SAN ANTONIO – A sparse crowd gathered Thursday night at Freeman Coliseum, located beside the stadium in which the world champion Spurs play, and the small turnout was an unfortunate turn, as the evening’s main event, undefeated Mexican junior lightweight Fernando Vargas versus Australian Will Tomlinson, a match broadcast on HBO Latino, deserved a much larger crowd.

Vargas (22-0-1, 16 KOs) stopped Tomlinson (23-2-1, 13 KOs) early in the eighth round of a fight that proved the Mexican’s class and the Australian’s mettle.

After two fantastic rounds of near-even exchanges the Mexican probably got the better of, in round 3 an accidental collision of heads opened an abrasion on Vargas’ face that partially salvaged the round for Tomlinson, who was otherwise beaten with impunity. In the fourth, Tomlinson, who was now bleeding more than Vargas, stayed upright mainly on the virtue of his roughhousing tactics.

Vargas’ onslaught continued unabated, even mixing-in left hooks to the body that nearly found their mark on Tomlinson’s liver. A Vargas left in the fifth found its mark and brought a visible wince from the remarkably sturdy Australian. Vargas’ savage pursuit continued through the seventh round, the conclusion of which saw a number of officials gather in the Australian’s corner to ensure he was fit to continue.

He wasn’t.

A minute into round 8, Vargas finally dropped Tomlinson and the match concluded.

FABIANO PENA VS. VYACHESLAV SHABRANSKYY
Thursday’s co-main event was a mismatch from the opening round when undefeated Ukrainian light heavyweight Vyacheslav Shabranskyy (13-0, 11 KOs) conducted target practice on plainly overmatched Philadelphian Fabiano Pena (11-1-1, 8 KOs) until Pena’s corner stopped the beatdown after five rounds, giving Shabranskyy another knockout win.

Better at every facet of boxing than Pena, in round 1 Shabranskyy hit Pena with nearly every punch in the boxing lexicon, and from a variety of levels, too, reducing Pena to hurling blind overhand rights in a sign of early desperation. After having every advance thwarted by his taller opponent’s jab, in round 3, Pena began taking stutter-stepped lunges at Shabranskyy. While bringing a rise from the crowd, these lunges appeared to take no effect on the Ukrainian who beat his hopeless opponent to quitting on his stool.

Shabranskyy appears to have every tool, and with HBO Sports’ recent fixation on all things Eastern European, there’s a very good chance the Ukrainian will soon find himself promoted beyond HBO Latino.

YAMAGUCHI FALCAO VS. RAYMOND TERRY
When undefeated Brazilian southpaw Yamaguchi Falcao (4-0, 2 KOs) and undefeated Philadelphia southpaw Raymond Terry (3-1, 2 KOs) made the evening’s final undercard fight, it looked evenly matched on the bout sheet. But it sure wasn’t even in the ring.

After swarming Terry from the opening bell with overhand punches and hooks of every kind, Falcao dropped Terry in the first minute and knocked him unconscious at 1:27. No 10-count was needed, and only one southpaw was still undefeated.

ARMANDO CARDENAS VS. MARCO ANTONIO SOLIS
The evening’s fourth bout, a six-round scrap between undefeated Texas welterweights, San Antionio’s lanky Armando Cardenas (7-0, 4 KOs) and Austin’s Marco Antonio Solis (3-1, 1 KO), began impressively for Cardenas – who dropped Solis on the second punch he landed – and then flattened out a bit, as the width of Cardenas’ punches and the durability of Solis’ chin slowed the action. After knocking the guard from Solis’ mouth in round 3, Cardenas showed hints of fatigue in the fourth and fifth before having both his chin and heart tested by Solis in the sixth.

Cardenas passed all tests, and won by unanimous decision scores of 59-54, 58-55 and 58-55. For a very tall fighter, though, Cardenas showed an alarming tendency to get hit with uppercuts – a trait he’ll need to remedy before improving his competition further.

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, Roberto Garcia missed weight and will not fight Shawn Porter tonight in Ontario, California.

“It was more than 4 pounds. That is what I was told by the promoter,” said California Commissioner Andy Foster. “I was told that he had to cut too much weight and he couldn’t do it.”

Porter will now fight Eric Bone

FORT MCDOWELL, Ariz. – Bronco Billy Wright is a late bloomer. He has to be.

Wright (46-4, 37 KOs) is a 50-year-old heavyweight who wants to be the oldest champion in the division’s long history.

His quest continues Friday night against a man who could be his son, 29-year-old Gilberto Domingos (22-2, 20 KOs) of Brazil in a bout scheduled for 10 rounds on a six-fight card at We Ke Po Casino. First bell is 6:30 pm. (PST).

Wright, of Las Vegas, returns to his home state. He was born in Morenci, an Arizona mining town. His record includes losses to Michael Moorer and Frans Botha.

The card also included unbeaten middleweight Milorad Zizic (11-0, 5 KOs) of Montenegro against Lionel Rose (11-2, 3 KOs) of Lynwood, Calif.

Undefeated Super Middleweight Jesse Hart of Philadelphia has been added to the off-tv portion of the May 2 mega showdown between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao card in Las Vegas according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“My eyes got big and I was like, ‘For real?’ I originally had a fight on April 10 and he said it was canceled. ‘You’re fighting on May 2,'” Hart told ESPN.com on Thursday when hearing the news from his promoter Bob Arum. “I only knew of one other card on May 2. He said, ‘Yup, you’re on the card, your first 10-round fight.’

“As I was talking to him, my eyes were watering up. This was a for real moment.”
“You got to look at the opportunity and just be grateful,” Hart said. “It’s a big deal to be on a card like this. I love Bob Arum. He’s not only my promoter. We talk often and not just about boxing. He gives me advice on my family life and things I should do raising my daughter. I have a father but Bob is also a father figure to me. He gives me advice on things I don’t know.

“I have genuine love for Bob Arum and Top Rank. And my matchmaker at Top Rank, Brad Goodman, is the best in the business. They have treated me so good. I am excited to be on the biggest card in the history of boxing. I come from North Philly, a very rough area. To make it out there to be on a card of this magnitude, it’s a big deal.”

“He’s one of my favorites,” Arum said. “I really, really like the kid. I pulled seniority. It’s my company and I made the call. No secret agenda other than I really like the kid and I think he has a bright future.

“He’s such a gentleman. I love the kid. Every fight he has he calls me up and he thanks me. Who does that? And I am a great admirer of his father. So to be able to do this, to put the kid on this big show, it makes me feel good. I said to [others at Top Rank], ‘That’s my spot. I’m picking Jesse.'”

“It’s not necessarily pressure but I’m so excited that he recognizes my talent,” Hart said. “If the boss of the company calls and says, ‘You’re on the card,’ it’s my opportunity to become a superstar. He helped make Oscar De La Hoya and Floyd into superstars and you can go back to Muhammad Ali to see what he has done. Bob Arum makes guys into superstars, and that’s what I want to be.”

“I was in the gym and I’m thinking, ‘I’m on the biggest card in the world.’ My dad and everyone is happy,” Hart said. “After this they’re gonna know who I am. It makes me train even harder. My dad had to pull me back but I’m still getting up at 5 in the morning and running six miles, five days a week. Go to the gym at 3 in the afternoon and train. At night I go swimming.

“We are training hard for this fight like we’re fighting for a world title, doing six-minute rounds in sparring.”

“Bob said being on this card should inspire you to be in the main event, and it does,” Hart said. “After boxing, Bob will still be a friend of my family. I can’t explain how much he has done for my life. Things I can’t talk to my dad about I can go to him. He’s like the angel on my shoulder.”

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, Warriors boxing won the purse bid to secure the IBF Super Middleweight title bout between Andre Dirrell and James DeGale.

‘Disappointed to lose the bid but confident DeGale will beat Dirrell anywhere,” said DeGale’s promoter Eddie Hearn “Negotiations were frustrating and in the end Andre made it clear he wasn’t coming to the U.K. I think even if we won the bid he wouldn’t have come. They have 15 days to provide the date and then James will make his way to the U.S. and pick up the red and gold jewels.”

“Fight will be staged in (the) USA. Ring is a ring. I’m still making history,” said DeGale.

Takashi Miura will defend his 130 pound title against former Featherweight titlist Billy Dib on May 1 in Tokyo according to Dan Rafael of espn.com

“I’m so humbled and happy that both the IBF and WBC have considered me [to fight for their title],” Dib told ESPN.com. “I have decided to go with the WBC option as I feel it’s an opportunity to prove I belong with the best of my division.”

“I want to face the best, and I know if I can dethrone Miura, I will be given that opportunity to once again be on the big stage,” Dib said.

Hot Prospect Felix Verdejo will make his 2015 debut on April 25 in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico when he takes on Marco Antonio Lopez that will headline an Uni Mas card according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“Thanks to God I feel fully recovered from the injury on my left hand,” Verdejo said Monday. “The rest came in handy, but the vacations are over. Despite the rest, I kept running in the mornings. I’m ready to return to the gym to prepare and get ready to bring that title to my people.”

Said Ricky Marquez, Verdejo’s manager and trainer, “I wanted to make sure that the injury that Felix suffered healed 100 percent for his first 10-round bout. I’m sure ‘El Diamante’ will be ready to shine and conquer that title on April 25.”

“For me there is nothing better than representing Puerto Rico, honoring my flag and bringing joy to my island,” Verdejo said. “I’m more than happy and thankful with Top Rank for the opportunity of fighting for a title in front of my people. I am very grateful [to] the fans on the island for the unconditional support they have always given me, and that’s why I wanted to give them my first title fight.”

LAS VEGAS – Blood, guts, skill and will made for a powerful mix. It was a shot of prime time, just what NBC ordered.

Keith Thurman and Robert Guerrero delivered Saturday night at the MGM Grand with a compelling welterweight bout full of more drama than the story told by scores on one-sided cards.

Thurman was the winner. The 120-107, 118-109, 118-108 scorecards seemed to say that it was easy. It wasn’t. That was as plain as Thurman’s battered face. There was a huge welt on the left side of his forehead from an apparent head butt in the third round. Streaks of blood and bruises framed his weary eyes.

Thurman won, all right.

In the ninth round, he knocked down Guerrero and cut him above one eye with a successive right uppercuts and a glancing left hand. Guerrero was flat on his back, blood streaming across his face and onto the mat from a deep gash across his left eyelid. It looked as if he wouldn’t get up, as if he was about to get stopped for the first time in his long career. But there’s no if in his courage.

“Robert Guerrero was a tremendous warrior,’’ Thurman (25-0, 21 KOs).

Was and is.

Guerrero (32-3-1, 18 KOs) got up and took the fight to a tiring Thurman. It was if Guerrero knew he needed a knockout and Thurman was protecting the victory he knew he had on the cards. Thurman backpedaled. Guerrero moved forward.

In the 10th, there was a collision. Guerrero’s pursuit put him with range and he capitalized, landing straight right hands that seemed to stun Thurman. The crowd of 10,107 went wild. NBC had the round it wanted in its first prime-time telecast of boxing in three decades.

“I fought my heart out,’’ Guerrero said. “That’s the the kind of performance that wins over the hearts of fans, even if you don’t win.’’

Adrien Broner has a fast jab, a faster mouth and collection of nicknames. The jab was enough to a score a 120-108, 118-110, 120-108 decision over John Molina Jr., whose only real counter was an awkward lunge.

But the speed in Broner’s jab was absent in his feet. Broner (30-1, 22 KOs), who landed 141 jabs, was often as flat-footed as Molina (27-6, 22 KOs) was off-balance. It wasn’t pretty. It wasn’t even competitive. Molina landed only 54 punches throughout the 12 rounds.

Yet, Broner never displayed a finishing touch. He calls himself AB. But Broner’s performance put some new meaning into the acronym. About Billions? Not quite. About Boring was more like it.

It was a junior-welterweight fight that took the prime out of time. The MGM Grand crowd booed. NBC can only hope that the viewers didn’t reach for their remotes, especially after Broner repeated a version of a slur that insulted a pay-per-view audience in May, 2014.

That’s when Broner said: “I’ve beaten Afri-cans and I just beat the bleep out of a Mexi-can” after a victory over Carlos Molina on the undercard of Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s decision over Marcos Maidana.

This time, Broner tried to offend a network audience.

“Anyone can get it,’’ he said to as the crowd tried to silence him with boos. “African’cans, Mexi-cans.’’

At least, nobody in the NBC audience had to pay to hear that one.

In the wake of a knockout loss to Jhonny Gonzalez, nothing has been easy for Los Angeles featherweight Abner Mares (29-1-1, 15 KOs), who won his third straight since the defeat, yet continued to look less than spectacular in a unanimous decision over Arturo Reyes (18-5, 5 KOs) of Mexico.

Mario Barrios (8-0, 4 KOs), a 6-foot featherweight from San Antonio, employed every inch of his advantage in height and reach against overmatched and overwhelmed Justin Lopez (5-3, 5 KOs), a fellow Texan who was down late in the second round and finished at 1:53 of the third.

With Robert Guerrero’s volatile dad, Ruben, in his corner, Mexican featherweight Jorge Lara (27-0-1, 19 KOs) was a buzz saw, walking through and over fellow Mexican Mario Macias (25-15, 13 KOs) for a first-round TKO

First, there were the lights. Then, there was the music. Then, there were Ladarius Miller and Ryan Picou, who were the first fighters to walk across a new stage, down ramps and into a ring beneath the brightest high def this side of Jerry Vision at the Dallas Cowboys home stadium.

Miller and Picou must have been tempted to look at themselves on screens that cost $3.5 million apiece.

But they couldn’t. They had to keep an eye on each other in the opening bout on Al Haymon’s first card in his new circuit, Premier Boxing Champions, at the MGM Grand.

Miller, a Mayweather-promoted junior-welterweight, and Picou battled through four crisp rounds Saturday night in the first non-televised bout on a card featuring Keith-Thurman and Adrien Broner-John Molina Jr. in NBC’s first primetime telecast of boxing since a Larry Holmes’ victory over Carl “The Truth’’ Williams in 1985.

With Floyd Mayweather Sr. in his corner, Miller (6-0, 1 KO) employed his superior reach and quick hands, scoring a four-round unanimous decision over Picou (2-7), who lost every round on each of the scorecards.

On the card’s second bout, lightweight Robert Easter (13-0, 10 KOs) of Toledo didn’t leave it up the judges. He knocked down Alejandro Rodriquez (22-16-1, 13 KOs), three times in the second for a TKO victory at 1:15 of the round.

Amnat Ruenroeng scored a 12-round unanimous decision over hometown hero Zou Shiming to retain the IBF Flyweight title at the Cotai Arena at the Ventian in Macao, China.

Shiming was credited with a knockdown in round two but replays revealed that it was more a of a push. Ruenroeng was very accurate with his hard right hands and that proved to be the difference of the fight as he won all scorecards by a 116-111 tally.

Ruenroeng, 112 lbs of Thailand is now 15-0. Shiming, 111.6 lbs of China is now 6-1.

Glen Tapia scored a 3rd round stoppage over Daniel Dawson in a scheduled 10-round Jr. Middleweight bout.

In round three, Tapia staggered Dawson with a double right and then hurt him again with a third right. Tapia continued to unload with hard shots in the corner and Dawson did not punch back and the fight was stopped at 1:42 of round three.

Tapia, 154 lbs of Passaic, NJ is now 23-1 with 15 knockouts. Dawson, 153 1/2 lbs of Perth, AUS is now 40-5-1.

Photos by Chris Farina / Top Rank

Joseph Diaz scored 4 knockdowns en route to a 3rd round stoppage over Juan Luis Hernandez in a scheduled 10-round Featherweight bout at the Belasco Theater in Los Angeles.

Diaz dropped Hernandez in round two from right hook to the body. In the next round, Diaz sent Hernandez to the canvas from another body shot. Diaz dropped Hernandez with another body shot. Hernandez was able to contine only to eat another hard left to the body that sent him to the canvas at the end of the round which ruled an accidental punch after the bell. Hernandez could not continue and the fight was over.

Diaz, 124 lbs of South Elmonte, CA is now 15-0 with 10 knockouts. Hernandez, 122 1/2 lbs of Tijuana, MX is now 17-5-1.

Christian Gonzalez remained perfect by stopping Julio Sarinana in round six of their six round Lightweight bout.

Sarinana dropped Gonzalez in round two from a hard 1-2 combination. In round four, Gonzalez was cut around the left eye from am accidental headbutt. Sarinana was deducted a point in round five from a headbutt. Sarinana’s eye started to swell in round six and the bout was stopped because of that at 2:02 of the final round.

Gonzalez, 131 3/4 lbs of Buena Park, Ca is now 9-0 with 9 knockouts. Sarinan, 133 lbs of Phoenix, AZ is now 3-3-1.

Carlos Morales won a 6-round majority decision over previously undefeated Santiago Guevara in a Lightweight contest.

Morales was cut in round two from an accidental headbutt.

Morales, 131 lbs of Los Angeles won by scores of 59-55, 58-56 and 57-57 and is now 8-1-3. Guevara, 131 lbs of Los Angeles, CA is now 8-1.

Tony Harrison destroyed Antwone Smith in round two of a scheduled 10-round Middleweight bout at the MGM Grand Ballroom in Las Vegas.

Harrison dropped Smith twice in round one and pummeled him more in round two until the fight was stopped at 19 seconds of round two.

Harrison, 155 1/2 lbs of Detroit is now 20-0 with 16 knockouts. Smith, 156 lbs is now 23-6-1.

Ievgen Khytrov remained perfect by scoring an 8th round stoppage over Jorge Melendez in a scheduled 10-round Middleweight bout.

Khytrov scored a knockdown in round eight and the bout was stopped at 42 seconds of round eight.

Khytrov, 160 lbs of Brooklyn, NY is 9-0 with 9 knockouts. Melendez, 159 lbs of Puerto Rico is 28-5-1.

Erickson Lubin remained undefeated by scoring a 1st round stoppage over Kenneth Council in a scheduled 8-round Jr. Middleweight bout.

Lubin dropped Council in round one from a perfect left hand. Council was sent to the deck for a second time from a hard combination. Lubin ended things when he landed 10 booming shots and the referee stopped the bout as Council fell to the canvas at 1:33.

Lubin, 153 lbs of Orlando, FL is niw 10-0 with 7 knockouts. Council, 154.2 lbs of North Carolina is now 8-1.

Caleb Plant remained undefeated by scoring a 1st round stoppage over Daniel Henry in a scheduled 6-round Middleweight bout.

Plant dropped Henry in round one from a hard right hand. Plant finished things after Henry got turned around and when he turned forward, he ate a vicious right that knocked him flat on his back and the fight was stopped at 2:29.

Plant, 162.6 lbs of Nashville, TN is now 7-0 with 5 knockouts. Henry, 163 lbs of Austin, TX is now 2-3-3.

Jamontay Clark withstood a 3rd round knockdown to win a 4-round unanimous decision over Rick Graham in a Super Welterweight bout.

Ckark, 149 1/4 lbs won by scores of 39-37 on all cards and is now 5-0. Graham, 149 3/4 lbs is 2-5-2.

4-division and current Middleweight champion Miguel Cotto has signed with Roc Nation Sports according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“We are really happy to have this partnership with Roc Nation, and we are going to do our best as always to fight at the same level I have always fought at,” Cotto said. “We are going to discuss the opponents and the venue, but the best option for us is to be in New York.”

David Itskowitch, the chief operating officer of Roc Nation Sports’ boxing division, used to be the COO at Golden Boy Promotions and got to know Cotto when Golden Boy promoted his fights with Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Austin Trout. Itskowitch had been pursuing Cotto for months.

“We bring a lot to the table beyond the world of boxing,” Itskowitch said. “We can bring certain things in boxing that were attractive to him, but there’s a lot that we can help establish for him in his years beyond the ring.”

“I am just finishing the last part of my career by doing what is in the best interest for me and my family,” Cotto said. “We had the opportunity to work with and have nice relationships with Top Rank and Golden Boy [for two fights] and now we have an agreement with Roc Nation. That was the best option for us. Just like any other businessman, I am just thinking about the benefits, the money and the opportunity in this deal.

Middleweight champion Miguel Cotto has left Top Rank to join Roc Nation Sports. “I am just finishing the last part of my career by doing what is in the best interest for me and my family,” Cotto said.
“When you talk about Miguel Cotto, it’s not only about Miguel Cotto the boxer. Miguel Cotto has a company [Cotto Promotions] that Roc Nation is going to bring more interest to. I’m in the last stage of my career. I need to have other things after my career.”

“I don’t know what happened, but ever since I’ve been with Miguel [since signing him out of the 2000 Olympics], there has always been a force trying to pull us apart, to divide us,” said Top Rank’s Todd duBoef told ESPN.com. “I can’t constantly fight those that are trying to manipulate him to pull us apart. He is responsible for his decisions, but he has always had people around him manipulating him. He has been corrupted by people who are disingenuous. His conduct shows he can be easily polluted.

“For the past few months, I’ve been calling Gaby to talk about this or that as it relates to Miguel’s next fight. He wouldn’t return calls or texts, kept putting me off. What’s there to hide? Don’t dodge. If he says they got a great offer, be transparent and open. Don’t hide. That is not in my DNA.”

“This time they were playing games with me. They were devious and mischievous,” duBoef said. “They weren’t open and transparent. I’m disappointed in Cotto’s personal conduct. It’s not that he took another deal. But he said to me before the Martinez fight, ‘I’m a man of my word. We’re together. We’ll finish my career together.’ His words meant nothing.”

Michael Yormark, president and chief of branding and strategy for parent company Roc Nation, said a major part of the deal for Cotto was Roc Nation’s ability to do more for Cotto than just promote his fights.

“Boxing is the core of what Miguel does, but he is also looking for other opportunities,” Yormark said. “For a fighter like Miguel, at this point in his career, those things become important — his company, his philanthropic initiatives with his foundation, building his brand beyond the core boxing fans and positioning it in the mainstream. Those are things we do at Roc Nation, and we will be aligning him with companies around the globe.

“Roc Nation is not just a boxing promoter. We have lots of different platforms to offer Miguel Cotto. We are going to help him with his foundation, which is very important to him. Our relationships extend beyond boxing. We will help him build Cotto Promotions into a more diversified company that will include music and entertainment.”

“It all depends on what’s the best for me,” Cotto said. “If it’s 160, I will stay at 160. If the best thing for me to do is to be at 154, I will do it.”

“He’s not tied to any one network and we will seek the best deal,” Itskowitch said, acknowledging that an opponent such as Bundrage or somebody of that caliber would not be a pay-per-view fight.

“I never met him, but who doesn’t know about Jay Z,” Cotto said. “Working with his company is big for me. In this chapter of Miguel Cotto’s career, it will make a difference.”

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com. former multi-time Middleweight champion Felix Sturm will battle Fedor Chudinov on May 9 for a vacant Super Middleweight title.

“I promised to make only big fights from now on. Chudinov is seen as a highly talented and skilled boxer with a lot of punching power,” Sturm said. “But I will take this belt to Germany.”

“We always wanted to make a fight in Frankfurt, but we could never ever imagine that it would be such a big thing,” said Roland Bebak, Sturm’s manager. “Frankfurt is a city of boxing and we’re really enjoying the great interest from the fans.”

\Middleweight contender David Lemieux has been sued by promoter GYM (Groupe Yvon Michel) according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

Michel, who says he still has a contract with middleweight contender David Lemieux, is suing the fighter and others associated with him in the Superior Court of Quebec for $1.35 million, claiming Lemieux broke their agreement.

Michel also is suing Lemieux representative Camille Estephan and his Eye of the Tiger Management; Golden Boy Promotions, which announced it signed Lemieux to a promotional agreement in January; and HBO, which televised Lemieux’s last fight in December and which Michel claims is complicit in Lemieux’s breaking his contract.

Michel’s Groupe Yvon Michel “claims that it has suffered damages of $1,350,000 as a result of tortuous conduct and bad faith actions by the defendants.”

According to the suit, “GYM has always acted in Lemieux’s best interest, and oversaw his development at every level, turning him into a top contender in the middleweight division, and a financially viable professional boxer and gate attraction.”

The lawsuit alleges that after Estephan made a deal with Michel to modify their agreement, he orchestrated Lemieux’s move to Golden Boy and cut Michel out. The lawsuit further claims that HBO was complicit with Estephan to remove Michel as Lemieux’s promoter.

“Our lawyers have reviewed and analyzed their claims, and we feel very confident that it has no basis, and chances of success [and] their pursuit of extracting money from us are, at best, extremely slim and factually none,” he said.

Estephan said Michel is claiming they have a verbal agreement that does not exist.

“They are based on allegations from GYM that they have a verbal agreement extending the contract and are simply seeking damages,” Estephan said. “I can tell you that in no way, shape or form David nor I have ever agreed to anything verbally with GYM or anyone associated with them.

“We do not have any concerns that their suit would slow down David’s ascension and career. Hence we are looking forward and working diligently with GBP on making the fight for the IBF title between David and Hassan N’Dam.”

Julian Rodriguez scored a 1st round stoppage over Raul Tovar Jr. in a scheduled 8-round Welterweight bout at The Sun Dome in Tampa, Florida.

Rodriguez dropped Tovar with a hard left hook. The 2nd knockdown came from a body shot. Rodriguez ended thing when he dropped Tovar for third time from a combination and the bout was stopped at 1:59.

Rodriguez, 141 1/2 lbs of Hasbrough, NJ is now 9-0 with 8 knockouts. Tovar, 144 3.4 lbs if Mission, TX is now 14-9-1.

Clarence Booth scored a 1st round stoppage over Osenohan Vazquez in a scheduled six-round Welterweight bout.

Booth floored Vazquez with a crushing left uppercut. Vazquez was able to get to his feet but he endured a vicious flurry and referee Frank Santore stopped the bout at 2:28 of round one.

Booth, 142 1/2 lbs of St. Petersburg, FL is now 10-1 with 6 knockouts. Vazquez, 142 1/4 lbs is now 8-3-1.

Nelsan Machado won a 6-round unanimous decision over Ernesto Garza in a Featherweight bout.

Machado, 125 3/4 lbs won by scores of 59-54 and 58-55 twice and is now 9-0. Garza, 126 lbs is now 5-1.

PHOENIX – It was a heavyweight main event. But a lightweight stole the show.

Victor Castro, an emerging Phoenix prospect, displayed poise and precision, a combo that overwhelmed Ivan Zavala and offset ranked heavyweight Charles Martin’s sloppy stoppage of Raphael Zumbano Love Saturday night at Celebrity Theatre.

With junior-featherweight legend Israel Vazquez as his trainer, Castro (14-0, 7 KOs), moved forward with tactical skill and a patient awareness. Zavala never had a chance.

Castro dropped Zavala (6-9-2, 2 KO), of Tijuana, with a body shot in the second round and finished him with a right hand at 2:45 of the third.

It wasn’t exactly clear who, where or when Castro would fight next. But a main event in the next Iron Boy Promotions card might be a good bet.

The cheers from a near-capacity crowd quickly turned into boos for the heavyweights. Martin (20-0-1, 18 KOs), the World Boxing Organization’s fifth-ranked heavyweight, gained an early advantage. But he could never get any leverage on his punches until an exhausted Love (35-10-1, 28 KOs) finally collapsed in the 10th.

Martin threw a succession punches, shoved Love into the ropes and then continued punching until Love went to his knees, finished aty 1:47 of the 10th and final round. Love got up and smiled. It was as if he was relieved that it had ended. Everybody else was.

On the Undercard

The Best: Phoenix junior-featherweight Francisco C De Vaca danced and smiled. Bled a little, too. In the end, he also won, scoring a unanimous decision over Saul Hernandez (6-6, 4 KOs) in an entertaining six-round bout.

De Vaca, who had former Oscar De La Hoya trainer Robert Alcazar in his corner, suffered a bloody nose in a toe-to-toe exchange midway through the third. It seemed to wake him up.

De Vaca mocked Hernandez with a wicked smile. He waved him in for another exchange. He dropped his hands. He also landed most of the punches, displaying unique precision from a variety of angles for a 60-54 advantage on one card and 59-55 on the other two.

The Rest: Albuquerque featherweight Jesus Pacheco (2-5) overcame hometown judges and fans, using patience and precision to score a majority decision over Edgar Brito (3-1-1, 2 KOs) of Phoenix.

Welterweight Daniel Garcia (2-0) of Surprise, Ariz., was no surprise, doing what he does best in outworking Stephan McCray (0-6) for a unanimous decision.

Albuquerque welterweight Brian Mendoza (4-0, 2 KOs) got in four rounds of solid work, winning a unanimous decision while dropping Javier Rivera (0-1) of Yuma, Ariz., onto his back with a quick counter in the second round of a one-sided bout.

Featherweight Jose Herrera (1-0, 1 KO) was a knockout in his debut, overwhelming Fernando Alvarez (0-1) of New Mexico with a stinging succession of punches for a stoppage at 1:26 of the first round.

San Diego, CA – February 28, 2014- Carl Frampton made the first defense of the IBF Super Bantamweight title with a 5th round stoppage over American mandatory challenger Chris Avalos in front of a sold out crowd of nearly 10,000 at the Odyssey Arena in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

The championship bout was televised on AWE-A Wealth of Entertatinment.

After a clinch in round two, Frampton drilled Avalos with a left hook while Avalos thought there was a time out. That shot split Avlaos’ lip. Frampton continued to land hard one-two combinations. Frampton showed some battle scars as he started to develop a a mouse around the right eye.

In round five, Frampton rocked and buckled Avalos all over the ring until a hard right hurt Avalos and referee Howard Foster saved a noticeably hurt Avalos at 1:33 of round five.

Frampton, 121.9 lbs of Belfast is now 20-0 with 14 knockouts. Avalos, 122 lbs of Lancaster, CA. is now 26-3.

“It;s unbelievable. This place is my home. I knock out people when I fight here,” said Frampton.

Said Frampton’s promoter, former world champion and Hall of Famer, Barry McGuigan, “I said this before, this is the best Super Bantamweight in the world. People think its (Guillermo) Rigondeaux, but Carl is. He is a sensational fighter and over the next couple of years, we will prove that.”

Next up for Frampton could be a mega-showdown with WBA Super Bantamweight champion Scott Quigg in what would be a major domestic showdown with world wide implications.

“I want it, It’s a huge fight.”, said Frampton.

Said Quigg, who was sitting ringside, “It was a good performance. Avalos was game. I want the fight. The British people want the fight.”

McGuigan finished by saying, “I am sure Scott would come here. He has to remember who is the real champ and who packs arenas. We will compromise on some issues.”

Dillian Whyte scored a 4th round stoppage over Beka Lobjanidze in a scheduled 10-round Heavyweight bout.

Whyte landed a hard left to the side of the head that sent Lobjanidze to the canvas and he was unable to beat the referee’s count at 1:10 of round four.

Whyte, 247 lbs of London is now 14-0 with 11 knockouts. Lobjanidze, 228 lbs of the Georgia Republic is now 10-1.

Viktor Plotnykov scored a 12-round unanimous decision over Denton Vassell to capture the IBF Intercontinental Welterweight title.

In round ten, Plotnykov landed a big right that sent Vassell to the canvas. In round twelve, Vassell started to bleed from his nose and inside his mouth. Later in the round, Plotnykov landed another hard right that sent a hurt Vassell to the ropes and was ruled a second knockdown.

Plotnykov, 146.4 lbs of Ukraine won by scores of 118-108 twice and 115-111 and is now 32-2. Vassell, 147 lbs of Manchester, England is now 21-3.

Anthony Cacace won a 8-round decision over Santiago Bustos in a Super Featherweight bout.

In round three, Cacace landed a left and right that was followed by a shove by Cacace that sent Bustos to the canvas but it was a ruled a knockdown.

Cacace, 132.4 lbs of Belfast won by a 80-71 tally and is now 11-0. Bustos, 130.2 lbs of Spain is now 7-5.1

The show kicked off with a battle of unbeaten Featherweights that saw Conrad Cummings get a 6-round decision over Roberto Palenzuela by the score of 60-54.

Cummings is now 6-0. Palenzuela is now 3-0-1.

Boxing fans can enjoy this amazing card on AWE available on AT&T U-Verse, ch 147 and 1147 in HD, Verizon FiOS TV, ch 169 and 669 in HD, CenturyLink Prism TV channel 470 and 1470 and numerous regional cable providers across the nation. Please check www.awetv.com for boxing updates.

About AWE LIVE BOXING

AWE LIVE Boxing features live world title championship and elimination bouts showcasing today’s most exciting fighters. Since the inception of AWE’s live boxing events in 2011, AWE has earned multiple Boxing Writers Association of America nominations for “Fight of the Year” and has featured over thirty world class boxing events. In 2013, AWE showcased all live bouts featuring heavyweight David Price. AWE aired live the stunning upsets of Tony Thompson over David Price, along with Adonis Stevenson and Tony Bellew cards, who fought each other for the light Heavyweight championship; 2008 Olympic Gold Medal winner James DeGale. AWE brought boxing fans two of the most controversial bouts which saw Ricky Burns keep his Lightweight title against Ray Beltran. AWE fans have witnessed the explosive power of undefeated heavyweight Tyson Fury multiple times on the network, including Fury’s victory over Kevin Johnson. In 2014, AWE televised the crowning of lightweight champion Terence Crawford with his win over Burns as well as the exciting rematches between Carl Frampton and Kiko Martinez as well as Tony Bellew defeating Nathan Cleverly.

About AWE – A Wealth of Entertainment

A Wealth of Entertainment (“AWE”) features a wide range of lifestyles and entertainment programming from exotic travel and outrageous homes to live world championship boxing. AWE is featured on over a hundred cable providers, including AT&T U-Verse, ch 147 and 1147 in HD, Verizon FiOS TV, ch 169 and 669 in HD and CenturyLink Prism TV channel 470 and 1470. For more information, please visit www.awetv.com.

It was a fight filled with good back and forth action that saw Cano get the best of the exchanges and buckle Abreu several times. Cano was cut around the right eye in round eight

Diego De La Hoya won an 8-round unanimous decision over former world title challenger Manuel Roman in a Super Bantamweight bout.

De La Hoya landed some crisp shots that caused Roman to begin to bleed from his nose as early as round six.

De La Hoya, 121 1/2 lbs of Mexicali, MX won by scores of 80-72 on all cards and is now 9-0. Roman, 122 lbs of Parmount, CA is now 17-4-3.

Heavyweight Taishan scored a 4-round unanimous decision over Roy McCrary.

Taishan, 282 lbs of Beijing, CHN won by scores of 40-34 twice and 39-35 and is now 3-0. McCrary 269 lbs of Memphis, TN is now 3-3.

Cletus Seldin scored a 5th round stoppage over Johnny Garica in a scheduled 10-round Jr. Welterweight bout at the Paramount Theatre in Huntington, NY.

It was a competitive fight early until Seldin landed a hard right that buckled Garcia. Garcia was buckled several times in the round. Seldin rocked Garcia repeatedly in round five and continued to pour on the punishment against a game Garcia. Garcia did well to stay on his feet but took many flush power shots until the bout was stopped at 2:29 of round five.

Seldin, 139.2 lbs of Huntington, NY is now 16-0 with 13 knockouts. Garcia, 139.4 lbs is 19-3-1.

Raymond Serrano scored a 10-round majority decision over Jeremy Bryan in a Welterweight bout.

At the end of round two, Bryan landed a right to the jaw that sent Serrano to the canvas. Serrano evened up the knockdown count by landing a lopping right that he followed up with a left that sent Bryan sprawling to the deck.

In round six, the two clashed heads that caused a cut on the left side of Serrano’s forehead.

Serrano, 145 lbs of Philadelphia won by scores of 97-91 96-92 and 94-94 and is now 21-2. Bryan, 145 lbs of South Carolina is now 17-6.

Daniel Gonzalez won a 6-round unanimous decision over Ken Alvarez in a battle of undefeated Jr. Welterweights.

In round three, Gonzalez was cut over the right eye.

In round four, Gonzalez sent Alvarez to the canvas from a left hook. Gonzalez scored a 2nd knockdown in the final seconds of round six when he landed a right to the side of the face that was followed by a left hook.

Gonzalez, 140.4 lbs of Woodhaven, New York won by scores of 59-53 and 58-54 twice and is now 8-0-1. Alvarez, 140 1/2 lbs is now 6-1-2.

Ronda Rousey 135 – Cat Zingano 134.5
(Women’s bantamweight title)
Holly Holm 135.5 – Raquel Pennington 135.5
Josh Koscheck 170.5 – Jake Ellenberger 171
Alan Jouban 170.5 – Richard Walsh 171
Tony Ferguson 156 – Gleison Tibau 155
Mark Munoz 187.25 Roan Carneiro 184.5
Kid Yamamoto 136 – Roman Salazar 135
Dhiego Lima 170 – Tim Means 170
Derrick Lewis 263 – Ruan Potts 253
James Krause 155 – Valmir Lozaro 155.5
Masio Fullen 145 – Alexander Torres 145.5

PHOENIX, Ariz. — Unbeaten American heavyweight Charles Martin (19-0, 17 KOs) faces Raphael Zumbano Love (35-9-1, 28 KOs) of Brazil Saturday night Celebrity Theatre in the main event of a 10-fight card staged by Iron Boy Promotions.

Martin, of St. Louis, is ranked No. 5 by the World Boxing Organization. He won a national Police Athletic League title in 2012.

The Iron Boy card also will feature promising Phoenix lightweight Victor Castro (13-0, 6 KOs), who is trained by junior-featherweight legend Israel Vazquez. Castro is scheduled to fight Ivan Zavala (6-8-2, 2 KOs) of Mexico. First bell is scheduled for 5 p.m. (MST).

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, Manny Pacquiao will arrive in Los Angles on before his expected March 8 arrival for his May 2 mega showdown with Floyd Mayweather.

“Manny called me and said it’s been so crazy in the Philippines that he is going to come over here early and probably start at Wild Card on March 2,” Roach told ESPN.com on Thursday. “Having him early is really nice for me. We’ll have Justin Fortune doing strength work with him, and then we’ll begin the boxing part and start sparring.”

Roach will not be at the gym for the first several days after Pacquiao’s arrival because he is going to Macau on Friday. Roach will be with two-time Chinese Olympic gold medalist Zou Shiming (6-0, 1 KO) for his bid to win a flyweight world title from Thailand’s Amnat Ruenroeng (14-0, 5 KOs) on March 7 at the Cotai Arena.

With Pacquiao coming to camp early, Roach initially told him he was going to stay in California and have assistant Marvin Somodio, who has been training Shiming in Shanghai, finish camp and run the corner.

However, Roach said that Pacquiao “insisted that I go help Shiming. Manny said, ‘I can train for a few days by myself and with the staff.'”

So Somodio will fly from China to Los Angeles to oversee the first few days of Pacquiao’s camp at Wild Card.

“Manny told me I should be with Zou because he knows how important this fight is for him,” Roach said. “The thing is, Manny is that type of guy. He cares about other people. He knows Shiming has a better chance to win if I’m there with him.”

“I’m very happy, and I’m very confident we will win the fight,” Roach said. “I have a good game plan for Manny, and I’ve altered the game plan some over the last five to six years since this fight has been something everyone wanted to see. I’ve made adjustments to it since both guys are a little older. I’m watching tape on their last two fights each.

“They’re not the same as they were five years ago, but it’s a winnable fight for us if we fight the right fight. This is the biggest fight of my life. There’s a lot of pressure, but I’m not going to be nervous. Pressure is good. I want to perform, and I want my fighter to do the best he can.

We just need to have the right strategy to beat this solid fighter,” Roach said. “Mayweather is a slick guy, and he is not the easiest guy in the world to fight. He’s undefeated for a reason. He’s very smart. The thing is we have to attack him a lot and have that ring generalship, and Manny has to work on cutting off the ring. Everything will come together. Manny and me have already been talking about the strategy. Once he gets here, he knows what I want from him.”

Roach said he already has two sparring partners lined up for Pacquiao in 21-year-old pros Kenneth Sims Jr. (5-0, 2 KOs), a junior welterweight and former amateur standout from Chicago, and Rashidi Ellis (13-0, 10 KOs), a welterweight out of Lynn, Massachusetts, both of whom he said have worked out at Wild Card and caught his eye.

“They arrive on March 8,” Roach said. “I’m very impressed with their talent. I know they’re young guys, but they’re good. They have that Mayweather look a little bit. I have four other guys in mind for later on in camp.

“There’s a lot riding on this fight. It’s a big one. It’s exciting. People are congratulating me that we got the fight. I said, ‘Don’t congratulate me now. Congratulate me when we win it.'”

Lucas Matthysse’s April 26 knockout over John Molina was named The Fight of The Year by the Boxing Writers Association of America.

They will be honored on April 24 in New York along with previously announced Fighter of the Year Terence Crawford.
• International Boxing Hall of Famer Freddie Roach won his record seventh Eddie Futch trainer of the year award after a 2014 in which his most notable accomplishments were leading Miguel Cotto to the middleweight championship and Manny Pacquiao to two victories. Roach also won the award in 2003, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2013.

“Words cannot express how much winning an award with Eddie Futch’s name on it means to me,” said Roach, who was trained by the Hall of Famer during his boxing career and was later his assistant. “I’d like to thank the BWAA for this honor. My name may be on the plaque, but I am just a representative of the collective hard work and dedication from the most talented and hardest-working fighters and assistant trainers in the world. It is a privilege to work with them.”

• Al Haymon, boxing’s most powerful person, was voted winner of the Cus D’Amato manager of the year for a record fourth time and the third year in a row. Haymon’s stable of includes more than 180 fighters, including many of the sport’s biggest names.

• Promoter Dan Goossen was posthumously voted winner of the Marvin Kohn Good Guy award. Goossen died on Sept. 29 at age 64 after a short battle with liver cancer.

“It just hurts that he’s not here,” said Tom Brown, Goossen’s brother-in-law, who was his right-hand man at Goossen Promotions and took over running the family business after he died.

“He was an honorable, honest, good guy in a business where it’s not easy to have that kind of personality. There’s no one more deserving. There is so much going on with the game that he’d be so excited about. It’s just hard to talk about it. We all loved him so much.”

• Heavyweight contender and former cruiserweight titleholder Steve Cunningham and his wife/manager, Livvy Cunningham, were selected as co-winners of the Bill Crawford courage award for the grace they showed as their 9-year-old daughter, Kennedy, who has had heart problems since she was born, underwent a heart transplant in December.

“This shows that boxing, which is supposed to be such a heartless sport, has a humane side and that there are really good people who do care about others,” Steve Cunningham said. “We know the boxing world knows our struggle, and they can feel for us.

“I looked at Kennedy, and just as she was about to undergo the surgery, I asked if she was OK, and she said she was fine — and we were about to break down. I’ve always said that she’s so much tougher than me, and I take punches for a living.”

Said Livvy, “It’s an amazing honor, and it shows how much the people in boxing have been behind us through this whole thing. It’s really been heartwarming and inspiring. Kennedy has helped us through everything. Even on the worst day, you look at this 9-year-old girl and you cringe at what’s she’s going through and how strong she is. We had to rise to the occasion and show that there weren’t any cracks in our armor and forge forward. We got a lot of support through the boxing community. Kennedy is a very special girl.”

• Former HBO Sports president Seth Abraham, who helped build the network into a boxing powerhouse in the 1980s and ’90s, will receive the Sam Taub award for excellence in broadcast journalism.

• Jack Hirsch, who left office on Dec. 31 after serving six terms as BWAA president, will receive the John F.X. Condon award for long and meritorious service to boxing.

• Longtime New York Times sports columnist Ira Berkow won the A.J. Liebling award for outstanding boxing writing.

• In previously announced award winners, lightweight champion Terence Crawford was voted the Sugar Ray Robinson fighter of the year, and journalist Mark Whicker, a sports columnist for various outlets in Southern California for nearly 30 years, will receive the Nat Fleischer award for lifetime excellence in boxing journalism, an award voted on only by past winners.

Former pound for pound king Roy Jones Jr. will return to the ring on March 6 against Willie Williams in a Cruiserweight bout in Charlotte, North Carolina according to Dan Rafael of ESPN.com.

“What I am doing is staying busy because Marco Huck said he will fight me in the fall,” Jones told ESPN.com on Tuesday. “I ain’t no spring chicken and I need to be properly prepared to fight Huck. If I get that fight it will probably be my last stab at (a world title) and then I’d call it a day. But I want to make sure I am ready as can be.”

“He said he would love to give me the opportunity,” Jones said. “He is going to fight a fight and I’m gonna fight once or twice and make sure I am right and ready to fight. He said he would fight me in the fall, toward the end of the year. He’s the champ so I need to wait until he’s ready. But I want to make sure I am ready.”

“If you don’t have a goal you can’t fight,” Jones said. “So I decided to go for the cruiserweight title. That’s my new goal and has been for a little bit. I won a lot of titles but I never won the cruiserweight title or tried to win it. Now I have a goal. Without a goal, there ain’t no sense in fighting.”

“I know Marco Huck is a totally different animal,” Jones said. “That’s why I want him. If I beat Marco Huck I’ve done something. Marco Huck is my man. I don’t pay no mind to the critics.

According to Dan Rafael, Lightweight titlist Terence Crawford has been named 2014 Fighter of The Year by the Boxing Writers Association of America.

“It’s a surprise to me because that’s something I never thought I’d be able to accomplish,” Crawford said. “Now that it’s happened, it kind of feels like it’s not real. But I will say that my performance in the ring on those three nights last year brought the best out of me.

“I was as sharp as I could be. Everything fell into place at the right time, and I’m looking for a big year again in 2015.”

“I’m going to continue taking the biggest and best fights out there. I don’t want to take no step down,” said Crawford, a native of Omaha, Nebraska. “I want to prove I’m the best fighter in and around my division and one of the best in any division. To be great, you got to set your sights on the Pacquiaos and the Mayweathers. Those are the kind of guys I want to fight and beat.

Frank Mir knocked out Antonio Silva in the 1st round of their scheduled 5-round Heavyweight bout in Porto Alegre, Brazil.

Mir landed a huge shot that knocked Silva to the ground and quickly landed two crushing shots while Silva was on the ground and the fight was stopped.

Mir, 261 lbs of Las Vegas is now 17-9. Silva 264 lbs of Brazil is now 18-7-1.

Michael Johnson scored a unanimous decision over Edson Barris Jr. in a Lightweight bout.

Johnson, 155 lbs of Boca Raton, FL won by scores of 30-27 on all cards and is now 16-8. Barros, 156 lbs of Brazil is now 15-3.

Sam Alvey scored an explosive 1st round stoppage over Cezar Ferreria in a Lightweight bout.

Alvey got hit with a back elbow but in the process he landed a perfect right and left that sent Ferreria to the canvas. He then landed two more shots on a prone Ferreria and the fight was stopped at 3:34.

Alvey, 186 lbs of Temecula, CA is now 25-6. Ferreria, 186 lbs is now 8-4.

Adriano Martines scored a 3-round split decision over Rustam Khabilov in a Lightweight bout.

Martines, 156 lbs of Brazil won by scores of 29-28 on two cards while Khabilov won a card 29-28.

Martines is now 2707. Khabilov, 156 lbs of Albuquerque, NM is now 17-3.

Santiago Ponzinibbo scored a 3-round unanimous decision over previously undefeated Sean Strickland in a Welterweight bout.

Both guys landed heavy blows and each had their nose bloodied.

Ponzinibbio, 171 lbs of Rio de Jeaneiro, BRA won by scores of 30-27 on all cards and is now 21-2. Strickland, 171 lbs of Corona, CA is now 15-1.

Marion Reneau scored a 1st round tap out over Jessica Andrade in a Bantamweight bout.

Andrade landed a right hand that sent Reneau to the ground but Reneau was able to get Andrade in a triangle choke. Reneau landed a few shots while on the ground that bloodied the nose of Andrade. Shortly after, Reneau was able to lock in the choke and Andrade tapped out at 1:54.

Reneau, 134 lbs of Visalia, CA is now 6-1. Amdrade, 135 lbs of Rio de Janiero, BRA is now 12-4.

Matt Dwyer scored a shocking 1st round stoppage over William Patolino in a Welterweight bout.

Dwyer landed a “Superman Punch” right hand on the temple and knocked off the equilibrium off of Patolino and he fell face first to the canvas and the bout was stopped after one landed punch by Dwyer at 3:14.

Dwyer, 170 lbs of Keloina, BC, CAN is now 8-2. Patolino, 168 lbs of Rio de Janeiro, BRA is 7-3

Mike De La Torre punched out Tiago Trator in the first round of their Featerweight bout.

De La Torre dropped Trator with a left hook and then connected with seven unanswered blows while Trator was on his back and the bout was stopped at 2:59.

De La Torre, 146 lbs of Glendale, AZ is now 13-4. Trator, 146 lbs of Rio de Janeiro, BRA is now 19-5-2.

Douglas Silva de Andrade won a unanimous decision over Cody Gibson in a Bantamweight bout.

Andrade, 135 lbs of Brazil won by scores of 30-27 and 29-28 twice and is now 23-1-1. Gibson, 135 lbs of Visalia, CA is now 12-6.

Gennady Golovkin continued his dominant run by scoring his 19th consecutive stoppage as he took out Martin Murray in round eleven of their Middleweight title bout in Monte Carlo

In round four, Golovkin dropped Murray with a body shot. Second later, Murray was dropped again from a flurry of punches. In round five, Murray’s nose began to bleed as a result of an uppercut.

Golovkin continued to beat a batter Murray until Golovkin sent Murray to the deck in round ten from a hard right hand to the top of the head. Golovkin landed a hard combination on the ropes in round eleven and referee Luis Pabon stopped the bout at 2:10 of round 11.

Golovkin, 159.9 lbs is now 32-0 with 29 knockouts. Murray, 159.9 lbs of England 29-2-1.

The following are some details and quotes according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“I am glad my decision to meet with Manny and discuss making this fight happen helped get the deal done,” Mayweather said, referring to a chance Jan. 27 meeting with Pacquiao at a Miami Heat game followed by a private discussion after the game. “Giving the fans what they want to see is always my main focus. This will be the biggest event in the history of the sport.”

The networks resultingly will come together to produce and distribute a joint pay-per-view telecast, which is expected to cost a record-high $89.95 (and probably $10 more for high definition).

“I am very happy that Floyd Mayweather and I can give the fans the fight they have wanted for so many years,” Pacquiao said. “They have waited long enough and they deserve it. It is an honor to be part of this historic event. I dedicate this fight to all the fans who willed this fight to happen and, as always, to bring glory to the Philippines and my fellow Filipinos around the world.”

“Boxing fans and sports fans around the world will witness greatness on May 2,” Mayweather said. “I am the best ever, TBE, and this fight will be another opportunity to showcase my skills and do what I do best, which is win. Manny is going to try to do what 47 before him failed to do, but he won’t be successful. He will be number 48.”

On Friday afternoon, Top Rank was notified and Mayweather made the announcement about an hour later, though the deal had been done for a couple of days with both sides having signed the paperwork. Contracts were also signed by broadcasters HBO and Showtime, who will team for a historic joint pay-per-view.

“It’s hasn’t been easy,” Top Rank promoter Bob Arum told ESPN.com. “But I think in some strange way the inability to get the fight done before now enhances its value and this is one event that the public all over the world has been talking about and discussing for years. The interest in the fight will be absolutely red-hot. I’ve been promoting boxing for nearly 50 years and there is nothing that has come close to this because there has been nothing that has been so difficult to come to fruition. As interest is concerned, this is akin to the first (Muhammad) Ali-(Joe) Frazier fight.

“You have to be grateful that this is finally happening. You can’t bemoan the false starts and the inability to do this before. It’s here now.”

“Everyone involved, including Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao, knows this fight simply had to happen,” said Stephen Espinoza, executive vice president and general manager of Showtime Sports. “All of us are thrilled to be able to deliver this event to boxing fans around the world.

“Now, for the second time under his current deal with Showtime Networks, Floyd Mayweather has agreed to fight an opponent that many people thought he’d never face. We set an all-time pay-per-view record with the first event back in September 2013 (with Alvarez) and we look forward to another record-breaking performance on May 2.”

Said HBO Sports president Ken Hershman: “Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather have been the two most prominent fighters in the sport of boxing for the past decade, and fight fans around the world have been clamoring for them to face each other.

“And now, on May 2, in what everyone believes will be the biggest boxing event of all time, fight fans have been granted their wish. May 2 will be a signature moment for the sport of boxing and HBO Sports is thrilled to be a part of this spectacular event. I know the fighters and their teams will be primed to excel and we plan to work closely with everyone involved to deliver the same level of performance from a broadcast perspective.”

“The reason I like my guy’s chances so much is because of his speed, the tremendous number of punches he throws, the quality of his punches and the fact that he is left-handed,” Arum said. “Top Rank promoted Floyd Mayweather for 10½ years and we recognized that he had difficulty handling a speedy, left-handed fighter and that he and his father (and trainer, Floyd Mayweather Sr.) were insistent that we not match Floyd with a southpaw. I remember two fights he had with southpaws who didn’t have the ability Mann has but who gave him trouble — (DeMarcus) ‘Chop Chop’ Corley, who buzzed him and had him in real trouble and Zab Judah.”

Said Freddie Roach, Pacquiao’s Hall of Fame trainer: “Floyd should enjoy being the A-Side while he can because on May 2 Manny is going to put him on his backside.”

Sammy Vasquez won a 10-round unanimous decision over Emmanuel Lartey in a Welterweight bout at the Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Vasquez, 146 1/4 lbs won by scores of 100-90 and 99-91 twice and is now 18-0. Lartey, 146 1/2 lbs is now 16-3-1.

Craig Baker scored a stunning 2nd round stoppage over world rated Light Heavyweight Humberto Savingne in a bout scheduled for 10 rounds.

Baker landed a big uppercut in the middle of a flurry that sent Savigne face-first to the canvas. Savigne got to his feet but staggered all over the ring and the bout was stopped at 1:51 of round two.

Baker, 174 lbs of Baytown, TX is now 16-0 with 12 knockouts. Savigne, 176 lbs of Guantanamo, CUB is 12-2-1.

Claudio Marrero win an 8-round unanimous decision over Orlando Rizo in a Featherweight bout.

Marrero dropped Rizo in round two from straight left. Marrero scored two knockdowns in round three from a combination and then again froma perfect left. Marrero dropped Rizo in round five from a straight left. Rizo’s right was cut in round eight.

Marrero, 126 1/4 lbs of Santo Domingo, DR won by scores of 80-68, 78-70 and 78-71 and is now 18-1. Rizo, 126 lbs of Managua, NIC is now 18-6.

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com. IBF Featherweight champion Evgeny Gradovich will defend his title against mandatory challenger Lee Selby on April 25 in London.

“We’ve all agreed to the deal,” Carl Moretti, vice president of Top Rank, Gradovich’s promoter, told ESPN.com. “Gradovich is the true definition of a world champion because he fights anybody, anywhere, and it should be a great fight.

“It is a mandatory bout, so should Gradovich win, I’d like to make a unification bout for him after this. We expect him to beat Selby.”

“We are at this second finalizing contracts and will make a formal announcement next week,” Matchroom Boxing’s Eddie Hearn, Selby’s promoter, told ESPN.com. “I can’t wait to bring this fight to the U.K. It’s a great fight, a true 50-50 bout, but I believe there is so much more to see from a Lee Selby. I’m very confident we will see a new IBF featherweight champion come April 25.”