LAS VEGAS – It wasn’t pretty. In terms of style, it was more of a miss than a hit. More whiff than wow. A lot was expected of Canelo Alvarez and Erislandy Lara. In the end, however, it was exactly what many thought it would be.

Controversial.

Split decisions always are.

Alvarez won it. But he didn’t exactly celebrate it. There was frustration in the wake of his narrow victory Saturday nght. Without unanimity, criticism is bound to follow Canelo, no matter who’s next on his dance card. If anybody came away from the bout looking good, it had to be Miguel Cotto. There’s been a lot talk that Cotto would face the winner. Right now, it looks as if he’d beat the winner.

Even in victory, Alvarez’ liabilities were apparent throughout the 12 rounds against the quicker, more agile Lara.

“He didn’t come to fight,’’ Alvarez (44-1-1, 31 KOs said. “He came to run.’’

But there’s no prohibition on running in any of boxing’s current rule books. Lara (19-2-2, 12 KOs) did what he has done best. He circled Alvarez often enough to make the red-headed Mexican dizzy. The Cuban defector stepped in, stepped out. He ducked and bobbed beneath and around Alvarez hooks that were thrown with enough force to create a breeze that could be felt in at ringside.

“I know I made him look bad in front of his own people,’’ said Lara, who wore the American flag on one side of his trucks and the Cuban flag on the other.

But Lara also had to know that winning a close fight at the MGM Grand was unlikely. The capacity crowd of 14,239 was dominated by Canelo-chanting fans. Lara scored with quick combos, especially in the early rounds. But he never seemed to pursue a knockout, or even a knockdown that could have been decisive on the score cards. Judge Dave Moretti scored it for Alvarez, 115-113. Levi Martinez gave it to Canelo by a wide margin, 117-11. On Jerry Roth’s card, Lara was a 115-113 winner.

There were at least two elements that could have given Canelo an edge. In the seventh, a Canelo uppercut left Lara with a nasty cut above his right eye. Blood from the wound seemed to bother him during the subsequent rounds. Then, there were successive rounds, the sixth through the ninth, when Canelo was effective with a combination of body punches. According to CompuBox, Alvarez landed 73 power shots to the body.

“It was a difficult fight,’’ Canelo promoter Oscar De La Hoya said. “Everybody thought it would be. The message was that he was landing combinations. He was landing solid shots to the body.’’

De La Hoya then smiled, almost in relief. With the Alvarez victory, De La Hoya’s company can expect another chance at big-money maker featuring the popular Mexican. That might have been the real message.

More for the $$$ on the PPV Ticket

The decision was unanimous, but the reviews were mixed for ex-champion Abner Mares (27-1-1, 14 KOs) in beating Puerto Rican Jonathan Oquendo (24-4, 16 KOs) in his first fight since Jhonny Gonzalez knocked him out. Mares, who scored heavily with body punches, appeared tentative and conceded he was sluggish in a 10-round featherweight bout, which left him with a nasty cut over his left eye from head butt in the fourth.

Juan Manuel Lopez, a former champion at two weights, has been in a desperate battle to resurrect his career. Lopez (34-4, 31 KOs) was told he could be one loss away from the end. That loss landed on his future like shrapnel in a fast-and-furious stunner delivered by Francisco Vargas (20-0-1, 8 KOs), a Mexican junior-lightweight whose knockdown of Lopez in a wild third round led to the Puerto Rican’s surrender while still on the stool before the start of the fourth.

The PPV card began with a back-and-forth exchange that Los Angeles junior-welterweight Mauricio Herrera (21-4, 7 KOs) managed to narrowly win by majority decision over Johan Perez (19-2-1, 13 KOs), a lanky Venezuelan whose long, looping punches landed without much impact.

Rest of the Undercard

ON-TV: In a televised intro to Showtime pay-per-view telecast, Tomoki Kameda proved to be more than just a warm-up act. Kameda (30-0, 18 KOs), the World Boxing Organizations’ bantamweight champion, got the show rocking with a liver shot that resulted in a stoppage of Pungluang Singyu that was as abrupt as it was dramatic.

Kameda, a Tokyo fighter who has been banned from fighting in his own country by the Japanese commission, appeared to be in trouble against Singyu (46-3, 31 KOs), a kick boxer from Thailand. The aggressive Singyu rocked Kameda with a body-and-head combo in the fourth. He relentlessly moved forward in fifth and again in the sixth. It looked as if the Thai fighter sensed he had a chance at an upset.

But after a jab and head-butt in the seventh, Kameda landed a paralyzing left to the liver. Singyu seemed to freeze for a brief second and then collapsed as though he had been shot. Singyu was cut above one eye. Blood and anguish covered his face. It was over. One look at Singyu and Russell Mora ended at 1:35 of the round.

OFF-TV: It was a short introduction. Sweet, too. Jason Quigley, an Irish Olympian, was a winner in his pro debut within 90 seconds. Quigley overwhelmed Howard Reece (2-7, 1 KO) of Ocala, Fla., in a middleweight bout stopped by referee Jay Nady at 1:22 of the opening round. . . . Yoandris Salinas (20-1-2, 13 KOs) of Miami got the contender knocked out of him by Enrique Quevedo (16-7-1, 10 KOs), a Los Angeles junior-featherweight who knocked him down three times before Mora stopped it in the fifth. . . .Puerto Rican junior welterweight John Karl Sosa opened the show three-and-a-half hours before the pay-per-view part of the Showtime telecast began. Amid echoes in an empty arena, a handful of ushers watched Sosa (12-0, 6 KOs) win the matinee, battling through an unexpected challenge from Mexican Luis Bello (5-2, 2 KOs) for a six-round split decision. …Quitting time: It arrived after three rounds of a sustained beating from Los Angeles middleweight Yamaguchi Falcao (2-0, 1 KOs), who won a TKO when the corner for Puerto Rican Jesus Cruz (1-2-1) threw in the towel before the fourth.

Tureano Johnson scored a 10-round unanimous decision over local favorite Tureano Johnson in a Middleweight bout at The Little Creek Casino in Shelton, Washington.

The fight was fought at close quarters for most of the bout with Gavronksi having success early but Johnson’s more active style started to take over in the middle rounds and started battering the tough Gavrosnki. Gavronski looked fatigued going down the stretch and Johnson was able to capitalize on that by landing some hard shots to the head.

Johnson, 160 lbs of the Bahamas won by scores of 99-91 on all cards and is now 15-1. Gavronksi, 159 lbs of Washington is now 14-1-1.

“I wanted to get back in the win column,” said Johnson, “Gavronski is a good fighter with a lot of heart so I take my hat off to him for going the distance with me. I learned a lot it this fight and I feel I still have room to grow as a fighter. My goal is to become a champion one day and I’m not going to stop until I accomplish it. My promoter Gary Shaw says he’ll get me a big fight so I’m just going to keep working hard in the gym. I’ll be back in the ring before you know it.”

Jonathan Maicelo scored a 10-round split decision over Art Hovhannisyan in a Lightweight bout.

Maicelo bixed well using his speed advantahe as Hovhannisyan tried to press forward with ploddimg agression. Hovhannisyan was cut over the left in the 10th round.

Maicelo, 134 1/2 lbs of Peru won by scores of 100-90, 97-93 and is now 18-1-1-1. Hovhannisyan, 134 1/2 lbs of Armenia won a card 96-94 is now 17-2-2.

“I trained really hard for this fight and my conditioning made a positive difference,” said Maicelo. “I knew Hovhannisyan was going to be tough and he brought the fight to me. My timing was on tonight and I was landing some clean shots. I’m looking forward to what Gary Shaw has planned for me in the future.”

Undercard Results

Kenneth Simms Jr. defeated Evan Woolsey via third round knockout.

Eduardo Martinez won a unanimous decision against Lavale Wilson.

Fatlum Zhuta vs. Shariff Woo Johnson ended in a majority draw.

Jennifer Hamann defeated Ariel Beck via unanimous decision

Canelo Alvarez 155 – Erislandy Lara 155
Abner Mares 126.5 – Jonathan Oquendo 126.5
Juan Manuel Lopez 130 – Francisco Vargas 129
Johan Perez 140 – Muaricio Herrera 140

Miami, Florida got treated to Mike Tyson’s Judgement Day on Thursday, July 10 at the American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida and was shared around the country LIVE On FOX Sports 1.

Iron Mike celebrated his birthday week with an excellent show which staged a main event rematch between Argenis “La Tormenta” Mendez 22-3-1 (11KO) and Rances “Kid Blast” Barthelemy 20-0(12KO) for for Mendez’s IBF title. All night Barthelemy was content keeping the champ at jabs length offering an occasional 2 punch combination before moving into space. This kept the champ following the Cuban and creating certain pugilistic melanin for the previously fired up crowd. There was very little in-fighting and when an exchange seemed probable it was abandoned mostly by the Cuban letting Mendez off the ropes. The fight showed a little life in round 8 as the two engaged in some welcomed live boxery. Barthelemy was deducted a point in each of rounds 9 and 10 for low blows, however they did not look intentional. Barthelemy showed effort in the last round to put a tiny period at the end of a very conservative but yet successful performance. The final call was all three cards for the new champion Barthelemy. 115-111.

In January live on ESPN Barthlemy knocked out Mendez with punches illegally thrown after the bell ending the second round. Mendez’ promoter, Iron Mike Productions appealed the decision and the fight was ruled a “no contest” with the IBF mandating this rematch.

Mendez fighting out of Brooklyn, was a 2004 Dominican Republic Olympian. He had an incredible 238-13 amateur record, highlighted by a gold-medal performance at the prestigious Pan-American Games, as well as winning a silver medal at the 2005 World Championships. Mendez captured the IBF crown March 9, 2013, stopping defending champion Juan Carlos Salgado in the fourth round.

Warriors Boxing-promoted Barthelemy, also 28, is a former Cuban Junior National Champion who lives in Miami. He originally became Mendez’ original mandatory challenger by way of a second-round knockout of Fahsai Sakkreerin last June.

Light heavyweight Umberto “El Don” Savigne 13-1(10KO) took out a very dormant and stale Jeff “Left Hook” Lacy 26-6(18KO) in just two rounds. Lacy offered very little competition and certainly did not look like a former world champion in this WBC FECARBOX light heavyweight title bout. From round one Savigne controlled every second right until the end where Lacy sat in the corner and ate punches punches until referee Sam Burgos stepped in and saved Left Hook from a sustained beating. The miserable end came at 2:04 of round two. Humberto Savigne is a 2 time Central American Championships Gold medalist and a 2 time Pan American gold medalist as an amateur. Humberto Savigne had over 400 amateur fights coming off of a KO win over undefeated Jackson Junior on ESPN March of 2013. Savigne is the current WBA fedelatin, WBO latin and WBC fecarbox Champion..

“My kid will be the next Pay-Per-View Superstar” – this is what Mike Tyson said earlier this week of 18 year old welterweight Erickson Lubin 6-0(5KO) who stepped up in completion when he faced tough Noe Bolanos 25-10-1 (16KO). The former national amateur champion Lubin, nicknamed “The Hammer” used his long reach to keep a nice distance while often connecting with his left hand; both straight and underneath onto his veteran Mexican counterparts chin. Lubin gained great experience and rounds while efficiently out boxing the 27-year old Bolanos and often landing the Left-handed hammer. “He is the best I have seen in forty years in boxing,” commented Pedro Rogue current USA boxing coach, and former coach of the Cuban National team. All three judges scored the bout 80-72. Over the course of his ten-year professional career, Bolanos has faced numerous contenders and highly regarded prospects including Vivian Harris, Victor Cayo, Ed Paredes, Luis Ramos Jr. and Rene Gonzalez. This was a great test for the young Lubin and will show his team the areas he can improve while stepping up.

Cuban slugger Yunier Dorticos 18-0(17KO) punched his way to a unanimous decision win over a blown up Edison Miranda 35-10(30KO) who weighed in at a career high 198 pounds moving all the way up from middleweight to the Cruiserweight division. Dorticos pushed the pace from the opening bell landing solid straight rights and uppercuts. Miranda’s experience aided his survival, however he looked like a middleweight fighting a Cruiserweight in terms of size, he was able to take the big punches from the hard hitting Cuban. By the end of the tenth and final round Miranda’s face showed the beating he took from the over sized Cuban. The cards read 99-91 and 100-90 twice.

Featherweight Dennis Galarza 5-0(3KO) looked sharp with a quick dismantling of Cody “Red Rooster” Walker 1-1 with a KO at just :58 of round one by way of excellently placed ripping body shots set up beautifully by boxing’s most important punch… a stiff jab.

Light heavyweight Leo Hall 3-0(3KO) picked up another KO win at 2:33 of round one. The Detroit native Hall had Juan Ortega 1-2-1(1KO) down from two excellent straight right hands, and then finished him off after he rose from an eight count with a nice assault.

Cruiserweight Ramon Luis Nicholas was Disqualified in the first round giving the win to Dakota Dawson 3-0(2KO). Dawson rocked Nicholas in round one and in return was knocked down by two big shots and another while Dawson had his knee down disqualifying him in Round one.

Alfonso Gomez suffered two dubious knockdowns but was able to dominate Ed Paredes in a Jr. Middleweight bout at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.

Gomez was controlling the action by boxing over the first three-plus rounds. At the end of round four, Paredes landed a little bunch while Gomez was off balance and Gomez fell to the canvas and it was scored a knockdown. Paredes got his left hook on track in round five as he landed a pair of them to the side of the head.

In round six, it was deja vu for Gomez as he threw a right hand that took him off balance but Paredes landed a small shot that sent Gomez for the second fringe knockdown. Gomez came back to have a solid round eight and even stun Paredes. Gomez was never threatened during the fight and cruised home to the victory by scores of 99-92, 98-92 and 96-93.

Gomez, 150.2 lbs of Guadalajara, MX is now 24-6-2. Paredes, 150 lbs of Lawrence, MA is now 35-4-1.

Joseph Diaz Jr. pounded out a 10-round unanimous decision over Ramiro Robles in a Featherweight bout.

Diaz landed a hard combination in round one. Diaz was the faster puncher and landed the harder blows that saw a lot of two-way action and Robles was able to get in a fair amount of effective offense.

Diaz, 123.6 lbs of South El Monte, CA won by scores of 99-91 twice and 98-92. Robles, 124 lbs of Guanajuato, MX is now 11-2-1.

Featherweight Diego De La Hoya remained undefeated as scored a 5th round stoppage over Miguel Tamayo in a scheduled 6-round bout.

De La Hoya dominated with hand speed and in round five he put together a hard combination against the ropes that forced referee Russell Mora to stop the bout at 2:42.

De La Hoya, 124 lbs of Mexicali, MX is now 6-0 with 5 knockouts. Tamayo, 122 lbs of Ciudad. MX is now 14-9-2.

Heavyweight contender Chris Arreola had successful surgery on his left elbow according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“The doctor said he couldn’t believe that Chris has been fighting all these years with it,” said Arreola’s trainer Henry Ramirez, who was at Kerlan-Jobe Surgery Center with Arreola, who was waiting to be released. “He always favored the arm and this camp it was happening almost every sparring session, especially when he got hit on it. It really bothered him in camp. And he hurt it in the fight.

“The doctor termed it an arthritic elbow. They did a scope. They cleaned up scar tissue and fragments.”

“He had a cortisone shot going into the fight, which he got in late April,” Ramirez said. “But by the time the fight came it had gone away. It’s something he’s been dealing with but it has gotten progressively worse.

Three was the lucky number for Frankie Edgar as he stopped BJ Penn in the 3rd round of their scheduled five round Featherweight bout at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.

It was Edgar’s third victory over Penn in the battle of world champions.

Edgar dominated the bout from the beginning as he controlled the action from the stand up and ground position until he started busting up Penn in the 3rd frame. Edgar’s punching and elbows opened up a gash over the left eye of Penn and Edgar was relentless in his assault of Penn until referee Herb Dean mercifully stopped the bout at 4:16 of round three.

Edgar, 145.5 lbs of Toms River, NJ is now 16-4-1. Penn, 145 lbs may have fought his last fight and the native of Hilo, HI is now 16-10-2.

Corey Anderson won the Ultimate Fighter Light Heavyweight championship with a 1st round beat down over Matt Van Buren.

Anderson hit Van Buren with a right hand that sent him reeling into the cage. Anderson continued to pound away and got Van Buren on the ground and continued rocking Van Buren until the fight was stopped at 1:01.

Anderson, 204 lbs of Rockford, IL is now 5-0. Van Buren, 206 lbs of San Diego, CA is 7-3.

Eddie Gordon won the Ultimate Fighter Middleweight title by pounding out Dhiego Lima in the 1st round of their 3-round fight.

Gordon got Lima down and started drilling Lima with hard shots while Lima was prone and the fight was stopped just 71 seconds into the contest.

Gordon, 186 lbs of Uniondale, NY is now 8-1. Lima, 185 lbs of Atlanta, GA is now 10-2.

Derrick Lewis scored a 1st round stoppage over Guto Inocente in a Heavyweight bout.

Lewis had Inocente on the ground and landed 4 crushing blows to the face that bloodied the right eye of Inocente and the fight was stopped at 3:30.

Lewis, 264 lbs of Houston, TX is now 11-2-1. Inocente, 232 lbs of Boca Raton, FL is 6-1.

Dustin Ortiz scored a 3-round split decision over previously undefeated Justin Scroggins in a Flyweight bout.

Ortiz, 125 lbs of Franklin, TN is ranked number 13 and is now 14-3. Scroggins, 124 lbs of Coconut Creek, FL is now 9-1.

Kevin Lee scored a 3-round split decision over Jesse Ronson in a Lightweight bout.

Scores were 30-27 and 29-28 for Lee , 156 lbs and is now 8-1. Ronson, 155 lbs is 13-5.

Leandro Issa acored a 3rd round tap out via arm bar over Jumabieke Tuerxun in the final round of their Bantamweight bout.

The two landed some good shots. Issa was docked a point in round two for grabbing the cage. Issa was dominant in the 3rd round as he almost choked out Tuerxun, landed some hard punches and finally made him submit with the armbar at 3:49 of round three.

Issa, 135.5 lbs of Singapore is now 12-4. Tuerxun, 136 lbs of Xián, China is now 17-2.

Adriano Martins scored an explosive 1-punch knockout over Juan Manuel Puig in the 1st round of their Lightweight bout.

Martins landed a perfect left hand but seconds later he was hit low with a kick. That must have infuriated Martins as he landed a perfect inside right hook that knocked Puig out and the fight was immediately stopped at 2:21.

Martins, 155.5 lbs of Brazil is now 26-7. Puig, 155 lbs of Mexico City is now 11-3.

Patrick Walsh scored a 3-round unanimous decision over Daniel Spohn in a Light Heavyweight bout.

Walsh, 206 lbs of Stoughton, MA won by scores of 29-28 on all cards and is now 5-2. Spohn, 205 lbs of Columbus, OH is now 8-5.

Chris Weidman 185 – Lyoto Machida 184.5
(UFC Middleweight Title)
Ronda Rousey 135 – Alexis Davis 135
(UFC Women’s Bantamweight Title)
Matt Mitrione 254 – Stefan Struve 251.5
Uriah Hall 185 – Thiago Santos 185
Marcus Brimage 135.5 – Russell Doane 136
Urijah Faber 136 – Alex Caceres 135
Ildemar Alcantara 170 – Kenny Robertson 171
Chris Camozzi 185 – Bruno Santos 185
Rob Font 135 – George Roop 135
Guilherme Vasconcelos 185 – Luke Zachrich 185
Kevin Casey 185 – Bubba Bush 185

Michael Farenas earned a Super Featherweight title shot with an impressive 8th round stoppage over previously undefeated Mark Davis at the Foxwoods Resort in Connecticut.

Farenas came firing with the left hand from his southpaw stance He landed several hard left’s that caused a cut over Davis right eye in the first frame. Davis had a better 2nd round until he was caught with a hard left just before the bell. After a back and forth round three, Davis came out in round four by landing quick combinations. In round five, Farenas landed a flush left that wobbled Davis all over the ring just before the end of the frame. It was more of the same in round six as Farenas continued to land hard shots on Davis.

In round eight, a series of hard blows rocked Davis into the corner and referee Steve Smoger stopped the bout at 59 seconds of round eight.

Faranes, 130 lbs of the Philippines is now 39-4-4 with 31 knockouts. Davis, 130 lbs of Cleveland, OH is now 18-1.

Former world champion Billy Dib scored a 10-round unanimous decision over Alberto Garza in a Jr. Lightweight bout.

Dib was cut over the right eye in round one from a headbutt. Dib landed a some nice shots over the first few rounds. Although not looking pretty, Garza started getting in some counter shots. Dib came back to finsih strong in the final round as he landed some solid left hands behind a stiff jab.

Dib, 131 lbs of Sydney, Australia eon by scores of 98-91 and 96-93 twice and is now 37-3. Garza, 131 lbs of Mexico City is now 26-8-1.

Ryan Martin scored a 4-round unanimous decision over Matthew Baca in a Lightweight bout.

Martin dominated the fight for three rounds with pure boxing. In round four, Martin unleashed a few thudding power shots and and won by scores of 40-36 on all cards.

Martin, 135 lbs of Chattanooga, TN is now 7-0. Baca, 135 lbs of Albuquerque, NM is now 4-2-1.

Earlier tonight, two of the brightest young stars on the DiBella Entertainment roster, Junior “Sugar Boy” Younan and Louis “Cruise Control” Cruz, stayed unbeaten, winning dominant unanimous decisions in separate bouts to open up 50 Cent’s SMS Promotions card at the Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, CT.

The 18-year-old phenom Younan was taken the distance for the first time in his young career, scoring a shutout over tough-as-nails Azamat Umarzoda. The super middleweight Younan got in some much-needed rounds, having previously scored four consecutive first-round knockouts in two minutes or less. The “boxing prodigy”, as Younan was referred to in a NY Times article written on him when he was just 10 years old, showed the total package, displaying lightning quick hands and combination punching to both the body and head, as well as amazing footwork and defensive movement. It was an impressive showing for the Brooklyn-native, who improved to a perfect 5-0, 4KO’s, with the four-round unanimous decision. Younan will be back in action on an upcoming DiBella Entertainment Broadway Boxing card this summer in NYC.

The Bronx-native Cruz lived up to his nickname cruising to a six-round unanimous decision over Ryan Picou in their super lightweight matchup. Cruz displayed a piston-like jab that kept Picou off balance for much of the fight. Cruz pressed the action throughout and was the much busier of the two, as Picou was content to stay on the outside, looking to score with single shots. In the end, all three judges scored the bout in Cruz’s favor, with scorecards of 59-55 twice, and 58-56. With the win, Cruz improved to a perfect 8-0, 4KO’s, and, like Younan, will be featured on an upcoming DiBella Entertainment Broadway Boxing card this summer in NYC.

Two of CES Boxing’s most prized prospects from Connecticut kept their unbeaten records intact Wednesday on the undercard of SMS Promotions’ special edition ESPN Friday Night Fights card at Foxwoods Resort Casino.

Female super bantamweight Shelito Vincent of New London improved her record to 12-0 with a majority decision win over Nydia Feliciano (7-6-3) of the Bronx while New Haven welterweight Jimmy Williams upped his record to 7-0-1 and won for the second time in five weeks by beating fellow Bronx native Stephen Owusu (8-6, 4 KOs) by unanimous decision.

Similar to their first go-round in January of 2013, Vincent and Feliciano traded blows over six hard rounds with Vincent earning the narrow victory by scores of 59-55, 58-56, 57-57. The first meeting between the two ended with a unanimous decision win for Vincent, 59-55 and 58-56 on the other two scorecards.

Williams continued his impressive run in a six-round bout against the battle-tested Owusu, dropping his opponent in the second round en route to a 59-54, 60-53, 57-56. Williams is now unbeaten in his last three fights since a draw against Greg Jackson in 2013. The streak includes a first-round knockout win over fellow Connecticut fighter Christian Lao in May.

While Williams and Vincent held true to form, the televised portion of last night’s card featured a thrilling upset in the main event. Southpaw Michael Farenas stopped previously unbeaten Mark Davis in the eighth round of their scheduled 12-round International Boxing Federation (IBF) junior lightweight title eliminator.

Junior lightweight Billy Dib outworked former world champion Alberto Galarza in a 96-93, 96-93, 98-91 unanimous decision win and Cranston, R.I., welterweight Nick DeLomba upset New Haven’s Edwin Soto, winning a 58-56, 59-55, 57-57 majority decision, handing Soto only his second loss in 13 fights.

CES Boxing returns Sept. 12, 2014 at Twin River Casino in Lincoln, R.I. For ticket information, or for more information on Vincent and Williams’ next bouts, visit www.cesboxing.com, follow CES Boxing on Twitter at @CESBOXING and Instagram at CESBOXING, or “like” CES Boxing on Facebook by clicking the corresponding link.

IBF Bantamweight champion Paul Butler vacated his title to move down to Jr. Bantamweight according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“It’s a beautiful belt and it’s hard to relinquish it seeing as it’s the first world title that I’ve won, but I knew that it was always going to be the case if I won it I’d have to return it and go back down,” Butler said.

“When the opportunity came to fight Hall for the title I knew that it was a fight that I could win, and I grabbed the chance with both hands,” Butler said. “To become a world champion in only my 16th fight was an absolute dream come true. Obviously, there was a big size difference between me and Hall, but I said to everybody that I could overcome him with my speed and work-rate and that proved to be the case, but I’m a natural 115-pounder.

“Now I aim to win a world title at [junior bantamweight] and achieve another dream of becoming a two-weight world champion in reverse. Most of the British greats have gone up through the weights like Duke McKenzie, David Haye, Ricky Hatton, Nigel Benn and Chris Eubank to name a few. But only Bob Fitzsimmons has achieved the feat of dropping down a weight and that will be a big incentive for me.”

“Of course, another return to bantamweight isn’t out of the picture in the future,” he said. “I’m still only 25 and in the next couple of years I could fill out and mature some more and be more comfortable at that weight, but for now I’m focused on winning and unifying titles at [junior bantamweight].”

To fill the vacancy, the IBF said it will order Randy Caballero, who loomed as Butler’s mandatory challenger, to face an opponent to be determined. Caballero (21-0, 13 KOs), 23, of Coachella, California, traveled to Japan and knocked out Kohei Oba in the eighth round on April 4 in the elimination bout to become the mandatory challenger for the belt.

It looks like Floyd Mayweather could be rematch Marcos Maidana on September 13 according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

Mayweather said during an interview with LaTen Media before Sunday night’s BET Awards that he would be facing Maidana again.

“Sept. 13, back to business, Marcos Maidana-Floyd Mayweather, part II,” Mayweather said. “And then in May, I’m fighting in May and I’ll have a big surprise for ya’ll.”

However, Maidana manager Sebastian Contursi told ESPN.com on Tuesday that there was no deal yet and that he has been talking with Al Haymon — the adviser to both Mayweather and Maidana — about the fight.

“Still in the talks. Nothing confirmed on our side,” Contursi told said. “Hopefully, we’ll have a decision made in the next 4-5 days.”

“Floyd Mayweather has set the bar so damn high with the pay-per-view success that he’s personally had that he is only competing with himself. Last I checked Floyd Mayweather is the only one making the kind of money he is making. He has no peers. He has zero peers. There is no other boxer or athlete in the world generating that kind of revenue. Love him or hate him he is the money machine.”, said Mayweather Promotions CEO Leonard Ellerbe.

Terence Crawford defended the WBO Lightweight title with a 9th round stoppage over former world champion and previously undefeated Yuriorkis Gamboa before nearly 11,000 fans at the CenturyLink Center in Omaha, Nebraska.

It was a terrific back and forth action fight that saw Gamboa control the early part of the fight with his speed and right hand. Things turned in round five when Crawford sent Gamboa to the canvas. Crawford started to dominate the action in round’s six and seven and sent Gamboa down in round eight. Crawford scored a 3rd knockdown in round nine. Gamboa landed a huge right before getting caught with hard left that sent him to the canvas for a fourth and final time at 2:53 of round nine.

Crawford, 134 3.4 lbs of Omaha, NEB is now 24-0 with 17 knockouts. Gamboa, 134 1/2 lbs of Cuba is now 23-1.

In a battle of undefeated Middleweights, Matt Korobov passed his sternest test when he scored a 10-round unanimous decision over Jose Uzcategui.

Korobov boxed very well over the first three rounds. Uzcategui got in the fight as he landed some long combinations and cut Korobov over the left eye in round five. Korobov came back and had a strong last few rounds and sealed the fight by scoring two knockdowns from right hooks in round seven.

Korobov, 160 lbs of Russia won by scores of 97-91 twice and 96-92 and is now 24-0. Uzcategui, 160 lbs of Venezuela is now 22-1.

Errol Spence Jr. remained perfect with a 10-round drubbing of Ronald Cruz in a Welterweight bout at the Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.

Spence was dominant as he carved up Cruz with his combination punching where he worked the body and head. Cruz was cut over the left eye from an accidental headbutt in round two.

Spence, 146 1/2 lbs of Dallas, TX won by scores of 100-90 on all cards and is now 13-0. Cruz, 148 lbs of Bethlehem, PA is now 20-4.

Dominic Wade remained undefeated by scoring a 10-round unanimous decision over Nick Brinson in a Middleweight fight.

Wade Dominated throughout the fight with the cleaner harder punches. Brinson had a solid round three. That was the high point of his fight as Wade took control going down the stretch and won by scores of 96-94 and 97-93 twice

Wade, 161 1/2 lbs of Washington, DC is now 16-0. Brinson, 160 1/2 lbs of Albany, NY is now 16-2-2.

Ivan Redkach remained undefeated by pounding out a 10-round unanimous decision over Sergey Gulyakevich at the Ameristar Casino in St. Charles, Missouri.

Redkach came forward throughout the bout while Gulyakevich did little more then survive throughout the contest.

Redkach, 138.9 lbs of Los Angles via Ukraine won by scores of 100-90, 99-91 and 98-92 and is now 17-0. Gulyakevich, 138 lbs of Belarus is now 41-3.

Ryan Kielczewski remained undefeated by scoring an 8-round unanimous decision over Ramsey Luna in a spirited Jr. Lightweight bout.

Kielczewski, 126.8 lbs of Boston won by scores of 79-73 and 78-74 twice and is now 20-0. Luna, 126.9 lbs of Corpus Christi, TX is now 12-2.

Stephon Young remained undefeated by pounding out a 6-round unanimous decision over Vicente Alfaro in a Super Bantaweight bout.

The scores were 60-54, 59-55 and 58-56 for Young, 120.6 lbs and is now 10-0-1. Alfaro, 119 lbs of Mexico is now 6-4.

According to Dan Rafael, Golden Boy Promotions has filed a $50 million against former CEO Richard Schaefer.

Other than the dollar figure it is asking for, it is unclear what Golden Boy is accusing Schaefer of, although much of the public discussion surrounding his leaving the company has centered on the fact that he regularly put fighters advised by Al Haymon on major cards even though Golden Boy did not have them under promotional contract, which angered De La Hoya.

Heavyweight Zhang Zhilei will make his pro debut on August 8 in Fallon, Nevada according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“Zhang Zhilei has the whole package — size, athleticism, good looks, and great personality,” said promoter Dino Duva . “And one other thing: He knows how to fight. He has more of a pro style than Olympic style.

“Mark my words, once boxing fans get a chance to see him, he will be the talk of the heavyweight division and all of boxing. I believe he is going to be the most important heavyweight to come along since (brother Vitali and Wladimir Klitschko) turned pro in 1996.”

Evander Holyfield will serve in an advisory role on Zhang’s team, as well as a good-will ambassador for the company.

“We are delighted to bring Evander to the Dynasty team,” Duva said during the news conference in New York. “His wealth of knowledge and experience will be a huge asset to our young fighters as they embark on their professional careers. Evander is one of boxing’s legends, and we a proud that he will be representing Dynasty as an important member of the team.

“The Duva family is special to me, and I am looking forward to working with Dino Duva and the entire team at Dynasty Boxing,” Holyfield said.

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, IBF Jr. Middleweight champion Carlos Molina will defend his title against mandatory challenger and former champion Cornelius Bundrage on September 6 in Mexico.

“I’ll start working on the TV stuff and see what we can work out,” said Molina’s promoter Leon Margules. “Now I have work to do.”

“Wherever the fight is I think Molina is a difficult guy to beat and (Bundrage) is an older guy,” Margules said. “Molina is training hard and he’s been pushing me to do the fight sooner that Sept. 6. It’s a mandatory so we have to do it. We tried to reschedule the fight with Charlo, but the mandatory was ordered so we’re fighting the mandatory. But I like my guy in the fight.”

“I’m excited to be fighting for the IBF world title for the second time in my career. I really take my hat off to the IBF president Daryl Peoples, championship chairman Lindsey Tucker as well as all the board members who voted in my favor denying the exception request, allowing me the opportunity to become a two-time world champion,” Bundrage said. “Carlos Molina is a good fighter he reminds me of myself. He came up the hard way; nobody gave him anything. He worked hard to become a world champion.

“I’m looking forward to mixing it up in the ring with Molina. It’s going to be a great fight between two experienced warriors at junior middleweight. Both of our backs are against the wall, which makes for an exciting fight.”

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, the June 7 showdown that saw Miguel Cotto win the Middleweight championship did about 350,000 buys which was about 100,000 less than expected.

“The numbers were not great,” said said Top Rank’s Bob Arum, who is rehabilitating in Los Angeles after having knee replacement surgery last week. “All the numbers boxing has been getting on pay-per-view have been terrible. It’s not disappointing; it just is what it is. There are too many (pay-per-view cards).

“Pay-per-view was always designed, as was closed circuit back in the day, for true super fights, not just very good fights. There have been pay-per-views every month and people resent the fact that they’re asked to pay extra for anything halfway decent. Boxing pay-per-view numbers are down. Look at the (recent) numbers for the (Floyd) Mayweather and (Manny) Pacquiao fights. The UFC pay-per-view numbers are also down.”

Said Lou DiBella, Martinez’s promoter, “It’s well off the projections. It underperformed. HBO expected 460,000 to 500,000 and it did well under that.”

“There were so many big events,” DiBella said. “There was a lot of competition for eyeballs and the pay-per-view industry is suffering because people had a lot of other choices that they didn’t have to pay for.”

Arum said that Cotto would likely return in December — again on HBO PPV — at Madison Square Garden.

“We’re thinking about the possibility of making Cotto and (Timothy) Bradley,” Arum said.

“We’re talking but we’d have to work (the weight) out. We haven’t gotten that far yet.”

“It probably makes more sense for us to do a Cotto-Canelo fight next year on the Cinco de Mayo weekend,” Arum said.

Arum said he did not know for sure whether Showtime had options on Alvarez after the Lara fight, but added that if they make the match “I’ve been told it’s not an issue.” He said HBO holds no futures on Cotto but that they would not leave HBO.

Former world champion Cristian Mijares scored a 7th round stoppage over Sebastian Rodriguez in a scheduled 10-round Featherweight bout.

Mijares dropped Rodriguez twice in round 7, first with a hard straight left and he finished him off with a combination that was punctuated with a flush right hook to the face and the bout was stopped at 2:59 of round seven.

Mijares, 125 lbs is now 50-8-2 with 25 knockouts. Rodriguez, 125 1/4 lbs is now 20-7-1.

Juan Pablo Sanchez stopped Onalvi Sierra in round 9 of their scheduled 12-round Super Featherweight bout.

Sierra dropped Sanchez in the 1st round. The two traded hard shots throughout the fight until Sanchez dropped Sierra with a right to the body in the 9th and he could not beat the count at 1:08.

Sanchez, 129 3/4 lbs is 29-11 with 13 knockouts. Sierra, 129 3/4 lbs is 26-8.

Francisco Horta scored a 6-round unanimous decision over Gerardo Hernandez in a Super Bantamweight bout.

Horta, 120 3/4 lbs won by scores of 59-55 and 58-56 twice and is now 6-2. Hernandez, 122 lbs is 11-3-1.

In a 12-round war, former multi-division world champion Robert Guerrero outlasted Yosahiro Kamegai in a Welterweight bout at the StubHub Center in Carson, California.

The two fought in the proverbial phone booth with Guerrero and Kamegai landing hard shots in close. Guerrero landed tremendous punches with both hands. Kamegai had success in the middle rounds as he landed a hard uppercut that opened up a cut around the right eye of Guerrero. Even with the cut and fast swelling, Guerrero was able get by on his championship experience and give better then he received in the 12 round thriller.

Guerrero, 146 lbs of Gilroy, CA won by scores of 117-111 twice and 116-112 to improve to 32-2-1-2. Kamegai, 146 3/4 lbs of Tokyo, JAP is now 24-2.

Former two-time Olympic Gold Medal winner Vasul Loamchenko won the WBO Featherweight title over previoously undefeated Gary Russell Jr, via 12-round majority decision.

Lomachenko was dominant using quick combinations that focused on the body. Although it was just his 3rd pro bout, Lomachenko looked like the more experienced performer as he forced Russell into much ineffective offense. Lomachenko for his part used a variety of punches both from in close and from distance. Lomachenko landed more punches and by far the most effective.

Lomachenko won by scores of 116-112 twice and 114-114.

Lomachenko, 125 1/2 lbs of Ukraine is now a world champion at 2-1. Russell, 125 1/2 lbs of Washington, DC is 24-1.

Former two-division world champion Devon Alexander scored a 10-round unanimous decision over Jesus Soto Karass in a Super Welterweight bout.

It was good action in round four as Alexander landed some hard uppercuts but Soto-Karass came back with some strong rights. Soto Karass started getting to Alexander with the right hands in the middle rounds. Alexander was able to box well down the stretch and win by scores of 99-91 twice and 97-93.

Alexander, 148 1/4 lbs of St. Louis, MO is now 26-2. Soto Karass, 148 lbs of North Hollywood, CA is now 28-10-3-1.

Former Light Heavyweight champion Chad Dawson returned with a 1st round knockout over George Blades in a scheduled 10-round Light Heavyweight bout.

Dawson knocked Blades down with a straight left to the body. Blades got up only to be a dropped by a right hook and he was down for the 10-count at 2:35.

Dawson, 182 3/4 lbs of New Haven, CT came into the ring at a staggering 202 lbs but he ups his record to 32-3-1-1 with 18 knockouts. Blades, 177 1/2 lbs of Indianapolis, IN is now 23-6.

In a battle of former U.S. Olympians, Dominic Breazeale scored a 3rd round stoppage over Devin Vargas in a scheduled 10-round Heavyweight bout.

Breazeale landed a hard combination to the body. In round two, Breazeale landed a right to the head that sent Vargas to the canvas. Brezeale continued to pound away at Vargas. In round three, Brezeale landed some hard shots and Vargas turned his back to the action and the bout was stopped at 2:26 of round three.

Breazeale, 251 1/2 lbs of Alhambra, CA is now 11-0 with 10 knockouts. Vargas, 234 lbs of Toledo, OH is now 18-4.

Najib Mohammedi scored a 7th round stoppage over Anatoliy Dudchenko in a 12 round Light Heavyweight at the Mohegan Sun Poconos in Wikes Barre, Pennsylvania. The win was an IBF Title eliminator

It was a tactical fight with Mohammedi moving in and out while Dudchenko looked for power shots. In round three, Mohammedi began landing hard shots and evn started putting combinations together. At the end of the round, Mohammedi landed some hard shots that drove Dudchenko into the corner. Mohammedi continued to land straight right hands flush on the face of Dudchenko. Mohammedi continued to rock Dudchenk with hard flurries. It was more of the same in round six, with Dudchenko trying to land one lucky punch.

Mohammedi came out in round seven countering an attempt by Dudchenko and landing a barrage of punches on the ropes and referee Shawn Clark saved a bloody Dudchenko from anymore damage at 37 seconds of round seven.

Anatoliy said afterwards, “I felt really spent after the first round. I had no energy; I was really weak. I tried too hard to kill him. Maybe I peaked too early. I kept missing some really hard shots. I think I just gave the other guy confidence.”

After the fight Nadjib declared, “My name is Nadjib Mohammedi and I am the best. I was good tonight. I am the best. Nobody expected me to be the great fighter tonight but I was the better man. I am ready for Bernard Hopkins and we are going to take that fight too. We are coming back.”

Karl Dargan scored a 5th round stoppage over Anthony Flores in a scheduled 10 round Lightweight battle of Philadelphia based Lightweights

Dargan started round one using his hand speed advantage by landing combination’s to the body and head. Dargan clipped Flores with a couple hard rights. Flores was game in coming forward but swelling started to appear under his right eye as early as round two. In round three, Dargan landed a hard right in the corner. In round five, Flores drilled Dargan with a hard right hand. That only seemed to wake up Dargan as he landed a vicous four punch combination that sent Flores to the canvas. Upon getting up, Dragan landed three more hard shots and the fight was stopped by referee Gary Rosato at 42 seconds of round five.

Dargan, 134 1/2 lbs of Philadelphia now 16-0 with 8 knockouts. Flores, 134 lbs of Philadelphia is now 11-5-1.

After the TKO Dargan told the crowd, “I can handle pressure well. After my last fight the media and the fans were saying I should have knocked him out. Tonight I showed I can do it. He didn’t surprise me. I came out of camp prepared to fight any style. He didn’t hurt me at all. I am a shark in the water and I saw blood. I want to fight anyone who stands in the way of my next title.

Wellington Romero scored a 2nd round stoppage over Mack Babb in a scheduled 4 round Jr. Welterweight bout.

Romero scored knockdowns in each round and the bout was stopped at 2:07.

Romero, 140 lbs of Newbergh, NY is now 4-0 with 2 knockouts. Babb, 142 lbs of Brooklyn, NY is now 0-3.

Sullivan Barrera remained undefeated with a 6th round stoppage over previously undefeated Lee Campbell in a scheduled 8 round Light Heavyweight bout.

In round two, Campbell scored a knockdown on a right hand. Barrera started to control the action in round three. He pummeled Campbell on the ropes in round six, and scored a knockdown from 20 unanswered punches just as referee Gary Rosato stopped the bout at 2:42 of round six,

Barrera, 174 1/2 lbs of Cuba is now 12-0 with 7 knockouts. Campbell, 172 1/2 lbs of Laurenberg, NC is 7-1.

He said, “I feel good. I am very happy. We broke his zero. My team has worked hard. We are ready for any competition out there; if it is Chilemba I am ready.”

Hakeem Bryant scored a four round unanimous decision over Al Johnson in an action packed Jr. Middleweight bout.

Both guys threw a ton of punches and in round two alone, Bryant threw 164 to Johnson’s 108.

Bryant, 154.5 lbs of Middletown, NJ won by scores of 40-36 twice and 39-37 and is now 1-0. Johnson, 154 lbs of Vineland, NJ is now 0-1.

Eric Spring scored a 4 round unanimous decision over Jamil Gadsen in a Jr. Middleweight bout.

Scores were 40-36 on all cards for Spring, 151 lbs of Reading, PA and is now 2-0. Gadsen, 152 1/2 lbs of Newark, NJ is now 0-5.

Robert Guerrero 146 – Yoshahiro Komegai 146 3/4
Gary Russell Jr. 125.5 – Vasyl Lomachenko 125.5
(WBO Featherweight title)
Devon Alexander 148 1/4 – Jesus Soto Karass 148

McWilliams Arroyo scored an explosive 2nd round stoppage over Proilan Saludar in a scheduled 12-round Flyweight bout at Coliseo Ruben Rodriguez in Bayamon, Puerto Rico.

Arroyo landed three consecutive fights with the final being an explosive shot to the head that sent Saludar down for the 10 count at 2:25 of round two.

Arroyo, 112 lbs of Fajardo, PR is now 15-1 with 13 knockouts. Saludar, 111 1/2 lbs of Philippines is now 19-1-1.

Cesar Seda scored a 10-round unanimous decision over Alex Rangel in a Jr. Featherweight bout.

Scores were 100-90 and 99-91 twice for Seda, 121 lbs of Juna Diaz, PR and is now 26-2. Rangel, 121 lbs of Ciudad, MX is now 15-3-2.

Prichard Colon remained perfect and kept his knockout streak in tact when he scored a 5th round stoppage over Carlos Garcia a Jr. Middleweight bout.

Garcia went down in round three from a hard combination. Both guys had blood from their nose in round four. In round five, Colon dropped Garcia with an overhand right. Later in the round, Colon dropped Garcia with a short right and upon getting to his feet, the referee stopped the bout at 2:24 of round five.

Colon, Ory Corys, PR is now 10-0 with 10 knockouts. Garcia, 149 lbs Trujillo Alo, PR is now 7-13-1.

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, WBA/WBO/IBF Heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko will defend his title against IBF number-one contender Kubret Oulev on September 6th in Hamburg, Germany.

“Kubrat Pulev has an impressive record as an amateur and as well as professional. He has very good skills and I will definitely not underestimate him,” Klitschko said. “I am looking forward to boxing in Hamburg. Everybody knows I have a special relationship to this city and the atmosphere in the O2 World has always been unbelievable.”

“I will get the titles. I am ready to replace Wladimir Klitschko as the world champion,” Pulev said. “This fight is the highlight of my career. I will show the fans worldwide that Klitschko is no invincible machine and fulfill my dream. I have worked hard for this chance.”

K2 Promotions on Tuesday won the purse bid to gain promotional control of the fight, offering $7,250,131 to easily top the only other, which was $5,290,144 by Sauerland Event, Pulev’s promoter. As champion, Klitschko is entitled at 80 percent of the winning bid ($5,800,105) and Pulev is entitled to the remaining 20 percent (a career-high $1,450,026).

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, K2 Promotions won the purse bid to stage the WBA/WBO/IBF Heavyweight championship bout between Wladimir Klitschko and IBF number-one contender Kubret Pulev.

K2 bid $7,250,131 to easily top the only other offer, which was for $5,290,144 by Pulev promoter Sauerland Event. The proceedings took place at IBF headquarters in Springfield, New Jersey.

According to the IBF, K2 Promotions has 90 days to put on the fight, although it is likely to take place on Sept. 6 in Hamburg, Germany, according to K2 Promotions.

The purse bid took place because K2 and Sauerland were unable to make a deal. Klitschko is entitled at 80 percent of the winning bid ($5,800,105), and Pulev is entitled to the remaining 20 percent (a career-high $1,450,026).

“I think it’s a very good fight. You have an undefeated guy who earned the right to fight Wladimir by winning his eliminator,” said Tom Loeffler, the managing director of K2 Promotions, who represented it at the purse bid. “Pulev is considered one of the best guys in the division, so it’ll be a test for Wladimir, but we think Wladimir is at a different level than anyone else in the heavyweight division.”

“I was ringside when Wladimir defended his belts a few weeks ago. It was a walk in the park for him against Leapai,” Pulev said recently. “When Klitschko meets me inside the ring, I will cause him real problems, to say the least. I will show the fans worldwide that Klitschko is no invincible machine and fulfill my dream.”

Antonio Orozco remained undefeated by scoring a 10-round unanimous decision over former world title challenger Martin Honorio in a Jr. Welterweight bout at the Del Mar Fairgrounds in Del Mar, California.

Orozco dominated the bout plus Honorio was deducted a point in round nine for a kidney punch.

Orozco, 141 lbs won by scores of 100-89 twice and 99-90 and is now 20-0. Honorio, 140 lbs is now 32-9-1.

Manuel Avila scored a 2nd round stoppage over David De La Mora in a scheduled ten round Jr. Featherweight bout.

Avila scored a knockdown from a hard left hook in round two. Avila went after De La Mora and that set up a good exchange until Avila landed a hard left hook that sent De La Mora down for a second time. Avila ended the bout when he landed a hard right in the middle of a hard flurry that sent De La Mora down for a 3rd and final time and the bout was stopped at 1:52 of round two.

Avila, 122 lbs of Vacaville, CA is now 15-0 with 6 knockouts. De La Mora, 121 1/2 lbs of Tijuana, MX is now 25-6.

Manuel Roman scored a 6 round unanimous decision over Jose Silveira in a Jr. Featherweight bout.

Roman controlled the action but he was docked a point in round four for a low blow.

Roman, 120 lbs of Paramount, CA won by scores of 59-54 on all cards. Silveria, 120 lbs of Kanasin, MX us bow 15-11.

Elias Espadas scored a 4-round unanimous decision over Jamal Harris in a Middleweight fight.

Esoadas, 160 lbs of Merida, MX won by scores of 40-36 and 39-37 twice ans is now 6-1. Harris, 159 lbs of Los Angeles, CA is now 5-9-4.

Former Light Heavyweight champion Chad Dawson will make his ring return when he takes on George Blades on June 21 in Carson, California according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

Former two-division title holder Daniel Ponce De Leon announced his retirement following his knockout loss to Mickey Roman according to Dan Rafael of espn.com

“Thanks to each and every one of my fans and friends who supported me throughout the course of my career,” Ponce De Leon wrote on his Facebook page. “I retire with a great taste for all the great moments. I will search for new goals. God bless you all.”

Miguel Roman scored a upset when he stopped former world champion Daniel Ponce De Leon in round nine of a scheduled 10-round Super Featherweight bout at Estadio de Beisbol in Ciudad Cuauhtemoc, Chihuahua, Mexico.

Roman scored a knockdown in round six and finished off a weary De Leon in the 9th when he landed about 20 unanswered blows as De Leon was squatted down in the corner.

Roman, 127 1/2 lbs of Chihuahua, MX is now 46-11 with 35 knockouts. De Leon, 129 lbs of Chihuahua, MX is now 45-7.

Macos Reyes scored a 10-round unanimous decision over Octavio Castro in a Jr. Welterweight bout.

Catro, 159 lbs is now 32-1. Reyes, 157 lbs is now 16-13-2.

Marvin Sonsona evened the score with Wilfredo Vazquez Jr. by scoring a 10 round Featherweight bout.

Sonsona dropped Vazquez early in round one from a straight left hand. The fight was filled with fouls and lacked action throughout the bout.

Sonsona won by scores of 96-92 twice while Vazquez took a card 96-92.

Sonsona, 125 3/4 lbs of the Philippines is now 19-1. Vazquez, 125 1/2 lbs is now 23-4-1.

Javier Maciel scored a 10-round majority decision over Jorge Melendez in a Jr. Middleweight bout.

Maciel came out aggressive as advertised. Melendez got into the fight with solid round’s two and three. Round four proved to be a disaster ans Melendez was docked a point for low blows and then was put on the canvas from a hard right. Melendez had a nice bounce back round five as he landed some solid combinations. Melendez continued to get back into the fight with power shots.

Maciel started taking control again in round’s seven, eight and nine as he forced the action. The two battled with power punches being thrown by both.

Maciel, 154 lbs of Argentina won by scores of 97-91, 96-92 and 94-94 and is now 29-3. Melendez, 153 lbs of Puerto Rico is now 28-4-1.

Former world title challenger Andy Lee was down but not out and came back to score a stunning 5th round stoppage over John Jackson in a scheduled 10-round Jr. Middleweight.

Jackson floored Lee in round one from a powerful right hook. Jackson continued to beat Lee to the punch and landed three consecutive rights to the head in round five.

In the fifth round, the two exchanged on the ropes. Lee was buckled and then out of nowhere he landed a perfect right uppercut and Jackson was knocked cold and the fight was stopped immediately at 1:07.

Lee, 154 lbs of Ireland is now 33-2 with 23 knockouts. Jackson, 152 lbs of the Virgin Islands is now 18-2.

Superstar in the making, Felix Verdejo scored a 1st rouns stoppage over Engelberto Valenzuea in a scheduled six round Lightweight bout.

Verdejo scored one knock down and continued the assault until the bout was stopped at 1:17 of round one.

Verdejo, 134 1/2 lbs is 13-0 with 10 knockouts. Valenzuela, 134 1/2 lbs is now 8-2.

Jose Lopez scored a 8-round unanimous decision over Raul Hidalgo in a Super Bantamweight bout.

Lopez, 121 1/4 lbs won by scores of 80-72 twice and 79-73 and is now 14-0. Hidalgo, 122 1/4 lbs is now 21-11.

Jose Pedraza made quick work of Arturo Uruzquieta by scoring a 1st round stoppage in a scheduled 6-round Lightweight bout.

Pedraza landed hard effective punches throughout the short contest and eventually sent Uruzquieta to the deck. Upon getting to his feet, the fight was stopped at 2:19 of round one.

Pedraza, 132 1/2 lbs is now 17-0 with 11 knockouts. Uruzquieta, 131 3/4 lbs is now 15-6

Willie Nelson scored a 1st round stoppage over Darryl Cunningham in a scheduled 8-round Jr. Middleweight bout.

Nelson dropped Cunningham with a hard right. He scored a 2nd knockdown with a barrage of punches. Cunningham goto to his feet but was very unsteady. The ringside doctor called a halt to the action at 2:43 of round.

Nelson, 157 lbs is now 22-1-1 with 13 knockouts. Cunningham, 156 1/2 lbs is now 29-7.

Jantony Ortiz made a successful pro debut by scoring a 1st round stoppage over Elio Ruiz in a scheduled 4-round Super Flyweight fight.

The time was was 2:45 of round one for Ortiz, 113 1/2 lbs of Puerto Rico. Ruiz, 114 1/2 lbs is now 1-5.

PHOTOS BY CHRIS FARINA / TOP RANK