Former world champion Amir Khan will be trained by Joe Goossen after Khan’s trainer Virgil Hunter came down with health issues, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“Virgil Hunter experienced a health scare this week and was hospitalized,” said in a statement. “We are happy to report that he is recovering and getting stronger every day. We appreciate everyone’s thoughts and prayers and request that his privacy be respected while he recovers. There will not be any further statements made at this time as we allow him to heal.”

“Virgil wasn’t too well, so I needed someone else in with the same experience and who could help me,” Khan told ESPN on Monday. “Me and Joe spent a week together in a boxing gym in (San Francisco). I felt good working with him and glad he came at such notice. He’s helping me on a few areas and I like the work he’s doing with me. We’re breaking down the fight with me and Lo Greco and setting up a game plan to go in the fight with.”

Michael Conlan has been added to the May 12th Jorge Linares – Vasyl Lomachenko card at Madison Square Garden, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com

“Hopefully, we’ll be able to get a fight with someone undefeated because I want to step up again and show what I can do,” Conlan said. “It felt great to be in there against Berna. The fans turned out and the atmosphere was simply amazing. I wish the fight had gone on longer, but that’s the way it goes sometimes.”

“My trainer, Adam Booth, has brought back what I’m good at, which is using my boxing skills to break opponents down rather than steam in there and try to take them out quickly,” Conlan said. “It was a two-day party afterwards. I had a great time but then it was straight back in the gym and preparing for the next one. There are talks about fighting in Belfast in the summer and this fight will set that up.”

Newly crowned WBC Super Lightweight champion Jose Ramirez is mandated to face interim champion Regis Prograis, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“Since Jose won the title, we’ve been busy, but he is also looking forward to enjoying these events in his honor,” manager Rick Mirigian told ESPN. “He loves his community and they love him.”

Fans would be advised not to shake his right hand too hard, however. According to Mirigian, Ramirez suffered a “tiny fracture” at the base of his thumb on his right hand during the action-packed fight with Imam.

“It’s nothing significant. The doctor said he needed to rest it for 30 days and it should be fine,” Mirigian said. “It’s a tiny fracture at the bottom of his thumb. It’s nothing that needed surgery or was that severe. The doctor just recommended he not use it for the next 30 days.”

“Consistent to the WBC ruling during the world annual convention in Baku, Azerbaijan, the WBC is hereby ordering the free negotiations period for the mandatory fight to unify the WBC and the WBC interim championships,” Sulaiman wrote.

“Once again, congratulations and we look forward to a tremendous fight, which is already of the world interest,” Sulaiman wrote.

Ramirez said he has no problem fighting Prograis next if that has to be the case. “I signed up to fight the best to become the best. I fear no one,” Ramirez said. “We know Prograis should be next and I’m willing to take on the challenge that we both deserve. I will rest and enjoy the moment for a couple of weeks, and then start where I left off.”

He’s a good fighter, but I don’t think he brings much value to the table for a big fight until someone promotes him. Let him get known somewhat and you’ve got something,” Mirigian said. “I agree with Arum that he needs the exposure, but Jose will fight him. But for a big fight to happen, I just feel this guy needs some more promotion under him.

“He needs to be built somewhat outside the ring. We’ve put the work in outside the ring as well as inside the ring. Jose is ready to fight this guy and that’s what he wants, but we’ll let Bob Arum and Top Rank make those decisions. But I agree with what Top Rank is proposing to make the fight bigger.”

Top Rank is ready to make the fight with Prograis next if it has to.

“There have been some very preliminary discussions [with DiBella] about a couple of different scenarios,” Top Rank vice president Carl Moretti told ESPN. “However it may work out, it works out. And if we have to fight Regis next, then that’s what will happen. He’s a terrific fighter, as is Jose, but I don’t view [Prograis] as a second coming of Henry Armstrong.”

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, newy minted IBF 140 lb. champion Mikey Garcia will elect to keep that title and vacate his WBC Lightweight title.

Garcia is now mandated to face Ivan Baranchyk.

We are going to sit down and see what can be done,” Ringstar Promotions Richard Schaefer said. “I talked to Lou. We talked about the fight and said we should wait until Mikey is back from Belize and then connect next week. So when Mike is back, Lou and I will talk. But Mikey’s intentions are to defend the title.”

Lou DiBella said he hoped that Garcia would go through with the fight with Baranchyk.

“I don’t know, but it appears they’re going to do the fight with Baranchyk,” DiBella said. “Ivan is not going to give up the opportunity he has earned to fight for the title. I did call Richard after I got the letter from the IBF, and we agreed we would talk in a week or so. We’re sitting back and waiting. We are in a good situation. Either Baranchyk will fight Mikey for the title, or he will fight for the vacant title.”

The postponed WBO Welterweight title bout between Jeff Horn and Terence Crawford has been rescheduled for June 9th at The MGM Grand in Las Vegas, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

The bout was postponed last week after Crawford injured his right hand in training.

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, The Nevada Commisiion has temporarily suspended Canelo Alvarez, thus putting his May 5th rematch with Canelo Alvarez in Jeopardy pending a hearing on April 10th.

Alvarez will be required to appear at a commission hearing — either in person or via telephone — on the issue April 10, less than a month before he is to challenge Golovkin in a heavily anticipated rematch of their controversial draw at the same venue in September. ?The commission will decide at the hearing whether the fight will go ahead as scheduled.

“Mr. Alvarez is temporarily suspended by the Nevada State Athletic Commission for his adverse analytical findings, that being clenbuterol, on Feb. 17 and 20,” Nevada Commission Exexutive Director Bob Bennett said in a statement. “A commission hearing is scheduled for April 10, 2018, to hear from Mr. Alvarez.”

“We respect the Nevada State Athletic Commission’s process and will vigorously present Canelo’s case throughout,” Golden Boy Promotions spokesman Stefan Friedman said in a statement to ESPN. “Over his career, Canelo has tested clean more than 90 times and would never intentionally take a banned substance.”

“Again with Mexican meat? Come on,” Golovkin said Tuesday. “I told you, it’s not Mexican meat. This is Canelo. This is his team. This is his promotion. Canelo is cheating. They’re using these drugs, and everybody is just trying to pretend it’s not happening.

“This guy, he knows. This is not his first day in boxing. He proves he gets benefits from everyone and he can get away with it. Check him on a lie detector, and then we can find out everything.”

Speaking by phone to ESPN later Tuesday, Golovkin added, “I think it is silly to blame the meat because an athlete at this level should not be caught on the meat. I eat Mexican food all the time, and I’ve never had that problem.”

“GGG is in full training-camp mode right now, and he wants to fight May 5 regardless of what happens,” Golovkin promoter Tom Loeffler told ESPN on Friday night. “The commission did issue the temporary suspension for Canelo, but everything is subject to what happens April 10 at their hearing. On the GGG side, he’s fired up. He’s on edge for this fight. This fight was really getting red-hot and nearing being sold out after this week. On the GGG side, whenever he can get Canelo in the rematch, he’ll fight him. Gennady felt he was wronged [by the decision] the first time. That’s where some of those comments came out in the heat of the training camp this week. As soon as he can get him back in the ring, whether it’s on May 5 or on a future date, he’ll do his best to knock out Canelo. The respect he had for him in the first fight is out the window after this. All the pleasantries are out the window.”

“We definitely respect the commission for their thorough investigation. I have to commend them for what they’re doing,” Loeffler said. “Canelo has cooperated with them from [what] they’ve said, and they’ve subjected him to numerous tests since the failed tests. Whatever the commission does, Gennady would still fight May 5 if Canelo is out.

“If for some reason it’s not against Canelo, we’ll figure out the best course of action at that time, but he is training to fight May 5. We’d look at [middleweight titlist] Billy Joe Saunders or anyone else who makes sense. Hopefully, it’s Canelo. If not, we will weigh the options and meet with HBO and the people from the MGM [owner of T-Mobile Arena].”

Jose Martinez and Alex Santiago battled to their 2nd draw in a 10-round super flyweight bout in Ponce, Puerto Rico.

It was an entertaining affair with plenty of back and forth exchanges.

Each fighter took a card 96-94, and one card read even at 95-95.

Martinez, 114.8 lbs of Las Marias, PR is 20-0-2. Santiago 114.3 lbs of Tijuana, MX is 16-2-4.

“I really think that I won this fight,” said Jose Martinez. “I was all over him [Santiago]. There were some rounds he won, but I won the fight. It was a bit different this time because he was moving and boxing a bit more, but I was there to fight. It’s a draw and I respect the judges, but I will keep working hard and will see soon what my promoter has planned for me.”

“I got robbed again,” said Alejandro Santiago. “I am disappointed. I beat him in his own hometown. It’s really disappointing because I came twice to fight for this championship and both times there were draws. It’s unbelievable. I worked really hard just so that it could end in a draw.”

Lucas Fernandez survived a 1st round knockdown to come back to stop previously undefeated Joshua Franco in round nine of their scheduled ten round super flyweight bout.

In round two, Fernandez was cut around his left eye. Later in the round, Franco landed an uppercut that sent Fernandez hard to the canvas. Franco was controlling the action for the balance of the fight.

In round nine, Fernandez came back to land a had six punch flurry that hurt Franco, and the bout was stopped at 46 seconds.

Fernandez, 114 lbs of Santa Fe, ARG is now 12-1-1 with 9 knockouts. Franco, 114 lbs of San Antonio, TX is 13-1.

Josean Serra stopped Marco Sanchez in round three of their scheduled six-round super flyweight bout.

Serra dropped Sanchez in round two with a left to the body. Serra finished Sanchez with a similar shot in the next frame, and the bout was stopped at 1:27.

Serra, 114 lbs of Ponce, PR is now 12-1 with eight knockouts. Sanchez, 115 lbs of Mexicali, MX is 12-7-3.

Danielito Zorilla scored two knockdowns en route to a six-round unanimous decision over Clifford Gray in a welterweight bout.

Zorrilla dropped Gray in round four with a counter right. In round five, it was a straight right that sent Gray to the Canvas.

Zorilla, 146 lbs of Toa Baja, PR won by scores of 60-52 on all cards and is now 5-0. Gray, 146 lbs of Miami, FL falls to 1-4.

Whyte cut Browne over his left eye in round one from a right hand. Whyte continued to batter Browne over the next five rounds with an assortment of body punches and ripping hooks to the head. Whyte had a a little blood from the nose in round five.

In round six, Browne’s left eye was a bloody mess and that was coupled with cuts from his nose and mouth. Whyte landed a right over the top that was followed by a left to the jaw that sent Browne down and out on his stomach. Browme would lay motionless on the canvas for several minuted and would eventually need oxygen.

The time of the stoppage was 37 seconds for Whyte, 254.2 lbs of London, UK, who now seeks a world title bout with a record of 23-1 with 17 knockouts. Browne, 264.5 lbs of Sydney, Australia is now 25-1.

Professional boxing returned to the Seminole Hard Rock and Casino in Hollywood Florida tonight with “Rumble at the Rock” as presented by Kris Lawrence and The Heavyweight Factory.

In a crowd pleasing main event Pilipino Reymart “GenSan Assassin” Gaballo 19-0(17KO) fought his way to a WBA title with a well-earned unanimous decision victory over St Louis’s Stephon “Showstopper” Young 18-1-3(7KO). Young ended up on the canvas once in the lone knockdown early in the fight, a round which saw Young barely make it out of. Gaballo controlled pace throughout the fight, with aggression and a straight right hand that was very accurate. Young fought off of his back foot from the knockdown on until round 11 where the St Louis product seemed to dig deep change his fight plan and finally let his hands go. A very strong finish to the fight had Young winning the last two rounds but clearly not enough for the victory as Gaballo had control of rounds 2 through 10 and ultimately was crowned WBA champion of the Bantamweight division by way of a unanimous decision.

Former WBA World Super Bantamweight Champion Juan Carlos Payano 19-1, (9 KOs) came off the canvas in round three to comeback and claim the NABO Intercontinental Super Bantamweight title in a unanimous decision win over previously undefeated Philippine “Magic” Mike Plania 14-0, (7 KOs) Thirty-three-year-old southpaw Payano, a native of the Dominican Republic, who now lives in Miami, is in the third fight of his mission to regain his world championship. He has now notched three solid victories since splitting a pair of championship fights with top-level bantam Rau’shee Warren. After 10 rounds of a competitive match the official cards read 96-93, and two at 97-92 for Payano.

Two time Olympic Bronze medalist Ivan Dychko 8-0(7KO) demolished Stephan Kirnon 2-1(2KO) in under one minute. The 6’9” Dychko connected with nearly every punch through the fight and a final combination that put the Miami based fighter on his back for several minutes. Where it seemed too easy for Dychko, his superior skills shined impressively tonight.

Fast-rising Hawaiian welterweight prospect Logan “Korican Kid” Yoon (10-0, 10 KOs) stepped up in competition tonight and won the NABO Super Lightweight title when he faced Mexican former two-time world champion Juan Carlos Salgado (27-7-1, 16 KOs) The Korican Kid found out the same punches that took out his previous opponents, did not seem to affect the Mexican former champion, however this did not slow his attack as he kept a high accurate punch output outpointing Salgado in a spirited affair while going the distance for the first time in his young career. A strong finish by Yoon made for exciting final rounds that included the only knockdown of the fight in round nine. This prospect is officially turning into a contender. The cards read 98-91 ad 97-92 100-89.

The action got started early with a familiar name as Roberto Duran Jr 1-0-(1KO) made a successful debut with an impressive knockout win over Miguel Morales. Duran Jr. the oldest son of the legend Roberto Duran, picked his shots throughout the four-round tussle ultimately setting a beautiful uppercut that put Morales to the canvas midway through round four. Morales able to rise to his feet was met with 3 more power shots that again showed him the canvas. Official time was 2:21 in round 4.

Jorge De Jesus Romero from Miami kept the train rolling with a knockout win over Szilverszter Ajtai 12-10-9. Romero was too much for the Hungarian Ajtai. The stoppage came at 2:01 of the 2nd round.

Boca Raton Steve “The Ambassador” Geffrard 17-2(12KO) picked up a nice hometown KO win over Zoltan Sera 38-19(20KO). Geffrard hunted Sera down with sharp jabs, strong right hands, uppercuts and left hooks to the body. Sera threw wild haymakers and often held on for dear life after each combination the American Born Haitian Geffrard threw. Geffrard put Sera on the floor a few times through the bout until Sam Burgos finally waved a stop to the fight at 39 seconds of round four with an official TKO win for Steve Geffrard

Kazakhstan born Mussa Tursyngaliyev 8-0(7KO) won the NABA USA title tonight with a 3rd round TKO win over Luis Hinojosa. Tursyngaliyev, now fighting out of Miami showed his enormous power from the start of round one against Dominican fighter Luis Hinojosa 31-14. Hinojosa is as game as they come eating leather without ever taking a step back, exception only when getting knocked back or knocked down. By the advice of his corner the fight was called after the third round officially a TKO title win for Tursyngaliyev.

Sam Rodriguez 5-2(3KO) of Palm Bay Florida came to fight as the underdog and pulled off the upset over crowd favorite Jessy Cruz 12-7. In a very entertaining back and forth battle putting Cruz on the canvas on his way to a unanimous decision win.

Harold Calderon 15-0(9KO) from Miami kept his perfect record in tact with a 3rd round TKO win over tough Ronald Montes 18-8(16KO) from Barranquilla COL. Calderon seemed to have problems with the awkward Montes however the punishment he took in the first three rounds were enough for his corner to wave his fighter off at the end of the third officially giving Calderon a TKO win.

Since starting his career in August of 2016 John David Martinez has put together a nice, but untested unbeaten record of 9-0. Pretty Boy Martinez added another win to his record, this one was questionable as he was awarded a majority decision win over Jose Cortes to the displeasure of the crowd. I had the fight a draw the same as judge number one 57-57 where the other two judges scored 58-56.

Special Guests included former heavyweight champions Michael Moorer, Riddick “Big Daddy” Bowe Evander “The Real Deal” Holyfield and Timberland.

Ryan Garcia viciously stopped Fernando Vargas in the 1st round of their scheduled 10-round super featherweight bout at The Fantasy Springs Resort in Indio, California.

Garcia landed a right hand that was followed by a left hand that sent Vargas plummeting on his back, and the bout was stopped at 2:55.

Garcia, 129.6 lbs of Victorville, CA is 14-0 with 13 knocmouts. Vargas, 129.2 lbs of Tijuana, MX is 33-16-3.

Eddie Gomez scored a 2nd round stoppage over KeAndre Gibson in a sched 10-round welterweight bout.

Gomez landed a perfect counter right to the jaw that sent Gibson down. Gibson got up but wobbled toward the referee and the bout was stopped at 54 seconds.

Gomez, 147 lbs of Bronx, NY is now 21-3 with 12 knockouts. Gibson, 146.2 lbs of St. Louis, MO is 18-2-1.

Aaron McKenna stopped Jose Palacios in the 1st round of their scheduled four-round super welterweight bout.

McKenna dropped Palacios with a left to the liver. McKenna continues to land hard shots until Palacios pointed to his head and the bout was stopped at 2:46

McKenna, 149.6 lbs of County Monaghan, IRE is 2-0 with one knockout. Palacios, Chihuahua, MX is 1-2.

Rumors abound the UFC could be pursuing Heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua to sign a boxing contract, according to reports from Gareth Davies of the Morning Telegraph.

Dana White is making a bid to sign Joshua to a multi-fight deal that could be worth upward of $500 million, according to a report Wednesday in the United Kingdom’s Daily Telegraph.

“Listen, I’m riding with Eddie (Hearn). I’ve been riding with Eddie. He got me from the get-go,” Joshua said. “I’m not into the UFC, so I don’t know what their plans are. … I’m interested because we can all work together. Remember, mine and Eddie’s relationship is a really good working relationship. And I’m sure Eddie has an interest in working with Dana White. If it’s good business, it makes sense.

“We’ll listen and 100 percent, if it makes sense we’re all ears, man. I’m happy that Dana is coming into the game. Hopefully, he can add some excitement and we can progress forward and make some good money and make some good fights.”

“If Dana White wants to speak to us, obviously Anthony is with us, we’re willing to talk to anybody,” Hearn said on Wednesday night’s media call. “We do great business with everyone — Bernd Boente, Duco Events. I work with Top Rank, Golden Boy, Al Haymon. We work with anyone if the business is right.”

Then Hearn drew a big laugh when he added, “In the meantime, I’ll sign [UFC top draw] Conor McGregor and it will all be fair.”

The sources declined to speak on the record because the fight is not yet signed, but the HBO-televised bout is likely to take place as soon as June 23 but not later than the end of the July. It is expected to take place at the Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden, site of Kovalev’s most recent two fights.

Terence Crawford hurt his right hand, which will force the postponement of his April 14th Welterweight title bout with undefeated champion Jeff Horn, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“He hurt his hand hitting a guy on top of the head gear,” promoter Bob Arum said. “We’ve gotten him treated by the best hand doctors. He had an MRI, and there is no ligament tear, thank God. The doctor prescribed two weeks of rest, and then he should be ready to go. We’ll put the fight sometime in late May or early June, but that depends on how Terence’s hand is feeling.”

“The hand is in the process of healing and one thing with Terence is he loves to train so he’s been training and running and doing what he can do without using the hand,” McIntyre said. “This is a little road bump. We’re gonna stay out here in Colorado Springs and once we get word from the doctor we’ll be ready to go. We’ll see how Terence feels and we’ll talk to Top Rank about a new date, but we’re definitely going to stay in camp and keep training. The guy he was sparring with has a hard head. When we do come back we’ll come back stronger and more determined.”

“This is his first injury,” Arum said of Crawford. “He was disappointed but he didn’t want to take a risk and go in without having a bad wing.”

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, the much anticipated lightweight championship bout between Jorge Linares and Vasyl Lomachenko will happen on May 12th at Madison Square Garden.

The fight will be televised at 8 PM ET. The time of the bout was a sticking point as Golden Boy Promotions (Linares promoter) has the replay of the previous week Camelo Alvarez – Gennady Golovkin rematch plus a live fight featuring Sadam Ali scheduled for 10 PM that night on HBO, and the promoter did not want to promote against one of it’s fights on a different network.

After negotiating, ESPN agreed to move the time up for the Linares – Lomachenko bout to satisfy all parties.

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, IBF Lightweight champion Robert Easter, Jr. has been ordered to rematch Richard Commey.

“Your mandatory defense is due on or before March 30, 2018,” the IBF wrote. “The leading available contender is No. 1 Richard Commey. … Negotiations should start immediately and be concluded by April 12, 2018. If you are unable to reach an agreement by April 12, 2018, the IBF will call for a purse bid to determine who will promote the bout, when and where.”

Commey knocked Luna down twice in the sixth round before referee David Fields waved it off at 1 minute, 54 seconds.

“He was exactly what I expected and if I had connected on more of my punches in the beginning I think the fight would have been over earlier,” Commey said. “I was really trying to work on what we had been focusing on in camp but I just wasn’t performing well at the start of the fight.

“It is the greatest feeling to get the win on my 31st birthday. I am looking forward to fighting for the 135-pound world title and becoming champion.”

By Norm Frauenheim-

CARSON, Calif. – It was a brutal fight. Not even hours of rain could wash away the evidence on damp canvas. Long after the carnage had ended, it was there, a pool of blood, Oscar Valdez Jr.’s blood.

Valdez won.

He paid, too.

The price for Valdez’ unanimous decision over Scott Quigg Saturday night in front of more puddles than fans at StubHub Center and an ESPN audience was a broken jaw, damaged teeth and a long, nasty cut above one eye.

He was asked to got to the emergency room by paramedics who jumped into the ring almost at the same time as the 117-111, 118-110, 117-111 scorecards were announced. But Valdez, ever stubborn and resilient, said no.

Instead, he celebrated, his trainer Manny Robles said.

“He was laughing,’’ said Robles, who was there at the post-fight to talk for Valdez simply because the WBO’s reigning featherweight fighter just couldn’t.

Laughing at risk and fear.

Laughing at doubts and off the-scale disadvantages. They are there, seemingly always there for Valdez 24-0, 19 KOs). But he faced them and took them down again in a wild ride that for his fans in southern Arizona and Sonora, Mexico, have seen and sometimes endured again.

“He’s a warrior, a Mexican warrior,’’ Robles said.

He is and he’ll have the scars to prove it. Quigg (34-2-2, 25 KOs) put them there like nobody else has with power leveraged by about a seven-pound advantage the UK fighter had at opening bell. Quigg surrendered any chance at taking Valdez’ 126-pound title when he failed to make weight Friday. Quigg was 2.8 pounds above the limit. Then, his management said no to a second weigh-in Saturday morning. There was some talk that maybe the fight was off. In the end, however, the only talk that mattered came from Valdez.

“He made the decision,’’ Robles said.

In effect, Valdez was fighting somebody in one weight class heavier than he was. At opening bell, Quigg was a reported to be 142.2 pounds. Valdez was reported to be at 135.6.

The evident difference in size began to tell in the fourth or fifth round. Valdez’ superior quickness was clear early. But a stalking Quigg began to land big rights after the third.

In the fourth or fifth, one those rights broke Valdez’ jaw. For the next seven to eight rounds, blood poured from his mouth, down his chin and onto that spot on the canvas near his corner.

For the rest of the fight, cut man Miguel Diaz would not take out Valdez’ mouthpiece. The corner was afraid it would not be able to put that piece back into his misshapen, twisted jaw.

It was like his teeth had been moved to one side, ‘’ Robles said.

But nothing about his heart was ever out of place. He fought on. And on. He wasn’t the only one who paid in flesh. So, too, did Quigg, who suffered a suspected broken nose, a bad cut over his left eye and was left with a Frankenstein-look to him after it was all over.

Quigg, too, didn’t come to the post-fight news conference. Instead, his promoter Eddie Hearn was there to speak for him.

“The right man won,’’ Hearn said.

No argument there from anybody.

The only debate is about what’s next — who and when — for Valdez. In an interview for ESPN at the center of the ring in the wake of the fight, Valdez talked about fighting Leo Santa Cruz, or Carl Frampton, or Abner Mares.

Top Rank’s Todd DuBoef kept it short when asked what he wanted Valdez to do next.

“Heal,” said. duBoef who said it best.

Best of the Undercard

Anybody up for a rematch? One between super-featherweights Andy Vences (20-0-1, 12 KOs) and Erick De Leon (17-0-1, 10 KOs) looks inevitable after they fought to a hard-fought majority draw.

The Rest

Liver shots paralyze. Junior-welterweight Alex Saucedo (27-0, 17 KOs) threw one that was accurate and lethal, dropping Abner Lopez (26-1,16 KOs) into a paralyzed heap on a damp canvas at 1:18 of the 7th

Los Angeles junior-welterweight Arnold Barboza Jr. (18-0, 6 KOs) relied on his superior reach, carefully kept his distance and scored a unanimous decision over Michael Reed (23-2, 12 KOs of Maryland.

When it rains, first-round KOs pour: Heavyweight Andy Ruiz scored the fourth first-round stoppage in the first four fights, a landing a right for stoppage of Devin Vargas at 1:38 of the first.

By Norm Farauenheim-

MANHATTAN BEACH, Calif. – If you think it never rains in Southern California and Scott Quigg never misses weight, think again.

Quigg failed to make weight for the first time Friday and showers are expected Saturday night for a featherweight fight against Oscar Valdez Jr. in an outdoor ring at StubHub Center down the freeway in Carson..

Bring an umbrella and leave your assumptions at home. Let’s just say that there is plenty of unpredictability in the forecast. The only sure thing is that Quigg (34-1-1, 25 KOs) won’t be fighting for Valdez’ WBO title. He forfeited that opportunity and $20,000 for being 2.8 pounds heavier than the 126-pound maximum at the weigh-in. Valdez 23-0, 19 KOs), who came in at 125.8, will vacate the WBO title if he loses.

Quigg was not allowed a chance at trying to make weight because of a California rule that prohibits fighters more than two pounds heavier than the limit from returning to the scale.

Quigg apologized to Valdez, his trainer Manny Robles, manager Frank Espinoza and fans jammed into a ballroom for the weigh-in. But it didn’t end with an apology. Robles called the Quigg camp “unprofessional.’’ Then, the Valdez camp asked Quigg to step on the scale for another weigh-in Saturday morning.

Negotiations for the Saturday weigh-in were underway not long after both fighters stepped off the scale for a fight scheduled to be telecast by ESPN (7:35 p.m. PT/10:35 pm ET).

The Valdez corner wanted to be sure that Quigg didn’t add too many pounds through re-hydration during the hours between the formal weigh-in and opening bell. The exact weight under discussion wasn’t clear. However, indications late Friday was that it would be at about 136 pounds.

Further money from Quigg to Valdez was also discussed. But the amount of money under discussion also wasn’t clear.

Immediately after the weigh-in, there were mixed signals whether the Quigg camp would even agree to the morning weigh-in. Quigg promoter Eddie Hearn said it was decided early Friday that the UK featherweight could not cut any more pounds. Hearn said they would go on with the fight, even with out a chance at the belt.

“All the things he usually does, his body wasn’t responding,’’ said Hearn, who said Quigg couldn’t shed the last few pounds during a workout Thursday night. “He would usually lose three or four pounds. He lost one. You have to think about his health. I feel for Scott. He’s devastated. He was in tears. He wanted to challenge for the title. It’s very frustrating.”

Quigg’s failure to make weight would cost him $20,000 penalty. The fine represents 20 percent of the $100,000 contract that was filed with the California Commission. Quigg’ final purse is believed to be much more, perhaps five times as much. It didn’t include UK money, most of which came from a deal with Sky Sports.

The fine, calculated off the number filed with California, will be split two ways — $10,000 for the state and $10,000 for Valdez. It would boost Valdez purse to $430,000 from the $420,000 field with the Commission before Friday’s weigh-in.

“Nothing about this changes anything for what I have to do,’’ said Valdez, a two-time Mexican who went to grade school in Tucson. “I made weight. I did my job in the gym. Now, it’s time fro me to do my job in the ring. I’ll come out with the win. I’m taking that belt back to Mexico with me. ‘’

Regis Prograis won the WBC Interim Super Lightweight title with a spectacular 2nd round stoppage over former world champion Julius Indongo at The Deadwood Mountain Grand in Deadwood, North Dakota.

Prograis dropped Indong at the end of the first round from a jab. Prograis dropped Indongo three more times in the next round with hard left hands, and referee Ian-John Lewis stopped the bout at 2:54.

Prograis, 140 lbs of Houston, TX is 21-0 with 18 knockouts. Indongo, 139.6 lbs of Omaha, NE is 22-2.

“I had to put on a show for SHOWTIME, for Deadwood, and for all my fans in Houston and New Orleans and just the whole division,” said Prograis. “I had to put on a show for everybody. I am now the man at 140.”

“I want the real title now, and I don’t think those two dudes will fight me after tonight,” said Prograis. “Indongo only had one loss to Terrence Crawford, the pound for pound best, and I stopped him a round before Crawford did. I don’t see anybody trying to fight me right now.”

Junior Fa remianed undefeated with an eight-round majority decision over Craig Lewis in a heavyweight bout.

Fa, 256.6 lbs of Papakura, NZ won by scores of 79-73, 78-74 and 76-76, and is now 14-0. Lewis, 247.8 lbs of Detroit, MI is 14-2-1.

“I’m happy I was able to get the decision, but I wasn’t happy with my performance at all,” said Fa. “If I had to give myself a grade, it would be an F. I fought with too much emotion the first few rounds and that threw me off a little bit.

“I was pretty surprised with the one judge who saw it even. I saw him getting tired but I was just flat tonight. I can learn a lot from this fight and where I went wrong and what not to do in my next fight.”

“I needed a little more time to train as my conditioning fell off a bit towards the end,” said the former National Golden Gloves gold medalist Lewis. “But overall, I was happy with my performance, I thought it was probably a draw.”

Ivan Baranchyk stopped former two-time world title challenger Petr Petrov in round eight of their scheduled 12-round IBF Junior Welterweight Elimination bout.

Baranchyk dropped Petrov with the 1st punch of the fight, which was a jab. Baranchyk dropped Petrov in round two from a combination, and at the end of round six with a big right. Baranchyk landed power punches throughout the fight, and the biut was stopped by referee Mark Nelson at 1:18 of round eight.

Baranchyk, 140 lbs of Brooklyn is now 17-0 with 11 knockouts. Petrov, 138.5 lbs of Madrid, Spaid is 39-6-2.

“I thought I fought a more controlled than in the past and something my new coach has been helping me with,” said Baranchyk, who is currently ranked No. 4 in the IBF 140-pound division. “I knew I had to keep punching to the body, punching to the body. And I did that well tonight.

“I was surprised they stopped the fight when they did. I felt like I won every round and controlled the fight. I knew I won the fight. It was a good fight for me.”

Hall of Fame manager Rafael Mendoza passed away at the age of 80, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

Mexico’s Mendoza, known as “La Cobra,” was elected to the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2015 and worked in the sport for more than 50 years. He managed or advised 26 world champions.

Among the fighters Mendoza worked with were Hall of Famers Miguel Canto, Humberto “Chiquita” Gonzalez, Daniel Zaragoza, Alexis Arguello and Pipino Cuevas. He also worked with other fighters who won world titles, including Gilberto Roman, Oscar Larios, Chango Carmona, Javier Jauregui and Canelo Alvarez before he became a star.

Mendoza also worked with many promoters through the years, including Top Rank, Golden Boy Promotions and Felix “Tutico” Zabala. He also had a close relationship with the WBC, which announced his death Thursday.

“He’s one of those guys that if you went to the average boxing fan they would not know him, but if you went to any boxing professional in the world, everybody knew Rafael Mendoza,” said promoter Lou DiBella, who was working as a vice president of HBO Sports programming the network’s fights when he met and became friends with Mendoza around 30 years ago. “He had an involvement with so many great fighters. He would virtually never have a contract with those guys. He operated with them on loyalty and it lasted years and years.

“He wasn’t a guy who would do 20 pages of legally drafted contracts. He did one-pagers and lived by his word. He was an old-school guy and he was genius at being able to identify boxing talent. He would always be able to give an incredibly intelligent view of how fights would play out. While he wasn’t 100 percent right about the result, he was usually right about the type of fight it would be.”

“When I was working at HBO, he was one of my greatest resources,” DiBella said. “He would come to my office, kick off his shoes and we would talk about boxing for hours. He was one of my resources and became my dear friend, a mentor and like a family member. He was incredibly funny and well spoken and colorful. He was like that last breed of characters. The sport of boxing lost a genius and another great character.”

“He was an amazing storyteller, a brilliant boxing mind and his boxing IQ was one of the highest I ever encountered of anyone,” DiBella said. “He was a legend. He worked with fighters and promoters around the world.”

Manny Pacquiao announced that he will fight on June 24th in Malaysia against possible Lucas Matthysse, but according to Dan Rafael of espn.com, promoter Bob Arum says no deal is in place.

“It’s already final I’m going to fight in Malaysia on June 24,” Pacquiao told the Manila Times. “It is against Matthysse. I’ll be ready for the preparation and it’s going to be 11 weeks.”

“For years we’ve had these proposals from people in the Mideast, whether it’s Abu Dhabi, or the Emirates, or Saudi Arabia, and we’re still waiting for the first deposit for the fight to happen. It didn’t, so now we’ve shifted our attention from the Mideast to the Far East and we’re looking for Malaysian money,” Arum said, laughing, because he has been down this road many times.

Eric Gomez, the president of Golden Boy Promotions, which represents Matthysse, told ESPN that Pacquiao adviser Michael Koncz had contacted him about a possible Pacquiao-Matthysse fight but that they have not made a deal yet.

“Michael Koncz reached out to me and all we did was talk and that’s all I can say,” Gomez said. “We’re interested in the fight. It’s very preliminary.”

“If the money comes up then I’ve agreed to sign on,” Arum said. “We would handle the logistics, we would handle the undercard and we would handle the television. All they have to do is say they got the $5 million of the $15 million. That makes it legit. [But] I’m not booking my flight [to Malaysia] yet.”

Arum had offered Pacquiao a fight with faded former junior welterweight titlist Mike Alvarado on April 14 at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas in the co-feature position on the card headlined by former undisputed junior welterweight world champion Terence Crawford’s move up to welterweight to challenge Jeff Horn for the title Horn controversially won by decision from Pacquiao in July.

Pacquiao, however, is said to have been stung by the offer of an undercard spot on a card headlined by a fighter most thought he defeated. Beyond that, Pacquiao has deep tax issues despite earning hundreds of millions of dollars that Arum said would keep him from fighting in the United States.

“He’s afraid whatever deal he makes with the IRS they’ll seize all the money so he can’t fight here,” Arum said. “We thought we could work it out with the IRS.”

“I like [Matthysse’s] aggressive fighting style,” Pacquiao said in announcing the fight. “That’s what I want, to entertain the boxing fans. Besides, Matthysse is not a dirty fighter and I highly respect him for that.”

By Norm Frauenheim-

LOS ANGELES — Anthony Joshua promoter Eddie Hearn is confident a Joshua-Deontay Wilder fight for the undisputed heavyweight title can happen in 2018 if Joshua beats challenger Joseph Parker on March 31.

Hearn talked about the Joshua-Wilder possibility Thursday after a news conference with his UK featherweight, Scott Quigg, for Saturday’s ESPN’s bout with WBO champion Oscar Valdez Jr. at StubHub Center in Carson, Calif.

“The Wilder fight is the one,’’ Hearn said. “It’s the biggest fight in world boxing.’’

Hearn said there is no uncertainty about whether Joshua-Wilder would happen. He called the fight “inevitable.’’ But there are still questions about when. First, Joshua, the IBF and WBA champion, has to beat Parker, the WBO champ, at the end of this month in Cardiff, Wales.

If Joshua — a prohibitive favorite – wins as expected, Hearn says he then will consider a couple options. Before Wilder retained the WBC version of the heavyweight title with a stoppage of Luis Ortiz Saturday, there had been talk about Joshua making U.S. debut against Jarrell “Big Baby” Miller in August.

“Options are that we go in August against someone and then Deontay Wilder, or straight on to Wilder,’’ said Hearn, who said the Showtime ratings (peak audience 1.2 million/average 1.1) for Wilder-Ortiz were good. “But if we do Wilder, it probably will be October, November December.’’

Felix Verdejo and Jose Pedraza have been added in separate bout to the March 17th event at The Theater at madison Square Garden, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

Verdejo (23-0, 15 KOs), a 2012 Olympian and the 2014 ESPN.com prospect of the year, will face Antonio Lozada Jr. (38-2, 32 KOs).

“I’m very happy to return to New York with the task of showing the world that I’m back to retake what is mine,” said Verdejo, 24, whose miserable 2017 included various injuries that knocked him out of a mandatory world title shot against then-lightweight titleholder Terry Flanagan. “I was hardened by the tough times we went through after Hurricane Maria, but like my people, I will rise again stronger than ever. March 17 will be the first step in that direction.”

Pedraza (22-1, 12 KOs), 28, a 2008 Olympian and former junior lightweight world titlist, will face Jose Luis Rodriguez (23-11-1, 13 KOs).

“I feel very happy to be fighting for a promotional company like Top Rank. They want to take my career to the next level, and part of that is fighting in venues like Madison Square Garden,” Pedraza said. “I’m going to give it my all so fans will enjoy my return to the ring. With Top Rank in my corner, I will become world champion once again, and I know that I have the potential to become a superstar.”

BROOKLYN–He had a few very tense moments, but Deontay Wilder showed guts and resolve to retain the WBC Heavyweight title with a 10th round stoppage over Luis Ortiz in front of 14,069 fans at Barclays Center.

After a slow start, Wilder landed a perfect right hand down the middle that rocked and eventually sent Ortiz to the canvas in round five.  After that, Ortiz took over as Wilder was bucked in round six.

In round seven, Wilder was inches away from having his title snatched as Ortiz battered a prone Wilder with hard straight lefts.  Wilder showed a terrific chin by absorbing as many as 10 blows that would have put most heavyweights on the deck.  Clearly tired in round eight, Wilder continued to land straight lefts but Ortiz’ punch output dropped.  In round nine, Wilder had more bounce in his step and got in a good right hand to close the frame.

In round 10, it was Wilder’s vaunted straight right that was planted on the face of Ortiz that dropped the challenger to the canvas.  Ortiz got up only to eat a handful of wicked punches that was capped off by a big right that sent Ortiz to the canvas for a 3rd and final time as referee David Fields stopped the bout at 2:05.

Wilder is now 40-0 with 39 knockouts.  Ortiz loses for the 1st time, and is now 28-1.

DEONTAY WILDER

“’King Kong’ ain’t got nothing on me!

“A true champion always finds a way to come back and that’s what I did tonight. Luis Ortiz is definitely a crafty guy. He put up a great fight. We knew we had to wear him down. I showed everyone I can take a punch.

“When he leaves tonight Ortiz can hold his head high. He gave the fans a hell of a fight.

“He was hitting me with those furious punches but they didn’t have sting on them. He was throwing combos that knocked me off balance. I just had to get my range back and my fundamentals back. And I was able to do that. I showed I was a true champion tonight.

“I just showed that I can punch on the inside as well, too. A lot of people don’t think I can punch on the inside, but I showed them. Now I can say there’s no man that stepped in the ring that I haven’t put on their ass.

“Luis Ortiz was one of those fighters that everyone ducked, even champions ducked him. I wondered why it took so long for him to get a title shot and now we know.

“I’m ready right now. I always said that I want to unify. I’m ready whenever those guys are. I am the baddest man on the planet and I proved that tonight. this solidified my position at the top of the food chain tonight.”

“It was a great fight. I had to earn this win. I knew Ortiz would be a great opponent with the skill set that he has. I wanted to prove to myself and to the world that I am the best.

“This is a fight I took with great risk so that I could prove to the world that I’m the best. We each put on a great performance and I think the fans were happy they were here. I always give the fans in Brooklyn a great fight.

“I wanted to burn him out. When you get a southpaw you know it’s going to take a little time. I didn’t want to rush in. I tried to set him up and it took a little longer than I wanted, but a true champion knows how to adjust.”

LUIS ORTIZ

“I feel fine. I did receive a right hand, but I’m OK.

“I was listening to the directions that my corner was giving me. In this sport, any punch can end a fight.

“In the ring anything can happen.”

“It was a great fight and I performed well. I thought I was up on the scorecard going in to the (tenth) round, but it’s heavyweight boxing and you never know what’s going to happen.

“I almost had him and I think I would’ve if there were a few more seconds in the round.

“I thought I was going to get a rhythm earlier. I thought I was winning the fight. This is heavyweight boxing and he caught me with a great shot. He’s a great champion.

“Wilder was definitely saved by the bell. I thought I had him out on his feet. But you have to give him credit, he weathered the storm.

“I just want to get back in the ring, hopefully earn a rematch and fight for one of the other titles.”

In a rematch, Jose Uzacategui won the Interim IBF Super Middleweight title with a 9th round stoppage over Andre Dirrell.

Uzcategui carried the action as he battered Dirrell with hard rights to the head body shots with both hands.  In round three, one of the body shots made an impression as Dirrell was dropped to his knees, but referee Ricky Gonzalez ruled it came after the bell.  Dirrell would try to mount a comeback, by landing a counter right from time to time, but Uzcategui was undeterred as he continue to mount hard pressure on Dirrell and land power shots.  Dirrell went back to the corner after round eight, and it seemed the fight would be stopped there.  It was just two seconds after the 9th round started before Dirrell had had enough, and the fight was over.

Uzcatergui, 166 lbs of Tijuana, MX is now 27-2 with 23 knockouts.  Dirrell, 167.8 lbs of Flint, MI is 26-3.

Patrick Day won a 10-round unanimous decision over Kyrone Davis in a super welterweight bout.

Day, 153.4 lbs of Freeport, NY won by scores of 98-92, 97-93 and 96-94, and is now 15-2-1.  Davis, 153.3 lbs of Wilmington, DE is 13-2.

Alicia Napoleon won the WBA Super Middleweight title with a 10-round unanimous decision over Franke Hermans.

Napoleon, 158.4 lbs of Lindenhurst, NY won by scores of 99-91 and 98-92 twice and is now 9-1. Hermans of Belgium is 6-1.

Gary Antuanne Russell stopped Keanen Freeman in round two of their scheduled six-round super lightweight bout.

In round one, Russell dropped Freeman with a straight left.  In round two, Russell continued to batter Freeman and the fight was stopped at 1:16.

Russell, 138 lbs of Washington, DC is 4-0 with 4 knockouts.  Freeman, 139.6 lbs of Aiken, SC is 4-1.

Sergiy Derevyanchenko battered Dashon Johnson over six round before the bout was halted in their scheduled eight-round middleweight bout.

Derevyanchenko, 164.2 lbs of Brooklyn is 12-0 with ten knockouts. Johnson, 164.8 lbs of Escondido, CA is 22-23-3.

Super Middleweight champion George Groves will seek a 2nd opinion on his injured shoulder to see when he can face Callum Smith in the finals of the World Boxing Super Series, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“Comosa AG has advised George Groves that Comosa AG will arrange a second medical opinion — as soon as reasonably possible — to ensure proper evaluation of George’s physical condition. A high level of medical scrutiny is in line with Comosa AG’s corporate policy, to respect the athlete’s health at all times, the World Boxing Super Series tournament rules and the principles of fair competition,” the company said in a statement.

“Comosa AG needs to protect the integrity of the athlete’s long-term health. It also has a responsibility to its partners and boxing fans around the globe to ensure a competitive final for the Muhammad Ali Trophy with two boxers that are fully fit. Once Comosa AG has received the full medical advice in regards to George Groves’ fitness it will then make the decision as to the date and location of the final. Comosa AG wishes George a complete and swift recovery and looks forward to him being able to take his place in the final of the Ali Trophy.”

Bantamweight champion Luis Nery missed weight for his rematch with Shinsuke Yamanaka, and will be stripped of his bantamweight title, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“This championship belt is for my newly born daughter in December, and I have to bring it back to her,” Yamanaka said this week.

IBF Welterweight champion Errol Spence, Jr. will take Carlos Ocampo after a purse bid was cancelled, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

Former junior lightweight world champion Jose Pedraza has signed with Top Rank, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com’

“He’s a good fighter and people that we are close to advised us that he was available, that (promoter) Lou DiBella’s contract was running out and we decided to step in and sign him,” Top Rank’s Bob Arum said. “He’s a good, competent fighter and he has a lot of skills. He had one bad fight. He’s looked pretty good in all of his other fights.”

“He had one terrible performance but his body of work is good,” Arum said. “There were other circumstance which we were told about and a lot of distractions going into that fight. He was fighting with Lou at the time and upset about his purse and that kind of stuff, so we chose to believe that his fight (against Davis) was not much of a commentary on his full body of work.”

“I feel very happy signing with such a great promotional company as Top Rank. I want to thank Bob Arum for giving me the opportunity of joining the Top Rank family, and for acknowledging that I have the ability and the potential to become a world champion once again,” Pedraza said. Pedraza (22-1, 12 KOs), 28, known as “The Sniper,” was a 2008 Puerto Rican Olympian though he did not turn pro until 2011.

“After a year of inactivity and a lot of struggles, it feels great to achieve something this big, because I know that good things are coming,” Pedraza said. “Signing with Top Rank means a lot to me because a lot of great Puerto Rican champions have fought under the Top Rank banner. I will be one more. I will become world champion once again, and I will be a champion for this great promotional company. The scope of ‘The Sniper’ is ready!”

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com. Tom Loeffler’s 360 Promotions announced a new series that will start on March.

360 Promotions outlined plans for a regular series at a media breakfast on Friday. The series, dubbed “Hollywood Fight Nights,” will take place on Tuesday nights every other month at the Avalon Hollywood, a theater in Hollywood, California, where Loeffler said he’ll set it up for about 800 fans.

“It’ll be a series like every other month, every two months we’ll do it,” Loeffler said. “Combined with our HBO dates, that will give us enough dates and slots to be able to sign young talent and bring them up to a point where they could get on premium cable television.”

The inaugural card will take place March 27 and will include the professional debut of highly touted amateur Brian Ceballo, a 23-year-old welterweight from Brooklyn, New York, who recently signed with Loeffler and Split-T Management.

Loeffler said that the Klitschko brothers and Golovkin were not interested in their companies signing many fighters because they wanted to focus on their own careers, though K2 Promotions represents unified cruiserweight titlist Oleksandr Usyk and undisputed women’s welterweight champion Cecilia Braekhus. But by founding 360 Promotions Loeffler said it “will enable me to sign other fighters now and develop their careers.”

“We’re working on the platform right now,” he said. “It looks like it will be on a streaming platform, but we have had interest [from] broadcast platforms. So we’ll see, naturally, whatever the best platform will be. The first fight card will be streamed.”

Josh Taylor will now face Winston Campos on March 3rd after Humberto Soto had to with draw due to a cut, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com

“It came as a bit of a shock, but these things happen in boxing,” said Taylor, a 2012 Olympian who did not turn pro until 2015. “I wish Humberto Soto all the best in his recovery, but now I’m 100 percent focused on defending my [regional] title against Winston Campos. I’d like to thank my team for finding a replacement at this late stage, and although Campos represents a different challenge, being a rangy southpaw, I’m very confident that I can put on a career-best performance next weekend at the SSE Hydro.”

“I’m delighted to get this opportunity,” Campos said. “I was in training for another fight when I got the call. I’m coming to Glasgow to shock the world. [Taylor] is talented, no doubt, but I’m cut from a different cloth. I’m from the streets of Managua! I have the style to give him nightmares, and I’m very confident that I can rip that [regional] title from him on March 3.”

PHOENIX – An old neighborhood got some of its punch back Saturday night.

Carlos Castro and Alexis “Beaver” Santiago put it there with a back–and-forth battle at Celebrity Theatre in front of a sellout crowd of 2,650 fans who exchanged chants at a rate that the Phoenix super-bantamweights traded punches.

In the chants — “Carlos, Carlos” then “Beaver, Beaver”, there were echoes of a time when a city’s boxing history was perhaps at its lively best. Neighborhoods would show up like rival tribes to cheer for their own. It happened in 1991 when Phoenix welterweight Cassius Clay Horne beat cross-town rival Eric Hernandez.

Seventeen years later, it happened all over again on a terrific card staged by Iron Boy Promotions. This time, Castro prevailed, winning when Santiago’s corner threw in the towel at 1:50 of the tenth round.

It was a moment to look back.

A moment to look forward.

With the victory, Castro’s record moved to a nice, noteworthy 20-0. That’s hard to ignore and Castro did everything thing he could to make sure that some better-known fighters wouldn’t. For the last couple of years, he has talked about fighting Diego De La Hoya.

“I’m ready for you,’’ a triumphant Castro said as he stood in the middle of the ring and called out De La Hoya. “Send me a contract.’’

It’s not clear whether De La Hoya can even make the weight, 122 pounds, any more. He failed in his last attempt in December. It’s also not clear whether De La Hoya has any real interest in facing Castro.

What was evident, however, is that Castro wants to test his skills and reputation at a level beyond the neighborhood. His promoter, Roberto Vargas, thinks Castro is ready to take that step up in class and attention. If not De La Hoya, then maybe contender Ronny Rios, Vargas said.

Above all, Vargas said, the 23-year-old Castro has begun to improve. To wit: He did to Santiago (21-6-1, 8 KOs) what nobody has done. Castro stopped the Mayweather Promotions fighter, adding a ninth KO to his own resume. Castro did it with versatility, agile footwork in the mid-rounds and some big right hands late.

There was some confusion at the stoppage. Santiago’s trainer stepped on to the ring apron once. He risked a disqualification in doing so. Nobody noticed and no towel was thrown. Seconds later, however, there was the towel, spinning in midair and onto the canvas. Santiago looked surprised, then angry. But the bruises on his face said his corner had done the right thing.

The fight was over and the old neighborhood belonged to Castro.

Best Of The Undercard

Lots of punches. Lots of energy. A whole lot of Phoenix featherweight Francisco De Vaca (18-0, 6 KOs) overwhelmed Christian Esquivel (30-2-1, 23 KOs).

With Oscar De La Hoya first pro trainer Robert Alcazar in his corner, De Vaca unleashed a withering succession of body punches that put Esquivel on to his knees, exhausted and beaten at 1:59 of the sixth round.

The Rest

It was back-and-forth. It was wild. It was bloody. Mostly, it was dramatic. In the end, it belonged Phoenix super-middleweight Eduardo Ayala (2-0), who wound up with a bloody nose and a unanimous division Lenny Correa, also of Phoenix.

Phoenix heavyweight Oswaldo Cortez (2-1) survived bludgeoning blows from 314-pound Dante Stone, a boxing version of the Round Mound of Rebound. Stone, of Chandler, Ariz., bounced off the canvas once, bounced off the ropes repeatedly, yet lost a unanimous decision to the more the more precise Cortez.

Joshua Greer (16-1-1, 7 KOs) of Chicago brought a pillow as prop to his corner and power in his hand to the ring. The power prevailed, stopping Basilio Nieves (15-6, 3 KOs) of southern California in a super-bantamweight bout.

Floridian James McGirt (24-3-1, 14 KOs), son of Buddy McGirt, made quick work of over-matched Mexican Gilberto Rubio (8-7, 6 KOs), putting him onto his knees and finishing him midway through the second round.

After 16 years away from the ring, Phoenix light-heavyweight Fidel Hernandez (18-4, 11 KOs) celebrated his comeback with a bruising unanimous decision over Cesar Barraza (3-1-1), also of Phoenix.