Anthony Yarde stopped Travis Reeves in round five of their scheduled 12-round light heavyweight bout at Royal Albert Hall in London.

In round five, Yarde landed several heavy and flush right hands that wobbled Reeves, and referee Marcus McDonnell stopped the bout at 48 seconds.

Yarde is now 18-0 with 17 knockouts. Reeves is 17-4-2.

Liam Williams obliterated Joe Mullender in round two of their scheduled 12 round middleweight fight.

Williams dropped Mullender in the 2nd frame with a crushing uppercut that sent Mullender down face-first. Mullender got to his feet, only to eat a booming right that knocked him down and out and the fight was immediately waved off at 1:09.

Williams is 20-2-1 with 15 knockouts. Mullender is 11-3.

Daniel DuBois remained undefeated by stopping Razvan Cojanu in round two of their scheduled ten-round heavyweight bout.

DuBois landed a hard left-right that dropped Cojanu in the 2nd frame. Cojanu could not get to his feet before then ten-count at 2:48.

DuBois is 10-0 with nine knockouts. Cojanu is 16-6.

Hamzah Sheeraz destroyed Rod Douglas Jr inside of a round of their scheduled six-round junior middleweight bout.

Sheeraz dropped the overmatched Douglas three times before the fight was stopped when the towel was thrown in at 1:10.

Sheeraz is 7-0 with three knockouts. Douglas is 2-2.

The WBC has mandated heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder to face Dominic Breazeale, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“WBC world heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder shall fulfill his mandatory obligations by fighting Dominic Breazeale next,” WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman said in a statement. “This order constitutes the start of the free negotiations period. If no agreement is reached between the camps, the WBC shall conduct a purse offer ceremony on April 4, 2019 at the WBC offices in Mexico City, Mexico.”

Shelly Finkel, Wilder’s co-manager, told ESPN he hopes to wrap up a deal for the fight with Breazeale shortly.

“We’re hoping to get it done. Hopefully, it will happen this week or next week and hopefully it’s done. At this point it’s not done,” Finkel said. “But I think (Breazeale) is a competitive and viable opponent.”

An arrest warrant has been issued for 130 lb. world champion Gervonta Davis, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

That warrant is in conjunction for an altercation at a mall in McLean, Virginia on Feb. 17, Fairfax County Police told ESPN on Tuesday.

“On Feb. 17 officers did interact with Mr. Davis after an allegation of an assault,” Lt. John Lieb, a public information officer for the Fairfax County Police, told ESPN.

“Officers have attempted to contact Mr. Davis and have been unsuccessful so far,” Lieb said.

Leonard Ellerbe, the CEO of Mayweather Promotions, which promotes Davis, told ESPN on Tuesday, “We’ll let the judicial system play out.”

“Obviously, this is just an allegation,” he added. “Again, it just seems odd to me that a black man, allegedly, pushes or shoves — and I’m just reading what the TMZ article says — a police officer and he doesn’t get arrested on the spot, then a couple of weeks later, then they issue an arrest warrant based on their internal investigation. That just seems a little odd to me.”

BROOKLYN, NY — In the main event of a Showtime Championship Boxing card in front of 7,329 paid fans at the Barclays Center, WBA world junior middleweight champion Brian “El Boxi” Castaño (15-0-1, 11KO) fought former world champion Erislandy “The American Dream” Lara (25-3-3, 14KO) to a twelve round split draw and retained his title in the process.

It was an impressive American debut for the undefeated 29 year-old Argentine, who brought the pressure to his Lara all night long. Early on, it was Lara’s fight though, as the slick Cuban southpaw peppered in his shots with effectiveness, and moved well laterally, avoiding many of his counterpart’s punches. As the fight progressed, however, especially during the middle rounds, Castaño’s never ending pressure began to overwhelm and smother Lara, who would shell up for ten to fifteen seconds at a time without returned any fire.

Both fighter’s dug in down the stretch, with Castaño still drudging forward, while Lara still found success pot-shotting with that coiled left hand.

At the end of twelve, judge John McKaie scored it 115-113 Lara, Kevin Morgan 115-113 Castaño, and Julie Lederman 114-114, even.

The fight marked Lara’s first bout since his dramatic 2018 Fight of the Year split decision loss to Jarrett Hurd, a fight in which Hurd dropped Lara in the 12th to tip the scorecards in his favor.

For Castaño, who amassed an impressive 181-10 amateur record which included a 2011 win over current welterweight champion Errol Spence, Jr., tonight marked his first defense of his WBA title since winning it via TKO against veteran French fighter Cedric Vitu (47-3, 19KO) in March 2018.

“It was a great fight, but I saw myself winning eight rounds tonight. My punches were much more effective,” Lara said. “He did have pressure but I was dominating the pressure. I was definitely expecting that pressure because he waited a long time for this fight.”

He added, “If we have to fight him again I’ll fight him. Hurd or Castano. Anybody, I’ll have the rematch with both.”

Castaño addressed the media afterwards, as well, saying, “It was a good fight. A clash of styles. I know I won the fight. I feel I was robbed. If he wants the rematch, I’ll give him the rematch.”

Luis “King Kong” Ortiz Decisions Christian Hammer

Luis “King Kong” Ortiz (31-1, 26KO) easily outpointed durable veteran Christian Hammer (24-6, 14KO) in a ten round heavyweight bout, making it three wins in a row for the Cuban southpaw since suffering his lone career defeat — a TKO loss to WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder in March 2018.

It was a relatively easy night at the office for Ortiz, who at 238¾ lbs was fighting at his lightest weight since 2015. Ortiz used his jab early to to control the range, peppering in that thundering left hand to keep Hammer honest. Hammer, who was making his US debut, was willing to shell up and let Ortiz fire a few shots before trying to come back and connect with a game changing right.

Early in the second round, it looked like Hammer might have hurt Ortiz, as the big Cuban lost his balance, and dipped low, his glove possibly grazing the canvas. Referee Shada Murdough didn’t rule a knockdown, however, and Ortiz quickly regained composure.

In the fourth round an Ortiz left drew blood from the 31 year-old Hammer’s nose, which seemed to bother him for the remainder of the round as he continually wiped the blood away with the back of his glove. The very next round, Hammer returned the favor, and sent a straight right to the face of Ortiz which immediately produced blood from “King Kong’s” nose.

From the fifth till the final bell, the debatable 39 year-old Ortiz put it in cruise control, banging away at Hammer, who has also come up short against notables Tyson Fury and Alexander Povetkin, without any repercussions.

At the end of the contest, judges Waleska Roldan and John Basile scored it 99-91 and Joseph Pasquale 100-90 all for Ortiz.

“The fight wasn’t what I was expecting. It was a hard fight and my corner really had to work with me,” Ortiz said. “It was a hard fight. After I got the rhythm, I heated up a little bit.”

“I fought a fight that I hadn’t for years, which is box and work,” he continued. “So I’m not disappointed I didn’t knock him out. I showed some of my boxing skills tonight.”

Hammer also spoke after the fight. “Ortiz is a very good and experienced fighter. He’s technical and smart but he’s not as intimidating as people say he is,” he said. “I respect Ortiz but I don’t think he’s the best fighter I’ve ever faced.”

Hammer also chalked up his defeat as a moral victory, adding, “I’m very confident going forward. I know that I can go the distance with anyone and I’m willing to fight anyone. People thought I’d get knocked out but I proved them wrong.”

Ramirez Stops De Gracia In Dramatic Fashion

With one perfectly thrown right uppercut, Mexican featherweight Eduardo Ramirez (22-1-3, 9KO) offset Bryan De Gracia’s (24-2-1, 20KO) equilibrium, zapped his legs of their strength, and moments later, ended their fight in dramatic fashion en route to a TKO9 victory, claiming the WBA’s “Gold” featherweight world title in the process.

It was a back and forth affair, a clash of styles, with the Panamanian assuming the role of aggressor, while Ramirez content to olé his foe and slip in counters. The fight began to heat up as it bore on, with exchanges occurring with more frequency. Toward the end of the fifth, the two let their hands fly with fury, both eating and landing leather. It was De Gracia, however, getting the better of his opponent that round, and capped that exchange with a huge right that landed flush just seconds before the bell.

The seesaw contest continued until the 9th when seemingly out of nowhere, Ramirez landed a fantastically timed right uppercut, thrown under De Gracia’s outstretched jab, that exploded on the Panamanian’s chin and sent him into disarray. Clearly hurt, De Gracia stumbled around the ring trying to regain his balance, but was unable to do so. Ramirez stayed right with De Gracia, unloading the tank, and finally, after one more big right hand that sent De Gracia stumbling back toward the ropes, referee Benjy Esteves stopped the contest at the 2:10 mark of round 9.

Two judges had De Gracia up 77-75 at the stoppage, while the third had it a draw, 76-76. 15rounds.com had Ramirez up 77-75 at the time of the stoppage.

Tonight marked the first time De Gracia fought outside his native Panama. Conversely, for Ramirez, this was the second time he fought on American soil. The Mexican drew with undefeated Cuban southpaw, Leduan Barthelemy in September 2017.

Ramirez’s only career defeat remains his decision loss to Welshman Lee Selby in their 2017 world title fight.

“I‘d like to dedicate this fight to my deceased grandfather,” Ramirez said afterward. “This win is in memory of him.”

He continued, “I definitely knew it was close but my corner kept telling me to keep going and going, and that’s when I caught him.

Edwin Rodriguez Grinds Out UD Over Mitch Williams

Former super middleweight title challenger turned borderline heavyweight, Edwin “La Bomba” Rodriguez (31-2, 20KO) outslugged fellow cruiserweight Mitch “King Kamm” Williams (16-7-3,11KO) en route to a ten round unanimous decision.

The Dominican-American Rodriguez, who tipped the scales just shy of the cruiserweight limit at 198.2 lbs., looked less than impressive, but showed a ton of heart as he stood toe-to-toe, exchanging blow-for-blow with his 36 year-old counterpart. Rodriguez, who now fights out of Stafford, TX, hurt Michigan’s Williams with body shots a few times during the contest, but was unable to deliver definitive blows and stop the rugged southpaw — something a better conditioned Rodriguez may have very well been able to do.

“La Bomba” has now won three in a row since being viciously KO’d by Thomas Williams Jr. in late 2016. His only other professional came courtesy of Andre Ward in their 2013 title fight.

Antonio Russell Brutalizes Cardenas, Stops Him In 6

In the second of three fights broadcast on the Showtime Sports YouTube channel, undefeated bantamweight Antonio Russell (13-0, 11KO) punished seventeen-fight Mexican veteran, Jose Maria Cardenas (16-4, 13KO) en route to a TKO6.

It was a rough and tumble affair, originally slated for 8, that was particularly brutal at times. Towards the end of the first round, Russell uncorked a barrage of hammering rights to the side of Cardenas’ head that eventually crumbled Cardenas to the canvas.

In the ensuing rounds, the Washington DC native, Russell, continued to have his way with the too-tough-for-his-own-good Mexican, who time and again found himself with his back against the ropes, eating Russell punches while attempting to clinch.

Eventually, at the :22 mark of the 6th round, after being tagged with another flurry of Russell blows, the ringside physician jumped onto the ring apron and advised the referee to stop the contest.

Russell, who fights out of the Russell family-owned Enigma Boxing Gym in Capitol heights, MD, had his older brother, WBC world featherweight champion, Gary Russell, Jr. operating as his chief second during the match.

In the second of three fights broadcast on the Showtime Sports YouTube channel, undefeated bantamweight Antonio Russell (13-0, 11KO) punished seventeen-fight Mexican veteran, Jose Maria Cardenas (16-4, 13KO) en route to a TKO6.

It was a rough and tumble affair, originally slated for 8, that was particularly brutal at times. Towards the end of the first round, Russell uncorked a barrage of hammering rights to the side of Cardenas’ head that eventually crumbled Cardenas to the canvas.

In the ensuing rounds, the Washington DC native, Russell, continued to have his way with the too-tough-for-his-own-good Mexican, who time and again found himself with his back against the ropes, eating Russell punches while attempting to clinch.

Eventually, at the :22 mark of the 6th round, after being tagged with another flurry of Russell blows, the ringside physician jumped onto the ring apron and advised the referee to stop the contest.

Russell, who fights out of the Russell family-owned Enigma Boxing Gym in Capitol heights, MD, had his older brother, WBC world featherweight champion, Gary Russell, Jr. operating as his chief second during the match.

Barthelemy Cruises To UD In First Fight Since 2017

Undefeated Cuban super featherweight Leduan Barthelemy (14-0-1, 7KO) returned to the ring for the first time since drawing against Eduardo Ramirez in 2017 and waltzed to a wide 8 round unanimous decision against Mexico’s Miguel Angel Aispuro (11-7-2, 7KO). The southpaw Barthelemy, who is the younger brother of former two-division world champion, Rances Barthelemy, had everything working well tonight. He was patient and precise, scoring with jabs, straight lefts, and counter rights. He mostly forewent any combination punching, however, and because of that was unable to stop Aispuro inside the distance. Nonetheless, Barthelemy notched another “W”, earning scores of 80-72×2 and 79-73 from the judges.

Hitchins Makes Easy Work of Game Morales

Undefeated Mayweather Promotions prospect and Brooklyn native, Richardson Hitchins ran his record up to a perfect 8-0, 4KO with a 4th round TKO stoppage against hard-nosed veteran David Morales (13-10, 13KO). The former 2016 Haitian Olympian wasted no time introducing himself to his Nicaraguan counterpart, immediately going on the offensive, unloading from the opening bell, forcing Morales to fight going backward. After two-plus rounds of battering Morales from post to post and rope to rope, Hitchins finally finished off his foe with a flurry of punches that brought Morales to a knee. Although he beat the ensuing ten count, he was unable to answer the bell for round 4.

Undefeated Mayweather Promotions prospect and Brooklyn native, Richardson Hitchins ran his record up to a perfect 8-0, 4KO with a 4th round TKO stoppage against hard-nosed veteran David Morales (13-10, 13KO). The former 2016 Haitian Olympian wasted no time introducing himself to his Nicaraguan counterpart, immediately going on the offensive, unloading from the opening bell, forcing Morales to fight going backward. After two-plus rounds of battering Morales from post to post and rope to rope, Hitchins finally finished off his foe with a flurry of punches that brought Morales to a knee. Although he beat the ensuing ten count, he was unable to answer the bell for round 4.

Maryland’s Irby Stays Unbeaten, Scores UD Over Okoth

Landover, Maryland’s Tyrek Irby (7-0, KO) made it two-for-two for “Free State” southpaws, grinding out a six round unanimous decision over fellow welterweight Dennis Okoth (2-2-1, 1KO) of Kenya. After scoring a knockdown early in the first, Irby then went on the defensive, counterpunching his way past the aggressive Kenyan. It wasn’t easy or pretty — especially after a clash of heads in round 6 opened a nasty gash above Irby’s right eye — but Irby was able to navigate his way to the win. Ring announcer Miguel Flores failed to announce the actual judge’s scores, but no reason to doubt the decision.

Baltimore’s Anderson Opens Card With Easy Win

In the first of nine fights slated from the Barclays Center, undefeated Maryland southpaw Aaron Anderson (4-0, 3KO) shutout (40-36×3) fellow middleweight Chukka Willis (4-10, 2KO) in a four rounder. The night’s boxing will commence with a Showtime Championship Boxing tripleheader (9pm ET), anchored by undefeated WBA junior middleweight champion Brian Castaño (15-0, 11KO) against former Cuban titleist, Erislandy Lara (25-3-2, 14KO). The broadcast will also feature a ten round heavyweight scrap between former heavyweight title challengers Luis Ortiz (30-1, 26KO) and Christian Hammer (24-5, 14KO) and a twelve round featherweight fight featuring Panama’s Bryan De Gracia (24-1-1, 20KO) and Mexico’s Eduardo Ramirez (21-1-3, 8KO).

Jordan Gill stopped Emmanuel Dominguez in the 3rd round of their scheduled 12-round lightweight bout.

Gill dropped Dominguez in the 3rd stanza with a hard combination to the head. Gill sent Dominguez down for a 2nd time with a hard right hand. Gill finished the fight with a right-left combination that staggered Dominguez, and the bout was stopped at 1:55.

Gill of the UK is 23-0 with seven knockouts. Dominguez, 135.7 lbs of Mexico is 24-8-2.

Anthony Sims Jr. remained undefeated by stopping Matteo Veron in round six of a scheduled ten-round light heavyweight bout.

In round six, Sims dropped Veron with a hard right to the head. Moments later, it was another hard right that sent Veron down face-first. Veron got to to his feet but the fight was waved off at 1:54.

Sims, 169 lbs of Plainfield, IN is now 18-0 with 17 knockouts. Veron, 167 lbs of Buenos Aries, ARG is 28-22.

Jordan Gill stopped Emmanuel Dominguez in round three of a scheduled 12-round featherweight fight,

In round three, Gill dropped Dominguez with a ripping flurry to the head. Seconds later it was a straight right that put Dominguez down. The fight ended with Gill landing a bunch of unanswered punches on the ropes at 1:55.

Gill, 125.4 lbs of the Uk is 23-0 with seven knockouts. Dominguez, 125.4 lbs of Mexico is 24-8-2.

Anthony Sims Jr. stopped Mateo Veron in round six of their scheduled 10-round super middleweight bout.

In round six, Sims landed a big right hand that sent Veron to the canvas. Later in the round, it was a hard combination that dropped Veron and the fight was stopped at 1:54.

Sims, 169.1 lbs of Compton, CA is 18-0 with 17 knockouts. Veron, 167 lbs of Buenos Aries, ARG is 28-22-3.

Former featherweight champion Eusbio Pedroza passed away from Pancreatic Cancer at age 62 in his native Panama, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com

“Eusebio Pedroza authored one of the most impressive title reigns in boxing history and brought tremendous pride to his home country of Panama,” International Boxing Hall of Fame executive director Edward Brophy said. “The Hall of Fame offers our condolences to his family and joins the boxing world in mourning his passing.”

Donnie Nietes vacated his Super Flyweight title rather then rematch Aston Palicte, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“It took me a long time to think about this very difficult decision, but I feel that every fight for me at this stage of my career is crucial for my future,” Nietes wrote to WBO president Paco Valcarcel. “I have been long dreaming to have a career-defining fight. There is not much time for me in this sport at 37 years old.

“I would humbly inform you and the WBO that I have painfully decided to vacate my title, which has meant the world to me. I have held the WBO title for 10 years in three divisions. … I owe my successful career to the WBO.”

“His wish is to look for bigger fights to enhance his legacy and achieve his ultimate dream before hanging up his gloves,” Nietes promoter Michael Aldeguer of ALA Promotions wrote to Valcarcel. “A rematch with Aston Palicte is an emotional and mental challenge for him as he went through a very difficult stage after their first fight which ended in a controversial draw, and fighting a fellow Filipino again who is from the same region where he was born makes it even more difficult.”

Jaime Munguia will defend the WBO Junior Middleweight title against mandatory challenger Dennis Hogan on April 13 in Monterrey, Mexico, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“He’s a very tough fighter and it’s going to make for a good fight because he is a pressure fighter who likes to come forward and be aggressive like Munguia does,” Golden Boy Promotions President Eric Gomez said.

Munguia is very big for the division and Gomez said he is close to moving up to middleweight.

“We’ve talked about it and he thinks he can finish out the year at 154,” Gomez said. “He’ll fight four times this year and this will be his second fight. So after this fight we will discuss it again with our [promotional] partner Fernando [Beltran of Zanfer Promotions] and with Munguia, but he says he can still make the weight and he seems good making it. But he’ll move up to middleweight in the future.”

Gomez said the undercard will feature the return of Diego De La Hoya, who will move up to featherweight from junior featherweight, where he has badly struggled to make weight and seen fights canceled because of it.

De La Hoya (21-0, 10 KOs), 24, of Mexico, who is the first cousin of Golden Boy CEO and International Boxing Hall of Famer Oscar De La Hoya, will face an opponent to be determined in a 10-round bout.

“He had trouble with the weight. All young fighters go through that,” Gomez said. “They think they can still make weight and their body is growing and they can’t. So we all got together and talked about it and we agreed it was time for him to go to featherweight.”

Cruiserweights Yunier Dorticos and Andrew Tabiti will fight on June 15th in a semifinal in the World Boxing Super Series, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com

“It’s an honor and I’m extremely excited to fight in Riga. It’s a beautiful country with amazing people and culture,” Dorticos said. “My game plan will be simple: Tabiti will learn why I’m called the ‘KO Doctor.’ A doctor can operate at any level. It can be a quick procedure or a prolonged procedure. Regardless, it will be very painfully for Tabiti.

“I can’t wait for the bell to ring, because he’s an obstacle into the final and I will run him over like a train. I will win the semifinals at all cost.”

“I’m looking forward to this fight in Riga,” Tabiti said. “I’ve been waiting for the opportunity to prove I’m one of the best out there in my division since the beginning of my career. I believe this is the fight where I’ll show the world that I’m world champion material. My discipline and patience along with my boxing IQ make me confident that I will get the victory over Dorticos.”

The fight in Latvia will be paired with the other semifinal bout between Mairis Briedis and Krzysztof Glowacki, and will be streamed on DAZN.

Jamal James stopped Janer Gonzalez at the end of round six of a scheduled 10-round welterweight bout.

James of Minneapolis, MN is 25-1.

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, Tyson Fury will pass on an immediate rematch with WBC Heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder.

The WBC, which sanctions the belt held by Wilder, set a Wednesday night deadline to hear from the camps on how they planned to proceed with the rematch it had ordered.

On Tuesday, the answer came: Fury decided not to fight Wilder next and will instead fight an opponent to be determined in May or June on ESPN+. Fury still hopes to face Wilder again before the end of the year.

“We’ve spoken to Tyson and he has made the decision to go forward with another fight and to address a Wilder rematch after that,” Top Ranks’s Todd duBoef wrote in the email, which was copied to Fury and obtained by ESPN. “We all appreciate the WBC and the tremendous role it has played in Tyson’s career and hope the WBC will remain involved.”

“The WBC has received the official position from both sides regarding the Deontay Wilder vs. Tyson Fury rematch,” Sulaiman wrote in the email, which was also obtained by ESPN. “While Deontay Wilder confirmed that his only interest was to honor the WBC mandate for a rematch against Tyson Fury, Tyson Fury has confirmed that he would take a fight against a different opponent in his immediate future, hoping that after such, a rematch with Wilder can be considered. Consequently, the WBC is hereby cancelling the Wilder vs. Fury rematch mandate and process. We wish the best of luck to both fighters.”

“It’s obvious that Fury doesn’t want to fight us next,” Wilder manager, Shelly Finkel said. “Hopefully, we will get the next fight after that. So, in the meantime, we will do our own fight. We wanted to fight Fury next. We had no interest in another fight first. The proposal Top Rank sent was for a fight first and there’s no reason we can’t do our own fight if we’re not fighting Fury next.

Everything that we heard from Tyson Fury was that he wanted to fight Deontay next and we were willing to do that. Fury wasn’t.”

Finkel said Wilder’s next fight will be figured out in the coming days.

“He will fight in May and we will announce it shortly,” he said. “May 18 is our preference. We will know Friday or Monday and then we will announce his next plan.”

Avni Yidirim is looking for an immediate rematch with newly crowned WBC Super Middleweight champion Anthony Dirrell, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“My dream of becoming the first world champion from Turkey was finished but not with a clear ending,” Yildirim said in a statement. “I accept the result. I don’t ask to change the result of the fight. I please ask for WBC to support a direct rematch. I respect Dirrell and I know he wants to fight me again to show in the ring who is the best with a final and clear ending.”

“I fought my best fight of life,” Yildirim said. “I go always forward and fight with heart, honor and pride. I respect WBC and the judges and referee. I am sorry that accidental head-butts happened and finished the fight before the fight was complete. I was coming on very strong and decisively won round 8 and 9 and then fight was stopped in the middle of round 10. The fight did not finish. Round 10 did not finish and I lost on the scorecards of two judges because round 10 was scored for Dirrell, but round was not finished. If I win round 10 then fight was a draw.”

A doubleheader that will see junior welterweights Regis Prograis battle Kiryl Relikh and Zolani Tete taking on Nonito Donaire will take place on April 27, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

After Ivan Baranchyk pulled out of the tournament for non-payment, Prograis has decided to stay in the WBSS.

“He is staying in. We worked out an arrangement where we feel comfortable,” Churchill Management’s Sam Katkovski, Prograis’ manager, told ESPN.

“First off, I’m just excited to continue with the tournament,” Prograis said. “It’s the best fighting the best. That’s what boxing should be about. I know Relikh is a tough and strong fighter, and I never look over an opponent, but I have no doubt in my mind that I will win.”

“I’m looking very much to the semifinal and the quest for the [Muhammad] Ali Trophy,” Relikh said. “When I fight the fans will get the money’s worth. I predict just like all of my fights a win for me.” Four-division world titlist Donaire (39-5, 25 KOs), 36, a Philippines native fighting out of Las Vegas, dropped down from featherweight to join the bantamweight field after having not boxed in the division since 2011. He won another bantamweight world title in the quarterfinals when he defeated Ryan Burnett on Burnett’s turf in Glasgow, Scotland, on Nov. 3 in a fight in which Burnett could not continue after the fourth round because of a freak injury — a torn oblique muscle on his right side.

“WBSS has set up such a great opportunity for me to achieve what I’ve always wanted and that’s to be undisputed champion,” Donaire said. “Since the last fight, I took just a couple weeks off and came right back to the gym. Tete is a formidable opponent and we have been preparing since the last fight. I’m even more excited with it being in the U.S. and won’t waste the opportunity to show the crowd what we’ve been working on.”

“Nonito Donaire is a true champion and has had a lot success against my fellow countryman like Moruti Mthalane and Jeffrey Mathebula in the past, but that stops here,” Tete said. “I respect Nonito, but I have a lot of faith in my own boxing ability, and I will come out victorious when we fight.”

Chris Eubank, Jr. scored the biggest win of his career by winning a 12-round unanimous decision over two-time former world champion James DeGale in a super middleweight fight at The O2 Arena in London.

In round one, both guys were cut over the left eye of DeGale and the right eye of Eubank from an accidental headbutt. in round two, Eubank dropped DeGale with a hard right hand.

In round ten, Eubank crushed DeGale with a left hook that sent him across the ring. Eubank followed up with hahrd barrage of punches that forced DeGale’s glove to touch the canvas for a 2nd knockdown. In round 11, Eubank was docked a point for throwing DeGale down to the canvas. That did not come into play as Eubank won by scores of 114-112, 115-112, 117-109 to rise his record to 28-2. DeGale is 25-3-1.

“I knew he was going to come at me like that,” Eubank said. “He’s a slick southpaw, but my game plan worked. Smart pressure and not getting too ahead of myself. He’s a hell of a fighter, hell of a competitor but at the end of the day my head and my heart won this fight.”

“There was a lot of animosity leading to this fight. I told him, ‘This is my time,’ and it was. He’s a veteran of the game, he throws big shots and he manages to stay up. To get up after those knockdowns is a statement about his tenacity and the type of fighter he is.”

“I definitely I didn’t do enough,” DeGale said. “He was on it and I didn’t do enough. You have to do more than enough to counter someone that came forward like Chris.

“I’m going to go back and talk to my team, my family, and decide. I left my mark in boxing. I won an Olympic Medal, two world titles and it may be the time to hang it up.”

“This was the most important fight of my career, and I made a statement. I’m back where I’m supposed to be, at the top of the food chain. I’m coming for all the belts in the middleweight and super middleweight division. I’m fighting everyone they put in front of me.

“I’m glad to make my American debut here on SHOWTIME. I’m glad to be introduced to the American public this way – making a statement.”

Joe Joyce stopped former world heavyweight champion Bermane Stiverne in round six of their scheduled 10 round bout.

In round one, Joyce featured tremendous volume punching, while Stiverne was looking and occasionally ladning one hard power shsot.

It was more of the same in round, but it looked like Stiverne was hurt several times in that frame. In round three, Joyce dropped Stiverne was right hand. In that round, Stiverne began to bleed from his mouth.

Joyce continued to wear Stiverne down until a huge barrage of punches on the ropes forced the referee to stop the bout at 2:20.

Joyce of London is 8-0 with eight knockouts. Stiverne is 25-4.

“Big respect to Stiverne – like a true champion, he’s very tough and was still throwing shots, but I guess I was just a bit too much,” Joyce said. “It was about being patient. He’s such a tough guy that he took those shots no problem.

“I was hitting him with everything I had, including the kitchen sink. I listened to Abel (Sanchez) in the corner, did everything he said and it went well. My jab was really effective. I’m a seasoned vet. I picked up my poise and remained calm along the way.

“Big things are coming. My next one will be for the WBA Regular (Title) and I’ll be back in the gym soon. I need to have a couple more fights like this and then I’ll be ready for the big champions.”

WBC Heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder received an offer from Top Rank, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“They made an offer. I wrote back that we received it. We will review it and we will respond,” Wilder manager Shelly Finkel said. “If we are amenable to the offer, we will be able to get something done. If the terms are amenable to us, something will happen. If not, it won’t.”

On Friday, WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman said that he has been in communication with both sides to see where talks for the rematch stand.

“There will be no further comments until the WBC receives official communication from both sides by Tuesday, Feb. 26th,” Sulaiman said.

Bogdan Dinu will take on Kubrat Pulev on March 23rd at The Hangar in Costa Mesa, California, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“After speaking with my co-promoter [Sorin Florea of Kings Promotion] in [Dinu’s native] Romania, it was more of a misunderstanding than them not wanting to fight,” Dinu promoter Greg Cohen said. “It was a language issue. We had been texting with each other. Once we got on the phone we were able to hash it out pretty quickly. We let Top Rank know and signed the contract. Dinu is looking forward to coming back to America to fight Pulev.

“If he beats Pulev, he writes his own ticket because it would be a huge win. I know they fought in the amateurs. Dinu is from Romania, Pulev is from Bulgaria. It’s like if it was New York versus New Jersey in the U.S. They’re very familiar with each other and Dinu is really confident.”

In the wake of signing Tyson Fury, Bob Arum and Top Rank sent an offer to WBC Heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder to join the ESPN platforms, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“We want to speak to Wilder together with his manager and his adviser and we want to do this fight where it belongs, on a big platform, which is ESPN pay-per-view. Wilder himself said (in media interviews) there is no contractual impediment that would prevent it. None. He is not signed in any manner, shape or form to any network. We have been informed that it is not the case (that Showtime has an option on the rematch). Ultimately, that may not be the case but I really believe from what we learned that Wilder is telling the truth and he is not bound to any network for any fight.

“We’re going to reach out and say contact us, please, and bring whomever you want to a meeting, your manager Finkel, your adviser Haymon, your trainer (Jay Deas, also a co-manager). Bring any and all of them to a meeting with us and let’s sit down and put this together.”

“I’m not going to get into specifics about Showtime’s contractual rights and entitlements but I will say we are very confident and very comfortable with our position with Deontay,” Showtime’s Stephen Espinoza told ESPN. “We’ve worked with Deontay and supported Deontay for many, many years and many, many fights and we fully expect for that to continue for the foreseeable future.”

“The idea that we wouldn’t do business with Finkel or Haymon is absurd,” Arum said. “We want to do this fight and we want to do it sensibly and correctly. We’re ready to put up all the money to do the fight. If it can’t happen it can’t happen, but it’s Wilder’s choice subject to advice from his manager and adviser. The one thing we want to make clear is there is no impediment to doing business with Wilder no matter who his manager is, no matter who his adviser is. We’re happy to deal with them. Wilder is going to have to decide what he wants to do in consultation with Finkel and Haymon.”

“ESPN+ will pay significant money for them to fight other fighters and then to do the rematch on pay-per-view in the fall,” Arum said. “That is all open for discussion. It’s certainly not a deal breaker if they want to do the rematch next. Fury is happy either way. He is happy with the tremendous money he will earn for a fight on ESPN+ and I think Wilder will be equally happy with doing a fight on ESPN+ for the money I know we can offer. Wilder has to make that decision. We’re not talking about peanuts. We’re talking about Wilder probably making more against somebody else (in the interim bout) than he made when he fought Fury and then making even more in the rematch in the fall.”

“The amount Wilder would earn for a fight on ESPN+ before a rematch would be far in excess of $4 million,” Arum said.

Arum said the reason for putting potential interim bouts on ESPN+ rather than the linear television network is because part of Top Rank’s long-term deal with ESPN is to assist in “building up the app because it’s something that ESPN is really behind and that’s how we would do it. If they each fought on ESPN+ there would be tremendous programming on ESPN leading up to the ESPN+ shows featuring their fights.”

“ESPN will give him a great platform. Everybody will know him,” Arum said. “He will be the heavyweight most familiar to the public. If Wilder joins us and becomes part of this he will give Fury a run for his money in terms popularity. As a personality, Tyson Fury reminds me of George Foreman — everything but the punching power.”

“Fury is going to be one of the iconic figures in sports because he’ll be so amusing and so much fun that people will tune in to hear him sound off,” Arum said. “He has an unusual personality and he is very fan friendly and will attract huge audiences like George did.”

“That’s the old Tyson Fury,” Arum said. “The new Tyson Fury is fan friendly. He is the George Foreman of the Foreman comeback. He’s not going to demean anyone or say anything about gays or lesbians. He is just an amusing fun character. What he did before, that’s behind him. He had mental problems before. He’s come out of that and become a mensch.”

Kubrat Pulev will headline a Top Rank show on March 23rd in California, according to Dan Rafael of espm.com.

The card will take place at either The Hangar in Costa Mesa, California, or the Pechanga Resort & Casino in Temecula, California, but Pulev still needs an opponent.

First, a deal with fringe contender Robert Helenius (28-2, 17 KOs) fell through, and on Wednesday morning the same happened with Romania’s Bogdan Dinu (18-1, 14 KOs), who got destroyed in four rounds by Jarrell “Big Baby” Miller in his last fight in November.

Dinu promoter Greg Cohen told ESPN that even though he worked out a deal for the fight with Top Rank, Dinu’s management ultimately turned down the offer and he informed Top Rank chairman Bob Arum that Dinu was not going to fight.

Top Rank signed Pulev to a co-promotional deal with Epic Sports in December, and this will be his first bout under the agreement. Pulev (26-1, 13 KOs), 37, of Bulgaria, is one of the mandatory challengers for three-belt unified world titlist Anthony Joshua.

Vasyl Lomachenko will defend his lightweight titles against former beltholder Anthony Crola on April 12th at Staples Center in Los Angeles, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

We thought Loma would be fighting Richard Commey, but because of his hand surgery, a small procedure on a ligament, the focus obviously moved to Loma fulfilling his mandatory against Crolla once that happened. We’ll look to unify the titles with Commey afterward, in the late summer,” Top Rank Vice-President Carl Moretti told ESPN on Tuesday night, shortly after the deal with Crolla was made.

“Loma wants all the titles at lightweight, and he wants to keep them and defend them,” Moretti said.

“It’s a huge opportunity for Anthony Crolla,” Crolla Promoter Eddie Hearn said. “He has earned his stripes, a former world champ who has fought the best. He won the final eliminator against Yordan in November, and I’m happy he gets this chance now. Lomachenko is a great talent, but Anthony is in great shape and ready for this chance.”

Vicente Luque stopped Brian Baberena in round three of a thrilling war.

It was a bloody battle that saw Luque stop Barberena with six seconds remaining in the fight.

Luque is now 15-6-1. Barberena is

Andre Fili won a unanimous decision over Myles Jury in a featherweight bout.

Fili won by scores of 29-28 on all cards, and is now 19-6. Jury is 17-4.

Aljamain Sterling won a unanimous decision over Jimmie Rivera in a bantamweight bout.

Sterling, 136 lbs of Uniondale, NY won by scores of 30-27 on all cards, and is now 17-3. Rivera, 135 lbs of Ramsey, NJ is 22-3.

In a battle of undefeated bantamweights, Manny Bermudez choked out Benito Lopez in the 1st round.

With Bermudez controlling the action on the ground, Bermudez made Lopez tap to a Guillotine at 3:09

Bermudez, 139 lbs (He missed weight by four pounds) of Rockland, MA is 16-0. Lopez, 135.5 lbs of Oroville, CA is 9-1.

Andrea Lee won a unanimous decision over Ashlee Evans Smith in a flyweight bout.

Lee, 125.5 lbs of Shreveport, LA won by scores of 30-27 on all cards and is now 10-2. Smith, 126 lbs of Santa Ana, CA is 6-4.

Nik Lentz won a three-round split decision over Scott Holtzaman in a featherweight bout.

In round two, Holtzman began to bleed from the nose. In round three, Lentz was bleeding under his left eye.

Lentz, 155.5 lbs of Coconut Creek, FL won by scores of 29-28 on all cards and is now 30-9-2-1. Holtzman, 156 lbs is 12-3.

Luke Sanders stopped former bantamweight champion Renan Barao in the 2nd round of their bantamweight bout.

Sanders dropped Barao with a booming left to the face. Sanders nailed Barao with 3 more vicious shots, and the bout was stopped at 1:01

Sanders, 135 of Nashville, TN is 13-3. Barao, 138 lbs of Rio De Janeiro, BRA is 36-8-1.

Emily Whitmire choked out Aleksandra Albu 61 seconds into their strawweight bout.

Whitmire is now 4-2. Albu loses for the 1st time and is 3-1.

Omar Figueroa Jr. remained undefeated by winning a 10-round unanimous decision over John Molina Jr. in a welterweight bout.

Figueroa, 144.5 lbs of Weslcao, TX won by scores of 99-91, 98-92 and 97-93 and is now 28-0-1. Molina, 144.2 lbs of
Covina, CA is 30-8.

Sebastian Fundora stopped Donnie Marshall in round three of a scheduled eight-round junior middleweight bout.

In round two, Fundora had some blood on his face. In round three, Fundora dropped Marshall with a hard left uppercut. Fundora continued to batter Marshall on the ropes until referee Jerry Cantu stop the bout at 1:08.

Fundora, 153 lbs of Cochella, CA is 12-0 with eight knockouts. Marshall, 153.2 lbs of Buffalo is 10-1.

Rob Brant retained the WBA Middleweight title with a 11th round stoppage over Khasahn Baysangurov in font of a sold-out crowd of 2,225 at the Grand Casino in Hinckley, Minnesota

In round two, Brant dropped Baysangurov with a right hand. In round three, Brant began to swell around his right eye.

In round seven, Baysangurov was bleeding heavily from his nose. In round 11, Brant dropped Baysangurov with a hard right hand. Baysangurov got to his feet, but ate a big combination and the fight was stopped at 2:33.

Brant of St. Paul. MN is 25-1 with 17 knockouts. Baysangurov of Ukraine is 17-1.

“Today, I feel like a true champion. I was happy with my performance. I had some cramps later in the fight, but this shows I can carry my power later in fights.”

“Middleweight is one of the deepest divisions in boxing. There are fights to be made. We just have to keep pushing forward. Canelo Alvarez is recognized by many as the champion at middleweight, and I’d love a fight with him down the road.”

“{Baysangurov} had a good jab. I started a little sloppy, and my trainer (Eddie Mustafa Muhammad) told me in the corner to relax. I waited for the opportunity to come, and it came in the 11th round.”

Mikaela Mayer remained undefeated with an eight-round unanimous decision Yareli Larios in a super featherweight bout.

Mayer won by scores of 80-72, 79-73 and 78-74 and is now 10-0. Larios of Mexico is 13-2-1.

“It’s more about strategy in the pros. I was relaxed and took my time in there” Mayer said. “We knew she was going to be tough. She has that Hispanic blood in her.

“I think I’m ready for more belts. I want those belts this year.”

Joshua Greer Jr won his 17th straight fight and notched his 7th consecutive stoppage as he took out Giovanni Escaner in the 8th frame of their scheduled 10 round bantamweight bout.

It was Eascaner who struck first as he dropped Greer with a right on the ropes just as the bell sounded to end the 3rd round.

In round eight, Greer landed a perfect right the body that sent Escaner to the canvas for the 10-count at 2:33

Greer of Chicago is 20-1-1 with 12 knockouts. Escaner of The Philippines is 19-4.\

“I had to wait for him to soften up, but I did what I had to do,” Greer said. “It’s all a learning experience for me. But I’m from Chicago. I had to go take it.”

Tyler Howard won an eight-round split decision over Cristian Olivas in a middleweight bout.

Howard won two cards 79-73 and 77-75 while Olivas took a card 77-75.

Howard of Crpssvill, TN 17-0. Olivas of Mexicali, MEX is 16-4.

“This was my first time going eight rounds,” Howard said. “I felt like I prepared well for this fight. Olivas came to fight. All I can do is go back to camp and continue to work harder and be ready for my next fight. This experience is going to help me moving forward.”

Lennox Allen remained undefeated with a 10-round unanimous decision over Derrick Webster in a super middleweight fight.

Allen dropped Webster with a right hook in round in round three.

Allen of New York won by scores of 98-91 twice and 97-92 and is now 22-0-1. Webster of Glassboro, NJ is 28-2.

Ismail Muwendo won a six-round unanimous decision over Hevinsom Herrera in a lightweight bout.

Muwendo won by scores of 60-54 on cards and is now 21-1. Herreraa of Colombia is 24-16-1

Steven Nelson remained undefeated with a six-round unanimous decision over Felipe Romero in a light heavyweight bout.

In round one, Romero scored a dubious knockdown with a right hand. In round three, Nelson returned the favor by dropping Romero with a combo to the body.

Nelson of Omaha, NEB won by scores of 59-54 twice and 58-54, and is now 13-0. Romero of Mexico is 20-17-1.

“He’s a tough guy who can take a good punch. That’s why we picked him,” Nelson said. “I had him hurt a few times, but we got the job done.”

In a battle of junior welterweights, Joe James won a four-round unanimous decision over Demetrius Wilson.

In round three, James dropped Wilson with a double jab.

James won by scores of 40-35 on all cards and is now 4-0. Wilson is 2-11.

Cruiserweight champion Oleksandr Usyk and junior middleweight Kell Brook could be fighting next in the United States, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

Eddie Hearn said May 18 is the target date, with Chicago as a possible location, for the southpaw Usyk (16-0, 12 KOs), 32, of Ukraine, to face contender Povetkin (34-2, 24 KOs), 39, of Russia, in a fight that would mark Usyk’s official entrance into the heavyweight division.

Hearn said he is also hoping to finalize the fight between Brook and Jesse Vargas — weight to be determined but between 147 and 150 pounds — for either late May or early June, at a location on the West Coast to be determined. Brook (38-2, 26 KOs), 32, of England, has won two fights in a row against lesser opponents since losing two fights in a row, by fifth-round knockout to Gennady Golovkin for the middleweight title in 2016 followed by an 11th-round knockout loss to Errol Spence that cost him his welterweight belt in May 207.

Former light heavyweight title challenger Andrzej Fonfara announced his retirement, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“I’m fine physically, but I don’t have my usual desire to give boxing the 100 percent it deserves,” Fonfara said in a statement on Tuesday. “I want to thank all who helped me through this crazy, great ride.”

The Emmanuel Rodriguez – Naoya Inoue WBSS bout is set for May 18th in Glasgow, Scotland, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“My destiny is to win the prestigious (Muhammad) Ali Trophy and prove I am the best bantamweight in the world,” Inoue said. “I cannot wait to box in the United Kingdom in front of their loud fans and I will show them a ‘Monster’ performance.”

“I have been waiting for this moment my entire life,” Rodriguez said. “I always wanted to fight the best, and now I am fighting a boxer considered (one of) the best by the boxing reporters and fans. That’s great motivation for me, my team and Puerto Rico. We got this. I am going to get the victory. Puerto Rico will shine in Scotland and I am confident of going all the way and take home the Ali Trophy.”

An interim WBC Heavyweight title fight between Dominic Brezeale and Dillian Whyte has been ordered, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“It’s great. It’s about time the WBC ordered this fight,” Whyte told ESPN. “Breazeale shouldn’t have been the mandatory in the first place. I’m about to go and claim what is mine, the WBC world heavyweight title. This fight will take me one step closer. Let’s go, baby! Let’s go!”

The purse bid for the WBC Heavyweight title rematch between Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury has been postponed again, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“Things have gotten delayed a little, but as far as I know there are no issues,” Shelly Finkel, Wilder’s co-manager, told ESPN on Tuesday. “I would hope the fight is completed late this week or early next week.”

“I have been in direct communication with both parties and they have indicated that they are in goodwill negotiations, very close to reaching an agreement,” Said WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman told ESPN. “I will monitor this matter personally and if needed will intervene within the next week.”

Like his mentor, Floyd Mayweather, Gervonta Davis could fight Tenshin Nasukawa in an exhibition in April, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“We got an exhibition bout with the guy Tenshin in Japan in April,” Mayweather said.

“I’m proud of Tank, and he’s gonna stay active,” Mayweather said. “April is Tenshin. May is the real fight.”

“We don’t know,” he said when asked who Davis would fight in his second defense. “When I get back, I’ll talk to my staff, my team, sit down with [Mayweather Promotions CEO] Leonard [Ellerbe], [adviser] Al [Haymon], the rest of my staff and see what we come up with.”

Mayweather said that he earned $9 million — plus a $1 million bonus — for the exhibition with Nasukawa and said he would likely participate in future exhibition fights.

“Probably so, most likely,” Mayweather said. “I got about $80 million on the table worth of exhibitions.”

Jose Ramirez defended the WBC Super Lightweight title with a 12-round majority decision over Jose Zepeda in front of over 14,000 fans at Save Mart Center in Fresno, California.

It was a tactical fight that saw Zepeda box and get off to a good a start.  There were several head clashes for which caused cuts on each fighter.  Ramirez was cut around his right eye in round four.

Ramirez started to come on in the middle rounds as he featured some solid body work.

Zepeda righted himself, and he himself was cut under his left eye in round eight, but he was able to keep the fight close on the score cards.  The fight may have been won in the last 15 seconds, as Ramirez landed a nice flurry to take the final stanza.

Ramirez of Avenel, CA won by scores of 116-112, 115-113 and 114-114 to raise his mark to 24-0.  Zepeda falls to 30-2.

“He was a very a tough and smart southpaw. He came well prepared,” Ramirez said. “He kept a good range and distance. That made it a tough, close fight, but I think I pulled it off in the championship rounds. I landed the most effective punches.”

Said Zepeda: “Jose Ramirez is a great fighter, and his fans really pushed him and gave him momentum.”

Former lightweight world champion Ray Beltran stopped previously undefeated Hiroki Okada in the 9th round of their scheduled 10-round super lightweight bout.

In round two, Beltran was dropped by a hard right that was preceded by a left.  In round three, Okada was cut over his left eye.  Beltran was cut over his left eye in the fourth round.

In round seven, Beltran began to bleed around his right eye.  In round nine, Beltran dropped Okada with a perfect right to the chin.  Okada was hurt, and Beltran went right after Okada and wobbled him before landing a hard right that sent Okada down, and the bout was stopped at 2:08.

Beltran of Phoenix, AZ is 36-8-1 with 22 knockouts.  Okada of Tokyo is 19-1.

The action was fierce from the opening bell, with the two combatants waging a second round for the ages. Beltran knocked Okada (19-1, 13 KOs) down with a crisp left hook, only for Okada to stun Beltran later in the round.

“I knocked him down in the second round, but he came back and got me good, too,” Beltran said. “We knew his plan was to stay at distance and keep me at bay with the jab. Every time I threw my left hook, he kept covering very well. I saw an opening with the right hand and that’s why I started throwing it, and little by little, I kept shortening the distance until I connected with a big right hand and I stopped him.”

Carlos Castro remained undefeated by winning a 10-round unanimous decision over former world title challenger Genesis Servania in a super bantamweight bout.

In round seven, Servania was bleeding from around his right eye.

Castro, 121 lbs of Phoenix, AZ won by scores of 100-90, 99-91 and 98-92 and is now 22-0.  Servania, 121 1/2 lbs of Bacolod City, PHL is 32-2.

Gabriel Flores Jr. remained undefeated with a six-round unanimous decision over Alex Rynn Torres in a junior lightweight bout.

Flores, 132.4 lbs of Stockton, CA won by scores of 60-54 twice and 59-55 and is now 12-0.  Torres, 132.6 lbs of Mexico City is 6-3.

“I’m getting better with each fight. I felt better than ever,” Flores said. “I get more and more experience with each fight. I feel like I’m getting cleaner. I’m getting sharper, and I’m only going to get better. I’m ready for whoever Top Rank puts in front of me. This is what I do all day, every day.”

Andy Vences remained undefeated with an eight-round unanimous decision over Dardan Zenunaj in a junior lightweight bout.

Vences, 131 lbs of San Jose, CA won by scores of 80-72 and is now 22-0-1. Zenunaj, 131 lbs of Kosovo is 14-6.

“I felt great coming back after that long rest after suffering the injury. It’s been a long time,” Vences said. “I looked sharp, but I knew this was going to be a tough fight. This guy gave a great fight and went the distance against Andrew Cancio, and Cancio just became a world champion last night. I knew that against a guy like that I was going to need to use all my skills, and I did. I dominated the fight.”

Isidro Ochoa stopped Jesus Guzman in round five of their scheduled six-round super bantamweight bout.

Ochoa beat up Guzman until the fight was stopped by the doctor at 1:18.

Ochoa, 121 3/4 lbs of Fresno is 7-0 with three knockouts. Guzman, 122 3/4 lbs of Tijuana, MEX is 7-3.

Cristian Coria stopped Joel Diaz Jr. in round three of a scheduled eight-round junior welterweight bout.

In round three, Coria landed a left hook to the jaw that sent Diaz to the deck. Cora dropped Diaz again with a hard left hook, and the bout was stopped at 1:50.

Coria, 140 lbs of Famillia, ARG is 28-7-2 with 13 knockouts. Diaz, 138 1/4 lbs of Palmdale, CA is 24-2.

Guido Vianello stopped Andrew Satterfield in the first-round of the their scheduled six-round heavyweight bout

Vianello dropped Satterfield with vicious five-punch combination to the head. Satterfield got to his feet, only to eat about 11 more flush punches, and the fight was stopped at 1:54.

Vianello, 236 lbs of Rome, ITA is 2-0 with two knockouts. Satterfield, 241 1.2 lbs of Marietta, OH is 4-2.

“I felt more relaxed and composed than my first pro fight,” Vianello said. “I am only going to get better.”