Hugo Centeno Jr. scored a 10-round unanimous decision over previously undefeated Gerardo Ibarra in a Middleweight bout at the Fantasy Springs Casino Resort in Indio, California.

Centeno, 160 1/2 lbs of Oxnard, CA won by scores of 100-90 and 99-91 twice and is now 21-0-1. Ibarra, 162 1/2 lbs of Houston, TX is now 14-1.

Francisco Santana scored a 10-round unanimous decision over previously undefeated Eddie Gomez in a We;terweight bout.

Gomez boxed well early and buckled Santana in round threet from a right hand. Santana started getting it going over the second half of the fight and had a good round six. Santana continued to outwork Gomez and won by scores of 98-92, 97-93 and 96-94.

Sanatana, 148 1/4 lbs of Santa Barbra, CA is now 20-3-1. Gomez, 149 lbs of Bronx, NY is now 16-1.

Yudel Jhonson scored two knockdowns en route to a 10-round unanimous decision over Norberto Gonzalez in a Jr. Middleweight bout at the Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, New York.

Jhonson dropped Gonzalez with a hard left in round six. Jhonson dominated and again floored Gonzalez in round nine with a right hook. Gonzalez tried to rally in the 10th as he landed some good straight rights but it wasn’t enough as Jhonson won by scores of 97-91 on all three cards.

Jhonson, 154 lbs of Cuba is now 16-1. Gonzalez, 154 lbs of Mexico is now 20-4.

Sammy Vazquez scored a 3rd round stoppage over Jay Krupp in a scheduled 10-round Welterweight bout.

Vaszquez scored a knockdown in round one from a straight left. In round two, Vazquez dropped Krupp from a left to the body. In round three, Vazquez landed a hard combination that was finished off by a straight left sent Krupp down for a 3rd and final time at 1:19 of round three.

Vazquez, 147 lbs is now 15-0 with 11 knockouts. Krupp, 150 lbs is now 17-7.

Prized amateur Ievegn Khytrov scored a 3rd round stoppage over Chris Chatman in a scheduled 6-round Middleweight bout.

Chatman rocked Khytrov with a straight left in the 1st round. Khytrov got it together and in round three he landed a booming left sent Chatman to the canvas. Chatman got to his feet but the fight was stopped at 2:18 of round three.

Khytov, 160 lbs is now 5-0 with knockouts. Chatman 160 lbs is now 12-4-1.

Streaking Jr. Lightweight Tevin Farmer scored the biggest win of his career by defeating previously undefeated Emanuel Gonzalez in a 10-round bout the House of Blues in Boston.

Farmer dominated the action boxing beautifully from his southpaw stance. He continued to box at his pace and never let Gonzalez get into any type of rhythm. Farmer was dominant with countless straight lefts for which Gonzalez had no answer for.

Farmer, 129 lbs of Philadelphia won by scores of 100-90, 99-91 and 98-92. He won his 9th consecutive fight and is now 16-4-1. Gonzalez, 130 lbs of Bronx, NY is now 14-1.

Daniel Martz scored the biggest win of his career when he credited with a 3rd round stoppage over previously undefeated Alexis Santos after Santos could not continue after an ankle injury.

Martz sent Santos to the canvas in the first round and it appeared that Santos hurt his foot. Martz jumped on Santos but Santos tried to throw power shots in return. After the round Santos was in obvious pain. Santos went down several more times due to the intense pain in his ankle. Santos tried his best but after the 3rd round the fight was stopped.

Martz, 255 lbs of Clarksburg, WV is now 11-1-1 with 8 knockouts. Santos, 223 lbs of Lawrence, MA is now 13-1.

Jamie Kavanagh stopped veteran Michael Clark in round four of a scheduled 8-round Lightweight bout.

Kavanagh was dominant until he landed a body punch that sent Clark down in the 5th and the fight was stopped at 2:49 of round five.

Kavanagh, 135 lbs of Dublin. IR is now 17-1-1 with 8 knockouts. Clark, 135 lbs of Columbus, OH is now 44-11-1.

Danny Kelly remained undefeated by scoring a 1st round knockout over Eric Newell in a scheduled four round Heavyweight bout.

Kelly sent Newell down in the first round from a booming right hand and the fight was stopped upon Newell getting to his feet and the bout was stopped at 2:45.

Kelly, 242 lbs of Washington, DC is now 6-0-1 with 5 knockouts. Newell, 265 lbs of Bethlehem, PA is now 7-3-2.

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, IBF Jr. Featherweight champion Kiko Martinez will take on Carl Frampton in a rematch on September 6 in Northern Ireland.

“I’m over the moon to be fighting for a world title in my home [country],” Frampton said. “I have to thank my team for making this happen and now it is time for me to deliver. I am fully focused on Sept. 6 and Kiko Martinez. It’s been my dream since I started boxing to become a world champion and I have worked so hard to get this far. Now is the time for me to fulfill that dream in front of the best fans in the world.”

“Carl has proven time and again that he deserves to be a world champion and now he will get his chance to become one, in the best circumstances possible, without any options on his future and in front of his devoted home fans,” said Cyclone Promotions chief executive Barry McGuigan, the Hall of Fame former featherweight champion. “Cyclone Promotions have worked tirelessly over the past couple of months to secure this fight and we are overjoyed for Carl. We are in discussions with a number of venues and we will announce the venue of the fight shortly.”

“Since [the first fight], when I get up at five in the morning to go training, I remember him. For me, to defeat him is a greater motivation than the chance to unify the belts,” Martinez said. “I will never forget that night and I will prove that it was just a bad day for me. I am world champion now and my legacy will be bigger for facing Carl Frampton.”

Sampson Lewkowicz, Martinez’s adviser, said his man would gain revenge. “Yes, he lost the first fight, but he had promotion and managerial problems and was totally underpaid for that fight,” Lewkowicz said. “Mentally he was not in the best condition. It’s totally different now. He will knock him out.”

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, Floyd Mayweather announced that he no longer will have Golden Boy Promotions promote his fights after the resignation of Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer on Monday, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

When asked if Mayweather would work with Golden Boy again without Schaefer, said Leonard Ellerbe, CEO of Mayweather Promotions. “Absolutely not.”

“We have a great working relationship with Richard Schaefer and that will never change,” Ellerbe said. “Richard is a good friend and a great businessman and an excellent promoter. Richard will have an impact in anything that he decides to do, a tremendous impact. He built that company from the ground up and did a phenomenal job. We’ve had a very close relationship for a number of years and worked hand-in-hand on a number of great fights.

“Mayweather Promotions will continue to promote Floyd’s fights and Floyd will continue to put on the biggest fights in boxing. I have a tremendous team and staff and we continue to expand year by year and we’re ready to go.”

“After more than 10 years with Golden Boy, it is time to move on to the next chapter of my career,” Schaefer said in a statement earlier Monday. “This decision has required a great deal of personal reflection, but ultimately I concluded that I have no choice but to leave. I have succeeded in banking and I have succeeded in boxing, and I look forward to the next opportunity.

“I am proud to remain a shareholder, so I have a strong interest in the continued success of the company. I am proud of what we have accomplished at Golden Boy, but I now look forward to new challenges.”

“Richard just put in the resignation (Monday) and I’m not going to speak on what Richard might do next,” Ellerbe said. “That is for Richard to say. But Richard will have a tremendous impact on whatever he decides to do and wherever he goes. We always welcome smart leaders, but I don’t know what his future is.”

“I’ve been in a hundred strategy sessions, I’ve been in a hundred meetings, I’ve been in a hundred planning sessions on our events and the people I’ve worked closely with are Richard and Bruce,” Ellerbe said. “I’ve never seen Oscar in one of those sessions, not once. We’ve never had one discussion about business. But I wish (Golden Boy) nothing but the best.”

“Richard just put in the resignation (Monday) and I’m not going to speak on what Richard might do next,” Ellerbe said. “That is for Richard to say. But Richard will have a tremendous impact on whatever he decides to do and wherever he goes. We always welcome smart leaders, but I don’t know what his future is.”

Ellerbe said that while Golden Boy co-promoted Mayweather’s fights, it was arranged that way only because of Schaefer and his right-hand man, chief operating officer and chief marketing officer Bruce Binkow, who many expect will be leaving Golden Boy shortly in order to join Schaefer in his next endeavor.

“I’ve been in a hundred strategy sessions, I’ve been in a hundred meetings, I’ve been in a hundred planning sessions on our events and the people I’ve worked closely with are Richard and Bruce,” Ellerbe said. “I’ve never seen Oscar in one of those sessions, not once. We’ve never had one discussion about business. But I wish (Golden Boy) nothing but the best.”

Mayweather’s September opponent has not been determined. Ellerbe said Mayweather is on vacation following his May 3 victory against Marcos Maidana, and when he returns “we’ll figure it out. We don’t know who we’re fighting yet or where we’re fighting.”

“We like working with Richard Schaefer. Richard Schaefer is Golden Boy,” Mayweather said. “He does all the day-to-day leg work. He works hard. He’s up late on the phone with Leonard, three, four in the morning, taking flights, and people that’s putting work in like this you got to commend them.

“Richard always has a home over here. We would love to work with him hand-in-hand if he has any problems over there because we know it’s a company Richard Schaefer built. We working hand-in-hand already. We would love to work with Richard. He’s a great guy, a great father. Richard knows the door is always open. Richard Schaefer knows he’s family.”

Schaefer, also speaking a few days before Mayweather-Maidana, addressed his future and the possibility of working with Mayweather if he were to leave Golden Boy.

“Floyd and me are friends, we have a close relationship but truth be told, I haven’t had any conversations with Floyd because I don’t think that would be appropriate, because I have a job at Golden Boy and I’m gonna continue to do it,” Schaefer said. “But once I do either stay or not stay, whatever the decision gonna be, then I will look at what opportunities are out there and, obviously, Floyd, whether I’m there or not there has a bright future.

“Al and me are friends. We work very well together. We have done good business together. He’s a businessman I highly respect and regard. His accomplishments are not just in the sport of boxing. But I am not going to discuss my thoughts. I don’t really think about what I’m gonna do next. I have a pretty good idea.”

In a move that has been rumored for week, Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer resigned his post after alleged disagreements with Oscar De La Hoya, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com

“After more than 10 years with Golden Boy, it is time to move on to the next chapter of my career,” Schaefer said in a statement. “This decision has required a great deal of personal reflection, but ultimately I concluded that I have no choice but to leave. I have succeeded in banking and I have succeeded in boxing, and I look forward to the next opportunity.

“I am proud to remain a shareholder, so I have a strong interest in the continued success of the company. I am proud of what we have accomplished at Golden Boy, but I now look forward to new challenges.

Schaefer, who served as De La Hoya’s business manager before they founded Golden Boy, said he tendered his resignation to De La Hoya in their Los Angeles office on Monday but did not want to go into details “or make too many further comments on the advice of my attorneys, but I am no longer working for Golden Boy. But I’m not going to discuss what Oscar and me discussed,” he told ESPN.com. “Now I just have to see what I’m going to do next.

“When the time comes I will communicate what I am going to do. I wish it didn’t end like this. I spent a lot of time with this company and I’m very proud of what I have accomplished. There’s nothing to be ashamed about.

“When I left the banking business to go with Oscar I was the No. 1 private banker in the U.S. and I left happy. I moved on to a new challenge. I’m ready for another new challenge.

“What I will do is reflect on all of this, but I believe one way or the other I will be involved in boxing,” Schaefer said. “But I’m not going to talk about what I’m going to do or when I’m going to do it. It’s a big day for me to walk away. I left on my own. I don’t want to talk about it but, obviously, there were issues.”

Monday’s resignation apparently caught De La Hoya by surprise. Just a couple of hours beforehand, De La Hoya did an interview with ESPN.com about his Hall of Fame career and was asked about Schaefer’s future with the company.

“Things are getting worked out, our lawyers are talking,” said De La Hoya, Golden Boy’s majority shareholder. “My orders to my lawyer have been I don’t want Richard to leave. I want him to stay. I don’t know what Richard’s lawyers have been talking to my lawyers about.

“Richard has been the CEO for many years and I don’t want him to go. But Golden Boy is my baby and I’m going to do what’s best for my company.”

Javier Fortuna remained undefeated by scoring an entertaining 10-round unanimous decision over Juan Antonio Rodriguez in a Super Featherweight bout at the Tropicana in Las Vegas.

In round three, Fortuna scored a knockdown from a barrage of punches. Late in the round, Rodriguez cut Fortuna over his right eye. Just before the end of the bell, Rodriguez landed a left hand that sent Fortuna to the canvas but it was ruled a slip by referee Robert Byrd.

Although his eye continued to swell and was basically shut by the 9th round, Fortuna continued to box well and hit Rodriguez with a furious flurry of punches in the 9th that caused a cut over the left eye of Rodriguez.

Fortuna, 130 1/2 lbs of the Dominican Republic won by scores of 98-91 on all cards and is now 25-0-1. Rodriguez, 129 1/2 lbs of Ciudad, MX is now 26-5.

Luis Rosa remained undefeated with a 10-round unanimous decision over Luis Orlando Del Valle in a Super Bantamweight bout.

Rosa used his physical strength to grind out shots on the inside. Rosa had two blemishes as he was dropped in round five from a combination and deducted a point in round eight for low blows. the accumulation of blows forced a cut on the bridge of the nose of Del Valle.

Rosa, 121 1/4 lbs of New Haven, CT won by scores of 97-91, 97-92 and 98-91 and is now 17-0. Del Valle, 121 1.2 lbs of Bayamon, PR is now 18-2.

Carl Froch silenced any critics as he stopped George Groves for the 2nd time in eight months, this time in front of over 80,000 spectators at Wembley Stadium in London to retain his IBF/WBA Super Middleweight titles.

Groves boxed well over the first four rounds as he was quicker with the jab and landed an occasional right hand against Froch, who looked lethargic as he did not turn up his energy. Froch started landing with some solid shots in round five and began to slowly dictate the action. In round six and seven, Froch continued to come on strong by mixing in body shots.

In round eight, Froch landed a booming right hand that sent Groves down. With Groves’leg bent underneath him, referee Charlie Fitch immediately waved the fight off at 2:43 of round eight.

Froch, 167 1/4 lbs of Nottingham, England is now 33-2 with 24 knockouts. Groves, 166 1/4 lbs of London is now 19-2.

Nonito Donaire won the WBA Featherweight title with a unanimous technical decision over Simpiwe Vetyeka at the Cotai Arena in the Venetian in Macau, China.

Donaire was cut over the left eye in round one and he did not stop bleeding throughout the fight. It was a close fight with Donaire landing the more effective blows. Vetyeka was effective in spots. Doanire sealed the fight when he landed a booming left hook in the middle of an exchange that sent Vetyeka to canvas. Donaire was seen by the ringside doctor multiple times during the fight and the contest was stopped at the beginning of round five with Donaire ahead 49-46 on all cards.

Donaire, 126 lbs of General City, Philippines is now 33-2. Vetyeka, 125 1/2 lbs of South Africa is now 26-3.

122 pound world champion Guillermo Rigondeaux will defend his title on July 19 in Macau, China against Sod Kokietgym according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“This fight is the end of the contract. We owe him this fight and we will live up to the contract and then it’s over,” Arum said. “We’re happy to make a new deal with him if he wants to renegotiate (his minimum purses). But HBO won’t put him on, so the only market I have for him is in Asia.

“If he makes a big hit when he fights (in Macau) then we have to work out the money, and if we can’t, we can’t. If he feels there’s a market for him across the street (at Showtime), let him go across the street.”

Rocky Juarez resurrected his career by scoring a 12-round unanimous decision in a Featherweight bout over Rene Alvarado at Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas

Juarez used his experience and got inside to land the harder blows. His body shots started to slow down Alvarado in round seven. Alvarado came back to make a hard stand late in the fight but Juarez precision punching early and then again in round 12 when he rocked Alvarado with a hard right hand was the difference.

Juarez, 125 1/4 lbs of Houston, Texas has been so close to the mountain top on many occasions won his 2nd straight bout following a six bout losing streak. Scores were 117-111 and 116-112 twice and he is now 30-10-1. Alvarado, 126 1/2 lbs of Managua, NIC is now 20-3.

Keandre Gibson remained undefeated with a 4th round stoppage over John Nater in a scheduled 8-round Welterweight bout.

Gibson landed a straight right to the ribs that sent Nater down in pain and the fight was stopped with Nater on the canvas at 2:02 of round four.

Gibson, 143 1/4 lbs of St. Louis, MO is now 10-0-1 with 5 knockouts. Nater, 143 1/2 lbs of Bayamon, PR is now 13-6.

Ryan Karl made a successful pro debut with a 2nd round stoppage over Wilbert Mitchell in a scheduled 4-round Welterweight bout.

Karl dominated an overmatched Mitchell and landed a flurry of punches on the ropes that forced referee Steve Smoger to stop the bout at 2:00 of round two.

Karl, 142 1/2 lbs of Houston, TX is 1-0 with 1 knockout. Mitchell, 142 1/2 lbs of Dallas, TX is 1-11.

Adonis Stevenson survived a couple anxious moments but he retained the WBC Light Heavyweight title with a 12-round unanimous decision over Andrzej Fonfara at the Bell Centre in Montreal

In round one Stevenson landed a hard left and sent Fonfara to the canvas. Stevenson was all over Fonfara and tried to end the fight in the opening frame. The shots opened up a cut around the right eye of Fonfara in round three. Fonfara settled down and had a decent round four. In round five, Steveson landed a hard left to the body that put Fonfara on the canvas. When Fonfara got to his feet, Stevenson continued to work the body and then landed a huge uppercut. Stevenson hurt Fonfara yet again in round six with a hard right to the body.

Fonfara hung in and tried to work behind the jab in round seven. The fight turned in round nine when a right hook sent Stevenson down to the canvas. Fonfara continued to pepper Stevenson with shots throughout the round. Round ten was a good bounce back round for Stevenson as he hurt Fonfara on a couple of occasions by mixing up head and body shots. Stevenson came out in round 11 by battering the body and then hurt Fonfara with an uppercut. The two battled to the end which was much to the delight of the crowd at the Bell Centre

Stevenson, 173 1/2 lbs of Montreal won by scores of 115-110 twice and 116-109 and is now 24-1. Fonfara, 174 1/2 lbs of Chicago is 24-3.

After the fight, Stevenson told SHOWTIME Sports® ringside reporter Jim Gray, “(It was a) good fight. I hurt my left hand in the second round. He did very well. I threw the punch but I caught the elbow and I hurt my hand.”

Stevenson was satisfied with his victory despite getting knocked down. “Everyone gets knocked down. But I came back strong. I showed the world because I’m a true champion.

“I told everybody (Fonfara) is strong. He’s been training since December. He is ranked No. 1 and No. 3 in the world. He was ready for this fight. I never overlooked him because he’s a tough fighter.”

When asked by Gray about the prospect of fighting Bernard Hopkins and Sergey Kovalev, Stevenson said, “I accept any challenge. Bernard can be next. And I have no problem with Kovalev. If I fight him I fight him.”

Fonfara, despite the loss, made an emphatic statement. After the fight, he said, “I survived because I have the heart to fight. Every time he hit me I felt the punch. Tonight Stevenson is better. I’m still young. I’m only 26 years old. I’m training hard and one day I’ll be a world champion.”

Middleweight power puncher destroyed former world title challenger Fernando Guerrero in round three of a scheduled 12-round bout.

Guerrero had a good first two-minutes of the bout as he darted in and landed lead lefts. Lemieux finally caught Guerrero with a massive left hook that set up two hard rights that sent Guerrero to the canvas. In round two, Guerrero landed huge shots and opened up a cut from the right eye. Lemieux scored a second knockdown at the end of the round from a hard combination. Lemieux was relentless to start round three to the point Guerrero to a knee without a punch being thrown. With the blood streaming out of his eye, Guerrero went down from hard uppercuts and the fight was stopped at 1:56 of round three.

Lemieux, 159 1/2 lbs of Montreal is now 32-2 with 30 knockouts. Guerrero, 159 lbs of Los Angeles is now 26-3.

“I knew Fernando Guerrero is a very strong fighter. Very tough,” said Lemieux. “He’s been down many times and always gets back up. Once I started to land my shots I could see it in his eyes that the game started to change.

“The results in the ring are from my dedication and my training. I want to tip my hat to Fernando Guerrero. He is a great fighter. I studied him for many months prior to the fight. So I am very happy with the outcome.”

“I’m determined to be a world champion. I would love to fight anyone in the world at 160.”

Jr. Middleweight Jermell Charlo remained undefeated with a 12-round unanimous decision over Charlie Ohta.

Charlo took charge with his boxing in the first 2 rounds. In round three, Ohta landed a right hand that sent Charlo to the canvas. Charlo was not hurt and boxed as if nothing happend and came back to land a hard upper cut the bell. Charlo continued to box and mix up his punches with right and left hooks. He jabbed well too. Ohta would get in an occasional nice counter.

In round nine, Charlo was deducted a point for low blows but was never threatened during the fight.

Charlo, 153 3/4 lbs of Houston won by scores of 115-111 and 118-109 twice and is now 24-0. Ohta, 153 lbs of Tokyo is now 24-2-1.

After the fight, Charlo said that he was not concerned with the knockdown. “To me, I slipped. I didn’t feel the solid shot. He hit me with the right hand. He just caught me off balance. But it is what it is.

“This was a rough one. I did what I had to do tonight.”
Good looking Jr. Middleweight prospect Julian Williams remained undefeated with a terrific 8th round stoppage in a 10-round bout.

Williams dominated with quick over hand rights in the 1st couple of rounds. He rocked Medina on several occasions through out the fight. In round six, he shook Medina with a beautiful 10 punch combination for which 6 of the punches landed flush. In round eight, Williams landed a perfect double right hand that sent Medina to the canvas and the fight was stopped upon Medina getting to his feet at the count of 10 at 1:59 of round 8.

Williams, 154 3/4 lbs of Philadelphia is now 16-0-1 with 10 knockouts. Medina, 154 lbs of Los Angeles, CA is now 26-5-2.

Light Heavyweight prospect Eleider Alvarez scored a 10-round unanimous decision over Alexander Johnson.

Alavarez dominated with a the right hand against the southpaw Johnson. In round five, Alavarez dropped Johnson with a combination. Johnson was able to get out of the round finished the fight as Alavarez seemed content to box from the outside.

Alvarez, 175 lbs of Montreal won by scores of 97-92 on all cards and is now 15-0. Johnson, 171 1/2 lbs of Washington, DC is now 15-2.

PHILADELPHIA (MAY 27, 2014)–Petr Petrov and Willie Monroe Jr. won the Boxcino 2014 lightweight and middleweight tournaments respectively as Petrov stopped Fernando Carcamo in round 8, while Monroe pounded a 10-round unanimous decision over Brandon Adams at the Turning Stone Resort Casino.

Petrov landed a nice right in round three. Petrov kept up the solid pace as he landed some shots inside the long punches of Carcamo. In round four, Petrov landed two solid uppercuts and a right hand on the inside. In round five, Petrov began to work the body with hard lefts that set off a volume of punches to the head.

Petrov rocked Carcamo in round six with a flurry of punches that had Carcamo stumbling around the ring. In round seven, Petrov began to pound away in spots before landing a big right hand in the final twenty seconds of the round. Petrov landed a huge left and right just before the bell sounded for good measure. The fight could have been stopped in between rounds but Carcamo came out for the 8th but it did not last long as Petrov landed a left and right and the fight was stopped 40 seconds into round 8.

Petrov, 134 lbs of Madrid, Spain is now 35-3 with 17 knockouts. Carcamo, 135 lbs of Ciudad, Obregon, Mexico is now 17-6.

“We had a game plan and it played out like we wanted,”said Petrov.

“The key was my movement that kept him off balance. He never hurt me to the head, but I felt my body shots. This is a great boom to my career. I want to be big in the United States. This is where great events happen and I plan to have a great career here,”finished Petrov.

Said Carcamo, “This was not my night. He was the better man.”

Willie Monroe Jr. won the Boxcino, NABA and NABO Middleweight titles with a 10-round unanimous decision over previously undefeated Brandon Adams.

Monroe Jr. was successful with his jab in the first three rounds. Late in round three, Adams landed an overhand right that set off a nice exchange on the inside. Adams came on to start round four by battling on the inside but Monroe put together some crisp combinations to close out the frame. Adams began round five working well on the inside only to eat some hard shots in return. Adams came back to land a flush right in the corner.

In round six, Adams landed a good right hand that sent Monroe into the corner. Moments later, Monroe shot back with a good counter left. Adams got into a pattern of following Monroe around the ring and kept getting caught with combinations. Adams had a good round eight as he had Monroe against the ropes for an elongated period. Monroe was able to fight off in spots and land some solid blows. Adams continued to press the action but Monroe was deft at moving away and in round nine began to dance around the ring.

Monroe Jr, 159 1/2 lbs of Rochester, NY won by scores of 99-91 on all cards and is now 17-1. Adams, 158 lbs of Los Angeles, CA is now 14-1.

“That kid is strong as hell,”said Monroe Jr.

“I knew he was strong, I just had to show him things that he has not seen. He shook me up a couple times and I had

Vitor Jones De Oliviera registered a 4-round unanimous decision over Michael Jackson in a Jr. Lightweight bout.

De Oliviera dropped Jackson with a left hook and round three and controlled the action throughout the fight.

De Oliviera, 131 lbs of Salvador, Brazil is the nephew of Brazilian

In a Heavyweight slug fest, Eric George picked up his 1st victory with a 4-round unanimous decision over Raymond Santiago.

George bloodied Santiago’s nose as early as round two and landed the harder shots which led to his victory by scores of 40-36 on all cards.

George, 202 lbs of Niagara Falls, NY is 1-6. Santiago, 232 lbs of Albany, NY is 0-3.

Marcus Hall scored an 4-round majority decision over previously undefeated Cesar Vila in a Jr. Middleweight bout.

Scores were 40-36, 39-37 and 38-38 for Hall, 151 lbs of Rochester, NY and he is now 8-6-1. Vila, 154 lbs of Austin, TX is now 6-1.

Samuel Teah scored a 4-round unanimous decision over Jeremy Graves in Lightweight fight.

Scores were 40-36 on all cards for Teah, 137 lbs of Philadelphia and is now 4-0. Graves, 137 lbs of Niagara Falls, NY is now 0-3.

Oscar Torres scored a 1st round knockdown en route to a 4-round unanimous decision over Cornelius Whitlock in a battle of undefeated Welterweights.

Scores were 40-35 on all cards for Torres, 144 lbs of Anaheim, California and he is now 3-0. Whitlock, 144 lbs of Baltimore, MD is now 3-1-2.

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, undefeated Middleweight Matt Korobov will make his HBO debut when he takes on Jose Uzctegui in a Middleweight bout on June 28 on the Terence Crawford – Yuriorkis Gamboa undercard in Omaha, Nebraska.

“It’s what [HBO’s] ‘Boxing After Dark’ is really about — two undefeated fighters risking a lot in the hopes of getting to the next level,” Top Rank vice president Carl Moretti told ESPN.com after finalizing Korobov-Uzcategui. “I applaud [HBO executive] Peter Nelson for coming up with this matchup and, obviously, the fighters for taking the risk.

“Both fighters are undefeated, but undefeated records are sorta like bikinis. They show more than they reveal.”

Pound for pound king, Floyd Mayweather will return to the ring on September 13 according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“Floyd will go on Sept. 13 and we looking at who he’s going to fight and where he is going to fight,” said Mayweather Promotions CEO Leonard Ellerbe. “Obviously, Las Vegas is his home and the MGM Grand is always the leading candidate but we will take a look at our other options.”

“[Barclays Center chief executive] Brett [Yormark] and those guys at the Barclays Center made a tremendous offer for the Maidana fight and I’m sure they’ll be looking to be in the Floyd Mayweather business again come September, but the MGM is Floyd’s home and they are always the leading candidate,” Ellerbe said.

“We’re looking at opponents now,” he said. “In the next two weeks we’ll have that part figured out.”

There was a lot of postfight discussion about a Mayweather-Maidana rematch because of how competitive and entertaining the fight was. Mayweather said immediately afterward that he would consider fighting the Argentine brawler again and Maidana, of course, said he would like another crack at him.

“He’s definitely in the mix,” Ellerbe said. “He’s a very dirty fighter. He used a lot of dirty tactics, but Floyd handled him easily and he gave the fans a great fight. But there’s a long list of opponents. Everybody wants to be in the Floyd Mayweather sweepstakes. Several guys have made it clear they want to be next.”

“If Amir Khan wants to flight Floyd Mayweather, we’re going to fight on Sept. 13,” Ellerbe said.

The pay-per-view figures for Mayweather-Maidana have not been reported yet, but Ellerbe said they will be soon.

“When we have the information together to put out an accurate number we will do so,” he said.

Various industry sources have said the fight did not reach 1 million buys and some say it sold considerably less. Ellerbe said he does not know what the fight generated yet.

“We’re still going through our accounting. In this day and age accounting takes a little longer because the pay-per-view universe is different than it was just a few years ago,” he said. “In order to get an accurate number it takes a little longer. When we put out the number we want to put out the right number.”

Undefeated prospect Jose Ramirez scored a 2nd round stoppage over Jesus Selig in a scheduled 6-round Wlterweight bout at the Selland Arena in Fresno, California.

Ramirez dropped Selig with a left to the body in round two and upon Selig getting to his feet, the referee waved the bout off at 44 seconds of round two.

Ramirez, 141 1/2 lbs of Avenal, CA is now 10-0 with 8 knockouts. Selig, 142 lbs of Mexico is now 16-3-1.

Heavyweight contender Andy Ruiz Jr. remained undefeated by stopping Manuel Quezada in round two of their scheduled 10-round Heavyweight bout.

Ruiz sent Quezada to a knee in round one from a barrage of punches that was capped off by a right to the head. Ruiz dropped Quezada in round two from an over hand right. Ruiz worked the body and landed some hard shots to the head and referee Marcos Rosales stopped the bout at 2:00 of round two.

Ruiz, 250 lbs of Mexicali. MX is now 22-0 with 16 stoppages. Quezada, 230 lbs of Wasco, Ca is now 29-9.

Undefeated prospect Jose Benavidez Jr. scored a 6-round beatdown of Angel Hernandez in a Jr. Middleweight bout.

Benavidez scored knockdowns in round’s one, four and five and had Hernandez hurt several other times during the bout and won by scores of 60-51 on all cards.

Benaveidez, 150 1/2 lns of Phoenix, AZ is now 20-0. Hernandez, 150 3/4 lbs of Gary, IN is now 16-16-1.

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, WBA Middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin will return to action Most likely on July 26 at Madison Square possibly against former IBF champion Daniel Geale.

“We feel Geale would be the biggest name available, and that’s why we’ve asked for an exception,” said Golovkin’s promoter Tom Loeffler said. “We’re not ruling Chavez out, but it’s definitely not going to happen in July, and Gennady can’t wait. Hopefully, the fight can happen later in the year.”

Added Golovkin: “It doesn’t matter who I fight, but I’m always looking forward to the future.”

Juan Manuel Marquez scored a 12-round unanimous decision over Mike Alvarado in a Welterweight bout at the Forum in Inglewood, California.

Marquez took control early by landing hard and quick combinations as Alvarado came in without throwing many punches. Marquez racked up rounds with the same formula and began to chop up the face of Alvarado. When Alvarado did throw it was one at a time and was quite disappointing as he did not use his size advantage in close.

In round eight, Marquez planted Alvarado on the canvas from a hard right hand. Alvarado’s one glimmer of hope came in the next round when he connected on a right hand that rocked Marquez back and stumbling to the point where both of his gloves touched the canvas for a knockdown. The two stood toe to toe for much of the 9th which thrilled the large crowd on hand for the return of boxing to the Forum.

That was the high point of the fight as Marquez composed himself to continue to box masterfully by mixing up leads, counter and body shots and cutting up both eyes of Alvarado.

Marquez, 141 3/4 lbs of Mexico City won by scores of 117-109 twice and 119-108 and adds to his Hall of Fame mark of 56-7-1. Alvarado, 143 1/4 lbs of Thornton, CO is now 34-3.

Viktor Postol scored an 11th round stoppage over Selcuk Aydin in a scheduled 12-round Jr. Welterweight bout.

Postol continued to pepper Aydin with quick combinations in between left hook attempts by Aydin. AYdin did get through on occasion. Aydin started to take over the fight in the middle rounds as he started to batter Aydin. Aydin was docked a point in the 11th round for hitting behind the head. That would not matter as just seconds later, Postol landed a thunderous uppercut that sent Aydin to the canvas. Aydin;s head bounced off the floor at the fight was stopped at 2:53 of round 11.

Postol, 139 3/4 lbs of Hollywood, CA is now 26-0 with 11 knockouts. Aydin, 139 1/4 lbs is 26-3.

Former world title challenger Diego Magdaleno scored a 8-round unanimous decision over Oscar Bravo in a Lightweight bout.

Magdaleno scored a knockdown in round four from a body shot.

Scores were 80-71 twice and 79-72 for Magdaleno, 132 1/2 lbs of Las Vegas and is now 26-1. Bravo, 136 1/2 is 26-4.

Oscar Valdez scored a stoppage after the 7th round over Noel Echevarria in a scheduled 8-round Super Featherweight bout.

Valdez, 129 1/2 lbs is now 11-0 with 11 knockouts. Echevarria, 130 lbs is 11-3.

Zachary Wohlman scored a four round unanimous decision over Eddie Cordova in a Welterweight bouts.

Scores were 40-36 and 39-37 twice for Wohlman, 143 1/2 lbs and is now 8-1-1. Cordova, 143 3/4 lbs is 4-8-1.

Brad Solomon remained undefeated with 8-round unanimous decision over Armen Ovespyan in a Welterweight bout.

Scores were 79-73 twice and 78-74 for Solomon, 149 1/4 lbs and is 22-0. Ovespyan, 146 3/4 lbs id 14-4.

Raul Hirales scored a 3rd round stoppage over Ernest Guerrero in round three of their scheduled 8-round Featherweight bout.

Hirales sent Guerrero down in round one from a right hand. Hirales then landed a big uppercut in round three and Guerrero could not beat at 2:31 of round three.

Hirales, 124 1/2 lbs of Mexico is now 22-2-1 with 11 knockouts. Guerrero, 121 1/4 lbs of Mexico is now 17-11.

Gabino Saenz scored a 3rd round knockout over Felix Perez in a scheduled six round Featherweight bout.

Saenz dropped Perez with a left and referee Jack Reiss counted 10 at 1:29 of round three.

Saenz, 127 3/4 lbs of Indio, CA is now 12-0-2 with 9 knockouts. Perez, 127 lbs is 8-6.

Pedro Duran scored a 1st round stoppage over Dominica Coca in a scheduled 4-round Super Featherweight bout.

Duran landed a perfect left hook to the body that sent Coca down for referee Thomas Taylor’s 10 count at 1:09 of round one.

Durna, 129 3/4 lbs of Paramount, CA is now 6-0 with 4 knockouts. Coca, 130 lbs of Downey, CA is now 8-8.

Edwin Solis spoiled the pro debut of Yuri Trogiyanov in the 6th and final scheduled round of their Featherweight bout.

Solis kept constant pressure and bloodied the nose of Trogiyanov over the 1st five round. Solid jumped on Trogiyano and landed a barrage of punches that forced referee Jerry Cantu to stop the fight at 1:07 of round six.

Solis, 126 lbs of Pomona. CA is now 6-2-3 with 4 knockouts. Trogiyanov, 125 1/2 lbs of Hollywood, CA was making his pro debut.

Cameron Kreal scored an upset victory by scoring a 4-round split decision over Manuel Lopez in a Welterweight bout.

One judge had the fight even at 38-38 while two scores read 39-37 for Kreal.

Kreal, 141 1/2 lbs is 5-5-2. Lopez, 141 1/4 lbs is now 5-1.

Photos by Chris Farina / Top Rank

Lee Selby earned a shot at WBC Featherweight champion Jhonny Gonzalez with a 12-round unanimous decision over Romulo Koasicha in a WBC title elimination bout as well as a WBC International title fight at the Motorpoint Arena in Cardiff, Wales.

Selby was effective with the volume of punches just doing a solid job of keeping Koasicha on the receiving end of three and four punch combinations. Koasicha had a few opportunities in round’s five and seven as he got through with some solid left hooks but he was not able to capitalize on t his few effective moments. Down the stretch, Selby was not challenged in the least as he boxed and moved well and cruised home to the victory to the tune of 119-109, 119-109 and 119-110.

Selby, 125 1/2 lbs of Barrie, Wales is now 19-1. Koasicha, 125 1/2 lbs of San Luis Potasi, Mexico drops to 21-4.

Former world Light Heavyweight champion Nathan Cleverly made a splash in his Cruiserweight debut by taking out Shawn Corbin in round two of their scheduled 12-round WBA Intercontinental title bout.

Cleverly hurt Corbin with and uppercut and was relentless with pinpoint punches that continued to snap the head of Corbin back until referee Richie Davies stopped the bout at 2:19 of round two.

Cleverly, 198 1/2 lbs of Wales is now 27-1 with 13 knockouts. Corbin, 195 1/2 lbs of Trinidad and Tobago is now 17-5.

Former world champion Gavin Rees and Gary Buckland staged their 2nd war in just over three months that saw Rees capture a split decision in a 12 round Lightweight bout that was Rees’ final ring outing.

The two traded hard shots in close for basically all 12 rounds that saw many ebbs and flows during the contest. Both guys landed hard thudding shots and had each other in trouble. Rees was cut over his left eye in round 10 but came back to rock Buckland several times in the final two frames.

Rees had Buckland in trouble in the final round but Buckland came on to land a few good power punches of his own.

Rees, 137 lbs of Newbridge, Wales won by scores of 117-113 and 117-112 while Buckland took a card 117-112.

Rees finishes his career with a record of 38-4-1. Buckland, 137 of Cardiff, Wales is now 28-4.

Good looking Super Middleweight prospect Callum Smith took out Tobias Webb in round two of their scheduled 10-round WBC International Super Middleweight bout.

Smith droped Webb four times in round two, three of them were from vicious body shots. The final knockdown was a left to the body that sent Webb down on all fours and he was counted out at 2:50 of round two.

Smith, 166 3/4 lbs of Liverpool is now 11-0 with 9 knockouts. Webb, 167 1/2 lbs is now 14-2-1.

Paul Smith Jr tuned up for a potential world title shot with Arthur Abraham with a 2nd round destruction over David Sarabia in a eight round Light Heavyweight bout.

Smith dropped Sarabia in the 1st round from a right hand. He hurt Sarabia in round two and pounced on him with a big barrage of punches and the fight was stopped at 1:17 of round two.

Smith, 171 3/4 lbs of Liverpool, UK is now 35-3 with 20 KO’s. Sarabia, 170 1/4 lbs of Spain is now 7-4-2.

Joel Diaz Jr. remained undefeated by scoring a 10-round unanimous decision over Tyler Asselstine in a Jr. Lightweight bout at the Fox Theater at the Foxwoods Casino in Mashentucket, Connecticut.

Diaz dominated the bout as he landed the harder shots. Asselstine landed some good shots and kept on coming but he was deducted a point in round seven for spitting out his mouthpiece.

Diaz, 130 lbs of Palmdale, CA won by scores of 97-92 on all cards and is now 16-0. Asselstine, 130 lbs of Toronto is now 14-2.

Frank Galarza remained undefeated with an 8-round unanimous decision over Sebastien Bouchard in a Jr. Middleweight bout.

Galarza controlled the action and landed the harder blows. Bouchard was able to get in a few looping shots and despite the fact that Galarza was docked a point for low blows in round eight, it was not enough as Galarza won by scores of 77-74, 77-74 and 78-73.

Galarza, 153 lbs of Brooklyn is now 14-0-2. Bouchard, 154 lbs of Quebec City, Canada is now 8-1

Delvin Rodriguez and former world champion Joachim Alcine battled to a 10-round draw in a Jr. Middleweight bout at the Olympic Stadium in Montreal.

It seemed like Rodriguez controlled the bout from the outside but Alcine made it close with his inside work..

Rodriguez, 158.8 lbs of the Dominican Republic won a card 97-93. Alcine, 153 lbs of Canada won a card 96-94 while a 3rd card read even at 95-95.

Rodriguez is now 28-7-4. Alcine is 35-7-1.

Derric Rossy scored a 10 round majority decision over Joe Hanks in a Heavyweight bout.

Rossy won by scores of 98-92, 97-92 and 95 95 and is now 29-8.

Robert Guerrero will back after more than a year layoff when he faces Yoshihro Kamegai on June 21 at the StubHub Center in Carson, California according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

Richard Schaefer said the other two bouts on the card would be former welterweight titlist Devon Alexander facing Jesus Soto Karass in a 10-round welterweight contest and Gary Russell Jr. squaring off with Vasyl Lomachenko for a vacant featherweight world title.

“This has the potential to be one of the most entertaining tripleheaders we have ever put together,” Schaefer said. “I think it will provide fireworks.”

“I talked with Al (Haymon) and we decided that it was in everyone’s best interest to have Robert back in the ring sooner than later,” Schaefer said. “We worked out a deal for this fight. There is a promotional contract and there is no lawsuit. Sometimes you turn the page and move on. It wasn’t a hostile situation. It was like, ‘OK, let’s get him back in the ring.’

“But Robert will have been out of the ring for more than year and we’ll have to see what kind of ring rust he will have, if any. I think the way he is looking at this is that he is starting the next chapter against a guy who has been active and is very exciting. I think it’s a very entertaining fight.”

Alexander (25-2, 14 KOs), 27, of St. Louis, will be looking to rebound from losing his welterweight title to Shawn Porter, who won a unanimous decision in a December upset.

“I think it’s a 50-50 fight,” Schaefer said. “I have to give it to Devon to take a fight which is really not a tune-up but is a real fight. When Devon has someone as physical as Soto Karass in front of him that poses a real threat.”

“Soto Karass is a tough customer. He knocked out Andre Berto. Everybody he fights, he fights tough,” said Kevin Cunningham, Alexander’s trainer and manager. “He had Keith Thurman hurt. You gotta be ready when you get in there with a tough veteran like Soto Karass. But Devon is ready to go. He had a minor setback (against Porter). That’s what happens. Sometimes you got to have a setback to get your focus back where it should be.

“Devon’s dusted himself off and is ready to get back on the horse and get in with the elites of the division. I look at this as a good fight coming off a loss. Devon will have to be on his game.”

“With Devon and Robert on the same card it’s the perfect set up for a showdown later in the year,” Cunningham said. Said Schaefer, “I like the idea of that fight. I like it a lot.”

“We think that Gary is one of the most skilled fighters irrespective of weight class,” Schaefer said. “I know that he has been criticized because of the weak opposition he has faced but he is one of the most avoided fighters. It is always a challenge for the matchmakers to find an opponent for him because guys don’t want to fight Gary Russell. If he could have, he would have fought a year ago for a world title but we had to move him into position. He has been waiting for this opportunity. This is a big thing.

“Lomachenko one of the most decorated amateurs but the pros are a bit different. It will be interesting. Gary has more experience in the pro ranks but I felt Lomachenko looked pretty good against Salido. He’s not taking a step back. He is going right back into the fire, and you have to respect him for that.”

Donnie Nietes scored a 9th round stoppage over Mosies Fuentes in a reamatch and retain the WBO Light Flyweight title at The SM Mall of Asia Arena in Manila, Philippines.

Nietes dropped Fuentes three times in round nine. Nietes was docked a point in the same round when he Fuentes when he was down after on of those knockdowns. The time of the stoppage was 2:56.

Nietes is now 33-1-4 with 19 knockouts. Fuentes is 19-2-1.

Milan Milendo Scored a 12-roind majority decisions over Martin Tecuapleta in a Flyweight bout.

Milendo won by scores of 116-112, 115-113 and one card was even 114-114 and is now 31-1. Tecuapleta is now 11-6-2.

Bermane Stiverne captured the WBC Heavyweight title with an explosive 6th round stoppage over Chris Arreola at the Galen Center in Los Angeles.

Stiverne hurt Arreola at the end of the first frame from a hard combination. That only seemed to wake Arreola as in round’s three and four, he had Stiverne in trouble with quick and hard combinations.

In round six, Stiverne landed a huge right hook to the temple over a Arreola jab and Arreola crumpled to the canvas. Arreola was clearly hurt and ate a huge flurry of punches and went to the deck for a 2nd time. Arreola could have been stopped there but was allowed to continue only to eat a handful more of thudding power shots and referee Jack Reiss stopped the bout at 2:06.

Stiverne, 239 1/2 lbs of Haiti is now 24-1 with 21 knockouts. Arreola, 239 lbs of Riverside, CA is now 36-4.

Amir Imam remained undefeated by scoring an 8-round unanimous decision over Yordenis Ugas in a Jr. Welterweight bout.

Ugas started well over the first three rounds as he was aggressive and countered well. Imam came on in round five and landed some solid flurries over the final five rounds to win by scores of 79-73 and 78-74 twice.

Imam, 139 1/2 lbs is now 14-0. Ugas, 140 lbs is 15-3.

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, undefeated Heavyweight Mike Perez injured his should while training for his May 24 bout with Bryant Jennings and the bout is postponed.

“I was floored when I got the call this morning from Perez’s manager, Patrick Thomas, that he injured his shoulder in sparring,” said Tom Loeffler of K2 Promotions, Perez’s promoter. “Mike is flying back to Ireland to see a shoulder specialist. I’m hoping to hear good news that the injury is not too serious and the fight can be rescheduled in the near future. I know Mike is devastated because of this setback but looks forward to continuing his dream of marching toward a WBC world title fight.”

“When I received the news this afternoon that Perez got injured I felt so bad for Bryant because I know how hard he trained for this fight and how much he was looking forward to fighting for this WBC elimination bout,” Gary Shaw, Jennings’ promoter, said. “I hope that Perez’s injury is minor and we can get these guys back in the ring in a timely manner.”

By Norm Frauenheim-

LAS VEGAS – It was supposed to be easy. It wasn’t.

Floyd Mayweather Jr. got the victory that oddsmakers, pundits and just about everybody not from Argentina thought he would. But it was less than dominant. At times, it was just ugly. Marcos Maidana made sure of it in an exhausting, carpet-bomb style of punching that pushed Mayweather onto the ropes and even through the ropes.

There were few moments, it seemed, when Mayweather wasn’t on the ropes, literally and figuratively. Mayweather got the decision. But there was a qualifier. It wasn’t unanimous. It was a majority decision, meaning it fell one judge short of Mayweather’s predicted dominance.

It was a draw, 114-114, on Michael Pernick’s scorecard. Burt Reynolds had it 117-111 and Dave Mortetti 116-112, each for Mayweather. The draw on Pernick’s card opens the door for a debate about just how good the unbeaten Mayweather was in winning his 46th fight and the third in a rich Showtime contract worth a potential $250 million.

“I’d describe this as a tough, competitive fight,’’ said Mayweather (46-0, 25 KOs), who collected at least $32 million. “Normally, I like to box, but I couldn’t.’’

He couldn’t because of the inexhaustible Maidana, who walked forward in a dogged pursuit of the mythical pound-for-pound champion.

After it was all over, Maidana walked and talked like the winner. In some ways, he even looked the winner. He was unmarked, unlike Mayweather, who was left with a cut above his right eye.

“He never hurt me with a punch,’’ said Maidana (35-4, 31 KOs), who was guaranteed $1.5 million. “I thought I won the fight.’’

Maidana seemed to fight as if he were angry. Perhaps, he was, especially after a glove controversy that wasn’t settled until early Saturday. Maidana was not allowed to wear custom-made gloves that bore Argentina’s blue and white colors. The Mayweather camp objected to them, arguing they lacked the requisite padding along the knuckles.

“He doesn’t fight like a man,’’ Maidana said in Spanish translated into English for the MGM Grand’s crowd, which included a lot of jeering fans from Argentina.

Mayweather escaped with the decision by scoring with precise punches in the later rounds. From the seven through the 12th, Maidana couldn’t quite sustain the pace he had at the beginning. That left him open for counter shots and an effective uppercut. Still, Maidana had enough energy to bull-rush Mayweather in the 11th, pushing him half way through the middle ropes.

Mayweather sustained a cut above his right eye late in the fourth.

“I couldn’t see out of the eye for two rounds,’’ Mayweather said.

A left hook from Maidana appeared to cause the wound, although Maidana’s furious pace made it hard to tell exactly what landed. At times, it looked as if Maidana was trying to land just about everything, all at once.

Maidana wasted no time. In the first, the Maidana whirlwind began, dropping shots from countless angles and at a machinegun rate. Everything was a target. Mayweather’s head and hips. Even Mayweather’s left shoulder was under a sustained assault. Mayweather rolls the shoulder in what is his best-known defensive tactic. Early on, however, the roll was rare, if there at all. There was no time to initiate, much less complete the trademark roll. Mayweather was too busy ducking and leaning back on the ropes.

Mayweather didn’t eliminate the possibility of a rematch. Maidana talked as if he deserved one.

“I’m not scared of him,’’ Maidana said. “Why not do the rematch?’’

It might be in the cards.

Amir Khan restores credibility with tactical decision over Collazo

Amir Khan added pounds to his body and hope to his future.

Kahn restored some lost credibility with a poised, tactical decision over Luis Collazo in a welterweight bout Saturday night before the main event featuring Floyd Mayweather and Marcos Maidana at the MGM Grand.

There will always be doubts about Khan’s notoriously fragile chin. Against the rugged Collazo, however, the former junior-welterweight seemed to fight as though he knew he couldn’t leave it exposed. For the most part, he used his quick feet to stay a step away from Collazo.

Byt the 10th round, his superior athleticism just proved to be too much for Collazo. He knocked down Collazo twice in the round. The first knockdown came at the end of a left uppercut as short as it was beautiful.

For Khan, the inescapable question revolved around what was next. Mayweather? Mayweather had bypassed Khan for Maidana.

“Absolutely,’’ Khan (29-3, 19 KOs) said when asked if he wanted to be next in the Mayweather sweepstakes. “Absolutely.’’

In the fourth, Khan’s hand speed exercised some Mayweather-like superiority with a short right hand that knocked Collazo off-balance and onto the seat of his trunks. Seconds later, Khan staggered him. But the tough Collazo (35-6, 18 KOs) is nothing if not resilient. That’s the story of his long career.

The knockdown seemed to embolden him. He stubbornly moved forward in an evident attempt to draw Khan into a brawl. Khan instinctively moved away, almost as if he knew he couldn’t win the kind of street fight Collazo wanted.

But the stubborn Collazo kept moving forward and kept taunting Khan in the late seconds of each successive round. It was if he was trying to wear down Khan, wear off the slick veneer on the Brit’s versatile skill set. In the eighth, it looked as if Collazo might succeed. He was penalized a point for a low blow. For a fleeting moment, Khan looked fatigued. Collazo staggered him with a right. Khan held on and was penalized a point for holding Collazo’s head.

Broner Big Winner on Cards, Big Loser with Fans
Adrien Broner talks about boos as though they were terms of endearment.

He says he loves to hear them.

He must have been happy Saturday night. Boos filled the MGM Grand Garden Arena for how he won and how he talked about it after scoring a unanimous decision over Carlos Molina, a Mexican-American from Norwalk, Calif.

“I’m the Can Man,’’ Broner (28-1, 22 KOs) told Showtime broadcaster Jim Gray at the center of the ring. “I just beat the bleep out of a Mexi-Can.’’

On a night billed as a celebration of Mexico’s Cinco de Mayo holiday, the patrons were angry enough at the slur to collectively kick Broner’s can. They couldn’t. Neither could the resolute Molina (17-2-1, 7 KOs). But somebody else will if Broner continues to fight with more showmanship than skill.

He mocked Molina in the late rounds, he looked at the crowd in almost every round and threw Molina onto the canvas with a wrestling hold in the third round. There wasn’t much time left for punches and, sure, enough he didn’t throw many. He mixed in just enough to collect a points’ victory in a junior-welterweight bout, his first since Marcos Maidana embarrassed him in December.

“It was a sparring session on national television,’’ said Broner, who showed he can insult pay-per-view customers too

Too Much Love for Periban
J’Leon Love’s story is about learning how to survive. Out of the ring. And in it.

It was a lesson Love (18-0, 10 KOs) put to good use against Marco Antonio Periban (20-2-1, 13 Kos) in the first fight of the pay-per-view portion of the Floyd Mayweather Jr.-Marcos Maidana card. Love, a Mayweather-promoted super-middleweight, survived the fifth round.

A straight right from Periban turned Love’s head violently from one side to the other and eventually put him on the canvas. Periban, of Mexico City, fell back and down in the wild round, apparently from over-exerting himself in an attempt to finish Love. But Love would not go away. First, he regained his equilibrium and then the momentum with careful and precise shots from several angles and enough abundance to win a 10-round unanimous decision.

OFF TV: The non-televised portion of the card was consistent, if not exactly perfect. It went six-for-six. Six fights, six stoppages. The sixth came from Las Vegas cruiserweight Andrew Tabiti, who scored a fourth-round TKO of John Shipman (3-2, 2 KOs) of Amarillo, Tex.

Las Vegas super-middleweight Ronald Gavril (9-0, 7 KOs) remained unbeaten with a fourth-round TKO of Tyrell Hendrix (10-4-2, 3 KOs) of Los Angeles.

British middleweight Anthony Ogogo (6-0, 2 KOs) kept the KO streak going. He scored the card’s fourth straight stoppage, finishing Jonuel Tapia (8-5-1, 5 KOs) of Brooklyn, NY, in the third round.

Ashley Theopane (35-6-1, 10 KOs) of Las Vegas employed speed and precision to overcome a bigger Angino Perez (15-5, 13 KOs) for a fourth-round stoppage of the Miami welterweight. Theopane finished the bout with a succession of punches that drove Perez into the ropes.

Lanell Bellows (7-1-1, 6 KOs), a Las Vegas super-middleweight, scored two knockdowns en route to a second-round stoppage of Thomas Gifford (2-2-1, 1 KO), an Arkansas fighter who went down in the second round as though he had been hit by runaway truck.

More than three hours before Showtime’s pay-per-view telecast began, junior-welterweights Ladarius Miller of Memphis and Richard Colas opened the show. Their punches echoed throughout the empty arena. The biggest echo came from Miller (2-0, 1 KO), who scored a third-round TKO of Colas (11-3, 1 KO).

By Norm Frauenheim

LAS VEGAS – Oscar De La Hoya, founder of Golden Boy Promotions, said he is fighting for his company and that he doesn’t want to fire his CEO, Richard Schaefer.

“Look, nobody is going to dismiss Richard,’’ De La Hoya said Saturday during a news conference before the Floyd Mayweather Jr.-Marcos Maidana fight at the MGM Grand. “I don’t want him to leave.’’

But De La Hoya could not be certain that he won’t. He was asked whether the relationship could be healed.

“I don’t know,’’ he said.

De La Hoya conceded that he had alternate plans if he and Schaefer are unable to end a feud that has disrupted their business.

“I have a Plan B, C and D,’’ said De La Hoya, who hired Schaefer, a former Swiss banker to run the promotional company that is named for him. “I found Richard from the banking world to help me out. I can do that again.’’

The De La Hoya-Schaefer feud is marked by disagreement over whether to have any sort of relationship with rival Bob Arum, De La Hoya’s primary promoter throughout his Hall of Fame career. Schaefer has vowed to never do business with Arum again. De La Hoya visited Arum Thursday at the Top Rank promoter’s home in Los Angeles.

De La Hoya said he only wanted “to bury the hatchet” with Arum. He said no business was discussed. However, De La Hoya did not rule out the possibility that business might be discussed if there is another meeting with Arum.

Another issue involves questions about how many fighters are under contract to Mayweather advisor Al Haymon instead of Golden Boy Promotions. Schaefer has developed a close working relationship with Haymon and Mayweather. Schaefer has said that some fighters have contracts with Haymon and not Golden Boy.

“I don’t have the number,’’ De La Hoya said.

De La Hoya said he hoped to talk to Schaefer about the issues that divide them

“Like Richard said, here are a few things we are not agreeing on,’’ he said. “But it’s nothing that can’t be worked out.’’

“I said what I had to say and I stand by those statements,’’ Schaefer said. “Whatever the future holds, hopefully, we can have this resolved within the next couple of weeks.”

It is believed that De La Hoya reached out to Arum as part of his rehab from substance abuse. De La Hoya went into rehab last September before Mayweather’s victory over Canelo Alvarez.

“Bottom line, I was not well,’’ De La Hoya said. I got caught up in stuff. I was down and out. I really was. Right now, I want to be the real Golden Boy. This company is named Golden Boy for a reason. This is the fight of my life right now. I can win. I know I can.’’

By Norm Fraienheim–

LAS VEGAS – Floyd Mayweather Jr. complained about the lack of padding at the knuckles of Marcos Maidana’s gloves in a controversy that erupted Friday after the weigh-in for their pay-per-view welterweight fight at the MGM Grand.

The Nevada State Athletic Commission ruled that Maidana could not wear the gloves, which were custom made for him by Everlast, Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer said Friday night.

After the Commission’s ruling, negotiations between the respective camps were underway for the kind of gloves that each fighter would wear. Schaefer said the controversy would not put the fight in jeopardy. Mayweather advisor Leonard Ellerbe was quoted as saying there would be no fight if Maidana were allowed to wear the specially-made gloves, which included horsehair for padding and were done in the blue-and-white colors of his home country, Argentina.

“I am absolutely confident that everything will be worked out,’’ Schaefer said. “There will be a fight.’’

Both camps had agreed to wear eight-ounce gloves. However, Mayweather’s management, including Ellerbe and attorney John Hornewer, objected to Maidana’s gloves, complaining that most of padding was at the wrist and not at the knuckles.

“It was like there was one ounce at the knuckles and seven ounces at the wrist,’’ said Elvis Grant, who makes the Grant model that Mayweather plans to wear.

Grant attended the rules meeting. He said Mayweather tried on the Maidana pair that the Argentine planned to wear.

“Floyd said there was no way he’d fight that guy with those gloves on,’’ Grant said.

Maidana is known for his power. With 31 knockouts in 35 fights, he has one of the best KO ratios in boxing.

The glove controversy was just one of many in a week full of them during the build-up for Mayweather-Maidana.

At a weigh-in that sounded like a rap concert, the only excess pounds came from booming speakers loud enough to simulate a small earthquake. The building shook. The scale rocked. The noise was heavy. Only the fighters weren’t.

Both Mayweather and Maidana came in under the 147-pound limit. Mayweather looked bigger and might be much bigger at opening bell, but at 146 pounds he was lighter on the official scale than Maidana, who was at 146-½ for his sixth fight at welterweight.

Mayweather, who had Atlanta rapper 2Chainz in his entourage, appeared calm and confident as ever, despite controversy throughout the week before his third fight in a Showtime contract for a possible six bouts and a potential $250 million.

The week started with Mayweather defending Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling, whom he called “a nice guy” despite Sterling’s racist comments that resulted in the NBA banning him for life. The controversy continued Thursday when Mayweather posted allegations on his Facebook account that his former fiance, Shantel Jackson, aborted their twins because he is pro-life. The post, taken down later in the day, included a photo of what he said was her sonogram.

Showtime broadcaster Jim Gray asked Mayweather about “distractions” after the pound-for-pound champion stepped off the scale.

“Pressure, I love it,’’ said Mayweather, who also promised to do what he does best.

There doesn’t appear to be much pressure on Mayweather (45-0, 26 KOs) in the bout itself. Odds, which have been as high as 11-to-1, have made him the overwhelming favorite since the fight was announced.

If there’s pressure, it’s in how he wins. At different times and in different words, Mayweather has been close to promising his best performance ever. He has said that doesn’t necessarily mean a stoppage. But fans are interpreting it that way. Consider this: The odds are 6-to-5 for Mayweather by KO. A lot of bettors are putting their money on the 10th-round, which would coincide with Mayweather’s 2007 TKO of Ricky Hatton, who — like Maidana – was a natural 140-pounder fighting as a welterweight. Mayweather by KO in the 10th opened at 12-to-1. Late in the week, it had been bet down to 8-to-1.

Predictably, Maidana (35-3, 31 KOs) has said he is not bothered by the overwhelming odds. What else is he going to say?

“I know he’s going to be much bigger, but because of my style I know I can beat him,’’ said Maidana, who possesses one of the best knockout ratios in boxing, yet could not stop Adrien Broner, a former lightweight, in his upset of him in December.

In some ways, Maidana’s slim chance at a monumental upset is reflected in the wealth gap that separates the two purses. Mayweather’s guarantee is $32 million, according to a contract filed with the Nevada State Athletic Commission. Maidana’s guarantee is $1.5 million, according to the Nevada commission. Maidana is expected to get a percentage of Argentina’s television revenue. Nevertheless, Maidana’s guarantee is a fraction of what Mayweather will pocket no matter what the pay-per-view does.

Form the odds to the respective paychecks, it all adds up to Mayweather, unless — and perhaps only if — Maidana gets lucky. In this city of longshots, he might. But the best bet is that his chances at luck are better with a pair of dice at a Vegas’ table than in the ring against Mayweather.

De La Hoya, Arum meet
According to various reports, Oscar De La Hoya met Thursday with Bob Arum at Arum’s home in Los Angeles in an attempt to end the Golden Boy Promotions-Top Rank feud.

“Our relationship is now totally repaired, whether we do any specific business, we will have a friendly relationship between Todd (DuBoef) and I on our side and Oscar,’’ said Arum, De La Hoya’s primary promoter during his Hall of Fame career “We’ll have a collegial relationship.

“It was a very emotional meeting. We hugged each other. Oscar meant a lot to me, and I meant a lot to him. We had a helluva ride together. It was the right thing to do.”

Arum said the meeting lasted about two-and-a-half hours.

“We had lunch,’’ he said. “It was at our vacation house in Los Angeles. There was a good tenor to our conversation. Todd and I met with Oscar, and reminisced about old times. We talked about how it was crazy that we were at odds. We buried the hatchet, and it as a very productive meeting. We never talked any specific business, ever.”

De La Hoya, founder of Golden Boy, has been feuding with his CEO, Richard Schaefer, who has vowed to never to do business with Arum again. Golden Boy has been working as associate promoter for the Mayweather-Maidana fight.

However, De La Hoya has not attended any of the news conferences. He also was not at Friday’s weigh-in.

Also on the scale
Both Amir Khan (28-3, 19 KOs) and Luis Collazo were at the mandatory, 147-pounds, for their key welterweight fight on the televised card. Khan hopes for an impressive victory that will keep him in line for a shot at Mayweather, perhaps later in the year.

Adrien Broner (27-1, 22 KOs) was at 140 pounds and Carlos Molina at 138 ½ for their junior-welterweight bout. There were boos for Broner, who was happy to hear them. “Keep on booing me,’’ said Broner, who is coming off his loss to Maidana. “I’m going to keep on doing my thing.’’

Former world champion Ishe Smith took out replacement Ryan Davis in round 2 of their scheduled 10-round Jr. Middleweight bout at The Joint at the Hard Rock in Las Vegas.

Smith was all over Davis in the 1st round as he pounded him to the body and head. After more pounding, Smith landed a crushing right that was followed up by a left hook that sent Davis to the canvas and Davis was counted out by referee Jay Nady at 2:59 of round 2.

Smith, 154 lbs of Las Vegas was originally supposed to take on Erislandy Lara before Lara got a lucrative offer to fight Canelo Alvarez. Smith is now 26-6 with 12 knockouts. Davis, 153.4 lbs of Granite Hills, IL is now 24-14-3.

Mickey Bey scored a 10-round unanimous decision over Alan Herrera in a Lightweight bout.

Bey was dominant by using his speed and landed some solid left hooks over the first 6-plus rounds. Towards the end of round seven, Herrera clipped Bey on the chin with a left uppercut and deposited Bey on the canvas. Bey came back in round eight to land a big right hand on the ropes. They both landed hard rights in the ninth.

Bey, 133 lbs of Las Vegas won by scores of 98-92 twice and 97-92 and is now 20-1-1. Herrera, 135 lbs of Mazatlan. MX is now 32-6.

Jesus Cuellar retained the WBA Interim Featherwight title with a 12-round unanimous decision over former Super Bantamweight champion Rico Ramos.

Cuellar dropped Ramos from a straight left in the 1st-round and Ramos was clearly hurt. Ramos came back and fought well in spots but Cuellar was more aggressive and effective with the exception of being docked a point in round eight for hitting behind the head.

Cuellar, 125 lbs of Buenos Aires, ARG won by scores of 117-109, 116-110 and 114-113 and is now 24-1. Ramos, 125.2 lbs of Los Angeles, CA is now 23-4.

Roberto “La Amenaza” Garcia (35-3, 23 KOs) stalked and beat Victor “Mermelada” Cayo (32-5, 23 KOs) for much of Thursday’s ESPN Thursday Night Fights-televised 10-round welterweight showdown breaking him down with strong punches and relentless pressure. Garcia of Weslaco, Texas walked through everything and anything Cayo had to offer. Cayo of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic was able to land shots but that did nothing to slow the steady and relentless pressure punching by Garcia. Cayo was cut over the right eye in the 4th round and he entered the 5th round with a renewed attack and made it competitive, until close to the end of the round when Garcia landed big right hands and a flurry at the bell. Garcia put even more pressure on in the sixth and it overwhelmed Cayo, a nice body head combination sent Cayo to the ropes and a swarming Garcia finished the job prompting referee Telis Assimenios to step in at 2:38 and call a stop to the bout. Garcia is something of a Cinderella story in the making. Never having reached his potential throughout his 13-year boxing career, he was thrust into an ESPN-televised main event on a few days’ notice against Mexico’s Norberto Gonzalez last February and scored an impressive decision victory.

In the 10-round middleweight co-feature, undefeated 2008 Olympian Jonathan “Mantequilla” González (18-0-1, 14 KOs) of San Juan, Puerto Rico, got a very close win over Mexico’s Rogelio “Porky” Medina (32-6, 26 KOs). Gonzalez and Medina put on a great competitive match and it was Medina who set the tone early with more accurate punches. Gonzales came on in the mid and later rounds, but Medina was clearly the busier fighter while the punches were equally heavy from both combatants. The scores were 96-94 Medina and 97-93 and 96-94 for Gonzalez.

Back in action after three years, James McGirt (23-3-1, 11 KOs) made quick work of very overmatched Larry Smith Jr. (10-21-1, 7 KOs) of Dallas, Texas with a TKO at 2:55 of round 1. Also on the undercard, Cairo Egypt’s Ahmed Elbiale (4-0, 4 KOs) was both impressive and brutal in his light heavyweight four-rounder against Steven Chadwick Jr. (2-6, 1 KO) of Jacksonville, Florida. Elbiale dropped Chadwick just seconds into the bout with a huge left hook and later with a huge right hook that ended the bout with Chadwick out on the canvass where he laid for several minutes before taken out on a stretcher and to the local hospital. Junior lightweight Juan Carlos Velasquez 12-1 (5KO) outpointed veteran Rogers Mtagwa 27-17-2 (19KO) with a majority decision victory in a one sided affair that had the slick boxing Velazquez boxing nice from distance and keeping the hard charging often wild Tanzanian fighter just out of reach. 2012 Florida Golden Glove Champion Jeff “Rambo” Souffrant 1-0 made a successful debut with a UD win over Jorge Quintero 0-2 from Bogota Colombia. Light heavyweight Vilier Quiñones 8-0(5KO) won via TKO over Edgar Perez 5-9(3KO) at :58 seconds of round one. Light heavyweight knockout artist Yunieski Gonzalez (13-0, 13 KOs) of Havana, Cuba, destroyed Colombia’s Jaison Palomeque (14-9-1, 9 KOs) with a TKO1 win at just :47 seconds of round one, brutal senseless mismatch from the get go. The twin brother of Juan Carlos, lightweight Carlos Ivan Velasquez 12-1 6(KO) took a unanimous decision win over Guillermo Sanchez 13-12-1.

Notables in attendance was Joel Casamayor whom was honored, Riddick Bowe, Sergio Martinez, Guillermo Rigondeaux, Buddy McGirt, and Michael Moore.