According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, the August 22 WBC Super Middleweight title bout between Badou Jack and George Groves has been postponed from August 22 to possibly September 12.
“It’s not happening on that date,” Showtime spokesman Chris DeBlasio told ESPN.com.
Lucas Matthysse will take on Viktor Postol for the vacant WBC Super Lightweight title on October 3 in Carson, California and will be televised by HBO, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com
“There’s a deal in place, and we have the arena reserved. It’s going to be a great fight,” Golden Boy Promotions president Oscar De La Hoya told ESPN.com after cutting a deal with Top Rank, which co-promotes Postol with Ukraine’s Elite Promotions. “The way I see it, any Lucas Matthysse fight … always calls for action. We’ve seen him in wars. We don’t know much about Postol. The United States hasn’t seen him in wars, but come Oct. 3, people are going to know Postol and know he is a strong fighter.”
“It’s a really interesting fight, style-wise,” said Top Rank vice president Carl Moretti, who negotiated the deal with Golden Boy’s Eric Gomez. “You have a long, tall, strong fighter in Postol, who would give any 140-pounder problems. And Matthysse is clearly one of the top 140-pounders in the world. Just because Postol isn’t well known doesn’t mean he isn’t one of the top 140-pounders as well.”
The fight will headline an HBO-televised doubleheader, although De La Hoya said he is still in the process of finalizing the deal with the network.
“We’re working through it, but it will get done,” De La Hoya said.
De La Hoya said the co-feature will be another junior welterweight bout, this one matching hot prospect Antonio Orozco and veteran contender Humberto Soto, a former junior lightweight and lightweight world titleholder.
“It was a great knockout and it shows you that Postol has the ability to do that, and Matthysse isn’t the hardest guy in the world to hit, so it should be interesting,” Moretti said.
Added De La Hoya, “It calls for an entertaining fight, a fight with a lot of action. This is the perfect fight at the perfect venue. Matthysse is exciting. He’s a power puncher. So it should be a dangerous fight for both guys, which is what Golden Boy is all about.
“I know Postol is a strong fighter, but at the same time, he has that long reach and that long jab, which makes him dangerous. It’s going to be up to Matthysse to break him down, figure him out and make the fight work in his favor.”
De La Hoya said Soto’s knee is healed and that he will be prepared for Orozco.
“He’s had a couple of bad-luck situations recently, but he’s motivated and ready to go,” De La Hoya said. “We feel Orozco is ready for this kind of fight. We feel this is the perfect step for him. It’s dangerous fight for both guys, but it’s a great fight for the fans.
According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, undefeated former Olympic Gold Medal winner Anthony Joshua will take on Gary Cornish on September 12 in London in a battle of undefeated Heavyweights for the Commonwealth title.
“There’s no turning back now,” Joshua said. “I thought I would need three years to learn and make mistakes, so I am ahead of schedule. Gary won’t just talk a good game like Kevin Johnson. He’s undefeated and will bring it on the night because he’s got confidence of an unbeaten fighter and he’ll bring the best out of me, and I’ll do the same for him.
“The date has given me a chance to recover my body from May 30 and have a nice long camp for Sept. 12, so I expect to be at my explosive best on the night. Gary brings the Scottish crowd, who are unbelievable, and I hope they travel down as it’s going to be a great night.”
Said Hearn: “It’s two unbeaten heavyweights, and an Englishman versus Scotsman, so this is going to be a great build-up.
“As Anthony said, Gary won’t just talk about fighting and run. Gary believes that this is a 50-50 fight, and I expect him to approach the night accordingly, and he’s going to bring passionate fans down with him.”
“I’m very hungry for this fight,” Cornish said. “We’ve both beaten what has been put in front of us, no more, no less. My KO record is building because I’ve found my power now and I know I will cause him more problems than everyone else he’s boxed, combined. We’re a step up in class for each other. I know that I am the underdog, but I would not be here if I didn’t believe I could beat him and beat him convincingly.
“If I wanted to fight him for the money, I would wait until next year when I would be 26-0 and the fight might be for more than one belt. I am ready now and I’ll prove it on Sept. 12. I know what I have to do. I am not looking forward to the camp because I know how hard I have to work to be ready for this fight, but I will put that work in and more because that’s the only way I know how to train
“I could’ve found Gary 20 more wins no problem, but he wanted this fight and he’s so excited,” said Tommy Gilmour, Cornish’s promoter. “Gary has been accused sometimes of fighting patsies but it’s never been the case. Because the way he goes about his job, he has made them look ordinary.
“Yes, it would be an upset, but Gary has never lost. He doesn’t know what it feels like to lose, and he doesn’t want to. If Anthony doesn’t KO Gary inside one or two rounds then people will ask questions of him. All the pressure is on him, but don’t underestimate Gary.”
Nonito Donaire scored an easy 2 round stoppage over Anthony Settoul in a scheduled 10-round Super Bantamweight bout at the Cotai Arena at the Venetian in Macao, China.
Donaire dropped Settoul in round one with a right hand. In round two, Donaire dumped Settoul with a left hook. When Settoul got to his feet he was unsteady and the fight was stopped at 1:41 of round two.
Donaire, 123 lbs of General Santos City, Philippines is now 35-3 with 23 knockouts. Settoul, 123 kbs of Calirmont, FRA is 20-4..
2012 U.S. Olympian Jose Ramirez remained perfect by stopping Ryushi Yoshida after three rounds of their scheduled 8-round Jr. Welterweight bout.
Ramirez, 141 lbs of Avneal, CA is 15-0 with 12 knockouts. Yoshida, 141 lbs of Japan si 26-8.
Kuok Kun Ng scored a 4th round stoppage over Phompetch Twins Gym in a scheduled six round Welterweight bout.
In round four, NG dropped Twin with a right hand. Secinds later he finished it by depositing Gym on the floor from a perfect left uppercut at the fight was stopped at 2:02 of round four.
NG, 146 lbs of Macao, CHN is now 8-0 with 4 knockouts. Gym, 146 lbs of Bangkok, THA is 6-4.
Rex Tso scored a 4th round stoppage over Khunkhiri Wor Wisa Routh in a scheduled 8-round Bantamweight bout.
Tso put sustained punishment on Wisaruth in the final round and the fight was stopped at 2:55 of round four.
Tso, 116 lbs of Hong Kong, CHN is 17-0 with 10 knockouts. Wisaruth, 119 lbs of Bangkok, THA is 21-12-1.
Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. won a 10-round unanimous decision over Marcos Reyes in a Super Middleweight bout at the Don Haskins Center in El Paso, Texas.
Before the fight there was controversy as usual for a Chavez fight as he weighed in 2 3/4 lbs over the 168 lb limit.
Chavez was outlanded and out thrown but he landed the more telling blows and despite getting cut over his left eye in round nine, he won by scores of 98-91, 97-92 and 96-93 and is now 49-2-1. Reyes of Mexico falls to 33-3.
McJoe Arroyo won the IBF Jr Bantamweight title with a 10-round unanimous technical decision over Arthur Villanueva.
Villanueva was cut over his right eye in round six from an accidental headbutt. Villanueva was deducted a point earlier in the fight for an intentional headbutt. The bout was stopped at 2:05 of round ten.
The scores were 97-92 and 98-91 twice for Arroyo, 114 3/4 lbs of Fajardo, PR and is now 17-0. Villanueva, 114 3/4 lbs of Bago City, PHL is 27-1.
Amir Imam scored a crushing 4th round stoppage over Fernando Angulo in a scheduled 10-round Super Lightweight fight.
Imam dropped Angulo with a perfect 1-2 combination that dropped him flat on his face and the fight was over.
Imam, 140 lbs of Pompono Beach, FL is 18-0 with 15 knockouts. Angulo, 140 lbs of Caracas, VEN is 28-10.
Carl Frampton was dropped twice in the first round but came down to win a 12-round unanimous decision over Alejandro Gonzalez Jr. to retain the IBF Jr. Featherweight title at the Don Haskins Center in El Paso, Texas.
In round one, Gonzalez landed a jan that sent the champion to the canvas. Moments later, a right to the head put Frampton down for a second time. In round three, Gonzalez was docked a point for a low blow.
In round eleven, Gonzalez was docked another point for a low blow.
Frampton of Belfast, Northern Ireland won by scores of 115-109 twice and 116-108 and is now 21-0. Gonzales Jr. is now 25-2-2.
“I didn’t feel great in the first round. I got up from two flash knockdowns though and recovered well. The kid could punch very well,” said Frampton. “The ring canvas was very soft. I couldn’t get up on my toes and that’s my best attribute. I got up and showed courage. I came back and won most of the rounds and gave excitement.”
Frampton continued, “I wanted to win by knockout. It didn’t happen. I’m disappointed, but I’ll re-evaluate and move on; onwards and upwards. He hit me low so many times, but you’ve got to deal with that and carry on and that’s what I did.”
“I definitely won the fight, I was much more effective,” said Gonzalez. “I want a rematch and I’m happy to do it in his hometown. I’ll take whatever fights are best for me either at 118 or 122.”
“The ref overreacted to the low blows, I was just doing my body work,” Gonzalez continued. “I’m not a dirty fighter, I play by the rules and this was disappointing. He’s a good fighter but I’m the best he’s ever faced.”
Former world title challenger Chris Arreola and Fred Kassi fought to a majority draw in a Heavyweight bout.
The scores read 96-94 for Arreola and 95-95 twice. Arreola, 246 3/4 lbs of Riverside, CA is now is 36-4-1. Kassi, 230 lbs of Cameroon is 18-3-1.
“It was a good decision. It was just a tough fight,” said Arreola. “Fred came to fight and he’s a survivor. He held right, he moved right. He came here with a good strategy and he got a draw out of it.”
Arreola continued, “I know if I get Deontay (Wilder), I’d be in much better shape and a lot better prepared. Not that I wasn’t prepared for Kassi, but he came here with a good fight and was prepared.”
“I’m not happy with the decision,” said Kassi. “I feel that I won every round of the fight. I showed tonight I was the better fighter. I take nothing away from Chris. I’ve been his friend for years. People don’t know me, so I just wanted to show the world I could do it. I proved that I belong in the heavyweight division. I showed my heart. I‘ve been training hard for many years and I showed it tonight.”
Former two-time Heavyweight champion knocked Todd Duffee out cold in the first round of their scheduled 5-round Heavyweight bout in San Diego.
The fight was fun and wild while it lasted as the two traded huge shots from the opening bout. Both landed and were staggered until a short left caught Duffee right on the jaw and he plummeted face first on the mat and the mat and the fight was stopped at 1:13.
Mir, 262 lbs of Las Vegas is 18-9. Duffee, 241 lbs of Boca Raton, FL is 9-3.
Tony Ferguson blooded and battered Josh Thomson in winning a 3-round unanimous decision in a Lightweight bout.
Ferguson landed a landed a big elbow in round two and subsequent punches made Thomson a bloody mess to the point that Ferguson’s white trunks turned bright red.
Ferguson, 156 lbs of of Orange County, CA won by scores of 30-27 twice and 30-36 and is now 20-3. Thomson, 155.5 lbs of San Jose, CA is now 20-8-1.
Former boxing champion Holly Holm remained perfect in MMA with a 3-round unanimous decision over Marion Reneau in a Bantamweight bout.
Holm, 135 lbs of Albuquerque, NM won by scores of 30-27, 30-26 and 29-28 and is now 9-0. Reneau, 134.5 lbs of Visalia, CA is 6-2.
Manvel Gamburyan won a 3-round unanimous decision over Scott Jorgensen in a Bantamweight bout.
Jorgensen’s nose was bleeding from the first round on.
Gamburyan, 135 lbs of Hollywood, CA won by scores of 30-27 on all cards and is now 18-9-1. Jorgensen, 135 lbs of Boise, ID is 15-11.
Kevin Lee choked out James Moontasri in one round one of their Lightweight bout.
Moontasri tapped out at 2:56 of the first frame.
Lee, 156 lbs of Las Vegas is 11-1. Moontasri, 155 lbs of Los Angeles is 8-3.
Alan Jouban won a 3-round unanimous decision over Matt Dwyer in a Weterweight bout.
Jouban, 170.5 lbs of Los Angeles won by scores of 29-27 on all cards and is now 12-3. Dwyer, 169 lbs of British Colombia, CAN is now 8-3.
Sam Sacilia won a 3-round unanimous decision over Yaotzin Meza in a Featherweight bout.
Sicilia, 146 lbs of Spokane, WA won by scores of 30-27 and 29-28 twice to raise his record to 15-5. Meza, 145.5 lbs of Glendale, CA is now 21-10-1.
Jessia Andrade scored a 3-round unanimous decision over Sarah Moras in a Bantamweight bout.
In round three, Moras was bleeding from her nose that eventually covered alot of her face. After nearly fourteen minutes of Andrade’s domination, Moras locked in a rear naked choke that almost had Andrade out but the horn sounded to signify the end of the fight.
Andrade, 134.5 lbs of Niteroi, BRA won by scores of 30-27 on all cards and is now 13-4. Moras, 135.5 lbs of British Colombia, CAN is 4-3.
Rani Yahya won a debated 3-round split decision over Masanori Kanehara in a Bantamweight fight.
Yahya, 135.5 lbs of Barsila, BRA won two cards by 29-28 tallies and is now 21-8-1. Kanehara, 136 lbs of Tokyo, JAP won a card 29-28 but is now 23-12-5
Sean Strickland won a 3-round unanimous decision over Igor Araujo in a Welterweight bout.
Araujo began to bleed from his nose in round one following a big barrage of punches from Strickland.
Strickland, 171 lbs of Corona, CA won by scores of 30-26 and 30-27 twice and is now 16-1. Araujo, 171 lbs of Brasila, BRA is 25-8-1.
According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, WBO Middleweight champion Andy Lee will defend his crown against Billy Joe Saunders on September 19 in Limerick, Ireland.
“I’ve dreamed of fighting here,” Lee said. “As soon as I won the world title, I wanted to defend it here. This is a global event, and I’m proud to put Limerick on that stage, and to bring an event like this to my city is an honor and goes some way to repay the people who have supported me.”
“I’m fighting one of the best middleweights in the world,” Lee said of Saunders. “He’s the British, Commonwealth and European champion. He’s undefeated, he’s waited his time, and he will come in with a spirited challenge. But I’ve got to hold on to my belt.
“I’m looking forward to putting on a great show at Thomond Park. I take my hat off to Saunders for coming to Ireland, my home, as I know what it’s like to fight away from home for years, and this is going to be a very special night for me.”
Former Super Middleweight champion Carl Froch announced his retirement according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.
“I’m incredibly proud of what I have achieved in boxing, but now is the right moment to hang up my gloves,” Froch said. “I have nothing left to prove, and my legacy speaks for itself.”
“Carl Froch should be remembered for the fighter that he is, someone that never ducked anyone, that gave the paying public value for money every single day of the week,” said Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn, who promoted the final 11 fights of Froch’s career. “I’ve learned a lot being around him. He’s an inspirational guy, and he’s not someone that has come from the Olympic background and been given a platform to start on. He’s grafted for every single penny he’s earned and every bit of success he’s had, and for that you have to give him ultimate respect.”
In announcing his retirement, Froch, nicknamed “The Cobra,” also announced he would join Britain’s Sky Sports as an analyst. A subscriptions network in the United Kingdom, Sky Sports televises many of the sport’s biggest fights through its exclusive contract with Matchroom Boxing. Froch fought his biggest fights on Sky Sports or its pay-per-view arm, Sky Box Office.
“Sky Sports is the home of boxing and has followed me throughout my career,” Froch said. “I can’t wait to join the team and help bring fans the best fighters, the best contests and the best analysis. Nothing can replace the thrill of stepping into the ring, but with Sky Sports I’ll be doing the next best thing.”
Said Barney Francis, managing director of Sky Sports, “Carl retires as a legend of British boxing, a true champion, and we are delighted that he will be joining Sky Sports. As the home of boxing in the U.K. and Ireland, we can’t wait for Carl to provide viewers with his insight and expertise and help take our coverage to the next level.”
“He has a lot to offer the sport,” Hearn said of Froch. “He has been a wonderful ambassador for British boxing all over the world, and he should be celebrated for that. He’s never conducted himself in a bad way. He’s always been a positive role model, and I feel he can give back a lot to boxing, and he’s given a lot already.”
WBA Super Middleweight champion Fedor Chudinov suffered a broken nose and his July 24 title defense with Frank Buglioni has been postponed according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.
“This is a real gutter, and I’m bitterly disappointed,” Buglioni said. “It’s frustrating to know that I have to wait a little longer until I get to Chudinov, but the main thing is I will get him. I would question, though, how Chudinov broke his nose if he was wearing the correct head protection with bars to protect his nose. My training has been perfect up to now and so is the weight, so it’s such a shame this has happened now.”
“It’s a real shame that Fedor has suffered this injury with only two weeks to go until the fight, but this is boxing, and injuries happen,” Warren said. “It doesn’t make it any easier on Frank, who has been training his heart out in Ireland, but he will still fight on the show against a new opponent, and Fedor is locked in to fight Frank next.”
Said Vlad Hrunov, Chudinov’s promoter, “Fedor is devastated to have suffered this injury so close to the fight, as he was looking forward to coming to England and defending his world title for the first time. When Fedor has recovered, we will come to England and honor our obligation and fight Buglioni.”
Conor McGregor won the UFC Interim Featherweight title with a 2nd round stoppage over Chad Mendes at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
McGregor was bleeding around his right eye in round two. Late in the round, McGregor had Mendes on the ground and was able to punch out Mendes at 4:57
McGregor, 145 lbs of Dublin, IRE is 18-2. Mendes, 144 lbs of Sacramento, CA is 17-3.
Robbie Lawler retained the Welterweight championship with a 5th round stoppage over Rory MacDonald.
Both Macdonald and Lawler were bleeding bad from their faces. In round five, Lawler landed a hard combination that sent a bloody MacDonald to the canvas and the fight was stopped.
Lawler, 169.5 lbs of Coconut Creek, FL is 26-10-1. MacDonald, 170 lbs of Montreal, CAN is 18-3.
Jeremy Stephens stopped Dennis Bermudezin the 3rd round of their featherweight bout.
In round one, Stephens was cut over his left eye from a headbutt.
Stephens landed a flying knee kick that sent Bermudez down. Stephens landed five hard shots on the ground and the bout was stopped at 32 seconds.
Stephens, 149.5 lbs of San Diego, CA is 24-11. Bermudez, 146 lbs of Lydenhurst, is 15-5.
Gunnar Nelson made Brandon Thatch tap out in the first round of their welterweight bout.
Nelson landed a perfect left hook-right hand combination and then got on Thatch’s back and locked in the choke. Thatch tapped out at 2:54.
Nelson, 160.6 lbs of Iceland is 14-1-1. Thatch, 170.5 lbs of Denver, CO is 11-3.
Thomas Almeida remained perfect with a devastating 2nd round stoppage over Brad Pickett in a bantamweight bout.
Almeida landing a jumping knee to the chin of Pickett and he was knocked out at 29 seconds.
Almedia, 136 lbs of Sao Paulo, BRA is 20-0. Pickett, 136 lbs of East London, ENG is 25-11.
Terry Flanagan won the WBO Lightweight title when Jose Zapada had to bow out of the fight due to a shoulder injury after two rounds at the Veladrome in Manchester, Lancashire, United Kingdom.
Flanagan, 135 lbs is 28-0 with 11 knockouts. Zepeda, 134 1/2 lbs is now 23-1.
Donnie Nietes retained the WBO Light Flyweight title with a 12-round unanimous decision over Francisco Rodriguez Jr. at Cebu City Waterfront Hotel & Casino, Barangay Lahug in Cebu City, Philippines.
Nietes, 108 lbs of Philippines won by scores of 119-109, 118-110 and 115-113 and is now 36-1-4. Rodriguez Jr., 108 lbs of Mexico is 17-3-1.
Mark Magsayo scored a 5th round stoppage over Rafael Reyes in a scheduled 10-round Featherweight bout.
Magsayo dropped Reyes in round three and the fight was stopped at 2:29 of round five.
Magsayo, 126 lbs is now 11-0 with 9 knockouts. Reyes, 124 lbs is 16-5.
Mauricio Herrera got a disputed 5-round technical decision over Hank Lundy in a scheduled 10-round Jr. Welterweight bout at the Los Angeles Sports Arena in Los Angeles, California.
Herrera was cut over his right eye in round one and cut over his left eye in round two that were the result of accidental headbutts. It seemed that Lundy landed the more effective blows but Herrera won by tallies of 48-47 on two cards and 48-48.
Herrera, 139 1/2 lbs of Riverside, CA is 22-5. Lundy, 139 lbs of Philadelphia is 25-5-1.
Michael Perez scored a 6th round stoppage over late replacement Luis Sanchez in a scheduled 10-round Lightweight bout.
Perez was cut from headbutts on his head in round’s two and five but was able to drop Sanchez in round six and the bout was stopped at 1:20 of round six.
Perez, 134 1/2 lbs of Newark, NJ is now 23-1-2 with 11 knockouts. Sanchez, 133 1/2 lbs of Mexico is 17-4-1.
Former U.S. Olympian, Joseph Diaz Jr. had to work hard to get a 10-round unanimous decision over Rene Alvarado in a Featherweight bout.
Diaz scored a knockdown in round one when a straight left caught Alvarado around the top of the ahead. It could have been ruled a slip.
Diaz, 125 1/2 lbs of Los Angeles won by scores of 98-91, 96-93 and 95-94 to raise his perfect mark to 17-0. Alvarado, 125 3/4 lbs of Managua, NIC is 25-5.
Keith Thurman retained the WBA Welterweight title with a stoppage over former world champion Luis Collazo due to a cut over Collazo’s right eye in round eight of their scheduled 12-round bout. The bout took place at the Sun Dome in Tampa, Florida.
In round three, there was swelling under the left eye of Collazo.. In round five, Collazo landed a left to the body that hurt Thurman. Collazo began to bleed over his right eye in round six. The cut was caused by an accidental headbutt. Due to the cut, Collazo said in on his stool just after the 8th round bell rang that he could not see and the bout was waved off.
Thurman of Clearwater, FL is now 26-0 with 21 knockouts. Collazo of Brooklyn, NY is 36-7.
KEITH THURMAN
“I felt good in there. I’ve been saying I’m an evolutionary fighter and I showed it tonight. I’ve always had power, but tonight was champ versus champ boxing.
“My team is happy and I’m very happy with my performance. I’m looking to continue this incredible streak. I’m 26-0. If you can beat me then beat me.
“He caught me with a left hook uppercut hybrid shot in the fifth and knocked out almost all of my wind. It was an excellent shot by Luis. I endured like a champion though.
“We trained hard for this camp. Luis Collazo, I want to give it up to him. All respect. He’s a great veteran. He came and he fought hard. We kept picking our shots, giving him a little bit of power every round and we broke him down.
“I beat this fighter and I can beat any fighter.
“This is great for me to pull this off at home. There was lots of pressure and hype. I gave it my best and I came out with the win.
“We want anybody that we can get at the top of the welterweight division; Mayweather, Pacquiao, Porter, Khan, Bradley, Maidana.
“Thank you so much to Tampa Bay, St. Pete and all my home fans here in Florida. I’m going to continue to do you all proud.”
LUIS COLLAZO
“I was trying to set up body shots any way I could. I saw him moving to the left and was trying to catch him just right. I wish I had more time in that round.
“The second cut on the top of my right eye was the worst. I couldn’t really see and was constantly wiping the blood away.
“If I would have come out of my corner again I probably would have gotten caught with some unnecessary shots, and I didn’t need that.
“I want to fight again for sure. Whoever my team and Al Haymon put in front of me I’ll fight. I’ll take any welterweight.
“This was about the fans tonight. I’m glad I could come down to Tampa and give a great fight.
“Thanks to my fans for all the love and support. Sorry for letting you all down tonight, but I want to fight again so we decided not to continue.”
Willie Nelson scored a shocking 9th round stoppage over previously undefeated Tony Harrison in scheduled 10-round Jr. Middleweight bout.
Nelson landed a right to the top of the head and then followed up with a left and right that dropped Harrison to the canvas. Harrison got to his feet but was wobbly and referee Frank Santore stopped the bout at 2:57 of round nine.
Nelson of Cleveland is now 24-2-1 with 14 knockouts. Harrison of Detroit is 21-1.
WILLIE NELSON
“I was confident and relaxed tonight. I wanted to take him into deep waters and that’s exactly what I did.
“I’m very happy the whole world got to see me tonight. This is where I belong and I’m just looking to start getting my shots and collecting titles.
“There’s really no specific person that I want next. I’ll take anyone in the 154 lbs division. The only person I won’t fight is Terrell Gausha because we’re so close.
“My coach said to dip down and throw a right hand on top. And he buckled, so I threw another right hand. It was a left uppercut that started the combination and then the right hand.
“I was really just taking my time and being patient. I know I should have not worried about it and just let my hands go. The plan was to take him into deep water, that’s pretty much why I was relaxing, but I got the job done.
“Keep watching me. I’m always the underdog and I embrace it. I took some big punches tonight from Tony (Harrison) and proved my chin.”
TONY HARRISON
“I was pacing myself, but also trying to push it when I could.
“When I went down it was because he hit me behind my head and then when I got up I was looking at my team.
“I let the anxiety get to me. I felt the anxiousness to knock him out, got reckless and got caught with a shot. I felt like I was winning the whole fight with the game plan but I switched it up.
“I lost to a fighter that I shouldn’t have lost to tonight. I was supposed to do better. All props to Willie (Nelson) though.
“All fighters get hit and I’ll be back stronger than ever to get my career back on track.
“I want to thank Al Haymon and ESPN. My head is held high.”
Edner Cherry Scored a 9th round stoppage over Luis Cruz in a scheduled 10-round Lightweight bout.
In round nine, Cherry landed a perfect right hand that sent Cruz to the canvas. Cherry continued the assault and dropped Cruz with another perfect right shortly after and referee Frank Santore stopped the bout at 2:07 round nine.
Cherry of Wauchula, FLA is now 34-6-2 with 19 knockouts. Cruz of Puerto Rico is 21-4.
While Martin Cardona, 129.4 lbs., of Tucson, AZ, attempted to box and move, Cruz, 131 lbs., effortlessly cut the ring off, often countering his adversary’s jab with quick overhand rights. Cruz took advantage whenever he had Cardona trapped against the ropes, digging shots to the midsection. The powerful left hook of Cruz was on display as well and it was clear that Cardona was breaking down. Feeling that their charge was sustaining too much punishment, Cardona’s corner elected not to send him out for the fifth frame, resulting in a TKO victory for Cruz. With the impressive victory, Cruz improved to 15-0 (8 KOs), while Cardona fell to 19-6 (14 KOs).
For as long as the bout lasted, Brooklyn southpaw Shawn “Killa” Cameron, 153.4 lbs., stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Francisco Reza, 153.6 lbs., of Torreon, Mexico, banging away in combination. In round one, Reza landed a short right hook to drop an off-balance Cameron for a flash knockdown. Cameron, however, was not hurt and quickly arose to rock Reza in the red corner with a right hook. The Brooklynite continued to press forward as the bout progressed, remaining very accurate with a large volume of power punches. A barrage of shots in round five felled Reza in a heap, prompting referee Harvey Dock to stop the action at the 1:55 mark. Cameron’s record improved to 10-0 (5 KOs), while Reza has now hit .500 with a record of 14-14 (11 KOs).
(Photo Credit: Ed Diller/DiBella Entertainment)
Junior middleweight prospect Patrick Day, 153.6 lbs., of Freeport, NY, dominated the sturdy Lenwood Dozier, 151 lbs., of Washington, D.C., over eight exciting rounds. Day’s jab was on point allowing for straight-right followup shots. He soon closed the distance and began to slow Dozier down with a focused attack to the body over the course of the action. As the bout progressed, Dozier’s punch output dwindled, with the exception of round six when he fought in a more spirited manner. Day continued to overpower Dozier with an impressive offensive arsenal in the closing frames to earn three scorecards of 80-72 for a unanimous decision victory, upping his record to 11-1-1 (6 KOs). Dozier’s record is now 9-8-1 (4 KOs).
Alicia “The Empress” Napoleon, 155 lbs., of Lindenhurst, NY, burst out of her corner at the opening bell throwing bombs, repeatedly landing compact straight rights to the chin of Natalie King, 157.2 lbs., of Tampa, FL, until her foe was forced into a shell unable to return fire, forcing a stoppage just 19 seconds into the bout. Napoleon is now 3-0 (3 KOs), while King remains winless at 0-4.
Brooklyn southpaw brawler Mikkel LesPierre, 142.8 lbs., pinned Detroit’s Larry Ventus, 139.6 lbs., against the ropes for much of the opening round, peppering him with flurries. Ventus was dropped to the seat of his pants in round two from a combination. In the third round, Ventus elected to box and create distance, but LesPierre quickly caught up to him, knocking him down another two times to end the bout by TKO at the 1:13 mark. LesPierre is now 9-0-1 (4 KOs), while Ventus fell to 6-9-1 (3 KOs).
LesPierre was credited with a knockdown in round two from a left. Lespierre sent Ventus to the canvas in round three from a right to the body. LesPierre ended thing when he sent Ventus down for a 3rd and final time from a left hook and the fight was stopped at
Sergiy Lipinetc remained undefeated with a 3rd round stoppage over Kendal Mena in a scheduled 8 round Jr. Welterweight bout.
In round two, Lipinetc dropped Mena with a hard right. Lpiinetc dropped Mena hard with the same shot a round later and the fight was stopped.
Lipinetc, 141.8 lbs of Moscow, RUS is 7-0 with 6 knockouts. Mena, 141.6 lbs of Sa Cristobal, DR is 20-2.
Peter Dobson scored a 3rd round stoppage over William Walters in a scheduled 6-round Welterweight bout.
Dobson dominated and landed a big left hook and the bout was stopped at 1:33 of round three.
Dobson, 147.8 lbs of Bronx, NY is 5-0 with 4 knockouts. Walters, 147.6 lbs of Sacramento, CA is 2-8.
Steve Woodall remained undefeated by pounding out a 6-round majority decision over Devaun Lee in a Super Middleweight bout.
Woodall, 161.6 lbs of Miami won by scores of 58-56 twice and 57-57 and is now 8-0-1. Lee, 161.6 lbs of Queens, NY is 4-2.
Dauren Yeleussinov won a 6-round unanimous decision over Henry Beckford in Super Middleweight bout.
Yeleussinov, 162.6 lbs of Brooklyn, NY won by scores of 60-54 on all cards is now 3-0. Beckford, 163 lbs of Uniondale, NY is 2-3.
Maxito Sanvill and Danny Rosenberger battled to a spirited draw in a 4-round Welterweight bout.
Sanvil controlled the first two rounds while Rosenberger came on in round’s three and four.
Scores were 39-37 Sanvill and 38-38 twice.
Sanvil, 145.4 lbs of New York is 2-0-1. Rosenberger, 145.4 lbs of St. Petersburg, FL is 0-0-2.
Ivan Baranchyk scored a 3rd round stoppage over Alfred Hall in a scheduled 6-round Welterweight bout.
In round three, Baranchyk landed a body shot that sent hall to the canvas for referee David Fields 10-count at 41 seconds of round three.
Baranchyk, 142.2 lbs of Brooklyn, NY is now 8-0 with 7 knockouts. Hall, 144 lbs of Jackson, MI is now 4-11-2.
According to Dan Rafael, WBC Super Middleweight champion Badou Jack will defend his crown on August 22 against former two-time title challenger George Groves in Las Vegas.
“Badou Jack is a terrific fighter. He’s a young man who is focused on his career. I think guys like him — they become better fighters when they become champions,” said Leonard Ellerbe of Mywesatsaid. “I think he’s going to have a long reign as a super middleweight champion, and he’s the kind of guy who, after this fight with George Groves, won’t be creeping up on anybody. George Groves is an excellent fighter, but he can’t beat Badou Jack.”
According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, the WBO has stripped Floyd Mayweather for not paying the $200,000 sanctioning fees for his May 2 fight with Manny Pacquiao.
“The WBO world championship committee is allowed no other alternative but to cease to recognize Mr. Floyd Mayweather Jr. as the WBO welterweight champion of the world and vacate his title for failing to comply with our WBO regulations of world championship contests,” the WBO wrote Monday in its resolution.
“The WBO has the utmost respect for Floyd Mayweather Jr. and all that he has accomplished during his storied career,” the WBO wrote in its resolution. “Mr. Mayweather has always agreed with and understood that world championships have both privileges and responsibilities and that status as WBO champion is subject to and conditioned on compliance with the WBO rules and regulations.”
The Mayweather camp was displeased by the ruling.
“It’s a complete disgrace,” Mayweather Promotions CEO Leonard Ellerbe told ESPN.com. “Floyd will decide what, or if any, actions he will take. But in the meantime he’s enjoying a couple of hundred million he made from his last outing and this has zero impact on anything he does.
“Floyd Mayweather has a great deal of respect for each and every organization, as he has always had in his 19-year career, but he will not be dictated to by any organization or person as it relates to his decision making.”
“I don’t know if it will be Monday [May 4] or maybe a couple weeks,” Mayweather said in the news conference. “I’ll talk to my team and see what we need to do. Other fighters need a chance. Give other fighters a chance. I’m not greedy. I’m a world champion in two different weight classes. It’s time to let other fighters fight for the belt.”
The WBO also reclassified the Bradley-Vargas bout as for the interim title. With the WBO withdrawing recognition of Mayweather as its welterweight titleholder, it soon will formally elevate Bradley, who won a unanimous decision against Vargas, to full titleholder.
“I’m not surprised at all because of the individuals involved we’re talking about,” said Ellerbe, believing that WBO president Francisco “Paco” Valcarcel went out of his way to help Top Rank’s Bob Arum, who promotes Bradley and Vargas and who is close to the WBO.
“We have the best attorney in the game, John Hornewer, and we are fully aware of what our rights are,” Ellerbe said. “Floyd will decide what he wants to do.”
Ramon Alvarez and Richard Gutierrez battled to a no-contest as Gutierrez could not continue due to a cut inside his mouth due to a headbutt in round four of their scheduled 10-round Super Welterweight bout at Centro de Usos Multiples in Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico.
Former world champion, Hernan Marquez scored an 8th round stoppage over Jose Alfredo Tirado in a scheduled 10-round Super Flyweight bout.
Marquez dropped Tirado in round one from a perfect straight left.
In round eight, Marquez continued to land power shots and the fight was stopped at 2:09 of round 8.
Marquez, 116 lbs is now 39-5 with 28 knockouts. Tirado, 116 lbs is 27-16
Victor Mendez scored a 2nd round stoppage over Eden Marquez in a scheduled 6-round Super Bantamweight bout.
Mendez dropped Marquez twice in round two with the 2nd knockdown having Marquez not beat the 10-count at 2:28 of round two.
Mendez is 18-2 with 15 knockouts. Marquez is 28-19-2.
According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, the WBO deadline for Floyd Mayweather to announce to fight for their title has come ans it is unclear if the sanctioning body will strip the superstar.
“I don’t know if it will be Monday [May 4] or maybe a couple weeks,” Mayweather said after the Pacquiao fight. “I’ll talk to my team and see what we need to do. Other fighters need a chance. Give other fighters a chance. I’m not greedy. I’m a world champion in two different weight classes. It’s time to let other fighters fight for the belt.”
Gilberto Gonzalez scored a 4th round stoppage over late replacement Hevinson Herrera in three wild rounds of their scheduled 10-round Super Lightweight bout at the Belasco Theater in Los Angeles.
In round two, Herrera hurt Gonzalez when he landed a barrage of punches on the ropes. Gonzalez came back later in the round to pummel Herrera with thudding shot after thudding shot that had Herrera hurt. Round three started out with Gonzalez being pushed down and appeared to injure his knee. Gonzalez limped around for a minute but that did not stop him from putting it on Herrera by landing a furious assault on the ropes and the bout was stopped at 1:49 of round three.
Gonzalez, 139.4 lbs of Mexico City, MEX is 26-3 with 21 knockouts. Herrera, 139 lbs of Barranquilla, COL is 17-11-1.
Gonzalez landed 51-123 punches while Herrera was 40-148.
“The ref shouldn’t have stopped it, plain and simple,” said Herrera. “I knew I had him hurt, and my biggest mistake was that I wore myself out trying to finish him because I knew I could end it.”
“He landed some good shots, and he’s a tough guy,” Gonzalez said following the fight. “In the end, I think the referee made the right choice. I was hitting him a lot, and the referee made a good choice. I’m glad I was able to put on a great show and come away with such a decisive win.”
Diego De La Hoya remained perfect by scoring a 4th round stoppage over Jose Eestrella in a scheduled 8-round Featherweight bout.
De La Hoya scored a knockdown in round four when a straight right hand knocked Estrella through the ropes. De La Hoya jumped on Estrella and landed a barrage of punches and the fight was stopped at 2:36.
De La Hoya, 123.3 lbs of Mexicali. MEX is now 11-0 with 7 knockouts. Estrella, 123.8 lbs of Tijuana, MEX is 14-7-1.
De La Hoya landed 113-310 punches. Estrella landed 55-194
“There is a lot of pressure on me with my family name and it really motivates my opponents to come out strong to try and beat me,” said De La Hoya. “My team and I worked hard and were well prepared and it feels great to win by knockout and live up to the De La Hoya name.”
Oscar Negrete remained undefeated by scoring an 8-round unnanimous decision over Ramiro Robles in a Featherweight bout.
Negrete, 120 lbs of Los Angeles, CA won by scores of 80-72 and 79-73 twice and is now 11-0. Robles, 123 lbs of Guanajuato, MEX is now 12-4-1.
Negrete landed 238-734 punches. Robles landed 196-800.
“His style didn’t surprise me,” said Negrete of Robles. “My team and I were well prepared but he (Robles) has a great chin. My team and I are working towards a world title so fights like these show I’m here to not only win but give the fans a great show.”
“He’s a strong fighter and he hurt me early on to the body, but I did feel a second wind as the fight went on and so I kept punching,” said Robles of his fight against Negrete.
Mickey Bey vacated his IBF Lightweight title, thus his belt against Denis Shafikov wont happen according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.
“The IBF informed us that Mickey Bey is no longer recognized as their lightweight champion. Besides saying thank you, my initial response was what took so long,” Carl Moretti, vice president of Shafikov promoter Top Rank, told ESPN.com.
Shafikov, who will still fight on the July 18 card in a 10-round nontitle bout against an opponent to be determined, has been ordered to face former junior lightweight titlist Rances Barthelemy (23-0, 13 KOs) for the vacant belt, although Barthelemy fought June 21 at junior welterweight and it remains to be seen whether he will come back down in weight to face Shafikov.
“Once he decided to not accept Floyd’s and Leonard’s generous offer to fight on ESPN2 the week of Mayweather-Pacquiao, I knew we we’re headed down this road,” Moretti said. “We move forward to fight Rances Barthelemy for the vacant title, but first we appreciate the IBF letting Denis fight on July 18 in Macau because of what he has to endure through this odyssey.”
According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, Juan Carlos Payano will defend his Bantamweight crown against three-time U.S. Olympian Rau’She Warren on August 2 in Winter Park, Florida on Bounce TV.
The tripleheader will also include the scheduled 10-round semifinal bouts of a four-man junior middleweight tournament.
In one fight, Yudel Jhonson (17-1, 9 KOs), 34, a 2004 Cuban Olympic silver medalist who defected and now lives in Miami, will face Jorge Cota (24-1, 22 KOs), 27, of Mexico.
In the other semifinal, John Jackson (19-2, 15 KOs), 26, of the U.S. Virgin Islands — one of the fighting sons of former world titleholder Julian Jackson — will square off with Dennis Laurente (49-5-5, 30 KOs), 37, of the Philippines, in the other semifinal bout.
Top Rank has filed a $100 million lawsuit against Al Haymon for among other things breaching the Muhammad Ali act, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.
“With the financial backing, complicity, and material assistance of Waddell & Reed and other financiers, Haymon is rigging the boxing industry so they can act as manager, promoter, sponsor, and ticket broker for nearly every major professional boxer competing in the United States, all in violation of the Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act, the Sherman (antitrust) Act, and a host of other state and federal laws,” the suit said. “Openly defying the statutorily-mandated ‘firewall’ between manager and promoter — two distinct professional roles that, as described at length below, serve fundamentally different purposes in the boxing industry — Haymon has leveraged his dominance in the boxing management business to injure and exclude competitors in the business of promoting professional boxing matches in the United States.”
“Al Haymon and Waddell & Reed are engaged in a sophisticated scheme to gain control of the boxing industry,” Top Rank attorney Daniel Petrocelli of O’Melveny & Myers said. “As the lawsuit explains in detail, they are violating federal law, defying state regulators and absorbing significant short-term losses to drive legitimate operators out of the business.”
“The Premier Boxing Champions series makes boxing free again, by bringing championship boxing to free TV, with a fighter-first promise and a commitment to the fans to restore boxing to the luster of its heyday. The continued success of this effort will far outlast this baseless lawsuit.”
“In at least some instances, Haymon falsely and fraudulently conceals his role in promoting his clients’ bouts by employing ‘sham’ promoters or ‘frontmen’ — nominal promoters who are in fact controlled or dominated by Haymon,” the suit said, adding that “for a fee” they “rent their promoters’ licenses to Haymon and Waddell & Reed, and function in a perfunctory role under the instruction of Haymon. Ultimately, however, the money passes through Haymon’s accounts, and Haymon makes all material decisions.”
“Paying the purse is a classic promoter responsibility, not the job of a true manager,” the suit said. “Tellingly, Chavez Jr.’s Instagram post was removed minutes after it appeared.
“While Haymon’s sham promoters may formally execute contracts with venues, sponsors, broadcasters, and other stakeholders, and may submit those contracts to state athletic commissions, they do not control the negotiations. Rather, Haymon directs everything himself … The façade of Haymon’s frontmen is underscored by the fact that, more often than not, they do not have promotion contracts with the boxers themselves, as a legitimate promoter normally would.”
“Haymon is essentially sitting on both sides of the bargaining table,” the suit said. “While purporting to act in his clients’ best interests, Haymon has obtained direct and indirect financial interests in promoting his boxers — thereby creating the very conflict of interest the Ali Act sought to remedy.”
“In order to stifle legitimate promoters from competing against PBC, Haymon has obtained exclusivity commitments from broadcasters,” the suit said. “Between these predatory ‘payola’ payments and the expenses of promoting each televised match, Haymon and Waddell & Reed are operating at a significant short-term loss in the millions of dollars. This ‘loss leader’ strategy — which Waddell & Reed has bankrolled and actively participated in — has allowed Haymon to gain unfair advantage in the promoter market to the severe detriment of legitimate competitors like Top Rank.
“Once Haymon obtains monopoly power in the market for promoting professional boxing matches, he will recoup the losses by charging exorbitant prices to broadcasters, sponsors, and consumers. Haymon and Waddell & Reed will be the sole competitor.”
“Haymon reserved prime locations such as Staples Center and The Forum so that they could not be booked by the competition, and then canceled after the competitors were forced to seek other locations,” the suit said. “The tactic unfairly injured his competitors and deprived consumers of access to events with no legitimate business purpose other than to unfairly harm competition.”
“Haymon is exploiting his dominance in the management market to harm and exclude legitimate promoters from the promotion market,” the suit said. “If this conduct continues unabated, and Haymon becomes the de facto sole promoter of Championship-Caliber Boxers, it will become increasingly difficult for any remaining non-Haymon boxers to gain exposure and quality opponents. In order to salvage their careers, non-Haymon boxers will have no choice but to sign up with Haymon — on both the management and promotion sides. As Haymon’s power and influence in both markets grow, he will be able to exert even more control over the entire boxing industry.”
“For decades, the boxing business earned a poor reputation because of some unsavory characters,” Petrocelli said. “Congress stepped in and enacted laws to clean up the industry. Top Rank is trying to ensure that Al Haymon and Waddell play by the same rules as everyone else.”
PHILADELPHIA–Vyacheslav Shabranskyy was dropped twice in the first round but came back to stop Paul Parker in round three of a scheduled 10-round Light Heavyweight bout at the 2300 Arena.
Parker struck in round one when he landed a hard left that buckled and eventually dropped Shabranskyy early in the first round. Shabranskyy was clearly hurt and was wobbling around the ring as he was getting hit by Parker’s shots and fell again to the canvas in the last minute of the round. Shabranskyy was able to steady himself in round two and in round three he landed a right hand that hurt Parker. That set off a barrage of punches that spun a prone Parker to eat more shots and referee Gary Rosato stopped the bout at 2:36 of round three.
Shabranskyy, 179.7 lbs of Los Angeles, CA is now 14-0 with 12 knockouts. Parker, 177.6 lbs of Toledo, OH is now 7-1.
D’Mitrus Ballard win a 6-round unanimous decision over Josue Obando in a Light Heavyweight bout.
Ballard, 169.4 lbs of Washington, DC won by scores of 60-54 and 58-56 twice and is 8-0. Obando, 1681 lbs of Guadalajara, MX is now 11-6.
Lamont Roach won a 6-round unanimous decision over Christian Santibanez in a Lightweight bout.
Roach, 133.6 lbs of Washington, DC won by scores of 60-54 twice and 59-55 and is now 8-0. Santibanez, 134 lbs of San Antonio, TX is 3-5.
Kevin Rivers Jr. remained perfect with a 3rd round stoppage over Luis Lizarraga in a scheduled 6-round Super Featherweight bout.
Rivers dropped Lizarraga in round two with a huge left hook. Rivers came out in round three and landed two thudding left hooks and referee Gary Rosato stopped the bout at 24 seconds of round three.
Rivers. 125.5 lbs of Palmer Park, MD is now 12-0 9 knockouts. Lizarraga, 127.9 lbs of Merida, MX is 5-5-1.
Victor Vasquez scored a 4th round stoppage over Osnel Charles in a sheduled 6-round Lightweight fight. It was the 3rd meeting between Charles and Vasquez
Charles won the first two bouts.
Vasquez dropped Charles at the end of round one with a hard left hook. Charles came back in round two to hurt Vasquez when he landed a big left hook that wobbled the Philadelphia native. Seconds later it was Vasquez who landed a hard four punch combination on the ropes.
In round four, Vasquez landed a big right hand that sent Charles into the ropes. Referee Benji Esteves rendered a 8-rount before Charles stumbled into a far corner and the bout was stopped at 44 seconds of round four.
Vasquez, 135.6 lbs of Philadelphia is 19-9-1 with 9 knockouts. Charles, 135.9 lbs of Atlantic City, NJ is 10-14-1.
Tyrone Luckey won a 4-round unanimous decision over Gang Yong Kim in a Super Featherweight bout.
Luckey dropped Kim in round one with a left hook. Kim came back in round two and tagged Luckey with a hard right. Later in the round, Kim scored a knockdown when a right hand drove Luckey into the ropes and was ruled a knockdown by referee Gary Rosato.
Luckey, 129 1/2 lbs of Middletown, NJ won by scores of 38-36 on all cards and is now 6-4-2. Kim, 130 lbs of Philadelphia is 4-2.
Damon Allen remained undfeated by stopping Luis Rodriguez after round four of their scheduled 6-round Super Lightweight bout.
ALlen, 135.8 lbs of Philadelphia is 7-0 with 3 knockouts. Rodriguez, 138.4 lbs of Carolina, PR is 3-5.
According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, former world champion Oscar De La Hoya has decided to stay retired after flirting with a comeback last week.
“Over the last six months I’ve had a front row seat as Golden Boy [Promotions] fighters including Canelo Alvarez, Bernard Hopkins, Lucas Matthysse, Jorge Linares and David Lemieux have stepped into the ring and shown what boxing should be all about — a commitment to fight the best, to respect the sport and to put the fans first,” De La Hoya said in a statement. “As a professional athlete and someone who has spent almost his entire life in boxing, not a day goes by when I don’t think about coming back — and the performances of these Golden Boy fighters has only added to my desire to return to the ring.
“But I am retired, and after speaking to my family and following a great deal of introspection, I have decided to stay retired. However, I do so with knowledge that many fighters today still pride themselves on the same principles that I adhered to throughout my career. It is now through boxers like those I mentioned and dozens of other Golden Boy Promotions fighters that those values live on.”
“To the many thousands of fans who over the last couple of weeks encouraged me to come out of retirement and fight again, I thank you,” De La Hoya said. “You can rest assured that I will spend the rest of my days around this wonderful sport, even though those days won’t be spent inside the ropes.”
De La Hoya told ESPN.com on Monday that he even sparred 10 rounds with a young fighter — he said he did not know his name — on Saturday morning and did well.
“I still got it,” De La Hoya said.
After the sparring session, De La Hoya said he went home to have “the talk” with his wife, Millie, and their children about whether he should pursue the comeback. He said the plans ended with that conversation.
“My wife was all for it,” De La Hoya told ESPN.com. “But my kids didn’t want to see old Papa get hurt.”
According to Dan Rafael of espn.con, a purse bid has been ordered for a Heavyweight title bout between Wladimir Klitscko and Tyson Fury.
CARSON, Calif. – Nothing is ever easy for Timothy Bradley.
Or predictable
In a career full of controversial decisions and crazy finishes, there was another wild ride for Bradley.
Bradley wound up winning a unanimous decision over Jessie Vargas Saturday. But it was in a 12-round fight that referee Pat Russell stopped about seven seconds before it was supposed to end and about five seconds after Bradley was rocked by a huge right hand.
Confusion reigned for a couple of minutes, Vargas thought Russell stopped it because Bradley was hurt and couldn’t continue. Vargas celebrated, thinking he had scored a huge upset. His corner men and friends jumped into the ring to celebrate with him. Meanwhile, Bradley appeared confused. He shook his head in disbelief at what looked to be a loss.
“I knew where I was at all times,’’ said Bradley, who stumbled backwards from an overhand right by Vargas. “I knew where I was at all times. All of sudden, the referee was waving his hands. I didn’t know what was going on.’’
Nobody did.
Turns out, Russell stopped the fight because he thought it was over.
“I thought I heard the bell,’’ Russell told HBO’s Max Kellerman in a chaotic scene at the center of the ring.
Maybe, Russell heard the 10-second warning and mistook it for the final bell. Or maybe he heard an inadvertent bell from somewhere in the StubHub crowd. Maybe, maybe, maybe. It’s only certain that he didn’t stop the fight because of what he saw in Bradley.
“I made the call based on what I heard,’’ Russell said.
That meant the fight went to the scorecards. All three favored Bradley. Judge Max DeLuca had it 116-112. Rocky Young scored it 117-111. On Kermit Bayless’ card, it was 115-112.
Finally, Bradley (32-1-1,12 KOs) could celebrate. In the sudden turn of events, however, there was only frustration for Vargas (26-1, 9 KOs).
“Those seven seconds cost me the fight,’’ he said.
He complained that he wasn’t allowed to finish Bradley. He was denied a triumphant finish, he said.
“Let me finish what I started,’’ he said to Bradley while asking for a rematch.
Okay, Bradley said.
No telling how crazy an encore might be.
Except for seven seconds, Bradley appeared to control the bout
Doubt appeared to creep into Vargas’ eyes as early as the second round. Bradley was applying pressure with muscle and authority. As the round ended, Vargas smiled at him. There was a question, perhaps a prayer, in that smile. It was as if Vargas couldn’t believe that Bradley could sustain the pace.
But he did at a punishing rate. Bradley repeatedly stepped inside Vargas’ four-inch advantage in reach, delivering blows to body and head with the thudding impact of that old jackhammer he swung around during an old-school training camp.
At the end of the fifth, Vargas found himself with his back on the ropes. He would be there again and again in a futile attempt to elude Bradley’s tireless pursuit. There was just nowhere else to go for Vargas in his first bout against a welterweight who is among the division elite.
Bradley was stronger and he knew it. By the seventh, there was a look of resignation instead of doubt on Vargas’ face. By the ninth, there was almost a look of dread. By the tenth, there was inevitability.
But, in the end, there was only chaos. Nothing for new for Bradley
Oscar Valdez down early, wins easily
If the prospect stage is about lessons, super-featherweight Oscar Valdez got one. Passed it, too. But it wasn’t the A-plus kind of grade that put Valdez at the top of the honor roll through his first 16 fights. More like a B-minus.
Ruben Tamayo, a fellow Mexican with a journeyman’s record (23-6-4, 15 KOs) surprised Valdez (17-0, 14 KOs) early with some thing of a pop quiz. Valdez, a two-time Olympian, was on the canvas in the first round.
It wasn’t exactly clear how he got there. Valdez appeared to get his feet tangled up after Tamayo knocked him off balance with a left. Maybe, he tripped. Maybe, Tamayo’s power put him there. Maybe, both.
Whatever it was, it was a momentary stunner.
Valdez looks surprised, even embarrassed. The good news is that he quickly recovered with a poised attack that included stinging jabs to the head and combos to the body. The bad news was that he couldn’t finish Tamayo, who was penalized a point in the seventh for a low blow. Still, it was enough for a 98-90, 99-90, 98-90 win on the scorecards.
Next lesson, please
On The Undercard
The Best: Providence featherweight Toka Khan Clary (16-0-0-1, 10 KOs) landed a huge hook at the end of the sixth round, dropping Colombian Jonathan Perez (33-12, 27 KOs) just as the bell sounded. It looked as if Perez never heard the bell. It also looked as if he had no clue at what hit him or even where he was. He was unconscious before he ever hit the canvas, knocked out at 2:59 of the sixth.
The Rest: Chicago welterweight Ed Brown (6-0, 6 KOs) scored a second-round knockout of Jose Maruffo (7-3-2,) of Phoenix. It was dull, but it was decisive as junior-welterweight Abraham Lopez (1-1) of Rowland Heights scored a unanimous decision over Mexican Joann Valenzuela (1-4-1, 1 KO). And Los Angeles featherweight Leonardo Chavez (4-1, 3 KOs) scored a second-round knockdown and was never threatened in winning a unanimous decision over Mexican Jair Quintero (4-5-2).
Dominic Wade scored a debated split decision over former world champion Sam Soliman in a Middleweight bout at the Little Creek Casino in Shelton, Washington.
The difference in the fight was a controversial knockdown scored by Wade when it looked like it was a more of a push.
Wade, 162 1/2 lbs of Washington, DC won by scores of 97-92, 95-94 while Soliman took a card 96-93.
Wade is now 18-0. Soliman, 161 1/2 lbs of Melbourne, Australia is now 44-13-1.
Wade landed just 74-317 punches while Soliman landed 98-450.
Erickson Lubin scored 1st round stoppage over Ayi Bruce in a scheduled 8-round Jr. Middleweight bout
Lubin dropped Bruce in round one from an accumulation of punches. Seconds later, it was another flurry that sent Bruce down and did not beat referee Ray Corona’s count at 2:49 of round one.
Lubin, 152 1/2 lbs of Orlando, FL is now 11-0 with 8 knockouts. Bruce, 151 1/2 lbs of Silver Spring, MD is 15-10.
Oscar Rivas remained undefeated by scoring a 1st round stoppage over Jason Pettaway in a scheduled 8-round Heavyweight bout.
Rivas dropped Pettaway with a right hand to the body that was not ruled a knockdown as Rivas hit Pettaway when he was down. Referee Robert Byrd docked two points from Rivas. Rivas then dropped Pettaway following a barrage of punches and a right hand. Rivas dropped Pettaway again with a left hand and Byrd called off the bout at 2:25.
Rivas, 24 1/2 lbs of Montreal, CAN is 17-0 with 12 knockouts. Pettaway, 222 lbs of Huntington, WV is 17-3.
Dennis Hogan remained undefeated by scoring a 10-round unanimous decision over Kenny Abril in a Super Welterweight bout at the Senaca Niagara Casino & Hotel in Niagara, New York.
Hogan, 152 lbs of Queensland, AUS is won by scores 97-93 twice and 96-94 and is now 22-0-1. Abril, 151 lbs of Rochester, NY is 14-8-1.
Former world title challenger Tony Luis won an 8-round unanimous decision over Edward Valdez in a Lightweight bout.
Luis, 137 1/2 lbs of Cornwall, ONT, CAN won by scores of 80-72 twice and 79-73 and is now 20-3. Valdez, 136 lbs of Brooklyn, NY is now 13-11-2.
Jarrell Miller remained undefeated as he scored a 1st round stoppage over Excell Holmes in a scheduled 8-round Heavyweight bout.
Miller landed a barrage of punches on an already bloodied Holmes and referee Charlie Fitch stopped the bout at 2:44 of round one.
Miller, 269 lbs of Brooklyn, NY is 14-0-1 with 12 knockouts. Holmes, 250 lbs of Buffalo, NY is 2-6-1.