Former IBF Middleweight champion Daniel Geale will take on Garth Wood on February 19th in Sydney, Australia according to Dan Rafael of espn.com

“I’m glad Daniel is fighting as he needs to stay busy,” said Geale’s promoter Gary Shaw.

“Wood is a dangerous and risky fight against a wild puncher,” Geale told ESPN.com. “I have been training hard for my comeback fight. I’m not going to take this fight lightly. We needed a fight to keep active, the opportunity arose, and my management arranged it. It will be an interesting fight with different styles.

“I can’t wait to get back in there and pursue my journey to become a world champion again. I believe the plan is to fight GGG sometime in 2014. It would be ideal to be able to take a title to the table. We will see what happens.”

“Geale wants to fight GGG in April, and I have spoken to HBO about the fight and all they say is that they are interested, but they are exploring other options,” Shaw said. “What can be a better option than Geale, a true 160-pounder and a former world champion who beat [Felix] Sturm [in a unification fight] on German soil? And even though Daniel did not get the decision in [against Barker] he is willing to come back just to fight GGG.

“What I don’t understand is that after the Barker fight, HBO said they wanted Geale back, and now they have gone silent. I know GGG would fight Geale as [Golovkin’s team] asked if we wanted the fight in Monte Carlo, but Geale wants to fight him on HBO.”

“Daniel has been the best fighter to come out of Australia in 20 years with what he has done, going overseas and beating the champions on their turf,” Wood told the (Sydney) Telegraph, referring to Geale’s two title victories in Germany against Sturm in 2012 and Sebastian Sylvester in ’11.

“And even though Murray being canceled was a disappointment, I believe everything happens for a reason and it has led me to this, my biggest fight by far, and deservedly so.”

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com. Yenifel Vicente will fight Jose Angel Rodriguez this Friday night on ESPN’s Friday Night Fights.

Rodriguez was originally supposed to fight 130-pound contender Arash Usmanee in the 10-round main event at the Emerald Queen Hotel & Casino in Tacoma, Wash. However, Usmanee suffered an ankle injury and withdrew from the fight on Sunday, leaving promoter Greg Cohen and the network scrambling for a replacement opponent.

It is a new year and 15rounds.com has a new official round card girl adorning the top of its homepage in the lovely Ndia Sky.

Ms. Sky made her round card debut at “Showdown at the Fairgrounds” last July 20th at the Placer County Fair & Events Center in Roseville, California. Having made just as indelible of an impression on the fight crowd as some of the fighters on the card, Ms. Sky was brought back by the promoters for “Showdown at the Fairgrounds II” last October.

“Being a round card girl gets my adrenaline going,” says Ms. Sky. “I love the atmosphere at a boxing event. I like to see the excitement in the individuals in the crowd as I walk the ring, holding the card.”

Now counting a rapidly increasing number of boxing fans among the nearly 1,500 followers of her Facebook page and nearly 8,000 followers on Instagram, Ms. Sky hopes to one day show fans what round it is at a major network or pay-per-view boxing event.

“I like using my energy to hype the crowd,” explains Ms. Sky. “I also enjoy taking photographs with the fans before and after the events. There is nothing like being front row at a fight.”

For booking or more information, follow Ndia Sky on Facebook at Facebook.com/ndiasky or on Instagram at Instagram.com/ndiasky

Photos by Jason Pachura

Arash Usmanee injured his ankle and will not be able to fight Juan Antonio Rodriguez this Friday night as part of ESPN’s Friday Night Fights according to Dan Rafael of espn.com

Jr. welterweight Zahir Raheem (34-3, 21 KOs) squaring off with Bayan Jargal (17-4-3, 11 KOs) in a scheduled 10-round bout is the co-feature.

There is a chance that undefeated Heavyweight Lateef Kayode could see action in a new man event bout.

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, Light Heavyweight Thomas Oosthuizen is injured and will not fight Eleider Alvarez and was also dropped by his promoted Rodney Berman.

“He’s done,” Berman said. “He’s had so many chances and blown every one. Golden Gloves is the promoter of champions, of men of credibility, good standing and dignity. Tommy has let us all down. Fighters are meant to be role models, but he’s fallen very short.”

Jorge Lara remained undefeated with a 10 round majority decision over Jairo Hernandez in a Super Bantamweight fight.

Scores were 97-96, 96-94 and 95-95 for Lara who is now 25-0-1. Hernandez is now 10-5.

Horacio Garcia scored a 2nd round stoppage over Cesar Saucedo in a Light Fkyweight bout.

Garcia dropped Saucedo in both round’s one and two and the fight was stopped.

Garcia is now 24-0 with 16 knockouts. Saucedo is now 3-2.

Rances Barthelemy won the IBF Jr. Lightweight title with a controversial 2nd round stoppage over Argenis Mendez at the Target Center in Minneapolis, MN

In round one, Barthelemy buckled Mendez with a hard left that he followed up with a flurry along the ropes. In round two, Barthelemy landed three hard left hooks that sent Mendez to the canvas. Mendez got to his feet and ate a vicious three punch combination that sent Mendez plummeting to the canvas. The deciding blows seemed to come after the bell but the ruling stood as a knockout victory at 2:59 for Barthelemy.

Barthelemy, 129 lbs of Cuba is now 20-0 with 13 knockouts. Mendez, 128 1/2 lbs of Dominican Republic is 21-3-1.

Duran and Caleb Truax battled to a ten round draw in a Super Middleweight bout.

Duran landed more punches as he worked the jab that bloodied the nose in Truax as early as round four. Truax best punching was done by the right hand and the uppercut.

Duram landed 121 of 447 punches as compared to 106 of 678 for Truax.

All three judges scored the fight 95-95.

Duran, 161 1/2 lbs of Paterson, NJ is now 28-11-3. Truax, 163 lbs of Osio, MN is now 23-1-2.

Erickson Lubin scored a one round destruction over Luis Santiago in a scheduled four round Welterweight bout.

Lubin landed a body punch that sent Santiago down for the ten count at 1:01 of round one.

Lubin, 147 lbs is now 2-0 with 2 knockouts. Santiago is 0-1.

avontae Starks scored a knockdown en route to a six round split decision over Limberth Ponce in a Jr. Middleweight bout.

Starks dropped Ponce in round two and coasted to the victory by scores of 57-56 for Ponce and two cards read 57-56 for Starks

Starks, 154 lbs of Minneapolis, is now 8-0. Ponce, 154 1/2 lbs is now 6-1.

Former two division world champion Abner Mares injured a rib during sparring and his February 15th rematch with the man who took his Featherweight title Jhonny Gonzalez will have to be postponed according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“I got a call from directly Abner [on Monday afternoon] and he said that he suffered a rib injury last week in sparring and that he tried to see if he could shake it off but he had to go and see the doctor and that the doctor told him he should not have any contact for several weeks,” said Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer. “So that necessitates that we move the date of the fight and it will not happen on Feb. 15.”

Schaefer said that Golden Boy matchmaker Eric Gomez informed Gonzalez’s team of the situation. Schaefer said he also informed Showtime Sports chief Stephen Espinoza.

“I will be working next week with Stephen to see what we want to do,” Schaefer said. “I need to talk to venues and coordinate with Showtime to find a different date. Abner wants this fight and so does Jhonny, so it’s just a matter of finding a different date that works.”

Frank Espinoza, Mares’ manager — and no relations to Showtime’s Espinoza — said Mares was in training camp in Mexico City when he suffered the injury.

“He said that his ribs were very sore and when I reached out to talk to Richard [on Monday], he said there is nothing that we can do as far as rescheduling the fight until next week, after the holiday, when the Showtime people are back in the office,” Espinoza said. “Of course, Abner is disappointed. He was ready to go in and win the world title again.

“This is boxing and accidents happen in sparring. Unfortunately, he got hurt. So now we will wait and talk to Golden Boy about a new date.”

WBO Lightweight champion Ricky Burns will defend his title against top contender Terrence Crawford on March 1st in Glasgow, Scotland according to Dan Rafael of espn.com

“I hope Burns is ready to walk to hell and back,” Crawford said. “I’m going to fight with all my heart. I have the determination and the skill to win the world title and bring it home.”

Added Top Rank’s Bob Arum, Crawford’s promoter, “We believe Terence Crawford is ready to win the title and take it home to Omaha.”

“I have a point to prove [against Crawford]. I’ve had two bad performances. We’ve made a few changes and some adjustments,” Burns said. “We’re going to be doing things differently, and fingers crossed that we see a new Ricky Burns on March 1. As soon as the jaw injury happened against Beltran I went into survival mode. Everybody knew that something was wrong, even if they didn’t know exactly what it was.

“When the final bell went, I wasn’t caring about the decision. I just knew that I had done damage. The first couple of months after the operation were a nightmare. They told me to watch what I was eating and I could hardly open my mouth. I couldn’t speak.”

Although many will pick the younger, faster, fresher Crawford to win, Burns, who will be making his fifth title defense, is confident.

“Everybody is writing me off again with Terence but that doesn’t bother me,” said Burns, 30, a former junior lightweight titlist. “I like being the underdog and I can’t wait to get back out there again in front of another great Glasgow crowd.”

“This is a must-win fight for Ricky and perhaps the toughest of his incredible career,” said Matchroom Promotions Eddie Hearn. “Ricky is more determined than I’ve ever seen him, and to have that frame after the injury that he suffered during the Beltran fight is testament to the type of character and fighter he is.

“Crawford is hot property in the States but we managed to bring him here, out of his comfort zone. And right now Ricky needs the people of Scotland behind him more than ever. March 1 will be a special night at the SECC, the latest chapter of the remarkable Ricky Burns story.”

Chris Weidman 184 vs. Anderson Silva 185
(for middleweight title)
Ronda Rousey 135 vs. Miesha Tate 135
(for women’s bantamweight title)
Josh Barnett 252 vs. Travis Browne 242
Jim Miller 156 vs. Fabricio Camoes 156
Diego Brandao 153 vs. Dustin Poirier 146
Estevan Payan 145.5 vs. Robert Peralta 145.5
Jim Miller vs. Fabricio Camoes
William Macario 171 vs. Bobby Voelker 171
Siyar Bahadurzada 171 vs. John Howard 171
Dennis Siver 145 vs. Manvel Gamburyan 146
Gleison Tibau 156 vs. Michael Johnson 156
Uriah Hall 185 vs. Chris Leben 185.5

Brandao 7 pounds over

Former Featherweight title holder Chris John announced his retirement in Indonesia.

“Now that I have achieved more than I have ever dreamt of in my career, I would like to formally announce my retirement,” John said at the ceremony, which took place at the television studios of RCTI, the Indonesian national network that carried his fights. “I would like to give back to the sport of boxing, which has been so good to me and given me and my family a better life, and continue to represent Indonesia as best as I can.

“Most importantly, now I will spend time with my wife and children. The most important title I have held in my life is father.”

“My first defense of my title was against Osamu Sato in Japan. I knew it would be very hard to win against a Japanese in Japan because they are all warriors,” John said. “But I knew I had to represent my people of Indonesia and make them proud. This was a very special moment in my career.”

“My trainer, Craig Christian, he has been like a second father to me,” John said. “His knowledge and wisdom has taught me so much. Every time I fought, I feel like he is in the ring with me. From Craig I learned my three D’s — dedication, discipline and determination. Sampson Lewkowicz, from Las Vegas, he has guided my career, and I cannot thank him enough. Craig gave him the name ‘Picasso’ because in boxing he is a legendary artist.”

“I was 20 years old, fighting Muhammad Alfaridzi at the Indosiar Studio in Jakarta in July 1999. It was for [the Indonesian] national featherweight title,” John said. “I was knocked down two times in Round 1 and I had my nose broken in Round 1, and had massive bleeding. But I would never let this opportunity pass. As my father taught me, success is when opportunity meets preparation, and I was well prepared, and in the 12th round, I knew I had the opportunity for the KO and had no [other] option because so much blood was coming from my nose.”

“I did my best to attempt to equal the record of 19 WBA world featherweight title defenses but lost,” John said. “But that’s boxing. You cannot win all the time.

“Vetyeka is a good boxer, and give him full credit for the win. He deserves it. But I could no longer make the featherweight limit, and it was the toughest challenge of my career just to make the weight to be able to defend my title.”

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, Bermane Stiverne will meet Chris Arreola for the WBC Heavyweight title that was vacated by Vitali Klitschko earlier this week.

Stiverne already scored a unanimous decision over Arreola on April 27.

“Here we are. We got the order from the WBC to fight Arreola for the vacant title. It’s a fight we will happily do,” said Stiverne’s manager Cam Estephan told ESPN.com. “We would have hoped to take the belt from Vitali but this was not something in our control. I respect what he is trying to do in the political arena. Now we are facing a guy we already beat. We’re looking to do it again.

“We feel like Bermane dominated the fight with Arreola in April. But we do have a lot of respect for Arreola and his team, so we take nothing for granted. We will be diligent and put more of an exclamation point on things and send Wladimir Klitschko a message as well. His brother didn’t want to fight Bermane, so when we’re done with Arreola, let’s do it and unify all the titles.”

“I know there were a lot of questions about Don King and the relationship with Bermane,” Estephan said. “We have come to a very good agreement that everybody is happy with this past Tuesday. We are gonna do things together and hopefully bring the heavyweight division back to North America. We have a good agreement with Don King and we feel like we’re a strong team.”

“I know there were a lot of questions about Don King and the relationship with Bermane,” Estephan said. “We have come to a very good agreement that everybody is happy with this past Tuesday. We are gonna do things together and hopefully bring the heavyweight division back to North America. We have a good agreement with Don King and we feel like we’re a strong team.”

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, WBC Heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko will vacate his title to concentrate on his political career in the Ukraine.

“I want to thank the WBC and its president, Don Jose Sulaiman, for the support in our fight for democracy and freedom in Ukraine,” Klitschko said. “It was and is a great honor to hold the WBC title, and I’ve always done it with pride. The offer of the WBC gives me the theoretical possibility to return to the boxing ring, which I cannot imagine at all to the current state.

“Right now, my full concentration is on politics in Ukraine, and I feel that the people need me there. My brother [and unified heavyweight champion] Wladimir will ensure more sporting success and I will, as always, support him as much as he currently supports me in my political fight.”

This is the second time in his career that Vitali Klitschko has been designated as a “champion emeritus.”

“Vitali Klitschko is fighting the fight of his life, this time outside the ring,” said WBC executive secretary Mauricio Sulaiman, son of the ill Jose Sulaiman. “Vitali is showing to the world what is the true heart of a champion by leading his countrymen to battle in the streets in their search of human equality, rights and peace for the great country of the Ukraine.

“With the current extreme and delicate political situation in the Ukraine, Vitali has answered his country’s call to fight for human rights and equality. Accordingly, Vitali will not be able to provide the WBC with a predictable time frame to return to the ring. In light of those considerations, the WBC voted unanimously to name Vitali Klitschko WBC heavyweight champion emeritus. Very few great fighters have received such an honorable distinction, which will entitle Vitali to fight for the WBC heavyweight world championship when he is ready to return to the ring. … We all wish him great success in his political career.”

SAN ANTONIO – Adrien Broner calls himself The Problem because he thought he’d never have one. Marcos Maidana proved just how wrong he was.

Maidana was his problem, again and again, throughout 12 surprising rounds Saturday night at the Alamodome. In the end, Broner was left with multiple problems. But let’s start with the biggie. Broner, a big betting favorite, lost for the first time.

But, it turns out, Broner had an edge in only flamboyance. All of the other advantages belonged to Maidana. The Argentine’s power, resilience and nasty grit were just too much for Broner, who entered the ring with About Billions spelled out in gold sequins on the back of his robe and trunks. He left looking like a broken man. There were no billions in his loss to Maidana. There wasn’t even a single scorecard in his favor.

The judges were unanimous for Maidana. Laurence Cole scored it 117-109, Nelson Vazquez had it 116-109 and Stanley Christodoulou 116-110, all for the heavy-handed Argentine.

Maidana re-defined those AB initials on the front of Broner’s robe. They could have meant Approaching Bankruptcy in this stunning bout, Broner’s second and perhaps last attempt at welterweight.

“I showed I had a lot of heart,’’ Maidana said.

Actually, Maidana showed a lot more than that. He fought with urgency, almost as if he knew this was his career’s last chance in an arena named for a one history’s famous last stands. Maidana (35-3, 31 KOs) made an immediate statement, stunning Broner (27-1, 22 KOs) with a left hook against the ropes.

That left hand punctuated the fight early, midway and in the end. It knocked down Broner in the second and again in the eighth. It was always there, slowing down Broner just as though it looked as if he were about to dictate the pace and perhaps the result. Broner raced to his dressing room without facing the media. His only quote came through a spokesperson. He asked for another chance.

“I’ll tell you one thing, I want a rematch,’’ Broner said through the spokesperson. “I don’t want a warm-up fight. I want a rematch.’’

Maidana had no problem with that request.

“Sure, I’ll do a rematch,’’ said Maidana, who never seemed bothered by the power shots thrown by Broner, a former lightweight and maybe a future one.

Maidana spoke with confidence that he could repeat a victory that included some rough moments. In the eighth, Maidana was penalized one point after dropping Broner to his knees. The penalty was for an infraction that looked to be an elbow and/or head butt to Broner’s chin. It left Broner rolling around in the canvas in apparent pain. There was also a look of anguish, if not self-doubt. It almost appeared that Broner wondered what he had gotten himself in to.

“It was a dirty fight,’’ Maidana said. “I had to get dirty.’’

He had to be The Real Problem.

The Best of the Undercard

· Florida welterweight Keith Thurman calls himself One Time. It’s etched across the belt of his trunks. It’s supposed to be a promise. It’s what he intends to do to the other guy. One time early in the first round, however, it almost happened to Thurman (22-0, 19 KOs). Jesus Soto Karass (28-9-3, 18 KOs), Antonio Margarito’s old sparring partner, hurt him with a winging right. Thurman was quick to recover, landed a left for a knockdown in the sixth and went on to win by a wicked stoppage at 2:21 of the ninth. Soto Karass dropped his hands after he was rocked by a left from Thurman, who followed with three successive punches – two lefts and a right.

· If there’s a sure sign of Leo Santa Cruz’ imminent stardom, it’s in the margins. It’s not if he wins. It’s how. Santa Cruz (26-0-1, 15 KOs) wasn’t happy with his unanimous decision over Puerto Rican Cesar Seda (25-2, 17 KOs). “I wanted to give the fans of San Antonio a better fight,’’ said the Los Angeles super-bantamweight, who retained his acronym-sanctioned version of the title. In the fifth, Santa Cruz knocked down Seda, who argued that he was robbed. But even the knockdown wasn’t enough for Santa Cruz, his own worst critic and a good bet to improve.

· Beibut Shumenov looks awkward. Looks slow. But don’t let looks fool you. His power is real. Shumenov 14-1, 9 KOs), another Kazakhstani with a big punch, knocked down Tamas Kovacs (23-1, 14 KOs) once in the first round, again in the second and finished the Slovakian by TKO at 2:55 of the third. In his first fight in a year-and-a-half, Shumenov kept his acronym-sanctioned light-heavyweight belt and maybe moved to the front of the line as a possible challenger to Bernard Hopkins, who watched from a ringside seat.

The Controversial

Former super-middleweight champion Jermain Taylor was off TV. Some thought he should been off the card, too. But he wasn’t. Taylor was licensed to fight in his second comeback since suffering a reported brain bleed in a loss to Arthur Abraham in 2009. Taylor (32-4-1, 20 KOs) was never in danger in this one, scoring a fifth-round knockdown en route to a seventh-round TKO of faded J.C. Candelo (32-13-4, 21 KOs) of Houston.
The Rest

· Junior-welterweight Ricardo Alvarez (28-4, 20 KOs) has none of his brother’s red hair, but some of his luck. Alvarez, Canelo’s brother, got a 10-round majority decision – a controversial one, too – over Rod Salka (18-3, 3 KOs) of Bunola, PA.

· In a television opener, Toledo lightweight Robert Easter Jr. (8-0, 8 KOs) scored a first-round knockout by dropping Chilean Hardy Paredes (16-13, 10 KOs) with a paralyzing body shot 2:30 after the opening bell.

· Three-time Olympian Rau’Shee Warren stayed unbeaten as a pro bantamweight with an 8-round, unanimous decision over Mexican Jose Silveria (15-10, 6 KOs). But there’s some discrepancy about Warren’s record. The official program and FightFax listed him at 16-0 with three KOs before opening bell. According to BoxRec, he’s now 9-0, his record since his final amateur bout at the 2012 London Games.

· In a swing bout, lightweight Jamel Herring (6-0, 3 KOs) of Coram, N.Y., probably left Showtime producers scrambling to fill some air time. Herring made making quick work out of Lance Williams (6-3, 6 KOs) of Muscatine, Iowa, scoring a second round TKO in the final second of the second round.

Gamalier Rodriguez scored a eighth round stoppage over Aldimar Dos Santos in a scheduled ten round featherweight bout at Coliseo Roger L. Mendoza in Caguas, Puerto Rico.

Dos Santos was bleeding out of the left ear when the fight was stopped.

Rodriguez, 125 1/4 lbs of Bayamon, PR is now 23-2-3 with 16 knockouts. Dos Santos, 125 1/2 lbs of Sao Paulo, BRA is now 19-6.

Erickson Martell scored a six round unanimous decision over Juan Herrera in a Flyweight bout.

Martell , 112 1/2 lbs of the Dominican Republic is now 12-4-1. Herrera, 112 3/4 lbs of Naguabo, PR is now 9-7.

ATLANTIC CITY–Heavyweight Amir Mansour remained perfect with a stoppage after round seven of his scheduled 10 round bout with Kelvin Price.

It was a sloppy and rough fight as Mansour was boring in with power shots while Price humped in and tried to force clinches. In round three, Mansour started landing power shots that were more flush under the long reach of Price. In round four, Mansour cracked Price with a right hand. Mansour then drilled Price with a gard left that rocked Price all over the ring. Mansour hit a wobbled Price with eight flush shots and the only thing that kept him was holding on to Price. Price was having a decent round five until he walked into a booming left that sent him down to the canvas. Luckily for him it was at the end of the frame.

The power punching continued in round six when Mansour rattled a right hook off the head of Price. Price came back for a moment in round seven when he landed a solid right hand. Mansout then came and landed a huge right that sent Price to the deck for a 2nd time. Price barely made it out of the round but then called it a night in between rounds.

Mansour, 229 lbs of Wilmington, DE is now 20-0 with 15 knockouts. Price, 240 lbs of Pensacola, FL is now 14-2.

“It came down to who wanted it more,” Mansour said after the fight. “And there is no one with more desire than me. He was tough and we both wanted the same thing, but I’m going to keep coming until I get him out of there. That’s what I did.”

Lionell Thompson boxed his weigh to a ten round unanimous decision over Ryan Coyne in a Light Heavyweight bout.

Thompson landed well over the first two rounds. Thompson was efficient with the jab and followed up nicely with the right. Coyne tried to mount some offense but Thompson was very slick. Coyne was cut around his left eye from a punch. Coyne started to come and land some good blows in the fourth. In round five, Thompson rocked Coyne with a perfect right hand. That set off a barrage of about six hard punches to the head but Coyne was able to withstand that. Coyne was able to mount a nice flurry as round five closed.

Round six saw Thompson get back to boxing. Thompson continued to box, potshot and move for which Coyne did not have much of an answer for.neath the long reach of Price.

Thompson, 173 1/2 lbs of Buffalo won by scores of 99-90 on all cards and is now 15-2. Coyne, 174 1/2 of St. Louis is now 21-2.

“I actually thought I might get the knockout,” Thompson said. “He was a lot tougher than I expected. He took a lot of huge body shots.”

Former two-time Cruiserweight world champion Steve Cunningham was nearly flawless in pitching an eight round shutout of Manuel Quezada in their Heavyweight bout.

It was evident from the opening seconds that Cunningham was the class in this bout as he continuously pumped the jab in the face of Quezada. Cunningham then started mixing in hooks and right hands that drew blood from the nose of Quezada and then in round three hurt Quezada’s ribs. Cunningham continued to dominate and at several points in the bout he may have been a few punches away from ending things but Quezada toughed it out and made it to the final bell.

Cunnigham, 208 lbs of Philadelphia won by scores of 80-72 on all cards and is now 26-6. Quezada, 230 lbs of Bakersfield, CA is now 29-8.

Former Cruiserweight contender Darnell Wilson put the 1st blemish on the ledger of David Rodriguez with an explosive 6th round stoppage in the final scheduled second of their Heavyweight bout.

Rodriguez had a good 1st round but Wilson landed a hard left hook in round two. Wilson landed several more power shots that round. With blood coming from his left eye, Wilson ripped Rodriguez with four hard power shots that buckled Rodriguez. Wilson punctuated the round by landing a thudding left hook. Rodriguez got back in the fight in the fourth as he landed a couple of nice body shots. In round six, Rodriguez face was a crimson mask he got drilled with a big left hook and he was counted out at 2:59 of the 6th and final round.

Wilson, 239 lbs of Miami, FL is now 25-17-3 with 21 knockouts. Rodriguez, 254 1/2 lbs of El Paso, TX is now 36-1.

In a battle of pro debuting Middleweights, Trent Laidler and Vincent Floyd battled to a four round draw.

Laidler scored a knockdown with the 1st punch of the fight. Although Floyd fought hard many thought that Laidler got the better of the rest of the action.

Laidler won a bout 40-35; Floyd won a card 38-37 and a third card 38-38.

John Magda remained undefeated with a 6 round unanimous decision over Jess Noriega in a Super Middleweight bout.

Scores were 60-54 on two cards and 60-53 for Magda, 168 1.2 lbs of Ruthorford, NJ and is now 4-0. Noriega, 169 1/2 lbs of Lynchburg, VA is now 2-9.

In the scheduled 4-round walkout bout, Philadelphia heavyweight Aaron Leonard, 1-1-1, 1 KO, stopped Sicklerville, NJ’s Andrew Peurifoy, 0-1, at 1:50 of the first round.

Francisco Vargas remained perfect by scoring a ten round unanimous decision over Jerry Belmontes.

Vargas was much more active and landed almost twice as many punches as Belmontes and won by scores of 100-89 on all cards.

Vargas, 129 1/4 lbs is now 18-0-1. Belmontes, 130 lbs of Corpus Christi, TX is now 18-3.

Jermall Charlo scored a 5th round stoppage over Joseph De Los Santos in a scheduled eight round Middleweight bout.

Charlo dropped De Los Santos in rounds three, four and five and the bout was stopped after the 3rd knockdown just 29 seconds into round five.

Charlo, 115 3/4 lbs of Houston, TX is now 17-0 with 13 knockouts. De Los Santos, 156 lbs of Nagua, DR is now 17-12-3.

Joseph Diaz remained undefeated by scoring a 7th round stoppage over Carlos Rodriguez in a scheduled eight round Super Featherweight bout.

Diaz dominated the action and turned up in round seven as he began to pound away at Rodriguez and the fight was stopped at 1:13 of round 7.

Diaz, 122 1/2 lbs of South El Monte, CA is now 8-0 with 6 knockouts. Rodriguez, 121 1/4 lbs of Los Mochis, MX is now 18-13-4.

2012 U.S. Olympian Errol Spence stopped Pipino Cuevas Jr. after the first round of their eight round Jr. Middleweight bout.

Spence dominated by hammering the ample body of Cuevas. He landed a hard right to the body that sent Cuevas to a knee at the end of the round. Cuevas went back to his corner in distinguished pain and the fight was stopped in the corner.

Spence, 147 1/2 lbs of Desoto, TX is now 10-0 with 8 knockouts. Cuevas, 153 lbs of Mexico is now 17-11.

SAN ANTONIO – Friday afternoon in the western part of this city’s downtown area, Cincinnati welterweight Adrien “The Problem” Broner (27-0, 22 KOs) and Argentine Marcos “El Chino” Maidana (34-3, 31 KOs) each came in under the weight limit for their Saturday title match at Alamodome, with Broner marking 144.4 pounds and Maidana weighing 146.2.

Lingering rumors about Broner’s weight, of his being too heavy, were wrong. Rumors of his being a box-office heavy might prove to be as well.

Popular as he is on television and for as much presence as he shows in planned media events, Adrien Broner does not seem to be drawing much of a crowd in South Texas – certainly no crowds like those Saul “Canelo” Alvarez drew in April. While there were some who braved the raw temperatures to gather at Market Square and watch Broner make weight, Friday, there was more of a media presence than a presence of fans.

After being partially pushed out the way by a characteristically quiet and surly Maidana, Broner made his weight, jumped off the scale and gave interviewer Steve Farhood a prognostication.

“Easy money,” Broner said. “If he comes in with any dumb shit, I’m a flat-line him.”

While the “Danger Zone” card is stacked as its promoters say it is, a toys-for-tickets drive and $10 entrance fees to Alamodome on Saturday have insiders wondering how much of a draw an African American from Cincinnati and an Argentine are proving to be, especially this close to Christmas.

If the main event needs support, though, it is getting plenty of it, with a co-main between Florida welterweight Keith “One Time” Thurman (21-0, 19 KOs) and Mexican Jesus Soto-Karass (28-8-3, 18 KOs). Friday each fighter came in below the welterweight limit – Thurman at 145.8 pounds and Soto-Karass at 146.2 – and Thurman, probably the card’s most likable personality, shared what he told Soto-Karass during their staredown and then added an insight.

“He’s tough,” Thurman said of his Mexican opponent. “My grandma’s tough too.”

The Saturday fighter most likely to entice South Texas’ partisan-Mexican fanbase, California super bantamweight Leo Santa Cruz (25-0-1, 15 KOs), took the scale as well in preparation for his title match with Puerto Rican Cesar Seda (25-1, 17 KOs), in a match aficionados expect Santa Cruz, who weighed 121.4 pounds, to win by brutal stoppage over Seda, who weighed 121.6.

“It’s my personality,” Santa Cruz said, when asked why he is always grinning. “I’m always happy.”

Alamodome doors open early on Saturday at 3:00 PM local time. Opening bell for “Danger Zone” will ring at 3:30. 15rounds.com will have full ringside coverage.

Adrien Broner 144.4 – Marcos Maidana 146.2
Keith Thurman 145.8 – Jesus Soto Karass 146.2
Leo Santa Cruz 121.4 – Cesar Seda 121.6
Beibut Shumenov 175 – Tamas Kovacs 174.4

SHOWTIME EXTREME – Live at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT

JUNIOR WELTERWEIGHTS
Ricardo Alvarez – 140.4 Pounds
Rod Salka – 138.8 Pounds

LIGHTWEIGHTS
Robert Easter, Jr. – 133.6 Pounds
Hardy Paredes – 135.4 Pounds

Amir Mansour 229 – Kelvin Price 240
Lionell Thompson 173.5 – Ryan Coyne 174.5
John Magda 168.5 – Jess Noriega 169.5
Aaron Leonard 211 – Andrew Purifoy 201.5
Steve Cunningham 208 – Manuel Quezada 230
David Rodriguez 254.5 – Darnell Wilson 239
Trent Laidler 158.5 – Vincent Floyd 160

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, former Lightweight champion Javier Jauregui passed away from complications from a stroke. He was 40 years old.

“He was a great champion, and I remember him as a nice and polite young man outside the ring,” Golden Boy chief executive Richard Schaefer said.

“He was one of our first world champions,” Schaefer said of Jauregui. “Very sad. We will do a 10-count [in his honor] on Saturday.”

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, WBC Featherweight champion Jhonny Gonzalez will defend against the man he won it from, Abner Mares on February 15th at Staples Center in Los Angeles.

Gonzalez stopped Mares in the 1st round on August 24th.

“We did get an email confirmation from Jhonny Gonzalez’s promoter, Oswaldo Kuchle, saying that they accepted the terms,” said Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer. “We were going back and forth and they have accepted the terms, and they also confirmed it to the WBC. I like signed contracts but for all intents and purposes this fight will happen Feb. 15 at the Staples Center.”

“They reneged on the deal but Richard was ready to get him stripped if he didn’t comply with the contract they signed,” said Mares manager Frank Espinoza told ESPN.com. “There was a rematch clause in the contract and [Gonzalez] would have been violating it if he didn’t do the rematch.

“Abner is looking forward to fighting Feb. 15. We work well with Golden Boy and Richard and we’ll work out the rest of our deal this week. We should have it all done this week.”

“He just got caught and he got stopped,” Espinoza said. “You can’t judge a fight on less than one round. It’s not like Abner went in there and lost after seven or eight rounds and was getting beat up. He got caught. It’s boxing. Abner is looking forward to coming back. He’s looking for redemption.”

Said Schaefer, “I remember back in the day when I was working with [Top Rank’s] Bob [Arum] and I would have these conversations with (Hall of Fame matchmaker) Bruce Trampler and he always said to me that when a guy gets knocked out in the first round it’s almost like it doesn’t count because you can’t read too much into it. Abner was winning the first round and he got caught. I take nothing away from Jhonny. But Abner had some (undisclosed) issues in his training camp. He never brought it up or complained about it or used it as an excuse, but I know for a fact he had issues in camp.

“He will be refocused and knows what he has to do. I think it will be a very interesting fight. It’s a very dangerous fight. Jhonny’s will cannot be underestimated and he will come in with a lot of momentum having won the first fight by a knockout. I do believe Abner is the more skilled fighter but Jhonny is dangerous as hell. He has that game changer — one-punch knockout power that can come at any time.”

Schaefer said he has not worked out the undercard fights but said that if junior featherweight titlist Leo Santa Cruz (25-0-1, 15 KOs) retains his title against Cesar Seda (25-1, 17 KOs) on Saturday night at the Alamodome in San Antonio on a Showtime-televised card featuring four world title fights that he could return Feb. 15.

“We’re hoping to do a tripleheader,” Schaefer said. “I want to see what happens this weekend and see how everything goes. If Leo looks good and doesn’t get cut we might have him back. I have a lot of ideas but I’m not ready to talk about them all yet.”

Good news to report as Heavyweight Magomed Abdusalamov is out of his coma that he has been in for all but a day since his November 2nd fight with Mike Perez.

“The doctor told me he is out of the coma and awake and that he is aware of his surroundings, and they are moving him to a regular room (on Tuesday),” said Nathan Lewkowicz. “They said this is different than last time (he was taken out of the coma) because this time he’s showing more improvement.

“He’s awake. He’s not able to speak but he’s awake and aware of his surroundings even if he can’t speak. His eyes are open.

“He said they won’t know how his brain is until 18 months after the injury, but it’s only been a month and his brain is still healing. The doctor said he most likely will have some limb dysfunction, but they don’t exactly what it will mean. He was on death’s doorstep when they brought him in after the fight, but the fact that he was young and healthy made all the difference. He’s making progress. He’s going to live but they don’t know what his limitations are going to be.”

WBO Lightweight champion Ricky Burns will defend his title against mandatory challenger Terence Crawford in Scotland this February according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“I’m delighted to bring this fight to Scotland. We tried hard to make the [Raymundo] Beltran rematch but Crawford is the mandatory and Ricky is happy to accept the challenge,” said Burns promoter Eddie Hearn told ESPN.com on Sunday. “It’s perhaps the toughest test Ricky has faced so far. There seems to be plenty of hype around Crawford, so let’s see how he gets on trying to take Ricky’s title in his backyard.”

“Eddie finally made us an offer, a scenario, to do the fight in Scotland on Feb. 8 or Feb. 22 on his show, and we worked out the financial package for us and for Crawford,” said Top Rank’s Carl Moretti. “I called [Crawford’s manager] Cameron [Dunkin] and he liked it and was closing a deal with Crawford, so we’ll travel there and fight for the title.”

Moretti said he got Hearn to agree on neutral officials to be appointed by the WBO.

“It was one of the things I insisted on and he agreed, and the WBO is OK with it also,” Moretti said.

“I could have put here [in the United States] if we won the purse bid, but Eddie made us an offer we were comfortable with,” Moretti said. “Hopefully, Terence will win the fight and his first defense can be in the United States on HBO.”

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, Robert Stieglitz will meet Arthur Abraham for a 3rd tim on March 1st as Stieglitz will defend his WBO Super Middleweight title after his promoter, SES won a purse bid.

Steinforth, who promotes Stieglitz, bid $3,135,000 to easily beat the only other offer, which was $1,541,414 by Abraham promoter Sauerland Event at the WBO purse bid. The minimum bid was $300,000.

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“Of course, I am happy that we won the purse bid, but especially for Robert, my SES team and our [German] TV partner SAT.1,” Steinforth said. “I am happy because there is more planning certainty for us.”

As the titleholder, Stieglitz is entitled to 75 percent of the winning bid ($2,351,250) while Abraham will get the remaining 25 percent challenger’s share ($783,750).

“That’s good job by my promoter Ulf Steinforth,” Stieglitz said of his winning the purse bid. “Now I can concentrate on the preparation and on the fight against Arthur. I am also happy for my fans in Germany and especially for Magdeburg.”

Brooklyn went hard on Saturday night as hometown heroes settled a local rivalry on boxing’s biggest stage. Paul Malignaggi (32-5, 7 KO’s) of the Bensonhurst neighborhood squared off against Zab Judah (42-7, 29KO’s) of Brownsville. Both fighters showcased their strengths early in the fight. Malignaggi, making good use of his footwork and high volume of punches, while Judah countered well and his punches were more powerful. In the second round, just as Judah was landing a left hand, Malignaggi’s leg tangled with Judah’s, causing him to trip. The ref ruled it a knockdown despite Malignaggi’s protests. For the next two rounds, Judah dominated. He landed his jab effectively and frequently followed up with a straight left, reddening the side of Malignaggi’s face.

Entering the fifth round, Judah seemed to be in control, but lowered his punch output. Malignaggi took advantage. Bouncing in an out of range, he fired off a stiff jab and occasional right. His movement prevented Judah from walking him down.

Judah never made the necessary adjustments, and Malignaggi dominated throughout the rest of the fight. The final scores read 116-111, 117-110, and 117-110 giving Malignaggi a UD victory.

“This is an emotional win for me,” said Malignaggi. “It definitely allows me to continue boxing. If I had lost, I don’t know that I would have wanted to continue. But this big win puts me in the right spot to fight in this division for lots of money…lots.

“Walking to the ring was pretty surreal. As a teenager I watched Zab fight and to walk into the ring and fighting against him was very surreal. Not that I never expected myself not to be successful, but it was still something very surreal,” continued Malignaggi. “I felt like this showed that this sport can unify everyone. I looked up to this guy when I was coming up in the sport and he’s one of the greats.”

Judah said, “I came to fight and so did Paulie. It just wasn’t there. This was a great opportunity and a great event. I wanted to be the King of Brooklyn. He wasn’t tougher than me. He stayed on the outside and didn’t engage.”

Shawn Porter (22-0-1, 14KO’s) was an aggressive breath of fresh air on a card that featured defensive minded fighters. He took on title holder Devon Alexander (25-2, 13 KO’s). From the outset, Porter rushed Alexander with high-volume punching. In the third round, hard looping punches landed flush on Alexander’s chin, wobbling him. It was more of the same for Porter in the fourth as he was able to wobble Alexander’s legs again with his hard shots. Things cooled off in the middle rounds. Porter’s style comes with him throwing caution to the wind, and that hurt him, as Alexander was often able to land hard counter punches on Porter’s exposed chin. Still, Alexander’s success was few and far between, and it allowed Porter to hold onto the big lead he built for himself. He won by way of Unanimous decision with scores of 115-113, 116-112, 116-112.

After the fight, Porter said, “This is a blessing. We wanted to come out here and establish that I was the better fighter and we made it happen. I think I was able to control the fight because of my experience and I’m the bigger guy. We did what we had to do. I paid my dues. The opportunity was here and I stepped up to the plate.”

Alexander said, “I’m disappointed. I didn’t do what I was supposed to do. I didn’t follow the game plan. He was rushing in and I didn’t capitalize on that. And that’s what we had planned on.”

In a very lackluster affair, Erisandy Lara (18-1-2, 12 KO’s) dominated Austin Trout (26-1, 14 KO’s) over the course of twelve rounds. Lara was much more mobile and able to pick apart his bigger and slightly slower opponent. The action was very limited except for an eleventh round knockdown scored by Lara. The final scores read 118-109, 117-110, and 117-110 giving Lara a unanimous decision victory.

“I did what Canelo couldn’t do. I dominated Trout and I dropped him. Now we have to make a fight that everyone wants to see which is me against Canelo,” said Lara.

“I’m coming right back,” said Trout. “Who can say that they fought such high caliber fighters as Cotto, Canelo and Lara back-to-back-to-back? His style was tricky, but I don’t sign up for easy fights. He was the better man tonight.”

Sakio Bika (35-2-2, 21 KOs) and Anthony Dirrell (26-0-1, 22 KOs) fought an exciting back and forth affair. Bika started the fight winging wild shots, while Dirrell remained composed and was able to pick Bika off with powerful shots. In the fifth round a hard right staggered Bika badly, and another right sent him down. Bika beat the count, and started off the sixth looking to stage a comeback. With a strong body attack and with Dirrell backing into the ropes constantly, Bika was able to take control of large chunks of the fight; even hurting Dirrell on different occasions. In the eleventh, after a wild throw that went low, Bika was deducted a point. This proved to be significant in a close fight. The final scores read 114-112 for Bika, 116-110 for Dirrell, and 113-113 even, making the fight a split draw.

“I want to apologize to the fans for leaving the ring like that but I was just disappointed,” said a frustrated Dirrell. “He hit low and head butted. I definitely want a rematch.”

Bika felt differently. “I feel like I was fighting the referee as well. The body shot was a legitimate body shot. Not below the belt line. I got him on the belt line, Dirrell just wanted to milk it. I was the busier fighter and now I just want to fight the best ahead of me.”

Julian Williams (14-0 8 KOs) dominated Orlando Lora (29-5-2, 29 KOs) en route to a TKO victory. His combination punching and ability to maintain distance was what did it. The fight was stopped at the 0:34 mark of the third round.

Sadam Ali (18-0, 10 KOs) looked impressive against Jesus Selig (12-2-1, 6 KOs) in their bout. He looked very fluid as he toned down his aggression and worked behind a well balanced offensive approach. After dominating Selig for five rounds, a right hand dropped Selig right before the bell. Selig beat the count, but was met with more damage as the 6th round opened. The referee jumped in and stopped the fight at 0:22 mark of round 6, giving Ali a TKO victory.

Marcul Browne (7-0, 7 KO’s) scored another impressive first round knockout when he faced Kevin Engel (20-8, 16 KO’s). The time of the stoppage was 3:00 of the first round.

Juan Dominguez (15-0, 11 KO’s) scored an eight round unanimous decision victory over Camillo Perez (9-2, 4 KO’s). Scores were 79-73, 78-74, and 78-74.

ATLANTIC CITY–Guillermo Rigondeaux retained the WBA/WBO Super Bantamweight titles at the Adrian Phillips Ballroom inside of Boardwalk HalL.

Rigondeaux used his superior boxing ability as he places precision shots to the body and flicking jabs to the head of Agbeko.

Scores were 120-108 on all cards for Rigondeaux and is now 13-0. Agbeko is now 29-5.

James Kirkland scored a 6th round stoppage over previously undefeated Glen Tapia in a thrilling Jr. Middleweight fight.

Tapia dominated the first frame as he jumped on Kirkland which thrilled the pro-Tapia crowd. Most of the next five rounds were spent with Kirkland unloading hundreds of flush punches to the head and the body of Tapia. Tapia was getting beat up but he showed an unbelievable heart and only god knows what was keeping him standing. Tapia showed short bursts of offense in the beginning of the 4th, 5th and 6th rounds but they were short lived as Kirkland pounded away at Tapia that had blood flying from the nose of Tapia until referee Steve Smoger stopped the bout at 38 seconds of round six.

Kirkland is now 32-1 with 28 knockouts. Tapia is now 20-1.

Matthew Macklin pounded out a ten round unanimous decisioble n over previously undefeated Lamar Russ in a Middleweight bout.

Macklin controlled the action with solid ring generalship and he stuck the jab in the taller Russ’face. Macklin landed several hard blows in round nine that had Russ bleeding from the mouth and the defensive as the round ended. Russ came out and threw hard shots in round ten but none of consequence

Matt Korobov remained undefeated by scoring a 9th round stoppage over Derek Edwards in a Middleweight bout.

In round one, a body-head combination made Edwards buckle Korobov continued to pound Edwards to the body and the head for which he had Edwards stumbling into the ropes. Korobov landed a fuselage of shots until he was rocked badly by a hard right from Edwards. Korobov was clarly hurt and even turned his back in an effort to run away but two three more hard shots before the end of the first round. In round two, Korobov landed a hard straight left that sent Edwards sprawling into the ropes for a knockdown. Korobov rocked Edwards once again in round four when he landed a terrific three punch head combination.

Korobov scored a knockdown at the end of round seven from a hard left hand. The two went to war in round eight with Korobov getting the better of the two way action. Korobov ended the night by dropping Edwards in round nine from yet another straight left and referee Steve Smoger stopped the fight immediately at 28 seconds of round nine.

Korobov, 162.8 lbs of Orotukian, RUS is now 22-0 with 13 knockouts. Edwards, 161.8 lbs of Winston Salem, NC is now 26-3-1.

Toka Khan Clary survived two knockdowns and boxed his way to a six round unanimous decision over Ramsey Luna in a Super Featherweight bout featuring undefeated fighters.

Clary was quicker to the punch throughout as he hit and played good defense. In round four, Luna sent Clary down from a right hand and then dropped him again from a body shot. Clary was able to get out of the round and was never threatened the rest of the way.

Clary, 130.2 lbs of Providence, RI won by scores of 57-55 on all cards and is now 9-0-0-1. Luna, 131.2 lbs of Corpus Christi, TX is now 11-1.

Jesse Hart scored an explosive 1st round stoppage over Tyrell Hendrix in a scheduled six round Super Middleweight bout.

Hart rocked Hendrix with an uppercut an opened up with a huge flurry where he drilled Hendrix several more times before referee Steve Smoger stopped the bout at 1:20 of round one.

Hart, 168.2 lbs of Philadelphia is now 11-0 with 10 knockouts. Hendrix, 168.4 lbs of Los Angeles is now 10-3-2-1.

Julian Rodriguez scored a 4 round unanimous decision over Ryan Picou in a Jr. Welterweight bout.

Rodriguez pounded away on Picou in the 1st with blistering combinations. Picou, who was a late replacement tried and landed some shots here and there. Late in round two, Rodriguez continue to rock Picou for the duration of the fight.

Rodriguez, 140.6 lbs of Hasbrouck, NJ won by scores of 40-36 on all cards and is now 2-0. Picou, 140 lbs of Las Vegas is now 0-2.

Egor Mekhontsev made a successful pro debut with a 3 round beat down of Peter Cajigas in a scheduled four round Light Heavyweight bout.

Mekhonstev showed quick hands and hard combinations over the first two rounds. Mekhonstev dropped Cajigas three times in round three all from all hard body shots and referee Steve Smoger stopped the bout at 35 seconds of round three.

Mekhonstev, 177.2 lbs of Asobest, RUS is now 1-0 with 1 knockout. Cajigas, 179.8 lbs of Franklin Park, IL is now 0-3-1.

Photos by Chris Farina / Top Rank

J’Leon Love scored a sixth round stoppage over LaJuan Simon in round six of their scheduled 10 round Super Middleweight bout at the Little Creek Resort in Shelton, Washington.

Love won every round as he was younger, fresher and much faster then Simon, who was making his 1st appearance in 2 years.

Love boxed well and finally in round six landed a right hand that drove Simon into the ropes that hurt Simon. Love landed a few shots that was capped off by a right hand that sent Simon flat on his back with his head pounding against the canvas and the fight was immediately stopped at 2:48 of round six.

Love, 167 lbs of Las Vegas is now 16-0 with 9 knockouts. Simon, 168 lbs of Philadelphia is now 23-5-2.

“This was a good fight,’’ said Love, who moved up to 168 pounds for the fight and was making his first start for trainer and former light heavyweight world champion, Eddie Mustafa Muhammad. “This guy was a vet. I knew I couldn’t just go in and blow him away. I knew I had to work angles and fight smart.

“But I had to do something. Everybody on my team before me was knocking everybody out. We work so hard as a team. We’re always behind each other. There is no limit to what we can do.’

Badou Jack remained undefeated with a sixth round stoppage over tough Rogelio Medina in a scheduled 10 round Super Middleweight clash.

Medina fought well early as he landed some solid body punches and later got the jab rolling. Jack turned things around in round four as he rocked Medina with a hard right hand. In round five, Jack started to wear Medina down.

Round six saw Jack land a big right hand that sent Medina to the canvas. Medina got up and Jack jumped right on him. Jack landed a big flurry and dropped Medina for a second time in the round. Medina showed plenty of heart and took some more punishment but he was kept in the fight momentarily as he threw just enough punches until he ate a huge uppercut that sent him down for a 3rd and final time and the fight was stopped at 2:30 of round six.

Jack, 167 1/2 lbs of Stockholm, SWE is now 16-0-1 with 11 knockouts. Medina, 167 3/4 lbs of Ermosilo, MX is now 31-5.

“He was tougher than I thought he’d be,’’ the 30-year-old Jack said. “I’m known as a slow starter and it took me a while to break him down, but it felt great to get that knockout.

“I thought the referee would stop the fight after the first knockdown. After the second knockdown I thought that Medina was definitely done, but then he got up and the fight went on and I was like, I gotta go for the kill.’ ’’

Mickey Bey scored a 3rd round stoppage over Carlos Cardenas in a scheduled 10 round Lightweight bout.

Bey dominated the action and landed a perfect left to the chin that sent Cardenas to the canvas. Cardenas got to his feet but he was clearly hurt and the fight was stopped at 2:23 of round three.

Bey, 135 lbs of Las Vegas, NV is now 19-1-1, 10 KO’s. Cardenas, 133 1/2 lbs of Baranias, VEN is now 20-7-1.

“It always feel good to get your hand raised,’’ Bey, a 135-pounder, said. “I know he was going to come out strong and try and catch me in the early rounds. The fight before me ended so quickly I’m not sure I was totally warmed up so I just took my time.

“This guy was not an easy opponent. But I wanted a tough fight. Honestly, I didn’t even know I threw the punch that knocked him out. It was so automatic, just like I do all the time in training. It was like hitting the mitts. It’s good to get back on track.’’

Chris Pearson scored an explosive 1st round stoppage over Acacio Ferreira inside of one round of their scheduled 8 round Jr. Middleweight bout.

Pearson landed a powerful right hook that was followed by three thunderous power shots against s defenseless Ferreira and he slumped to the canvas as the fight was stopped at 1:44 of round one.

Pearson, 156 lbs of Dayton, OH is now 10-0 with 9 knockouts. Ferreira, 152 lbs of Santa Cantarina, BRA is now 14-1-1.

“I trained hard and was prepared to go 10 rounds, but I knew if I caught him right I could take him out of there,’’ Pearson said. “I’m just glad to give the fans what they love to see.

“This was a good win, but now it’s time to get ready for the next one.’’

Former world Light Heavyweight champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua scored an explosive one-punch 1st round stoppage over James Te Huna in a Light Heavyweight bout.

Rua countered a Te Huna right with a short yet devastating left hook to the jaw that crumpled Te Huna to the canvas and the fight was stopped at 1:03 of round one.

Rua, 205 lbs of Curitibia, BRA is now 22-8. Te Huna, 205 lbs of Perth, AUS is now 18-7.

Former Ultimate Fighter winner Ryan Bader bloodied and battered Anthony Perosh over three rounds and scored a three round unanimous decision in a Light Heavyweight bout.

Perosh was bleeding from his head and nose and when he wasnt taking punches he was on his back being put wrestled by Bader.

Bader, 205 lbs of Temple, AZ won by scores of 30-27, 30-27 and 30-26. Perosh, 2o4 lbs of Sydney, AUS is now 14-8

Soa Palelei stopped Pat Barry in the first round of their Heavyweight bout.

Palelei had Barry on the ground and landed a barrage of punches to the face of a prone Barry and the fight was stopped at 2:09 of round one.

Palelei, 264 lbs of Perth, AU is now 20-3. Barry, 237 lbs of Alexandria, MN is 8-7

Clint Hester scored a stoppage victory over Dylan Andrews after Andrews could not continue after round two of their three round Middleweight bout.

Andrews apparently injured his right shoulder and could not continue.

Hester, 186 lbs of Atlanta, GA is now 9-3. Andrews, 185 lbs of Golds Coast, Queensland, AUS is now 18-6-1.

Bethe Corriea scored a three round split decision over Julie Kedzie in a female Bantamweight bout.

Corriea, 135 lbs of Brazil won two cards at 29-28. Kedzie, 135 lbs of Albuquerque, NM won a card 29-28.

Corriea is 7-0. Kedzie is now 16-13.

In an exciting back and forth slugfest, Takeya Mitzuhaki scored a three round unanimous decision over Nam Phan in a Bantamweight bout.

Mitzugaki, 135 lbs of Kanagawa, JAP won by scores of 30-28, 29-28 and 29-28 and is now 19-7-2. Phan, 135 lbs of Little Saigon, CA is now 18-13.

Caio Magalhales scored a three round unanimous decision over Nick Ring in a Middleweight bout.

Scores were 29-28 on all cards for Magalhales, 186 lbs of Brazil ans is now 7-1. Ring, 185 lbs of Calgary. ALB, CAN is now 13-3.

Justin Scoggins scored a 1st round stoppage over Richie Vaculk in a Flyweight bout.

Scoggins ended the bout by pounding Vaculk on the ground and the bout was stopped at 4:43 of round one.

Scoggins, 125 lbs of Coconut Creek, FL is now 8-0. Vaculk, 126 lbs of Sydney, AUS is now 9-3.

Kryztolf Jocko scored a three round unanimous decision over Bruno Santos in a battle of previously undefeated Middleweights.

Scores were 30-37, 29-28 and 29-28 for Jocko, 185 lbs of Ornatin, POL and is now 14-0. Santos, 185 lbs of Brazil is now 13-1.

Guillermo Rigondeaux 121 – Joseph Agbeko 121.6
Lamar Russ 159 – Matthew Macklin 159
Glen Tapia 156 – James Kirkland 155.1
Egor Mekhonsev 177.2 – PJ Catages 179.8
Julian Rodriguez 140.6 – Ryan Piquot 140
Jesse Hart 168.2 – Tyrell Hendrix 168.4
Ramsey Luna 131.2 – Toka Khan Klary 132
Matt Korobov 162.2 – Derek Edwards 161.8
Tramaine Williams 122.6 – Jovanny Fuentes 121.8