Levan Ghvamichava stopped Breidis Presscott in round seven of their scheduled ten round welterweight bout at the Robinson Rancheria Resort in Nice, California

In round seven, Ghvamichava dropped Prescott with a right hand. Prescott seemed spent after that. He fell to the canvas two more times, which were not ruled knockdowns, but the fight was stopped at 2:37.

Ghvamichava, 148 lbs of of Poti, GEO is now now 17-2-1 with 13 knockouts. Prescott, 147 lbs of Miami, FL is 29-8

In a battle of undefeated junior middleweights, Marcos Hernandez took an eight-round unanimous decision over Thomas Hill.

In round seven, Hill was deducted a point for a low blow.

Hernandez, 153 1/4 lbs of Fresno, CA won by scores of 79-72, 78-73 and 77-74 and is now 8-0. Hill, 153 3/4 lbs of Milwaukee, WI is 6-1.

Malcolm Mcallister remained perfect with a stoppage after round seven in his scheduled eight-round middleweight bout with Gilberto Yoruba.

In round three, Yoruba was cut on the left side of his nose.

Yoruba was deducted one point for a low blow in round six. McAllister continued to dominate until the fight was stopped just before the bell rang to start the final round.

McAllister, 160 lbs of Long Beach, CA is 8-0 with 8 knockouts. Yoruba, 160 lbs of Brazil is 7-3.

Sergey Kovalev retained the IBF/WBA/WBO Light Heavyweight title with a 12-round unanimous decision over Isaac Chilemba at Divis Arena in Ekaterinburg, Russia.

In round seven. Kovalev dropped Chilemba with a hard straight right down the middle.

Kovalev, 174.5 lbs of Kopeysk, Russia won by scores of 117-110, 116-111, 118-109 and is now 30-0-1. Chilemba, 175 lbs of Johannesburg, South Africa is 24-4-3.

The challenger said, “I want to thank Kovalev and his team. I came here to fight. As I said before I have been short a couple times at my world title shot. Tonight I had three titles in the palm of my hand and I came here to give all I can. I believe I did give it my all and unfortunately I came up short. I am proud of my performance tonight even though I didn’t get a victory tonight and I thank God for that. I am a fighter. I was born a fighter. I was born a warrior. I always fight. I always get going and I won’t back down. I will be back soon in the ring. I believe my promoter and my team will give me that. I will be back soon.”

And still the WBO, WBA and IBF Light Heavyweight Champion, Sergey Kovalev said, “My promoter and manager chose a fighter that is similar to Andre Ward’s style, so that I will be prepared for the fight with Ward. When they told me that my opponent will be Chilemba because his style is similar to Andre Ward’s style, I was thinking to myself what’s so similar to his style? Their height is different, so at first I didn’t see much, but after the fight I realize that, in fact, he does have similar style to Andre Ward’s: waiting out and counter-attacks, he is not going in much, he waits in defense and waits for the right moment.”

On his preparation for the fight, Kovalev continued, “There were obviously some moments during the training with regards to my health, because I got a cold and I didn’t say anything, so the information wouldn’t get to Chilemba, that it might work against me. So myself and my trainer worked hard to overcome this stage and prepared for the fight.”

On the knockdown in round seven, “If it wasn’t the end of the round I would have pursued to actively attack him. But because the bell rang, we rested and he managed to pull himself together and I didn’t want to waste my energy. He is very experienced and had as many fights as myself and with boxers of highest level, therefore I was boxing and continue boxing and whatever happens, then it happens. There was no aim to knockout him, but the main aim was to gain experience from this fight for the next fight in November in Las Vegas.”

On fighting in front of his hometown crowd for the first time as a champion, “When I box as a visitor, there are much less fans that support me, there is more support for the opponents and I love to disappoint my opponents’ fans, which is sort of a motivation.”

On whether he was injured during the fight, “In general there are no major injuries. I have a little bruise on my eye, I don’t know how. No major punches I didn’t feel, there was a head bump, that could possibly damage, but there are no other injuries, which is the most important thing. There were mistakes during the camp, you can’t do everything perfect. And when you meet these difficulties you gain experience. What doesn’t break us makes us stronger.”

On experience gained in the fight, “I gained experience; there are things that I have to work with now. I have to work with opponents that sit in the defense and I have to work more with my left arm. And probably I also wanted to make a hard punch and that worked against me. My arms felt heavy and not everything that I wanted happened, and that is again because it’s Chilemba. He is actually a very experienced fighter and like many “couch-experts” said: what round? I never think about when knockout is going to be – it’s boxing, you need just one punch. We are all under God and how he judges, that’s how it’s going to be. I believe my mistake was that I was trying to put power in every punch. I had a heavy feeling in my hands. That’s why he was faster than me in some moments. ”

On how Ward and Chilemba compare, “Andre Ward’s got different timing, he’s faster with his legs. He’s not only good in defense but also he can attack. He has some defensive tricks. If saying in an advanced way, his defense is more modernized. He can feel his competitor better, he’s got better reaction. He also has good experience. After all, he is an Olympic champion. The last American [male] champion at the Olympics. Moreover, he is undefeated. This adds a kind of psychological pressure. He is the best in all the categories. But talking of power he is not a crusher. We have 2 different styles. So that is the difference between them. They are counterpunchers.”

Main Events’ CEO, Kathy Duva, CEO added, “The toughest fight is always the one right before the big one and for a road-warrior like Sergey the toughest fight is the one at home. Tonight Sergey had both tonight. On top of that Isaac Chilemba fought the fight of his career tonight. Isaac deserves all the credit in the world for going 12 rounds with the Krusher. This is the type of tough fight Sergey needed to prepare for Andre Ward. Like the great champion he is, Sergey overcame all these obstacles and won.”

Jose Ramirez stopped Thomas Mendez in round four of their scheduled eight round junior welterweight bout at the Tachi Palcace in Lemore, California.

Ramirez dropped Mendez twice in round one. Ramirez finished Mendez off with a big flurry of punches that sent Mendez to the corner and the bout was stopped at 52 seconds.

Ramirez of Avenal, CA is 18-0 with 13 knockouts. Mendez is 22-8.

Andy Vences remained undefeated by winning ab eight round unanimous decision over Moises Delgadillo in a super featherweight bout.

Vences, 131 lbs of San Jose, California won by scores of 79-73, 78-74 and 77-75 and is now 16-0. Delgadillo is 17-15-2.

Ernesto Martinez scored a 19 second knockout over Joe Louie Lopez in a scheduled eight round super middleweight bout.

Martinez drilled Lopez with a right hand that sent him to the canvas. Lopez got to his feet but he was wobbily and the fight was stopped.

Martinez of San Diego is 12-10-1 with six knockouts, Lopez, 167 3/4 lbs of Fresno, CA is 8-1.

Darryl Bunting scored a 2nd round stoppage over Kyle Kurt in a scheduled four round middleweight bout.

Bunting swarmed the over-matched novice throughout the affair untila flurry of punches knocked out the mouthpiece of Kurtz. A handful of flush punches later, the fight was stopped.

Bunting, 165 lbs of Asbury Park, NJ is now 2-0-1 with 1 knockout. Kurtz, 167 lbs of St. Louis, MO is now 0-1.

Christopher Brooker defeated yet another undefeated opponent as this time he won an eight-round unanimous decision over Gabriel Pham in a super middleweight bout.

In round six, Pham began to bleed from his nose. In round eight, Brooker’s was doing the same.

Brooker, 169 lbs of Philadelphia won by scores of 79-73 twice and 78-74 and is now 10-1. Pham, 168 lbs of Atlantic City, NJ is 6-1.

Titus Williams won a six-round majority decision over Jovany Fuentes in a super featherweight bout.

Williams, 124 lbs of Long Island, NY won by scores of 59-55 twice and 57-57. Williams is 6-0. Fuentes, 125 lbs of Bayamon, PR is 7-8.

Zhankosh Turarov won an right-round unanimous decision over Daniel Souza Santos in a welterweight bout.

In round eight, Turarov dropped Santos with a straight right hand.

Turarov, 151 lbs of Akkol, Kazakhstan won by scores of 80-71 on all cards and is now 19-0. Santos, 150 lbs of Sao Paulo, BRA IS now 15-11.

Juliana Pena won a three-round unanimous decision over Cat Zingano in a bantamweight bout.

Pena, 135.5 lbs of Spokane, WA won by scores of 29-28 on all cards and is now 9-2. Zingano, 135.5 lbs of Denver, CO is also now 9-2.

Kevin Gastelum won a three round unanimous decision over former welterweight champion Johny Hendricks.

Gastelum, 171 lbs of Yuma, AZ won by scores of 30-27 twice and 29-28 and is now 13-2. Hendricks, 171.25 lbs of Firt Worth, TX us 17-5.

TJ Dillashaw won a three round unanimous decision over Rapahel Assucao in a bantamweight bout.

Scores were 30-27 on all cards for Dillashaw, 136 lbs of Dencer, CO and is now 14-3. Assuncao, 135.5 lbs of Alpharetta, GA is 23-5.

Sage Northcutt won a unanimous decision by scores of 29-28 on all cards

According to Dan Rafael undefeated light heavyweight Oleksandr Gvozdyk will take on Tommy Karpency in the opening bout of the July 23 PPV fight card that will be headlined by Terence Crawford and Viktor Postol in a junior welterweight unification bout at the MGM Grands in Las Vegas.

The bout will replace the WBO Super Middleweight title bout between Gilberto Ramirez and Dominik Britsch after Ramirez fell out due to a hand injury.

“My matchmakers say this is a real test for Gvozdyk,” Top Rank promoter Bob Arum told ESPN.com. “Karpency was the best opponent we could get on short notice, but we were told he was training for another fight. So this is a good test for Gvozdyk to prove to us that he is as good as we think he is.”

Antonio Moran won a 10-round unanimous decision over Juan Pablo Sanchez in a lightweight bout Auditorio Blackberry in Mexico City, Mexico.

Moran, 132 1/4 lbs won by scores of 98-92, 97-93 and 96-94 and is now 20-1. Sanchez, 133 lbs is 30-13.

According to Dan Rafael of ESPN.com, Roc Nation Boxing COO, David Itskowitch resigned from the company.

“I’m appreciative of the opportunity that Roc Nation Sports gave me to build their boxing division,” Itskowitch told ESPN.com. “I value the relationships that I formed while I was with the company, and I am extremely proud of all that we accomplished in two years. I’m looking forward to new challenges in my career.”

Roc Nation Sports plans to fill the COO position but probably not until after Andre Ward’s fight against Alexander Brand on Aug. 6. “Roc Nation is thankful for the efforts and contributions Dave Itskowitch made to Roc Nation Sports, but at this time, we have decided to part ways,” Michael Yormark told ESPN.com. He is the president and chief of branding and strategy for parent company Roc Nation. “We wish him the best of luck in the future.”

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, two world title bouts will be held in Osaka, Japan on September 16th.

Long-reigning bantamweight world titleholder Shinsuke Yamanaka and former titlist Anselmo Moreno.

Also on the card, junior featherweight world titleholder Hugo Ruiz (36-3, 32 KOs) will defend his belt against former bantamweight titleholder Hozumi Hasegawa (35-5, 15 KOs).

“After I completed my 10th consecutive title defense in March, I was hoping for a unification match or a big match overseas,” Yamanaka said during a news conference to announce the bout on Wednesday in Tokyo, according to the Japan Times. “But to keep my motivation, [Teiken promoter Akihiko Honda] set up the fight against Moreno, for which I’m thankful.

“I want to win in a better way [this time]. We’re going to work on our plans to do so. But if I get myself prepared properly, I have the confidence to win.”

“It’s been two years since my last title fight, and I’ve practiced hard every day, waiting [for this chance],” Hasegawa said at the news conference. “Now I shall only focus on my training. I’ve had so many fights in my career, and I don’t have to say a lot any more. I consider this my last challenge, and I’ll train as hard as possible so I won’t have any regrets.”

WBO Super Middleweight champion Gilberto Ramirez injured his right hand that will force his title defense against Dominik Britsch to be postponed, according to Dan Rafael of eson.com.

The bout was ticketed for the July 23rd Terence Crawford – Viktor Postol Junior Welterweight unification Pay-Pay-Per view card.

“Gilberto Ramirez sustained an injury to the third knuckle of his right hand after a punch to the head of his sparring partner,” Dr. Steven Shin said in a statement given to ESPN.com. “I examined Gilberto later (Tuesday) and ordered an MRI of his right hand. The MRI revealed a complete tear of the ulnar sagittal band at the third metacarpophalangeal joint (knuckle) of his right hand, a region of the hand that is commonly injured in boxers. Gilberto will undergo surgery this Friday for repair of this injury. We anticipate that the soonest he will be able to fight competitively will be in approximately five months.”

“I was in top shape and on weight but I know these kinds of things can happen in boxing,” Ramirez said. “I will recover and come back stronger physically and mentally. I have a long boxing career in front of me and for sure a lot of big fights will be coming my way.”

“It’s been sore since that fight,” Gibbons said. “The he banged it up again against [Gevorg] Khatchikian in November when he hit on the elbow. It’s always been tender and had issues, and this time it just went ‘boom.’ But it’s better for this to happen during a sparring session than in the fight. It’s horrible, but it is what is. He’s very disappointed, but you have to be a realist. You keep your spirits up, but it’s just a bummer after working so hard to get the title. But he’ll come to Vegas for the fight and talk to the media, enjoy himself and rehab.”

“I talked to the doctor, and I’ve all the confidence in him,” Arum said. “Dr. Shin said it would have been crazy to go through with the fight and the best thing is to get an operation.”

“We’ll fill the spot,” Arum said. “We’re working on it, and we’ll have something. Zurdo was really picking up traction, but we still have Valdez; Benavidez against Santana, which will be a hell of a fight; and a great main event. Does losing Zurdo’s fight hurt? A little bit. Is it devastating? No.”

Following his positive test for a banned substance from his APril 30 bout against Badou Jack, Lucian Bute will have his “B” sample tested on Thursday, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“The Washington D.C. Boxing and Wrestling Commission has been handling the process related to Lucian Bute’s positive anti-doping test result for Ostarine,” the WBC said on Wednesday. “The WBC and the D.C. commission have communicated frequently about that case. The D.C. commission arranged for the opening of Mr. Bute’s ‘B’ sample, which will take place on Thursday.

“Mr. Bute has designated his representatives, who will attend the opening of the ‘B’ sample container, consistent with the WBC rules & regulations. More information about this case will be made available in days to come.”

“I am surprised and sad about that news,” Bute said. “I can’t understand how the test could have been positive. I have been tested exhaustively since I was world champion and never tested positive. I have never taken anything prohibited. I trust every member of my team and I am convinced when the B sample will be tested it will prove me right and will turn out negative.”

Former world champion Kermit Cintron won an eight round unanimous decision over Carlos Garcia in a junior middleweight bout.

Cintron, 152 lbs of Reading, PA won via 80-72 and 79-73 twice and is now 37-5-2. Garcia, 154.5 lbs of Aguada, PR is 10-16-1.

Frank De Alba scored a third round stoppage over Jonathan Perez in a scheduled eight round super featherweight bout.

In round three, DeAlba dropped Perez with a right hook to the body. Moments laster, It was a right hook to the body that sent Perez down and the fight was stopped at 1:50 of round three.

De Alba, 130.5 lbs of Reading, PA is 19-2-2 with 8 knockouts. Perez, 131 lbs of Barranquilla, COL is now 35-15.

Christian Carto made a successful pro debut by stopping Rahkeam Park at the end of the third round of their scheduled four round bantamweight bout.

Carto, 117.5 lbs of Deptford, NJ is 1-0 with one knockout. Parker, 117 lbs of Laurel, MS is 0-3.

Miguel Martinez won a four round unanimous decision over Antonio Allen in a super welterweight bout.

Martinez, 156 lbs of Reading, PA won by scores of 40-36 on all cards and is now 2-1. Allen, 154.5 lbs of Philadelphia is 0-2.

Kashon Hutchinson made a successful pro debut with a 2nd round stoppage over Robert Ramos in a scheduled four round super lightweight bout.

In round two, a right-left combination from Hutchinson dropped Ramos. Hutchinson continued the onslaught until the bout was stopped at 2:44.

Hutchinson, 139 lbs of Reading, PA is 1-0 with one knockout. Ramos, 137.5 lbs of Allentown, PA is 1-5-1.

Former world champion, Antonio Margarito will face Ramon Alvarez on August 13 at the Rosarito Convention Center in Rosarito, Mexico, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“I felt a little rusty before the Paez fight after being out for so long, but now we are on pace,” Margarito said. “I like the fight against Ramon Alvarez, and the styles will provide an exciting fight for the fans. I’m happy. Ramon and me will be in the ring fighting, and nobody else will be able to help him or me.”

“I have always wanted the fight with Margarito, and now, thanks to Fernando Beltran, it will happen,” Alvarez said. “It is an opportunity for my career, and I have no doubt that I will win. I will go out there and give everything as I always do. [Margarito] is a warrior in the ring. He’s very strong and has power, but I have faith in my talent and my preparation. Defeating Margarito will lead me to the [junior middleweight] world title and help me in achieving my dream.”

Alvarez is the brother of Canelo Alvarez

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, Miguel Marriago will face Guy Robb in a featherweight elimination bout on August 27 in Fallon, Nevada.

“Marriaga came back from the loss to Walters by winning. He earned his way back by being active and getting three wins in a row,” said Top Rank’s Carl Moretti. “Robb is a guy who really, really wants this opportunity to fight for the No. 1 position.”

“Whether it’s the next fight or not, this fight is on national TV, and it will create some interest in the winner fighting the Valdez-Rueda winner,” Moretti said. “People will see it, and you build up the title fight when it is due.

Lee Haskins will defend the IBF Bantamweight title against Stuart Hall later this Summer in England, after promoter Matchroom Sports won a purse bid to stage the fight, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

Matchroom Boxing won promotional rights to Haskins-Hall with a bid of $201,999, which easily beat the only other offer of $85,000 made by Tom Brown’s TGB Promotions. As the titleholder, Haskins is entitled to 75 percent of the winning bid ($151,499), and Hall will receive the remaining 25 percent ($50,500).

“I’m pleased to win the bid, as it’s a domestic world title fight that I’m excited to see,” Matchroom’s Eddie Hearn told ESPN.com. “There is some deep rivalry between the pair having already met, and we are deeply invested in the division with [world titleholder] Jamie McDonnell and [British champion] Ryan Burnett.

“We have eight world champions in our team right now, and I want to push this into double figures as soon as possible, and I believe Stuart will get the job done against Haskins.”

Milton Santiago Jr. remained perfect with an 8-round unanimous decision over Osumanu Akaba in a super lightweight bout.

Santiago, 139.4 lbs of Philadelphia, PA won by scores of 79-73, 78-74 and 77-75 and is now 14-0. Akaba, 139.9 lbs of Prichard, AL is now 32-11-1.

Mykal Fox won a 6-round unanimous decision over Jose Valderrama in a super lightweight bout.

Fox, 141.8 lbs of Forestville, MD won by scores of 60-54 on all cards and is now 10-0. Valderrama, 144.1 lbs of Manati, PR is 5-14.

Victor Vasquez won a 6-round unanimous decision over Seifullah Jihad Wise in a lightweight bout.

Vasquez, 135.1 lbs of Yonkers, NY won by scores of 59-55 and 58-56 twice to improve to 5-2. Wise, 136.8 lbs of Philadelhia, PA is now 3-2.

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, former two-division world champion Mikey Garcia will be back in action on July 30 as the co-feature bout against Elio Rojas at Barclays Center in Brooklyn and on Showtime.

“The best of my career is what’s next,” Garcia said during a small media session with reporters on Saturday night at Barclays Center before the Keith Thurman-Shawn Porter welterweight title fight. “I think you’ll remember me most for what I achieve from here forward than for what I’ve done. The best challenges are next.

“All I have wanted is a date and a fight and to get back to boxing. I didn’t want to be waiting, guessing and thinking about when I might fight. Now I have a date, I have a fight and I am very happy.”

“(Adviser) Al [Haymon], Stephen and Lou worked out this fight for me almost as … a trial type of work,” Garcia said, adding that he has no deals with anyone beyond the July 30 bout. “Stephen and I have talked in the past. He really wants me to be part of the Showtime network, and Al has a lot of fighters that I would love to fight, and I won’t have access to those fighters if I don’t do business with them.

“I need to make up for lost time. I need to get back. This (protracted legal battle) took too much time. The court system isn’t something you just walk into and handle it. It takes time.”

“Floyd [Mayweather] has been trying to push to maybe get something going,” Garcia said. “We have been talking on how we can arrange something. Floyd proposed maybe a short-term opportunity to work with him. Al also proposed his idea of what he thinks he can do for me. And having Stephen as a network, great things are about to happen. I just want to make sure whatever I do is best for me, for my career.”

“A year ago, we made a few attempts to settle this. If [Top Rank] believed I owed them anything money-wise, give me a number. They said no, that’s not available, that’s not for sale,” Garcia said. “So that kind of frustrated me. It motivated me to go full on and go through litigation.

“As a fighter, you’re supposed to stay in the gym. This is what I do. I don’t do anything else. I don’t do any other sport. I box. I like to be in the gym with the guys. I’ve been in shape the whole time. I’ve been training, sparring. I helped just about every single guy Robert has in the gym. We had guys come from other gyms looking for sparring with me because they wanted to get in shape. I didn’t mind it. I said let’s do it. It helps me stay in shape.”

“I think the two years off was good for him. He focused on other things,” said brother/trainer, Robert Garcia. “Now he wants to pick up a title at 135, 140 and maybe 147. Things were too easy for him before. Now he has challenges in front of him. I think he had fought for the past two years maybe because he would be bored and not want to fight anymore.”

So he said he declined fights because “it’s hard when they don’t give you an exact number of fights they believe you owe them. I believed my contract was up. I still stand by that. They believed there was an extension that applied. I didn’t see how that extension could apply, especially when they never gave me their own interpretation. Every clause, every contract they had with me would never end the way they have it written down. They wanted me to get a title fight so they could extend for another three years, and then before tha

“I have always said they did a very good job building me up,” Garcia said. “They picked the right dates, the right times, the right fighters as opponents for me. There’s a few things I was not happy with — some of the disclosures, some of the revenues, stuff they should be sharing with me and I never got to see certain things and I questioned it. And when they promise you a purse and then they come back with a $100,000 or $150,000 less, it just doesn’t look right.”

Former world champion Mike Alvarado won an eight round majority decision over Josh Torres at The Bomb Factory in Dallas, Texas.

Alvarado, 147 1/2 lbs of Denver, Colorado won by scores of 78-74, 77-75 and 76-76 and is now 36-4. Torres, 147 1/2 lbs is 15-5-2.

Matt Korobov won an eight-round unanimous decision over Bryan Vera in a middleweight bout

Vera was dropped in the first twenty seconds from a right hand. About a minute later, Vera hit the canvas again with a right hook.

Korobov, 162 1/2 lbs won by scores of 78-70 and 79-69 twice and is now 26-1. Vera is 23-11.

Anthony Joshua retained the IBF Heavyweight title with a 7th round stoppage over Dominic Breazeale at the 02 Arena in London.

In round seven, Joshua dropped Breazeale with a hard right. Breazaele got to his feet only to eat a hard barrage of punches that was punctuated by a right hand that sent him to the canvas and the bout was stopped at 1:01.

Joshus is 17-0 with 17 knockouts. Breazeale is now 17-1.

BROOKLYN–Keith Thurman retained the WBA Welterweight title with a close unanimous decision over Shawn Porter in a action-packed bout at Barclays Center in front of 12,718 fans.

It was a terrific bout with both guys having big moments through the 36 minutes of intense action.  It looked like Thurman would solidify himself with boxing in round one, but in round two, Porter in round two began to smother Thurman on the inside and get in some hard power shots of his own.

The two seemed to trade rounds, with Thurman doing a lot of moving and landing his best shots when Porter would dive in at him.  Porter was able to get inside and maul Thurman against the ropes, which facilitated some furious exchanges much to the delight of the crowd.

Down the stretch both guys gave it their all and it was a close fight with not much separating the two.

Thurman 146 lbs of Clearwater, FLA won by scores of 115-113 on all cards and is now 27-0.  Thurman, 147 lbs of Las Vegas, NV is now 26-2-1.

KEITH THURMAN

“I want to thank Shawn Porter for a tremendous fight, he’s a great warrior. Defense is the key to victory He smothers his punches a lot and makes it difficult for the judges to score. I was able to rock him with clear, effective blows and I believe that was the difference today.

“It’s all about defense. I had a great defense today.”

SHAWN PORTER

“At the end of the day, I’m blessed. We worked hard, Keith is a great champion. My dad says to keep your head up. I think I won the fight, but I’m satisfied because the competitor came out tonight.

“We need that rematch. I know the fans want that rematch. If he gives me another chance, I’m going to work hard in the ring and leave with his title.”

Jarrett Hurd scored a 10th round stoppage over Oscar Molina in the final round of their junior middleweight bout.

In round one, Hurd landed a big right uppercut that put Molina on the deck.  Hurd continuously had the upper hand in the bout as he landed digging shots to the body and some hard head shots.  Molina showed plenty of heart as he would fire back and land some good rights of his own.

The two fought a spirited final frame as they landed power shots.  Hurd landed a big three punch combination to the head and the bout was stopped at 2:02.

Hurd, 153.8 lbs of Accokeek, MD is 18-0 with 12 knockouts.  Molina, 154.8 lbs of Norwalk, CA is 13-1-1.

“Molina is a great fighter. This is definitely a big win for my career. He was taking a lot of shots, but he knew how to survive.

“It was a big uppercut that knocked him down in round one. People know from my last fight that I have a great right uppercut.

“This fight here puts me up with the top contenders in the division. I felt like I could have gone three or four more rounds. I was getting stronger as the fight went on.

“We wanted to get him out early because we knew that he had a lot of ring experience. We had to break him down first.

“I’m very happy. This was the first fight on CBS since a Muhammad Ali fight. I made history today. This is a blessing. Me and my team have done a great job.

“I can’t see what the ref sees. He was hurt a couple of times. I don’t think it was a bad stoppage. Molina is a very tough guy who just kept coming through.

“We’re going right back to the gym so we can get in there again.”

OSCAR MOLINA

“I went low and I had my head down and he caught me with that uppercut in the first round. He got me with a shot I wasn’t expecting but it was definitely a flash knockdown. I wasn’t hurt.

“I felt like Hurd was throwing a lot of punches in the tenth round but they weren’t really hurting me. He was staying busy but he was never really hurting me.

“I was supposed to use my footwork a lot more but I ended up smothering my shots. He had an awkward defense with a lot of bending down and I couldn’t get into a rhythm.

“This was a big opportunity for me and I felt like I fought a good fight. I’m going to come back stronger. We’re going to work on a lot of things and get back in there.”

Heather Hardy remained undefeated as she pounded out an 8-round unanimous decision over Kristie Simmons in a featherweight fight.

Hardy, 123.2 lbs of Brooklyn, NY won by scores of 79-73, 78-74 and 78-74.  and is now 17-0.  Simmons, 122.8 lbs of Aurora, CO is 8-2.

David Benavidez remained undefeated with a controversial 7th round stoppage over Francy Ntetu in a light heavyweight bout.

Benavidez was ahead on the cards as he won close rounds, where he outpunched a game Ntetu.  The fight was curiously called off after a clinch where it did not look like any consequential punches were landed.

Benavidez, 168.6 lbs of Phoenox, AZ is 15-0 with 14 knockouts.  Nteti, 170 lbs of Quebec, CAN is 17-1.

Good looking prospect Regis Prograis stopped Luis Florez in round four of a scheduled 10-round junior welterweight bout.

Prograis dropped Florez in round three with a hard left.  Prograis continued the onslaught and he landed a hard combination in the corner and the bout was stopped at 1:47 of round four.

Prograis, 139.8 lbs of Houston, TX is now is 18-0 with 15 knockouts.  Florez, 140 lbs of Puerto Libertador, COL is now 21-4.

Josue Vargas remained undefeated by winning a 4-round unanimous decision over Ryan Picou in a junior welterweight bout.

Vragas, 140.8 lbs of Bronx, Ny won by scores of 40-36 on all cards and is mow 5-0. Picou, `40.8 lbs of Las Vegas, NV is 2-10-1.

Nicklaus Flaz scored a devastating first round stoppage over Mack Babb in a scheduled 4-round junior middleweight bout.

Flaz landed a booming overhand right that folded Babb down to the canvas and the bout was immediately stopped at 1:13.

Flaz, 150.6 lbs of Bayamon, PR is 3-0 with 3 knockouts. Babb, 150.8 lbs of Brooklyn, NY is 1-7.

Ricardo Rodriguez won a 10-round unanimous over David Quinjaro in a super flyweight bout at the A LA Carte Pavilion in Tampa, Florida.

Rodriguez won on all cards by the scores of 98-92 and is now 14-3.  Quinjaro is 16-6-1.

Sammy Valentin remained undefeated by winning a six-round unanimous decision over Greg Jackson in a welterweight bout.

Valentin won by scores of 60-54 on all cards and is now 7-0.  Jackson is 6-3-1.

Mark Reyes stopped Niko Browne in round two of their scheduled four round bour.

Reyes is 2-0  Browne was making his pro debut

Former Golden Boy Promotions CEO, Richard Schaefer is back in boxing as he will run Ringstar Sports, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“I’m very excited to be back,” Schaefer said.

“I could have come back quite a while ago, last summer, when my non-compete expired but I took my time. I was thinking it through and I’m very excited now to go full-steam ahead with Ringstar,” Schaefer said. “I am reactivating my deep relationships in the boxing industry with fighters, venues, networks, sponsors, managers and, of course, my friends in the media. I will be in the coming weeks recruiting a seasoned team of executives from matchmakers to operational people, marketing and sponsorship professionals to join me at Ringstar to help maximize revenues for our athletes.”

“They were my colleagues and very smart and good at what they do,” Schaefer said. “There also are top matchmakers out there as well. I want to get the ring stars but I really want to have outside the ring stars as well. You need to have the right team.

“What I will be doing first is putting the team in place and I will be pursuing network deals and start to sign fighters. I believe putting things in the right order. Some others sign fighters and then chase these others things. I like to do it the other way around. I want to be able to offer young fighters, maybe some coming off [this summer’s] Olympics or world champions who will become free agents a platform on television and sponsors so that I can tell them what I will do for them and how I will make them the kind of money I made for Floyd Mayweather and for many others. That’s what I want to offer the talent out there. I made Oscar a lot of money, including outside of the ring.”

“I certainly hope I will be able to promote some of those events,” Schaefer said. “I have a great relationship with Al, but first things first. I want to build Ringstar into major promotional outfit in the United States and globally as well. I am as excited about boxing as I have ever been. We’re going to have fun again.”

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, the camps of Canelo Alavarez and Gennady Golovkin are angling for a fall 2017 fight.

“I met with Eric (Gomez) on Monday, and we had a good, good conversation, and the plan was they want to shoot for fall of 2017,” said K2 Promotions Tom Loeffler told ESPN.com. “It’s not going to happen in September of this year, so we’ll use the time to build the fight. We wanted the fight in [this past] May.

“It’s Gennady’s priority to make the Canelo fight as soon as possible, but Golden Boy felt next year would make the most sense on the promotional side and with the weight as well.”

“We’ll be happy whenever we can make the fight with Canelo,” Loeffler said. “We can’t force people to get in the ring with Gennady. Canelo wants to work to get up to 160, and we’ll try to make the best out of the situation.”

“I believe that Canelo wants to fight Gennady. I don’t think he is afraid of Gennady, but I think Golden Boy wants to build up the fight, and the time also gives Canelo time to get to 160 pounds,” Loeffler said. “We can jump up and down all we want, but it won’t help us get the deal. We have to focus on continuing to build Gennady. The bigger we can make Gennady, the bigger we can make that fight with Canelo, as long as we have to wait.”

Golovkin, who, like Alvarez, is under contract to HBO, likely will fight in September as well. Loeffler said he has been talking to Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn about matching GGG with England’s Chris Eubank Jr., son of the former middleweight and super middleweight titleholder Chris Eubank Sr., one of England’s biggest stars of the 1990s. Eubank Jr. (22-1, 17 KOs) defends the British middleweight title against Tom Doran on Saturday at the O2 Arena in London on the undercard of heavyweight world titleholder Anthony Joshua’s defense against Dominic Breazeale.

“I’ve been talking to Eddie about Eubank Jr., and Eddie said as soon as [Saturday’s] fight is over, we will see if we can move forward with that fight,” Loeffler said, adding that if it is made, Golovkin likely would travel to England for the bout.

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, Middleweights Sergiy Derevyanchenkov& Sam Soliman will meet in an elimination bout on July 21 at Foxwoods and on ESPN.

“I’m excited about this opportunity to headline against an experienced former champion,” Derevyanchenko, 30, said. “Soliman has accomplished a lot, but right now he is standing in the way of me being a world champion. You will see the best version of me on July 21 and I will show why I am a dangerous fighter in this division.”

“This is a crossroads fight so I am leaving nothing to chance and will do every bit of training needed to win this fight,” Soliman said. “We are both fighting for world title position and I know Sergiy will fight hard for this win. This all makes it a great contest.”

In the co-feature, middleweight prospect Ievgen Khytrov (13-0, 11 KOs), a 27-year-old from Ukraine living in Brooklyn, will face Paul Mendez (19-2-2, 9 KOs), 27, of Delano, California, in a scheduled 10-round bout.

Sammy Vasquez will take on former welterweight champion Luis Collazo on July 16th in the co-feature to the Deontay Wilder – Chris Arreola Heavyweight title fight in Birmingham, Alabama, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“This is a great opportunity for me, and I’m looking forward to showcasing my talent and skills,” the 30-year-old Vasquez, of Monessen, Pennsylvania, said. “Luis Collazo is one of the toughest guys I’ve fought so far, and he’s definitely going to test me. My job is to go in there, handle my business and beat him worse than anyone else has. I think our styles will combine for a great battle, and I’m excited to give the people another great fight.”

“I’m totally stoked about this fight against Sammy Vasquez,” said Collazo, who has also faced opponents such as Shane Mosley, Victor Ortiz and Andre Berto. “He is a talented fighter and I’m excited to test his abilities and the will that he has to keep that zero. This will be a good one.”

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, Andre Ward will take on Alexander Brand on August 6th in Oakland in a prelude to his November 19 PPV bout with Sergey Kovalev.

HBO will televise the bout.

Big underdog Joe Smith Jr. scored a stunning first round stoppage over former world title challenger Andrzej Fonfara in a scheduled 10-round Light Heavyweight bout at the UIC Pavilion in Chicago.

Smith knocked Fonfara down with a booming overhand right. Fonfara was hurt bad, and after Smith landed eight punches, landed a crunching left hook that was followed up by a right that sent Fonfara to the deck and the fight was stopped at 2:32.

Smith of Long Island, NY is now 22-1 with 18 knockouts. Fonfara of Chicago is now 28-4.

Rau’She Warren wrestled the WBA Bantamweight title with a 12-round majority decision over previously undefeated Juan Carlos Payano in a rematch of their controversial bout in August.

Warren of Cincinnati, OH won by scores of 115-113 twice and 114-114 and is now 14-1. Payano is 17-1.

Erickson Lubin remained perfect with a 3rd round stoppage over Daniel Sandoval in a scheduled 8-round Super Welterweight bout.

Lubin rocked Sandoval with a hard combination and snapped Sandoval’s head back repeatedly until te bout was stopped at 2:36 of round three.

Lubin, 153 1/2 lbs of Orlando, FL is now 15-0 with 11 knockouts. Sandoval, 158 lbs of Guadalajara, MX us 38-4.

In a battle of previously undefeated middleweights, Maciej Sulecki stopped Hugo Centeno in the final round of their scheduled 10-round bout.

In round nine, Cenetno began to bleed from the nose. In the final round, Sulecki landed a perfect right that sent Centeno to the canvas and the fight was stopped at 1:06.

Sulecki of Poland is 23-0 with 8 knockouts. Centeno of Oxnard, CA is 24-1.

Alex Martin remained undefeated by winning an 8-round split decision over Juan Carlos Abreu in a welterweight bout.

In round eight, Abreu dropped Martin with a right hand.

Martin of Harvey, IL won by scores of 78-74 and 77-74 while Abreu took a card 76-75.

Martin is 13-0. Abrue of the Dominican Republic is 19-3-1.

Jose Quezada remained undefeated by winning a 6-round split decision over Cameron Krael in a welterweight bout.

Quezada won by scores of 58-56 on two cards and one card read even at 57-57 and he is now 11-0. Krael is now 8-11-2.

JOE SMITH JR.

“There’s no feeling like this. I’m happy to take this victory back home to New York to all my fans.

“I’ll talk to my promoter but I’m hoping for another big fight to get myself to a world title.

“Now everybody knows who I am. This is the best thing that could have happened.

“Once I started hitting him and pushing him back he fell away and left himself open for the right hand.

“I thought this would be more of a fight, but I took him out early and it feels great.

“He was punching and I knew he leaves himself open. I was just looking for the punch and it landed.”

ANDRZEJ FONFARA

“He is a heavy puncher. He hit me with a great punch. It happens.

“I threw some good punches, but I got too comfortable. I didn’t see the punch coming. That made it a great punch.

“I’m disappointed because I thought I would win the fight but it is boxing. I will rest and get back in the ring. I’ll get back to work.”

RAU’SHEE WARREN

“This feels great. It’s unbelievable. Payano came to put on a great fight but I came out victorious. It was a good fight. If he wants the rematch, we can do it again.

“I was comfortable that I had won the decision. He came to fight and he stayed active. My corner just told me I had to answer back.

“We wanted to make him miss and make him pay. I definitely made him miss a lot. He was just staying busy. I bobbed and weaved. I pressed him enough to where I could take over. Barry Hunter told me I had to take the last round and I got him cut.

“My corner just kept telling me to work. I knew I was in control but I just had to step on the pedal at the right time.

“I want to take it to another level. A third fight could be really big. I want Warren-Payano 3 in Cincinnati. If not I’ll go after all the other champions.”

JUAN CARLOS PAYANO

“I wasn’t able to completely follow my game plan. At moments I was able to do what we trained for, but not enough. I hurt my rib early in the first two rounds and it made it difficult to grab and breathe. I take nothing away from him.

“I was courteous enough to offer the rematch right away and I hope that I get reciprocated the same way.

“Rau’shee was pretty much the same as last time. I fought his pace and I didn’t follow my plan. I wasn’t able to do what I wanted to do and he was able to prevail. I think I gave the fight away and Rau’shee won the fight.”

ERICKSON LUBIN

“I felt great. He’s a veteran so I wanted to take my time and get him out of there by chipping away. I saw that he was hurt with a hook. I saw that it cut him and I wanted to rush him. A flurry of punches and the ref stopped it.

“I’m looking at going higher in the rankings. My team knows I’ll fight everybody. They have to stop me from fighting people cause I’ll say yes to anyone. I just want a title and I’ll do anything to get there.

“I’m still working. I feel great right now. I’m excited to get back in the gym. I didn’t hurt anything. I just want to keep going from here.

“I will fight anybody. I’m not a ‘turkey,’ I’m a ‘pilgrim.’ Everybody is on my radar.”

DANIEL SANDOVAL

“He threw a good combination and I stopped throwing punches, so the referee did what he had to do.

“The referee had the best vantage point and I agree with his decision. Lubin was the better fighter tonight.”

MACIEJ SULECKI

“It was a milestone fight for me. This could give me a chance to fight for the middleweight world title.

“I’ve always thought of myself as a technical fighter. I just needed a small adjustment to move the technique to power. That is exactly what happened when I moved to America.

“This is unbelievable. It’s hard to put into words. Fighting on the biggest stage in American television is amazing.

“I knew from the beginning that I was going to dominate. I needed a couple of rounds to get my timing. Once I got my timing, I knew that I was physically and mentally better than this guy.

“I want to fight Daniel Jacobs. I think that would be a great fight.”

HUGO CENTENO JR.

“I had trouble making weight. I don’t want to make excuses. He did what he had to do, but I felt like I couldn’t do what I wanted to do.

“I felt sluggish by the fourth round. The fatigue set in hard. I wanted to finish the fight. I work hard for it. It is what it is, but I can’t wait to get back in the ring again.”

Donald Cerrone stopped Patrick Cote at 2:28 of round three of their welterweight bout.

Cerrone got Cote down and landed some thunderous punches and the bout was stopped.

Cerrone, 171 lbs of Albuquerque, NM is 30-7-1. Cote, 170 lbs of Montreal is 24-8.

Steve Bosse won a wild three round unanimous decision over Sean O’Connell in a wild light heavyweight bout.

Both guys landed plenty of shots and both were boody.

Bosse, 205 lbs is 12-2. O’Connell, 205 lbs of Salt Lake City, UT is now 17-8.

Olivier Aubin Mercier made Thibaukt Ghoti top out from a rear naked choke at 2:28 of round three of their lightweight bout.

Mercier, 155 lbs of Montreal is 9-2. Ghoti, 156 lbs is 11-2.

Joanne Calderwood stopped Valarie Latourneau in the 3rd round of their bantamweight bout.

Calderwood hit Latourneau with a body shot and was followed up by a lick kick and right to the face that sent Latourneal to the canvas and the fight was stopped at 2:51 of round three.

Jason Saggo won a 3-round split decision over Leandro Silva in a lightweight bout.

Scores were 29-28 for Saggo and 29-28 for Silva.

Saggo, 155 lbs is now 12-2. Silva, 155.5 lbs of Sao Paulo, BRA is now 19-3-1-1.

Misha Cirkunov made Ion Cutelabe tap out in the 3rd round of their light heavyweight bout.

Cirkunov got the victory with an arm triangle on Cutelabe, who had a bloody right ear and eye at 1:22.

Cirkunov, 205.5 lbs of Toronto, CAN is 12-2. Cutelabe, 202,5 lbs of Moldova is 11-2-1.

Kryztof Jotko stopped Tamden McCrory in the first round of their Middleweight bout.

Jotko drilled McCrory with a perfect left that sent him to the deck. Jotko landed two hard shots to a prone McCrory and the bout was stopped at 59 seconds.

Jotko, 184.5 lbs of Orienta, POL is 18-1. McCrory, 185 lbs of Binghimton, NY is 14-4.

Joe Soto made Chris Beal tap out in round three of their bantamweight bout.

Beal tapped after being caught in a rear naked choke at 3:39 of round three.

Soto, 135 lbs of Porterville, CA is 16-5. Beal, 134 lbs of Ventura, CA is 10-3.

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, the Light Heavyweight title bout between Sergey Kovalev and Andre Ward will be at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on November 19th and on HBO Pay Per View.

“We went back and forth with [Las] Vegas and New York for quite a while, as both venues were very enthused about hosting the event,” Main Events CEO Kathy Duva told ESPN.com. “In the end, the T-Mobile option made the most sense to us for a number of reasons, including ease of access and affordability for the media.”

In another item on the NSAC agenda for next week’s meeting: Golden Boy Promotions made a formal request for Sept. 17, the weekend of Mexican Independence Day, at the MGM Grand for Alvarez’s next fight.

Golden Boy vice president Eric Gomez told ESPN.com that talks are ongoing for a fight so many are enthusiastic about: Alvarez (47-1-1, 33 KOs) taking on unified middleweight titlist Gennady Golovkin (35-0, 32 KOs). Many believe, though, that the fight won’t happen this fall and will be put off until next year. Regardless of the opponent, Gomez said Alvarez will fight Sept. 17.

Vasyl Lomachenko won the WBO Jr. Lightweight title with a 5th round knockout over Rocky Martinez at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Lomachenko landed a devastating right hook that knocked Martinez out cold and the fight was stopped at 2:09 of round five.

Lomachenko of Odessa, UKR is 6-1 with 4 knockouts. Martinez of San Juan< PR is 29-3-3. Felix Verdejo remained undefeated by scoring a 5th round stoppage over Juan Jose Martinez in a scheduled 10-round lightweight bout. In round five, a straight right hurt Martinez that was followed by a left hook that sent Martinez to the ropes. Verdejo landed a barrage of punches and the fight was stopped at 2:40. Verdejo, 134 3/4 lbs of San Juan, PR is now 22-0 with 15 knockouts. Martinez, 133 3/4 lbs of Guadalajara, MX is 25-3.