with the 40 year-old Anderson getting the better of the action, Rogers was unable to answer the bell for the second round.   Acting on the advice of the ringside physician (perhaps due to a hand or shoulder injury), referee Harvey Dock stopped the contest, resulting in a TKO win for the veteran Anderson. 

Jordan Rosario Ekes Out SD Over Fellow Jerseyan Nicky Vitone

In the second fight of the evening Jersey City’s Jordan Rosario (4-10) bested Pine Brook’s Nicky “The Bull” Vitone (5-1-1, 4KO) via split decision in a four round all New Jersey welterweight affair.  The younger, more aggressive Vitone brought the pressure, but the 30 year-old vet Rosario dug in, slipped punches, and fired back enough scoring shots to earn the judges approval.  Scores were 39-37×2 for Rosario, and 39-37 for Vitone.  The decision marks the first win for Rosario, who trains out of the Ironbound Boxing Gym in Newark’s East Ward, since February 2019.

Jersey Debutant Malik Nelson Scores Fourth Rd Stoppage Over Alejandro Ramirez

In the opening contest of a ten bout PBC fight card from the Prudential Center, New Jersey’s Malik Nelson (1-0, 1KO) earned a fourth round TKO  over Colorado’s Alejandro Ramirez (0-2) in his pro debut.  Nelson scored two knockdowns in the first, and kept the heat on until earning the stoppage in the fourth and final round.  A boxer since age five, Nelson racked up seven amateur national championships before stepping away from the sport in 2018 to pursue a college degree.  Now 21 years old, Nelson can call himself a rising junior business administration student at Monmouth University, as well as an undefeated professional prizefighter.

Quadir Albright Stops Jared Tallent In Two

Philadelphia’s Quadir Albright improved to 2-0, 2KO with a second TKO over debutant Jared Tallent.  Albright dropped Tallent in the second, who beat the referee’s count only to take a few more shots before Ricky Gonzalez called off the fight for good at the 1:14 mark.

Leigh Wood captured the WBA Featherweight title with a 12th round stoppage over Xu Can at the opening week of Fight Camp at the Matchroom HQ in Essex, England.

Wood outboxed Can over the course of the fight, and in round 12, landed a big right that sent Can to the canvas. With Can hurt, Wood landed seven unanswered punches that forced a referee stoppage at 2:43.

Wood, 125 1/2 lbs of Nottingham, ENG is now 25-2 with 15 knockouts. Can, 125 1/4 lbs of Beijing CHN is 18-3.

“It feels good you know, to get the stoppage over the line in a great and high-paced fight, the last round with six weeks’ notice, I couldn’t have done anymore,” Wood told Matchroom afterwards. 
 
“I did say in an interview that I’m going to be catching him clean and it’s not down to me how long the fight lasts, it’s down to him pretty much. I could have sustained that all night. He took some big shots, big heart, credit to him but the accumulation has its effect as well. The shot I finished him with wasn’t as big as the ones I caught him with earlier on, but they took their toll, I caught him and got the stoppage.
 
“I had belief in my power, not only do I have big power, but I know how to get it off, how to set it up and how to mix it up. That’s the biggest factor in working with Ben, Lee Wylie and Barry Smith, they’ve really changed the game for me.
 
“He definitely wasn’t throwing 120 punches a round and that’s down to the game plan. Everyone was saying how are you going to do it, what are going to do, are you going to hit him hard, are going to hold him, it was down to the game plan. Even people watching don’t understand, but that’s a conversation for another day.
 
“Hopefully the younger generations see this and think you know what, he’s done it, World Champion, British, Commonwealth, European, hopefully people decide to go pick up a pair of boxing gloves and start their journey.
 
“Ben and Lee said to me they’ve never been so confident in someone getting the tactics right as much as me going into this fight. I thought that was a big statement, I was doing everything they wanted me to do. I executed it pretty much to perfection and credit to those guys for getting it right – I just do as I’m told, and it works.
 
“I’m easy, redemption with Dickens would be great for myself. Full confidence in Ben getting my tactics right for that fight, I had a bad night that fight, first southpaw I boxed as a pro, I’d like to put that right naturally.
 
“But if there’s bigger fights, I said I wanted the Navarrete fight he’s explosive like me, that’ll be absolute fireworks. People might slate me and say it’s a regular title, let’s fight for the super title, let’s unify – I want big fights.
 
“My career was stalled earlier on. In three years I’ve been British, Commonwealth, WBO European and now World Champion. My best years are definitely to come.”

Chris Billiam-Smith won a 12-round split decision over Tommy McCarthy in a hotly contested cruiserweight bout.

In round six, McCarthy was cut over his right eye.

Billam-Smith landed 155 of 637 punches; McCarthy was 154 of 506.

Billiam-Smith won by scores of 115-114 and 116-112, while McCarthy took a card 115-114.

Billiam-Smith-199 1/2 lbs of Bournemouth, ENG is 13-1. McCarthy, 199 1/4 lbs of Belfast, NI is 18-3.

“It’s crazy, as Shane said, it’s been a bit of a tough camp towards the end – I had an injury and I haven’t sparred in 3-4 weeks,” Billam-Smith told Matchroom afterwards. “All that emotion came out, it was an interesting build up the fight, future fights, but I’m over the moon.
 
“It was a good shot, the best shot he landed all fight, I was with it, but it was a good shot, it buzzed me in a way, but I was in control, I could see, I knew I’d been hit but I just had to ride it a bit.
 
“I was really confident, the corner had it closer. In my head I thought I’d won probably eight rounds, but I wasn’t scoring it as I went along – so maybe seven. There was no way he won seven rounds, absolutely no way, that first round he landed one shot. It was a good shot, but I also had him hurt and hit him a lot more – those rounds should really go in my favour.
 
“He was harder to hit clean to be fair to him, but that was my own fault, I was loading up looking for one shot. Shane said that so the jab to the body was key, it was everything. It won me the fight, we watched the Askin fight today and that was the key – props to Shane.
 
“I sent the tweet out and it got him going, he built the fight really well. I played the villain at the beginning and just let him run away with it. All respect to Tommy, he was tougher and better than I thought he was.
 
“I’m so much better than that, I just walked back into the changing rooms and Shane has a massive go at me and said, ‘what was that?’ We know what I’m capable of but then I get too excited in there when I hurt someone. That’s because I’ve only had 14 fights, I’ve got a lot of learning to do but it’s a long process, I’m not the finished article and that’s the sort of fight I need.
 
“I was fit in there, comfortable in there, still ready to work in that last round and go up a gear which is good, but I’ve got to learn to be more articulate with how I go about things.
 
“They all work hard in the gym; I like to do the little 1% that they probably can’t be bothered to do. They work hard, Lawrence runs every morning, everyone’s a grafter in the gym but that comes down to Shane and Josh, they set such a high standard. You’ve got to be world class and act like a professional the whole time in that gym to survive.
 
“There was a group of twelve lads from Bournemouth that I kind of know and they all come up, to see them in crowd and to making the noise they did, it was really special. It’s so good to have fans back and some normality.
 
“I want a show in Bournemouth, I really do. We’ve tried it almost 18 months ago, it would be unbelievable to have a show down there. We’ve got the Bournemouth International Centre which Eddie had booked for last March which he couldn’t get an opponent for. I need a show in Bournemouth, I love my fans, they’ve been superb to me. I’ve been on the road, Riakporhe in London, Glover in Liverpool, here in London, I want to go home.”

Campbell Hatton remained undefeated with a four-round decision over Jakub Laskowski in a lightweight fight.

Hatton, 135 1/2 lbs of Manchester, ENG won by a 40-36 score and is now 3-0. Laskowski, 135 1/2 lbs of Poland is 4-5-1.

“I was happy again really; I thought my defence was a lot better,” Hatton told Matchroom afterwards. “I was a bit more composed again, I think there were a few times where I’d hurt him and probably could have smothered my work fully and not caught him with anything. I managed to control myself a little when he was going. I didn’t quite get the knockout because I was smothering, and he was tricky, but it was exactly what I need. I need the rounds more than I need a stoppage.
 
“He was tricky customer, slippery, doing a bit of switching and some different looks. That’s the perfect fight and it has been matched perfectly for me to learn. There are people out there they could bring in and anyone could hit them and knock them over. That’s not how they’re matching me, we’re getting me people who are going to get the rounds out of me and give me different things to overcome – that’s what he did tonight.
 
“I think I showed some more classy work than I have before, working off my jab. My jab is one of my best shots in the gym and now I’m bringing it into play in the fights now.
 
“The first fight I was saying all week I was dead relaxed, but I had nothing to compare it to. The second fight I was more composed, and I was more composed this fight – next time it’s going to be the same pattern and even better.
 
“This was a different experience, it’s different to anything that I’m probably going to face very often in my career. It was different making the ring walk this time, you feel breezy seeing people tucking into their tea and having a pint. It was weird making my ring walk to that but as soon as the bell went it was just like any other ring and I just got to work.
 
“Gibraltar, the amount of media commitments I had to and how much time was invested into me on the media side, I think that set me up, so I’ve not had to do much really. We’ve got it all out the way in the first one, I’m never going to have to deal with anything like that again, the pressure will always be there but each time I’ll be dealing with it better. I’m dealing with the pressure like it’s not there now.
 
“You see all these opponents, if it was any other kid he was fighting with any other surname, I don’t think he would have been digging in half as much as he did there. They want to make a point, whether it’s to stop me, or just survive – they raise their game a bit when they know it’s me and I’ve got to do the same.”

Anthony Fowler stopped Rico Mueller in round eight of a scheduled 10-round junior middleweight fight,

In round two, Mueller began to bleed from his nose.

Mueller hung tough, but over the course of the fight, Fowler started breaking down Mueller. In round eight, Fowler landed a jab that buckled Mueller. Fowler continued to batter Mueller all over the ring until the bout was stopped at 2:12.

Fowler, 155 1/4 lbs of Liverpool, ENG is 15-1 with 12 knockouts. Mueller, 156 lbs of Eberswalde, GER is 28-4-1.

After the fight, it was announced that Fowler would take on Liam Smith on October 9th.

“My next opponent is a really good fighter, much better than him, but I needed the rounds,” Fowler told DAZN afterwards. “I thought in round two I wobbled him but thought, ‘not today’. My last fight was three rounds and I thought, ‘I need rounds today’, so I stepped back and worked on a few things.
 
“The one thing I haven’t had in my career is rounds, I’ve always blasted my opponents out and haven’t really learnt much. I’m learning plenty in the gym but that’s where it counts, it means nothing in the gym.
 
“I’m from the south of Liverpool, Liam’s (Smith) from the north. It doesn’t bother me, I respect Liam a lot, he’s a really good fighter, ten times better than that lad tonight so I need to be on top of my game. I don’t turn fights down, since day one I’ve boxed anyone, I’ve asked for all these big fights, but it never happened for me.
 
“Even tonight, I wanted to box Roberto Garcia, a good, experienced veteran. Rico Mueller gaveca good fight and I’m happy he replaced Garcia because I said in the ring, ‘thanks for giving it your all’, after six rounds he was six rounds down and he was still trying.
 
“Liam is a much higher level, but I needed the rounds and that’s what I got.”

Jack Cullen won a 10-round unanimous decision over former world title challenger Avni Yiildrim n a super middleweight bout.

Cullen, 163 1/2 lbs of Little Leaver, ENG won by scores of 100-90, 98-92 and 9793 and is now 20-2-1. Yildrim, 163 lbs of Istanbul, TUR ks 21-4.

“I’m absolutely buzzing and listen; we came with a game plan, a couple of rounds in I wasn’t doing what I should have been doing, but I stuck to my game plan and it paid off eventually,” Cullen told Matchroom afterwards. 
 
“I knew he was going to come forward, he’s a tough fighter and he comes to fight – that’s what he did tonight. Like I said with my game plan, using the jab and trying to not get caught with the right hand. I got caught a few times stupidly, but I got back on my boxing and got through the ten rounds.
 
“To be honest with you every fight I’ve seen him in he’s been one paced. It’s me not doing too much, using the jab, and letting him come forward, instead of me getting involved in a scrap – it worked. We stuck to the game plan, it worked, and I’m delighted. 
 
“I’ve been working over and over, every day, it’s starting to pay off. Like I said, you’re going to see a different Jack Cullen and I think you did tonight.
 
“At the end of the day, I’m in this game to fight the best and anything can happen, anything is around the corner. It’s all about being switched on and ready, whoever you get offered you’ve got to take the fight with both hands and go for it.
 
“I have got a brilliant support, a lot of fans that love watching and supporting me. There were only 25 in there tonight, but it sounded like 100, it’s brilliant and I’m going to have a nice little rest – we’ll see. Hopefully Eddie will sign me now!
 
“It’s moving in the right direction, the direction I want it to go. Everyone said Yildirim is going to be a tough opponent and I knew that, but I knew I should be beating fighters like him because of where I want to take my career to.
 
“I will go with flow, who knows, I reckon there will be all sorts of people jumping out the closet wanting to fight me, but we’ll see.”

Prized amateur Sandy Ryan made a successful pro debut with a six-round decision over Kirstie Bavington in a super lightweight bout.

Ryan, 144 1/2 lbs of Darby England won by a 60-54 tally and is 1-0. Bavington, 144 1/2 lbs of Pensnett, ENG is 3-2-2.

“It was a very good fight,” Ryan told Matchroom afterwards. “I’m over the moon and I’m so happy. I enjoyed every minute of that, the walk, everything, I’m just made for the pro game.
 
“I took my time; I enjoyed the ring walk – I enjoyed it so much.
 
“I wanted a tough fight, to prove the levels. I showed glimpses of it, there were times where she was a bit messy and holding. The pro game and each fight as it goes on, I’m going to get much better.
 
“Levels, I said that even if I had a bad day, she wasn’t going to beat me. It’s not disrespect to her, but I just know what I’m capable of. Boxing’s my life and I’m going all the way.
 
“I’ve got the right team behind, Matchroom, DAZN, Eddie Hearn, Paul Ready my manager and Clifton my trainer, that’s all I need – that’s my team. I don’t need a big entourage around me, this is all I need and we’re going all the way.”

PHILADELPHIA–It was a battle of undefeated welterweights that highlighted RDR Promotions 2nd night of back-to-back shows as Mark Dawson won an eight round unanimous decision over towering Ivan Pandzic at the 2300 Arena in South Philadelphia.

The opening rounds saw Pandzic trying to use his 6’4″ frame with shots from the outside. His shots were largely ineffective, and Dawson was able to get to the distance where he was able to land solid counter shots. Pandzic was drawn into a firefight on several occasions, which was much to the delight of Dawson as he got the better of the exchanges which led to Pandzic being sent home with his first loss by scores of 79-73, 78-74 and 77-74.

Dawson, 148 lbs of Philadelphia is 9-0-1. Pandzic, 146.2 lbs of Rancho Cucamonga, CA is 13-1-1.

Sean Hemphill remained undefeated as he systematically beat down Robert Burwell in a super middleweight bout.

The time of the stoppage was 2:39 for Hemphill, 171 lbs of New Orleans, LA who is now 13-0 with eight knockouts. Burwell, 173 lbs of Orlando, FL is now 9-5.

Jabril Noble made a successful pro debut with a second round stoppage of Deijerro Revello in super featherweight bout.

Noble dropped Revello in round two with a left hook. he finished it up secons later with another left hook that dropped Revello and the fight was halted at 1:12.

Noble, 132.2 lbs of Philadelphia is 1-0 with one knockout. Revello, 131.2 lbs of Brighton, CO is 0-2.

Rasheen Brown remained undefeated with a six-round unanimous decision over Prisco Marquez in a featherweight fight.

Brown dropped Marquez with a straight left at the end of round one.

In round five, it was a left to the body that put Marquez on the deck.

Brown, 129 lbs of Philadelphia won by scores of 60-52, 59-53 and 58-55 and is now 10-0. Marquez, 127.9 lbs of Austin, TX is 4-4-1.

Edgar Joe Cortes won a six-round unanimous decision over Roberto Pucheta in a super bantamweight bout.

Cortes, 122.8 lbs of Millville, NJ won by scores of 58-56 on all cards and is now 9-6-1. Pucheta, 121.9 lbs of Jalisco, MEX is 10-19-2.

Joe Jones took out veteran Dhafir Smith in round three of a scheduled six-round cruiserweight bout.

In round two, Jones dropped Smith with a hard right hand. In round three, Jones landed 10 consecutive blows that forced referee Shawn Clark to stop the bout 18 seconds into the round.

Jones, 194.6 lbs of Jersey City, NJ is 12-4 with nine knockouts. Smith, 198.6 lbs of Upper Darby, PA is 28-26-7,

David Stevens remained undefeated with a four-round unanimous decision over Montrel James in a light heavyweight fight.

Stevens, 174.8 lbs of Reading,, PA won by scores of 40-36 on all cards, and is now 6-0. James, 173.8 lbs of Saint Louis, MO is 1-6.

Nahir Albright scored the biggest win of his career as he pounded out an eight-round unanimous decision over Jeremy Hill to capture the NABA Lightweight Title at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia.

There were some close rounds with each guy pressing the action at different points of the fight. Albright seemed to get the better of the action as they headed down the stretch. The final rounds saw Albright take control and clearly get the better of the action and he came home with the victory by scores of 79-73 twice and 78-74.

Albright, 133.6 lbs of Sicklerville, NJ is 13-1. Hill, 135.2 lbs of New Orleans, LA is 15-2.

Muhsin Cason demolished Tristan James by scoring a third-round stoppage of their four-round cruiserweight fight.

Cason landed a left hook that put James down hard on the canvas and the bout was stopped.

Cason, 197.3 lbs of Las Vegas is now 8-0 with five knockouts. James, 194 lbs of Des Moines, IA is 4-4-.2

Julian Smith scored an explosive first round stoppage of Derrick Whitley Jr in a scheduled welterweight.

Smith landed a booming overhand right that sent Whitley down for the count at 2:58.

Smith, 144.8 lbs of Country Club Hills, IL is 5-0 with four knockouts. Whitley, 147.6 lbs of Springfield, MA is 6-2-1.

Ryan Schwartzberg scored an upset as he stopped previously undefeated Ryan Umberger in the 2nd round of their four-round junior middleweight clash.

Schwartzberg caught Umberger with a big left hook that hurt Umberger. Schwartzberg continued to batter Umberger, but Umberger caught Schwartzberg with several hard shots of his own. Umberger was still wobbly from the first barrage and got caught with several hard shots on the ropes and the bout was stopped at 1:41.

Schwartzberg, 156.3 lbs of Dania, FL is 1-1-1 with one knockout. Umberger, 155.3 lbs of Bensalem, PA is 4-1.

Du-Shane Crooks won a six-round majority decision Bernard Thomas in a super middleweight bout.

Crooks, 167.7 lbs of May Pen, JAM won by scores of 60-54, 59-55 and 57-57 and is now 16-2. Thomas, 168.8 lbs of Kansas City, MO is 6-11.

Steve Galeano remained undefeated with a six-round unanimous decision over Marquis Hawthorne in a junior welterweight bout.

Galeano, 143.1 lbs of Bronx, NY won by scores of 60-54 twice and 59-55 and is now 8-0. Hawthorne, 138.8 lbs of Waco, TX is 8-15.

Raekwon Butler remained undefeated with a four-round unanimous decision over Diemerci Nzau in a welterweight bout.

Butler, who dominated the fight at range, was deducted a point for spiting out his mouthpiece in the final frame. He was also cut over his right eye in round three.

Butler, 138.8 lbs won by 39-36 scores on all cards, and is now 3-0. Nzau, 144 lbs of Silver Spring, MD is now 11-15.

World champions Jermell Charlo and Brian Castano left everything in the ring as the battled to a 12-round split draw in a fight for the undisputed junior middleweight championship and the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas.

Early on, it looked like it would be a short and easy night for Charlo as he hurt Castano with a left hook in the 2nd round. Castano, who was clearly on shaky legs. He was able to get out of the round and that was bad news for Charlo. Over the next half dozen rounds, Castano not only righted himself, but dominated most of the rounds as he was able to get in a lot of solid offense with most of it coming by pinning Charlo on the ropes and landing effective shots. Castano was able to feature a nice straight hand and seemed to hurt Charlo on a couple of occasions with good left hooks.

In round 10, Charlo was able to get himself back in the fight by hurting Castano with a right hand that had the native of Argentina on shaky legs throughout the round. Over the final six minutes, the two stood mostly on the inside firing off and landing effective punches in an effort to clearly forge ahead on the final scorecards.

Charlo landed 151 of 533; Castano was 173 of 586.

When those scorecards were announced, Castano took a card 114-113; Somehow Nelson Vazquez gave Charlo nine rounds on his 117-111, and a third card was even at 114-114.

Charlo of Houston, Texas holds on to his IBF/WBA/WBC titles and is now 34-1-1. Castano keeps his WBO crown and is now 17-0-2.

Jermell Charlo

“Shout out to San Antonio for coming through. The win is what I wanted to hear. I won this fight. I hurt him way more than he did to me. Castano is a real warrior. But my power is serious at this weight division.

“My coach told me I needed the knockout in the ninth round and I just knew he knew what he was talking about. I trust my coach. This come with boxing – wins, losses and draws.

“He threw a hell of a lot of punches. My skills and my ability and my power – I felt like I won this fight and I deserve to be going home undisputed. I am glad to have fought for undisputed. It’s different. I still hold my titles. I can’t wait to get home to my babies, take a break from boxing and then get back to the drawing board and see what’s next.

“I want to be undisputed. That’s what I want. That’s my destiny.”

Brian Castano

“I won the fight. There were some rounds that he did hit me and he hit me hard. But I won this fight. I want to thank SHOWTIME and Al Haymon for this fight. It was a great opportunity.

“I want to thank San Antonio. I was hurt in the 10th round and I had to recoup. Same with the beginning of the 11^th round. But I did enough to win this fight. I hope I get the rematch. He is a great fighter. I need the rematch.”

Romero Knocks Out Yigit in 7 to retain Interim Lightweight Title

Rolando Romero retained the WBA Interim Lightweight title with a 7th round stoppage over late-replacement Anthony Yigit

In round three, Yigit was cut over his left eye. In round five, Romero was deducted a point for holding. Immediately after that, Romero landed a big right at the bell that sent Yigit down for a knockdown.

In round seven, Romero dropped Yigit with a hard right hand. Seconds later it was a left that was followed by a right that put Yigit down again, and the fight was stopped at 1:54.

Romero, 135 lbs of Las Vegas is 14-0 with 12 knockouts. Yigit, 140.25 lbs of Sweden is 24-2-1.

Rolando Romero

“I fought a tough kid above my weight class. I fought a 140-pounder and I f***ing stopped him. Simple as that.

“In the seventh round, I knew it was over. I swear I thought it was over after that first knockdown but I didn’t have time in that round to jump on him.

“I want Gervonta Davis at 140. I want him at 140. I mean, he only has 16 fights. I have 14 now. I am ready for him. Time to stop him. Time to knock him out. I know what he can do but I know what I can do. I am a lot stronger. Let’s see if we can make it happen.”

Vidal wins Majority Decision over Aleem

In a terrific back and forth brawl, Amilcar Vidal Jr. won a 10-round majority decision over Immanuwel Aleem in a middleweight fight.

The fight was fought at close quarters with each guy taking turns getting the better of the action. Vidal got credit for his body punching, but this was a crowd pleasing fight that could have gone either way.57

Vidal landed 205 of 571 punches; Aleem was 183 of 647 punches.

Vidal, 160.5 lbs of Uruguay won by scores of 97-93 twice and 95-95 and is now 13-0. Aleem, 162 lbs of East Meadow, NY is 18-3-1.

Amilcar Vidal

“I was not surprised by his strategy of working inside. We worked on that in camp. I wanted to work him in and then I would finally show him my power in the end.

“It was a great fight against a really tough opponent, but the fruits of my labor alongside my brother during training camp paid off and I never lost my cool.

“We felt sure of ourselves as a team and I knew (Aleem) would feel me as soon as I found my ideal distance and reach.

“I believe I was a fair winner, but I am not here to argue about the score. I may have lost my way in a couple of rounds, but I regained control of the fight and I have as much as I took.

“Like I told you before the press conference, it’s about going step by step. We took a major one tonight, and now my promoter will let me know what’s next. I’ll be ready. We are nice and comfortable at 160 pounds.

“Uruguay can rest easy knowing Amilcar Vidal is here to stay.”

PHOENIX – The room was decorated for weddings. But there were no vows. Just violence, in the ring and the seats.

In a ring beneath a ceiling covered with a white floral display, a fight card ended wildly Friday night at the Legends Event Center in Maryvale on the westside of Phoenix.

Danny Barrios (6-0, 2 KOs) executed a definite end to the regulated violence with a powerful succession of uppercuts that drove fellow Phoenician Edward Ceballos (9-4-1, 5 KOs) though the ropes and flat on his back on the ring’s apron at the end of a scheduled six rounder. That’s where he was counted out by referee Wes Melton.

The fight for a state featherweight title sanctioned by the Arizona State Boxing & MMA Commission was over. But the brawl was just beginning.

As Ceballo’s corner rushed to help their fallen fighter, spectators talked trash and hurled cups of beer. The exchange quickly escalated. Members of Ceballos’ corner and spectators started shoving each other. They had to be separated as the small crowd scattered and headed for the parking lot amid flying chairs and debris.

Barrios’ victory was the main event on a card that had been scheduled to feature former lightweight champion Ray Beltran. But Beltran’s comeback was cancelled. His opponent, Daniel Perales Osorio of Monterrey, Mexico, chose not to fight.     

Best of the Undercard

Left-handed Michael Norato (9-0, 20 KOs), a tall lightweight from California, had a long jab that kept Isaac Camarillo (3-2-2, 1 KO), of Yuma, AZ, at bay, off balance and bloodied. Norato, who had ex-Oscar De La Hoya trainer Robert Alcazar in his corner, won a one-sided decision, 60-54 on all three cards.

The Rest

Phoenix super-middleweight William Northran (3-0, 2 KOs) used his superior reach and faster feet to score a second-round TKO of Tommie Stephens (0-1) of Eloy, AZ.

Brian Velasquez (3-0, 2 KOs), a Phoenix junior-featherweight, relied on agile feet and a long body to counter aggressive pursuit from Nestor Robledo (7-13-2) for a four-round majority decision over the Mexican.

Joseph Rivas, a welterweight from Coolidge, AZ, survived a tough test in his pro debut, enduring four head-rocking rounds for a unanimous decision over Misael Chacon (4-24-3, 3 KOs) of Florence, AZ.

Maximus Castro (2-0, 2 KOs), a Phoenix junior-featherweight also trained by Alcazar, possessed power, sending winless Kendall Ward (0-8), of Idaho to his knees repeatedly with big body shots that finally led to a stoppage at 1:34 of the fourth round.

Axel Rosales (3-0, 2 KOs), a Phoenix lightweight, scored with body shots, offsetting a busy style for a majority decision over Gregory Cruz (2-1, 1 KO) of Seattle.Attachments area

Backyard Brawl Extreme 6 took place this evening at the Hard Rock Live venue at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Fl., featuring ten bouts of bareknuckle boxing in a triangle-shaped ring known as the Trigon. The Trigon is an unforgiving stage, with little room to run and corners that can leave a fighter with no angle to spin out, forcing an exchange with likely brutal consequences.

Calling the action were veteran commentators Paul Malignaggi, Benny Ricardo and Mike Goldberg. All welcome additions to the promotion.

Founder Dada5000 knows that the action in the Trigon is most likely to end in a knockout, as has been the trend in the first five shows. Tonight saw one fight end in a no-contest decision due to an accidental foul (hitting a grounded opponent) and several fights that went the distance.

This author’s pick for fight of the night belongs to the ladies. Patricia Juarez, a former professional boxer, who challenged tough-as-nails Christine “Knuckles” Stanley (2-0) for the promotions Lightweight Championship. Stanleys eye was moused in the first round and it seemed unlikely that the fight would go the distance. Juarez showed superior technique with her footwork and body punches but Stanley stayed in the fight for the duration. After seven rounds of explosive action, both women were bloodied and the crowd roared in anticipation as the unanimous decision was declared in Juarez’ favor.

The main event featured hometown crowd favorite Rene “White Boy” Rodriquez vs. Matt Delanoit.  Delanoit went down in the first round but quickly recovered. Round two commenced with both men swinging for glory and a rare double knockdown. Delanoit quickly recovered and picked himself up, but Rodriquez, landing on the back of his head, was shaken. The referee reached a count of 9, asked Rodriquez if he wanted to continue, but Rodriquez did not give a definitive answer. It was a rowdy end to an exciting night of fights and Delanoit will now challenge for the 185lb belt at BYB 7 in September.

By Norm Frauenheim-

Ray Beltran’s 23 years in the ring include lots of punches. Lots of lessons, too.

One of those lessons landed all over again Thursday. No payday is ever guaranteed. Beltran’s comeback fight Friday night at Legends Center in Maryvale on the west side of Phoenix has been cancelled. His scheduled opponent didn’t show up for the weigh-in Thursday.

Beltran (36-9-1, 22 KOs), a former lightweight champion, said he was told Wednesday night that Osorio just didn’t want to fight. The bout, which would have been Beltran’s first since a stoppage loss to Richard Commey in June 2019, was supposed to be at 143-pounds. Osorio (12-20-2, 8KOs), of Monterrey, Mex., was 2-6 over his last eight bouts.

“It’s disappointing,’’ said the 40-year-old Beltran, once Manny Pacquiao’s primary sparring partner. “You invest a lot of time and money into training and all.  But it’s part of boxing. Part of the business. I used to fight because of my passion for the game. I still do. But now I also see it as a business.’’

Beltran, who lives in Avondale on the west side of Phoenix, said he hopes to fight on a card featuring super-middleweight David Benavidez-versus-Jose Uzcatequi on Aug. 28. It was announced this week that the Showtime-televised card will be at Talking Stick Arena in a ring on the Suns home floor in downtown Phoenix.

Jose Benavidez Jr. is also expected to fight on the card. It would be Benavidez Jr.’s first bout since a 12^th-round stoppage loss to welterweight champion and pound-for-pound contender Terence Crawford in October 2018. The Benavidez brothers grew up in Phoenix.

“That’s going to be a big night for Phoenix boxing,’’ said Beltran, who was brought to Phoenix from Mexico in the late 1990s by late Hall of Fame trainer Emanuel Steward.

Beltran made his pro debut in Tucson in July 1999.

“At this stage, I just want to stay busy,’’ said Beltran, who says he will fight at junior-welterweight. “I’m hoping for August 28. Then, maybe in September. At this stage, I’ve got to stay busy. I can’t sit around and wait.’’

With the Beltran comeback off Friday night’s card, young featherweights Danny Barrios (5-0 1 KOs) and Edward Ceballos (9-3-1, 5 KOs) will fight in the main event for a 126-pound state title sanctioned by the Arizona State Boxing & MMA Commission. First bell is scheduled for 6 p.m.

July 11, 2021.  Three years ago, Miami’s Marlon Kelly was the Sugar Bert National Champion, the #1 amateur in the country. In 2019, he was a semi-finalist in the Olympic Trials. He trains at KOFitness in Hialeah, alongside another former top-ranked amateur turned pro, Aaron Aponte. Last night, Kelly scored his third technical knockout of his professional career, keeping his record a perfect 3-0, with 3 KOs.  The bout also marked his second appearance with Road Warrior Promotions, the South Florida based promotion headed by former world champion Glen Johnson.

Kelly shared the card with other South Florida favorites including cruiserweight Isaiah “Night Knight” Thompson, known for knocking out opponents as an amateur in the Golden Gloves as well as the professional ranks. Night Knight devastated Leroy Jones in the first round forcing a TKO stoppage, bringing his record to 5-0, 4 KOs.  

Featherweight Daniel Bailey also won several titles as an amateur and competed in his seventh professional event this evening. Bailey displayed an impressive skillset-speed, technique, defense and dominated his opponent Mike Fowler to retain his undefeated record.

Manuel “Sweet Dreams” Correa (9-0, 6 KOs) brought a large following to the Miami Airport Convention Center last night, as did “Gorgeous” Alvin Davie (6-2, 5 KOs) and both men added a W to their resumes via TKO in their respective bouts.

Super featherweight Malik Lewis could be considered Glen Johnson’s “protégée,” as it was the 26-year old former mixed-martial artist who convinced the Road Warrior to become a trainer. Johnson has taken Lewis to a PAL championship as an amateur and now a 4-0 (3 KOs) professional who continues to improve with each fight.

Ermal “The Sniper” Hadribeaj (9-0-1), training out of The World Famous 5th Street Gym, also known as the “Albanian Lomachenko,” and well known for his victory back flips, continued his tradition of bringing fans and excitement to the venue. With a background in parkour and training partners such as Jeison Rpasrio, The Sniper is one to look out for in the future.

Veteran Heavyweight Carlos Negron (24-3, 19 KOs) was a surprise on this card. Negron scored a devastating knockout with a body to head combination that stopped pponent Antwaun Tubbs in his tracks.

The star of the promotion is Nigerian-born heavyweight Raphael Akpejiori. Akpejiori is a gifted athlete who came to the United States on a basketball scholarship to the University of Miami. He went on to play football for them as well and was later scouted by the Miami Dolphins. Now he has found his calling as a pugilist and has shown remarkable knockout power. His record stands at a perfect 12-0 with 12 KOs. Akpejiori continues to improve under the tutelage of Glen Johnson. And yes, he did call out Tyson Fury.  

In a wild five minutes, Dustin Poirier won his trilogy with Conor McGregor when McGregor could not continue due to an apparent broken bone in his leg at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

The fight was fought at a furious pace with McGregor coming out kicking McGregor. McGregor tried to get Poirier in a Guillotine choke, but it was Poirier landing hard shots on the ground. McGregor had some blood from his ear. With the round ending, Poirier landed some good shots on his feet, and with the clock winding down, both guys missed a punch with McGregor turning his ankle and his foot began to dangle off to the side, and the fight was officially stopped due to a doctor stoppage.

Poirier, 156 lbs is now 28-6 with 15 stoppage wins. McGregor, 156 lbs of Dublin, IRE is 22-6.

Burns Decisions Thompson

Gilbert Burns won a unanimous decision over Stephen Thompson in a welterweight fight.

Burns outstruck Thompson 101-59 and registered three takedowns to none.

Burns, 170.5 lbs of Rio de Jineiro, BRA won by scores of 29-28 on all cards and is now 20-4. Thompson, 170.5 lbs of Simpsonville, SC is 16-5-1.

Tuivasa Knocks Out Hardy in 1

Tai Tuivasa knocked out former NFL star Greg Hardy in 67 seconds of their heavyweight fight.

After Hardy landed a hard right, he came in for a follow up, and ate a huge left hook that put him on the deck. Tuivasa landed a couple of ground strikes for good measure and the fight was stopped.

Tuivasa, 263 lbs of Sydney, AUS is now 13-3 with 12 knockouts. Hardy, 264.5 lbs of Coconut Creek, FL is 7-4.

Aldana stops Kutnitskaya in 1st

Irene Aldana stopped Yana Kutnitskaya in the opening round of their bantamweight fight.

Aldana dropped Kutnitskaya with a hook. Aldana landed six Ground-and-Pound shots on two separate occasions with the 2nd flurry being vicious and the fight was stopped at 4:35.

Aldana, 139.5 lbs (which was 3.5 over the contract weight and she was forced to forfeit 30% of her purse) of Guadalajara, MX is 13-6 with seven sroppages. Kunitskaya, 134.5 lbs of Russia is 14-6.

O’Malley stops Moutinho in 3rd

Sean O’Malley won the fight, but Kris Moutinho won the show. O’Malley stopped Moutinho in round three, of bantamweight fight.

O’Malley hit Moutinho with everything and the kitchen sink. O’Malley bsted his opponent up, but the late replacement kept on coming and even would get in a big shot of his own. In round three, O’Malley hit Moutinho with a blistering combination, but he could not budge Moutinho down, yet referee Herb Dean stepped in and stopped the fight.

O’Malley, 135.5 lbs of Phoenix, AZ is 14-1 with 10 stoppage wins. Moutinho, 135 lbs of Milford, MA, took the fight on a week notice, is now 9-5.

Max Griffin won a unanimous decision over veteran Carlos Condit in a welterweight battle.

Griffin outstruck Condit 95-60.

Griffin, 170 1/2 lbs of Sacramento, CA won by scores of 30-27 and 29-28 twice and is now 18-8. Condit, 171 lbs of Albuquerque, NM is 32-14.

Michel Pereira hung on to eek out a unanimous decision over Niko Price in a middleweight bout.

In round one, Pereira had blood coming out of his nose. Later Price began to bleed from his nose. Pereira seemed to have won the first and most of the second round. Price came on strong and almost had Pereira out several times in the last minute of the fight.

Pereira, 170 1/2 lbs of Las Vegas via Brazil won by scores of 29-28 on all cards and is now 26-11. Price, 169 1/2 lbs of Cape Coral, FL is 14-5.

Ilia Topuria stopped Ryan Hall in the opening round of their featherweight fight.

Hall kept rolling into Topuria in an odd way to look for leglock. Topuria fially got Hall on the ground and punched him out at 4:47.

Topuria, 145.5 lbs of Spain is now 11-0 with three knockouts. Hall, 146 lbs of Falls Church, VA is 8-2.

Dricus Du Plessis stopped Trevin Giles in round two of their middleweight fight.

In round one, Du Plessis was bleeding from his forehead. Replays showed it was from a clash of heads.

In round two, Giles landed a flurry on the cage, and then Du Plessis shot off and landed a booming right to the head that dropped Giles to the canvas and the fight was stopped at 1:41.

Du Plessis, 185.5 lbs of South Africa is now 16-2 with his 7th stoppage. Giles, 185.5 lbs of Houston, TX is 14-3.

Jennifer Maia won a unanimous decision over Jessica Eye in a battle of former title challengers.

In round two, Eye started to bleed down her face from her forehead from a clash of heads. The cut was deep.

Eye outlanded Maia 104-102.

Maia, 125.5 lbs of Brazil won by scores of 30-27 twice and is now 19-7. Eye, 125.5 lbs of Las Vegas is 15-10.

Brad Tavares won a split decision over Omari Akhmedov in a battle of top-15 middleweights.

In round two, both guys started to swelling around their eyes.

Tavares outstruck Akhmedov 76-50. Tavares one two cards 29-28. Akhmedov won a card 29-28.

Tavares, 184.5 lbs of Las Vegas is 19-7. Akhmedov, 185.5 lbs of Russia is 21-6-1.

Zhalgas Zhumagulov choked out Jerome Rivera in round one of their flyweight out.

Zhumagulov was able to get the rear-naked win at 2:02.

Zhumagulov, 125.5 lbs of Kazakhstan is now 14-5 with his first submission. Rivera, 125.5 bs of Santa Fe, NM is 10-6.

Gilberto Ramirez stopped Sullivan Barrera in round four of a scheduled 12-round light heavyweight bout at Banc of California Stadium in Los Angeles.

In round three, Ramirez dropped Barrera with a straight left to the body. In round four, it was the same exact same shot that sent Barrera down again. Ramirez ended things a few seconds later when he landed another straight left to the body that made Barrera take a step back and go to his knees and the fight was stopped at 1:34.

Ramirez, 174.6 lbs of Mazaltan. MEX is 42-0 with 28 knockouts. Barrera, 174.6 lbs of Miami is 22-4.

Diaz Decisions Fortuna; Wins Interim Lightweight Title

Joseph Diaz won the WBC Interim Lightweight title with a 12-round unanimous decision over Javier Fortuna.

It was a competitive fight with both guys throwing and landing at close range. Diaz was just a little quicker in those exchanges, and was able to get the better of most of the action.

In round three, Diaz was cut around the left eye due to an accidental headbutt. In round four, Diaz was deducted a point for hitting behind the head.

Diaz landed 203 of 521 punches; Fortuna was 193 of 761.

Diaz, 134.4 lbs of South El Monte, CA won by scores of 117-110, 116-111 and 115-112 and is now 32-1-1. Fortuna, 134.6 lbs of Lo Romana, DR is 36-3-1.

Estrada decisions Tsunami; Wins Light Flyweight Belt

Seneisa Estrada added the WBA Light Flyweight world title to her WBO Minimumweight title with a 10-round unanimous decision over Tenkai Tsunami.

Estrada was the more active fighter who landed some crisp-combinations on the aggressive no former champion.

Estrada laded 131 of 464 punches; Tsunami was 97 of 378.

Estrada, 108 lbs of East Los Angeles, CA won by scores 99-91 and 98-92 twice and is now 21-0. Tsunami, 107.2 lbs of Japan is 28-14-1.

Zepeda stops Tanajara after 6

In a fight featuring undefeated lightweights, William Zepeda stopped Hector Tanajara Jr. after round six of a schedu;ed 10-round lightweight.

Zepeda stayed on the inside and landed combination after combination and Tanajara continued to take punishment. Tanajara tried to fight back, but did not have enough behind his punches to make much of an imprint, and the fight was stopped following round six.

Zepeda, 134.2 lbs of Mexico is 23-0 with 21 knockouts. Tanajra, 135 lbs of San Antonio, TX is 19-1.

Naoko Fujioka retained the WBA Flyweight title with a majority decision over Sulem Urbina.

Fujioka, 111.8 lbs of Tokyo, JAP won by scores of 99-91, 96-94 and 95-95 and is now 19-2-1. Urbina, 112 lbs of Phoenix, AZ is 12-3.

Bryan Chevelier won a 10-round unanimous decision over James Wilkins in a featherweight bout.

In round five, Wilkins started to bleed from his mouth.

In round eight, Chevalier was deducted a point for pushing the head of Wilkins down.

Chevalier, 126 lbs of Puerto Rico won by scores of 97-92, 96-93 and 95-94 and is now 16-1-1. Wilkins, 125.8 lbs of Staten Island, NY is 9-2.

In a battle of former world title challengers, Lamont Roach Jr. took out Daniel Rosas in round two of a scheduled 10-round super featherweight bout.

In round two, Roach landed a hard flurry that was finished off with a hard right to the body and Rosas went to the deck and the fight was stopped at 2:14.

Rpach, 130 lbs of Washington, DC is now 21-1-1 with nine knockouts. Rosas, 128.2 lbs of Mexico City, MEX is 21-5-1.

Miguel Gaona made a successful pro debut with a four-round unanimous decision over Gilberto Aguilar in a lightweight fight.

Gaona, 135 lbs of Serano, CA won by scores of 39-37 on all cards and is now 1-0. Aguilar, 134 lbs of Mexico City, MEX is 0-3.

Azat Hovhsnnisyan won a 10-round unanimous decision over Jose Gonzalez in a super bantamweight match.

In round three, Hovhannisyan started to swell under his right eye.

In round eight, Hovahannisyan landed a huge barrage of punches that sent Gonzalez down.

Hovhannisyan, 122 lbs of Los Angeles, CA won by scores of 100-89 and 99-90 twice and is now 20-3. Gonzalez, 121.6 lbs of Guadalajara, MEX is 23-7-1.

Mihai Nistor was dropped twice, but was able to come back and stop Colby Madison in round two of a scheduled eight-round heavyweight slugfest

In round one, Nistor sent Madison to a knee with a body shot. At the end of the round Madison dropped Nistor with a hard right hand. In round two, Madison dropped Nistor with a big counter right. Later in the round, Nistor landed a wild overhand right that dropped Madison and the fight was stopped upon Madison getting to his feet at

Nistor, 223 lbs of Bucharest, ROM is 3-0 with three knockouts. Madison, 229.6 lbs of Baltimore, MD is 9-3-2.

In a battle of undefeated super lightweights, Starling Castillo viciously stopped Miguel Contreras in round two of a scheduled eight-round bout.

Castillo landed a nasty straight left that knocked Contreras straight out and the fight was stopped at 46 seconds.

Castillo, 135.6 lbs of San Cristobal, DR is 15-0 with 12 knockouts. Contreras, 133.4 lbs of Bakersfield, CA is 11-1.

Gregory Morales remained undefeated with a six-round unanimous decision over former super flyweight world champion Rodrigo Guerrero in a featherweight fight.

In round three, Morales began to bleed from the nose.

Morales, 124 lbs of San Antonio, TX won by scores of 59-55 on all cards and is now 13-0. Guerrero, 123.6 lbs of Mexico City is 26-12-2.

World ranked Tim Tszyu kept his perfect mark intact b stopping late-replacement Steve Spark in round three of a scheduled 10-round bout at Newcastle Entertainment Center in Newcastle, South Wales, Australia.

Tszyu, who was the bigger fighter dropped Spark twice in round three with body shots and the fight was halted at 2:22.

Tszyu, 152 3/4 lbs is now 19-0 with 15 knockouts. Spark, who was coming up in weight and took the fight on about a week’s notice after original opponent Michael Zerafa pulled out is now 12-2.

Noynay Stops Wilson in 5

Joe Noynay stopped previously undefeated Liam Wilson in round five of a schedule 10-round super featherweight bout.

Noynay registered four knockdowns,, as he sent Wilson down once in round one, two times in round four and once in round five. The final knockdown was the clincher, and the fight was stopped at 2:40.

Noynay, 129 3/4 lbs of the Philippines is 19-2-2 with eight knockouts. Wilson, 130 ls is 9-1.

Wade Ryan stopped Troy O’Meley in round six of their scheduled 10-round super welterweight bout.

In round three, O’Meley was cut over the right eye from an accidental headbutt. Ryan dropped O’Meley in round five, and O’Meley pulled he plug on the fight in round six.

Ryan, 152 3/4 lbs is 19-9 with seven knockouts. O’Meley, 152 1/4 lbs is 11-2.

Sam Ah See returned from a six-year hiatus by stopping former interim titlist Czar Armonsot in the opening round of their scheduled eight-round welterweight bout.

In round one, Ah See hurt Armonsot with a hard uppercut that was followed up by a combination that sent Armonsot to the canvas. Seconds later, a hard right hook hurt Armonsot, and the fight was stopped at 2:47.

Ah See, 145 1/2 lbs of New South Wales, AUS is now 14-0-1 with seven knockouts. Armonsot, 143 1/2 lbs of Melbourne, AUS via the Philippines is 35-6-3.

Linn Sandstrom and Natalie Gonzales Hills battled to a six-round split draw in a super flyweight bout.

In round one, there was swelling under the right eye of Hills.

Each fighter won a card at 58-56 and third card was 57-57.

Sandstrom, 115 lbs of Australia via Sweden is 1-1-1. Hills of Australia via the Philippines was making her pro debut.

Chris Colbert retained the WA Interim Super Featherweight title with 12-round unanimous decision over Tugstsoght Nyambayar at the Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California.

Colbert dominated the action with his and an occasional flush power punch, with the late-replacement Nyambayar never able to get close to land anything of significance.

Colbert landed 218 of 622 punches; Nyambayar was just 78 of 332.

Colbert, 130 lbs of Brooklyn, NY won by scores of 118-110 twice and 117-111, and is now 16-0. Nyambayar, 129.6 lbs of Mongolia is 12-2.

Chris Colbert:
“He carried power for a 126-pounder. Boxing is about hitting and not getting hit. I had to use my Muhammad Ali tactics and float like a butterfly and sting like a bee.

“We had a tremendous training camp. We sparred a lot with a bigger guy in Michel Rivera. I had a lot of practice using my speed and jab in camp. The jab is always a key in this sport.

“This was a great fight and ‘Tug’ did a great job coming in off only a week and a half of training for me. I take off my hat to him and wish him nothing but the best in his career.

“I’m very slick. It’s not that easy to hit me. If you get me with one, you got lucky.”

Rivera stops Fernandez in 8

Michel Rivera scored an emphatic eighth round stoppage over Jon Fernandez in a scheduled 12-round lightweight bout.

In round six, Fernandez landed a hard right hand that sent Rivera down to the canvas for the first time. In round eight, Rivera landed a jab that was followed by a booming right that splattered Fernandez face-first on the canvas, and the fight was immediately stopped at 44 seconds

Rivera, 134.4 lbs of Santo Domingo, DR is 21-0 with 14 knockouts, Fernandez, 135 lbs of Spain is 21-2.

Michel Rivera:

“Fernandez is a good fighter who hits hard, but he doesn’t have the skill that I have. I had to get him tired and I knew I could get to him. My coach was telling me that my right hand would be able to land. Once I landed it, I knew right away that the fight was over.

“I was trying to find the distance, and around round 6 or 7 the distance got a little tighter.

“Fernandez is a good boxer, and I know that he has good condition. He has great experience and he is good in Spain. I know that he fights with good European talent.

“You can see that he is a top guy with a good record and experience. I know that he is tough clearly.

“I can fight with Ryan Garcia, I can fight with Teofimo Lopez, and I’m not joking. I know that I can fight with any of the top five in the lightweight division. I live in the gym and I have made the sacrifices to be great and I have a great team behind me.

“I’m so excited, beyond happy. Fernández was a strong, experienced opponent that forced me to change the gameplan I had going in.

“I had a plan, but I had to throw I away once he got me with a punch. I knew since the first round that I would have to be careful with him. He had heavy hands and was taller than me, but I was faster and more skilled overall.

“To be honest, I felt like I was winning on the cards anyway. My corner would tell me ‘you lost this (round)’ and I felt I was up 5-2.

“(Looks at his medal) This goes for Rolando Romero. Once I do face him, I would like to go up against Gervonta Davis or Teofimo López next.”

Based in South Florida, Titan Fighting Championship has long been a springboard for both UFC and Bellator Fighters, providing fans with exciting, high-level matchups and last night was no exception. Two preliminary bouts were broadcast on the promotions Facebook page, and the main card played on UFC Fight Pass. Charles Rosa and Jose “Shorty” Torres narrated the action with the highest level of professionalism, expertise and energy. The action took place at the Intercontinental Hotel Miami with a very enthusiastic crowd.

 The main card exploded with a brutal contest between Kendly St. Louis (3-3-0) and Slava “Slava Claus” Borschev (3-1-0), a seasoned K-1 Kickboxer from Russia with UFC star Urijah Faber in his corner. From the opening bell, Borschev’s kickboxing skills were frustrating St. Louis. Landing low-kicks to the calves of St. Louis and alternating with high kicks, body punches and knees, Slava pressed the action. Midway through the round, St. Louis was surviving but taking punishment. With about forty-five seconds left in the first round, St. Louis landed an overhand right dropped Slava. Now St. Louis put his purple-belt in BJJ to good use and dominated the rest of the round. Slava managed to survive the strangulation attempts of St. Louis and was saved by the bell.

Slava opened round two with a hard body kick and began scoring with nasty combinations to the body. St. Louis showed the heart of a warrior and scored a takedown where he had the clear advantage. Slava fought his way back to his feet and ripped combinations to the body of St. Louis. Another takedown attempt paused the onslaught but Slava quickly regained his footing and continued to attack. Slava landed a left hand to the liver of St. Louis that slowed St. Louis down and turned the tide completely in Slava’s favor. St. Louis stayed in the fight and opened a cut above Slava’s left eye but Slava’s attack was overwhelming, landing round kicks to the head and finally another shot to the liver that dropped St. Louis to his knees. The fight was called at 4:41 of round two and Borschev took the TKO victory. 

Another absolute beast of a fighter is Angel Alvarez (1-0-0), a ten-time Cuban National Judo Champion, who took on Sanford MMA’s James Hay (3-1-0). Alvarez has been training at the Goat Shed Academy under coach Asim Zaidi, who ended a tremendous week with fighters from his stable taking home wins at BKFC18, Titan FC70, and even the Florida State Golden Gloves.  This contest ended in an unanimous decision for Alvarez with all judges scoring the fight 30-27. 

Fellow Goat Shed fighter and highly touted prospect Roy Echeverria (4-0-0) ended his bout with a more definitive statement in the form a beautiful oblique kick to a spinning hook kick combination against Earnest Walls (2-17-0), who stepped in as a last minute replacement. Walls seeked redemption for a prior loss to “The Unbroken” Roy in the night’s co-main event. Echeverria is an exciting, all around mixed-martial artist and a highly technical striker who is very likely to remain undefeated in the bantamweight division at Titan. 

The night also saw the highly anticipated professional MMA debut of Talita Alencar, a multi-title holding Jiu-Jitsu champion from Brazil. As expected, Talita finished her opponent Staci Vega via Rear Naked Choke at 4:41 of the first round. 

Heavyweight Denzel Freeman (2-0-0), an accomplished wrestler and Tae-Kwon Do Red belt defeated Duane Crespo (debut) at forty-seven seconds of round one. The 204-pound southpaw landed a left round kick to the body and followed up with punches that forced the referee stoppage. In the main event, American Top Team’s Bruno Assis took on Shane O’Shea for the vacant Titan FC Middleweight Championship. The fight opened at full throttle and was another back and forth match until Assis managed to secure a dominant position on the ground. The fight ended at 2:22 of round one when Assis transitioned from an armor to a triangle choke, securing another strap for the overflowing trophy case at American Top Team in Coconut Creek.

WESTON, FL – Saturday night in Weston, FL BAD PROMOTIONS hosted WESTON FIGHT NIGHT 2 with another night of extraordinary High-Class boxing and Entertainment. A roaring crowd and wild nightclub atmosphere filled the room at the Bonaventure Spa & Resort as BAD PROMOTIONS, provided a red hot show for the fans.  In addition to the fans at ringside, this was also the first show that was presented live on PPV at BadPromotions.com.  The new promotional company, owned and operated by 26-year-old Light Heavyweight Prospect Blake BAD Davis, saw great numbers on the stream with fighters representing Mexico, Colombia, Italy, Uruguay, Australia, Texas, Atlanta, Oregon, and of course South Florida.

In the opening bout of the night, Atlanta’s Richard Graham moved to 2-0-1(1KO) with a hard-fought draw against tough Oregonian, Dylan Carlson 1-3-1(1KO).  All three judges were in agreement with a 38-38 card.  n

Local favorite Italian boxer now living in Miami, Esteban “Maxi” Mussio moved to 2-0(2KO) with a TKO3 victory over John Williams 0-7. Super Welterweight Mussio gave the game Williams all he could handle throughout the fight, although he could not hold up to the force of Mussio.  The fight was stopped at 0:50 of the third round when referee Alan Abeles stepped in to save Williams from the continued damage he took throughout the scrap.

In an electric and competitive scrap, Australian/Swiss swimsuit model bantamweight Avril Mathie moved to 6-0-1(3KO) with a close UD Victory over hard-charging Mexican Moni Trejo 2-2-1(1KO).  The pride of Saltillo, Mexico Trejo came to claim victory but came up short, literally with the taller Mathie finding her range with her constant jab and uppercuts. Trejo, who normally fights at super flyweight, fought valiantly as she kept the pressure on Mathie throughout the fight while scoring with counter-left hooks and overhand right hands. The pro-Mathie crowd created huge energy inside the venue but did not stop the Mexican warrior who kept coming forward until the final bell. All three judges were in agreement once again with all three cards reading 58-56.

Fort Worth Texas native and current WBC United States (USNBC) champion, Edward Vazquez moved to 10-0(2KO) with a big 4th round KO over tough and tested Colombian Yeison Vargas 16-7(11KO). Vazquez set the pace from the opening bell working behind a stiff jab and great head movement, slowly opening the Colombian up with big body shots and right hands. Vazquez accelerated in round four, as he started to let his hands go, and landed a huge right hand that sent Vargas crumbling to the canvas. The 25-year-old Vazquez is managed by DKO Management, and this was his first start since winning an eight-round split decision over Irvin Gonzalez (14-2) on November 28th in Las Angeles to capture the WBC USNBC title.

BAD PROMOTIONS CEO and light heavyweight prospect Blake “BAD” Davis moved to 7-0(4KO) with a 59-second destruction of veteran Mexican boxer Ulisses Jimenez 24-28(16KO). DAVIS landed a bomb of a right hand early in round one that sent the Mexican flopping to the canvas showing a lack of heart and grit as he let referee Samuel Burgos reach the count of 10.

Bronx NY Native now training in South Florida Pistol Peter Dobson moved to 13-0(8KO) with a crushing 3rd round TKO against Wilfrido Buelvas 21-14(15KO). The Colombian Buelvas gave Dobson a run for his money early, as he came out hard and won the first round according to two judges often cathing Dobson on the ropes with straight right hands. The momentum switched quickly as Dobson started turning up the heat at the end of round two hurting Buelvas with some big shots near the end of the round. Round three started competitively, and then Dobson came forward with big shots and a devastating right hand hit Beulvas like a shotgun ending the scrap at 1:28 of round 3.

In the main event, Mr. St Pete Clarence Booth moved to 20-4(12KO) with a 3rd Round TKO over Rodolfo Puente (19-7). Where Puente was very competitive, this fight was all Booths’ as he set a strong pace from the opening bell picking apart his Colombian counterpart. Booth the former sparring partner for Keith Thurman and Sergi Lipinets knocked Puente down at the bell and the of round one with a big right hand. Puente came out swinging in round two determined to go out on his shield but Booth again controlled the round often landing big left hooks and right hands. The end came in round three with Booth landing a straight left and right hook, which put Puente out at 0:59 of round 3.

BAD PROMOTIONS will be back in 8 weeks with another installment of BAD PROMOTIONS High-Class Boxing and Entertainment.
PHOTO CREDITS – GERARDO RAMOS – BAD PROMOTIONSCATCH THE REPLAY AT WWW.BADPROMOTIONS.COM

David Morrell Jr. defended the WBA Super Middleweight title with a vicious first round stoppage over Mario Cazares at the Armory in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Morrell landed a straight left that stunned Cazares and that was quickly followed by another straight left that plummeted Cazares under the bottom ropes and the fight was immediately stopped at 2:32.

Morrell, 167 1/2 lbs of Minneapolis is 5-0 with four knockouts. Cazares, 166 1/2 lbs of Culican, MEX is 12-1.

“I didn’t expect that to end so quickly,” said Morrell. “I thought it would be more like a five or six round fight. However, once Cazares stepped in the ring, I noticed that he was not ready to fight on my level. He wasn’t ready for this kind of test or this level of fight.”

On the devastating knockout, Morrell said, “When I saw the opening, I took him out. When I hit him, I saw his legs wobble and I knew he was gone, completely out.”

“I’m ready for anyone at 168 pounds and now the world can see it,” continued Morrell. “I would love to fight Caleb Plant. I’m ready to fight Plant. He’s an excellent boxer, but I’m ready to go.”

Glanton Decisions Apochi in a war

In a 10-round cruiserweight war, Brandon Glanton won a 10-round split decision over Efe Apochi in a battle of undefeated fighters.

The two traded hard and thudding power shots from bell to bell. Each guy took the lead in various times of the bout. In round six, Glanton landed a hard left and right on the ropes that badly hurt Apochi for a knockdown. That proved to be the difference as Glanton took card by a 95-94 score. Apochi took a card 96-93.

Glanton was 187 of 654 punches; Apochi was 183 of 721.

Glanton is now 14-0. Apochi is 11-1.

“I knew it was a close fight because at the very end he didn’t hurt me, but I staggered,” said Glanton. “We always talk about balance in the gym, though. I got the split decision because balance is something that we constantly work on. He didn’t hurt me, that’s why I was able to keep fighting.

“Thank God the judges saw it the right way,” continued Glanton. “That knockdown is something we worked on in the gym. I hope the boxing world sees what my coach is doing. The small details, the intricate things, make the difference in a fight like this. All the little details that he schools me on is what he told me would be the difference in this fight, and I’ll be damned if it wasn’t.”

“What can I say?” asked Apochi. “I thought I won the fight. I used my jab, showed some heart, had some good movement in there, but I’m not the judges. I don’t know what they saw, but I thought that I did what I had to do. He’s a tough guy. I won’t take anything away from him. He took some tough shots and he was still there.”

On the possibility of a rematch, Glanton said, “If they want the rematch, then I’ll do it again. I think I’ve proven what I needed to prove, but it’s easier the second time.”

“Of course, I want a rematch with Glanton,” continued Apochi. “I want a rematch with him right now!”

All Rivera Decisions Juarez

All Rivera scored a 10-round majority decision over previously undefeated Omar Juarez in a junior welterweight bout.

It was an action packed fight that was fought at close quarters. Rivera won the fight on the strength of a 9th round knockdown as he won by scores of 95-93, 95-94 and 95-95.

Rivera, 142 1/2 lbs of Bobon, PHL is 22-5. Juarez, 142 1/2 lbs of Brownsville, TX is 11-1.

Rivera landed 123 of 428 punches; Juarez was 152 of 354.

“I was confident that I was going to get the decision,” said Rivera. “I was blocking a lot of the shots that Juárez was throwing. I was landing the more powerful punches. Juárez was doing good work in there, but we were landing the more effective shots. I feel like when I hurt him I maybe could have done a little more to get him out of there early and avoid the decision. But he’s a stronger fighter and I respect his talent.”

Juárez said, “I honestly thought that I did enough to get the win. I did get knocked down. There was one round where I stayed in there and took a couple hits, but I felt like I was the smarter fighter in there. I adjusted well and I thought I did well over all. Almost all of the greats have losses and I know I’m going to be great one day. I just have to fight through this adversity.”

On their professional experience levels, Rivera said, “I’ve been in the ring 27 times now professionally, and I think Juárez is still a kid who’s developing his skills. I’ve fought some of the best fighters around. I’ve won belts. So, I definitely think my experience played a difference tonight.”

“He was the better man today,” Juárez concluded. “I’m not going to take anything away from him. He’s a hard fighter. He’s from the Philippines, which has a lot of strong fighters. I respect him a lot, but I’ll be back.”

When asked about the knockdown, Rivera said, “We actually worked on that shot in camp. We also worked on the follow-up sequence. So, when it landed my corner wanted me to take it to the body to finish him, but he’s a tough fighter.

“I’m here for any 140-pound fighter that wants to step in there with me,” concluded Rivera.

Nathaniel Gallimore won a 10-round majority decision over previously undefeated Leon Lawson III in a junior middleweight bout.

Gallimore landed 78 of 356 punches; Lawson 66 of 302.

Gallimore, 153 1/4 lbs of Chicago, IL won by scores of 97-93, 96-94 and 95-95 and is now 22-5-1. Lawson, 153 1/4 lbs of Flint. MI is 14-1.

Atif Oberlton remained undefeated by stopping Jasper McCargo in round five of a scheduled eight-round light heavyweight bout.

In round four, Oberlton, landed a two lefts that were followed by a cleanup right hook that dropped McCargo.

In round five, it was a hard left hand to the body that dropped McCargo in the corner, and the fight was stopped at 44 seconds.

Oberlton, 175 lbs of Philadelphia is 3-0 with three knockouts. McCargo, 177 lbs of Richmond, VA is 4-2-2.

Travon Marshall won an entertaining four-round unanimous decision over Ruben Torres in a super welterweight contest.

In round two, Marshall dropped Torres with a left hook.

Marshall landed 70 of 210 punches; Torres was 48 of 219.

Marshall, 153 3/4 lbs of Landover, MD won by scores of 40-35 on all cards, and is now 2-0. Torres, 151 3/4 lbs of Sacramento, CA is 4-2.

The first belt on the line is Luis “Baboon” Palomino’s (3-0, 3 KOs) Featherweight World Championship. Palomino is well known in South Florida for his MMA career including an epic battle with Justin Gaethje. Palomino faces England’s Tyler “El Tornado” Goodjohn. Baboon controlled the action for most of the fight and opened a cut on his opponent’s face in the second round. Baboon scored at will in the third round, connecting with power jabs and straight rights. In the fourth round, Baboon danced and continued to score, splitting Tyler’s guard over and over again. In the last round, Baboon added a vicious uppercut to his repertoire and landed it several times en route to a unanimous decision victory to retain his title. 

The BKFC Middleweight World Championship between Thiago Alves (1-0) and Uly Diaz began with immediate aggression from both fighters and both men were bloodied in the first round. Monster dropped Pitbull in the second round, who then recovered and finished the round with some good shots of his own. Pitbull dropped Uly early in the third round and continued the punishment throughout, landing hard combinations and a good case could have been made to stop the fight. The ref decided to let the action continue until the end of the round, but the ringside doctor decided he’d seen enough. 

Crowd favorite Hector Lombard (2-0) and Joe “Diesel” Riggs (3-0) took to the ring next. As expected, the first round began with thunder that soon subsided as the two men tried to establish a rhythm. Lombard was the aggressor in rounds two and three and landed several hard, looping hooks and some good straight lefts. Riggs returned fire in round four but was dropped by a left hand. Riggs then complained of an eye poke, but the replay showed a legal punch. After some discussion, it was ruled a TKO and Hector Lombard became the new BKFC World Cruiserweight Champion.In the main event for the BKFC Heavyweight World Championship, Joey “The Mexicutioner” Beltran (4-1-1, 2 KOs) took on Sam “Hillbilly Hammer” Shewmaker (4-1-1, 2 KOs).  Shewmaker began the round with a few haymakers, and Beltran’s face was bloodied. Shewmaker continued to press the action in round two. Beltran came back in round three with some good body shots and an overhand right, and was more active in the fourth round as well. Round five saw Beltran continuing to control the action but both men were fatigued. This was a close fight that ended at 2:13 am. The unanimous decision went to Joey “The Mexicutioner” Beltran, the Undisputed BKFC World Heavyweight Champion.

When we last saw Francisco RIcchi (2-0), he sustained a brutal injury following a punch to the throat and was placed in a medically-induced coma. He is returning to fight Brian Maxwell (0-3-0). Ricchi knocked down Maxwell in the opening seconds of round one, pursued some more, and ended the round with a short right hand and another knockdown. The action continued in round two with RIcchi dominating and knocking down Maxwell again with only 34 seconds left in the round, heralding the end of the fight and another TKO for Ricchi. 

Next up are two southpaw heavyweights Steve Herelius (debut) vs. Juan Torres (1-1). Both men were having trouble figuring out a successful plan of attack and spent much of the first two rounds in a clinch. Round three saw more action with both fighters connecting with significant blows at the beginning before showing signs of tiring. Rounds four and five continued as usual, with Herelius earning a split decision victory at the end. 

Two evenly matched fighters took to the squared circle next. Bruce Lutchmedia (1-0) and Eddie Hoch (1-0)

Although a lackluster performance from both fighters, Hoch was slightly more dominant en route to an unanimous decision.  Lutchmedial showed a spark from time to time, but it wasn’t consistent nor did it appear often enough throughout the 5 round bout to earn him more than a round or two.

Jarod “Kid Gatti” Grant remains undefeated after a TKO stoppage at 35 seconds of round four over Travis Thompson. This was Jarod’s biggest test to date in his bare knuckle career and he did what no one thought he could do, stop Travis Thompson. 

The fireworks started with Jake “Brutal” Bostwick and Julian “Let Me Bang” Lane. Lane knocked down Bostwick once in the first round, then again in the second. Bostwick recovered to finish the second round. Lane lost a little steam in the third round. Bostwick, bloody but unbeaten, was spurred on by his fans chanting, and finished the fight strong. The judges scored the bout 50-44, 50-43, 48-45, for the winner by unanimous decision, Julian Lane. 

Next up, former UFC competitor Pearl Gonzalez made her BKFC debut against Charisa Sigala (0-1). With Amanda Serrano in her corner, Gonzalez pressed the action throughout the fight and won an unanimous decision of 50-45, 50-45, 50-45.  After the bout, Gonzalez credited “moving to Brooklyn with Team Serrano” as a game-changer in her career. 

In the opening bout, Miami’s Eduardo Concepcion cracked fellow debutant Gabe Brown with a left hand then dropped him with a quick right. The ref immediately called the fight off at just five seconds of the first round, earning Concepcion the second fastest KO in BKFC history. 

The second matchup featured Yosdenis Cedeno, a familiar face in the South Florida MMA scene, making his BKFC debut against another MMA veteran, Alan Arzeno, who is 1-0 with the BKFC organization. Round one was a feeling out exercise with neither side landing any significant blows. Round two saw a little more action with Cedeno landing two good shots and pressing the action. Rounds three and four continued with little damage done. There was a ten second blast at the end of round five with both fighters swinging for the fences. In the end, Yosdenis Cedeno won a split decision with two judges scoring the bout 49-46 in his favor, and the third scoring 49-46 for Arzeno.  

Next up were welterweights Paul Teague (0-1) and Joshua “Famez” Alvarez, making his bare knuckle debut, with what may be the third fastest knockout in BKFC history at 17 seconds of the first round. From the opening bell, Famez, representing South Florida’s fastest growing MMA gym, the Goat Shed, dominated and connected several times before the final, swift straight right. The fourth bout featured Montaser Aboughaly, making his debut and fellow newcomer Luke Parsons. Aboughaly quickly knocked Parsons down twice before the ref stopped the fight at 34 seconds of the first round with a third knockdown.

Gervonta Davis dropped Mario Barrios three-times en-route to scoring an 11th round stoppage over Mario Barrios to win the WBA Super Lightweight belt in front of over 16,000 fans at State Farm Arena in Atlanta.

The two started off slow with Barrios boxing and using his size to take the early rounds. Davis started to come on in the middle rounds, and in round eight-dropped Barrios with a hard right hook. Seconds later, Davis dropped Barrios again with a straight left that that split the guard of Barrios. Barrios was able to gather himself and not only survive the round, but was able to have a solid round nine. Davis and Barrios picked up the pace and had some heated exchanges as the headed towards the championship rounds.

In round 11, Davis dropped Barrios with a vicious body shot. Davis smelled the end of the fight and landed a vicious left that rocked and buckled Barrios and the fight was stopped at 2:13.

Davis, 139.75 lbs of Baltimore is 25-0 with 24 knockouts. Barrios, 139.5 lbs of San Antonio is 26-1.

“I made it tough. I definitely could have made it easier but I went up two weight classes and I got the job done,” said the 26-year-old Baltimore native, who was headlining his second SHOWTIME PPV. “I hit him with some clean shots, but I’m the type of fighter that wants to catch you with clean shots. I don’t just want to throw any type of shot. The shots I was throwing were missing, but eventually I caught up with him.”

“I knew for sure if I catch him, I’m crackin,” Davis told SHOWTIME’s Jim Gray. “So I caught him, and it showed. My coach was telling me to go to a jab style but I’m a southpaw so they know I’m going to that jab side. So I would try and bait him in. I faked like I was going left, and I threw my right. And my hook over top, and that’s where I caught him.”

“I knew he was hurt. I just had to catch him at the right time,” Davis continued. “Floyd [Mayweather] came to me and was honest and said I was down,” continued Davis, who was actually ahead on all three judges’ scorecards at the time of the stoppage. “So he said ‘Show me that you’re great.’ And you know how we do it in the doghouse, baby!”

“He has the potential to be one of the greatest ever,” said Mayweather. “When I first met ‘Tank’ when he was 14 or 15 years old, I told him I’d make him a world champion. And that you’ll be one of the best someday. I’m proud of him.”

“I’ve never been a hater. Congrats to ‘Tank’,” said Barrios. “He came here and did his thing. It was nothing short of an exciting fight and that’s exactly what both of us predicted. He was the better man tonight, but I’ll definitely be back.

“’Tank’ is explosive. He caught me slipping and it’s boxing. At the end of the day, one punch can change the fight. That’s exactly what I felt happened. Congrats to him.”

Lubin stops Rosario in 6

Top ranked super welterweight contender Erickson Lubsin stopped former unified champion Jeison Rosario in round six of a 12-round bout.

Lubin boxed early and jumped out to a nice lead in the fight. In round four, Rosario landed a hard right that staggered Lubin. Lubin was able to steady himself and in round six dropped Rosario with a body shot. Lubin ended things when he landed a hard straight left through the guard that sent Rosario to the canvas. Rosario could not beat the count at 1:42

Lubin, 153.5 lbs of West Palm Beach, FL is 23-1 with 17 knockouts. Rosario, 154 lbs of Santo Domingo, DR is 20-4-1.

“I just followed the game plan,” said the 25-year-old Lubin, who improves to 6-0 since suffering the only loss of his career to 154-pound kingpin Jermell Charlo. “I would just go back to my corner after each round and Coach [Kevin] Cunningham and my team would just say, ‘Stick to the jab. Stay consistent with your jab.’ I’m way faster than him and I knew he had good power and he was trying to counter me. So I would fade him out and use my jab consistently.”

“I started to hurt him in the body as soon as the first round started,” the 2016 “Prospect Of The Year” Lubin said. “I started with the body and I saw him grunt. So I was able to hurt him to the body. I just wanted to distract him with the jab, then go downstairs. And I was able to get him out. I knew even if he got up after the knockdown that the fight was over. I know I’m a great finisher and I knew I was going to get him out of there as soon as I saw him drop.”

Adames stops Salazar in 3rd!!

Carlos Adames stopped Alexis Salazar in round three of a scheduled 10-round super welterweight bout.

After two non-descript rounds, Adams uncorked a huge left hand that dropped Salazar. Salazar got to his feet, but was wobbling around and the fight was stopped at 2:59.

Adames, 157 lbs of the Dominican Republic is 20-1 with 16 knockouts. Salazar, 157 lbs of Guadalajara, MEX is 23-4.

“I was in control the entire fight, and that’s what reduced him to turning around at times,” said the 27-year-old Adames. “I was working with the jab to the body at first so that was working, and then I came with the left hook. I did my job and followed my strategy from A to Z and was able to succeed the way I wanted to.

“The key moment of the fight was when I managed to disrupt his focus. Once I was able to do that then it was easy pickings for me.”

“I was feeling good in there and I thought I was winning rounds,” said Salazar, whose 15-fight win streak was put to an end with one punch. “But he started grabbing me and that’s when he got me with an uppercut. That swung the fight. I just have to get back to work and keep looking for more opportunities.”

Akhmedov stops Mendez after 8!

Batyr Akhmedov stopped Argenis Mendez after round eight of their 12-round junior welterweight bout.

In round two, a cut was opened up around the left eye of Akhmedov. The cut was ruled from a punch. That did not seem to hurt him, as he Akhmedov was able to break down Mendez and fored him to retire on the stool after the 8th frame.

Akhmedov, 139.5 lbs of Uzbekistan is 9-1 with eight knockouts. Mendez, 139.5 lbs of the Dominican Republic is 25-7-3.

“The fight went as planned,” said Akhmedov, who overcame the first cut of his career over his left eye after an accidental head clash in the second round. “We were expecting a tough fight like that. I’ve been out of the ring for a long time, so I needed to get those rounds in. My plan is to fight for the world title next. We knew he would be uncomfortable to fight and tricky. He was headbutting and elbowing me. It was good experience for me.”

“Mendez is a tough guy who fights top fighters,” continued Akhmedov. “We knew it wouldn’t be a walk in the park. When I hurt him, my corner was telling me to slow down and take my time before going for the knockout.”

“I started feeling (injured) in the second and third round,” said a disappointed Mendez. “My knuckles were broken and I couldn’t throw a punch anymore after I cut him with my right hand in the first round. I tried to keep fighting from the fourth round on, but to no avail. It was useless.”

Julio Cesar Martinez retained the WBC Flyweight title with a 6th round stoppage of Joel Cordova in Guadalajara, Mexico.

In round five, Cordova began to bleed from his mouth. In round six, Matinez dropped Cordova with a hard left. Cordova was able to continue, but ate a huge flurry of punches that forced the referee to stop the bout.

Martinez, 112 lbs of Mexico City is 18-1 with 14 knockouts. Cordova 112 lbs of Mexico City is 12-5-2.

Matellon Decisions Argumendo; Defends Interim Light-Flyweight title

Daniel Matellon retained the WBA Interim Light Flyweight to with a 12-round unanimous decision over former strawweight champion Jose Argumedo.

In round three, Argumedo was cut over his left eye from an accidental clash of heads, In round five, he was cut over his right eye.

Matellon of Panama City, PAN won by scores of 117-111 and 115-113 twice to raise his record to 12-0-2. Arguemdo of Mexico is 24-5-1.

Christian Alan Gomez stopped previously undefeated Jorge Perez Sanchez in round nine of a scheduled 10-round welterweight fight.

In round two, Gomez landed a hard uppercut that Sanchez to the canvas.

In round nine, Gomez landed a perfect uppercut that sent Sanchez face-down to the canvas, and the fight was stopped at 1:50.

Gomez, 147 lbs of Guadalajara, MEX is 21-2-1 with 19 knockouts. Sanchez, 147 lbs of Mexico is 13-1.

Good looking prospect Diego Pacheco stopped Jesus Palomares in round six of a scheduled eight-round battle of undefeated super middleweights.

Pacheco dominated the fight with his boxing ability, and in round six he started to dominate and the fight was stopped after a hard uppercut at 2:17.

Pacheco, 167 lbs of Los Angeles is 12-0 with nine knockouts. Palomares, 167 lbs of Sonora, MEX is 7-1-1.

Gabriel Valenzuela stopped Juan Ocura in round seven in a scheduled eight-round super lightweight fight.

In round three, Vaenzuela dropped Ocura with a perfect right counter,

Ocura hung in tough, but started to eat a lot of shots in round seven, and the bout was stopped at 2:10.

Valenzuela, 138.9 lbs of Tepic, MEX is 24-2-1 with 14 knockouts. Ocura, 138.9 lbs of Sabrinas, MEX is 14-15-1.

Former world champion and pound-for-pound elite, Vasiliy Lomachenko stopped Masayoshi Nakatani in round nine of their scheduled 12-round lightweight bout at the Virgin Hotel in Las Vegas.

In round one, Lomachenko was cut on the middle of his forehead that was caused by a accidental headbutt. In round five, Lomachenko stepped around Nakatani and landed a left hand that put Nakatani on the deck.

Lomachenko was very accurate in his first fight back after losing his titles to Teofimo Lopez at the end of 2020. In round nine, Lomachenko landed a series of quick shots to the head that hurt Nakatani. Follow up hard combinations had the referee stop the fight at 1:48.

Lomachenko said, “I’m happy because I won. All the strategies that we developed with my team {worked}. I reached all my goals. I won and now I’m back on track.

“Everybody saw how I won this fight, and everybody is waiting for the rematch {with Lopez}, so let’s make a rematch.

“He has a fight in the future with {George} Kambosos, but how about after, in the beginning of next year? December, January, February, I am waiting.”

Added Top Rank chairman Bob Arum, “In case there was any doubt, Lomachenko proved he is still one of the very best fighters in the world. He is healthy and ready to fight any of the lightweights.”

Lomahenko, 134.6 lbs of Ukraine is 15-2 with 11 knockouts. Nakatani, 134.4 lbs of Osaka, JAP is 19-2.

Alimkhanuly stops Brant after 8

Janibek Alimkhanuly stopped former beltholder Rob Brant after round eight of their scheduled 10-round middleweight bout.

In round six, a short left sent Brant to a knee. Alimkhanuly dominated the fight and Brant was never in the contest

Alimkhanuly said, “Tonight, I showed the world what ‘Qazaq Style’ is about. Rob Brant is a former world champion for a reason, but I came here to showcase my full arsenal, and that’s what I did.

“I am highly ranked, and I have the confidence to fight any middleweight in the world. I had a great training camp with Buddy McGirt, and this was the result of all the hard work we did in camp.” 

.Alimkhanuly, 159.6 lbs of Kazakhstan is now 10-0 with six knockouts. Brant, 159.6 lbs of St, Paul, MN is 26-3.Rpb

Giovani Santillan remained undefeated with an eight-round unanimous decision over Cecil McCalla in a welterweight bout.

Santillan landed 168 of 469 punches; McCalla landed 109 of 500.

Santillan, 147.6 lbs of San Diego, CA won by scores of 80-72, 79-73 and 78-74 and is now 27-0. McCalla, 147.4 lbs of Randallstown, MD is 23-4.

Luis Fernando Saavedra won a six-round unanimous decision over previously undefeated Robert Rodriguez in a bantamweight fight.

Saavedra landed 92 of 296 punches; Rodriguez landed 86 of 290.

Saavedra, 118 lbs of Mexico won by scores of 60-54 twice and 59-55, and is now 9-6. Rodriguez, 118.8 lbs of San Antonio, TX is 9-1-1.

Floyd Diaz won a four-round unanimous decision over Jaime Josso in a bantamweight bout..

Diaz, 117.8 lbs of Las Vegas, won by scores of 40-36 on all cards and is now 2-0. Josso, 116.2 lbs of Laredo, TX is 2-1.

Guido Vianello stopped Marlon Williams in round two of their four-round heavyweight bout.

In round one, Vianello dropped Williams with a right to the body. Seconds later it was another right that put Williams down for a second time. When the bell rang to start round two, Williams did not look good, and the referee stopped the fight at the start of round two.

Vianello, 244 lbs of Rome, ITA is 8-0-1 with eight knockouts. Williams, 217.5 lbs of Lafayette, LA is 6-2.

Subaru Murata made a successful pro debut with a 2nd round stoppage over Kevin Monroy in a scheduled four-round junior featherweight contest.

In round two, Murata landed a booming left hook that sent Monroy to the deck, and the fight was stopped at 1:42.

Murata, 121.6 lbs of Tokyo, JAP is 1-0 with one knockout. Monroy, 119.8 lbs of Stockton, CA is 1-2.

DeMichael Harris remained perfect as he stopped Jonoton Hernan Godoy after round three of a scheduled four-round lightweight bout.

In round three, Harris dropped Bodoy with a right to the temple. Later in the round, Body was dropped again with a right. At the end of the round, another right hand sent Bodoy down for a third time. The bout was stopped in the corner after the round.

Harris, 134.2 lbs of Cleveland is 4-0 with four knockouts. Godoy, 134.2 lbs of Buenos Aries, ARG is 5-9.

Boxing legend Julio Cesar Chavez thrilled his adoring fans one last time as he and Hector Camacho Jr. entertained a throng of fight fans in a special exhibition bout at Jalisco Stadium and Guadalajra.

The two fought hard, which was much to the delight of the crowd. Before the final frame, Chavez called in pound-for-pound king, and Guadalajara native Canelo Alvarez to stand in his corner. The two once again embraced after the fight, which seemed to be a symbolic passing of the torch from past to future Mexican darling to current superstar and future legend that Alvarez is on course to be.

The bout was special for all involved as Chavez fought Camacho’s late father, Hector Camacho 29 years ago.

This bout marked the end of an era, as Chavez announced that this would the final time that he would hang up the gloves as he has been participating in exhibitions in recent years.

Silva stuns Chavez Jr. via split decision

MMA Legend Anderson Silva came over to boxing and won an eight-round split decision over former middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.

Silva was the more aggressive fighter and landed more and had Chavez on the ropes for a good portion of the fight.

The scores read 77-75 twice for Silva and 77-75 Chavez.

Silva, 182 lbs of Brazil, is widely considered the greatest MMA fighter of all-time now has a professional boxing record of 2-1. Chavez, who weighed in 2.4 lbs of the contracted weight of 182, is now 52-6.

“I ’m so happy to be here. I want to thank Adidas for taking care of me and supplying me with the all the gear that I needed to train for this fight. We won every round . This is a dream of mine for many years. I did this because I have the best team . My team is my family. We did this together. Lots of hard work to get to this point. Absolutely will do this again,” Said Silva.

“I did good ,I just had some problems breathing plus my ribs where kind of hurt  ,the cut didn’t affect me at all. I thought it could have been a draw,” said Chavez

Alvarez wins Trilogy; Decisions Chavez

Ramon Alvarez won his trilogy bout with Omar Chavez with an eight-round unanimous decision over Omar Chavez in a middleweight bout,

In round four, Chavez was cut on the outside of his right eye. Alvarez controlled the action and beat Chavez to the punch throughout the eight-round affair.

Alvarez of Guadalajara, MEX is 29-8-3. Chavez of Culican. MEX is 38-7-1.

“I feel really great and proud on this Victory over Omar Chávez ,i had an excellent preparation ,with my brother as my trainer was very aware of me getting this done ,this Victory dedicated for my all my family and all my whole Town that came to cheer for me. Having my family in my corner gave me added strength and energy. It’s a really special night and I’m proud of my effort,” said Alvarez 

 “He won, no question. It was a clear head butt that caused lots of blood to pour out. That changed the whole fight . I could see his punches, he was able to apply pressure . He hit me with hard punches. I would do fight him again,” said Chavez

Sosa Decisions Mina via Split Decision

Damian Sosa won a 10-round split decision over Abel Mina in a super welterweight fight.

Sosa, 153 lbs of Tijuana, MEX won by scores of 96-94, 95-94 and Mina took card 96-94

Sosa is now 18-1. Mina, 153 lbs of Perto Quito, ECU us 13-1.

“I fought a really good fighter. It was a tough fight. He is a awkward fighter, and I have never faced anyone like him. It took some time to adapt to his style. I came in really good Shape. I did my training with champion Jaime Munguia. I won this fight and I’m dedicating this fight to my parents and all my Mexican fans,” said Sosa.

 “We came here to win, and not get robbed. We worked so hard in our  preparation with my team and in the fight. We hit him with many solid punches, and we boxed and brawled when necessary. We deserved the victory period,” said Mina

Melendez Decisions Torres

Jorge Luis Melendez won an eight-round unanimous decision over Kevin Torres in a super lightweight bout.

In Round one, Melendez dropped Torres with a left hook. In round, Melendez began to bleed from his nose.

Melendez cruised down the stretch and won by scores of 77-74, 76-74 and 77-75.

Melendez of Jalisco is 14-7. Torres of Bellingham, WA is 17-2.

“I came in very good shape, I tried to knock him out. ,I threw good combinations. got cut on my eyebrow, but it didn’t bother me at all ,I feel that I won  this fight, and i am just wafting For another good fight and bigger opportunities.,” said Melendez

“He’s a tough fighter, a strong fighter, I wasn’t proud of my performance. It just wasn’t my night,” said Torres

Leonardo Padilla won an eight-round unanimous decision over Jesus Acosta in a junior lightweight bout.

Padilla, 129 lbs of Caracas, VEN is 20-3. Acosta, 129 lbs of Guadalajara is 15-3.

Cesar Gutierrez stopped Oscar Mejia in round one of a scheduled eight-round super lightweight bout.

Gutierrez dropped Mejia with a hard left hook and the fight was stopped.

Gutierrez, 140 lbs of Guadalajara is 12-0 with five knockouts. Mejia, 137 lbs of Auguscalientes, MEX is 14-5.

Johan Alvarez, the nephew of Canelo Alvarez made a successful pro debut with a 1st round stoppage over Erick Hernandez in a super featherweight bout,

In round one, Alvarez hurt Hernandez with a hard right to the head that resulted an eight-count, Alvarez dropped Hernandez with a hard right, and the fight was stopped at 2:41.

Alvarez of Guadalajra, MEX is 1-0 with one knockout. Hernandez of Guadalajara, MEX is 0-1.

Jaime Munguia remained undefeated by stopping former world title challenger Kamil Szeremeta after round six of their 12-round middleweight fight at the Don Haskins Center in El Paso, Texas.

Munguia dominated the fight and started to beat up Szeremeta more and more with each round until Szeremeta pulled the plug on the fight following the sixth round.

Munguia, 159.6 lbs of Tijuana, MEX is 37-0 with 30 knockouts. Szeremeta, 159.8 lbs of Bialyatok, POL is 21-2.

“I was surprised at his ability to take punishment,” said Jaime Munguia. “He has all my respect because he could take a lot of punishment. I was really trying to work my offense in this fight and try different things. Then I began to pressure him and change the distance at which I fought. Hopefully, I can fight for a world title at the end of this year. If not, I would like to fight Gabriel Rosado.”

Rosado Shocks Melikuziev in Three

Former world title challenger Gabriel Rosado stunned undefeated super prospect Bektemir Melikuziev in round three of a scheduled 12-round super middleweight bout.

In round one, Melikuziev landed a body shot that backed Rosado up and eventually to a knee. In round three, Rosado landed a perfect counter right to the jaw that sent Melikuziev face-first on the canvas, and the fight was stopped at 1:21.

Rosado, 168 lbs of Philadelphia, PA is 26-13-1 with 15 knockouts, Melikuziev, 168 lbs of Indio, CA is 7-1.

“I knew I would have to dig deep,” said Gabriel Rosado. “I had more experience than he, but he’s very strong and throws heavy shots. I was trying to time him, but he caught me with the body shot. He didn’t drop me, but I took a knee to recover. And then I got the win.”

Esparza wins Flyweight Title with Decision over Zamora

Marlen Esparza got off the deck to comeback and wrestle the WBC Flyweight title over Ibeth Zamora in an action packed fight.

In round one Zamora dropped Esparza from a counter right over the top. Esparza was able to whether that and come, back and outland Zamora with the cleaner shots over the activity of Zamora.

Esparza landed 226 of 569 punches; Zamora was 157 of 726.

Esparza, 111.4 lbs of Houston, TX won by scores of 97-92, 96-93 and 96-94 and is now 10-1. Zamora, 111.4 lbs of Huichitlan, MX is 32-7.

Cobbs Stops Solomon in 5

Blair Cobbs remained undefeated with a fifth round stoppage over Brad Solomon in a welterweight bout.

Cobbs took some shots early, but turned the tide in 5th round. In that round, he dropped Solomon with a straight left and the fight was stopped at 2:57.

Cobbs, 146.8 lbs of Las Vegas, NV is 15-0-1 with 10 knockouts. Solomon, 146.8 lbs of Douglasville, GA is 29-4.

The highly anticipated fight between Teofimo Lopez and George Kambosos and the entire card has now been postponed until August 14.  Teofimo Lopez Junior tested positive for COVID and Is symptomatic. 

‘We send our best to Teofimo and his family and hope they get well soon, and look forward to seeing this epic battle on August 14, 2021,” said Triller Fight Club co-founder Ryan Kavanaugh. Additional information on the rescheduled date including all musical acts and ticketing will be announced shortly.