Robinson Castellanos scored an upset as he battered previously undefeated Ronny Rios in five rounds of their scheduled 10-round Super Featherweight bout at the Fantasy Springs Hotel and Resort in Indio, CA.

It Didn’t start out great for Castellanos in round one as he was cut around his left eye from an accidental headbutt. He came back with authority in round two as he landed a flurry of punches then dropped Rios after teeimg off on Rios. Castellanos continued to batter Rios all over the ring. Castellanos shot out of a cannon in round five and landed a fuselage of punches and the bout was topped just 11 seconds into round five.

Castellanos, 127 lbs of Mexico is now 20-10 with 13 knockouts. Rios, 128 lbs of Santa Ana, CA is now 23-1.

Antonio Orozco remained undefeated by scoring an 8-round unanimous decision over former world champion Steve Forbes in a Welterweight bout.

Orozco, 142 lbs of San Diego, CA won by scores of 80-72 on all cards and is now 21-0. Forbes, 142 lbs of Los Angeles is now 35-14.

Orozco outlanded Forbes 249 to 147.

Diego De La Hoya scored a 6-round unanimous decision over Luis Alfredo Ruiz in a Featherweight bout.

De La Hoya, 123 lbs of Mexicali, MX dominated the bout and won by scores of 60-54 on all cards and is now 7-0. Ruiz, 123 lbs is now 5-3-1.

De La Hoya landed 135 of 342 punches to Ruiz’38-354.

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, top rated Super Middleweight James DeGale will take on Marco Antonio Periban on November 22 in Liverpool, England.

“This is like a second final eliminator as if I don’t beat him, I don’t box for a world title,” DeGale said. “It’s a good test. He took Sakio Bika close and he had J’Leon Love all over the place and should have finished him off. He’s not a typical Mexican. He can box on the back foot and he’s going to come to fight and that will bring out the best in me. I am looking forward to it. It’s on a great show so roll on Nov. 22.”

“I didn’t want an eight-round, keep-busy fight,” DeGale said. “I wanted a name that will impress people when I win in style and it will set up a fight with Carl. It’s not about me fighting Carl, though, it’s about me getting my shot at the world title and making history becoming the first British gold medalist to win a world title.”

Middleweight contender Matthew Macklin’s title eliminator against Jorge Sebastien Heiland has been rescheduled according to Dan Rafael of espn.com

Ireland’s Macklin and Heiland, of Argentina, will meet on Nov. 15 at The 3 Arena in Dublin, Ireland, Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn announced Thursday.

Jermain Taylor re-captured the IBF Middleweight title with a 12 round unanimous decision over Sam Soliman at the Beau Rivage Casino & Resort.

Taylor scored knockdowns in round’s seven, eight, nine and eleven as Soliman appeared to hurt his knee.

Taylor, 159.8 lbs of Little Rock, Arkansas won by scores of 116-111, 116-109 and 115-109.

Taylor captured the title in 2005 and made four defenses. Taylor is now 33-4-1. Soliman of Australia is 44-12.

Andre Dirrell scored a 4th round stoppage over Nick Brinson in a Light Heavyweight bout.

Dirrell landed a booming left that hurt Brinson and after a follow up barrage the fight was stopped at 2:12 of round four.

Dirrell, 169 lbs of Flint, MI is now 23-1 with 16 knockouts. Brinson, 168.8 lbs is now 16-3-2.

Ahmed Elbiale scored a 1st round stoppage over Dakota Dawson in a scheduled 4-round Light Heavyweight bout.

Elbiale scored two knockdowns, first from a hard right hand and a right to the side of the head and the fight was stopped at 1:10.

Elbiae, 174.6 lbs of Egypt is now 7-0 with 7 knockouts. Dawson, 171.6 lbs is now now 3-1.

Carlos Velasquez scored a dubious 2nd round stoppage over Jean Javier Sotelo.
a
Velasquez hit Sotelo with a left on the belt but Sotelo went down citing a low blow. He spent the allotted five minutes on the canvas but could’t and wouldn’t continue and the fight was stopped at 1:38 of round two.

Velasquez, 131.6 lbs of Puerto Rico is now 18-1 with 12 knockouts. Sotelo, 131.4 lbs of Venezuela is now 19-13-2.

The main event saw former Olympian and current Puerto Rican press sensation, Félix “El Diamante” Verdejo, 134.8 of San Juan, P.R. fight a seasoned but limited Sergio “El Cuate” Villanueva, 133.2. It was quickly evident who the fan favorite was as the Puerto Rican prospect drew cheers from the crowd as soon as he walked into the ring.
The first round was very technical with Villanueva, of Tepic, Mexico, trying to press the action and Verdejo controlling the distance while looking to counter rusbank.net. El Cuate was more effective in a similar second round and forced Verdejo to momentarily switch stance in the third. Verdejo landed a few body shots before a monstrous right counter to the head ended the fight. Villanueva fell face first against the first rope and referee Frank Santore stopped the fight at 1:57 of the third round. It is hard to tell if this is an improvement for Verdejo who has been dominating mostly subpar opposition with incredible ease but Villanueva was supposed to last a few round more. El Cuate now drops to 26-5-2 with 13 KOs and Verdejo improved to 14-0, 11 KOs.

The first fight of the night at the Bahía Shriners Event Center in Orlando, Florida, featured Esteban Villalba of Ciudad Juarez, Mexico against Anthony Mercado, Arecibo, P.R. Mercado, 141.6, probably won first round the fight but Villalba, 140.2, weathered the storm and had bloodied Mercado’s nose by the end of the second. The rest of the fight featured some good exchanges and both fighters were able to land their share of good punches. Mercado, (8-0,7 KOs) was the more active fighter and earned the victory with scores of 58-56 and 59-55 twice. Villalba drops to 5-10-2, with 1KO.

The co-main event of the evening featured Martin “Marciano” Cardona, (17-3, 12 Kos) Guadalajara, Mex and Gamalier Rodríguez, 129 (25-2-3, 17KOs) Bayamón, PR. Gamalier, 128.4, got off to a fast start and floored Cardona, 129, with an overhand right after hurting him with a body shot in the first round. Early in the second, Rodríguez landed enough heavy punches to halt the fight with Martín still on his feet but clearly outmatched. With the victory, Gamalier, ranked third by the WBO, stays in line to possibly challenge Vasyl Lomachencko for the featherweight title.

Nelsan Machado, 125, of Miami, FL overwhelmed Stephon McIntyre, 123.8 of Jonesboro, GA and needed only 2:47 to improve to 7-0, 6KOs. McIntyre, now 2-3-2 with no knockouts on his resume, went down early and was allowed to continue only to be taken to the ropes and into a crouching position before the referee waved it off.
The televised portion of the card pitted Austin Marcum, 158, Logan, WV against Esquiva Falcao, 158.2 of Viloria, Brazil. Marcum (6-6-1, 3 Kos) tried but Falcao was better in every sense and forced the stoppage at 1:24 of the second round after Marcum went down from a left hook to the head. Esquiva improved to 5-0 with 3 KOs.

The night’s swing bout matched Fransisco Camacho (2-4-1, 1 KO), Matamoros, Mex vs Christopher “Pitufo” Díaz, (6-0,4Kos) Barranquillas, PR. Both fighters agreed to exchange but it was Díaz, 125.8, who did the hurting. Pitufo (Spanish for Smurf) landed the cleaner shots and rattled Camacho, 126.6, during the first three rounds. A left hook to the body early in the fourth brought about the first knockdown of the fight and a second one ended the fight when Camacho, now 2-5-1 with 1 KO, couldn’t beat the count. Stoppage time was 0:55 of the fourth.

Gilberto Mendoza 112.8 (4-3, 1KO) and Jantony Ortíz, 114.2, fought to 4 rounds. Mendoza, from Modesto, CA surprised Ortíz, Humacao, P.R., with a nice counter that dropped the ex Olympian in the first round and gained enough confidence to last him two rounds. By the third, Ortíz (3-0, 2KOs) settled down and was countering Mendoza (4-4, 1 KO) effectively. Ortíz dominated the very entertaining fourth round to win by scores of 39-37 and 38-37 twice.
Locals Berthin Rousseau, 138, and Jovan Pérez, 139.6, (1-0, 1KO) fought well above what their record would suggest with Rousseau (1-9, 1KO) showing lots of heart and chin and Pérez showing the poise of a more seasoned fighter . Score cards of38-38, 39-37 and 40-36 gave a majority decision win to Pérez who improves to 2-0 and 2 KOs and showed how close and subjective were the rounds and the fight.

Jhonny Gonzalez retained the WBC Featherweight title with an 11th round stoppage over Jorge Arce at the Centro de Usos Multiples in Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico.

Gonzalez scored knockdowns in round’s three, five and nine and the fight was stopped at 2:43 of round 11.

Gonzalez, 126 lbs of Mexico City is now 57-8 with 48 knockouts. Arce, 126 lbs of Los Mochis, MX is now 64-8-2.

Adrian Estrella scored four knockdowns en route to a 12-round unanimous decision over former world champion Celestino Caballero in a Super Featherweight bout.

Estrella dropped Caballero in round five from a hard right hand. A follow up flurry sent Caballero down on his back for a second time in the round. he scored knockdowns in both round;s ten and eleven.

Estrella, 130 lbs of Mexico won by scores of 117-107 twice and 115-109 and is now 19-0. Caballero, 130 lbs of Colon, PAN is now 37-6.

Adrian Young and Edgar Monarrez fought to an 8-round draw in a Super Featherweight bout.

Young, 130 lbs is now 19-1-2. Monarrez, 130 lbs is 18-2-1.

Sensational prospect Felix Verdejo scored a 3rd round stoppage over Sergio Villanueva in a scheduled 8-round Lightweight bout at the Bahia Shrine Temple in Orlando, Florida.

Verdejo landed a perfect right hand that slumped Villanueva on the bottom rope. When he tried to get back up, Villanueva fell right back down and the fight was stopped at 1:57 of round three.

Verdejo, 134 3/4 lbs of San Juan, PR is now 15-0 with 11 knockouts. Villanueva, 133 1/4 lbs of Tepic, MX is now 26-5-2.

Gamalier Rodriguez scored a 2nd round stoppage over Martin Cardona in a scheduled 8-round Super Featherweight bout.

Rodriguez dropped Cardona in the first round with a perfect counter overhand right to the jaw. Rodriguez ended things quickly in round two when he landed another overhand right that sent Cardona to the ropes and after a five punch combination the fight was stopped 49 seconds into the bout.

Rodriguez, 129 lbs of Bayamon, PR is now 25-2-3 with 17 knockouts. Cardona, 128 1/2 lbs of Tucson, AZ is now 17-3.

Christopher Diaz scored a 4th round stoppage over Francisco Camacho in a scheduled 6-round Featherweight bout.

Diaz scored 2 knockdowns in the 4th round from body shots and the fight was stopped after the latter knockdown at 55 seconds of round four.

Diaz, 125 3/4 lbs of Barranquillas, PR is now 7-0 with 5 knockouts. Camacho, 126 1/2 lbs of Matamoross, MX is now 2-5-1.

Rances Barthelemy retained the IBF. Jr. Lightweight title with a 12-round unanimous decision over David Saucedo at the Foxwoods Resort in Mashantucket, Connecticut.

Barthelemy, 130 lbs of Cuba won by shutout scores of 120-108 on cards and is now 21-0. Saucedo, 130 lbs of Argentina is now 52-6-3.

Vanes Martirosyan scored a 10-round unanimous decision over Willie Nelson in a Jr. Middleweight bout.

Martirosyan, 153 lbs of Glendale, CA won by scores of 97-93 twice and 96-94 and is now 35-1-1. Nelson, 153 lbs of Youngstown, OH is 23-2-1.

Tommy Karpency scored the biggest win of his career as a he scored a 10-round split decision over former Light Heavyweight champion Chad Dawson.

It was a pretty even fight that saw Karpency get the nod possibly on land a few more harder shots.

Karpency, 173 lbs of Adah, PA won by scores of 96-94 twice while Dawson took a card 96-94. Karpency is now 24-4-1. Dawson, 173 lbs of New Haven, CT is 32-4.

Daniel Lozano scored a 4th round stoppage over Jonathan Vidal in a 10-round Super Flyweight bout at the A La Carte Pavilion in Tampa, Florida.

Lozano scored a knockdown in round two from a right hand. Lozano sent Vidal to the canvas in round four from a left to the body and the fight was stopped at 2:29.

Lozano, 114 3/4 lbs of Bowling Green, FL is now 13-1 with 10 knockouts. Vidal, 114 1/2 lbs is now 18-3.

Ricky Tomlinson survived a last round knockdown to win a 4-round split decision over Jayron Santiago in a Featherweight bout.

Tomlinson was dropped at the beginning of round four from a left hook.

Tomlinson, 124 lbs won by scores of 38-37 twice and Santiago took a card 38-37.

Tomlinson is 4-0-2. Santiago, 125 lbs is 2-2.

Emmanuel Dejesus remained undefeated by scoring a 2nd round stoppage over Aaron Steadman in a scheduled 6-round Jr. Middleweight bout.

Dejesus dropped Steadman with a body punch in round two. Dejesus ended thing with a hard right hand and the fight was stopped at 2:39 of round two.

Dejesus, 150 lbs is now 12-0 with eight knockouts. Steadman, 149 lbs is 10-6-2.

Armando Alvarez, 152 lbs won a 4-round unanimous decision over Leanthony Fleming, 152 lbs in a Jr. Middleweight bout.

Scores were 40-36 on all cards

Former two-division champion Timotht Bradley will take on Diego Chaves on December 13 at the Cosmopolitan Hotel in Las Vegas and will be televised on HBO according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“I’m excited to get back into the ring and showcase myself,” Bradley told ESPN.com on Thursday night. “Chaves is not that well known but the boxing fans know him. The boxing fans know that this guy can fight and that it won’t be a walk in the park for me. I think it’s going to be a great fight. I can’t wait.”

“My mindset is I can’t sit here and beat myself up over a loss to Manny Pacquiao,” Bradley said. “He’s one of the greatest fighters of this generation. I can look back and see what I did wrong and say, ‘I shoulda done this or I shoulda done that.’ But I know I’m a world-class fighter.

“I went 24 rounds with Manny Pacquiao, and he never really hurt me. I took Ruslan Provodnikov’s best shots [in a decision win], I took Manny Pacquiao’s best shots, and I took [Juan Manuel] Marquez’s best shots and beat him, too. I know I can take Diego Chaves’ best shots. I know I can hang with the best of them.”

“It’s an interesting fight. We know Tim Bradley is a great fighter, and I think with Rios-Chaves, things got out of hand, but Chaves proved what a worthy warrior he was in the fight,” said Top Rank’s Bob Arum, who represents Bradley. “We made a deal with his people in Argentina. We established a good relationship doing the Rios fight and we were able to make this deal.”

“Thankfully, we’ll have no visa drama this time around, which I think will allow Chaves to give a better performance,” said Top Rank’s Carl Moretti. “Physically and mentally, we all expect to see a better performance. For Tim, well, he’ll be ready as he always is, but I think there’s some pressure on him to perform like he did against Juan Manuel Marquez, not [like he did against] Pacquiao. Given that, I think he will.”

“Chaves is definitely a world-class fighter,” Bradley said. “He showed it when he stepped up against Keith Thurman, who, in my eyes, is also a world-class fighter. Chaves lost that fight but he lost to a helluva fighter. Diego Chaves is no slouch. He is a real fighter and he can slug it out with anyone. A lot of people thought he was winning the Rios fight before the disqualification.

“I’m going to watch the Rios fight but I have seen the fight with Thurman and he has a lot of skills and is a really good puncher. It’s gonna be another tough fight. I think it could be another Provodnikov fight. This is another tough challenge for myself. But I want challenges and I want to fight top fighters and give fans exciting fights. You know me — I’ll fight anyone. Just pay me. I don’t give a crap. Bring it on. They said, ‘Diego Chaves.’ I was like, I’ll fight him. Don’t care. Let’s go.”

The October 25 IBF Jr. Bantamweight title bout between Zolani Tete and Paul Butler has been postponed due to a broken left hand to Tete according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“It’s very disappointing for all involved, especially for Paul, who has put everything into this world title challenge against Tete,” said Butler’s promoter Frank Warren. “Unfortunately, hand injuries are part of this business, but it doesn’t make it any easier when it happens. We’ll announce a new date for his fight with Tete shortly, but in the meantime [Butler] will still fight on the show, so at least he will keep active and get some more rounds in before facing Tete.”

“It is with deep regret that I must pull out of this much anticipated fight with Paul,” Tete said. “I have selected to take the advice from my medical team because I am in terrible pain from the broken bone.”

“From the high of winning the world title against Stuart Hall in June, it was devastating news to receive that Tete had broken his hand,” Butler said. “My team are all gutted after the work everyone has put in for this fight. On a positive note, the fight against Tete is contracted to happen, and I look forward to getting the new date, and I know that I will just have to wait a little longer to get my hands on a second world title.”

The Purse bid for the WBC Heavyweight title bout between champion Bermane Stiverne and undefeated challenger Deontay Wilder has been postponed until October 6 according to Dan Rafael of espn.com

“There is no date,” WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman said in a statement given to ESPN.com. “Both camps told me they are very close to a deal, so when I get back (from a business trip) I will assess the matter and decide.”

Golden Boy Promotions president Oscar De La Hoya told ESPN.com on Sunday that he and King had agreed on a financial package for the fight but De La Hoya did not close the deal because King had not provided a site and date for the fight in the paperwork.

“Don made an offer. I’m not gonna say the offer but the proper protocol is to give me a site and a date and that’s what I am waiting for,” De La Hoya said. “He didn’t tell me when and where the fight would be. We’re OK with the money. But we want to get the fight done this year. Without a site and date, what would keep Don from just changing things? So without a site and a date in a contract we have no deal whatsoever.”

Camille Estephan, Stiverne’s manager, told ESPN.com on Wednesday night that King and Haymon asked for a delay in the purse bid.

“They feel they are close to an agreement,” Estephan said. “There was an agreement but no date. That is why I believe Mauricio is being accommodating, because there’s a deal but no date. On our end we are very close to a deal with King. The money is right for everybody but we just don’t have a date or a place on the contracts I’ve seen.”

“Bermane is in camp and getting ready,” Estephan said “His injuries have subsided. He had a hand injury and a bit of a shoulder problem. The shoulder and hand have healed completely. We want to fight in December. That is goal. He is 100 percent now. We want to fight this year. We just need to get a date.”

“For the record, I ain’t afraid of nobody,” Wilder tweeted. “Ready when you are Stiverne!!”

Hassan N’Dam scored a 12-round unanimous decision over Curtis Stevens in an IBF Middleweight elimination bout at the Barker Hanger in Santa Monica, California.

N’Dam boxed well from the outside and never let Stevens get on track with power shots.

It was N’Dam that scored the only knockdown when he landed a short right hand in round eight that sent Stevens to the canvas. Stevens landed his best punch later in the round when he landed a hard left hook to the war.

N’Dam continued to win rounds by jabbing and moving. Stevens made once last stand in the 12th round as he tried to land a power shot that would turn the tide but was no no avail as N’Dam won by scores of 119-108 and 116-111 twice.

N’Dam, 158 lbs of France is now 31-1. Stevens, 158.8 lbs of Brooklyn, NY is now 27-5.

Fredrick Lawson remained undefeated by scoring a 10-round unanimous decision over Ray Narh in a Welterweight bout featuring fighters originally from Ghana.

Lawson scored a knockdown in round two when Narh walked into a left hook and was sent to the canvas.

In round eight, Lawson landed hard left to the head that hurt Narh and a right to the body that sent Narh down face first.

Lawson, 147.8 lbs of Chicago won by scores is now 99-89 twice 95-93 and is now 23-0. Narh, 146.6 lbs of Brooklyn, NY is now 26-6.

Miguel Marriaga scored a 6th round stoppage over Christopher Martin in a scheduled 8-round Featherweight bout.

Marriaga dominated and cut Martin over his left eye in round four from a big over hand right. marriaga dropped Martin in round six from a seven punch combination. Marriaga finished Martin with a hard flurry in the corner and the bout was stopped at 2:37 of round four.

Marriaga, 125.6 lbs of Colombia is now 19-0 with 17 knockouts. Martin, 125.8 lbs of San Diego, CA is now 28-4-3.

WBA Super Bantamweight champion Scott Quigg and IBF Bantamweight champion Jamie McDonnell will defend their titles on a big bill on November 22 in Liverpool that will support the rematch between Nathan Cleverly and Tony Bellew.

“Many people have asked me why I am going back to Liverpool to fight Tony Bellew again, and the answer is simple: I don’t like him,” Cleverly said. “He talks too much, and although I’ve beaten him before in front of his home fans, I am going to KO him this time around. He will not hear the final bell, I can guarantee you that. I will deal with him all over again and become a two-weight world champion.”

Said Bellew: “I have been waiting for this fight for three years, and now it is here. Revenge is the only thing on my mind. I have seen his horrible face in my head many nights since the fight, but I have not had the chance to make it right. This is a chapter in my life that I need to close, and I will do that by ending Nathan Cleverly’s career on Nov. 22.

“I am in the sport to be successful and win titles, but this fight means more to me than any of that. This is personal, and he will not want to enter a boxing ring after I have finished with him. It’s my first headlining show on Sky Sports Box Office, and that just underlines how big this fight is, and I am going to make sure my performance is a destructive and memorable one.”

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, IBF Featherweight champion Evgeny Gradovich will defend his title against Jayson Velez on November 29 as part of the Terence Crawford – Ray Beltran undercard in in Omaha, Nebraska.

“It’s a real good fight, I think,” said Gradovich’s promoter Bob Arum. “Gradovich and this kid Velez both come to fight. It’s hard for me to pick a winner. If you had to pick a winner I guess you’d have to go with Gradovich based on his experience.”

“It’s two guys who aren’t big sluggers who fight like they are big sluggers, which always makes for a great action fight,” Top Rank vice president Carl Moretti said.

“Velez has given a good account of himself and he’s Miguel Cotto’s fighter, so we moved him into the title fight with Gradovich,” Arum said. “Velez, Miguel and [Cotto adviser] Gaby [Peñagaricano] are ecstatic to get the fight and we’re happy to put it on.”

Former Super Middleweight champion Lucian Bute will be back in action on December 6 at the Bell centre in Montreal when he takes on former world title challenger Roberto Bolonti.

“I wanted to face a quality opponent who is coming to fight,” Bute said. “Bolonti is a persistent, come-forward boxer who is difficult to rattle. This is exactly what I need, and exactly what I will train to counter.”

“Bolonti is an excellent challenge for Lucian and InterBox is very happy to have concluded an agreement with this popular boxer of world caliber,” Bedard said. “Bolonti had several other options but chose to fight Lucian. Judging by the performance of Bolonti in his last fight for a world championship, our fans are in for a real treat.”

“I feel better and more confident for this bout than for others I had abroad before,” Bolonti said. “It is going to be a good fight for sure. I want to win clearly in order to have a new world title chance, because this fight against Bute will be like a bridge (to) another world championship opportunity.”

Joseph Diaz Jr. remained undefeated with a 7th round stoppage over Raul Hidalgo in a scheduled 10 round Featherweight bout at the State Farm Arena in Hidalgo, Texas.

Diaz scored a knockdown in round one from a right hook. Diaz scored three knockdown in round seven and the bout was stopped at 2:13 of round seven.

Diaz Jr. 122 1/2 lbs is now 12-0 with 8 knockouts. Hidalgo, 123 lbs is 22-12.

Fidel Maldonado scored a stoppage victory over Nelson Lara in the 8th and final round of their Jr. Welterweight bout.

The two waged a toe to toe war in the fourth round.

In round six, Maldonado was deducted a point for spinning Lara around. In round eight, Maldonado connected on a straight left hand. A follow up flurry caused the referee to stop the bout at 1:30 of round eight.

Maldonado, 141 1/4 lbs is now 19-2 with 16 knockouts. Lara, 141 1/2 lbs is now 15-6-4.

Ricardo Alvarez scored a 8-round unanimous decision over 46 year-old former world champion John Michael Johnson in a Welterweight bout.

Scores were 79-73, 78-74 and 77-75 for Alvarez, 145 1/4 lbs of Guadalajara, MX and is now 24-3-3. Johnson, 137 1/2 lbs of San Antonio, TX is 31-10.

Grigory Drozd won the WBC Cruiserweight title with a 12-round unanimous decision over reigning champion Krzysztof Wlodarczyk at the Dynamo Palace of Sports in Moscow, Russia.

Drozd sent Wlodarczyk to the canvas from a flurry of punches in round eight. That, combined with a cut over his left eye had Wladarczyk in trouble. He trailed 79-72 twice and 78-73 as announced by the WBC open scoring.

Drozd, 198 1/4 lbs won by scores of 119-108 twice and 118-109 and is now 39-1. Wlodarczyk, 199 lbs of Poland is now 49-3-1.

Denis Lebedev retained the WBA Cruiserweight title with a 2nd round destruction over previously undefeated Pawel Kolodziej.

After a non descript first round, Lebedev drilled Kolodzied with a perfect left to the jaw and dropped the challenger. Upon getting to his feet, the fight was stopped.

Lebedev, 198 3/4 lbs of Russia is now 26-2 with 20 knockouts. Kolodziej, 200 lbs of Poland is now 33-1.

Demetrious Johnson 124 1/2 – Chris Cariaso 124 1/2
(UFC FLYWEIGHT TITLE)
Eddie Alvarez 155 – Donald Cerrone 155
Connor McGregor 146 – Dustin Poirier 145 1/2
Tim Kennedy 185 – Yoel Romero 185
Cat Zingano 135 – Amanda Nunes 135
Dominick Cruz 134 – Takeya Mizugaki 136
James Krause 155 – Jorge Masvidal 155
Patrick Cote 170 1/2 – Stephen Thompson 170
Brian Ebersole 170 1/2 – John Howard 170
Jon Tuck 155 – Kevin Lee 155 1/2
Manvel Gamburyan 135 1/2 – Cody Gibson 135 1/2

Ben Miranda Boxing Promotions will make its Arizona debut Friday night with a card scheduled for seven bouts at the Phoenix Convention Center.

Phoenix super-middleweight Andrew Hernandez (6-0-1, 1 KO) is scheduled for the main event against Rollin Williams, also of Phoenix. Williams is 48-years old, according to boxrec.com. His 43 pro fights include 23 victories, 18 losses, two draws and eight knockouts, mostly at junior middleweight.

Super-featherweight Keenan Carbajal (4-1-1, 3 KOs) is scheduled to appear on the undercard. The new Phoenix promotional company is named after Ben Miranda, a longtime attorney who represented junior-flyweight Hall of Famer Michael Carbajal in contract negotiations. Miranda died last November

First bell is scheduled for 7 p.m. (PST).

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, former Light Heavyweight champion Nathan Cleverly will rematch one of his former opponents in Tony Bellew in November in England.

“I’m so pleased to get this over the line and deliver another huge domestic grudge match for British boxing,” Hearn said. “This fight has everything — quality, controversy and a genuine rivalry that will lead to a fascinating buildup and a wonderful night at the Echo Arena.”

“I cannot wait for this,” Cleverly said. “I beat him in front of his people before and this time I’m going to knock him out in front of his people. There will be no final bell in this fight. It’s going to be brutal. Expect fireworks from the buildup, the press conferences, the weigh-in and the fight, but also expect the same result — a Nathan Cleverly victory, and then I will become a two-weight world champion.”

Bellew is eager for revenge.

“I want this more than any fight in the world,” Bellew said. “I’ve dreamt about this moment, about putting this right, about ending him. His face will be in my mind every day in camp, every night. I can’t explain how badly I want to knock him out and that’s exactly how it will end in November. For the people of Liverpool, expect a great occasion, an epic buildup and an emotional fight.”

In the first made fight between Top Rank and Golden Boy in several years, Luis Carlos Abregu will take on Sadam Ali in a Welterweight bout on November 8 in Atlantic City as the HBO-televised co-feature to Bernard Hopkins and Sergey Kovalev Light Heavyweight unification bout, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“Hopefully, this is the first of many fights to be made with Golden Boy,” Top Rank vice president Carl Moretti told ESPN.com, adding that negotiating the bout with Golden Boy vice president Eric Gomez was “easy.”

“Abregu is the most avoided welterweight in the world,” Sean Gibbons, his agent, told ESPN.com. “He was turned down by Manny Pacquiao, Brandon Rios and Mike Alvarado. They didn’t want to fight him. They didn’t want anything to do with him. So he is very happy to finally get back on HBO (where he faced Bradley and Dulorme) and follow in the footsteps of his successful countrymen, Marcos Maidana and Lucas Matthysse. Now it’s his turn.

“Like he did with Dulorme, Abregu is here to make a statement against Ali and show that in 2015 he can get an even more meaningful fight with one of the champions.”

“The best sparring Abregu ever got was against Sadam Ali,” Gibbons said. “They were both training in the gym for their own fights and they gave each other great work. I was really surprised and happy that Sadam Ali believes he can beat Abregu. He must think highly of the sparring sessions they had.”

Classy WBC Flyweight champion Roman Gonzalez remained perfect and made the the title by stopping reigning champion Akira Yaegashi at Yoyogi #2 Gymnasium in Tokyo, Japan.

Gonzalez dropped Yaegashi in round three from a perfect left hook. With his right eye swelled, Yaegashi took a vicious 6-punch combination that was capped off ny a left uppercut that deposited him on the seat of his pants and the fight was stopped at 2:24 of round nine.

Gonzalez, 112 lbs lbs of Managua, NIC is now a 3-division champion with a record of 40-0 with 34 knockouts. Yaegashi, 112 lbs of Yokohama, JAP is now 20-4.

Naoya Inoue made the 1st defense of the WBC Flyweight title with an 11th round stoppage over Samarlek Kokietgym.

Kokietgym was dropped in round’s four and six and the fight was stopped at 1:08 of round 11.

Inoue, 107 3/4 lbs of Yokohama, JAP is now 7-0 with 6 knockouts. Kokietgym, 107 1/4 ls 17-5.

At Tuesday’s Nevada Commission hearing, pound for for pound king Floyd Mayweather admitted that scenes from the All Access television program are staged.

When questioned about a 31 straight minute sparring session and on camera marijuana use by female friends of Mayweather.

“We monitor every training session at Mayweather Boxing Club. I don’t take breaks during 15-minute rounds, but we allow other guys,” Mayweather said. “I am there to monitor and watch every ‘dog house’ fight.”

The commissioners also brought up the illegal gambling in the gym that was shown taking place during the “dog house” fights.

“That’s all for the reality show,” Emerick said. “It does not happen.”

When commissioner Pat Lundvall questioned Mayweather about the marijuana scene, Mayweather said that it was fake marijuana. He said that he is against drug use and that he was “trying to think outside of the box” and “I’m trying to sell more than a fight. It’s a lifestyle.”

PHOENIX — He is a man of many faces. A baby face. A face of intimidation. He’s man of many styles. Left-handed and right-handed. Heavy-handed, too.

In the end, the many sides of Russian welterweight Konstantin Ponomarev provided to be too much for Cosme Rivera Saturday on a UniMas-televised card

Ponomarev baffled Rivera with a variety of looks and style, scoring a decision that was more one-sided than unanimous at Celebrity Theatre.

Rivera, a well-traveled Mexican with losses to Zab Judah and Alfredo Angulo on his resume, simply couldn’t keep up with Ponomarev’s quick feet. The young Russian (25-0, 12 KOs) moved from southpaw to right-hand leads and back, landed solid shots with both hands from the outside and seemed to baffle Rivera from start finish throughout the 10-round bout.

Ponomarev (25-0, 12 KOs) proved to be a lot of things in scoring a 100-90, 98-92, 100-90 victory on the cards. He danced on agile feet. Despite a baby face, he had undisguised contempt in his eyes. After the fifth round, he at Rivera as if to say the Mexican had no chance. Maybe a younger Rivera would have. But at 38-years-old and 59 fights (37-19-3, 26 KOs), there was just too much wear-and tear for Rivera to have any shot at scoring an upset.

The Rivera who lost to Judah and Angulo might have been able to capitalize on another another side to Panomarev. Roy Jones Jr. employed more defense. The Russian keeps his hands down while moving his head. His energetic feet allow him to dance him of harm’s way, at least from an older fighter. Against a younger fighter, he might not be so hard to figure out.

Two other Eastern Europeans, both trained by Robert Garcia, were impressive on a staged by Top Rank in a partnership with Iron Boy Promotions of Phoenix. Ukrainian Oleksandr Gvozdyk (3-0, 2 KOs), a bronze medalist at the 2012 London Olympics, knocked out Lamont Williams (5-6-1, 2 KOs) with a crushing right hand at 1:38 of the fifth round. Lithuanian welterweight Egididjus Kavaliauskas (8-0, 7 KOs) , a two-time Olympian, scored three knockdown for a first-round TKO of Eduardo Flores (17-15-3, 12 KOs) of Ecuador.

“Both are very, very disciplined,” said Garcia, who also said that both Gvozydk and Kavaliauskas are living with their families near his gym in Oxnard, Calif. “They’ll succeed because of that discpline. They are on a mission to accomplish something in the United States.”

Best of the undercard: Victor Castro, a Phoenix lightweight, had super-bantamweight legend Israel Vazquez in his corner and perfect timing in his left hand. Pablo Becerra never had a chance. Castro (12-0, 6 KOs, who has been training under Vazquez’ guidance for the last several weeks, rocked Becerra (7-6, 6 KOs) with a succession of punches during the third round’s final minute. Then in the round’s final seconds, he landed a left hook, as wicked as it was beautiful. It lifted Becerra off his feet and onto his back. Becerra appeared to be unconscious before he hit the canvas in a devastating knockout at 2:59 of the third. “It’s an honor to to have somebody like Israel training me,” Castro said. “It’s about confidence. He gives me that confidence.”

The rest: Another Garcia-trained fighter, Phoenix light-heavyweight Trevor McCumby (16-0, 13 KOs), scored a first TKO of Martin Verdin ((20-19-2, 11 KOs) of Houma, LA. In noteworthy upset, Shane Mosley son lost in only is third pro bout. Super-welterweight Shane Mosley Jr. (2-1, 2 KOs) lost a split decision to Marchchristopher Adkins (3-1 1 K0) of Dallas.

Victor Castro scored a 3rd round stoppage over Pablo Becerra in a scheduled 6-round Jr. Welterweight bout.

Castro dropped Becerra at the end of the 3rd round with a hard left hook and the fight was stopped at 2:59 of round three.

Castro, 137 lbs of Phoenix, AZ is now 12-0 with 6 knockouts. Becerra, 136 3/4 lbs of Hermosillo, MX is now 7-6.

World ranked Cruiserweight Thabiso Mchunu scored a 10-round unanimous decision over Garrett Wilson at the Foxwoods Resort in Mashantucket, Connecticut.

Mchunu dominated the action as he boxed and countered against the hard charging Wilson. Wilson had swelling around the right eye. The only blemish for Mchunu was being docked a point in the final frame for hitting behind the head.

Mchunu, 199 lbs of Johannesburg, SA won by scores of 99-90, 98-91 and 96-93 and is now 17-1. Wilson, 193 lbs of Philadelphia is now 13-8-1.

Karl Dargan had to get off the deck and comeback to stop Angino Perez in round five of a scheduled 10-round Lightweight bout

In round three, Perez dropped Dargan with a hard right hand. Dargan came back in round five and landed a huge right to send Perez to the canvas. Perez was hurt and Dargan landed a series of hard over hand rights that sent Perez to the canvas face first and the fight was stopped at 1:32 of round five.

Dargan, 134 lbs of Philadelphia, PA is now 17-0 with nine knockouts. Perez, 134 lbs Santo Domingo, DR is now 16-6-4.

Featherweight world champion Jhonny Gonzalez will defend his Featherweight world title against former world champion Jorge Arce in October 4 in Los Mochis, Mexico, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com

“I will face a strong and experienced fighter, who has won five world titles, so I will prepare as if I am challenging a world champion,” Gonzalez said. “Arce throws punches right from the opening bell. He is brave and strong. We anticipate a war in the ring because I will not take even one step back.”

“I am determined to win and I will win,” Arce said. “I am determined to get my sixth belt. I will celebrate win or lose, but defeat does not go through my mind. It will be a tough fight but I trust my talent and my desires. I know perfectly how to fight Jhonny. We know what to do and how to defeat an opponent who has long arms and is very strong.”

LAS VEGAS — Floyd Mayweather Jr. kept alive his pursuit of an unbeaten legacy. Kept his fingers, too.

In a rematch full of some unusual twists and Marcos Maidana’s mouth full of more than a mouthpiece, the result Saturday night at the MGM Grand was predictable.

Mayweather (47-0, 26 KOs) shook off some heavy punches from the wild-swinging Maidana (35-5, 31 KOs) in the early rounds, began to exert control midway through the fourth round and landed with precision throughout the rest of the fight for a 116-111, 115-112, 116-111 decision. On the 15 Rounds card, it was 115-113 for Mayweather.

Only a knockout eluded Mayweather in the rematch of his majority decision over Maidana in May. A KO was his goal, he said several times before opening bell.

“I give myself a C, C-minus,” Mayweather said after the fourth fight in a Showtime deal for a possible six fights and a potential $250 million.

A chance at a stoppage for an A might have been eliminated in the eighth round. That’s when Mayweather said Maidana bit him on his gloved left hand.

No, Maidana said. How could he bite anybody with a plastic guard on his teeth? Video of the mount appeared to
inclusive. But Mayweather walked over toward the press section, leaned over the ropes and yelled that Maidana bit him.

“After the eighth round, my fingers were numb,” Mayweather said. “I couldn’t use my left hand.”

His right was more than enough against Maidana, who appeared to grow increasingly wild with each round. In the 10th, Maidana was penalized a point for pushing Mayweather onto the canvas. It almost looked as if Maidana was about to walk over Myyweather like a fallen pedestrian about to get trampled. In the 11th, Mayweather was warned for a low blow. Maidana was given time to recover. Mayweather impatiently waved at him, urging to continue the fight. It was as if Mayweather wanted to finish the business at hand and move on to the next fight.

When it was time to address what was next, he was asked the inevitable. He was asked about Manny Pacquiao. When isn’t he? Pacquiao-Mayweather has been the subject of futile talks and rumors for years. It won’t die. The surprise was that Mayweather kept it alive this time around. He usually dismisses it.

“Manny Pacquiao, if that fight presents itself, let’s make it happen,” he said.

There wasn’t much doubt and Leo Santa Cruz made sure of it with a devastating one-punch demolition of Manuel Roman that strengthened his claim on being one of the world’s best junior-featherweights.

“I want to fight Guillermo Rigondeaux,” Santa Cruz said of the Cuban who is considered to be No. 1 in the competitive weight class.

Roman (17-3-3, 6 KOs) was just an impressive work out for Santa Cruz, who stayed unbeaten (28-0-1, 16 KOs) and retained the WBC version of the 122-pound title. In the second round, Santa Cruz grazed Roman, his former sparring partner and a 50-to-1 underdog at the sports book, with a jab. He followed with a straight right that landed on the soft tissue behind a Roman ear. Roman collapsed. As he tried to get up, referee Robert Byrd ended it at 5 seconds of the round.

It wouldn’t be a fight card without a wild card. It came in Mickey Bey’s split decision over Miguel Vazquez for the IBF’s lightweight title. It was deadly dull, which means it could have been a draw. After the boos, the first two scores were announced. A draw sounded likely. Judge Julie Lederman had it 115-113 for the Mayweather-promoted Bey (21-1-1, 10 KOs) of Cleveland. Adalaide Byrd scored it 115-113 for Vazquez (34-4, 13 KOs) of Mexico. But it was Robert Hoyle who dealt the wild card, 119-109 for Bey, who bloodied Vazquez early, yet was never dominant enough to win by a double-digit margin.

James De La Rosa of San Benito, Tex., celebrated with a back-flip. When he landed, he stumbled. But he didn’t fall. Nothing could knock De La Rosa (23-2, 13 KOs) off his feet. Alfredo Angulo (224, 18 KOs), of Mexicali, tried in a furious finish to a 10-round middleweight bout in the first pay-pr-view fight on the Floyd-Mayweather Jr.-Marcos Maidana card. Angulo landed a couple of wicked left hooks and followed with successive rights, but De La Rosa survived to win a unanimous decision over a bloodied Angulo, who lost the first eight rounds, suffered a knockdown in the second and was penalized one point in the seventh for a low blow.

In a foul-fest, Mexican junior-welterweight Humberto Soto suffered two low-blows and was penalized for throwing one of his own, yet survived to win by unanimous decision over John Molina Jr. of Covina, Ca., in a Showtime telecast before the first pay-per-view fight.

Molina (27-5, 22 KOs), who appeared to throw punches after the bell in the early rounds, was penalized for low-blows in the sixth and seventh. Soto (65-8, 35 KOs) retaliated and it cost him a one-point penalty in the tenth. In the end, however Soto was the stronger fighter and a 95-92, 96-91, 95-92 winner on the cards.

Las Vegas cruiserweight Andrew Tabiti, who promises to take the snoozer out of cruiser, continued to display power and promise, pushing his record to 8-0, all by stoppage, with a sixth-round TKO of Caleb Grummet (3-2, 3 KOs) of Lake Odessa, Mich. Tabiti dominated Grummet for five-plus rounds before Vic Drakulich stopped it at 2:01 of the sixth.

Armando Lopes scored the undercard’s first upset, beating junior-welterweight prospect Damian Sosa of Argentina in the third bout on the card’s non-televised portion. Sosa (8-1, 6 KOs), a Robert Gracia-trained fighter, suffered a knockdown in the second round and never really recovered, losing a unanimous decision to Lopes (5-3, 1 KOs) of Nogales, Mexico.

In the second bout on the non-televised portion of the card, welterweight Fabian Maidana (3-0, 2 KO) got things warned up for brother Marcos with a first-round stoppage of Jared Teer (2-3), an Illinois fighter was knocked twice in the opening moments.

Super-middleweight Kevin Newman and Azamat Umarzoda opened the show two hours after high noon and about five hours before the Floyd Mayweather Jr.- Marcos Maidana Saturday at the MGM Grand. Seats were empty. But there wasn’t much to see, anyway. Newman (0-0-1), of Mayweather Promotions, and Umarzoda (0-5-2) of Tajikistan, fought to a draw through an uneventful four rounds.

By Norm Frauenheim-

LAS VEGAS – Oscar De La Hoya got a key to the city Saturday and promised major cards in Vegas around each of the Mexican holidays in May and September.

“I have to thank the great Julio Cesar Chavez, because that man got that tradition started,’’ De La Hoya, president of Golden Boy Promotions, said to fans and politicians while accepting the symbolic key in front of the old sign that welcomes tourists to Vegas. “I promise to continue the tradition.’’

Over the last couple of years, Floyd Mayweather Jr. has moved into those dates. He fought Marcos Maidana in a rematch Saturday night at the MGM Grandin a bout scheduled to be part of the annual celebration of Mexican Independence on Sept. 16. He also has been fighting in early May as part of the Cinco de Mayo party.

A potential conflict looms if De La Hoya fulfills the promise. In an interview after the ceremony under a hot sun in the Nevada desert, he told reporters from 15 Rounds and the Los Angeles Times that he is obligated to schedule fights for Canelo Alvarez on those dates.

De La Hoya, the promoter of record for the Mayweather-Maidana rematch, said he will meet with Canelo on Wednesday to discuss options, which will include possibilities in May. There’s a lot of talk about Canelo-Miguel Cotto in a bout that would rank among the biggest in the great tradition of the Mexican-Puerto Rican rivalry.

“Canelo-Cotto is the biggest fight out there, other than Manny Pacquaio-Mayweather,’’ said De La Hoya, who was a Vegas headliner in May and September throughout his Hall of Fame career.

For years, Pacquiao-Mayweather has only been a lot of futile talk. There’s no reason to believe it will happen next May or ever. There’s speculation that Mayweather might decide to fight Amir Khan next May. Let’s say the choice is between Mayweather-Khan and Cotto-Canelo.

“Who would you pick?” De La Hoya asked.