Mike Reed stopped Yardley Cruz in round two of a scheduled six-round welterweight bout.

Reed was dominant and the referee stopped the bout after a hard flurry of punches at 1:45 of round two.

Reed, 141 lbs of Washington, DC is now 24-2 with 13 knockouts. Cruz, 142 lbs of Los Mochis, MEX is 25-14.

Raul Curiel stopped Andrew Rodgers at the end of two rounds of their scheduled six-round super welterweight bout.

Curiel, 149.4 lbs of Tamaulipas, MEX is now 6-0 with four knockouts. Rodgers, 144.2 lbs of Elkhart, IN is 4-7-1.

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, Mikey Garcia has vacated the WBC Lightweght title.

“I’ve been speaking with (WBC president) Mauricio Sulaiman, and I know the organization requires the champion to defend their title, and I haven’t had the opportunity to do that. Not that I wouldn’t want to. I would love to be able to defend my title, but there are also other options that I am exploring,” Garcia said during an appearance on “Inside PBC Boxing” on Wednesday night.

Later in the interview, Garcia said, “I’m going to vacate the title. I don’t plan on fighting right now, my next fight, at 135.”

And so on Thursday he vacated. He said the reason was because he wanted to “look at options at 147 (pounds).”

“It’s hard to say definite. For the moment we are (done at lightweight). For the moment,” he said. “My next fight’s not going to be at lightweight and that’s the reason why I will vacate the title. My next fight will not be at lightweight therefore the title will be vacant.

“I want to see what options are available at 140 or 147 for my return fight. But I do want to pursue another title shot at 147. I really do. So at that time we’ll see who is available, which champion is available and willing to give me a shot. My next fight might be at 140. It might be at 147. I’m not sure yet. I got to explore those options. I want big fights. If I can get another title shot next I would do it. Probably not going to happen but I would definitely jump on a title opportunity. I do want a fifth world title in a fifth division.”

“The WBC Board of Governors will review the lightweight division to order a fight for the WBC lightweight world championship involving mandatory challenger Luke Campbell in the coming days,” the WBC said.

After David Lemieux pulled out of his fight with John Ryder, Ryder will remain on the May 4 Canelo Alvarez – Daniel Jacobs card as he will face Bilal Akkawy for an interim super middleweight title, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

NEW YORK CITY — WBO world welterweight champion Terence “Bud” Crawford (35-0, 26KO) retained his title, scoring a strange and somewhat controversial 6th round TKO over former junior welterweight champ Amir Khan (33-5, 20KO) in the main of an ESPN PPV card in front of 14,091 paid fans at Madison Square Garden.

The switch-hitting Crawford, 31, who is notorious for his slow starts, switched the script tonight and almost ended the fight in the first.  In the final minute of the opening round, Omaha’s favorite son connected with a counter right over an extended Khan jab, then followed it with a left for good measure, sending Khan crumbling to the mat.  The Brit was able to beat referee David Fields ten-count, but was quickly met with fury from Crawford. When the bell rang to end round one, Khan was so confused that he assumed a fighting posture for a few extra seconds.

Khan did enough to get by in rounds two and three, and in the fourth saw minor success when engaging in exchanges with Crawford.  Make no mistake though, time and again it was Crawford who landed the more significant blows.

The end came suddenly and controversially in the sixth when Crawford dug a meaty left below the belt that immediately had Khan doubled over in pain.  After taking about two of his allotted five minutes to recover, Khan informed his trainer, Virgil Hunter, that he was unable to continue and the ringside physician stepped up to stop the contest.  Fields ruled the punch an “accidental low blow” and the official result was read, to a chorus of boos, as a TKO for Crawford with an official stoppage of :47 in the fifth round.

Crawford has now stopped his last six opponents inside the distance.  The last time he went to the scorecards was in July 2016 against Viktor Postol.  The win also furthers Crawford case to surmount WBA/WBO world lightweight champion Vasiliy Lomachenko (13-1, 10KO) atop boxing’s pound-for-pound list.  The win also furthers Crawford case for pound fWBA/WBO world lightweight champion Vasiliy Lomachenko (13-1, 10KO) atop boxing’s pound-for-pound list.

Tonight marked Khan’s first fight back with Hunter after working with Joe Goossen for his last two contests, both of which were victories against lesser competition.  The result tonight also marks Khan’s fourth stoppage loss in five career defeats. Khan’s other professional defeats have come courtesy of Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (51-1-2, 35KO), Danny Garcia (34-2, 20KO), Lamont Peterson (35-5-1, 17KO), and Breidis Prescott (31-16, 22KO).

“I could tell I was breaking him down, it was just a matter of time,” Crawford said post-fight.  “I just took my time. I was disappointed the corner stopped the fight in that manner, but Virgil is a great coach, and he was looking out for his fighter. I know he didn’t want to go out like that.”

Crawford also dismissed the notion that Khan had fast hands.  “Benavidez and Gamboa were 10 times faster than him,” he said bluntly.

“The fight I want next is Errol Spence,” he continued. “Whenever he is ready, he can come and get it.”

Top Rank chair Bob Arum echoed Crawford, “We want to fight Errol Spence,” he said. “Everyone wants the fight. There is one guy stopping it, and that is Al Haymon.”

Due to the boxing political divide, a more likely Crawford opponent could be longtime Khan rival Kell Brook (38-2, 26KO) who was in attendance to “scout” Crawford.

ALL ABOARD! Teofimo Lopez KOs Edis Tatli In 5

The 2018 consensus Prospect of the Year, Teofimo Lopez (13-0, 11KO) kept the Teofimo Express rolling, KOing Finnish veteran Edis Tatli (31-3, 10KO) with a body shot in the fifth round of their scheduled twelve round lightweight contest.

The always-flashy Brooklyn-born Lopez, started slower than usual, taking time in the early goings to set traps he could utilize later in the bout.

It wasn’t until the fourth round that Lopez, a former 2016 Honduran Olympian, began to impose his will on his 31 year-old counterpart.  Midway through the fourth, Lopez caught Tatli, who was fighting in the US for the first time, with a short right hand that sent him off-balance.  The 21 year-old kept the heat on, following up with a flurry of shots that culminated with Lopez landing a behind the back punch that earned him a warning from the referee.

In the ensuing round, Lopez was intent on closing the show, and did so with a straight right to the Tatli’s right hip area that dropped him to a knee where he was counted out by the referee.  The end of the fight came at the 1:32 mark of round 5, and a Lopez celebratory backflip shortly followed.

Lopez has now stopped his last five opponents inside the distance, a streak that dates back to last May.

With regards to the future, Lopez and his trainer/father, Teofimo Lopez Jr., have repeatedly called for a fight with WBO world lightweight champion Vasiliy Lomachenko (13-1, 10KO).  Lomachenko, however, has made it clear he has little interest in a Lopez clash unless he’s bringing hardware to the table. That perhaps clears the way for Lopez to take on IBF world lightweight champion Richard Commey (28-2, 25KO).  Commey was previously penciled in to face Lomachenko in a unification clash, but had to pull out due to a right hand injury.

The result marked the first time in his 35-fight career that Tatli suffered defeat before the final bell.  His other two losses came via the cards by way of split and majority decisions.

“I knew I was going to get him with a body shot,” Lopez said.  “I softened him up and finished him…I want a world title shot next…We promised to take over the show, and once again, I took it over.”

“I’m ready for Richard Commey or the WBC title. As long as it’s for a title, I am ready to go. No one can take my power.”

Speed Kills: Shakur Stevenson UDs Christopher Diaz

Undefeated lightweight prospect Shakur Stevenson (11-0, 7KO) aced his toughest test yet, scoring a ten round unanimous decision over former world title challenger Christopher “Pitufo” Diaz (24-2, 16KO).

After a brief feeling out period, the southpaw Stevenson began landing impactful shots in round two, using pawing jabs to set up straight left hands.

In the third, Stevenson’s hand speed was on full display, as he peppered Diaz, 24, with combinations to head and body, darting in and out without being hit with any return fire.

In round five, arguably Diaz’s best, the Puerto Rican started to muddy the waters, bringing the fight in-close, forcing the twenty-one year old Stevenson to fight in tight.

The next round, however, Stevenson popped more jabs, reset the distance, and again found his mark with combinations.

Stevenson, a former 2016 Olympic Silver Medalist, didn’t relent down the stretch, as he continued to mark up Diaz, using superior footwork and hand-speed to hit and not get hit.

At the end of ten, all three judges scored it for Stevenson: 100-90, 99-91, and 99-92.

In the lead up to tonight’s contest, Top Rank chair Bob Arum told various media outlets that his team, specifically matchmakers Brad Goodman and Bruce Trampler, repeatedly tried to talk the Stevenson camp out of taking a fight the Freddie Roach-trained Diaz.  They insisted that they could produce a worthy challenger that posed less risk to their rising star. But the Stevenson camp remained stubborn, convinced the crafty southpaw could handle Diaz and take a giant leap towards earning a title shot, and they were right.  Stevenson handled Diaz with ease. In fact, there was no moment during the thirty minute contest that Stevenson was ever in danger.

Diaz’s only other defeat came in his lone title fight when he dropped a decision to Japan’s Masayuki Ito (25-1-1, 13KO) last June.

“Listen, I want all the champions at 126 pounds,” Stevenson said afterward.  “Josh Warrington is someone I want to fight. I am ready.”

He continued, “I take nothing away from Christopher Diaz. He’s a great fighter, but I came in there to outbox him, and that’s exactly what I did.”

Felix Verdejo Scores Wide UD Over Bryan Vasquez

Felix “El Diamante” Verdejo (25-1, 16KO) scored a wide unanimous decision over two-time world title challenger Bryan “El Tiquito” Vasquez (37-4-0, 20KO) in a ten round lightweight contest that opened the PPV portion of tonight’s card at Madison Square Garden.

In the early goings, Verdejo, 25, worked exclusively behind his jab, constantly snapping left hands in his Costa Rican counterpart’s direction.  In the third, a Vasquez right opened a cut under Verdejo’s increasingly-puffy right eye that started streaming blood.

Perhaps prompted by the cut, Verdejo turned up the aggression in the fourth and began to take full control of the fight.  The one-time highly-touted Puerto Rican prospect started unleashing his right hand, finding success throwing one-twos and right crosses.

Credit Vasquez though, who never once turned back.  The 31 year-old was undeterred by Verdejo’s shots, and kept coming forward, trying desperately to land something of significance.

That punch would never come, and in the end all three judges scored it widely for Verdejo: 97-93×2 and 98-92 for Verdejo.

The result makes it two consecutive wins for Verdejo since suffering a shocking TKO10 stoppage against Ines Antonio Lozada Torres (40-2-1, 24KO) at the Theater at Madison Square Garden last March.  Verdejo KO’d Yardley Armenta Cruz (25-13, 15KO) last November.

Prior to tonight, Vasquez had won two in a row since finding himself on the losing end of a MD against former WBO world lightweight champion Rey Beltran (36-8-1, 22KO).  Vasquez’s only other career defeats came in featherweight world title challenges, against Takashi Utiyama (2012) and Javier Fortuna (2015).

“It was an honor for me to get a big victory in front of my fans at Madison Square Garden,” Verdejo said afterward.  “I defeated a great fighter in Vasquez…I am looking for a world title opportunity soon.”

Felix Verdejo Scores Wide UD Over Bryan Vasquez

Felix “El Diamante” Verdejo (25-1, 16KO) scored a wide unanimous decision over two-time world title challenger Bryan “El Tiquito” Vasquez (37-4-0, 20KO) in a ten round lightweight contest that opened the PPV portion of tonight’s card at Madison Square Garden.

In the early goings, Verdejo, 25, worked exclusively behind his jab, constantly snapping left hands in his Costa Rican counterpart’s direction.  In the third, a Vasquez right opened a cut under Verdejo’s increasingly-puffy right eye that started streaming blood.

Perhaps prompted by the cut, Verdejo turned up the aggression in the fourth and began to take full control of the fight.  The one-time highly-touted Puerto Rican prospect started unleashing his right hand, finding success throwing one-twos and right crosses.

Credit Vasquez though, who never once turned back.  The 31 year-old was undeterred by Verdejo’s shots, and kept coming forward, trying desperately to land something of significance.

That punch would never come, and in the end all three judges scored it widely for Verdejo: 97-93×2 and 98-92 for Verdejo.

The result makes it two consecutive wins for Verdejo since suffering a shocking TKO10 stoppage against Ines Antonio Lozada Torres (40-2-1, 24KO) at the Theater at Madison Square Garden last March.  Verdejo KO’d Yardley Armenta Cruz (25-13, 15KO) last November.

Prior to tonight, Vasquez had won two in a row since finding himself on the losing end of a MD against former WBO world lightweight champion Rey Beltran (36-8-1, 22KO).  Vasquez’s only other career defeats came in featherweight world title challenges, against Takashi Utiyama (2012) and Javier Fortuna (2015).

“It was an honor for me to get a big victory in front of my fans at Madison Square Garden,” Verdejo said afterward.  “I defeated a great fighter in Vasquez…I am looking for a world title opportunity soon.”

Carlos Adames TKOs Frank Galarza In 4

In a crossroads clash originally slated for ten rounds, undefeated Dominican junior middleweight prospect Carlos Adames (17-0, 14KO) remained perfect, stopping Frank Galarza (20-3-2, 12KO) inside four, claiming the NABO junior middleweight title in the process.

Adames, a 24 year-old southpaw trained by Robert Garcia, outclassed his veteran foe from the opening bell, snapping jabs to set up left crosses, for which Galarza had no answer.  Midway through the opening round, Adames connected with a left that opened a cut on the corner of Galarza’s right eye.

Adames continued to dominate the action in rounds two and three and in the fourth finally broke through, sending Galarza to the mat courtesy of a beautifully thrown left cross that exploded on Galarza’s chin.  Galarza beat referee Benjy Esteves’ ten-count, but the Dominican kept his foot on the gas and after showering Galarza with unobstructed punches, Esteves stepped in to stop the contest at the 1:17 mark of round four.

Prior to tonight’s contest, Galarza had strung together a three-fight win streak since dropping two in a row to current IBF/WBA middleweight champion Jarrett Hurd (November 2015) and former IBF world middleweight champion Ishe Smith (September 2016).

Tonight marked Adames’ second appearance in the big room at MSG.  He outpointed veteran Mexican veteran Alejandro Barrera (19-5, 18KO) here in May 2018.

“This was a message to all of the 154-pounders. I want to face all the best,” Adames said post-fight.

“I believe Robert Garcia will get the most out of me. I felt great with him. He told me I was winning the fight, and he told me to pressure him because he was ready to go.”

Edgar Berlanga Destroys Samir Barbosa Inside One

In his Top Rank debut, Brooklyn-born middleweight prospect Edgar “Pachanga” Berlanga (10-0, 10KO) battered and blasted out Brazilian veteran Samir Barbosa (37-16-3, 26KO), disposing  him in just :46 seconds.

It all happened quickly, starting when 21 year-old Berlanga, who previously fought under Evander Holyfield’s “Real Deal” promotional banner, landed a short chopping right that stunned Barbosa.  Berlanga quickly followed up with a hard jab and two more rights, forcing the ref to step in and stop the contest.

While he didn’t get the result he was hoping for, tonight’s fight represented a milestone for the 38 year-old dos Santos Barbosa, who has now fought professionally in ten countries.

For the Puerto Rican-blooded Berlanga, tonight marked his fifth fight within New York City’s five boroughs, but first in Manhattan and first at the Garden.  Berlanga’s next fight is already slated for May 25 when he’ll take on Hungary’s Gyorgy Varju (7-4, 4KO) in Kissimmee, FL.

“I know this will open up a lot of opportunities for me,” Berlanga said afterward.  “I want to make my people from Brooklyn and Puerto Rico proud.”

Ireland’s Fryers Improves To 10-1 With UD Over Noah Kidd

In the third consecutive fight to go the distance, Irish junior welterweight Larry Fryers (10-1, 3KO) shutout Missouri’s Dakota Polley (5-3, 2KO) in a six round contest.  All judges cards read 60-53×3.

It wasn’t as easy a night as the scorecards suggest for the 28 year-old Irishman as he time and again had to eat punches to land his own.

Polley, who was KO’d by Luis Feliciano (10-6, 6KO) his last time between the ropes, showed a decent account of himself tonight.  The 20 year old southpaw went toe-to-toe with Fryer, but consistently got bested when the two exchanged.

In the fifth round, a Fryer lunging left, in which he led with his head, resulted in a clash that produced a deep cut over Polley’s right eye.  In the ensuing round, Polley was deducted a point by the referee for holding.

Ex-Indian Olympian Vikas Krishan UDs Noah Kidd

Former two-time Indian Olympian Vikas “The Indian Tank” Krishan (2-0, 1KO) easily oupointed Missouri’s Noah Kidd (3-2-1, 2KO) in a six round junior middleweight scrap.  All judges scored widely for the 27-year old Indian, 60-54×2 and 59-55. Krishan, a southpaw, controlled the contest bell to bell, but lacked killer instinct, allowing Kidd to linger.  No matter, though. At this point in his career, banking rounds without headgear probably isn’t a bad thing for Krishan.

Lawrence Newton UDs Jonathan Garza To Kick Off MSG Card

Twenty-two year-old Florida native Lawrence Newton ran his record to 12-0, 7KO scoring a wide unanimous decision over Texan Jonathan Garza (7-3, 2KO) in a six round bantamweight contest.  Official scores read 60-54×2 and 59-55, Newton. The fight was the first of nine from Madison Square Garden, culminating when undefeated WBO welterweight champion Terence Crawford (34-0, 25KO) defends his title against former junior welterweight champion Amir Khan (33-4, 20KO) live on ESPN PPV ($69.99HD/$59.99SD).  All undercard fights from the World’s Most Famous Arena are currently airing on ESPN2 up until the PPV portion of the card, which will be begin at 9pm ET.

Jeison Rosario took a 10-round split decision over Jorge Cota in a super welterweight bout.

Rosario, 156 lbs of Santo Domingo, DR won by scores of 97-93 twice and Cota won a card 96-94.

Rosario is 19-1-1. Cota, 154.4 lbs of Sinaloa, MEX is 28-3.

Alfredo Angulo stopped Ever Bravo in round two of a scheduled 10-round super middleweight bout,

Angulo dropped Bravo with a hard combination that was culminated by a thudding right to the chin, and the bout was stopped at 1:23 of round two.

Angulo, 166.6 lbs of Mexicali, MEX is now 25-7 with 21 knockouts. Bravo, 166.3 lbs of Colombia is 24-10-1.

Karlos Balderas remained undefeated by stopping Luis May in round four of a scheduled six-round lightweight bout.

Balderas dropped May twice with body shots, and the bout was waved off by the corner at 1:07.

Balderas, 133.8 lbs of Santa Maria, CA is 8-0 with seven knockouts. May, 132.2 lbs of Mexico is 22-14-1.

Rolando Romero remained undefeated by stopping Andres Figueroa in round four of a scheduled six-round lightweight fight.

In round four, Romero landed a vicious left hook right on the button that sent Figueroa down, and the fight was stopped Immediately. Figueroa left the ring on a stretcher.

The time of the stoppage was 1:27.

Romero, 136 lbs of Las Vegas is 9-0 with eight knockouts. Figueroa, 134.3 lbs of Bogata, COL is 9-5

Omar Juarez remained undefeated with a four-round unanimous decision over Dwayne Bonds in a super lightweight.

Juarez, 141.4 lbs of Brownsville, TX won by scores of 40-36 twice and 39-37, and is now 3-0. Bonds, 139.4 lbs of El Paso, TX is now 3-2-1.

Dave Allen stopped former world champion Lucas Browne with one left to the body in their scheduled 12-round heavyweight bout at The 02 Arena in London.

Allen landed a crushing shot that sent Browne to the canvas for the 10 count at 58 seconds of round three.

Allen is 17-4-2 with 14 knockouts.  Browne of Australia is 28-2.

After earning the biggest win of his career to date, ‘White Rhino’ said: “I want more now, I’m greedy. I proved I can punch at the highest level. He’s not what he once was but it’s a very good win. A very good win. This tops the Nick Webb night. The left hook to the body was beautiful.”

Dereck Chisora won a 10-round unanimous decision over Senad Gashi in a heavyweight bout.

Chisora landed some power punches throughout, where Gashi did little more then circle to his left.

Chisora won by scores of 100-90, 100-91 and 99-91 and is now 30-9. Gashi of Kosovo is 17-3.

Josh Kelly won a 10-round unanimous decision over Przemyslaw Runowski in a welterweight contest

In round 10, Kelly decked Runowski with a perfect left.

Kelly won by scores of 100-8 twice and 100-89 and is now 9-0. Runowksi is 17-1.

Joe Cordina remained undefeated by taking out Andy Townend in round six of their scheduled 12-round lightweight bout.

Cordina dropped Townend in round six with a flurry of power shots. Moments later, he sent Townend to a knee with an uppercut on the inside. Cordina finished the deal with a hard right and left that sent Townend to a knee again, and the fight was immediately stopped at 2:51.

Cordina of Cardiff, Wales is now 9-0 with seven knockouts. Townend is 22-5.

Conor Benn remained undefeated with a eight-round decision win over Josef Zahradnik in a welterweight bout.

Benn registered a knockdown in round seven with a body shot and won by a referee score of 80-71.

Benn is 14-0. Zahradnik is 10-3.

“Absolutely gutted to inform everyone I will not be fighting,” Quigg announced. “Training had been going fantastic and everything was well on schedule but in my final week of heavy preparation before tapering down I suffered an injury during sparring on (April 15), a total freak accident where I hit my sparring partner with a left hook and my elbow jarred and the tendon ripped clean off my bicep and elbow. I went straight to see a specialist and had scans which confirmed the damage of what I’d felt and will need surgery to reattach my tendon.”

“Gutted isn’t the word. I’m absolutely devastated after all the work and training me and my team have put in this camp and also with being so close to the fight,” Quigg said. “Thank you for all messages of support and once the operation is done I will start the rehabilitation process and I will make a full recovery and continue my career.”

After failing a PED that put a kibosh on his heavyweight world title opportunity against Anthony Joshua on June 1st, undefeated Jarrell Miller failed two more tests that were revealed on Friday, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

The results from a blood sample collected from Miller by the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association on March 31 came to light Friday and were positive for human growth hormone (HGH), which is on the World Anti-Doping Agency banned list.

“Salita Promotions and Greg Cohen Promotions are very disappointed in these findings and feel awful fight fans will be deprived of what would have been a great fight,” Dmitriy Salita and Greg Cohen, Miller’s co-promoters, told ESPN in a joint statement following the revelation of the positive test. “It’s a terrible outcome and unfortunate situation for all parties involved.”

“This is your boy ‘Big Baby’ Miller here,” an emotional Miller said. “A lot can be said right now. I gonna get straight to the point. I messed up. I messed up. I made a bad call. A lot of ways to handle a situation, I handled it wrongly and I’m paying the price for it. Missed out on is a big opportunity, and I’m hurtin’ on the inside. My heart is bleeding right now. I hurt my family, my friends, my team, my supporters. But I’m gonna own up to it. I’m gonna deal with it, I’m gonna correct it, and I’m gonna come back better. “I’m humbled by the experience. I understand how to handle certain things. I’m gonna leave it at that. I love you guys and I appreciate you guys out there, and as fighters we go through a lot and I don’t want to make it a bad name for ourselves. It’s time to do right, and get right. So I thank you guys.”

“To be honest I can’t believe it. You always want to give an athlete the benefit of the doubt, but this leaves no doubt,” Joshua promoter Eddie Hearn told ESPN. “It worries me that fighters feel the only way they can beat AJ is by taking banned substances. One thing we know is Miller is out. AJ’s new opponent for June 1 will be announced next week. Clean fighters only need apply.”

After the first positive test result, Miller claimed he had not knowingly taken a banned substance.

“I am absolutely devastated upon hearing the news my boxing license has been [denied] in NY State and I will be vigorously appealing this decision,” Miller wrote on social media earlier this week. “I have NEVER knowingly taken any banned substance and when I found out the news [Tuesday] night I was totally shocked. My team and I stand for integrity, decency & honesty and together we will stand to fight this with everything we have!”

15rounds.com was able to catch up with a few boxing notables at Madison Square Garden at the weigh-in for the Terence Crawford (34-0, 25KO) v. Amir Khan (33-4, 20KO) ESPN PPV card.

–Undefeated Top Rank prospect Julian “Hammer Hands” Rodriguez (16-0, 10KO) says he’s finally feels 100% after undergoing left shoulder surgery. Rodriguez hasn’t fought since decisioning Dario Ferman (17-6, 14KO) in September 2017. Rodriguez and his team are eyeing a June fight date and hope to compete three times in 2019.

–Former IBF world welterweight titleist Kell Brook (38-2, 26KO) was at MSG, but had little interest in Amir Khan. “He [Khan] doesn’t want none of it,” Brook told 15rounds. Brook’s big bold prediction? His beloved Sheffield United secure promotion to the Premier League. They currently sit tied with Leeds United on points, but occupy second place due to having a better goal differential.

–When asked who he likes to win in tomorrow’s main event, former two-division world champion Zab Judah (44-9-2, 30KO) said, “The winner. They’re [Crawford and Khan] both already legends.” When pressed to choose the victor, Judah reiterated, “I’m going with the winner.”

–Look to 15rounds.com tomorrow for rapid ringside recaps of all fights from Madison Square Garden. Undercards begin at 6pm Eastern and will be shown on ESPN2. The PPV portion of the card will begin at 9pm Eastern.

Erick Ituarte won a 10-round unanimous decision over Jose Estrella in a featherweight bout that headlined a five-bout card at the Doubletree in Ontario, California.

Ituarte, 125.3 lbs of Santa Ana, CA won by scores of 100-89 twice and 98-92 and is now 21-1-1. Estrella, 125.7 lbs of Tijuana, MX is 20-16-1.

“I knew he would try to come forward and attack me in a straight line,” Ituarte said after the fight. “I just waited for the openings and landed plenty of clean shots throughout.”

“I felt strong heading into this match up and I think it showed in my performance,” Ituarte said.

Richard Brewart kept his perfect record intact with a four-round unanimous decision over Sergio Martinez in a super middleweight fight.

Brewart, 156.7 lbs of Ranch Cucomonga, CA won by scores of 40-36 on all cards, and is now 5-0. Martinez, 163.3 lbs of Tijuana, MX is 6-6.

Luis Lopez remained undefeated with a four-round unanimous decision over Daniel Perales in a welterweight bout.

Lopez, 145.3 lbs of Corona, CA won by scores of 40-36 on all cards and is now 5-0. Perales, 146.9 lbs of Monterrey, MX is 10-17-2,

Oscar Torrez remained undefeated by stopping Thomas Hawkins in the final round of their heavyweight bout.

Torrez dominated, and finished him with a hard flurry at 1:20 of round four.

Torrez, 214.4 lbs of Riato, CA is 5-0 woth two knockouts. Hawkins, 253.6 lbs of Houston is 4-4.

Christian Conway and Devonte McCowan battled to a four-round draw of debuting lightweights.

McCowan won a card 39-37, while two cards read even at 38-38.

IBF Junior Welterweight champion Ivan Baranchyk is back in the World Boxing Super Series after coming to an agreement, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“We just resolved our differences. After a lot of yelling, people started listening and we resolved our differences,” said Baranchyk manager Dave McWater, who is in New York because Teofimo Lopez Jr., one of his fighters, is scheduled to box on the Terence Crawford-Amir Khan ESPN PPV card on Saturday night at Madison Square Garden. “The biggest thing was Ivan wanted to fight somebody now. And at this point May 18 was closer than anything we could get scheduled. So he’s excited and he thinks he beats Taylor easily.”

In an effort to force Baranchyk’s hand, World Boxing Super Series owner Comosa AG was granted an ex parte injunction in a Swiss court earlier this month ordering Baranchyk to remain in the tournament. The sides began talking about a deal and one was eventually reached.

“We wouldn’t be in if we weren’t,” McWater said of the resolution. “It was worth it. We’re ready to go. Ivan was ready to fight in February. He could fight tomorrow.”

Asked if he had any concerns about getting the money for the fight, and in a timely fashion, after the issues in the quarterfinals, McWater said, “We’ll get all of our money, absolutely.”

Baranchyk will go into the manda

Earlier this year, Baranchyk left trainer Pedro Diaz and their Miami training camp, to be trained by Hall of Famer Freddie Roach at his Wild Card Boxing Club in Hollywood, California. Diaz helped lead Baranchyk to winning a vacant 140-pound world title by seventh-round stoppage of Anthony Yigit in the quarterfinals in October in New Orleans.

“That’s nerve-racking for me but not for [Baranchyk],” McWater said of the trainer change so close to the semifinals. “He seems totally fine with it. He did go from one of the greatest trainers in the world to one of the greatest trainers in the world. So it’s not like he left Pedro for Joe Blow. I have faith in the kid and he seems non-fazed by it.”

After testing positive for a banned substance, the New York Athletic Commission has decided to not to license Jarrell Miller for a June 1st foght against Anthony Joshua at Madison Square Garden, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“The New York State Athletic Commission has denied Jarrell Miller’s professional boxing license application for a violation relating to the use of a prohibited substance. We have no further comment at this time,” the commission said in a statement on Wednesday.

“I am on the search for a new opponent,” Joshua promoter Eddie Hearn said. “Literally anyone can get it. There are some names that would appeal to our partners — DAZN, Sky Sports and Madison Square Garden — more than others and it’s our job to get the ones that appeal most. I’ve spoken to 16 heavyweights in the last 24 hours, 10 of which are not suitable.”

“I want to thank all of my supporters who have stood by me since day one and especially during this extremely difficult time,” Miller said. “I am absolutely devastated upon hearing the news my boxing license has been revoked in NY State and I will be vigorously appealing this decision. I have NEVER knowingly taken any banned substance and when I found out the news (Tuesday) night I was totally shocked. My team and I stand for integrity, decency & honesty and together we will stand to fight this with everything we have!”

“This was a voluntarily test that I was very happy to do and these results came just one week after another voluntarily test that I had taken which was completely clean,” he said. “I refuse to just lie down and let my dream be taken away from me when I know in my heart that I’ve done nothing wrong. 15 years of hard work. I’m WARRIOR. I don’t need a banned substance.

“Remember don’t believe everything you hear and see. The facts will prevail and I shall be vindicated. I don’t have anything to hide and the truth will make itself known.”
“I spoke to Luis Ortiz’s manager and he felt it was too short notice for the fight,” Hearn said. “Whether that changes in the next couple of days, that’s possible. There is still time. We will take anyone from the top 15.”

Hearn listed a few others that would be acceptable: Michael Hunter, a former U.S. Olympian who Hearn recently signed; Oscar Rivas, who knocked out Bryant Jennings in January; New York-based Polish contender Adam Kownacki; secondary titlist Manuel Charr; and Kubrat Pulev, one of Joshua’s mandatory challengers.

“Whoever wants it can get it,” Hearn said. “The show goes on. We have over 10,000 Brits flying out. We need to put on a good main event and that’s what AJ is training for. This is the Anthony Joshua show, not the Jarrell Miller show.”

Ricardo Espinoza will fight John riel Casimero for the vacant WBO Interim bantamweight title, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

The fight will take place on the Premier Boxing Champions card headlined by the Danny Garcia-Adrian Granados welterweight fight at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California.

“I am happy to be fighting for (an interim) world title,” Espinoza said. “I have proven that I am ready for the moment. Tijuana will have a new world champion.”

All-Star Boxing promoter Felix “Tuto” Zabala, who promotes Espinoza, has been high on him and is pleased he is getting the opportunity.

“We are proud of Espinoza’s progress up to date,” Zabala said. “He has shown he belongs at the top of the division. We are sure of Espinoza’s ability.”

In its ruling, the WBO pointed out the relative inactivity of the belt as a key reason for approving the fight.

“Mr. Tete acquired his title on April 22, 2017,” the ruling said. “He only defended it on three occasions — November 18, 2017 against Siboniso Gonya, April 21, 2018 against Omar Narvaez, and on October 13, 2018 against Mikhail Aloyan, who was also his first quarterfinal contender of the WBSS tournament.

“The WBO World Championship Committee recognizes the importance of allowing their champions the discretion to participate in activities they may deem as of career importance, (but) the Committee must also be fair to all of its rated contenders.”

Heavyweight contender Jarrell Miller has failed a PED test which leaves questions about his June 1 title opportunity against champion Anthony Joshua at Madison Square Garden, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

Miller has tested positive for the banned substance GW1516 three sources with knowledge of the results told ESPN on Tuesday.

“We are in the process of obtaining further information about VADA’s finding and will have more to say soon on this developing situation,” Dmitriy Salita, Miller’s co-promoter with Greg Cohen, told ESPN after he was informed of the positive test result. “In the meantime, Jarrell continues to train for his June 1 fight against Anthony Joshua.”

Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn, who represents Joshua, also acknowledged the positive test.

“We have been informed by VADA that there has been an adverse finding in Jarrell Miller’s sample collected on March 20th, 2019,” Hearn said in a statement. “We are working with all relevant parties and will update with more details soon. AJ’s preparation continues for June 1st at MSG.”

GW1516, also known as Cardarine and Endurobol, is on the World Anti-Doping Agency’s banned list and is classified as a metabolic modulator. An athlete might use it to assist in fat loss or use it as an endurance booster. WADA has warned athletes of health risks connected to the drug, which in early trials caused cancer in laboratory mice.

Jaime Munguia barely kept his WBO Junior Middleweight Title with a 12-round majority decision over mandatory challenger Dennis Hogan at The Arena Monterrey in Monterrey, Mexico.

Hogan pressed the action and landed the harder shots. As the fight went on Munguia tried to get back into the fight, and landed some nice body shots. Hogan was deprived of all that hard work as the judges ruled 16-112, 115-113 and 114-114 for Munguia.

Munguiaa, 154 lbs of Tijuana, MEX is 33-0. Hogan, 154 lbs of Kildare, IRE is 28-2-1.

Patrick Teixeira won a 10-round majority decision over Mario Lozano in a super welterweight bout

In round six, Teixeira was cut around the left eye from an elbow.

Teixeria won by scores of 96-94 twice and 95-95. Teixeira, 154 lbs of Sao Paulo, BRA is now 30-1. Lozano, 154 lbs of Chihuahua, MEX is 33-9.

Diego De La Hoya and Enrique Bernache fought to a no-contest when a cut opened up on Bernache in round two of their scheduled 10-round featherweight bout.

A headbutt opened up a deep gash in the middle of Bernache’s forehead at 2:25 of round two.

De La Joya, 126 lbs of Mexicali, MEX is 21-0-1. Bernache, 126 lbs of Guadalajara, MEX is 24-12-1.

Claressa Shields dominated Christina Hammer over all 10-rounds and won a unanimous decision to unify the IBF/WBA/WBC/WBO Middleweight titles in the what was billed as the most significant woman’s boxing match in history.

The bout took place at the Adrian Phillips Theater at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City.

After the 1st round, which was much of a feel out round, Shields dominated the action and had Hammer in trouble several times throughout the 2nd half of the fight. Shields hurt Hammer in rounds eight and nine, and it seemed like she could get the stoppage, but Hammer was able to survive and last the distance.

Shields, 159 1/2 lbs of Flint, MU won on all cards by 98-92 tallies, and is now 9-0. Hammer, 159 lbs of Dortmund, GER is 24-1-0-1.

“I am the greatest woman of all time,” said Shields, who nearly earned a stoppage during a barrage in the closing moments of the eighth round. “I did it. She didn’t win a single round. I almost knocked her out. I swear I feel like I’m dreaming right now. Thanks to Christina Hammer and her team. They said she had a hard jab and they weren’t lying. Her jab is off the chain.

“I was just calculating in the first round and after that I started picking her apart,” she continued. “I knew I could hurt her. I thought I finished her in round eight. I thought the fight should have been stopped. She was holding onto me. I just told myself, stay cool, stay cool. I was trying to get the perfect punch to get her out of there.

“Women’s boxing, we’re on fire. I cannot wait to see the next super fight. Give me Cecilia Brækhus at 154 pounds. That’s who I want next. Either her or Savannah Marshall.”

“I didn’t fight very good or fast,” said a subdued Hammer. “That’s boxing, anything can happen. I wanted this fight. She won, respect to her. She’s a tough, strong woman and that’s all I can say.

“She’s fast, she comes forward. She has fast hands. I couldn’t land my jab as good as I expected. I’ll come back and I’ll be back stronger.

Jermaine Franklin won a 10-round unanimous decision over Rydell Booker in a heavyweight fight.

There were some good exchanges on the inside, but it was Franklin who got the better of the action as he outlanded Booker 146-94.

Franklin of Saginaw, MI won by scores of 99-91 and 98-92 twice and is now 18-0. Booker of Detroit is 25-2.

“I think I had a decent performance,” said the Saginaw, Mich. native. “There’s some stuff I could work on. I over-crowded myself a little bit and I was a little over-anxious. He had a lot more experience than me and used it to his advantage. He could see what I was doing.

“I learned to stay more patient because I had him hurt a few times, but once I got over-anxious, my whole game plan went out the window. I started messing up and making crazy mistakes I shouldn’t have. Now it’s back to the drawing board to work on my mistakes and come out bigger and badder next time.”

“I felt he out-hustled me, but it was a lot closer than how the judges scored it,” said Booker. “He was missing me a lot more than it looked. I slipped a lot of shots and hit him clean.

“I knew he would bring the pressure, but he needs a lot of work. He stays too centered with his head. He’s alright. What he has on his side is youth. I’d rate my performance about a seven. I had a training camp injury I was dealing with. I’m going to stay active and come back stronger than ever.”

Heavyweight’s Otto Wallin and Nick Kisner fought to a no-contest after one round due to an accidental headbutt.

Kisner was cut over his right eye and Wallin was cut on his forehead from an accidental headbutt in the 1st round. After the round was over, Kisner could not continue due to his cut.

Wallin, 227 1/4 lbs of Sudsvall, SWE is 20-0 (1 NC). Kisner, 221 lbs of Baltimore is 21-4-1-1

“To me, his cut didn’t look that bad,” said a disappointed Wallin, who was making his U.S. debut. “It’s a shame because I trained really hard for this fight and was looking to put on a show for fans in America. I just didn’t have time to get going.

“I’d like to get back in there soon and show what I can do. I’m going to take this as a learning experience.”

“I caught a headbutt and the referee came to me,” said Kisner. “He saw me swiping at my eye and said ‘can you see?’ I said, ‘soon as I get the blood out of my eye, sure.’

“I feel horrible after training so hard. I felt good in the first round. The judges probably gave him the first round, but I always take off the first round. I was feeling like I could get to him eventually. You saw me land my overhand right.”

Brenda Karen Carbajal won the IBF Featherweight title with a unanimous decision over previously undefeated Elena Gradinar.

Carbajal won by scores of 97-93 twice and 96-94 and is now 16-4-1. Gradinar is 9-1.

Jarico O’Quinn won an eight-round unanimous decision over Vicente Alfaro in a super flyweight bout.

O’Quinn won by scores of 80-72 on all cards, and is now 12-0-1. Alfaro is 9-5.

Mario Heredia scored a eight-round split decision over former heavyweight titlist Samuel Peter

In round three, Peter decked Heredia with a booming right to the chin. Heredia was able to survive and gut out the slugfest by scores of 77-74 and 76-75, while Peter won a card 79-72.

Heredia is now 16-6-1. Peter falls to 37-7.

Marcus Bates stopped Jose Angel Hernandez after round three of a scheduled eight-round super bantamweight bout.

It was a good action fight that had Hernandez pressing, and Bates looking to counter. Hernandez for some reason could not continue after round three.

Bates is now 9-1-1 with eight knockouts. Hernandez is 12-3.

Isiah Seldon got off the deck to win a six-round unanimous decision over Bryan Goldsby in a middleweight bout.

In round one, Goldsny dropped Seldon with a combination in the corner that was started by a right to the chin. Seldon was able to come back and win every round and in round four almost had Goldsby out as he landed a flurry of hard shots only to have Goldsby saved by a low blow.

Seldon won each card 58-55 and is now 13-2-1. Goldsby is 5-10.

Vasyl Lomachenko scored a sensational 4th round stoppage over Anthony Crolla to retain the WBA/WBO Lightweight titles in front of 10,101 fans at Staples Center in Los Angeles.

Lomachenko was flawless as he took a couple of rounds to figure out Crolla, who did little more then move around the ring.  He started to ramp up the activity at the end of round two.  In round three, Lomachenko was credited with a knockdown as he landed a hard combination that referee Jack Reiss ruled that the ropes kept Crolla up.  In the next round, Lomachenko continued to batter Crolla until he landed a perfect right hook to the temple that sprawled Crolla face-first to the canvas and the fight was stopped at 49 seconds.

Lomachenko, 134.6 lbs of Ukraine is now 13-1 with 10 knockouts.  Crolla, 134.8 lbs of Manchester, UK is 34-7-3.

“I want to fight with Mikey Garcia, but we’ll see. I don’t know,” Lomachenko said. “I stay at 135 as long as it’s possible, and I want to unify all {the} titles.

Gilberto Ramirez announced himself to the light heavyweight division as he stopped Tommy Karpency at the end of round four of a scheduled ten-round bout.

Ramirez dominated the fight as he landed thunderous body work.  Ramirez was effective with the straight left that drew blood from Karpency’s nose.  Karpency could not continue at the end of the 4th frame citing a broken rib.

Ramirez, 174.6 lbs of Mazelton, MX is 40-o with 26 knockouts.  Karpency, 174.6 lbs of Adah, PA is 29-7-1.

“I feel more comfortable at 175 pounds than 168,” Ramirez said. “I’m looking for all the champions at 175. I want to be a pound-for-pound fighter.

“I struggled making 168 for a very long time. We’ll see what’s next, but my body felt great at 175. My new head trainer, Julian Chua, did an excellent job preparing me for this fight. Karpency was a tough guy.”

Arnold Barboza Jr. stopped former world champion Mike Alvarado in round three of a scheduled ten-round super lightweight bout.

Barboza rocked Alvarado with a hard right and knocked him down with a follow up punch.  Alvarado tried to get to his feet, but was wobbly and the fight was stopped at 49 seconds.

Barboza, 140 lbs of South El Monte, CA is 21-0 with eight knockouts.  Alvarado, 139 1/2 lbs of Denver, CO is 40-5.

“That was a good fight, and now I want Jose Ramirez. I want Maurice Hooker,” Barboza said. “That’s what I want in my future. Alvarado is a tough guy, and I stopped him in three rounds. Hopefully, this performance will catapult me to a world title opportunity. To perform like I did in front of my hometown fans, it doesn’t get better than that.”

Said Alvarado: “He caught me with a clean, surprising shot. He just caught me. It’s boxing. Some just sneak in and do the job, you know?”

Janibek Alimkhanuly won a 10-round unanimous decision over Cristian Olivas in a middleweight fight.

Alimkhanuly, 160 lbs of Almaty, KAZ won by scores of  100-90 twice and 99-91, and is now 6-0.  Olivas, 159 1/4 lbs of San Diego, CA is 16-5.

It was a short night at the office for Italian heavyweight Guido Vianello (3-0, 3 KOs), who knocked out Lawrence Gabriel (3-2-1, 2 KOs) at 49 seconds of the opening round. Vianello represented his homeland at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

“I believe this was my strongest performance to date, and I’m only going to get better and better,” Vianello said. “My power is improving with every fight.”

Guido Vianello destroyed Lawrence Gabriel inside of a minute of their scheduled six-round heavyweight bout.

Vianello landed a hard right that hurt Gabriel.  A few more hard shots put Gabriel down, and the fight was stopped in 49 seconds.

Vianello, 244 1/2 lbs of Rome, ITA is 3-0 with three knockouts.  Gabirel, 208 lbs of Syracuse, NY is 3-2-1.

Alexander Besputin won a 10-round unanimous decision over awkward Alfredo Blanco in a welterweight bout.

Besputin was cut over the right eye in the first frame from a couple of wild shots that got through from Blanco.

In round nine, he was cut on his forehead.

Those did not matter as Besputin landed hard and quick combinations, and won by scores of 100-90 twice and 99-91.

Besputin, 147 lbs of Oxnard, CA is now 13-0.  Blanco, 146 1/2 lbs of Pigue, ARG is 20-8.

“He had a very uncomfortable, awkward style, which made it difficult for me to find my rhythm,” Besputin said. “Most importantly, I got the win, and we can move on to bigger fights. I am a top contender now, and I am ready to fight for a world title next. Bob Arum says I can beat the top welterweights, and I know I can.”

Ruben Rodriguez won a four-round majority  decision over Rumel Snegur in a welterweight bout.

Scores were 40-36, 39-37 and 38-38.

Rodriguez, 144 3/4 lbs of Indio, CA won by scores of   and is now 6-0.  Snegur, 142 lbs of Portland, OR is 3-4-1.

NEW YORK CITY — Ivan “The Volk” Golub retained his WBC USNBC Welterweight Title, scoring a wide ten round unanimous decision against Manuel Alejandro Reyes (11-5-1, 5KO) in the main event of a DiBella Entertainment Broadway Boxing card from midtown Manhattan’s SONY Hall.

It wasn’t necessarily easy work for the southpaw Golub, but the Ukrainian controlled the action from bell to bell. Golub, who now lives and fights out of Brooklyn, got off to a quick start, immediately banging away at Reyes’ body. Reyes’ gained a bit of momentum the ensuing round when a short right opened up a cut over Golub’s right eye — a cut that would produce blood until the final bell.

In the third, however, the 30 year old Ukranian turned the tide for good, gaining confidence after landing a crisp one-two that stunted Reyes’ ever-forward momentum. In the fourth Golub landed a huge straight left that was set up by a pawing jab. By the time the fifth round rolled around, Golub found a rhythm, timing the southpaw Reyes as he made his way in, peppering him with punches before the California-native could fire off shots of his own.

Golub, who was fighting for the fifth time in Manhattan, continued to control the fight in the mid-to-late rounds, as well, as Reyes was unable to solve his Ukrainian counterpart.

At the end of ten, all three judges scored the contest for Golub, 99-91 and 100-90×2.

The result makes it three wins in a row for Golub since suffering his only career defeat at the hands of Jamontay Clark in 2017.

For Reyes, the result makes it two losses in a row. Prior to tonight, he suffered a UD loss against Mykal Fox in 2017.

Bakhodir Jalolov Blasts Out Brendan Barrett In One

Former 2016 Uzbekistani Olympian Bakhodir Jalolov (6-0, 6KO) destroyed fellow heavyweight Brendan Barrett (7-3-2, 5KO), stopping him in the first of a scheduled six rounds, winning the NABF Junior Heavyweight Championship in the process. From the opening bell, the 6’7” southpaw Jalolov had his way with 5’10” Barrett, who took the fight on short notice. About midway through the opening round, the 24 year-old Jalolov landed a crisp jab that immediately drew blood from Barrett’s nose and sent him retreating to a neutral corner where he took a knee. The 37 year-old Barrett managed to get back to his feet, but probably wished he’d been counted out. Smelling blood in the water, Jalolov, who now lives and fights out of Brooklyn, NY, connected with a missile of a straight left that exploded on Barrett’s chin and collapsed him to the canvas, this time for good. Referee Earl Brown reached a count of three before waving off the contest at the 2:45 mark of the first round.

Alicia Napoleon Pleases Hometown Crowd With TKO2 Over Eva Bajic

Lindenhurst, NY native Alicia “The Empress” Napoleon (11-1, 6KO) delighted the hometown crowd and dismantled fellow super welterweight Hungary’s Eva Bajic (14-17, 9KO), dropping her twice en route to a TKO2 victory. Napoleon, 33, simply outclassed Bajic. Working behind a sharp jab, Napoleon landed at will and in the opening moments of the second round landed a left-right combination that sent Bajic to the mat. The 34 year-old Hungarian, who has now lost six fights in a row and eight of her last nine, beat the ensuing count, but didn’t last much longer. Napoleon followed up and landed an overhand right that returned Bajic to the mat, prompting the ringside physician to step on the ring apron and advise the referee to stop the contest. The official time of the stoppage came at the 1:04 mark of the second round. Napoleon has now won four in a row since suffering his lone career defeat against Tori Nelson in 2015.

Hurshidbek Normatov Shuts Out Calvin Metcalf In 6 Round Bout

Uzbekistan’s Hurshidbek Normatov (8-0, 3KO) shutout (60-53×3) fellow middleweight Calvin Metcalf (9-2-1, 2KO) in a six round contest. Normatov, a 26 year-old southpaw who fights and trains out of Brooklyn, NY, used his jab to keep Metcalf at distance. Once the jab was established, Normatov began to pepper in short right hooks, connecting and dropping Metcalf with a perfectly thrown one in round 3. To his credit, the stubborn 24-year old Metcalf hung tough and refused to let Normatov earn a win by stoppage. At the end of six, all three judges scored it 60-53 for the Uzbekistani.

Brian Ceballo Makes Easy Work Of Ricardo Garcia, Stops Him In 2

Former five-time New York Golden Gloves Champion Brian Ceballo (8-0, 4KO) had an easy night at the office, dominating and stopping fellow welterweight Ricardo Garcia (14-6-1, 9KO) inside two of a scheduled six rounds. Midway through the second Ceballo, who lives and fights out of the Fort Greene section of Brooklyn, connected with a straight right that landed on Garcia’s chin and collapsed him to the mat. The Dominican-born Reading, PA transplant, Garcia, beat referee Earl Brown’s ten count, but never fully recovered. Ceballo, 25, immediately followed up and sealed the deal with a huge left hook that backed Garcia to the ropes, prompting Brown to jump in and call a halt to the bout at the 2:33 mark of the third round.

Khalid Twaiti Stays Perfect With TKO3 Over Jeno Tonte

Super bantamweight Khalid Twaiti (5-0, 3KO) needed less than three of a scheduled four rounds to up his perfect record and record a TKO win against Hungary’s Jeno Tonte (9-7, 8KO). Twaiti, a 23 year-old Yemeni-American from Brooklyn, forced the action and overwhelmed Tonte, who had no answer for Twaiti’s volume or power. After a flurry of punches that landed without obstruction, the referee in charge stopped the contest at the 1:13 mark of the third round.

Joseph Williams Returns From Two-Year Layoff, UDs Jose Mario Flores

Far Rockaway, Queen’s Joseph “Mack” Williams (13-0, 8KO) outslugged and shutout (60-54×3) fellow cruiserweight Jose Mario Flores (8-2-2, 4KO) in a six round contest, kicking off a seven-fight Broadway Boxing card from midtown Manhattan’s SONY Hall, presented by DiBella Entertainment. The night will culminate when once-beaten Ivan Golub (15-1, 12KO) squares off against California-native Manuel Alejandro Reyes (11-4-1, 5KO) in a ten round welterweight scrap.

Broner, 29, was supposed to go to trial on Monday on felony charges of gross sexual imposition and abduction, but he instead pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges of assault and unlawful restraint. Cuyahoga County (Ohio) Common Pleas Court Judge Sherrie Miday sentenced Broner to six months in jail but suspended the sentence and placed the boxer on two years of probation, which he will serve in Broward County, Florida, where he lives and trains — as long as county officials there agree to supervise his probation.

The judge also fined Broner $1,000 and ordered him to reimburse the victim more than $4,200 in medical bills. Cleveland.com first reported the news, which was confirmed by the Cuyahoga County Court’s online records.

“While confident in a successful outcome at trial, Mr. Broner opted to accept the significantly reduced misdemeanor plea so that he could immediately return to focus on his professional career free from further distraction,” Ian Friedman, Broner’s attorney, said in a statement, according to Cleveland.com.

Gennady Golovkin is eyeing fights with former titlist Hassan N’Dam or undefeated Steve Rolls for his DAZN debut in June, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

Angelo Leo won a 10-round unanimous decision over Neil Tabanao in a super bantamweight bout at Sams Town in Las Vegas.

Leo, 123 lbs of Las Vegas won by scores of 100-89 and 100-90 twice and is now 17-0. Tabanao, 122 1/4 lbs of Philippines is 17-5.

“It felt good to make my SHOWTIME debut tonight, to show my fans and the rest of the world my skills and now it’s just up from here,” Leo said. “He was a tough fighter. I’d give my performance an eight. He had a punch. I had to stay cautious in the beginning and take my time and get on the inside.”

“Leo is a good fighter,” Tabanao said. “I know I lost the fight. I did what I could but he was really good. I started strong but on the second half he took over. He fought very well on the inside. He’s really good at short range. He deserved the win.”

Leo said he needs to work on his defense. “I need to keep it a little tighter and not leave any room for opportunities for my opponent,” he said. “I’m ready for whatever my team brings to me for my next fight. I know [Mayweather Promotions CEO] Leonard Ellerbe has my back and my best interests.”

Xavier Martinez stopped John Moralde in a round three of a scheduled eight-round junior lightweight fight

After battering Moralde for two rounds, Martinez dropped Moralde with a hard left hook. Referee Tony Weeks let the fight continue, only to stop seconds after the knockdown at 1:11.

Martinez, 131 3/4 lbs of Sacramento, CA is 14-0 with 10 knockouts. Moralde, 131 1/2 lbs of General Santos City, PHL is 21-3.

“I came into this fight wanting to make a statement,” Martinez said. “It’s SHOWTIME and that means it’s go time. I wanted to show everybody who I am and I feel like I did that tonight. I wanted take him out early, I had that in my head and I did it.”

“He kept smirking at me when we first started so I wanted to wipe that smirk off his face real quick,” Martinez said. “So it went from him smirking to him getting serious really fast. I was looking to get the knockout, but in my head I was thinking if it doesn’t happen, just keep working him. But I didn’t have to. I took him out on the third.”
Andres Cortes won an eight-round unanimous decision over Jahmal Dyer in a junior lightweight bout.

In round three, Cortes wobbled Dyer at the end of the round with a right. Dyer came back to drop Cortes with a little right on the inside. Cortes was able to right himself and stun Dyer a couple of times.

Cortes, 132 1/4 lbs of Las Vegas, NV won by scores of 79-73, 78-73 and 78-74 and is now 11-0. Dyer, 130 1/2 lbs of Baltimore is 9-2.

“The knockdown didn’t affect my performance at all,” said Cortes, who was fighting for the sixth time at Sam’s Town Live. “I was off balance but as you saw, I was able to come back and almost knocked him out. I got too greedy and felt like I was coming off too strong. He was a good opponent, so it was my mistake. I give my performance tonight a 6, I didn’t like it at all. I feel like I could’ve done a lot better but it’s okay.”

Dyer, who had a seven and a half-inch reach advantage, said he didn’t feel like he won the fight. “He just outperformed me,” he said. “I could have thrown more punches. IN the fourth, we were both exchanging and I just happened to catch him with a good shot.”

Cortes said he was looking for the knockout the entire fight and his defense could have been better. “I should have kept my distance a little more and that would have made the fight a little easier. I’ll be back soon and do a lot better,” he added.

Aliu Bamidele Lasisi was in tough, but won a 10-round unanimous decision over Ricardo Blandon in a super flyweight bout at Emirates Golf Club in the United Arab Emirates (Dubai).

Lasisi was dropped in round three from a combination on the inside. Blandon was cut over the right eye in the fourth frame from an accidental headbutt. However, Lasisi was deducted a point for the infraction.

Lasisi was able to sew the fight away with a knockdown of his own in the final round, and he came home with the victory of 114-111 on all cards.

Lasisi is 13-0. Blandon is 10-2.

David Oliver Joyce stopped Stephen Tiffney in round seven of a scheduled ten-round featherweight bout.

In round seven, Joyce dropped Tiffney with a huge right. Tiffney got up, only to eat a barrage of punches and the bout was stopped at 2:59.

Joyce is 10-0 with eight knockouts. Tiffney is 10-2.

Majid AL-Naqbi stopped Vladimir Lytkin in the 4th and final round of their lightweight bout.

In round Lytkin was bleeding from the nose and mouth. Moments later, he was dropped by a Al-Naqbi uppercut. Lytkin spit out his mouthpiece and was deducted a point. Seconds later, Al-Naqbi dropped Lytkin was a body shot, and the fight was stopped at 2:33.

Al-Naqbi was making his pro debut. Lytkin falls to 0-3.

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, Chris Middendorf, who was and still is a co-promoter to WBO Welterweight champion Terence Crawford won a lawsuit against promoter Top Rank for failure of payment to Middendorf.

a judgment of more than $500,000 in a lawsuit against Top Rank that stemmed from a dispute over the percentage of money he was owed for four Crawford title defenses.

Judge John M. Gerrard of the U.S. federal court for the district of Nebraska ruled on Monday that Top Rank had to pay Maryland’s Chris Middendorf of Middendorf Sports $520,296.87 in addition to prejudgment interest, according to the judgment, a copy of which was obtained by ESPN. Top Rank has 30 days to appeal.

The judgment did not include Middendorf’s fees for Crawford’s first welterweight title defense against Jose Benavidez Jr. in October or his defense against Amir Khan, which is scheduled for April 20, because they had not taken place before the suit was filed. With Crawford’s purses increasing, it will mean another approximately $730,000 for Middendorf.

During the trial, Middendorf and Top Rank argued over the definition of the terms “purse” and “title defense.” Some of Crawford’s fights included contractual language that called for him to receive a set purse plus a percentage of the gate receipts from Top Rank. The judge ruled that Middendorf was also entitled to 8 percent of Crawford’s take from the gate because the “purse” is the total money paid to the fighter.

IBF Lightweight champion Richard Commey has been cleared to train after suffering an a hand injury in his title winning effort on February 2nd against Isa Chaniev, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com

“Boom! Just had the all clear from the doctor here in New York,” Commey wrote on social media.

“He’s able to start using his hand again. The doctor told him he can start training when he wants, basically,” Commey promoter Lou DiBella said. “He would like to fight as soon as he can.”

“Richard is not looking for a free-pass fight, but he would like to defend his title first in June or July against somebody who is not Loma,” DiBella said. “The idea is to have him get a defense in the early summer and then fight Loma later in the year.”

PHILADELPHIA–Oleksandt Gvodyk retained the WBC Light Heavyweight title with a 5th round stoppage over Doudou Ngumbu after Ngumbu could not continue due to a leg cramp.

Gvozdyk controlled the distance trough the abbreviated contest, with the rare occasion of Ngumbu trying to dive in. In round five, Ngumbu started hopping around injured, and it was ruled he could not continue at the 58 second mark.

Gvozdyk, 174.7 lbs of Ukraine is now 17-0 with 14 knockouts. Ngumbu, 174.3 of Toulouse, FRA is 38-9.

“It wasn’t what I expected, but I did my best,” Gvozdyk said. “Sometimes this happens in the sport of boxing. It is what it is.

“My goal is to unify titles. I will wait to see what my team tells me to do next.”

Egidjust Kavaliauskas and ray Robinson battled to a ten-round draw in a welterweight bout.

It was a nip and tuck battle that each guy take turns pushing the action.

Robinson took a card 97-93 ans two cards read even at 95-95.

Kavaliauskas, 146.1 lbs of Oxnard, CA is 21-0-1. Robinson, 145.8 lbs of Philadelphia is 24-3-1.

“I won the fight, and I won it clearly,” Kavaliauskas said. “The judges did not agree, and I can’t control what fight they were watching. I still want to fight for a world title because I consider this fight a victory. I am still undefeated, and I know I can beat all of the champions in the welterweight division.”

“I think everyone in Philadelphia knows I won this fight,” Robinson said. “At the end of the night, I know I beat him. I’m the last person to beat Terence Crawford in the amateurs, and that’s the fight I want.”

Sonny Conto destroyed Omar Acosta in under a round of their scheduled four-round heavyweight bout.

Conto landed hard punches that backed Acosta into the corner, and then landed a wicked left hook that sent Acosta down. Acotsa got to his feet but wobbled, and the fight was stopped at 1:15.

Conto, 217.1 lbs of Philadelphia is 2-0 with two fist round knockouts. Acosta, 206.6 lbs of Hereford, TX is 1-6.

Jose Lopez stopped Askhat Ualikhanov after round six of their scheduled eight-round super lightweight bout.

Lopez landed hard shots throughout and had Ualikhanov in trouble several times before the fight was halted.

Lopez, 141.5 lbs Humacao, PR is now 12-1 with 10 knockouts. Ualikhanov, 141.3 lbs of Oxnard, CA is 4-2.

Joshafat Ortiz stopped James Thomas in round of their scheduled six-round super featherweight bout.

Ortiz dropped Thomas with a hard right, and the bout was stoped at 2:53.

Ortiz, 129.6 lbs of Reading, PA is 6-0 with four knockouts. Thomas, 130.3 lbs of Grand Rapids, MI is 6-5.

Juan Ruiz upset Frederick Lawson by scoring a 4th round stoppage in a scheduled eight-round super welterweight bout.

Ruiz seemed to have dropped Lawson in round four, but it was a ruled a slip. Lawson was groggy, and he took a flurry of punches on the ropes, and the bout was stopped at 1:16 of round four.

Ruiz, 149.5 lbs of Tijuana, MX is 22-4 with 14 knockouts. Lawson, 146.7 lbs of Accra, GHA is 27-2.

Christian Mbolli went the distance for the 1st time and pounded out a eight-round unanimous decision over Humberto Gutierrez in a super middleweight bout.

Mbilli, 163.3 lbs of Montreal won by scores of 80-72 and 79-73 twice, and is now 14-0. Gutierrez 165.5 lbs of Tijuana, MEX is 33-8-2.

Kudratillo Abudukakhorov won a 12-round unanimous decision over Keita Obara in an IBF Welterweight elimination bout.

Abudukakhorov, 145.8 lbs of Kuala Lumpor, MAL won by scores of 118-110, 117-111 and 115-113 and is now 16-0. Obara, 146.4 lbs of Tokyo, JPN is 20-4-1.

Cassius Chaney stopped Christian Mariscal in the 1st round of their scheduled six-round heavyweight bout.

Chaney registered two knockdowns, and the fight was stopped at 2:16.

Chaney, 248.6 lbs of new London, CT is 15-0 with nine knockouts. Mariscal, 251.2 lbs of Tijuna, MX is 12-3.

Jeremy Adorno made a successful pro debut with a four-round unanimous decision over Sebastian Baltazar in a super bantamweight contest.

Adorno, 120.1 lbs of Allentown, PA won by scores of 40-36 on all cards, and is now 1-0. Baltazar, 120.3 lbs of Tacoma, WA is 1-4.

Donald Smith remained undefeated with a 4th round knockout over Jose Antonio Martinez in a scheduled six-round super featherweight bout.

Smith registered a knockdown in round one. In round four, Smith landed a perfect counter left that plummeted Martinez to the canvas. The back of Martinez head hit the canvas, and the bout was stopped at 2:01.

Smithm 126.4 lbs of Philadelphia is 9-0 with six knockouts. Jose Antonio Martinez, 127.5 lbs of Albuquerque, NM is 11-18.

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, the Errol Spence Jr. – Mikey Garcia did around 360,000 Pay-Per-View buys.

The source said the sales figure is likely to move closer to 380,000 with an outside chance to touch 400,000 buys with numbers from cable operators still being tallied. At 360,000 buys, the $75 pay-per-view (and closer to $85 for the high-definition broadcast) grossed at least $27 million domestically.

A Fox Sports spokesman declined to comment and said there would be no official announcement of the pay-per-view total.

That would be considered a home run for the Premier Boxing Champions event, which exceeded the roughly 325,000 buys generated by the Deontay Wilder-Tyson Fury heavyweight world title fight on Dec. 1 and would be close to the approximately 400,000 buys generated by the welterweight world title fight between Manny Pacquiao and Adrien Broner on Jan. 19, both of which were PBC events carried by Showtime PPV.

Aaron Coley won a eight-round split decision over Brandon Quarles in a super welterweight contest.

Coley, 155 1/4 lbs of Hayward, CA won by scores of 79-73 and 78-74. Quarles won a card 77-75.

Coley is 16-2-1. Quarles, 156 1/2 lbs of Alexandria, VA is 21-5-1.

19 year-old Lorenzo Simpson won a four-round unanimous decision over Jaime Meza in a middleweight bout.

Simpson dropped Meza with a hard left in the opening seconds of the bout.

Simpson, 162 lbs of Baltimore, MD won by scores of 40-36 and 40-35 twice and is now 3-0. Meza, 161 1/2 lbs of Nicaragua was making his pro debut.

Cobia Breedy won a technical decision over Fernando Fuentes in a featherweight bout.

Fuentes suffered a cut over his eye in round six from an accidental clash of heads. The scores at the time of the bout was 59-55 and 58-5 twice.

Breedy, 125 1/2 lbs of Barbados is 13-0. Fuentes, 125 1/4 lbs is 14-8-1.

For a moment it looked like Kubrat Pulev’s title shot was in jeopardy.

The Bulgarian heavyweight, who is ranked number-one by the IBF was cut badly by a Bogdan Dinu right hand in the 4th round of their heavyweight bout at The Hanger in Costa Mesa, California.

Pulev was able to shake it off, drop Dinu three times and stop him at 2:42 of round seven.

In round four, Dinu landed a big right hand that opened up a nasty cut over the left eye of Pulev.

Pulev was able to gather himself and score three knockdowns in the 7th. The 1st from a combination in the corner, where he almost got himself disqualified for hitting Dinu behind the head and while he was down. Pulev was deducted a point from that. Pulev scored two more knockdowns, both from big rights and the fight was stopped.

Pulev, 249.8 lbs of Sofia, BUL is 27-1 with 14 knockouts. Dinu, 239.6 lbs of Bucharest, ROM is 18-2.

“This is just part of being in a fight. The cut was not such a big problem. Sometimes blood makes me very hungry”, said Pulev. “I was very well prepared. I was ready for anything. At this moment I feel I can do anything inside the ring. I showed very good boxing skills. I also showed that I have good punching power and a good strategy”.

Jessie Magdaleno won a 10-round unanimous decision over Rico Ramos in a featherweight bout featuring former world champions.

Magdaleno, 125.6 lbs of Las Vegas won by scores of 99-91, 98-92 and 97-93 and is now 26-1. Ramos, 127.2 lbs of Pico Rivera, CA is 30-6.

Magdaleno outanded Ramos 130-43.

“I came back from a long layoff and felt great against a tough opponent and a former world champion”, said Magdaleno. “Ramos is a great fighter, he was a former world champion for a reason, but tonight only one of us could come out victorious, and that was me. Now I’m going to sit down with my team, go back to the drawing board, and see what I have to keep working on to become a world champion once again”.

Maxim Dadashev got off the deck and came back to stop Ricky Sismundo in round four of their scheduled ten-round junior welterweight bout.

In round two, Sismundo dropped Dadashev with a straight left. In round four, Dadashev landed a clipping left hook that was followed by a right that Sismundo down on his back. That was stopped at 2:30.

Dadashev, 140 1/2 lbs of Oxnard, CA is 13-0 with 11 knockouts. Sismundo, 141 lbs of The Philippines is 35-13-3.

Tervel Pulev won a six-round unanimous decision over Mitch Williams in a cruiserweight bout.

In round three, Pulev was cut under his left eye. In round four, Pulev was docked a point for hitting on the break.

Pulev of Bulgaria won by scores of 59-55, 58-55 and 57-56 to stay undefeated at 13-0. Williams is now 16-8-3.

2008 U.S. Olympian Javier Molina won an eight-round unanimous decision over Abdiel Ramirez in a junior welterweight bout.

Molina, 140 1/2 lbs of Norwalk, CA won by scores of 79-73 and 78-74 twice and is now 19-2. Ramirez, 141 lbs of Ciudad Juarez, MX is 24-4-1.

Chris Van Heerden won a technical unanimous decision over Mahonri Montes when an accidental headbutt that opened up a cut over the right eye of Van Heerden that forced the fight to be halted.

Van Heerden dominated the action from the inside and outside. In round six, he was cut over his left eye. When they went to the score cards, Van Heerden was ahead 60-54 on all scores.

Van Heerden, 148 1/2 lbs of Johannesburg, SA is 27-2-1. Montes, 148 1/2 lbs of Los Mochis, MX is 35-9-1.

Erick DeLeon remained undefeated by stopping Jose Luis Gallegos in round six of their scheduled eight-round junior lightweight bout.

DeLeon dominated the first four rounds by landing hard body shots that started to break Gallegos down. Gallegos dropped DeLeon in round five with a hard right hand off the ropes. That was short lived as DeLeon regrouped very nicely and started attacking Gallegos and began to hurt him with a flurry of punches that forced the referee to stop the fight at 1:35 of round six.

DeLeon, 131 1/2 lbs of Detroit is now 19-0-1 with 11 knockouts. Gallegos, 131 1/2 lbs of La Barca. MX is 16-6.

David Kaminsky remained undefeated with a four-round unanimous decision over Estevan Payan in a middleweight bout.

Kaminsky, 160 lbs of Los Angeles won by scores of 40-36 on all cards, and is now 4-0. Payan, 159 1/2 lbs of Glendale, AZ is 1-7-1.

Sam Bowen battered and bloodied Jordan McCorry en-route to a 9th round stoppage in their scheduled 12-round junior lightweight bout at The Leicester Arena in Leicester, England.

The time of the stoppage was 33 seconds of the 9th frame.

Bowen, 129 lbs is now 15-0 with 11 knockouts. McCorry, 129 lbs is now 17-5-1.

Nathan Gorman remained undefeated with a 10-round decision over former world title challenger Kevin Johnson in a heavyweight bout.

Gorman won by a referee’s score of 100-90, and is now 16-0. Johnson is 34-13-1.

Sam Maxwell scored a stunning 10th round stoppage over Sabri Sediri in the final round of their super lightweight bout.

In round one, Sediri floored Maxwell with a left hook. In round two, Sediri dropped Maxwell with a perfect right to the chin. In round three, Sediri began to bleed from his nose.

With his left eye nearly shut, Maxwell somehow landed a huge right hand to the side of the jaw that sent Sediri to the canvas. Sediri got to his feet, but was unsteady, and the bout was stopped at 2:46.

Maxwell was ahead on two of the three official scorecards.

Maxwell, 139 lbs of Liverpool is 11-0 with nine knockouts. Sediri, 139 lbs of France is 10-1-1.

In a battle of undefeated Leicester based super welterweights, CJ Challenger won a 10-round decision over Ky;e Haywood.

Challenger, 153 lbs won by a 97-95 score and is now 10-0. Haywood, 152 lbs is 8-1.

Charlie Edwards retained the WBC Flyweight title with a 12-round unanimous decision over Angel Moreno at The Copper Box Arena in London.

Edwards won by scores of 120-107 on all cards and is now 15-1. Moreno is 19-3-2.

Joshua Buatsi remained undefeated by stopping Liam Conroy in round three of a scheduled 12-round light heavyweight bout.

In round three, Buatsi landed a big right hook and then a left as Conroy was falling to the canvas. Conroy was hurt, and then ate a huge right hand that put him down for a 2nd time. Conroy was able to beat the count, but the fight was stopped at 1:53.

Buatsi, 173.4 lbs is 10-0 with eight knockouts. Conroy, 173.6 lbs is 16-4-1.

Lewis Ritson won a 10-round unanimous decision pver German Argentino Benitez in a junior welterweight bout.

Benitez was bleeding from his nose in round four.

Ritson, 139.4 lbs of New Castle, UK won by scores of 99-91 and 98-92 twice, and is now 18-1. Benitez, 139.4 lbs of Buenos Aries, ARG is 21-4.

Lawrence Okolie stopped Wadi Camacho in round four of their scheduled 10-round cruiserweight bout.

Okolie dropped Camacho in round four with a three-punch combination. Seconds later, Okolie landed a big shot, and the fight was stopped at 2:00.

Okolie is 12-0 with nine knockouts. Camacho is 21-8.