World rated middleweight Rob Brant stopped Chris Fitzpatrick in round three in a scheduled ten round bout at the Pechanga Resort Casino in Temecula, California.

Brant scored a knockdown in round two, when he wobbled Fitzpatrick with a left hook and sent him down with a right. In round three, It was a left uppercut that sent Fitzpatrick to deck. Fitzpatrick got to his feet, but the fight was waved off at 1:18.

Brant, 159 lbs of St. Paul. MN is 21-0 with 14 knockouts. Fitzpatrick, 157.4 lbs of Colombia, SC is 15-5.

Skender Halili stopped Ben Odamattey in the first round of a scheduled four-round super welterweight bout.

Halili dropped Odamattey with hahrd combination of body shots in the first rounds. Halili landed several more power shots and wobbled Odamattey again and the fight was stopped at 1:17.

Halili, 153.2 lbs of Bronx, NY is now 11-1 with 11 knockouts. Odamattey, 153.2 lbs of Accra, GHA is 16-15-3.

Cem Kelic stopped Jerhed Fenderson in round two of a scheduled four-round middleweight bout.

In round two, Kelic landed a hard left hook that wobbled Fenderson to the canvas/ Femderson was unsteady and the bout was stopped at 1:50

Kelic, 169 lbs of Germany is now 6-0 with three knockouts. Fenderson, 164.6 lbs of Las Vegas, NV is 1-1.

Malik Hawkins won a four-round unanimous decision over Sean Gee in a welterweight bout.

Hawkins, 147 lbs of Baltimore. MD won by scores of 40-36 on all cards and is now 9-0. Gee, 145.6 lbs of Chicago, IL is 3-5

PHILADELPHIA–Tyrone Brunson came off the deck twice to score a thrilling fourth round stoppage over Carlos Garcia in a scheduled eight round junior middleweight bout.

Brunson dropped Garcia in round one with a left hook. Garcia returned the favor in round two as he sent Brunson to the deck in round two. Later in the round, Garcia sent Brunson down for a second time with a right hand. In round four, Brundon drilled Garcia with a body shot that sent him to the canvas. Garcia could not beat referee Shawn Clark’s count and the fight was over at 25 seconds.

Brunson of Philadelphia, PA is 23-6-1 with 22 knockouts. Garcia of Aguada, Puerto Rico is 10-17-1.

Darryl Bunting and Edward Jeramie Ortiz fought to a four-round draw in a super middleweight bout.

Scores were 39-37 for Bunting and 38-38 twice.

Bunting of Asbury Park, NJ is 2-0-2. Ortiz of San Antonio, TX is 1-0-1.

Kieran Hooks won a 4-round unanimous decision over Miguel Martines in a junior middleweight bout.

Martinez dropped Hooks in the first round with a powerful right, but he came back to win the next three rounds.

Hooks of Philadelphia is 1-0. Martinez of Reading, PA is 2-2.

Jeffery Torres stopped Mariano Rolon in the first round of a scheduled four-round bout of debuting lightweights.

Torres scored two knockdowns and the bout was stopped at 2:23.

Torres of Philadelphia is 1-0 with one knockout. Rolon of Reading, PA is 0-1.

Yair Rodriguez 146 – Alex Caceres 145
Dennis Bermudez 146 – Rony Jason 146
Thales Leites 186 – Chris Camozzi 186
Zak Cummings 171 – Santiago Ponzinibbio 171
Trevor Smith 185.5 – Joe Gigliotti 185.5
Danielle Taylor 115.5 – Maryna Moroz 115
Court McGee 169.5 – Dominique Steele 171
Viktor Pesta 239.5 – Marcin Tybura 249
David Teymur 155 – Jason Novelli 155.5
Horacio Gutierrez 146 – Teruto Ishihara 146
Cub Swanson 144.5 – Tatsuya Kawajiri 145.5
Chase Sherman 245 – Justin Ledet 234.5

“A fight with Juan Manuel Marquez is not happening, 100 percent for sure,” said Bryan Perez of Cotto Promotions. “Maybe we can make it later on, but it will not be Miguel’s fight this year.

“Miguel wanted the fight, but it was all about getting a deal for the right weight. Financial-wise, there were no problems making a deal. Usually making a big fight, it’s financial when there are issues. That was not what happened with Marquez.”

“We are working on Miguel’s next fight with our [promotional] partners at Roc Nation Sports,” Perez said. “The Marquez fight was something Miguel wanted, but we couldn’t agree on the weight. They both wanted to fight each other. Miguel wanted 150, Juan Manuel Marquez wanted 147. Juan Manuel decided not to come up a couple of more pounds and we respect his decision about not coming up to 150. He’s a great fighter and a great champion. But 150 is where Miguel would feel comfortable going down to.”

Oroaco, 142 lbs of San Diego, CA won by scores of 99-91 twice and 97-93 and is now 25-0. Lopez, 140 lbs is 23-6.

Joseph Diaz remained undefeated by stopping Victor Proa in round two of their featherweight bout.

Diaz dropped Proa in the 2nd round with a hard uppercut. He jumped on Proa and landed a huge barrage of punches and the bout was stopped at 1:07.

Diaz, 126 lbs of South El Monte, CA is 21-0 with 12 knockouts. Proa, 123 1/2 lbs of Monterrey, MX is 28-2-2.

Nikita Khrylov stopped Ed Hermann in the 2nd round of their light heavyweight bout.

Khrylov landed a visious kick to the head sent Hermman down limp to the canvas.

Khrylov, 206 lbs of Doenesk, UKR is 21-4. Hermann, 205.5 lbs of Portland, OR is 24-12-1.

Jorge Masvidal won a unanimous decision over Ross Pearson in a welterweight bout.

Masvidal, 171 lbs of Miami, FL won by scores of 30-27 and 29-28 and is now 30-11. Pearson, 170 lbs of San Diego, CA is 21-12-1.

Anthony Hamilton destroyed Damian Grabowski in 14 seconds of their heavyweight bout.

Hamilton landed an uppercut and left that made Grabowski curl up along the cage. Two more punches made Grabowski go to the deck and the fight was over.

Hamilton, 258.5 lbs of Albuquerque, NM is 15-5. Grabowski, 256 lbs of Opole, POL is 20-4.

Wilson Reis choked out Hector Sandoval in the first round of their flyweiht bout.

Reis got Sandoval on his back and made him tap out at 1:49

Reis, 126 lbs of San Diego, CA is 21-6. Sandoval, 126 lbs of Sacramento is 12-3.

Robbie Lawler 170 – Tyron Woodley 170
(UFC Welterweight Title)
Rose Namajunas 116 – Karolina Kowalkiewicz 114.5
Matt Brown 171 – Jake Ellenberger 170
Francisco Rivera 135.5 – Erik Perez 135
Ryan Benoit 126 – Freddy Serrano 126
Nikita Krylov 206 – Ed Herman 205.5
Ross Pearson 170 – Jorge Masvidal 171
Anthony Hamilton 258.5 – Damian Grabowski 256
Wilson Reis 126 – Hector Sandoval 126
Michael Graves 170.5 – Bojan Velikovic 170.5
Cesar Arzamedia 155 – Damiam Brown 155.5

BROOKLYN–Carl Frampton wrestled the WBA Featherweight title from Leo Santa Cruz via majority decision in a terrific back and forth bout in front of a raucous crowd of 9.062 at Barclays Center.

The two stood toe to toe in many occasions that thrilled the pro-Frampton audience that made the trek from Ireland.   The bout had many ebbs and flows where Frampton seemed to jump to an early lead as he was consistently beating the now-dethroned champion to the punch.

Santa Cruz seemed to get his rhythm in  middle rounds and he worked himself back into the fight.  Frampton seemed to get his second wind in round ten and he got back to winning the exchanges in close.  The two brawled all the way to the finish.

Frampton of Dublin, Ireland won by scores of 117-111, 116-112 and 114-114 and is now 23-0,  Santa Cruz is now 32-1-1.

CARL FRAMPTON:
“It’s a dream come true. I had the dream of winning a world title and I won it, but I never thought I’d win in two divisions. It was a tough fight, I wanted tit to be a tough fight because I wanted a fight the people could remember. I respect him a lot. He was a true warrior.

“I had a good game plan. Shane was an unbelievable coach. He told me every time I came back into the corner that we could win this a lot easier. But I won it with my heart, not with my head and I got my hand raised.

“Distance control and hitting hard. I won the fight because I didn’t lose control. I earned his respect early in the fight with my distance control and hard punching. I would love to take this man to Belfast for a rematch and show the people there what a great fighter he is.”

On calling out the other champions at 126 pounds, Frampton said: “I want big, memorable fights.”

LEO SANTA CRUZ:
“It was a tough fight from the beginning. We knew it was going to be a tough fight, but I thought it was close when I’m in there throwing. Maybe the judges were hearing the crowd and thought that every little punch was scoring.

“He has a difficult style, but we know his style and get him in the rematch. The crowd was cheering, and I think the judges saw that. And maybe, without that, we would have had a draw or maybe a decision.

“It’s hard to get your first loss, but now we’ll go back to the gym, we’ll get the rematch and we’ll win. And that loss will mean nothing. I want to have a rematch in Los Angeles, but I’ll go to Belfast too.

Mikey Garcia returned off a 31-month layoff to drop Elio Rojas 4-times en-route to a fifth round stoppage in a scheduled 10-round super lightweight bout

In round two, Garcia dropped Rojas with a left hook to the top of the head.  Seconds later, it was a booming right that sent Rojas down face first.  He was able to survive that round, but two rounds later, it was deja-vu as a left hook sent Rojas down in the beginning of round five.  Rojas then ate a huge right hand that sent him down for a fourth time.  He was able to get to his feet, but the fight was stopped at 2:02.

Garcia, 138 lbs of Oxnard, CA is 35-0 with 29 knockouts.  Rojas, 139 lbs of the Dominican Republic is 24-3.

MIKEY GARCIA

Tony Harrison ended a dull affair with Sergey Rabchenko with a right hand in round nine that sent Rabchenko to the canvas and the fight was stopped after Rabchenko got to his feet.

The fight was a chess match that Harrison was winning up until final blow at 1:18

Harrison, 153.5 lbs of Detroit is now 24-1 with 20 knockouts.  Rabchenko, 153.5 lbs of Minks, Belarus is now 27-2.

Paulie Malignaggi won a 10-round unanimous decision over Gabriel Bracero in a battle of Brooklyn based welterweights.

Scores were 98-92 twice and 96-94 Malignaggi, 146.5 lbs of Brooklyn and is now 36-7.  Bracero is 24-3.

PAULIE MALIGNAGGI

Tevin Farmer won a 10-round unanimous decision over Ivan Redkach in a lightweight fight.

Farmer continuously made Redkach miss and look bad with wild swings, and Farmer was able to slide away and lot pot shots and every so often sit in the pocket and land quick combinations that befuddled Redkach.  Redkach was bleeding from around his right eye in round nine.  That was the same round where he was deducted a point for a headbutt.

Farmer, 134.5 lbs of Philadelphia won by scores of 99-89 and 98-90 twice to raise his record to 22-4-1.  Redkach, 135.2 lbs of Los Angeles is 19-2-1.

TEVIN FARMER

Amanda Serrano stopped Calista Silgado in the first round to retain the WBO Featherweight title.

Serrano dropped Silgado with a straight left. Seconds later, Serrano finished off Silgado with a combination that was punctuated by a right to the body that sent her to canvas and the fight was stopped at 1:41.

Serrano, 124.4 lbs of Brooklyn is now 29-1-1 with 22 knockouts. Silgado, 125.6 lbs of Tolu, COL is 14-7-3.

In a terrific two-way brawl, Conrad Cummings outlasted Dante Moore in middleweight slugfest.

Moore was deducted a point for spitting out his mouthpiece. The had countless toe-to-toe exchanges until Cummings dropped Moore in the sixth round.

Cummings, 162.4 lbs of Coalisland, IRE won by scores of 59-53 and 58-54 twice and is now 10-0-1. Moore, 161.6 lbs of Cleveland, OH is now 9-2-2.

Josh Taylor stopped Evincii Dixon at the end of round two of their scheduled six-round junior welterweight bout/

Taylor, 142,4 lbs of Edinborogh, Scotland is 6-0 with six knockouts. Dixon, 144.2 lbs of Lancaster, PA is 7-15-1.

Min-Wook Kim took apart Louis Cruz by registering three knockdowns en-route to a first round stoppage in a scheduled eight-round junior welterweight bout.

In round one, Kim dropped Cruz with a right. Seconds later, it was a left that sent Cruz to the Canvas. Just after the ref let the fight continue, a perfect right sent Cruz down for a third and final time at 2:33.

Kim. 139 lbs of Seoul, South Korea is 16-1 with 12 knockouts. Cruz, 139.2 lbs of Bronx, NY is 11-2-1.

Jose Gomez opened up the night by stopping Josh Crespo in the first round of their scheduled six-round featherweight bout.

It was a firefight with Gomez landing hard shots until he dropped Crespo. Crespo got to his feet, but the bout was waved off at 2:31.

Gomez, 125.6 lb of Huntington Park, CA is 8-0 with three knockouts. Crespo, 125 lbs of New Haven, CT is 5-4-3.

Adonis Stevenson retained the WBC Light Heavyweight title with an action packed 4th round stoppage over Thomas Williams and the Videotron Centre in Quebec City, Canada.

Stevenson dropped Williams in the last 30 seconds of the opening frame with a left to the top of the head.  Williams came back to rock Stevenson on several occasions over the next two rounds.  Stevenson came out and round four and landed some tremendous body shots that started breaking Williams down.  Williams started to bleed from both over and under his left eye.  Stevenson then landed a perfect six-inch straight left that crumpled Williams face-first to the canvas.  Williams tried to get to his fight but could not beat the count at 2:54.

Stevenson of Montreal is now 28-1 with 23 knockouts.  Williams of Baltimore is now 20-2.

Eleider Alvarez won a 10-round unanimous decision over late-replacement Robert Berridge in a light heavyweight fight.

In round five, Berridge’s right eye began to swell.  Alvarez dominated the action and won by scores of 99-90 and 98-91 twice.

Alvarez is now 20-0.  Berridge is 27-5-1.

Immanuwel Aleem and DeMond Nicholson battled to a majority draw in a middleweight bout.

Aleem took a card 77-75 while two cards read even at 76-76.

Aleem is now 16-0-1.  Nicholson is 17-1-1.

Legendary champion Roy Jones Jr. will take on Rodney Moore on August 13th in Pensacola, Florida according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“I’m always excited to be fighting in front of my hometown fans who have shown me so much support during my career, and I am looking forward to giving them an action-packed fight,” said Jones, who last fought in Pensacola in March 2015, when he knocked out Paul Vasquez in the first round.

Whether Jones plans to keep fighting beyond the fight with Moore is unclear, but McGee Wright, Jones’ manager, said Jones wanted to fight at home again before he retires.

“He wants to end his career in Pensacola at some point,” Wright said. “I’m not saying this is his last fight, but he started here and he wants to end it here.”

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, a unification bout between WBC lightweight champion Dejan Zalticanin and WBO beltholder is being discussed for a bout in October.

“I’ve had multiple conversations with Frank and with Showtime, which loves this fight for its ‘Showtime International’ series. They would love to take it (to air) from the U.K.,” said Zlaticanin promoter Lou DiBella said, adding that they are looking to put on the fight in October. “If we get this deal done, the fight would take place over there. Flanagan is very popular in (his hometown) Manchester. We’re getting close to a deal. We’re definitely close.”

“First of all, it’s a damn good fight, a very good fight,” DiBella said. “It’s a good fight but not an easy fight. These guys are two of the best lightweights in the world if not the two best lightweights in the world. [Zlaticanin] doesn’t care about going to Manchester. He’s like a Dr. Seuss book — ‘I’ll beat you here, I’ll beat you there, I’ll beat you anywhere.’ “

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, WBA Heavyweight champion Ruslan Chagaev has been stripped of his belt becausefhe and promoter Timur Dugazaev have repeatedly failed to pay $40,750 in sanctioning fees related to Chagaev’s majority decision victory against Fres Oquendo to win the vacant belt in July 2014 in Grozny, Russia.

In the WBA resolution stripping Chagaev this past Friday, a copy of which was obtained by ESPN, the organization cited its rule stating that failure “to comply with payment of applicable fees due” is grounds for being stripped.

“Additionally, failure of a promoter to pay all applicable sanction fees may result in suspension or revocation of privileges to promote or otherwise be involved with WBA sanctioned bouts,” the resolution continued.

“In light of Chagaev and his promoter’s failure to pay the full sanction fees due for the Chagaev-Oquendo bout after multiple demands and opportunities to do so, Chagaev’s recognition is hereby removed and he shall further be removed from the ratings. Neither Chagaev nor his promoter, Timur Dugazaev, may participate in or promote WBA sanctioned events.

“Upon receipt of the past due fees, plus applicable interest, Chagaev and his promoter’s privileges may be reinstated, subject to conditions, and Chagaev may again be eligible to be rated.”

After several attempts seeking payment “on July 7, 2016, the WBA’s counsel wrote to Chagaev and his promoter, Timur Dugazaev, making final demand for payment of past due sanction fees resulting from the Chagaev-Oquendo bout and subsequent litigation,” the resolution said.

“The deadline for receiving said fees was July 14, 2016, and the WBA received no such payment. As a result, Chagaev and his promoter are in breach of WBA rules and subject to sanction, including, but not limited to, removal of recognition and authorization to participate in WBA sanctioned bouts.”

Heavyweight contender Joseph Parker will face Alexander Dimitrenko on October 1st in New Zealand, according to Rafael of espn.com.

“It doesn’t faze me fighting big men,” Parker said. “I know if I put in the training, I know I can beat anyone in the world. … I think it’s important to go to the body and break him down.”

“We need to put Joe up against some big men,” Barry said. “There are big guys at the top of the heavyweight division. When you look at [world champion] Tyson Fury, when you look at [former champion Wladimir] Klitschko, when you look at Joshua, these guys are all tall. These are the guys we are targeting. These are the guys who hold the titles. These are the guys that dictate all of the big purses in world heavyweight boxing. So we need to go after them.”

“Dimitrenko is a guy who former world champion Shannon Briggs went out of his way to avoid earlier this year because of the risk,” Duco Events promoter Dean Lonergan said. “Even casual boxing fans know that all Eastern Europeans in the heavyweight division know how to fight.”

“We’ll focus on this fight, and after this fight there’s every indication that, everything going well, that we will fight another tall guy later in the year,” Barry said.

“Even though there’s something in the back of my head in Joshua, you still have to stay focused on what’s in front of you,” Parker said. “If you lose focus, that’s the fight you don’t get to. I want to stay focused even though we’re thinking about Joshua. This is another challenge.”

WBC Heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder will have to have two more surgeries after having one done on his broken right hand, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

Wilder will have one more on his hand and one on his injured right bicep.

“They secured his hand so the swelling will go down and when it has gone down sufficiently they can go in and correct what needs to be corrected in another surgery,” said manager Jay Deas.

“We are trying to coordinate both surgeries at the same time so Deontay is not in a cast for three or four months while his hand heals and then needs to still get his biceps done after that,” Deas said. “Having them both at the same time is a way to cut down on the recovery time he needs.

“The blessing in disguise is that even though the hand surgery is much more complicated than the biceps surgery the biceps takes longer to heal. So Deontay’s hand will be well before his biceps, which will give his hand even more time to rest because he will have to wait for the biceps to be clear before he can use the hand. The hand will be better than it will have been in years.”

Fabian Maidana remained perfect by stopping Jorge Maysonet Jr. after round six of their scheduled eight round welterweight bout in San Antonio, Texas.

Maidana dominated the action and had Maysonet in trouble several times throughout the fight. Maysonet did not come out for the 7th round.

Maidana, 143 3/4 lbs of Santa Fe, ARG is now 10-0 with seven knockouts. Maysonet, 141 lbs of Queens, NY is 13-2.

Alan Castano remained undefeated with an eight-round unanimous decision over Aaron Garcia.

In round two, Garcia was cut over the left eye from an accidental headbutt.

Castano, 155 1/2 lbs of Buenos Aires, ARG won by scores of 78-74 on all cards and is now 11-0. Garcia, 158 1/2 lbs of Chicago, IL is 12-6-1.

Brandon Figueroa remained undefeated by stopping Aldaberto Zorilla in round three of their scheduled eight-round super bantamweight bout.

Zorilla was deducted a point in round two for a low blow. In round three, Figueroa put Zorilla on the canvas from a left hand. After a furious exchange, Figueroa finished off Zorilla with a barrage of body punches that put Zorilla on the canvas and the fight was stopped at 2:44.

Figueroa, 122 3/4 lbs of Weslaco, TX s now 9-0 with six knockouts. Zorilla, 122 1/2 lbs of San Juan, PR is 6-2.

LAS VEGAS – The gloves were gold. Maybe, Terence Crawford’s future is, too.

Crawford at least put himself in position to collect some with a one-sided decision over Viktor Postol Saturday night in a pay-per-view junior-welterweight fight at the MGM Grand.

By the sixth round, there was little doubt about the fight or Postol’s chances and, instead, plenty of talk about how Crawford (29-0, 20 KOs) might do against Manny Pacquiao.

“Of course,’’ Crawford said when asked if would fight the Filipino Senator. “I’ll fight anybody, anywhere.’’

Crawford-versus-Pacquiao on Nov. 5 at Thomas & Mack Center, also in Las Vegas, appeared to be promoter Bob Arum’s plan all along during a week when he complained about criticism of his decision to offer the Postol bout on PPV television.

Crawford’s 118-107, 117-108, 118-107 wipeout of Postol (28-1, 12 KOs) might come to look like an investment in the future, if and when there’s an agreement with Pacquiao. The fight itself was forgettable.

Crawford’s advantage in speed baffled Postol, whose power was never a factor. In fact, Crawford’s speed appeared to the biggest reason for two knockdowns in the fifth. Postol stumbled to one knee in the opening seconds of the round. Still off-balance, he stumbled backwards later in the round, touching the canvas with a glove.

Increasingly, Postol looked baffled. Then, frustrated. In the end, Crawford mocked him. In the 12^th, Postol began swinging for the fences in the desperate attempt for a knockout.

All the while, Crawford ducked, weaved, stepped to one side then the other. He was having fun, so much so that he stuck his tongue out at Postol. He also smiled at him and talked at him before claiming ownership of three pieces – The Ring, WBO and WBC – pieces of the 140-pound title.

Postol trainer Freddie Roach, who bet $1,000 to win $9,000 on the Ukrainian to win by KO, said he was surprised by Crawford speed. In the immediate aftermath, Roach, who also trains Pacquiao, didn’t want to speculate on what might happen against the Filipino.

“We’ll see what happens,’’ said Roach, who got a good look at gloves that said Crawford is more of the real kind than the fool’s variety.

Oscar Valdez Jr. joked that promoter Bob Arum was exaggerating when he called him the featherweight division’s next legend.

Maybe. But there was no exaggerating what Valdez did within two rounds in claiming his first major title Saturday night at the MGM Grand.

Valdez blew away Matias Rueda of Argentina scoring a second-round stoppage for WBO title vacated by Vasyl Lomachenko. Valdez (21-0, 18 KOs) finished Rueda (26-1, 23 KOs) with a left to the body for a TKO at 2:18 of the second round.

“A dream come true,’’ said Valdez (21-0, 18 KOs), a two time Mexican Olympian who went to school in Tucson.  “I’ve been dreaming about this since I was six years old.’’

Valdez celebrated by dancing across the canvas. He talked about family and the future. He dedicated the victory to a cousin who died on a motorcycle. He talked about waiting to fight the great champions.

Next stop: Tucson.

Arum plans for Valdez to make his first title defense in the southern Arizona city where he first began to box. Possible sites are the Tucson Community Center and Casino Del Sol, maybe on Nov. 26.

His potential opponent is the winner of Miguel Marriaga-versus-Guy Robb on Aug. 27 in Fallon, Nev.  The Marriaga-Robb fight is a WBO eliminator. The winner earns a mandatory shot at Valdez, a first-time champion and – if Arum is right – maybe a many-time champ.

Jose Benavidez Jr. was hoping for something spectacular. Maybe next time.

But the unbeaten Phoenix fighter (25-0, 16 KOs) got what he had to have, a victory in his welterweight debut with a unanimous decision over tough Francisco Santana (24-5-1, 12 KOs) Saturday on a pay-per-view card featuring Terence Crawford and Viktor Postol at the MGM Grand.

“There is only one guy I want and it’s Jessie Vargas,’’ Benavidez (25-0, 16 KOs) said. “He wants Manny Pacquiao. But he has to deal with me next.’’

Vargas was sitting at ringside, working as a television analyst. When asked about Benavidez calling him out, he said:

“Fine, come and get it,’’ Vargas said. “Let’s get it set up.’’

There were some boos when one-side scores were announced. Adelaide Byrd scored it a shutout, 100-90. Judge Kermit Bayless had it 98-92. On Glenn Feldman’s card , it was a reasonable 96-94.

“I landed the cleaner shots,’’ said Benavidez, who landed quick combinations in the ninth and 10th rounds, yet appeared to tire in the middle rounds when he leaned on the ropes, an old habit.

With the victory, Benavidez next bout appears to be on in Tucson on card that expected to feature Oscar Valdez Jr. in the first defense of his WBO featherweight title.

Oleksandr Gvozdyk was down. But not done.

Gvozdyk (11-0, 9 KOs), the latest in a string of East European imports, hit the canvas in the first round, stunned by a Tommy Karpency right that he never saw in the first fight on the pay-per-view card featuring Terence Crawford and Viktor Postol at the MGM Grand Saturday night.

Five rounds later, Gvozdyk , a Ukrainian light-heavyweight, was looking down at Karpency (26-6-1, 15 KOs), on his knees and finished.

Karpency, bleeding badly from a cut on the bridge of his nose, went down from a body shot, a right hand to the chest. He also complained about getting thumbed in the eye.

It was clear, however, that he wasn’t getting up. He stayed on one knee until the referee counted 10 for a Gvozdyk victory, a KO at 2:21 of the sixth.

The curtain went down on the non pay-per-view part of the Postol-Crawford card quickly. Definitively, too.

Japanese middleweight Ryota Murata dropped (11-0, 8 KOs) dropped George Tahdooahnippah (34-3-3, 24 KOs), Oklahoma’s Comanche Boy, with a body shot. Then, he rocked him with a succession of rights, forcing the referee to stop it at 1:52 of the first round.

Lenny Zappavigna traveled from Australia. Lianhui Yang came from China. They met at an international crossroads. No interpretation necessary. In the ring, everybody speaks the same language.

Zappavigna (35-2, 25 KOs) spoke it with more power, stopping Yang (18-2, 13 KOs) in the sixth round of a junior-welterweight fight Saturday on the Crawford-Postol card..

Zappavigna nailed Yang with two right hands, then rocked him with successive shots when the refreee stopped at 43 seconds of the round.

Edward Williams’ fraternity brothers barked. He provided the bite.

Williams (12-1-1, 3 KOs), a Detroit welterweight, had just enough of it Saturday against Houston’s Christon Edwards (6-2, 3 KOs) for a six-round unanimous decision that sparked a small frat party after the third bout on the Postol-Crawford card at the MGM Grand.

Stanyilav Skorokhod scored two knockdowns in the opening round and gestured at a fallen Hakim Bryant after the first, waving at him to get up.

Bryant obliged the Ukrainian middleweight, scrambling to his feet and giving him more work than he might have expected in the early moments Saturday. Bryant (6-1, 4 KOs), of Asbury Park, N.J., stayed on his feet for the next five rounds, stubbornly moving forward and into shots thrown by Skorokhod (11-1, 8 KOs).

But Bryant’s evident toughness wasn’t enough against Skorokhod’s 70-inch reach. The Ukrainian appeared to tire, but he had enough to win a lopsided decision in the second fight on the Crawford-Postol card.

It began with a TKO. But there was nothing technical about it.

Omaha light-heavyweight Steve Nelson (3-0, KOs) left Tim Meek (5-3-1, 2 KOs) of Canutillo, Tex., bloodied, bruised and overwhelmed with a fourth-round stoppage in the first fight on a card featuring fellow Omaha fighter Terence Crawford against Viktor Postol in a junior-welterweight bout Saturday night at the MGM Grand.

Nelson warmed up the ring for his fellow Nebraskan with a counter shot that dropped Meek with a thud that echoed throughout an empty building in a non-televised bout before the pay-per-view portion of the card. Nelson then bloodied Meek’s nose and opened up a nasty gash above one eye in the third.

Meek was tougher than his name suggests. But his corner had seen enough. Thirty-two seconds into the fourth, it threw in the towel.

Valentina Shevchenko won a five-round unanimous decision over former world champion Holly Holm in a bantamweight bout at the United Center in Chicago.

Shevchenko, 133 lbs of Lima, Peru won on all cards by a 49-46 score and is now 13-2. Holm, 135 lbs of Albuquerque, NM is now 10-2.

Edson Barboza won a unanimous decision over Gilbert Melendez in lightweight fight.

Barboza, 155 lbs of Rio de Jineairo, BRA won by cores of 30-27 twice and 29-28 and is now 18-4. Melendez, 155 lbs of San Francisco, CA is 22-6.

Francis Ngannou stopped Bojan Mihalavic in the first round of their heavyweight bout.

Ngannou got Mihalovic on the gorund and pounded him out at 1:34.

Ngannou, 259 lbs of Paris, FRA is 8-1. Mihalavic, 228 lbs of Serbia is 10-4.

Felice Herrig scored a 1st round chokeout of Kailan Curran in a strawweight bout.

Herrig made Curran tap from a rear naked choke at 1:59.

Herrig, 115 lbs of Crystal Lake, IL is now 11-6. Curran, 116 lbs of Ewa Beach, HAW is 4-3.

Eddie Wineland stopped Frankie Saenz in the third round of their bantamweight bout.

Wineland landed a booming right in the final frame that crumpled Saenz to the canvas. Wineland landed several shots on the ground. Saenza got to his feet but was quickly pummeled and the fight was stopped at 1:54.

Wineland, 135 lbs of Chesepan, IN is 22-11-1. Saenz, 135 lbs of Scottsdale, AZ is 11-4.

Darren Elkins won a three round unanimous decision over Godofredo Pepe in a featherweight bout.

Elkins, 145 lbs of Portage, IN is won by scores of 30-26 and 29-27 twice and is now 22-5. Pepe, 145 lbs of Brazil is now 13-4.

Kamau Usman won a three round unanimous decision over Alexander Yakovlov in a welterweight bout.

Yakovlev was deducted a point in the first round for grabbing the fence. Yakovlov was cut under the eye in round three.

Usman, 170 lbs of Boca Raton, FL is now 8-1. Yakovlov. 170 lbs of Fairfield, NJ is now 23-7-1.

Michel Prazeres won a unanimous decision over JC Cottrell in a lightweight bout.

Prazeres, 155 lbs of Belim, BRA won by scores of 30-26 and 30-27 twice and is now 20-2. Cottrell, 155 lbs of Oklahoma City, OK is 17-4.

Divante Jones won a dubious 4-round split decision over Anthony Burgin in a lightweight bout.

Burgin was deducted a point in round two for a low blow, for which he was only warned once.

Jones won two cards by 38-37 tallies while Burgin took a card 38-37.

Jones, 135 lbs of Augusta, GA is 9-0. Burgin, 136 lbs of Philadelphia is 9-2.

Jimmy Williams won a 6-round unanimous decision over Antonio Fernandes in a welterweight bout.

Williams, 145 lbs of New Haven, CT won by scores of 60-54 and 58-56 twice to raise his mark to 12-0-1. Fernandez, 148 lbs of Brockton, MA is 7-27-3.

David Wilson and Kendrick Ball Jr. slugged it out to a four-round draw in a middleweight bout.

Scores were 39-37 for Wilson and two cards read 38-38.

Wilson, 161 lbs of New Haven, CT is 5-0-1. Ball, 162 lbs of Worcester, MA is 2-0-1.

Leroy Davilla won a 4-round unanimous decision over Edgar Cortes in a bantamweight bout.

Davilla dropped Cortes with a straight left in round two.

Davilla, 118 lbs of New Brunswick, NJ won by scores of 40-35 twice and 39-36 and is now 2-0. Cortes, 121 lbs of Vineland, NJ is 2-3.

In the opening bout, 2016 U.S. Olympic Alternate, Brent Venagas scored a 2nd round stoppage over Christian Foster.

Venegas dropped Foster with a left hook early in round one. Somehow Foster was able to drop Venegas with a right hand in the same round. It was a flash knockdown as Venegas came back in round two to land hard shots and the fight was stopped at 1:37.

Both fighters were making their pro debuts.

Sergiy Dearevyanchenko stopped former world champion Sam Soliman in round two of their IBF middleweight elimination bout at the Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, CT.

Derevyanchenko dropped Soliman in round one from a counter right. Soliman was sent to the canvas again in round two when he leaped into a left hand. Seconds later, it was a devastating left hook that caught Soliman in the head and sent Soliman to the canvas. Soliman tried to get up but stumbled down to the canvas and the fight was stopped at 2:41.

Derevyanchenko, 159 lbs of Brooklyn is 9-0 with 7 knockouts. Soliman, 159 lbs of Melbourne, AUS is now 44-14.

Ievgen Khytrov remained perfect by battering Paul Mendez until the bout was stopped in round nine of their scheduled 10-round middleweight bout.

Khytrov landed vicious body and head shots throughout the contest until the bout was halted at 1:20 of round nine.

Khytowv, 159 lbs of Brooklyn, NY is 14-0 with 12 knockouts. Mendez, 160 lbs of Dealno, CA is 19-3-2.

Mykey Williams win a 4-round unanimous decision over Issac Johnson in a welterweight bout.

Scores were 40-36 on all cards for Williams, 142 lbs of East Hartford, CT and is now 3-0. Johnson, 143 lbs of Colorado Springs, CO is now 2-4.

Alantez Fox stopped Paul Valenzuela Jr. after round six of their scheduled 8 round middleweight bout.

Fix, 162 lbs of Forestvill, MD is now 20-0-1 with 9 knockouts. Valenzuela, 164 lbs of Mexico is now 17-4.

Christopher David Fogg made a successful pro debut by stopping Jeff Anderson in round one of their scheduled four round middleweight bout.

Fogg dominated by landing some flush shots with Anderson’s hands down and the bout was stopped 84 seconds into the first frame.

Fogg is 1-0 with 1 knockout. Anderson is 0-2.

Ivan Golub stopped Ernesto Ortiz in round two of their six round welterweight bout.

In round two Golub dropped Ortiz with a straight left. The fight was stopped upon Ortiz getting to his feet at 2:49.

Golub, 149 lbs of Brooklyn is 12-0 with 10 knockouts. Ortiz, 148 lbs of Mexico is 10-4.

SERGIY DEREVYANCHENKO

“I looked into his eyes after I knocked him down the first time and I knew he would continue coming forward. I wasn’t going to drop my guard. I didn’t even feel that punch on my glove because it was so clean to the chin. But I felt the last knockdown.

“I warmed up more than once and that broke my rhythm. In the ring I had to get my rhythm.

“Soliman came out nervous and not very coordinated, but that’s the way he usually fights. That’s his style.

“I’m going to keep moving forward. I can’t sit and wait. We will assess the situation and move from here.”

SAM SOLIMAN

“I’m doing well. I didn’t get to warm up, just a couple of minutes, but that’s no excuse. He did his job. That’s never happened before to me.

“He’s a good boxer who did what he had to do. I can’t take anything away from him.

“After every fight, fighters have to decide what to do next. I have a lot outside of boxing that makes me happy, and it takes the sting out of tonight.”

IEVGEN KHYTROV

“I love to fight and battle and go toe-to-toe. I executed the game plan. My defense was much better and I’ve worked hard on my defense. This was my best fight because that guy stood and fought, he didn’t run.

“I wasn’t surprised that Mendez took so many punches because I didn’t throw every punch hard, I mixed it up, but did throw some hard punches.

“I want a couple more fights then I want to fight for the world title. That’s what I’ve worked so hard to do. I’m not going to dodge anybody. I want to fight Gennady Golovkin and take his belts.”

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, Manny Pacquiao wil return to the rong onNovember 5th at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.

“I couldn’t get a building, but we were finally able to secure Thomas & Mack Center,” said Bob Arum. “So I am doing the fight with my friend Steve Wynn [whose Wynn Resorts will serve as the host casino]. MGM really wanted to do the fight but they didn’t have a building. They did everything they could to free up a place for us but Nov. 5 didn’t work, but that is what worked for Manny.

“We are going to film Manny — if we can get into the senate — working as a senator during the day and then training at night. We’ll have a camera crew over in the Philippines. But then he will finish with the budget votes he has to work on around Oct. 15 and he will come to Los Angeles with [trainer] Freddie [Roach] and finish training.”

Three-division world champion Adrien Broner was jailed for 30-days on Tuesday for being late a court appearance in Cincinnati, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com

According to the Cincinnati Enquirer, Broner’s hometown paper, Broner was said to appear ill when he arrived and told Ruehlman that “somebody put something in my drink” the previous night. He added: “I don’t even drink. I didn’t drink last night.”

“You don’t look well. You look like you have a hangover,” Ruehlman said, according to a transcript of the hearing obtained by the newspaper.

Broner’s response, according to the transcript, was, “I have been sick all morning. When I finally got well, I called my lawyer.”

Ruehlman did not buy Broner’s story and told him, according to the transcript, “It’s not a good excuse. He looks like he’s drunk or hungover. To coin a little boxing phrase — you’re not ducking this one.”

Will Welsh, Broner’s lawyer, told the Enquirer that Broner accepted the ruling, adding “He certainly apologizes and understands why the judge was upset.”

According to the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office website, Broner was taken into custody at 12:45 p.m. ET. Part of Broner’s entry includes the comment, “Do not release under any circumstances per Judge Ruehlman.”

Promoter Richard Schaefer received his promoter’s license to startr promoting fights in Nevada under his new Ringstar Sports promotions, according to Dan Rafael of eson.com.

“It was very quick,” Schaefer told ESPN.com after the meeting. “They said it was maybe the best application they ever received, very clean and straight forward, and they said they are happy to have me back. So I am a licensed promoter now in the state of Nevada. Nobody had any issues. They all know me and my track record. “I am very happy to be here in Las Vegas. I have put together some big fights here and I told them that first and foremost I am a fight fan. Las Vegas is the boxing capital of the world and big fights belong in Las Vegas and I told them I am excited to bring big events to Las Vegas again.”

“I could put together some smaller events, but I don’t want to do that,” he said. “I want to put on a bigger event.

“Now I am interviewing people and putting the band back together. I have met with managers, trainers and fighters and have had some network discussions. I’m plugging along and putting the pieces together, but first I had to become a licensed promoter and that’s accomplished and now we’re moving to the next chapter.”

This past Saturday, WBC Heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder injured his right hand and Bicep in his 8th round stoppage over Chris Arreola in Birmingham, Alabama.

“He’s definitely going to need surgery on his right hand,” said promoter Lou DiBella. “He will have it as soon as is practical. He will likely also require surgery on his biceps.”

“Deontay is definitely out for the remainder of the year, but we will know more in the next few days,” DiBella said.

“These are very significant injuries and he was hurt early in the fight, so the fact that Deontay kept up his work rate as a one-armed fighter was pretty remarkable,” DiBella said. “He put such a beating on Arreola with one arm. Some damage was done early, but Deontay showed huge heart and will. He has the heart of a lion, the heart of a champion. There’s no reason to think he won’t be back and be fine in 2017.”

Casey Ramos stopped Hardy Paredes in round five of their scheduled ten-round junior welterweight bout in Lancaster, California.

Ramos dropped Paredes in round three with a left hook. Ramos continued to pound away at Paredes until the referee stopped the bout at 58 seconds.

Ramos, 134.5 lbs of Austin, TX is now 23-0 with six knockouts. Paredes, 139 1/2 lbs of Chile is 18-14.

Ulises Sierra destroyed Jose Hernandez in 28 seconds of their scheduled eight-round super middleweight bout.

Sierra clipped Hernandez with a hard right that hurt Hernandez. Sierra followed up with a barrage of punches until her dropped Hernandez and the fight was stopped.

Sierra, 167 1/2 lbs of San Diego, CA is now 10-0-2 with six knockouts. Hernandez, 167 lbs of Lancaster, CA is 12-3-1.

Arnold Barboza Jr. won a six-round unanimous decision over John David Charles in a welterweight bout.

Barboza Jr. 142 1/2 lbs of South El Monte, CA won by scores of 60-54 on all cards and is now 12-0. Charles, 142 lbs of Corpus Christi, TX is now 9-8.

Miguel Berchelt retained the WBO Interim super featherweight title with a 4th round stoppage over Chonlatarn Pinyapinyo at Polideportivo Soraya Jimenez in Los Reyes La Paz, Mexico.

Berchelt dropped Pinyapinyo twice in round four and the bout was stopped at 2:59.

Berchelt is 30-1. Pinyapinyo is 61-3.

Anabel Ortiz won a eight-round unanimous decision over Kareli Lopez in a light flyweight bout.

Ortiz, 108 lbs won by scores of 78-74 twice and 77-75 and is now 22-3. Lopez, 108 lbs is 9-7-3.

Deontay Wilder scored a stoppage after round eight to retain the WBC Heavyweight title at the Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Alabama

Arreola cut on his nose in round two as the result of a Wilder right hand.  In round four, Wilder landed   big combination that put Arreola on the canvas.  Arreola was bleeding from his right.  Wilder landed a hard right that rocked and wobbled Arreola and almost had the challenger knocked out before the bell rang to end the round.

Arreola continued to take punishment and his left eye closed after round seven.  He wasn’t able to mount any type offense and the fight was stopped after the eighth round.

Wilder, 227 lbs of Tuscaloosa, AL is 37-0 with 36 knockouts.  Arreola, 246 lbs of Riverside, CA is 36-5-1.

Former Olympic Gold Medal winner, Felix Diaz won a 10-round unanimous decision over previously undefeated Sammy Vasquez in a welterweight bout

In round eight, Vasquez began to drip a lot of blood from his mouth,  Vasquez was cut over his right eye in round nine.  Vasquez was deducted a point in round ten for spitting out his mouthpiece.

Diaz of Santo Domingo, DR won a card 96-93 and 95-94 twice and is now 18-1.  .  Vasquez of Monessen, PA is 21-1.

Vasquez landed 149 of 597 punches.  Diaz landed 151 of 502 punches.

Erickson Lubin remained perfect by scoring an eight round unanimous decision over Ivan Montero in a junior middleweight bout.

Lubin, 154 lbs of Orlando, FL won by scores of 80-72 on all cards and is now 16-0.  Montero, 154 lbs of Meridian, MX is 20-2.

Lubin landed 154 of 340 punches.  Montero was 90-320,

Jamal James remained undefeated by winning a 10-round split decision over Wale Omotoso in a welterweight bout

Omotoso was credited with a knockdown in round one.  In round five, a mouse started to develop over the left eye of James.

James, 147 lbs of Minneapolis, MN won by scores of 96-93, 96-94 while Omotoso took a card 97-92.

James is now 20-0.  Omotoso, 146 lbs of Oxnard, CA is 26-3.

Sergio Frias may have shoveled the dirt on the career of former world champion Vic Darchinyan by scoring a 2nd round knockout in a scheduled 8-round super bantamweight bout.

Frias landed a punishing right to the jaw that sent Darchinyan plummeting to the canvas on his back and the fight was stopped at 2:14

Frias, 121 lbs of Guadalajara, MX is 18-6-2 with 9 knockouts.  Darchinya, 122 lbs of Glendale, CA is 42-9-1.

Former world title challenger Orlando Cruz stopped Alejandro Valdez in a round seven of their scheduled ten round super featherweight bout at the Kissimmee Civic Center in Kississimme, Florida.

Cruz dropped Valdez twice in round seven and the bout was stopped at 2:04.

Cruz is now 24-4-1 with 12 knockouts. Valdez is 26-8-2.

Miguel Cartagena scored a 1st round stoppage over Joebert Alvarez in a scheduled six-round flyweight bout.

Cartagena registered two knockdowns and the bout was stopped at 2:16.

Cartagena of Philadelphia s 15-3 with four knockouts. Alvarez of the Philippines is 15-2-1.

Jonathan Cruz stopped Jovan Perez in the 2nd round of their scheduled four round super lightweight bout.

The bout was stopped 34 seconds into round two for Cruz, who is now 2-2. Perez is 3-2.

“We are hoping to have Miguel back in the ring before the end of the year,” said Michael Yormark of Rock Nation Sports. “We’re working on that now. We’re hopeful to have some kind of an announcement over the next couple of weeks.”

The 42-year-old Marquez (56-7-1, 40 KOs), who has won world titles at featherweight, junior lightweight, lightweight and junior welterweight (and also owns a brutal knockout of Manny Pacquiao in a nontitle welterweight fight), has not fought since winning a unanimous decision against Mike Alvarado in a May 2014 welterweight title eliminator, mainly because of a knee injury.

“We’re looking at a couple of opponents, but it’s too early to disclose who we’re talking to,” Yormark said.

Eighth-ranked John Lineker stopped fifth-ranked Michael McDonald in one explosive round in their bantamweight bout in the main event of UFC Fight 91 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

Lineker dropped McDonald twice and almost had the Modesto, California native out. McDonald got to his feet only to be dropped again and was basically out on the ground. Lineker added a couple more shots for good measure and referee Herb Dean stopped the bout at 2:43.

Lineker, 136 lbs of Brazil is now 28-7. McDonald, 135 lbs is 17-4.

Number-three ranked lightweight, Tony Ferguson had some anxious moments, but he came back to make Lando Vannata tap out in round two of their wild bout.

After almost being stopped on a few occasions in the first round, Ferguson came back to land a plethora of jabs and huge kick to the head that cut Vannata’s face in round two. Moments later, Ferguson had Vannata on the mat and made him tap out from a guillotine choke at 2:22.

Ferguson, 155 lbs of Orange County, CA is 22-3. Vannata, 155.5 lbs of Albuquerque, NM is now 8-1.

Tim Boetsch stopped Josh Samman in round two of their middleweight bout.

Boetsch pounded away at Samman in round two, which opened up a cut on Samman’s face. More hard shots forced referee John McCarthy to stop the bout at 3:49 of round two.

Boetsch, 186 lbs of Sunbury, PA is 19-10. Josh Samman, 186 lbs of Tallahassee, FL is 12-4.

Daniel Omiellanczyk won a three round majority decision over Aleksey Oliynyk in a Heavyweight bout

Oliynyk was bleeding from the right eye in round two from a left elbow

Omielanczyk, 238 lbs won by scores of won by scores of 29-28 times 28-28 and is now 19-5-1-1. Oliynyk, 243 1/2 lbs is 50-10-1.

Keita Nakamura made Kyle Noke tap with one second to go in round two of their welterweight bout.

Noke’s face was a bloody mess in round two from the striking of Nakamura. Nakamura had Noke in a choke when Noke submitted just as the bell sounded to end the round.

Nakamura, 171 lbs of Tokyo, JAP is now 32-7-2-1. Noke, 170 1/2 lbs of Albuquerque, NM is 22-9-1.

#12-ranked flyweight Louis Smolka stopped Ben Nguyen in round two of their flyweight bout.

Nguyen took some vicious shots while on the ground in round one that forced blood from the nose. Smolka continued to pound Nguyen more in round two and the blood flowed all over the face of Nguyen. Finally, Smolka continued to punish Nguyen and referee Herb Dean stopped the fight at 4:41 of round two

Smolka, 125.5 lbs of Kapeolei, HI is now 11-1. Nguyen, 125 lbs of Brisbane, AUS is 15-6.

Katlyn Chookagian won a unanimous decision over #13-ranked Lauren Murphy in a Bantamweight bout.

Chookagian, 135 lbs of Kenilworth, NJ is now 8-0. Murphy, 135.5 lbs of Glendale, AZ is 9-3.

Sam Alvey scored a 1st round submission over Eric Spicely in a middleweight bout.

Alvey made Spicely tap out with a front choke along the Octagon at 2:43.

Alvey, 185.5 lbs of Temecula, CA is 27-8-1. Spicely, 185 lbs of Olneyville, RI is 8-2.

Cortney Casey scored a 1st round stoppage over Cristina Stanciu in a straweight bout.

Casey got Stanciu on the ground and landed 8 elbows to the prone head of Stanciu and the bout was stopped at 2:36.

Casey, 116 lbs of Maui, HA is 5-3. Stanciu, 114 lbs of Bucharest, ROM is 5-2.

Scott Holtzman won a unanimous decision over Cody Pfister in a lightweight bout.

Holtzman, 155.5 lbs of Knoxville, TN won by scores of 30-27 twice and 29-28 and is now 9-1. Pfister, 156 lbs of Amarillo, TX is 12-6-1.

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, Manny Pacquiao will end what would be about a seven month retirement with a fight that will take place on either October 29 or November 5.

“Manny wants to come back. The problem is he can only come back if it doesn’t interfere with his senate duties,” said Top Rank’s Bob Arum. “We had penciled him in for Oct. 15 at Mandalay Bay but we were informed that is no longer possible because he has to spend that week leading up to Oct. 15 formulating the budget in the senate and doing the votes.

“So he has to be there for that week, so that knocks out that week. He can’t mess around with that. So now we’re looking at Oct. 29 or Nov. 5. The question is building availability because we want to do the fight in Las Vegas.”

Arum said he is working with MGM executive Richard Sturm on the availability of its venues — the MGM Grand Garden Arena, Mandalay Bay Events Center and T-Mobile Arena — for those dates.

“Sturm is doing the research and seeing if he can move things around,” Arum said. “The MGM wants to do the fight and he’ll come back to us when he comes to a solution.”

Arum said he has been in regular touch with Michael Koncz, Pacquiao’s adviser, as they work through the date issues.

“Michael said Manny definitely wants to fight again. Not even a question,” Arum said. “We just have to get an appropriate date.”

“Manny’s primary concern and obligation is to fulfill his senatorial duties,” Koncz said. “But he just misses [boxing]. He misses the training. He misses being in the gym. You can see when he trains it’s like a stress reliever for him. His mood changes. It’s like he’s in happy land. So I am working with Bob and Manny is working closely with the senate president to make sure the dates are OK. We’re doing this properly.

“When Manny was a congressman we didn’t have to clear dates. Now we have to. He is taking his job in the senate seriously. He is not going to be absent, which is why we can’t do a fight Oct. 15 because of the senate dealing with the budget.”

While many believed Pacquiao and Mayweather would both return, Pacquiao will be the first to do so. In fact, Arum refused to promote the Bradley fight as Pacquiao’s finale, even though Pacquiao said leading up to the fight that he was going to retire.

“I would have been excoriated,” Arum said. “I knew this would happen. I’m not an idiot. I wasn’t going to say [the Bradley fight] was Manny’s last fight and have people say I sold the fight under false pretenses. I didn’t represent that so am I surprised by this? No. Not at all.”

Arum and Koncz said Pacquiao would train around his senate duties.

“He can handle it,” Arum said. “There is one week in October of intensive legislation. He’ll train that week at off hours and before that week at regular hours and then probably two weeks in Los Angeles, and then the last week in Vegas. It’s doable.”

Arum said he and Broner adviser Al Haymon — Arum’s longtime adversary with whom he recently settled a $100 million lawsuit — were able to work on the fight together and that they can do other fights as well, but that Broner (32-2, 24 KOs) was not realistic with his purse demands.

“I worked very, very hard with Al to make the Broner fight but Al was never able to bring Broner around to a realistic number,” Arum said. “He wanted what we haven’t paid anybody in a long time. Just a crazy number. In effect he wanted parity with Manny and Al agreed that he couldn’t do anything with him. The kid is crazy.”

“Broner is a decent fighter and it would be entertaining for the fans,” Koncz said. “But I lost respect for him because he outrageously outpriced himself. We even offered him an upside so if the pay-per-view sold really well he would make even more money. I’ve lost all respect for him as a person.

“So we’ll get another opponent for Manny to fight. I’m not sure who but we want a meaningful fight and an entertaining fight.”