Jeff Horn made the 1st defense of his WBO Welterweight title with an 11th round stoppage over Gary Corocoran in Brisbane, Australia.

In round six, both guys were cut.  Horn from around the left eye, and Corcoran from around his right eye. In round 11, Horn stepped on the gas, and referee Benji Esteves stopped the fight at 1:35.

Horn of Brisbane is 18-0-1 with 12 knockouts.  Corcoran of Londan is 17-2.

Horn will now have a spring date with former two-division champion Terence Crawford.

NEW YORK, NY–The highly anticipated bout between Vasyl Lomachanko and Guillermo Rigondeaux did not live up to it’s lofty expectations as Lomachenko dominated the first six-rounds and subsequently Rigondeaux bowed out of the fight citing a left hand injury.

Lomachenko was the clear aggressor in the fight and befuddled Rigondeaux and had him on the defensive from the outside.  Rigondeaux was holding excessively and was docked a point in 6th round.  Rigindeaux claimed he had pin in his left wrist and called it a night before the 7th bell rang.

Lomachenko is now 10-1 with eight knockouts.  Rigindeaux is now 17-1.

Michael Conlan won a six-round unanimous decision over Luis Fernando Molina in a featherweight bout.

Conlan of Belfast, IRE won by scores of 60-54 and is now 5-0.  Molina of Pablo Podesta, ARG is 4-4-1.

Chri4stopher Diaz remained undefeated as he registered 4 knockdowns in under three rounds of their scheduled ten round junior lightweight bout.

Inound one, Diaz landed a booming right that sent Cruz to the canvas.  In round two, it was a right that sent Cruz to the canvas for a 2nd time.  Diaz followed up with a huge six punch combination that sent Cruz down at the end of the round.  Diaz opened up round four with a left hook that wobbled and sent Cruz down for a fourth time and the fight was stopped at 37 seconds.

Diaz of Barranquitas, PR is 22-0 with 14 knockouts.  Cruz of Port Chester, NY is 18-3.

2016 Olympic silver medal winner Shakur Stevenson stopped Oscar Mendoza in round two of their scheduled four-round featherweight fight.

Stevenson continuously landed hard left hands until referee Sparkle Lee ended the bout at 1:38.

Stevenson of Newark, NJ is 4-0 with 2 knockouts.  Mendoza of Santa Maria, CA is 4-3.

Mikaela Mayer remained undefeated with a four round majority decision over Nydia Feliciano in a featherweight bout.

Mayer of Los Angeles won by scores of 40-36 twice and 38-38,  and is now 3-0.  Feliciano of New York is 9-9-3.

Jose Gonzalez and Adan Gonzalez fought to a six-round majority draw in a featherweight bout.

Adan took a card 58-56 while two cards were at 57-57.

Jose Gonzalez of New York is 8-0-2. Adan Gonzalez of Denver is 3-1-2.

Bryant Jennings stopped Don Haynesworth in round three of their scheduled eight round heavyweight bout.

Jennings caught Haynesworth with a short clipping right that wobbled Haynesworth and the bout was stopped at 2:29.

Jennings of Philadelphia is mow 21-2 with 12 knockouts. Haynesworth of Greensboro, NC is 13-2-1.

Bryant Jennings stopped Don Haynesworth in round three of their scheduled eight round heavyweight bout.

Jennings caught Haynesworth with a short clipping right that wobbled Haynesworth and the bout was stopped at 2:29.

Jennings of Philadelphia is mow 21-2 with 12 knockouts. Haynesworth of Greensboro, NC is 13-2-1.

Former Champion Jean Pascal 32-5-1(19) fought the last fight of his career in dramatic fashion on Premier Boxing Championships at Hialeah Park Racing and Casino in Hialeah, Florida. Facing young and hungry knockout artist Ahmed Elbiali 16-1(13KO) Pascal got off to a slow start as usual and got crushed with a big shot early but with flashes of his youth the Haitian born Pascal outboxed the hungry Egyptian often landing crushing overhand rights and left hook counters. Elbiali kept his attack however grew visibly frustrated, worn and tired as the fight wore on. Pascal who makes his home in Canada announced earlier in the week this would be the last fight of his career and as promised, he made it memorable. For Elbiali he is young strong and has a great future, he will be back.

With WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder sitting ringside in the broadcast booth Luis King Kong Ortiz 28-0 (24KO) demolished canary in the coalmine opponent Daniel Martz 16-6-1 (13 KO) knocking him down twice finally with a crushing left hand in round one. Once easily dispensing Martz Ortiz looked through the ropes and challenged Wilder. The two heavyweights were to fight at the Barclays Center in early November until the WBC refused to sanction the when Ortiz tested positive for two banned diuretics. Team Ortiz claimed the medication to be for high blood pressure. The WBC has since cleared the Cuban, however Wilder has not stating they two will meet. The WBC Champion got into the ring and went face to face with Ortiz on Camera.

Bryant “Goodfella” Perrella knocked Alex Martin down in the first round with a perfectly timed right hook and followed up with a near shutout from that point on. Southpaw Perrella fighting out of Fort Myers, FL used excellent effective aggression and sharp shots and kept his fellow southpaw retreating with counter punches. Hardpunching Perrella improves to 15-1(13KO) while Chicago’s Martin falls to 13-3(5KO). The cards read 79-72, 77-74 with Goodfella Perrella winning a unanimous decision..

The first televised fight of Premier Boxing Champions on FS1 was a great battle of unbeaten prospects. Hot Philadelphia prospect and former Golden Gloves Champion Stephen Fulton 12-0(5KO) kept his unbeaten record in tact with a hard-earned battle with Glendale California’s Adam Lopez 9-1 (3KO) . Lopez was the aggressor throughout the bout of pugilistic ebb and flows but it was Fulton who did a great job of counter punching off of his back foot and winning inside exchanges. Lopez took an early lead but Fulton won the judges cards with a majority decision win, with the cards reading 76-76 78-74 77-75.

On Sat, Dec 9, 2017 at 1:24 PM Marc Abrams wrote:
did we get full results?

Virus-free. www.avast.com

On Fri, Dec 8, 2017 at 9:03 PM, Johnny Schulz wrote:

———- Forwarded message ———
From: Johnny Schulz
Date: Fri, Dec 8, 2017 at 8:19 PM
Subject:
To: Marc Abrams 15rounds.com , Marc Abrams 15rounds.com

Early Results from Hialeah Park in Florida: PBC on FS1

Johnny Schulz Ringside

Premier Boxing Championships at Hialeah Park Racing and Casino in Hialeah, Florida got off to a brutal start with a string of knockouts and a war.

Kazakhstanian 2 time Bronze medalist Ivan Dychko made quick work of veteran Carlos Sandoval 10-15-1 with a TKO win at 2:22 of round one improving to 3-0(3KO)

Lightweight Joshua Zunia 9-0(4KO) won the battle of unbeaten with a fourth-round TKO. Raynell WIlliams 12-1(6KO) tasted defeat for the first time as a pro with the end coming at 2:00 of round 4.

Cuban welterweight Livan Navarro 7-0 (5KO) remained perfect and took Willie Jones 5-1(2KO) unbeaten record with a quick first-round TKO.

Seemjay Thomas 8-1(5KO) stalked Charles Mulindwa 12-6-1(5KO) from the opening bell and landed strong shots on the tall Uganda native Mulindwa who rose from one knockdown. The second time Thomas dispensed him on the canvas he got up with the shaky leg dance. Thomas gets the KO win, round 1!

Eduardo Perez Diaz 5-0(4KO) kept his unbeaten record intact as he fought off hard-charging bleeding southpaw Noe Lozano 2-2. In a spirited brutal chess match where a clash of heads opened a deep cut on Lozano in round one, Diaz did not enough to take the warrior out early.

Casey Ramos bowed out of his bout with Christopher Diaz this Saturday night at The Theater at Madison Square Garden, and he will be replaced by Bryant Cruz as part of the Vasyl Lomachenko – Guillermo Rigondeaux undercard, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

Carl Moretti said he was not sure why Ramos (24-1, 6 KOs), 28, of Austin, Texas, pulled out of the fight. “We have not been presented with a reasonable or logical reason why Ramos is out,” Moretti said. “I just know he is not getting on a plane to come to New York for the fight, and he’s out. (Top Rank matchmaker) Brad (Goodman) did all the work to get the new fight done quickly.”

“Considering Cruz is coming off a win only three weeks ago and he’s still in shape — and he didn’t hesitate to take the fight with Diaz — we expect a highly competitive fight on Saturday night,” Moretti said.

After the success of last September’s Superfly card, a squeal card is being planned for February 24th in Los Angeles that will feature Srisaket Sor Rungvisai taking on Juan Francisco Estrada for the WBC belt, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“It’s very exciting to announce the main event for the second installment of our ‘Superfly’ series,” promoter Tom Loeffler said, adding that the HBO telecast also will include two other bouts in the loaded 115-pound weight class. “With the tremendous response from fans and media from our first event and overwhelming anticipation to our second, we join boxing fans in saying that we can’t wait until Feb. 24 at The Fabulous Forum.”

“The super flyweight division is the deepest division in the world at the moment,” Sor Rungvisai said. “I have great respect to Tom Loeffler and HBO for making ‘Superfly’ so successful, and ‘Superfly 2’ will continue to deliver. We have so many great fighters in the super flyweight division, and it is exciting for me because there are many world-class opponents that can make terrific fights.

“Juan Francisco Estrada is definitely among the top-class fighters in our division. When someone is a former unified champion that moved up without losing his titles, you know he is a world-class fighter in his prime. However, I am confident that I will be successful in this fight because I will be at my best on fight night again. We will give the fans an incredible fight and I plan on another impressive win. I would like to invite all Thais in the United States, especially those in Los Angeles, to attend my fight. Together our Thai hearts will beat and our Thai blood will be pumped with pride and excitement.”

“Srisaket Sor Rungvisai had a remarkable year in 2017, upsetting ‘Chocolatito’ and defeating him again in his first defense at our first ‘Superfly’ event,” Loeffler said. “Juan Francisco Estrada won a terrific fight against Carlos Cuadras on Sept. 9 at the StubHub Center and is very anxious to challenge for a world title against Sor Rungvisai.”

“I am very excited about facing Sor Rungvisai,” Estrada said. “He will be a difficult challenge, as he defeated Roman ‘Chocolatito’ Gonzalez twice in a row with a vicious KO in their last fight. Sor Rungvisai is a very tough and skilled boxer, so I will have to prepare very well to be ready to challenge him for his belt.”

The other bouts on the card have not been finalized, but Loeffler said Gonzalez will not be part of the show. However, Japanese star Naoya “Monster” Inoue (14-0, 12 KOs), 24, who made an impressive debut in the United States by knocking out Antonio Nieves in the sixth round to retain his 115-pound belt on the “Superfly” card, will be back to face an opponent to be determined, as long as he comes through a title defense against France’s Yoan Boyeaux (41-4, 26 KOs) on Dec. 30 in Yokohama, Japan.

Loeffler said other fighters who could appear on “Superfly 2” include Mexico’s Cuadras (36-2-1, 27 KOs) and world titleholder Khalid Yafai (23-0, 14 KOs) of England.

NEW YORK–Sadam Ali scored the biggest win of his career as he won the WBO Super Welterweight world title by taking a 12-round unanimous decision over Miguel Cotto in front of 12,391 fans at Madison Square Garden in a bout that Cotto announced would be his last.

The bout was an exciting fight as Ali came out looking to land power punches. He did so in round two by rocking the legendary fighter from Puerto Rico with a left hook in round two that made Cotto’s legs buckle. Cotto got himself together and was effective in the middle rounds by applying pressure and working his left hook.

With the momentum in Cotto’s favor, Ali started stemming the tide, and rocked Cotto several more times over the last three rounds. At the end of round eleven, Ali landed a perfect left hook that sent the mouthpiece of Cotto flying out of his mouth. Ali took the final stanza by landing some quick combinations, and won by scores of 116-112 and 115-113 twice.

Ali, 153 lbs of Brooklyn, NY is now 26-1. Cotto, 151.6 lbs end his illustrious career with a record of 41-6.

“I worked hard for it.” Said Sadam Ali. “I took advantage of this fight, and I made sure to make it count. I want to Thank God, and also thank team Cotto, They could have taken an easier fight if they wanted too. ”

“I had him hurt here or there in the first couple of rounds. I knew I had to do something, or he would have dug in. By the 11th, I thought the fight was close. Whatever GBP has next, I’ll take it. Good things happen to good people. I have been training since I was 8 years old, and I am glad I got this win at MSG, in my hometow

“Feeling good. Feeling good with the performance. Something happened to my left bicep, seventh round. I don’t want to make excuses, Sadam won the fight. It is my last fight. I am good, and I want to be happy in my home with my family.

“Thank you for all the fans, I am proud to call MSG my second home. I had the opportunity to provide the best for my family because of the sport.”

Rey Vargas defended the WBC Super Bantamweight title with a 12-round unanimous decision over Oscar Negrete in a battle of undefeated fighters.

Vargas dominated the action by using he height and advantage and he featured some vicious body punching.

In round seven, Vargas suffered a cut over his right eye.  In round eight, it was the left eye that started to bleed on Vargas.

Vargas, 121.4 lbs of Mexico City won by scores of 120-108 and 119-109 twice to raise his perfect mark to 21-0.  Negrete, 121.2 lbs of Los Angeles is 17-1.

“I am glad that we got the win, and I continue being unbeaten with my belt,” said Rey Vargas. “It was difficult finding my rhythm at the beginning of the fight, and the cuts did not help. I have the humility to say that I made my share of mistakes, but I feel that Negrete fought very dirty, and was not a very good boxer.”

Angel Acosta won the WBO  Junior Flyweight title with a 10th round stoppage over Juan Alejo.

Acosta landed a big right that dropped Alejo in the 10th frame and the fight was stopeed at 1:33.

Alejo, 108 lbs of San Juan, PR is now 17-1 with 17 knockouts.  Alejo, 107.8 lbs of Nuevo Leon, MX is 25-5-1.

“It’s taken me 5 years to get here, and I’m cherishing this moment for me and for Puerto Rico,” said Acosta. “I’ve learned a lot since my last fight for a world title against Kosei Tanaka, and this fight proves that I learned and fixed all I needed to win a world championship. My next steps will be up to my promoters, but I know I am in good hands.”

Former world title challenger Ronny Rios took a ten round unanimous decision over Deivis Julio in a featherweight bout.

Rios, 125.2 lbs of Santa Ana, CA won by scores of 100-90, 99-91 and 97-93, and is now 29-2.  Julio, 125.8 lbs of Monteria, COL is 19-4.

“It was an ugly win, but we got to accomplish it on the undercard of Miguel Cotto,” said Ronny Rios. “He was a southpaw, with an awkward style. He was also a veteran, so he had his little tricks. Overall, this was a huge motivation, and I’m just glad to get back in my groove.”

Zachary Ochoa won a six-round unanimous decision over Erick Martinez in a welterweight bout.

Ochoa, 144.4 lbs of Brooklyn won by shutout margins of 60-54 on all cards and is now 18-1. Martinez, 145 lbs of Tijuana, MX is 14-10-1.

“This puts me in a great spot in my career,” said Zacary Ochoa. “I was shaking off a lot of dust since I haven’t been able to fight consistently, but this proves to me that I’m still worthy of the sport. I still have work to do, but when I was able to land my shots I was able to connect them crisp and effectively. I hope that I’ll be able to fight a lot more this year.”

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, the test results of the HIV-Positive fighter that competed in Arkansas on November 11th were falsified.

“Since ADH sent [ESPN] a statement [on Monday about the incident], we have learned that the HIV test results submitted to the Arkansas Athletic Commission were falsified,” Meg Mirivel, the public information officer for the ADH, told ESPN.

“The investigation into this issue is ongoing,” Mirivel said. “The ADH is beginning to contact and provide follow-up testing to anyone in contact with the fighter. In addition, we will be working with the Arkansas Athletic Commission to change regulations to require bloodwork for every fighter in Arkansas going forward.”

The fighter had been scheduled to box on a July card in Florida, the matchmaker who made the fight told ESPN, requesting that his name not be used to protect his business interests. As part of the licensing process, the matchmaker sent the fighter for a blood test as is required in Florida. He said it came back HIV positive.

ADVERTISEMENT

“I went ahead and retested him again to make sure that the test wasn’t a false positive,” the matchmaker said. “And the test came back positive the second time. The kid was in denial, and he had made a statement that he would fight in Arkansas because of their lax medical requirements. Because of the fighter’s statement, I felt what he was going to attempt to do, with knowledge, [was] a criminal act. Therefore, I notified Frank Gentile with the Florida commission about the fighter’s lab results.

“The kid has been taking medications since then, so it is plausible that if he got tested [in Arkansas] the result could come back negative due to him taking the medication, which suppresses the virus.”

Mirivel said that after ESPN’s story ran Monday afternoon, the ADH reviewed the test results given to the commission. She said it was apparent upon review that the test results were fashioned from two different results — an older negative test result on the same paper with a more recent date, “and they made it look like a current [negative] result.” She added, “We were informed [by Mazzulli] that there might be a potentially HIV-positive fighter on the card, so we asked for test results from all the boxers. It’s not something in the commission rules and regulations. They provided us with their own results. We’re trying to make sure that doesn’t happen again. We are definitely looking into how to prevent that.”

According to attorney Patrick English, who has decades of experience in boxing and has dealt with falsified test results, if the fighter “forged the test, which is possible, then he is chargeable with forgery, and in Arkansas that is a Class C felony punishable by up to 10 years in jail and up to a $10,000 fine.”

“If he had somebody else take the test for him, then that wouldn’t apply, but it would be obstruction of governmental functions, which is also a punishable by up to 10 years in jail and up to a $10,000 fine,” English said.

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, the state of Arkansas let an HIV-Positive fighter compete in a bout on November 11th.

ABC president Mike Mazzulli told ESPN on Monday that he called the health department in Arkansas, which is involved in overseeing medical exams for boxers in the state, to inform the state of about the fighter’s HIV-positive status.

“I personally called a representative of the health department and informed them of the concerns related to them having a fighter on a card with HIV,” said Mazzulli, adding he knows the identity of the fighter, but did not want to make it public in order to protect the person’s medical privacy. “They said to me, ‘The fighters on the card will be tested.’ My assumption was that they were not tested because the individual fought. This individual is suspended in Florida because of a positive HIV test and it was submitted to [official boxing record-keeper] Fight Fax, our federal registry, which is required by federal law.”

“The Department asked for and acquired blood work prior to the fight for all fighters on the card that evening. All fighters provided test results that indicated all tested negative for HIV,” Robert Brech, general counsel for the Arkansas Department of Health, told ESPN in an email. “The matter is under further investigation at this time.”

“If Arkansas had checked the suspension list, this individual would not have fought because this individual was suspended in Florida,” Mazzulli said. “On the Fight Fax it states, ‘Fighter is suspended, please contact Florida commission.’ If they followed proper protocol the fighter would not have been able to fight in Arkansas even if the fighter was tested, because our national registry states he was on suspension. The suspension can only be removed by Florida.”

according to the Arkansas regulations ‘a positive test for the presence of infectious diseases shall result in an immediate suspension of the licensee’s license.’ Thus under the regulations, since Arkansas had actual knowledge of the HIV positive result, the fighter should not have been allowed to engage in a bout and his license should have been suspended.”

Mazzulli posed a few questions in his letter that he said Arkansas officials have not answered:

• Why was an HIV positive fighter allowed to compete?

• Were the opponent, referee and cornermen informed so they could make an informed choice as to whether to participate in the event? Have they been informed to date?

• Was the physician who cleared the boxer to fight informed of his HIV-positive status?

• Did the fighter lie on his license application? (A secondary question, as the commission reportedly had actual knowledge of his tests from Florida.)

“This is one of the most flagrant health and safety violations and may be even a violation of Arkansas’ statute regarding immunodeficiency,” Mazzulli wrote. “This situation is one of the most serious we have seen in many years, and hence we feel compelled to bring this matter to your attention. … Please allow the ABC to assist Arkansas in insuring such a violation does not ever happen again.”

The Super Middleweight world title bout between Tyron Zeuge and Isaac Ekpo has been postponed until 2018, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

Team Sauerland promoter Kalle Sauerland, who promotes Zeuge, told ESPN on Sunday that the fight was postponed “due to Zeuge being ill. Rescheduling to March, hopefully.” The rest of the card will go on as planned with the original 10-round co-feature of heavyweight up-and-comer Otto Wallin (18-0, 12 KOs), 27, of Sweden, taking on Gabriel Enguema (8-3, 5 KOs), 33, of Spain, moving into the main event position.

NEW YORK CITY –Sergey Kovalev (31-2-1, 27 KO) returned to pre-Andre Ward fight form and captured the WBO world light heavyweight title, blasting through Vyacheslav Shabranskyy (19-2, 16 KO), sending him to the canvas three times inside two rounds en route to a TKO victory.

After a brief “feeling-out” period, where Kovalev was momentarily backed up by a Shabranskyy jab, the 34 year-old Russian marched forward, uncorking massive right hands that seemingly landed at will.  It was midway through the first when a “Krusher” right landed flush on the side of Shabranskyy’s head and sent him down to the mat for the first time.

Upon beating the count, Kovalev greeted his 30 year-old Ukrainian counterpart with more haymakers and eventually connected with an even bigger right that collapsed Shabranskyy to the mat again.  The “Lionheart” beat referee Harvey Dock’s ten count and was able to survive the round.

In the second round, Kovalev picked up right where he left off, fighting as ruthless and relentless as ever, plodding forward and unloading vicious bombs that continually connected with an alarming success rate.

 A left-right-left combo midway through the second sent Shabranskyy down for the third time.  Again, Shabranskyy beat the ten-count, but this time he stood on extremely unsteady legs.  Kovalev continued to wail on an absent Shabranskyy until referee Harvey Dock stepped between the two combatants and called a half to the bout at the 2:36 mark of round two.

It was Kovalev’s first performance since dropping two straight fights to Andre Ward, both controversial in their own right.  In their first meeting, Ward scored a split decision victory, despite hitting the canvas in the second round.  In their rematch, referee Tony Weeks controversially waved off the match in the eighth round after a series of borderline low-blow body shots hurt the 34 year-old Russian and left him defenseless.

 Tonight also marked Kovalev’s first fight working with head trainer, Abror Tursunpulatov.  Previously, Kovalev had been working with John David Jackson.  Rumors of a fractured relationship between Kovalev and Jackson began to swirl between the first and second Ward fights, and in October, the inevitable parting of ways become official when Kovalev formally announced Tursunpulatov as his new coach.

 Prior to tonight’s devastating loss, Shabranskyy was having himself a solid 2017, scoring back to back stoppage wins over Larry Pryor and Todd Unthank May, respectively.  Those wins were enough to land him his first title shot tonight against Kovalev.

 Shabranskyy’s only other loss came courtesy of Sullivan Barrera in December 2016.

 Barrera, who scored a unanimous decision victory earlier in the night against Dominican, Felix Valera, is certainly a candidate to fight for Kovalev’s title in the near future.

 “It’s my goal to be the best in the division,” Kovalev said afterward.  “Here tonight was great boxing for me and I love boxing and I want to make great fights.

Bombs Away — Barrera Scores UD Win Over Valera

Sullivan Barrera (21-1, 14 KO) out-slugged and earned a ten round unanimous decision victory over Felix Valera (15-2, 13 KO) in a light heavyweight contest marred by low-blows.

 There were fireworks from the opening bell and midway through the bout’s first round, the free swinging Dominican, Valera, caught his Cuban counterpart with a monster left hook that sent Barrera down the canvas.  The 35 year-old Barrera was able to shake the knockdown and score one of his own later in the round right as the bell sounded, when a glancing Barrera shot sent an off-balance Valera to the mat.

 The first of four point deductions administered by referee Mike Ortega, Jr. for low blows came in the second round when Valera nailed Barrera below the waistline for the second time.  Valera would also be deducted a point in the sixth and eighth rounds.  Barrera was deducted a point for low blows in the ninth.

 It was a bombs away type affair, with both fighters swinging wildly at times, knowing that they possessed the power to end the fight with one punch.  But time and time again, however, it was Barrera who landed the more meaningful, significant shots.

In an attempt to rattle Barrera flamboyant Valera tried anything he could to disrupt the always-composed Cuban.  The 29 year-old Dominican flailed his arms wildly, stuck his tongue out at Barrera, and even jumped up and down — all to no avail.

 At the end of ten, all judges scored the bout widely for Barrera.  Don Ackerman had it 98-88, Tom Schreck 97-89, and Glenn Feldman 97-90.

 It was another solid win for Barrera, whose only defeat came at the hands of Andre Ward in March 2016.  Barrera last fought in July against Joe Smith, Jr., where much like tonight, he rose off the canvas to score a unanimous decision victory.

 For the durable Valera, it was his second professional defeat, the other coming courtesy of undefeated superstar, Dmitry Bivol.

Gamboa Earns Controversial Decision Over Sosa

Yuriorkis Gamboa (28-2, 17 KO) scored a controversial ten round majority decision victory against Jason Sosa (20-3-4, 15 KO) in what many viewed as a make or break fight for the former three-division world champion.

It was clear early on that the 35 year-old former Olympic Gold Medalist’s gameplan was to stick-and-move, get-in and get-out.  Conversely, Sosa’s plan was to plod forward, apply as much pressure as he could, while landing the bigger, more significant power punches.

After a first round where both fighters staked their flag, Sosa unloaded a looping right that caught Gamboa on the button as the second round drew to a close.  Any Sosa attempt to throw follow up shots were quickly squandered by the dinging of the bell.

Gamboa got right back to work in the middle rounds, however, staying true to his stick-and-move gameplan, landing a few shots, then slipping most of Sosa’s return-fire.

Sosa began to swing the momentum back his way in the sixth, and in the seventh, a Sosa left hook clipped an off-balance Gamboa whose gloved fist made contact with the canvas.  Referee Ron Lipton immediately ruled a knockdown.

The final three rounds saw good action, with Sosa coming forward, and Gamboa trying to hit and move.

In the tenth round, referee Ron Lipton controversially deducted a point from Gamboa for holding.

At the conclusion of ten, judge Robin Taylor scored the contest even, 94-94.  She was overruled by judges John McKaie and Don Trella, who scored the bout 95-93 and 96-92, respectively.  15rounds.com scored the fight 95-94 for Gamboa.

Sosa was initially slated to face Robinson Castellanos (24-13, 14 KO), who scored an upset TKO win against Gamboa in May.  However, an injury earlier this month forced the Mexican to withdraw, and Gamboa was called in as a late replacement.

The win makes it two straight for “El Ciclon” since suffering that shocking defeat to Castellanos.

For Sosa, the tough-luck loss his is second in a row, the other coming back in April courtesy of Vasily Lomachenko.

 “It was a good fight.  I didn’t have enough time to train.  I only had three weeks.  I didn’t have time to get ready.  I needed 2 or 3 more weeks to lose the weight correctly,” Gamboa said afterward.

 He continued, “Of course the decision was good.  I think won every round.  Except for the knockdown and the point deduction.”

 Sosa also spoke afterward, saying, “I was a fun fight.  I took some breaks but I thought I did enough to win. I know I did enough to win the fight.”

Murtazaliev Destroys Galvan In 5, Wins IBA Super Welterweight Title

Bakhram Murtazaliev (11-0, 9 KO) methodically broke down Carlos Galvan (16-6-1, 15 KO) before closing the show in spectacular fashion in the fifth round of a super welterweight contest slated for ten.

 The heavy-handed Russian, who operates under the tutelage of Sergey Kovalev’s new trainer, Abror Tursunpulatov, stalked his Colombian counterpart round after round.  Like waves on a shore, Murtazaliev kept coming forward, forcing Galvan to fight going backwards, something he was clearly uncomfortable doing.

 After four rounds of systematically crushing Galvan’s will, the 24 year-old Russian broke through in the fifth, sending Galvan to the mat with a vicious one-two.  About a minute later, Murtazaliev finished off his wounded foe with a thundering left hook to the liver that put Galvan on the mat for good.  Referee Ricky Gonzalez opted not to administer a ten-count and instead, called a stop to the contest at the 1:31 mark of round five.

It was the fourth stoppage defeat in six overall losses for Galvan.  It was also his fourth time fighting in the United States, and his fourth loss.

Galarza Grabs UD Win In Return To Ring

 Brooklyn’s Frank Galarza (18-2-2, 11 KO) returned to the ring after a fourteen month layoff and scored a unanimous decision win over Chicago’s Jamie Herrera (15-5-1, 8 KO) in an eight round super welterweight contest.

 The victory was hard-earned and well-deserved for Galarza, who had dropped his previous two contests — a TKO loss to Jarrett Hurd and a majority decision loss to veteran Ishe Smith, a fight that saw Galarza hit the canvas in the second round.

 It was a gutsy affair between two veteran prizefighters who each were coming off lengthy layoffs.  For Galarza, who in July inked a new promotional deal with Main Events, the fight marked just his second fight in the last twenty-four months, and the first since September 2016.  For the Mexican-American Herrera, it was just his first fight since November 2016, when he suffered UD loss to Taras Shelestyuk.

The fight was a back and forth contest, with a predictable, but entertaining ebb and flow.  Round after round, both fighters willingly engaged, eating a few shots before landing their own.  But while both fighters enjoyed success over the duration of the contest, it was the 33 year-old Galarza who punches landed cleaner and with more frequency.

In the fifth round, a Galarza right hand opened up a cut over his 28 year-old counterparts left eye.  In the seventh, a booming right to the body by Galarza hurt Herrera, hunching him forward where he was met with a flurry of Galarza lefts and rights until Herrera was able to weather the storm.

The Chicagoan’s high-pressure style was both a blessing and a curse for him in that it seemed to slowly wear down Galarza, but also left him vulnerable to Galarza stick-and-move pot-shots as he tried to work his way inside his reach.  
At the end of eight rounds, all three judges scored the contest for Galarza.  Robin Taylor scored it a shutout 80-72, while referees John McKaie and Allen Nace saw it 78-74 and 79-73, respectively.

 “I feel good after a 14 month layoff, shaking off some ring rust. I’m so grateful for Main Events to put me on their card,” Galarza remarked afterward.

He continued, “Hopefully I’ll be back in the Garden soon. It felt great, it was where I belong. It felt right. Not many places you can call home, but this is one for me.”

 Galarza also acknowledged his legion of fans in the crowd tonight.  “I’m grateful for my supporters, for people who waited it out for me,” he said.  “As a Brooklyn native, a person from New York who’s been around, they support me and that’s the best thing.”

Nursultanov Stays Perfect, Hands Moon First Loss Inside Two

 In a battle that pitted two undefeated middleweights against one another, Kazakhstan’s Meiirim Nursultanov (5-0, 4 KO) made quick work of Marietta, Georgia’s Eric Moon (7-1, 6 KO), stopping him inside two rounds.

 It was all Nursultanov from start to finish, as he pressured and battered Moon from the opening bell.  Midway through the second, Nursultanov pinned Moon against the ropes and wailed away, mixing shots to the body and head.  At the 1:54 mark of the second round, referee Ricky Gonzalez decided Moon had eaten too many uncontested shots and called a halt to the contest.

 The win makes it four kayos in five professional fights for the Egis Klimas managed, Main Events promoted, Nursultanov.

Thunder In His Hands, LeShawn Rodriguez Stops Duarte In 3

 In a middleweight contest slated for six, former New York Golden Gloves Champion and 2016 US Olympic alternate “Lightning” LeShawn Rodriguez (8-0, 7 KO) powered his way past Sao Paolo’s Brazil’s Alex Duarte (13-3-1, 10 KO) en route to a third round KO victory.

It was an impressive display of patience, prowess, and power from the 24 year-old New York native, who balanced his attack, working to both the head and body of his 37 year-old counterpart.

Midway through the second, Rodriguez ripped a left to the body that put Duarte on his knees.  The Brazilian beat Steve Smoger’s ten count and was able to survive the round.

In the third however, a Rodriguez left-right combo to the body and head, sent Duarte to the canvas for good, where he was unable to beat Smogers count.  The official time of stoppage was the 1:48 mark of round three.

It was Duarte’s third loss of his career, all of which have come via stoppage.

“It feels good always to win, but to win by knockout is better, sensational, spectacular,” Rodriguez said afterward.  “I felt at home. A lot of people came out to see me. This is the first time I’ve fought in New York since I turned pro.”

Gogokhia Stays Perfect, Decisions Abreau

 Enriko Gogokhia remained perfect (7-0, 3 KO) with a unanimous decision win over Jose Antonio Abreau (13-3, 8 KO) in a six round welterweight contest.

Action picked up toward the end of the second round when the southpaw, Gogokhia, floored his Dominican counterpart.  The 29 year-old Abrea beat the ten count and was immediately met with a barrage of punches as the round drew to a close.

In the next few rounds, the Egis Klimas managed Gogokhia, pressed his foot on the gas and forced the action, continually getting the better of the boxer’s exchanges.

In the end, all three judges scored it widely for the 26 year-old Georgian native, Gogokhia.  Scores were 60-53 and 59-54, twice.  The judges’ decision resulted in Abreau’s third career loss, all of which have been on US soil.

 “It was a good fight, good opponent with a good record,” Gogokhia said afterward.  “It was harder because the opponent was ready and he also wanted to win. I was just getting started by the last round. Still, a victory is a victory.”

Villareal Kicks Off Pro Campaign With Win

The undercard of Sergey Kovalev vs. Vyacheslav Shabranskyy kicked off with the successful debut of former two-time New York Golden Gloves champion, Ismael Villareal (1-0).  The former amatuer standout scored a unimous decision victory over Race Sawyer (0-5) in a four round super welterweight contest.

Villareal, who fights out of John’s Gym in the Bronx is trained by his father, former welterweight Otilio Villareal, who over his 32 bout pro career, shared the ring with the likes of Zab Judah, Kermit Cintron, and Hector Camacho.

Villareal controlled the contest bell to bell, bruising and battering Utah’s Sawyer with head snapping blows.  The 21 year old Bronx debutant would have benefitted by putting in more work to his foe’s body, but that was not on the agenda tonight.

All in all, Villareal won’t have too much to complain about tonight.  The Ecuadorian-American pitched a shutout on all three judges scorecards. Don Trella had it 40-35, and John McKaie and Robin Taylor scored it 40-36.

 After the contest, Villareal did speak about having some debut butterflies.

 “It totally felt different than the amateurs,” he said. “There were so many more people looking at me. I was trying to look good, I was focused on the knockout because it was my very first professional fight.

“I learned I have to work harder and be careful not to get hit.”

The World Boxing Super Series bout between George Groves and Chris Eubank, Jr. will takes place on February 17th in Manchester, England, According to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

Thomas LaManna took home a ten round unanimous decision over rugged Samuel Amoako in the headline bout of an eight bout card at The Claridge Hotel in Atlantic City.

The victory earned LaManna the LBF Intercontinental title.

LaManna worked behind a strong jab and constantly had Amoako in a defensive mindset. LaManna kept up what was working for him as he used a stiff jab to set up hard body shots. LaManna out on continuous pressure for which Amoako had no answer for.

LaManna, 147 lbs of Millville, NJ won on all cards by the shutout margin of 100-90 and is now 25-2. Amoako of Silver Spring, MD via Ghana is 23-17.

Jorge Diaz got off the deck to take home a eight-round unanimous decision over Adam Lopez and capture the WBC Fecarbox Super Bantamweight title.

In round two, Lopez dropped Diaz with a short right hand. Diaz gathered himself and began countering well and taking rounds. It was a close and competitive fight down the stretch with Diaz taking all cards by 76-75 tallies.

Diaz, 121.4 lbs of New Brunswick, NJ is now 19-5-1. Lopez, 121.4 lbs of San Antonio, TX is 16-2-2.

Yurik Mamedov won a workmanlike six-round unanimous decision over Vincent Floyd in a welterweight bout.

Mamedov, 146.7 lbs of Brooklyn, N y won by scores of 60-54 and 59-55 twice to remain perfect at 8-0. Floyd, 146.3 lbs of Philadelphia drops to 3-4-1.

Alvin Varmall destroyed Nicholas Lavin 97 seconds into their scheduled six-round cruiserweight bout.

Varmall jumped all over Lavin, and finally put him down for the ten-count.

Varmall, 183 lbs of La Place, LA is now 14-0-1 with 12 knockouts. Lavin, 192 lbs

Tomas Romain made it two straight over Sidell Blocker by winning a unanimous decision in a six-round

In round six, Blocker began to leak blood from his right nostril.

Romain, 131.4 lbs of Brooklyn, NY won by scores of 60-54 twice and 60-55.

Romain is now 5-1. Blocker, 13o.5 lbs of Pleasntville, NJ s 1-10-1.

Jonathan Arroyo was dropped, but hung on to make his pro debut a successful one as he took a four round unanimous decision over Steve Moore in a welterweight bout.

Arroyo controlled the action, but in round four, Moore landed a hard right that sent Arroyo to his knees.

Arroyo, 145.7 lbs of New York is 1-0. Moore, 146.5 lbs of Orange, NJ is 0-2.

Frederick Julan remained perfect by stopping Willis Lockett after five rounds of their scheduled six-round cruiserweight bout.

Julan, 181.5 lbs of Brooklyn, NY is now 7-0 with five knockouts. Lockett, 182 lbs is now Takoma Park, MD is now 15-22-6.

Milan Melindo and Ryoichi Tagauchi will engage on an 108 pound unification bout on December 31st in Tokyo, Japan, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com

“I have waited for this, and finally it’s here,” Melindo said at his news conference. “I am confident as always. I love fighting in Japan, and I am excited to face their champion. I recovered and rested well after my battle with Budler. I believed my training will be enough for this one.”

“This is something big not only for ALA Promotions but for Philippine boxing,” ALA promotions’ Michael Aldeguer said. “The Japanese boxers are dominating the boxing scene in the small weight divisions right now, and it is a great challenge for Milan to put them on notice.”

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, the December 9th bout between Vasul Lomachenko and Guillermo Rigondeaux will have a 2nd day weigh in clause.

Neither fighter will be allowed to blow up to more than 138 pounds immediately after the weigh-in, because at 9 a.m. on the day of the fight there will be a weight check, Top Rank vice president Carl Moretti told ESPN.

“Rigondeaux’s team broached the subject when we were negotiating the fight, so we went to Lomachenko and [manager] Egis [Klimas] with it,” Moretti said. “Lomachenko and Egis said they had no problem with it, so it’s in the contract.”

“It was one of the original negotiating points, and we had no problem with it,” Moretti said. “I don’t think there will be that big of a difference when they stand next to each other in the ring. There isn’t a big physical size difference between them, and Lomachenko doesn’t put on a lot of weight after the weigh-in anyway. Size is not what will determine the outcome of this fight.

“If the weight check was something that helped make the fight, which it did, then why not when it wasn’t a big problem? It showed just how much ‘Loma’ really wanted this fight.”

Jose Martinez stopped Jesus Martinez in round four of a scheduled ten-round super flyweight bout at The Oasis Hotel in Cancun, Mexico.

Jose dropped Jesus with a body shot at the end of round three, and then it was another body shot in round four that put Jesus down and the fight was stopped at 19 seconds.

Jose Martinez, 115 lbs of Mayaguez, PR is 20-0-1 with 13 knockouts. Jesus Martinez, 114.4 lbs of Monteria, COL is 23-3.

“I’m very happy with the win,” said Jose Martinez. “I thought that it would last longer, but the goal was accomplished. The knockout is what we wanted, though we were prepared to go the distance. I’ll let my promoter, Miguel Cotto Promotions, decide what’s next for me. This victory is for Puerto Rico. I want to thank all the Puerto Rican people for their support.”

Alexis Rocha stopped Pascual Salgado in round one of a scheduled eight-round welterweight bout.

In round one, Rocha landed a perfect left-right combination that sent Selagado to the canvas. Selgado did not get up, and the fight was waved off at 1:46.

Rocha, 146.4 lbs of Santa Ana, CA is 10-0 with seven knockouts. Salgado, 147 lbs of Cartagena, COL is 12-8.

“I started off by throwing my jab, and I was patient,” said Alexis Rocha. “He [Salgado] was throwing a lot of straight right hands, so when he threw the right hand, I slipped it and came back with my left hook [to the body]. My coach is always telling me to have fun, be patient and relax. I don’t want to just rely on one punch. I want to mix it up and be just as good at defense as I am at offense.”

Vergil Ortiz Jr. made quick work of Evandro Cavalheiro by stopping him 21 seconds into their Scheduled eight-round super lightweight bout.

Seconds into the bout, Ortiz landed a booming right that sent Cavalheiro to the canvas. The punch was ruled behind the head and Ortiz was deducted a point. But that was over ruled after looking at replays and the punch was ruled a legal punch.

Ortiz, 139.6 lbs of Dallas, TX remains perfect at 8-0 with 8 knockouts. Cavalheiro, 138.4 lbs of Santa Catarina, BRA is 9-4.

“I hit him on the side of the head, but the referee saw something different,” said Vergil Ortiz, Jr. “I knew he was done, but for a second I thought I’d get disqualified or get a no contest. Then I heard it was ruled a technical knockout, and I was delighted. In 2018, I hope to fight for a small title.”

According to Dab Rafael of espn.com, super flyweight titlist Naoya Inoue will defend his title on December 30th against Yoan Boyeaux in Yokohama, Japan.

“Within two months after this title bout, I wish to appear in the U.S. ring again, but will concentrate on this defense at first,” Inoue said Thursday.

Veteran cutman Rafael Garcia passed away at the age of 88 on Tuesday, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

Garcia, instantly recognizable by the pin-adorned cap he always wore, became best known as the cutman and hand-wrapper for Floyd Mayweather. Garcia worked with Mayweather through most of Mayweather’s career. Mayweather, whose brittle hands were always an issue, raved about Garcia’s ability to wrap them in such a way that he was able to keep them protected as best as possible during his fights.

Garcia’s health began to decline earlier this year after he was stung more than 100 times by a swarm of Africanized bees, according to former welterweight and junior welterweight world titleholder Jessie Vargas, who was Garcia’s godson. Garcia later had a heart attack and was diagnosed with leukemia only about two weeks ago.

“He was my godfather and he was like a father figure to me,” Vargas told ESPN. “He’s been watching my back since as long as I can remember, taking care of me. Every fighter he ever worked with he did his best to make sure they were in top condition and at their best. Once he was with you he never left you. He never turned his back on anyone, win or lose. He was with you to the end. That was something that distinguished him from a lot of other people in this sport. He was honest, truthful and loyal to his friends, to his family and to his fighters, but he treated all of us like family.”

“He was sick but he didn’t want anyone to know,” Vargas said. “He was in our gym walking around and looking good but he was tired. He was a very unique gentleman inside and outside of the ring, and we all loved him. He was a very loving person. We lost a great person but we gained an angel.”

Cesar Juarez will take on Isaac Dogboe for an interim Hunior Featherweight title on January 6th in Accra, Ghana, according to Dab Rafael of espn.com.

Juarez will due to fight Jessie Magdaleno before Magdaleno pulled out with an injury.

“So we’re going to Ghana in Africa,” Juarez manager Sean Gibbons said. “I’m not concerned about Dogboe. I think Juarez has more heart and more determination and is a better fighter. I’m more concerned with the judging than the fight, and being in a country we’ve never been to. Dogboe is a nice fighter but he’s never been under the kind of stress Cesar Juarez will bring to the table.

“Are we happy to go to Ghana though? Not really. We’d rather have been in Fresno to fight Magdaleno like we were supposed to, like we signed to do. But it didn’t happen so we’ll be on our way to Africa.”

It was a battle of undefeated junior welterweights, but Jose Ramirez showed he was a cut above Mike Reed as he scored a 2nd round stoppage in round 2 of their scheduled 12-round bout in front of over 13,000 fans at Save Mart Center in Fresno, California.

Ramirez came out firing as he landed hard shots to the body in round one. In round two, he continued his assault and dropped Reed after a barrage of punches. Reed was hurt, and Ramirez jumped on him by continuing to land hard shots and referee Jack Reiss jumped in at stopped the fight.

Ramirez of Avenal, CA is 21-0 with 16 knockouts. Reed of Waldorf, MD is 23-1.

Artur Beterbiev won the IBF Light Heavyweight title with a 12th round stoppage of Enrico Kolling.

Beterbiev dominated the action and won every round as he systematically beat down Kolling. Beterbiev scored a knockdown in round 12 with a hard flurry on the ropes. Beaten and battered, Kolling then took some more vicious shots that was capped off with a right to the head that sent Kolling down again, and the fught was stopped at 2:33 of round 12.

The dominance was shown in the punch stats as Beterbiev landed 322-1111 punches while Kolling was 64-252.

Beterbiev, 174.6 lbs of Montreal is 12-0 with 12 knockouts. Kolling of Germany is 19-2.

Alex Saucedo blitzed Gustavo Vittori in round three of his scheduled ten round junior welterweight bout.

In round two, Saucedo was cut over the right eye from a headbutt. In round three, a left hook put Vittori to the canvas. Seconds later a right hand put Vittori on his knees. Saucedo finished the night with a perfect left hook to the jaw and Vittori dropped on his back and the bout was stopped at 1:16.

Saucedo of Oklahoma City, OK is now 26-0 with 16 knockouts. Vittori of Concordia, ARG is 20-3-1.

Maxim Dadashev stopped Clarence Booth in round four of their scheduled eight-round junior welterweight bout.

In round four, Booth was deducted a point for spitting out his mouthpiece. Later in the round, Dadashev landed a hard combination of punches and the fight was stopped at 1:20.

Dadashev, 141 lbs of Oxnard, CA is 9-0 with eight knockouts. Booth, 140 lbs of Auburndale, FL is 15-4.

Even Torres scored an upset as he won a four-round split decision over previously undefeated Quilisto Madera in a middleweight bout.

Torres took took cards 39-37. Madera took a card 39-37.

Torres, 162 lbs of El Paso, TX is 7-5. Madera, 161.5 lbs of Stockton, CA is 7-1.

Amir Imam tuned up for his Junior Welterweight title bout with a stoppage over Johnny Garcia after round five of their scheduled ten-round bout.

Imam, 144 lbs of Davie, Florida is now 20-1 with 17 knockouts. Garcia, 144.5 lbs of Holland. MI is 19-6-1.

Fernando Fuentes won a six-round unanimous decision over previously undefeated Vislan Dalkhaev in a featherweight bout.

In round five, Fuentes dropped Dalkhaev with a right hand.

Fuentes, 124 lbs of Riverside, CA won by scores of 60-53, 59-54 and 58-55, and is now 14-7-1. Dalkhaev, 123.5 lbs of Montreal, CAN is 9-1.

Brian Lua remained undefeated by winning a four-round unanimous decision over Eric Rodriguez in a lightweight bout.

Lua scored a knockdown in the last minute of the fight.

Lua won by scores of 40-35 on all cards.

Lua of Madera, CA is 2-0. Rodriguez of Los Angeles was making his pro debut

UNIONDALE, NY — Daniel “The Miracle Man” Jacobs (33-2, 29KO) earned a unanimous decision victory over Luis Arias (18-1, 9KO) in a twelve round middleweight contest at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum. The bout headlined the first ever fight card promoted on US soil by Britain’s lead promoter, Eddie Hearn, and his company’s newly created American branch, Matchroom Boxing USA. The fight also marked the first of a three fight HBO deal that Matchroom and Jacobs signed earlier this year.

The Brooklyn-born Jacobs started fast, landing a big right hand behind Arias’ head that buzzed his 27 year old counterpart. Jacobs followed up quickly, perhaps envisioning a Peter Quillin repeat, and quickly bombarded “Cuba” with lefts and rights. Jacobs was unable to replicate his first round magic, however, and Arias survive the barrage.

The 30 year old Jacobs controlled to early-middle rounds, out-boxing Arias, dishing out the more punishing blows, while slipping most of Arias’ return-fire. Jacobs kept his Milwaukee-born foe under pressure for most of the contest, forcing him to fight off his back foot, having to slip punches before he could throw any of his own.

The middle rounds saw quality boxing, with Jacobs consistently besting Arias, who is trained by John David Jackson, during their exchanges. But even when Arias had success, like he did in the sixth when he landed a nice clean one-two, Jacobs responded with his own combinations, and closed the round with a hellacious flurry that may have stolen the round on some judge’s cards.

In the tenth, a Jacobs left hand hurt Arias, who absorbed a few more blows before initiating a clinch. The 30 year old Jacobs continued to press the action for the rest of the tenth and for the two subsequent rounds, seemingly making a conscious effort to try and stop Arias. In the eleventh, a Jacobs punch knocked Arias off-balance to the point where his glove scraped the mat and a knockdown was scored. A stoppage, however, wasn’t meant to be, and the durable Arias fought till the final bell.

All three judges scored the contest in favor of Jacobs. Judge Julie Lederman scored it a shutout, 120-107, Steve Weisfeld had it 119-108, and Larry Hazzard, Jr., 118-109.

The victory marked another chapter written in the Danny Jacobs storybook. From his 2010 defeat via 5th round KO at the hands of Dmitry Pirog, to his battle with osteosarcoma, a form of bone cancer, “The Miracle Man” has risen off the mat in both life and the ring. With two more dates guaranteed on HBO, Jacobs is now in position to take on some of the middleweight power players. Dates with David Lemieux, Canelo Alvarez, and GGG are all reasonable possibilities in 2018.

Huge Win For “Big Baby” — Miller Stops Wach In 8

In a battle of heavyweight contenders, Jarrell “Big Baby” Miller (20-0-1, 17KO) wore down former world title challenger Mariusz Wach (33-3, 17KO), en route to a ninth round TKO victory. It was an impressive effort from the 6’4” Miller, who cut sixteen pounds off his previous fight weight, slimming down to a trim 283lbs.

Throughout the fight, the ex-kickboxer-turned-boxer Miller pressed forward, repeatedly forcing his 6’7” counterpart to choose between expending energy fending him off or finding himself on the receiving end of “Big Baby” barrages. By the third round, the constant pressure was beginning to get to the Polish native, Wach, who was visibly tiring and breathing through his mouth.

Sometime during the early rounds, perhaps during the fifth round, Wach seemingly suffered a left hand injury. He complained of pain to his corner and had a brief conversation with the ringside physician before continuing on.

In the seventh, Miller began to hurt Wach, reigning down a flurry of punches which forced Wach to retreat, while Miller pursued. The giant Pole was able to weather the seventh round storm and live to see another round.

But he wouldn’t live to make it out of the eight. About a minute into the round, the ringside physician stepped up onto the apron and advised referee David Fields to call a stop to the bout, which he did at the 1:02 mark of round eight.

The fight marked only the second time in Wach’s thirty-six fight career he was stopped. The other time coming courtesy of Alexander Povetkin.

Seldin Hammers Ortiz, Stops Him In Three

Cletus “The Hebrew Hammer” Seldin (21-0, 17KO) dazzled in his HBO debut, bloodying and battering Roberto Ortiz (35-2-2, 26KO) over the course of two-plus rounds. The 31 year old Seldin delivered loaded right after loaded right to his Mexican counterpart, who twice hit the mat in the bout’s opening round. Seldin, who riled up his hometown crowd early by entering the ring to Hulk Hogan’s theme song and sporting an American flag bandana, continued to throw fully-cocked rights in the second round and opened a nasty gash over Ortiz’s left eye that immediately started streaming blood. The veteran Mexican had no answer for the Seldon right hand, and continued to eat shots to the left side of the face. Eventually, after an accidental clash, referee Shada Murdaugh called timeout so a ringside physician could inspect Ortiz’s cut. The doctor ultimately advised Murdaugh to call a halt to the contest. The official time of the stoppage was 2:43 of the third round.

For Seldin, this marked only the sixth time he has fought outside of Huntington, NY’s Paramount Theater in his twenty-one fight career. For Ortiz, this was just his second fight on US soil, and his second loss. His other loss came at the hands of Lucas Matthysse in 2014.

Benn Destroys Sanudo In US Debut

Britain’s Conor “The Destroyer” Benn (10-0, 8KO) made quite the introduction to US boxing fans, scoring a vicious second round KO over Mexican Brandon Sanudo (7-7, 4 KO), in a welterweight contest originally slated for six. Benn, the son of former two-division world champion, Nigel Benn, became the first of Matchroom Sport’s British boxers to fight on a Matchroom Sport promotional card on American soil. Benn controlled the fight’s first round, operating in a composed manner, working well behind his jab. In the second, the 21 year old Brit picked up his offense, and moved forward with fury. With Sanudo backing up toward the ropes, Benn landed a thudding left to the liver that dropped Sanudo to all fours. With referee Tony Chiarantano administering a ten count over him, Sanudo spit out his mouthpiece, grimaced, and remained on all fours until the contest was waved off. The official time of the knockout came at the 1-minute mark of round two.

Hernandez Wins Hard Fought Decision Over Dezurn

Jesse Angel Hernandez (10-1, 7KO) handed Glenn Dezurn (9-1-1, 6 KO) his first career loss when he scored a unanimous decision victory in an eight round bantamweight contest. Hernandez used his height and reach advantage to keep the smaller Dezurn at bay, punishing him each time he tried to get inside his reach. Despite his physical disadvantage, Dezurn, a 30 year old Baltimore native, turned in a spirited effort against Hernandez, who was a clear step up in competition for Dezurn. For the Texas southpaw, Hernandez, 2017 continues to be a career-defining year, having seen him hand his previous two opponents their first career losses. In August, Hernandez stopped the formerly unbeaten Vladimir Tikhonov. Tonight, judges scorecards of 79-73, 78-74, and 77-75 for Hernandez resulted in Dezurn tasting defeat for the first time, and Hernandez cementing his contender status.

Rainone and Sosa Battle To Draw

Long Island native Tommy “Razor” Rainone and Dominican-born New Jerseyan George Sosa (16-10, 15KO) battled their way to a majority draw in a six round welterweight contest. It was a hard-fought, gutsy affair, that mostly saw Sosa the aggressor and the southpaw, Rainone, fighting off his back foot. At times, both boxers landed clean shots, though the 37-year old Rainone’s effective punches were fewer and farther between than those of his counterpart. At the end of six, there was little doubt Rainone’s face was worse for the wear, courtesy of Sosa’s two gloved fists. At the end of six, the judges were split, however. Tony Paolillo’s 59-55 scorecard for Sosa was overruled by John McKaie and Jim Pierce’s scores of a 57-57 draw. 15rounds.com scored the bout 59-55 for Sosa.

The draw was the first of Sosa’s career and adds more character to an already interesting record. Each of Sosa’s fifteen victories have come via stoppage and taken place in the Dominican Republic. On US soil, however, he hasn’t had much luck, winning only one time in ten attempts. The fight was a milestone for Rainone, as well. The “Razor” crossed over the 200 round mark in his career and now has 202 professional rounds under his belt.

Best Bet — Lucky Stays Unbeaten

Long Island native Tyrone James (6-0, 3KO) improved on his perfect record with a six round unanimous decision victory over “The Hudson Valley Kid”, Daniel Sostre (13-15-1, 5 KO). It was all James from opening to closing bell, as the hometown hero parlayed a minor height and reach advantage with superior athletic ability to dominate the contest for three minutes per round, for six rounds. Midway through the third James dropped his 33 year old counterpart courtesy of a right hand. Sostre, who has now lost 12 of his last 14 contests, was able to get off the mat and battle on till the final bell. In the end, all three judges scored widely for James, 60-53.

Lightning Strikes — Niyazov Stops Mauras In Five

Kazakh-born Staten Islander, Dimash “Lightning” Niyazov (13-0-3, 6 KO), disposed of hard-nosed Massachusetts native, Agustine Mauras (6-4-3, 3 KO), inside five rounds in a junior welterweight contest slated for six. The historic bout kicked-off the first US fight card promoted by Britain’s lead boxing promoter, Eddie Hearn, and his company’s new American branch, Matchroom Boxing USA. Niyazov dominated the first four rounds of the scrap, before cranking up the heat in the fifth, dropping Mauras with two right hands before landing a clean left on the button, prompting referee Tony Chiarantano to stop the action at the 2:55 mark of the fifth round.

In a back in forth war, Yuandle Evans won a ten-round split decision over previously undefeated Luis Rosa in a featherweight bout at Masonic Temple & Performing Arts Center in Cleveland, Ohio.

The two trades hard shots on the inside throughout the ten round affair with each guy taking turns controlling the action.

Evans, 125.5 lbs of Cleveland took two cards by 97-93 and 96-94 tallies. Rosa, 125 lbs of New Haven, CT via Caguas, PR took a card 96-94.

Evans is now 20-1. Rosa is now 20-1-1-1.

“I’m tired but I’m feeling great,” Evans said. “My performance was great. I’ve never felt myself pushed that hard. He’s a tough Puerto Rican. He’s a very tough fighter. The crowd really propelled me to victory tonight, and I’m grateful for that.”

“I thought I won the fight, he won maybe three or four rounds,” a disappointed Rosa said after the fight. “I won the fight 6-4, 7-3 at least. I won mostly all of the beginning rounds and I gave him a few after the first six. Four rounds is the most I give him, and that’s being nice. I feel like the judges were swayed by the hometown crowd.”

Evans is ready for his next challenge. “I want Gary Russell, I want [Carl] Frampton, I want [Leo] Santa Cruz,” said Evans, who had famed trained Barry Hunter in his corner. “I’m nothing but a contract killer. I’m a contract killer and I want one of those top five guys.”

Radzhab Butaev won an eight-round unanimous decision over Janer Gonzalez in a welterweight bout.

Butaev, 146 lbs of Los Angeles via Russia won by scores of 80-72, 79-73 and 77-75 and is now 8-0. Gonzalez of Colombia is 19-1-1.

“I felt like I controlled the whole fight, but he was more durable than I expected,” said Butaev through a translator. “Gonzalez landed good shots but he couldn’t finish me.”

Junior Fa stopped Fred Latham in the first round of their scheduled eight-round heavyweight bout.

Fa rocked Latham with a hard right hand, and then he unloaded a barrage of punches in the corner and the fight was stopped at 1:07.

Fa, 262 lbs of Auckland, NZ is 13-0 with eight knockouts. Latham, 261 lbs of Pittsburgh, PA is 9-1-2-1.

“I was actually going to keep on going, continue fighting but then he dropped. He was out of it. The ref pulled me back,” said Fa, who earned a first-round knockout for the sixth time of his career.

“I’m hoping for a chance to get in to the top 15,” said Fa, who beat WBO Heavyweight Champion Joseph Parker twice in the amateurs. “This fight gave me more confidence in my ability and power, and I think confidence is a great thing.”

2016 U.S. Olympian Charles Conwell went the distance for the first time, but easily won a six-round unanimous decision over Roque Zapta in a junior middleweight bout.

In round three, Conwell dropped Zapata twice. First with a counter right hand and then with a left hook to the body. In round four, Zapata was cut over the right eye. In round five, it was a left hook to the body that sent Zapata down for a 3rd time.

Conwell, 153 lbs of Cleveland won by scores of 60-51 on two cards while a 3rd card read 60-53, and is now 6-0. Zapata, 155 lbs of Culpepper, VA via Panama City, PAN is 4-2-3.

“My game plan was to throw some jabs and go to the body, and I think I accomplished that. My jab was key tonight. I ended up dropping him three times,” said Conwell, who averaged 77 punches per round, but gave himself just a B-minus. “I would love to keep fighting on television. I want to showcase my skills.”

Zapata was impressed by his opponent’s talent. “I survived, so I’m happy,” he said. “I went the distance with an Olympian and that was the plan. I should’ve done better and cut my angles more instead of standing right in front of him, but I’m proud I went the full distance.”

According to Dan Rafael of espn, UFC President Dana White is getting into boxing promotion.

“No, no, no, I’m not leaving the UFC. I’m getting into boxing with [WME/IMG head] Ari [Emanuel], and the UFC will be doing boxing too,” White said, according to the Los Angeles Times. “It’s still early. We’re still working on it. I’ve got to get my [stuff] together, but I’m getting into boxing, man. It’s coming.”

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, Mikey Garcia will not fight Jorge Linares next after negotiations broke down on Wednesday.

Golden Boy Promotions President Eric Gomez said he, Golden Boy CEO Oscar De La Hoya and Linares were particularly disappointed because Garcia is the one who went on social media and began calling out for the fight and when the company “gave Mikey basically everything he wanted he turned it down.”

“Mikey said it was a business decision,” Gomez said. “I got a text from him [Wednesday] morning, and then I called him right after. He said he’s got another offer so he’s going to take the other offer and we wish him well. The way I left it with Mike was, ‘Hey, let’s continue to communicate and if the fight can be made after the next fight and after Linares’ next fight then we’ll explore it.'”

“We wish Mikey well,” Gomez said. “He said it’s a business decision and I understand that, but Linares was willing to do the fight and we gave Mikey basically everything he wanted.”

Said De La Hoya: “It is disappointing that Mikey didn’t end up signing up for the fight. Everyone at Golden Boy Promotions believes that the best way for fighters to shine is to match the best versus the best. We wish Mikey well.”

“We couldn’t make it, but I agreed with Eric Gomez that we’d be in touch to make it after this fight,” Garcia told ESPN Deportes. “I have more options, really, compared to what I had. The guaranteed purse is better, even though I really want the Linares fight, but you have to take into consideration the business. As Golden Boy is looking to do the best for their company, so I look out for me.”

He also said Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn has made an offer to bring Linares to the United Kingdom to fight England’s Luke Campbell in a rematch. Linares retained his title by split decision against mandatory challenger Campbell on Sept. 23 at The Forum in Inglewood, California.

“Eddie made us a huge offer to fight Luke Campbell in the rematch, so we’ll discuss it with Linares and also talk to Peter about opponents for a fight in January on HBO,” Gomez said.

Tyron Zeuge will rematch Isaac Ekpo on December 2 in Germany for a super middleweight title.

“I really wanted the rematch with Ekpo,” Zeuge said. “This time around, I’m going to prove that I am not only the better boxer, but the wiser man in the ring.”

“In his preparation for Brant, I gave Juergen the best possible training,” Zeuge said. “Now, he will pay me back by giving me the best possible training, and then we can reward ourselves with a victory over Ekpo. It’s that easy.”

Deontay Wilder made the 6th defense of the WBC Heavyweight title with a 1st round annihilation of former champion Bermane Stiverne at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

After a lackluster first two minutes of the fight, Wilder dropped Stiverne with a right hand.  Stiverne got up only to be drilled with another blistering right that sent him to the canvas for a 2nd time.  Wilder jumped on Stiverne and landed a vicious combination that dumped Stiverne down on the canvas on the ropes and the fight was stopped at 2:59.

Wilder, 220 lbs of Tuscaloosa, AL is now 39-0 with 38 knockouts.  Stiverne, 254.75 lbs of Miami, FL is now 25-3-1.

“So much frustration, it just seemed like my career, it’s been crazy. So many guys using PED’s”, said Wilder, the only American heavyweight world champion. “I just want to prove that I am the best. I know I am the best but I want to prove I am the best.”

“You have to give props to Stiverne for getting in the ring,” said Wilder. “It takes a lot of courage and it takes a lot of pride to step in the ring with someone like me. We do what we have to do in the ring and at least he stepped up. He was a clean fighter.

“I’ve been waiting on that fight for a long time now,” said Wilder. “I declare war upon you. Do you accept my challenge? I’ve been waiting for a long time. I know I’m the champion. I know I’m the best. Are you up for the test?

“A king doesn’t chase the peasants. A king takes kings. I want Joshua. If he doesn’t give me the fight we have other plans. The world wants Joshua, the world wants Wilder, I want Joshua. Joshua come and see me baby. No more dodging, no more excuses. Make the date, don’t wait.”

Former world champion Shawn Porter took a 12-round unanimous decision over Adrian Granados in a rough welterweight contest.

The fight was fought on the inside with many entertaining scrums where both guys moved their hands and landed flush blows.

Porter, 146.5 lbs of Las Vegas, NV won by scores of 117-111 on all cards, and is now 28-3-1.  Granados, 146 lbs of Chicago, IL is now 18-6-2.

Porter, who hurt his hand in the 6th round landed 209-583 punches.  Granados was 166-680.

“He gave me a little trouble here and there,” said Porter. “I hurt my left hand in the sixth round, but I kept using it. I had to use my jab. It took a toll on me and by the 10th round I just couldn’t throw it anymore.

“The strategy was to keep working the jab. I knew he’d come at me periodically. I was prepared and dug deep to get the win.”

“I thought that I was controlling the fight and keeping up with him the whole time,” Granados told Jim Gray. “He was just trying to use his normal tricks. I rocked him multiple times and he never had me in any trouble.

“He’s a brute. I thought the referee [Gary Rosato] did a good job breaking up the fight at the right times. It was rough but I definitely thought I did better than the scorecards said.”

Sergey Lipinets won the vacant IBF Junior Welterweight title with a 12-round unanimous decision over Akihiro Kondo.

In round two, Kondo began to bleed from his nose.  In round six, Lipinets was cut along his hairline due to an accidental headbutt.

Lipinets, 139 3/4 lbs of Beverly Hills, CA won by scores of 118-110 and 117-111 twice and is now 13-0.  Kondo, 139.5 lbs of Tokyo, JAP is 29-7-1.

Lipinets landed 173 of 621 punches.  Kondo was 140 of 567.

“I think the scorecards were accurate but it was a good fight,” said Lipinets. “The head-butt really impaired my vision and it led to me walking into some stupid shots.

“I’m happy with my performance. I’m just going to keep getting better from here. I’m ready to take any on challenge thrown my way.”

Kondo, who was fighting for the first time in the United States, proved a worthy opponent on the night. “It was a fair decision,” said Kondo, through a translater. “He hit me with a lot of hard punches and I felt like I needed at least a knockdown in the last round.

“I made up my mind that I wasn’t going to show any pain or fear from his punches. I was determined to keep fighting all night.”

Dmitry Bivol retained the EBA Light Heavyweight championship with a 1st round stoppage over Trent Broadhurst in Monte Carlo.

Bivol was awarded a knockdown in the first minute, which turned out to be a push.  In the final seconds, Bivol landed a perfect right that dropped Broadhurst on his back and the fight was stopped as Broadhurst was bleeding around his left eye.  The time of the stoppage was 3:00.

Bivol of Kyrgyzstan is now 12-0 with 10 knockouts.  Broadhurst of Australia is 20-2.

By Norm Frauenheim-

TUCSON, Ariz. – It was a tough way to say goodbye, so tough that Jesus Soto Karass might want to try it all over again.

Juan Carlos Abreu knocked out any chance that Soto Karass might have had at celebrating a farewell with a victory Thursday night in an ESPN-televised fight at Casino Del Sol.

Abreu delivered a couple of huge lefts, dropping Soto Karass twice in the eighth round and nearly sending him through the ropes, if not into retirement, with the second knockdown in a powerful TKO of the popular Mexican.

For Abreu (20-3-1, 19 KOs), the victory gave him some hope to think that maybe he can still be a welterweight contender. For Soto Karass (28-13-4, 18 KOs), the crushing defeat looked like just another reason to walk away from his 16-plus years throwing – and taking — punches

But Soto Karass wasn’t ready say farewell. After he got up from the crushing finish at 1:07 of the eighth, he stood on the ring’s bottom rope and waved at the crowd almost as if he had won. It wasn’t a gesture of farewell. He was saying thanks.

“Thanks to my fans,’’ said Soto Karass, who wasn’t sure about retirement before opening bell.

He wasn’t sure after referee Rocky Burke had ended it , either

“I will sit down with my manager and my family, talk to them, then decide.’’

It was clear to Soto Karass that his Mexican fans haven’t given up on him. Maybe that’s because he never gives up, at keast not in the ring. It was evident in the early going that it would only be a matter of time before the stronger, more mobile Abreu would catch Soto Karass, who as a boxer is as pedestrian as he is fearless. He just kept moving forward.

“I just got caught, really caught by a punch from a guy who can really punch,’’ he said.

The finishing blows might have come earlier. However, Abreu, a Dominican, said he hurt his right hand in the second round. He said planned to have a physician examine the hand to determine whether he sustained a serious injury.

He said the pain made him cautious from the third round through the seventh. There were moments in the sixth and again in the seventh when it looked as if Soto Karass would simply try to wait him out, perhaps wear him out. In the eighth, the stubbornly persistent Soto Karass walked into the only good hand Abreu still had. Then, it landed once and then a second time, finishing a fight, if not a career.

In the co-main event, junior-lightweight prospect Ryan Garcia (12-0, 11 KOs) came into the ring to classical music. Garcia, of Victorville, Calif., wore black-and-white shorts that could of come out of the 1950s. They were black-and-white. They also were made in honor of the late Jake LaMotta, whose Raging Bull nickname was stitched across the back of the trunks alongside 1922-2017, the years of LaMotta’s birth and death.

It was an old-school look. It was an old-school win, too. Garcia’s power stole the show, overwhelming an overmatched Cesar Valenzuela (14-6-1, 5 KOs). A Garcia left, traveling at blinding speed, knocked down Valenzuela in the first round. Another finished him late in third of a bout referee Tony Zaino ended in the final second of the round.

In the telecast’s opening bout, the judges’ scores made it look easy. It wasn’t. Prospect Hector Tanajara Jr. (11-0, 4 KOs), a Robert Garcia-trained junior-lightweight, endured head-rocking shots and stubborn aggressiveness from Mexican Jesus Serrano (17-5-2, 12 KOs) for eight rugged rounds. In the end, Tanajara relied on his superior reach and bigger body, winning a unanimous decision that was a lot closer than the 80-72, 79-73, 80-72 scorecards.

Best of the Undercard

There were some questionable blows and some real ones. There was a lot of everything. And Mexican German Meraz has seen just about everything. Meraz’ documented record includes 105 fights. Yet he entered the ring with only one draw. Now he’s got two.

Meraz (58-45-2, 35 KOs), of Agua Prieta, danced, smiled, landed punches and took few, yet all of it was only enough for a majority draw with Los Angeles featherweight Rafael Gramajo (9-1-2, 2 KOs) in a wild fight that ended with him ahead on one card, 58-56, and 57-57 on the other two.

The Rest

California bantamweight Cesar Diaz, poised and precise, also improved on a perfect record (6-0, 6 KOs) with a stoppage of Pedro Melo (17-17-2, 8 KOs), a Tijuana fighter who surrendered at 1:10 of the fifth round an injury to his left shoulder.

Junior-welterweight Christopher Gonzalez (1-0), a national amateur champion from Tucson, threw a short hook for what was ruled a second-round knockdown of Jesus Arevalo (2-2) of Sierra Vista, Ariz., and went on to win a unanimous decision in his pro debut.

“I am little disappointed that I am not fighting (Miguel) Berchelt for the WBC belt, but injuries are part of boxing and these things happen all the time,” Salido said at a media lunch in Los Angeles to announce the fight on Wednesday. “But a fight with Miguel Roman is a good fight and it should be an all-action Mexican war between two guys that will fight from start to finish.

“I’m very happy that I will be in the main event in Las Vegas, and I want to give the fans another great fight. I know I need to beat Roman to stay on course to fight for a world championship next year and that is what I intend to do on Dec. 9.”

“Roman is a good fighter, but, honestly, I don’t care who is in front of me. I always come to fight,” Salido said. “This is no exception. I’m rested and ready for another war.”

“I guess in a way I am competing against Lomachenko, who is also on a TV card that night, but anyone that knows about fighting will know which fight will have drama and excitement and which one will have dancing,” said Salido, who turned down offers to fight Lomachenko in a rematch for career-high money.

“I know this is a tough fight and I am going against a tough fighter, but I know what I am capable of and I believe that I will beat Salido,” Roman said. “This is not an easy fight for either one of us, and the biggest winners will be the fans. This is a great opportunity for me and will take full advantage of it.

“I’m going to knock him out. I’m preparing for what could be a savage war with Salido because he is a tough fighter. But that doesn’t scare me and I know that ultimately I will be the fighter to raise his hand in victory.”
“It reminds me a lot of [Erik] Morales versus [Marco Antonio] Barrera I, two Mexicans fighting at Mandalay Bay,” he said of the legendary junior featherweight unification fight in 2000 that served as the first match of their epic trilogy. “We knew it would be fight of the year. We have the same feeling for this fight. We believe we have another fight of the year.”

Terrel Williams will finally make his ring return, two years after his fight with Prichard Colon ended in Colon’s permanent injuries.

Williams will fight on November 18th at The Cosmopolitan Hotel in Las Vegas on a card that is headlined by Ishe Smith battling Julian Williams on Bounce TV.

Williams bout is no scheduled to be televised.

Derek Brunson took out former light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida in round one of their middleweight bout in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Brunson landed a crushing left that sent Machida to the gorund. Brunson landed three hard shots and the fight was stopped at 2:30.

Brunson, 185 lbs of Wilmington, NC is 18-5. Machida, 185 lbs of Belem, BRA is 22-8.

Colby Covington upset 3rd-ranked Damien Maia via unanimous decision.

In round one, Covington suffered a bad cut over his right eye from a punch. In round three, Maia’s face was a bloody mess.

Covington, 171 lbs of Fort Lauderdale, FL won by scores of 30-26, 30-27 and 29-27 and is now 13-1. Maia, 171 lbs of Sao Paulo. BRA is 25-8.

Pedro Munhoz submitted Rob Font in the first round of their bantamweight bout.

Munhoz made Font tap out from a guillotine at 4:03.

Munhoz of Sao Paulo, BRA is 15-2-1. Font of Woburn, MA is 14-3.

Francisco Trinaldo won a unanimous decision over Jim Miller in a lightweight bout.

Trinaldo, 155 lbs of Basilia, BRA won by scores of 29-28 on all cards and is now 22-5. Miller, 155 lbs of Sparta, NJ is 28-11-1.

Thiago Santos stopped Jack Hermansson in the first round of their middleweight bout.

Santos landed five big shots that sent Hermannson to the deck. Santos landed five more strikes while a prone Hermansson was prone on the ground and the fight was stopped just before the bell sounded to end round one at 4:59

Santos, 186 lbs of Rio de Janeiro, BRA is 16-5. Hermansson, 185 lbs of Oslo, NOR is 16-4.

John Lineker won a unanimous decision over Marlon Vera in a bantamweight bout,

Lineker, 136 lbs of Paranagua, BRA won by scores of 30-27 and 29-28 twice and is now 30-8. Vera, 135 lbs of Chiome, ECU is now 10-4-1.