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.

Kevin Mitchell will battle Ghislain Maduma in a Lightweight title elimination bout on the May 31 Carl Froch – George Groves rematch undercard at Wembley Stadium in London according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“This fight carries huge risk but also huge rewards,” said promoter Eddie Hearn. “I strongly believe that Kevin can beat Vazquez but he has a massive test in Maduma first at Wembley. Maduma is technically very good and can punch with both hands, but Kevin has boxed four times in seven months and is ready to enter deep waters. It’s going to be a cracking fight.”

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, world Super Middleweight champion Andre Ward lost his 2nd court battle to his promoter Dan Goossen in a contract dispute.

Ward’s contract with Goossen was declared valid until Nov. 8, 2016, according to Foster’s ruling.

“It’s now time to sit down with Andre and his advisers to put these legal disputes behind us and concentrate on getting Andre back to fighting consistently inside the ring,” Goossen said. “Andre and I have had success together and there’s no reason not to get back on track as a team to secure his status as the top fighter in the world behind Floyd Mayweather.”

On Wednesday night, Josh Dubin, Ward’s attorney, and James Prince, his manager, issued a statement on Ward’s behalf saying they planned to continue to fight to break the contract.

“We want to be crystal clear: the ‘legal issues’ that [Goossen] referred to are only just getting underway. It is only after a California judge or jury speaks that the legal issues will be resolved,” the statement said. “Today’s decision from the California State Athletic Commission was not unexpected. From the very start, we do not feel that the commission has been looking out for the best interests of Andre Ward, the very boxer they are supposed to protect. To the contrary, for some inexplicable reason, the CSAC has continually bent over backwards to try to accommodate a promoter who we feel is taking horrible advantage of Andre and his career. …

“This is not the end of Andre’s fight to stand up for what he knows is right, but rather the beginning. The CSAC decision has only strengthened his resolve.

“Andre’s lawsuit against Dan Goossen and his promotional company in California Superior Court is continuing to move forward. It has always been Andre’s steadfast belief, as well as ours, that the state court system, not the CSAC, is the proper venue for his dispute with Dan Goossen. It is Team Ward’s belief that the arbitration before the CSAC should not have proceeded while Andre’s lawsuit is pending, so we do not feel that the decision is ultimately going to be binding.”

Foster ruled the contract should be extended for 14 months, a clear Goossen win.

“Of course I’m pleased with the decision. It was the right result both morally and legally,” said attorney Bert Fields, who argued the case for Goossen. “Ward’s a great fighter, but it was Goossen who helped build his professional career and put him in position to command the really big bucks.”

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, Floyd Mayweather will earn a a minimum of $32 Million for Saturday night’s fight with Marcos Maidana at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

“It’s just a testament to what he brings to sports, not just boxing,” said Leonard Ellerbe, Mayweather’s close friend and chief executive of Mayweather Promotions. “He’s a terrific entertainer and he is the reason why this arena will be packed and why there will be a million-plus (buys on pay-per-view) — because it’s all about the Mayweather experience.”

Maidana’s official purse is a career-high $1.5 million, but he also will earn more. He will make additional money from Argentina television rights and also has a chance to earn additional money depending on how well the pay-per-view performs.

For the welterweight co-feature, former junior welterweight titlist Amir Khan’s official purse is $1.5 million and former welterweight titleholder Luis Collazo will make $350,000. The winner will be a top candidate to face Mayweather in the fall if he beats Maidana.

Former three-division titleholder Adrien Broner will earn $1.25 million and opponent Carlos Molina will make $150,000 for their junior welterweight bout.

In the opening fight on the pay-per-view, super middleweight prospect J’Leon Love will make $100,000 and Marco Antonio Periban will earn $35,000.

Roberto Garcia scored a 6th-round stoppage over former world title challenger Victor Cayo in a scheduled 10 round Welterweight bout at Hialeah Park in Hialeah, Florida.

Garcia applied constant pressure and opened up a cut over the right eye of Cayo in round four. In round six, Garcia landed a big left hook that sent Cayo to the ropes and after a hard flurry on the ropes, referee Tellis Aselmeninos stopped the bout at 2:38 of round six

Garcia, 146.2 lbs of Mexico is now 35-3 with 23 knockouts. Cayo, 150 lbs of the Dominican Republic is now 32-5.

Former Puerto Rican Olympian Jonathan Gonzalez scored a 10-round split decision over Regelio Medina in a Super Middleweight bout.

It was a close hard fought battle with both guys landing shots in close that saw the judges like Gonzalez to the tune of 96-94 for Medina but was overrules 97-93 and 96-94 for Gonzalez

Gonzalez, 162.8 lbs of Puerto Rico is now 18-0-1. Medina, 165.8 lbs of Mexico is now 32-6.

Jeff Souffrant made a successful pro debut by scoring a 4-round unanimous decision over Jorge Quintero in a Welterweight bout.

Souffrant scored a knockdown in the 1st round and cruised to victory by scores of 40-35 on all cards.

Souffrant, 146 lbs is 1-0. Quintero, 145 3/4 lbs is 1-2.

According to Dan Rafael of espn.con, Floyd Mayweather has shown in terest in purchasing The Los Angeles Clippers in light of the Donald Sterling scandal.

“I called Al today about that to see if me, Leonard and Al (Haymon), and hopefully Richard (Schaeffer) and a couple of other guys, a couple other of my billionaire guys, we can come together and see what we can come up with,” Mayweather said. “Hopefully, we can do it, and it’s not just talk.

“With me, I can’t come in talking about Mayweather only gonna get 3 percent, 4 percent. I got to get a solid percentage. Do we want to buy the Clippers? Yes, we do. We are very, very interested in buying the Clippers. We’ll keep the Clippers right where they’re at.

“When I’m not boxing, I’m at the games all the time. We do want to buy the Clippers. Me and my team do want to buy the Clippers and we can afford the Clippers.

“Donald Sterling, he’s been getting a lot of negative press, and my thing is this — I don’t have nothing negative to say about this guy,” Mayweather said. “He’s always treated me with the utmost respect. He has always invited me to games. Always. Has always told me, ‘Floyd, I want you to sit right next to me and my wife.’ I don’t know about the [alleged] mistress. But I’m talking about him and the wife.”

“The league has made it known that it wants more minorities involved and, as a proud Mexican-American, I will bring a different perspective to the NBA in general, and the Clippers in particular,” said De La Hoya, who has a statue in the Staples Center’s Star Plaza outside the venue’s front entrance. “I was born and raised in Los Angeles, I know what it takes to run a successful sports entity, and nothing would make me happier than to bring an NBA championship home to Southern California sports fans.

“I applaud NBA commissioner Adam Silver for his quick and decisive action regarding the Donald Sterling situation, and his forward thinking will push the league toward a positive future. There is no room for racism and unfair treatment in any professional sport, or in life in general. I hope to be a part of positive change for the league.”

“If the Clippers become available, he would be interested in buying the franchise,” Geffen’s office said in an email to the newspaper.

Superstar Manny Pacquiao is in talks about a 5-fight extension with his promoter, Top Rank according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“Yes, we are talking about the extension,” Top Rank’s Bob Arum told ESPN.com. “We are working it out. We are talking about a lot of things. How many fights would be in Macau, how many would be in the United States, how many in other places. But we are talking about five fights.”

“I have had conversations with Bob about an extension, but nothing has been finalized,” Michael Koncz, Pacquiao’s adviser, told ESPN.com. “Do we fight again this year or take some time off and fight next year? There are a lot of things to work on, but the new agreement we are discussing would entail five fights. That’s our intention, barring injury.”

“Bob has been good to us over the years and we have been good to him. We may sign with him or we may not,” Koncz said. “We have other offers on the table and we will look at all our options and decide what’s best for Manny, but I don’t want to discuss the particulars because I don’t want to offend other people.”

Koncz said whether Pacquiao, 35, re-signs with Top Rank or not, a fight with Mayweather “isn’t the driving force.”

“I don’t believe Floyd not fighting us has to do with Bob,” Koncz said. “Why did he wait until he exhausted all other excuses before saying he wouldn’t fight Manny if Bob was involved? First he brought up the drug testing [during the initial 2009 failed negotiations]. Then he wanted Manny to sign with him. Then he wanted to pay Manny only a flat fee of $40 million for the fight instead of sharing a percentage [of the revenue], and now he can’t fight Manny because Bob would be involved?

“Why did he wait so long to bring that up? If that’s true, why not use that excuse a few years ago?”

“We may move to 140 pounds. We have a lot of options and have to be careful with our final decision,” Koncz said. “This is Manny’s career and it’s winding down. That’s another option we have, of going to 140 to find other opponents.”

“We love fighting in America and we wouldn’t mind going back to Cowboys Stadium [where Pacquiao fought twice in 2010],” he said. “But we’re also looking at different venues and countries. Macau was beneficial to everyone involved. In Macau we didn’t have such a heavy dependence on the American pay-per-view money. We’d love to fight in Macau again, whether we re-sign with Bob or not.”

Michael Perez scored a 10-round unanimous decision over Jorge Romero in a Jr. Welterweight bout at the Coliseo Ruben Rodriguez in Bayamon, Puerto Rico.

Perez dominated the bout through the first eight rounds and Romero began to bleed from the left eyebrow in round three. Romero made a late charge in round nine but it was too little too late as Perez won by scores of 98-92 on all cards.

Perez, 140 lbs of Lares, PR is now 20-1-2. Romero, 138 1/2 lbs of Caguas, PR is now 24-8.

McJoe Arroyo won an 8-round unanimous decision over David Quijano in a Super Flyweight bout.

Arroyo, 115 lbs of Fajardo, PR won by scores of 80-72 and 79-73 twice is now 14-0. Quijano, 115 lbs of Caguas PR is now 15-5-1.

John Karl Sosa scored a 6-round unanimous decision over Victor Sosa in a Welterweight bout.

Sosa, 145 lbs of Caguas, PR is now 10-0. Perez, 144 lbs of Carolina, PR is now 3-2.

Jose Zepeda remained undefeated with an 8-round unanimous decision over Rob Frankel in a Jr. Welterweight bout at the Oceanview Pavilion in Port Hueneme, California.

Zepeda dropped Frankel in round three from a body shot and went on to win 80-71 on all cards.

Zeprda, of La Puente, CA is now 19-0. Frankel of Denver, CO is now 32-15-1.

Saul Rodriguez remained undefeated with a 4th round stoppage over Miguel Zamudio in a scheduled 8-round Jr. Lightweight fight.

Rodriguez controlled the action until the two exchanged and Rodriguez landed a devastating left hook that knocked Zamudio out cold and the bout was stopped at 1:09 of round four.

Rodriguez, 130.6 lbs of Riverside, CA is now 13-0-1 with 10 knockouts. Zamudio, 130.4 lbs of Guasave, MX is now 28-4-1.

Shane Mosley Jr. made a successful pro debut with a 36 second knockout over Mark Cordova in a scheduled 4-round Middleweight bout.

Mosley stopped Cordova with a body shot.

Mosley, 161 1/4 lbs is now 1-0 with 1 knockout. Cordova, 160 1/2 lbs is now 0-2.

Keith Thurman retained the WBA Interim Welterweight title when Julio Diaz could not continue after 3 rounds at the Stub Hub Center in Carson, California.

Thurman controlled the action for most of the bout and hurt Diaz in the 1st round. He boxed well in the 2nd round and scored a knockdown when he landed a left to the head and Diaz took a knee. Ironically Diaz made a nice stand at the end of the 3rd round when he landed a solid combination. In between round’s three and four, Diaz’s corner pulled the pug on the fight.

Thurman, 145 1/2 lbs of Clearwater, FL is now 23-0 with 21 knockouts. Diaz, 146 3/4 lbs of Cochella, CA is now 40-10-1.

Said Thurman, “I felt the body shot (to Diaz). I felt he was going to go down. I wondered if I hadn’t landed it clean enough. He’s a tough guy. He showed up to fight. You saw what he was doing in the ring. His rib… he had eight more rounds to go so he did what he had to do.

“I landed a clean left hook to the temple (in the second). He felt it. So, he thought it would be better to take a knee, rather than take another shot to the head. I train to do that. If you feel that your legs aren’t right and you are in with a dangerous puncher, you take a knee. It was a wise decision.

“Everybody shoots for the Mayweather sweepstakes. I am here to entertain, to dominate the welterweight division. I love the sport of boxing. I love knockouts. I am going to keep giving them to you.

“Shawn Porter is a terrific fighter. He’s a great friend of mine. He’s a devastating boxer-puncher like myself. Whenever they’re ready, I am ready.

Diaz, who took a knee after getting hit, had no excuses. “I got caught with a good body shot, in the rib,’’ he said. “I had trouble breathing. After the punch, I couldn’t breathe. I am human. I got hurt. The guy had some power. But I am a two-time champion. I have never quit in a fight. I didn’t have anything to prove. I took a knee to recuperate from a shot to the back of my head. And the rib shot really got me. I ain’t 18 years old anymore. I wanted to give a war, but I had to know when it was my time.’’

Lucas Matthysse was dropped twice but came back to stop gritty John Molina in a scheduled 12-round Jr. Welterweight bout.

The power punches were early and often in round one as Matthysse landed a couple of left hooks while Molina landed a hard overhand right. In round two, Molina landed a perfect overhand right that sent Matthysse to the canvas for the 2nd consecutive fight. The drama continued in round three when the two clashed heads and a cut was opened up over the left eye of Matthysse. Matthysse fought back in round four as he landed some hard shots that were set up behind a strong jab. Molina began to bleed from behind his right ear. Just as Matthysse was showing his dominance, Molina sent Matthysse to the canvas in round five.

The two continued to trade shots at close range with Matthysse landing the harder blows that were set up from his jab. In round eight, Matthysse landed a big flurry of punches that wobbled Molina and ultimately he was pushed down but referee Pat Russell ruled a knockdown. Matthysse started to take control and began to batter Molina and dropped him in round ten after a flurry of hard punches. Molina was seen by the doctors between rounds. When the 11th round began, Matthysse was all over Molina and dropped him to the canvas and the bout was stopped just 22 seconds into the frame.

Matthysse, 140 lbs of Argentina is now 35-3 with 33 knockouts. Molina, 139 1/4 lbs of Covina, Ca is now 27-4.

“It was a war,’’ said Matthysse, who improved his record to 35-3 with 33 KOs. “And it got complicated for me at the beginning, but we trained for this and we got the knockout. He hit me in the back of the head (in the second) and I crumbled a bit but I was waiting to find my distance and I was able to finish a tough fight.

“Molina is a tough fighter. He took some big blows (14 unanswered at the end of the 10th). I was a bit surprised he came back out for the 11th.”

Regarding his loss last September to unified 140-pound world champion Danny Garcia, Matthysse said, “I want the rematch. I feel that he had very good luck that night. I want the rematch.”

Offered the game but proud Molina (27-4, 22 KOs) afterward: “I am very disappointed. We gave the fans a good fight and I’m happy about that. I wasn’t well-known before this fight but I feel like I am now. I’m disappointed I didn’t finish Lucas. I had him hurt, but this is a learning experience. I only had a few amateur fights, so I’m learning from every experience.

“Trainer) Joe Goossen had a great game plan and we were sticking to it. Lucas Matthysse is the real deal. Even though he lost to Garcia, he still is the No. 1 rated fighter. I’d love to fight him again. I wanted to continue but the referee and judges have their jobs to do.

“It was a helluva fight. This was the fight of the year. I’d like to do it again

Omar Figueroa retained the WBC Lightweight title with a split decision over Jerry Belmontes.

Belmontes got off to a good start as he landed quick combinations and surprisingly matched Figueroa punch for punch on the inside. Figueroa surged back with busier volume punching in the middle rounds. The pace actually slowed down in the championship rounds and the fight seemed close on the score cards.

Figueroa, 134 3/4 lbs of Walesco, TX won by scores of 118-110, 116-112 while Belmontes took a card 115-113.

Figueroa, is now 23-0-1. Belmontes, 134 3/4 lbs of Corpus Christi, TX is now 19-4.

“He gave me more than trouble,’’ Figueroa said. “He wouldn’t make a fight out of it. I’m sorry to the fans. It was more of a sparring match than a fight. I prepared so much and this was the outcome.

“He almost made me cry again but of laughter saying he was going to beat me. I prepared well. I came 100 percent. I knew he was going to run. My hands are a little sore but nothing bad, nothing crazy. Now take my time off. I have been training since January. But it is up to Al Haymon.”

Said Belmontes: “Honestly, I thought I won the fight. I thought I landed the clearer more effective shots. I don’t fight like that (running) but sometimes I pay attention to the fans when they are booing so I went inside and fought like a Mexican warrior. He couldn’t handle my jab. He couldn’t’ handle me on the outside. I thought I won the fight.”

Jermall Charlo remained undefeated by scoring a stoppage at the end of four rounds when Hector Munoz was deemed unable to continue in their scheduled 10-round Middleweight fight.

Charlo beat, battered and bloodied Munoz until the referee stopped the fight in the corner on advice from the ringside doctor.

Charlo landed a hard right uppercut in the 1st round.

“I just tried very hard,’’ said Charlo after the one-sided proceedings were stopped. “Two camps in, I was hungrier than ever. I am hungrier than any fighter. I want to go on to bigger thing so badly. I credit Munoz for taking the fight. He showed a lot of spirit. But I had him. I’m so ready for the next level. I need it.’’

Terrell Gausha scored an 8-round unanimous decision over veteran Charles Whittaker in a Jr. Middleweight bout.

Guasha started to get things going in round two. Gausha continued to win rounds and then he dropped Whitaker in round six from a right hand. Gausha jumped on Whitaker and landed a flurry of punches.

Gausha was never threatened and by scores of 80-71 on all cards.

Gausha, 154 3/4 lbs of Carson, CA is now 9-0. Whittaker, 155 3/4 lbs of the Cayman Island is now 40-15-2.

Joseph Diaz scored a 6-round unanimous decision over veteran Luis Maldonado in a Super Bantamweight bout.

Diaz, 122 3/4 lbs won by scores of 60-54 on all cards and is now 10-0. Maldonado, 121 1/3 lbs is now 36-13-1.

Wladimir Klitschko made his 16th straight title defense by administering a 5 round bludgeoning of over matched contender Alex Leapai in Oberhausen, Germany.

Klitschko retained his IBF/WBA/WBO titles.

Klitschko dropped Leapai from series of jabs in the 1st round. After that Leapai became a human punching bag as he stood in fron of Klitschko eating thudding jabs and hard right hands. Leapai was hurt in the 4th round and in round five he was dropped from a hard 1-2 combination. Leapai did well to get to his feet butt then ate a tremendous right hand that sent him to the canvas for a 3rd time and the fight was stopped at 2:05.

Comoubox numbers favored Klitschko in the punches landed department to the tune of 147-10.

Klitschko of Kiev, Ukraine is now 62-3 with 52 knockouts. Leapai of Australia via Samoa is now 30-5-3.

Keith Thurman 145 1/2 – Julio Diaz 146 3/4
Lucas Matthysse 140 – John Molina 139 1/4
Omar Figueroa 134 3/4 – Jerry Belmontes 134 3/4

Josesito Lopez scored a 5th round stoppage over Aron Martinez in a scheduled 10-round Welterweight bout at the Agua Caliente Casino in Rancho Mirage, California.

Lopez was very effective over the 1st four rounds until he landed a hard left hook to the head that made Martinez turn around in the corner and referee Jack Reiss called off the action at 1:19 of round five. Reiss determined that Martinez Abandoned the fight.

Lopez, 146.4 lbs of Riverside, CA is now 32-6 with 19 knockouts. Martinez, 146.8 lbs is now 18-5.

Thomas Williams Jr. scored a 3rd round stoppage over former world title challenger Enrique Ornelas in a scheduled 10-round Light Heavyweight bout.

Williams dropped Ornelas in round two from a straight left to the head. In round three, Williams landed a double left that was followed up by a right that sent Ornelas to the canvas and the fight was stopped at 2:48 of round three.

Williams, 174 1/2 lbs is now 17-0 with 12 knockouts. Ornelas, 174 3/4 lbs is 32-9.

Immanuel Aleem scored a 2nd round stoppage over Michael Noriega in a scheduled 6-round Middleweight bout.

Aleem battered Noriega with body and head shots in round one. In round two, Aleem landed a quick left hook to the head that dropped Noriega and the fight was stopped at 2:04 of round two.

Aleem, 161 lbs of Virginia is now 8-0 with 4 knockouts. Noriega, 161 lbs of Mexico is 4-3.

Josesito Lopez scored a 5th round stoppage over Aron Martinez in a scheduled 10-round Welterweight bout at the Agua Caliente Casino in Rancho Mirage, California.

Lopez cut Martinez over the left eye in the 2nd round. In round five, Lopez landed a body shot and Martinez seemed to turn his back then referee Jack Reiss stopped the bout at 1:19 of round five.

Lopez, 146 1/2 lbs of Riverside, CA is now 32-6 with 19 knockouts. Martinez, 146 3/4 lbs is 19-3-1.

Thomas Williams remained undefeated with a 3rd round stoppage over former world title challenger in a scheduled 10-round Light Heavyweight bout.

Williams dropped Ornelas in round two from a straight left. He finished the fight in the next round from a huge combination that sent Ornelas down and the from a big combination and the fight was stopped at 2:40.

Williams, 174.1 lbs of Washington, DC is now 17-0 with 12 knockouts. Ornelas, 174.4 lbs is now 34-9.

Said Williams after the fight, “I wanted to take my time, he’s an experienced veteran. He made a couple mistakes and I was able to capitalize on them. Hopefully I continue to move up in the rankings towards a title opportunity.”

Immanuel Aleem scored a 2nd round stoppage over Mike Noriega in a scheduled 6-round Super Middleweight bout.

Aleem dropped Noriega with a counter left hook in round two and the bout was stopped at 2:04 of round two.

Aleem, 160 3/4 lbs is now 8-0 with 4 knockouts. Noriega, 161 1/4 lbs is now 4-3.

Referee Tony Weeks will be the 3rd man on May 3rd when Floyd Mayweather takes on Marcos Maidana at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

Also at the Nevada commission meeting, the panel appointed the judges for the fight: Dave Moretti of Las Vegas, Burt Clements of Reno, Nev., and Michael Pernick of Florida.

The commission also appointed officials for the Amir Khan-Luis Collazo welterweight co-feature. Vic Drakulich of Nevada will be the referee and Adalaide Byrd and Jerry Roth, both of Las Vegas, and Cathy Leonard of North Carolina will serve as the judges. Drakulich has worked one previous Khan fight, his fifth-round knockout of Zab Judah in a 2011 junior welterweight unification bout. He has never been assigned to a previous Collazo fight.

Jamie McDonnell will take on Tabtimdaeng Na Rachawat for a Bantamweight title on May 31 in London at Wembley stadium as part of the Carl Froch – George Groves undercard according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“I am so excited to be fighting for a world title on the biggest boxing show in British history,” McDonnell said. “I’m honored to be a part of it and especially to be fighting to become a world champion again. I am absolutely flying with this news, and it’s going to be a great boost in training.”

“It’s been a full year since I last fought for a world title and it’s been tough, to be honest,” McDonnell said. “I had a little taste of being a world champion. I loved it and it made me want it even more. Reaching the top of the world changes your life and I want to feel that again.

“I don’t know much about Na Rachawat and I will leave that to the team. His record says he can bang a bit and he is a come-forward fighter who is game, so it will be an entertaining fight as that suits me. I’m expecting to win and win well.”

“I’m delighted to deliver this opportunity for Jamie on a huge night for British boxing,” Hearn said. “It’s going to be a tough night for Jamie, but no one deserves a shot more in the division and I’m excited about watching him win his world title back.”