According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, WBO Light Hevyweight champion Nathan Cleverly will defend the crown against hard punching Sergey Kovalev in a battle of Undefeated fighters on August 17th in Cardiff, Wales and will be televised by HBO>

Cleverly’s sixth title defense will be part of an HBO split-site tripleheader headlined by middleweight titlist Daniel Geale (29-1, 15 KOs) of Australia defending against England’s Darren Barker (25-1, 16 KOs) at the Revel Resort in Atlantic City, N.J. Also on the Atlantic City portion of the broadcast is likely to be junior featherweight titlist Jonathan Romero (23-0, 12 KOs) of Colombia in a defense against former bantamweight titleholder Joseph “King Kong” Agbeko (29-4, 22 KOs) of Ghana.

“Their styles are such that the fight has to be nonstop action from the first bell,” said Main Events chief executive Kathy Duva, who promotes Kovalev. “Cleverly is a very busy fighter. Kovalev starts throwing bombs with both hands as soon as he reaches the center of the ring.

“The arena should be sold out, and we know how vocal crowds are in the U.K. That will just add to the excitement. (Hall of Fame promoter and matchmaker) Russell Peltz taught me to always ask myself, ‘Would I want to watch this fight before making a match?’ The answer in this case is a resounding yes.”

“I’m over the moon that Kovalev has confirmed that he’s fighting me,” Cleverly said. “I’ve wanted Kovalev all along, and I spoke to my promoter, Frank Warren, and said that this is the guy I want to fight. He’s making big waves in America and he’s a fighter that people know. His knockouts are frightening to watch, but that’s when I perform to my best, when the adrenalin is flowing and the odds are stacked against me.

“This will be Kovalev’s thunder against my lightning, and he is going to get a serious shock.”

“My goal has always been to win the world title as soon as possible,” Kovalev said. “So I decided to take the first opportunity that was offered to me. And I have dreamed for many years about fighting on HBO. I look forward to going to Wales to fight with Cleverly, and I congratulate him for accepting this challenge.”

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com an intriguing August 24th title doubleheader is in the works that will pit WBC Featherweight champion Abner Mares against former champion Jhonny Gonzalez and Leo Santa Cruz battling Victor Terrazas for the latter’s Bantamweight crown in Carson, California that will be broadcasted on Showtime.

“There are no particular outstanding issues with Mares and Gonzalez. Both fighters want to fight and I’m just trying to finalize everything. It’s a helluva fight,” said Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer. “I expect it to be done in the next few days. I just need to sit down with Stephen and get it all finalized, but Showtime loves the card. I love the card. I think fight fans will love the card.”

“This is the perfect sport for the show,” Schaefer said. “It’s exactly these kind of events which are going to attract a crowd. You have four exciting Mexican fighters and the crowd will get what it expects — exciting fights, so I think we’re going to have another sellout, and we will do what we did (on June 8), which is to price the tickets very attractively.”

“Jhonny Gonzalez is a former world champion and a seasoned fighter,” Espinoza said. “We’re still negotiating the fight, so it’s not a done deal yet, but Abner will fight anybody. Of course, we have to work out certain things but we’re on board with fighting Jhonny Gonzalez. It’s a tough fight but every fight is a tough fight when you’re at this level.”

“This is still a new weight class for Abner and Jhonny has been a featherweight for awhile,” Schaefer said. “There will be Mexican pride at stake. I expect a really exciting battle because you know when you see a Jhonny Gonzalez fight that it won’t be boring and the same can be said and more of Abner Mares, who is on most pound-for-pound lists as well as being one of the most entertaining fighters in the sport.”

“Terrazas beat a good fighter to win a world title and with Leo you have one of the highest volume punchers in the sport, who has developed a fan following and a crowd pleasing style,” Schaefer said. “He is going to bring the fans to their feet.”

DALLAS – If this city’s partisan-Mexican crowd came out Saturday to see one of its own blast away a rugged but overmatched opponent in the last fight of its untelevised undercard, it got its wish when Sonoran Oscar Valdez (6-0, 5 KOs) brought a properly leveraged right cross counter square on the face of Houstonian Gil Garcia (5-5-1, 1 KO) in the second round of their featherweight match, Saturday’s seventh, dropping Garcia on his back and marking as inevitable Valdez’s victory.

Instants after referee Laurence Cole brought the fighters together, Valdez, showing the sort of thrill for combat that pleases fans and makes promoters salivate, swarmed Garcia, striking him with any punch he could land and bringing a merciful stoppage at 2:32 of round 2.

Valdez has an exciting style and desire for contact that should make him a friend of fans in years to come.

MIKAEL ZEWSKI VS. DAMIAN FRIAS
Completing a hat-trick of undefeated Top Rank prospects, in Saturday’s sixth match Canadian Mikael Zewski (20-0, 15 KOs) boxed and slugged and generally outclassed Florida welterweight Damian Frias (19-8-1, 10 KOs), ultimately decisioning him by three scores of 77-74.

Despite applying plenty of commitment to his punches, and throwing them in cleaver and accurate combinations, Zewski never appeared to have Frias imperiled, after dropping the Floridian in the first round. Rounds 2 through 7, in fact, were dull enough affairs to have much of the American Airlines Arena crowd expressing its loud disapproval. All such noise as that stopped in the final round.

Appearing to be winded by his own onslaught in the preceding rounds, Zewski put whatever he had left behind his blows in round 8, opening himself to accurate and surprisingly hard counters from Frias – whose punches appeared to lack commitment most of the night. Despite clipping Zewski a number of times in the eighth, ultimately Frias did not have enough to cast doubt on the outcome, and the decision went the Canadian’s way.

MATT KOROBOV VS. OSSIE DURAN
Saturday’s most pleasant surprise came in its fifth fight when Russian middleweight Matt Korobov (20-0, 12 KOs), once more highly touted than he is now, performed a vicious stoppage of New Jersey’s Ossie Duran (27-11-2, 10 KOs) at 0:51 of round 3. After a slow start that brought nearly unanimous boos from the Dallas crowd, Korobov landed a twisting counter left cross from his southpaw stance in the closing minute of round 2, one that dropped Duran and seemed to surprise both fighters.

Korobov attacked from the very beginning of round 3, showing an intensity of assault unpredicted by his record’s paltry knockout ratio, winging and digging left crosses to Duran’s midsection. Duran dropped quickly, his face showing the wincing hopelessness brought only by a liver shot, and the match was over. And Korobov was on his way back towards important matches in the middleweight division.

VANES MARTIROSYAN VS. RYAN DAVIS
Buried in the third match of a nine-fight card in Texas was likely not where 2004 U.S. Olympian Vanes Martirosyan (33-0-1, 21 KOs) anticipated his career would be if he came to his 33rd professional fight still undefeated, and yet, that was where he was, dropping and stopping Illinois super welterweight Ryan Davis (24-11-3, 9 KOs).

Martirosyan landed most every punch he threw, including batting-cage right hands with which he was unable to miss the hopeless Davis, and succeeded in looking impressive as he needed to, en route to a corner stoppage at 2:01 of round 2.

UNDERCARD
The knockout of the night came in Saturday’s fourth match, when local super bantamweight Tony Lopez (4-0, 2 KOs) dropped South Carolina’s Jonathan Hernandez (1-3-1, 1 KO) at 0:38 of round 4, and dropped him in a way that brought ringside doctors on the canvas before the 10-count was finished. Hernandez, who had fired back valiantly through the opening three rounds, finally caught the southpaw Lopez’s left cross in a way that ended his night emphatically.

Saturday’s second fight, a welterweight tilt between Puerto Rican welterweight John Karl Sosa (7-0, 5 KOs) and Mexican Ramon Alejandro Pena (7-3 5 KOs), was an overmatched affair in which Pena landed very few right hands and absorbed many more. The end came at 1:54 of round 2, when a Sosa left hook found its mark on Pena’s liver and rendered the Mexican wholly unable to continue.

The evening began on a fine note, with Austin middleweight Kurtiss Colvin (8-1, 7 KOs) stopping Arlington’s Angel Sigala (8-4, 2 KOs) at 0:22 of round 5.

Opening bell rang on a sparsely populated American Airlines Arena at 6:03 PM local time.

Mikey Garcia scored a fourth round stoppage over former 122 lb champion Juan Manuel Lopez in a Featherweight fight at the American Airlines in Dallas, Texas.

Garcia lost his Featherweight title on Friday when he checked in two pounds over the Featherweight limit and had to pay Lopez a reported $150,000 for the fight to commence. Lopez was eligible to win the title.

Garcia boxed and won the first round. In round two, the action heated up and it was culminated by a Garcia right hand that sent Lopez to the canvas. Lopez steadied himself and fought on even terms in round three. In round four, Garcia opened up with a four punch flurry. Garcia then landed an overhand right that was followed by a crunching left that sent Lopez to the canvas. Lopez got to his feet but took a step backwards and the fight was stopped by referee Rafael Ramos.

Garcia, 128 lbs of Moreno Valley, CA will now most likely pursue a world title with a record of 32-0 with 27 knockouts. Lopez, 125 1/4 lbs is now 33-3.

Good looking Lightweight prospect Terrance Crawford scored a sixth round stoppage over Alejandro Sanabria in a scheduled ten round Lightweight bout.

Sanabria fought well over the first two rounds as he worked with with his left hand. Crawford got into the fight in round four as he started working the body and landed a good uppercut. In round six, Crawford came out and landed a flush left hook to the jaw that sent Sanabria to the canvas. When he got to his feet he was unsteady and referee Laurence Cole stopped the bout at the seventeen second mark of round six.

Crawford, 134 1/2 lbs of Omaha, NEB is now 21-0 with 16 knockouts. Sanabria of Mexico is now 34-2-1.

DALLAS – Once considered a model young professional, the quintessence of what a proper boxing pedigree could produce, California featherweight Miguel Angel “Mikey” Garcia appeared to be another thing entirely at the weigh-in for his Saturday fight with Puerto Rican Juan Manuel “Juanma” Lopez. Garcia lost his world title on the scale, the least-professional place to lose it.

At American Airlines Center Friday, Garcia (31-0, 26 KOs) weighed 128 pounds, two in excess of the featherweight limit, while Lopez (33-2, 30 KOs), about whose weight concerns were openly expressed in previous weeks, made 125 1/4.

A drawn Mikey Garcia took the stage first, and when he raised his hands above his head, like a famished swimmer about to dive in a pool, he did not look well. The number got read by announcer Lupe “El Más Macho” Contreras, and there was no reaction among those gathered, though 128 did seem an odd number, even for a catchweight fight, which this palpably was not but rather an HBO “Boxing After Dark” main event, and the network had paid for a world-title fight. When Juan Manuel “Juanma” Lopez then marked 125 1/4, the gravity of Garcia’s miss became apparent even to those giving the formalities only partial attention.

Garcia, preceded by part of his team, though notably not his older brother and trainer Robert, and followed by Top Rank ace publicist Lee Samuels, wandered out the arena into the miserable heat of downtown Dallas in June, ostensibly to wriggle or boil two more pounds from his desiccated frame. Lopez conducted a brief interview for the promoter’s streaming-video link, and it provided the first official announcement of Garcia’s miss.

Asked about Garcia’s comments earlier in the week that the Californian was a better professional fighter than him in every way, Lopez, usually an affable type quicker to smile than glower, was uncharacteristically direct and critical.

“Maybe he is the better professional in the ring,” Lopez said, “but he is no one professional on the scale.”

The rest of the weigh-in went along, the co-main fighters – Nebraska lightweight Terence Crawford (20-0, 15 KOs) and Mexican Alejandro Sanabria (34-1-1, 25 KOs) – each made 134 1/2 pounds, and the waiting began, as what crowd had gathered gradually returned to the rest of its Friday afternoon. Forty or so minutes later, nervous Top Rank personnel gathered near the stage began to communicate with hand gestures and head shakes and whispers in promoter Bob Arum’s ear.

Twenty minutes after that, a roughdried Mikey Garcia returned to the concourse from the door he’d exited one hour before. While Top Rank’s Carl Moretti placed a reassuring arm across Garcia’s shoulders and other insiders exchanged knowing glances, Arum discussed loudly and disapprovingly a money issue of some kind on stage.

Lupe Contreras was called to the podium and then returned without making an announcement. Texas commission officials and the WBO supervisor watched as Garcia made his way to the podium, not the scale, and affixed his signature on some contractual item or other. It became apparent Garcia’s first weight, 128, would be his only weight – there would be no reweighing him – and everyone from Top Rank’s Bruce Trampler to HBO’s Peter Nelson appeared uncertain what would come next.

Arum then strode towards the staircase leading from the makeshift stage to the concourse floor, stopped at the podium and approached its microphone like an annoying obstacle between him and the staircase about which he cared thrice as much.

“Card’s going to go on,” Arum announced. “The title fight has been cancelled.”

Then negotiations began in earnest.

Garcia-Lopez will be contested after all. Garcia is no longer the WBO featherweight champion of the world, though Lopez, for making weight, will have an opportunity to claim Garcia’s now-vacant title if he wins their match. Saturday’s opening bell will ring on the American Airlines Center card at 6:00 PM local time.

WEST ORANGE, NJ–Juan Carlos Payano scored seven round stoppage over Jundy Moaroan in a scheduled twelve round Bantamweight bout

It started out fast paced. Payano began to bleed over his right eye as early as round two. Maroan then sent Payano to the canvas midway through round three. They traded shots with Payano slowly gaining the advantage and in round six he landed a right to the body that was followed by a vicious left that dropped Maroan for referee Randy Neumann’s ten count at thirty-nine seconds of round seven

Payano of the Dominican Republic is now 14-0 with eight knockouts. Maroan on the Philippines is now 15-1-1.

Yenifel Vicente scored a fourth round stoppage over Jorge Diaz in a Jr. Featherweight fight that was filled with contact. In round three, Maroan landed a hard left at the bell that sent Payano to the canvas. In round four, Maroan came out and landed some heavy lefts.

In the the first round, the two went to war with Diaz looking stronger but he caught with a couple of hard left hooks. In round two, Diaz started to find a home with the right hand. Vicente came out strong in round three as he landed a barrage of punches that pushed Diaz to the ropes. Diaz responded by landing some terrific body punches. Vicente punctuated the round by landing two hard shots at the bell. Vicente continued in round four with power shots until he blasted a uppercut that sent him to the canvas. Vicente jumped all over Diaz until the fight was stopped by Benji Esteves at 2:02

Vicente, 123 lbs of Dominican Republic is now 25-1-2 with 17 knockouts. Diaz, 122 lbs of New Brunswick, NJ is 17-2.

Anthony Gangemi pounded out a four round majority decision over Anthony Prescott in a Welterweight bout.

Scores were 40-36, 39-37 and 38-38 for Gangemi of Mine Hill, NJ and is now 4-0. Prescott of Cherry Hill is now 1-2-1.

Lavarn Harvell scored a six round unanimous decision over Paul Vasquez in a Light Heavyweight bout.

Harvell dropped Vasquez in round one from a hard right and boxed very well en route to the decision which read 60-54 5954 and 58-55.

Harvell of Atlantic City is 13-0. Vasquez of Martinez, CA is now 9-4-1.

Rickey Edwards took out Larry Yanez in round one of a scheduled four round Lightweight bout.

Edwards landed a vicious combination that left Yanez defenseless and the bout was stopped at 2:01 of round one.

Edwards of Paterson, NJ is now 2-0 with two knockots. Yanez of Miami is 3-5-2.

Tyrell Wright recovered from a first round knockdown to stop Moises Marshall in round two of their scheduled four round Heavyweight bout.

Marshall dropped Wright with a hard over hand right in round one. Wright came on in round two and landed a hard left that sent Marshall to the canvas. Wright then dropped Marshall two more times from body shits and referee Randy Neumann stopped the bout at 2:03 of round two.

Wright, 206 1/2 lbs of Bayonne, NJ is 2-0 with one knockout. Marshall, 220 lbs of Springfield, MO is now 1-0-1.

In the opener, Shakur Jackson scored a second round stoppage over Michael Pickett in a scheduled four round Welterweight bout.

Jackson brutalized Pickett’s body with bodt hands and landed many flurries with Pickett showing little offense.

Finally referee Randy Neumann stopped the bout at 2:03 of round two.

Jackson, 147.5 lbs of Newark, NJ is 1-0 with 1 no-contest. Pickett, 152.5 lbs of South Bend, Indiana is now 1-5.

Good looking Middleweight prospect Antoine Douglas dropped Inaheim King in round one and dominated until King was unable to continue after round three of their scheduled four round bout.

Douglas of Burke, VA is now 8-0 with six knockouts. King of Fort Lauderdale, FL is now 11-9,

The Promoters were GH3 Promotions/ Greg Cohen Promotions / Acquinity Sports (Main Event and Co-Feature) / First Round Promotions (Harvell-Vasquez)

The matchmaker was Eric Bottjer.

World ranked Heavyweight Bryant Jennings stopped Andrey Fedosov after round six of a scheduled ten round Heavyweight bout at the Sands Hotel and Casino in Bethlehem, PA.

Fedosov was very aggressive early as he walked in and worked the body. Jennings turned things around when he rocked Fedosov with a huge uppercut. Jennings followed up with a big flurry and the a big right that Fedosov took well. The action was consistent and fast pace with bot guys having moments. Fedosov walked in and worked the body while Jennings mixed up featuring the uppercut.

Jennings had a solid round six and opened up a cut over the left eye of Fedosov and he was deemed unable to continue after round six.

Jennings, 227 1/2 lbs of Philadelphia is now 17-0 with 9 knockouts. Fedosov, 224 1/2 lbs of Russia is now 24-3.

Sergey Kovalev scored an impressive third round stoppage over Cornelius White in a scheduled ten round Light Heavyweight bout.

Kovalev scored three knockdowns in the third as he dropped White with a hard combination for the first knockdown. Kovalev was all over White and ropped him again from a left hook. With White clearly hurt, Kovalev finished the deal with a hard left that dumped White on the canvas and referee Gary Rosado stopped the bout at 1:42 of round three.

Kovalev, 174 1/2 lbs from Chelinsk, RUS is now 21-0-1 with 19 knockouts. White, 173 lbs of Houston, TX is now 21-2.

Ray Narh scored a ten round unanimous decision over Ronald Cruz in a Welterweight bout.

Narj took the fight with his punch volume as he controlled and dictated the pace. Cruz may have landed the better punches but it was the consistency of Narh that propelled to victory. Cruz did have a couple of moments like round in round three when he rocked Narh with a left hook and again in round nine from a perfectly timed overhand right. After absorbing that blow, Narh quick turned the tables by backing Cruz and landing a hard combinations.

Narh, 148 lbs of Accra, Ghana won by scores of 96-94, 98-92 and 100-90 and is now 26-2. Cruz, 148 lbs of Bethlehem, PA now 17-2.

The punch stats 125-716 for Narh while Cruz was 84-403

Arturo Trujillo made short work of Anthony Watson by scoring a first round stoppage in a scheduled four round battle of debuting Jr. Middleweights.

Trujillo dropped Watson twice with vicious combinations and referee Shawn Clark stopped the bout twenty-nine seconds into the fight.

Trujillo, 150 1/2 lbs of Easton, PA is 1-0. Watson, 153 lbs of Philadelphia is 0-1.

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, trainer Rudy Perez passed away of Stomach cancer in Mexico City.

Perez trained Marco Antonio Barrera, Israel Vazquez, Marcos Maidana, Pablo Cesar Cano, Hernan Marquez, Adrian Hernandez and Jorge Barrios.

“Rudy was one of those trainers who wasn’t as famous as many others, but he was a very patient trainer,” said Robert Diaz, the Golden Boy Promotions matchmaker, who previously spent years working with Barrera and got to know Perez well. “I would consider him like a second father. He was so kindhearted. He called my kids his grandchildren.

“As a trainer, he was the kind of trainer who went out to run with his fighters, he’d diet with his fighters. He would eat whatever Marco would eat. He wasn’t a trainer who would sit there and eat a steak or a hamburger while the fighter was dieting and eating a salad. He didn’t believe in too many rounds of sparring for his fighters because he wanted them fresh and not hurt going into the fight.”

“We had a great relationship. He was a great man, a great friend and he will be missed,” said Vazquez manager Frank Espinoza. “He was a great trainer and a great motivator. He was the type of guy you wanted in your guy’s corner. I’ll really miss this guy. He was a team player.”

“Team Maidana is deeply sorry to hear about the passing of Rudy Perez, a great trainer and person,” Maidana tweeted.

“I dedicate that win to him,” Maidana said. “Our prayers to Rudy’s family. We’ll always remember him. Rest his soul in peace.”

“That third fight with Marquez was a very, very close fight, and after the 11th round, Rudy literally slapped Israel in the chest in the corner,” Espinoza said. “At that particular time, it motivated Israel. It pissed him off, but that made Israel go forward in that 12th round with so much intensity. He got the [knockdown] against Marquez in that round, won the round and won the fight. I believe after the 11th round that without Rudy Perez’s instruction and what he did by slapping Israel, we wouldn’t have won the fight. I think it gave Israel that little something extra he needed to go out and win the round and the fight. It was a great victory.”

“He knew Israel needed that last round, and he slapped him hard on the chest and said something like, ‘Why don’t you just give Marquez the title?’ The bell rang, and Israel came out like it was the first round,” Diaz said. “I think what Rudy did really made the difference in the fight.”

Perez is survived by his wife, Consuelo, and their son. Funeral services are scheduled for Friday in Mexico City.

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, Jr. Featherweight Scott Quigg has jumped ship from Hatton Promotions to Eddie Hearn and Matchroom Sports and will fight in Bolton, England on June 29th.

“I’m delighted to have signed a deal with Matchroom Sport, and it’s great to have a fight so soon,” Quigg said. “I’ve been in training for a long time and (it’s) a new start with a new promoter. I’m always in the gym, I love training. But a fighter always wants to be in the ring fighting. That’s where you learn and you also make your money to pay your bills. I’ve got the same hunger as always, and I just want to get active again and I think Matchroom Sport and (British network) Sky Sports is the place to get that. I can’t wait to get back in there. That’s where I’m at home and I’ve missed it.

“We’re getting the ball rolling in Bolton. I’ve had one fight in a year, so it’s about getting the momentum going and looking to make waves in the division again. No one sees how hard I train, no one sees the effort and dedication that I put in to get to the top. I came into boxing wanting to be a world champion. I don’t want to settle at British or European [level]. I’ve come in to be the best. You might need a bit of luck here and there, but I think I have the ability and I know I have the desire and dedication to make it happen.”

“I’m delighted to welcome Scott Quigg to the team,” Hearn said. “He is on the cusp of challenging for a world title, and with the backing of Matchroom Sport and Sky Sports, we believe he’ll get there and stay there for a long time.”

CARSON, Calif. – They collided like a couple of weather fronts. One from Argentina. The other from Riverside, Calif. Only one would be left standing. That was the only safe prediction.

In the end, the sudden storm belonged to Marcos Maidana, another force of nature from Argentina.

Maidana got up from one knockdown in the fourth round to score one in the sixth for what led to a technical knockout of Josesito Lopez in a dramatic welterweight fight at the StubHub Center.

Maidana (34-3, 31KOs) landed an overhand right that put Lopez on one knee early in the sixth. Stunned yet resilient, Lopez (30-6, 18 KOs) got up amid huge cheers for the Southern California fighter nicknamed The Riverside Rocky. But the loud crowd of 8,629 at the former Home Depot Center couldn’t protect the hometown favorite from Maidana’s next assault. The Argentine winged successive punches at Lopez at a whirlwind rate. Referee Lou Morett interceded with a stoppage at 1:18 of the round.

“My guts got me this victory,’’ said Maidana, whose inexhaustible power puts him alongside fellow Argentine Lucas Matthysse.

In the fourth, Lopez dropped Maidana with some head-rocking power of his own. Lopez’ delivered it with a right that looked as if it might prove to be the fight’s decisive weapon. By then, however, Maidana had felt enough to know he could survive it with smarts and poise.

“In the second round, he hit me in my head and it was like I was paralyzed,’’ said Maidana, who would have been happy if Morett had let the fight continue.

Lopez was unhappy at the stoppage.

“I felt like it was premature,’’ said Lopez, who led by one point on each of two scorecards. “I was stunned, but I was not down for the count. He landed a couple of good punches, but not good enough to end the fight.’’

With the victory, stays in a welterweight race led by Floyd Mayweather Jr.

“I just want to fight the best,’’ Maidana said after prevailing in a wild fight with one of them.

In a super-welterweight bout, Alfredo Angulo (22-3, 18 KOs) looked tough, stubborn and on his way to a surprising victory over ErislandyLara (17-1-2, 12 KOs), who was down twice – once in the fourth and again in the ninth. Just as it looked as if Angulo would be the winner, however, he was the loser.

A sudden left-right combination from Lara in the tenth ended the super-welterweight bout abruptly. Angulo turned around and took one step toward his corner. He was finished. Referee Raul Caiz, Sr., ended it at 1:50 of the tenth.

Seconds after the stoppage, a huge welt appeared above Angulo’s left eye. Before Angulo was taken to a nearby hospital, the grotesque swelling was believed to have been caused by either a fracture to the orbital bone or by injury to the back of the eye. Angulo complained that Lara had thumbed him.

Despite suffering two knockdowns, Lara led, 85-84, on scorecards held by judges Max DeLuca and Hoyle cards. Marty Denkinhad Angulo leading, 86-83.

ON THE UNDERCARD
THE BEST: Dublin junior welterweight JamieKavanagh (14-0-1, 6 KOs) had green shamrocks on his black socks and power hidden beneath the gloves he wore. That power didn’t stay hidden for long. Through two rounds, Kavanagh rocked Adolfo Landeros (21-32-2, 10 KOs) of Calexico, Calif., with a stinging succession of body shots punctuated by a head-rocking left hook. Landero’s corner threw in the towel between the second and third rounds.

THE GOOD: Johan Perez (17-1-1, 12 KOs) of Caracas, Venezuela allowed Yoshihiro Kamegi (22-1-1, 19 KOs) to walk into his punches for a unanimous decision over the previously-unbeaten welterweight from Sapporo, Japan; junior-lightweight Ronny Rios (21-0 10 KOs) kept his credentials as a prospect intact with sixth-round TKO of Mexican Leonilo Miranda (32-6, 30KOs); Los Angeles bantamweight Edgar Valerio (3-0, 2 KOs) left David Reyes (2-3-1), also of Los Angeles, bloodied and, in the end, beaten by split decision after four rounds of work in the card’s first bout on a warm afternoon under the Southern California sun.

THE FORGETTABLE: Junior-featherweight Manuel Avila ofFairfield, Calif., remained unbeaten (12-0, 4 KOs) with a unanimous decision over Jamal Parram (6-8-1, 4 KOs) of St. Louis; featherweight Joseph Diaz Jr. (6-1, 3 KOs) scored a third-round TKO of Rigoberto Casillas (8-11-1, 6 KOs) and Los Angeles heavyweight Gerald Washington heard boos from a gathering crowd for a unanimous decision over Sherman Williams (35-13-2, 19 KOs) in a fight about as exciting as an afternoon nap.

Juan Carlos Sanchez scored a twelve round unnaimous deicison over previously undefeated Roberto Domingo Sosa at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.

Sanchez, who was the IBF Super Flyweight champion lost his title on the scales on Friday as he weighed in one-halh and then two-tenths of a pound over the 115 pound weight limit. Had Sosa won the fight he would have been able to become world champion.

Scores were 117-110, 117-110 and 116-111 for Sanchez who is now 16-1-1. Sosa is now 24-1.

Jesus Gutierrez scored a four round unanimous decision over Daniel Calazada in a Jr. Welterweight bout.

Scores were 40-36 on all cards for Gutierrez, 141 1/2 lbs of Las Vegas and is now 8-0. Calzada, 140 1/2 lbs of Denver 7-8-2.

Andrey Klimov scored a ten round majority decision over former world title challenger John Molina Jr. in a Lightweight bout at the Little Creek Casino in Shelton, Washington.

Not much happened over the first couple rounds. Klimov started to bleed over the left eye in round three. Molina punctuated that round with a hard right. Molina rocked Klimov in round four with hard a hard left hook that sent Klimov’s mouthpiece flying. Klimov started jabbing well in round five.

Molina upped the pressure to begin round six. Klimov continued to peck with shots while Molina landed some hard rights like he did in round eight But it was the activity of Klimov that won out as he was able to win the majority decision by scores of 97-93, 96-94 and 95-95.

Klimob of Russia is now 16-0. Molina, 137 ½ lbs of Covina, CA is now 25-3.

Farah Ennis scored a ten round unanimous decision over Anthony Hanshaw in a Super Middleweight bout.
Ennis looked decent early as he featured his right hand. Hanshaw started to control the middle rounds as he became busier while Ennis only punched in inconsistent spurts. Ennis took over in round nine as he hurt Hanshaw with a couple of right hands. Hanshaw seemed to be losing his legs and it was proven as he was dropped with a left hook as the final round began. Ennis had Hanshaw hurt several times before the end of the fight but was unable to score a knockout.

Ennis, 168.8 lbs of Philadelphia won by scored of 96-93, 96-93 and 95-94 and is now 21-1. Hanshaw is now 23-3-2.

Nick Brinson scored the biggest win of his career when he scored a ten round unanimous decision pver power punching Jorge Melendez in a Middleweight bout at the Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, NY

Brinson was very effective early as he came out the aggressor as he landed some hard rights while Melendez was conservative. The two had a nice exchange in round three where it was evident that Brinson had the hand speed advantage. Round four was a memorable round as it was Brinson who struck first with a right to the body then a left-right combination that sent Melendez to the canvas.

Brinson continued to land with the right until later in the round where Melendez landed a huge left hook that rocked and froze Brinson and referee Charlie Fitch administered an eight count to a badly hurt Brinson. Brinson was able to survive the onslaught of Melendez and get out of the round.

Brinson continued to dominate in the center of the ring as he landed some sweet looking combinations and mixing in an body punch. In round eight, Brinson landed a few more combinations for which Melendez had no answer for.

Brinson, 157 ¾ lbs of Albany, NY won by scores of 99-90, 98-91 and 96-92 and is now 15-1-2. Melendez. 158 lbs of Bayamon, PR is now 27-2-1.

Jeffrey Fontanez remained undefeated as he narrowly took an eight round split decision over veteran Alejandro Rodriguez in a Lightweight bout.

Fontanez was effective early with the right hand while Rodriguez looked to work the body. Over the first half of the fight, Fontanez had a 67-29 edge in punches landed. Fontanez then took after Rodriguez and worked the body and was racking up the rounds. The fight almost became a disaster for Fontanez as he ate a looping right that sent Fontanez to the deck at the end of round seven. Fontanez did well to steady himself in round eight but Rodriguez took the round but came up a tad short on the decision
.
Fontanez, 132 lbs of Caguas, PR won by scores of 78-73 and 77-74 and is now 12-0. Rodriguez, 132 lbs of Guadalajara, MX took a third card by a 76-75 tally and is now 19-11.

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, Longtime HBO Boxing executive Kery Davis has decided to leave the network after 16 years.

“Watching some of the best fighters in the world at their peak — to sit ringside and watch Roy Jones and see him lose maybe one round in about seven years, to see Mayweather at his best, Bernard Hopkins, De La Hoya — it’s been quite a run. I had a ringside seat for all of it,” Davis told ESPN.com on Thursday.

It also comes on the heels of Hershman’s failed negotiations to keep Mayweather and his decision to banish Golden Boy Promotions’ fights from the network. Davis is very close to Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer, Mayweather and Al Haymon, Mayweather’s powerful adviser, whom some critics accused Davis of being too cozy with.

“The details of who said what to whom as far as my leaving is irrelevant, but I sat down and talked about it with Ken,” Davis said. “I wanted to make sure that the timing was OK for him as well as for me. Ken has been terrific to me through the process.”

“These last 16 years have been some of the most rewarding experiences of my life,” Davis said. “I remember the first day I took the (senior vice president) job, after watching Lou do the job, that I thought I can do this for five years or so, and now it’s 14 years later. I thought it was the right time for a transition.

“I have 10 years left in my working life where I’ll be in the job market and I’m looking forward to accomplishing some other things. The reality of it is I thought I would have stopped doing this a long time ago. If this job wasn’t so fulfilling and rewarding, I probably would have left earlier. I’ve done this longer than anything in my life except for my marriage to Samantha.”

“For more than 15 years, Kery Davis was a major contributor to the HBO boxing franchise, focused on delivering the finest in boxing programming to our subscribers,” Hershman said in a statement given to ESPN.com. “We wish him success with all of his new endeavors.

“To shake hands with Nelson Mandela and sit down and talk to him about Naseem Hamed’s next fight? I’m shaking hands with him and instead of talking about everything he has done, which I would have loved to talk about, he wanted to talk about [former featherweight champion] Naseem Hamed,” Davis said.

“Being part of those big events is going to be something I’ll treasure,” Davis said, naming such fights as Lewis-Evander Holyfield, Lewis-Mike Tyson, Hamed-Kevin Kelley and Mayweather-De La Hoya among his most memorable.

“But it was also about watching the perseverance of the human spirit, like with [Arturo] Gatti and [Micky] Ward or [Erik] Morales and [Marco Antonio] Barrera or [Brandon] Rios and [Mike Alvarado], when they wouldn’t give an inch or quit. The most satisfying thing was finding young, unknown gems and introducing them to our subscribers and watching them grow into stars.

“I remember sitting in London [last month] at the [Carl] Froch-[Mikkel] Kessler fight thinking that if this was going to be my last one, this is a good one to go out on. The job takes its toll and I am ready to move on, but it’s been a privilege for me to work for this company and rewarding to work with this department and people you’d want with you in a foxhole. These are foxhole colleagues.

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, former two-division world champion Amir Khan will now compete as a Welterweight and will look to face IBF champion Devin Alexander later this year.

“I think I’ll be a lot more comfortable at 147,” Khan told ESPN.com. “I’ve been struggling to make the weight. I’ve been at 140 for a long time (since mid-2009). So I’ll be looking to fight at 147.”

“I’ll be a lot stronger at 147, a lot more confident,” Khan said. “Look at guys like (lightweight titlist) Adrien Broner and (Robert) Guerrero. They moved up two weight classes and fought for world titles and you see their confidence. You can do a lot more in training. You can build your strength and not always be worried about the weight. I think I’ll have a lot more power.”

“There is a possibility that the Khan fight might be in Dubai,” said Golden Boy Promotions Rich Schaefer, regardless of who Khan might fight in December. “But the fight is not done and I am working on different things. We will not know about Dubai until sometime in August.

“If your goal is to fight Floyd at some point, obviously, the action is at 147 and you might as well go up and introduce yourself in that weight class, where he could actually be stronger at the higher weight,” Schaefer said. “Amir feels that will be the case with him. He won’t have to worry about making weight so much and he can focus on training. He is excited to move up to 147. He realizes there are tremendous opportunities.”

“(Golden Boy matchmaker) Robert (Diaz) saw at the weigh-in that he was dry and asked if he had a problem making the weight,” Schaefer said. “He was at 149, 148 (in the days leading up to the fight) and to get down, those last few pounds usually come off easy. But this time he had more of a difficult time getting them off. Robert noticed that and felt like he didn’t look like he usually does. He’s been at 140 since 2007, so obviously it’s time for him to move up.

“Nobody says those rematches can’t happen at 147,” Schaefer said. “Those are great fights and it won’t matter if they are at 140 or 147. People will still want to see them.”

“Part of my punch resistance is due to my weight,” Khan said. “Sometimes you need that extra little bit (of weight) to take that punch. If you’re not making weight properly, you’re not going to take the punches as well. (Trainer) Virgil (Hunter) has seen me spar at 147. I talked to Virgil about moving up and he said, ‘Who you looking to fight?’ I said, ‘Alexander.’ He said, ‘That’s a good fight.'”

“When we are young the dream is to be world champion and now the dream is to fight and beat Floyd Mayweather,” Khan said. “Once you beat Floyd Mayweather you become pound-for-pound and that’s what everyone aims for. But you have to be in that weight division to be noticed. Everywhere I’ve been going people ask me when I’m fighting Floyd. Maybe I got knocked out or didn’t perform well in some fights, but my style would be exciting to watch against him.

“He has five fights left. Five more opponents. Who brings him money, excitement, recognition and global recognition? I’ve been in the U.K., the European, American and Middle Eastern markets. He’ll make a lot of money with Canelo Alvarez, but I can’t think of any other boxer with as big of a following or pull that I have that he can make a fight with.”

According tp Dan Rafael of espn.com, Top Rank has signed 2012 Japanese Gold Medal winner Ryoa Murata.

Murata will campaign as a Moiddleweight

“He’s an exciting fighter and the people that know say he is ready for the professionals,” Top Rank promoter Bob Arum said. “He fought like a professional when he was an amateur. He had that pro style. He’s a banger.

“The way it looks and the way we evaluated him is that within a relatively short period of time he will be able to fight [top middleweights] like [Sergio] Martinez, [Gennady] Golovkin and [Julio Cesar] Chavez Jr. Sure, he needs some seasoning but in maybe year and half he could be ready to fight for a world title. He’s a cut above most young fighters.”

“He’s probably one of the most popular athletes in Japan right now after winning the gold medal,” Top Rank president Todd duBoef said. “That was one of the things we looked at. His popularity is huge and that is very compelling for us. We believe boxing is a global product, so we will look at all boxers from all ends of the world and if it makes sense to sign somebody, and we believe in them, that is what we will do.

“He is a good looking guy, he’s big, he’s physical the way he fights and he speaks a little bit of English already.”

Boxing was back at the BB&T tonight with the second installment of Golden Boy Boxing at the BB&T Center in Sunrise Florida. This card was stacked with excellent young Golden Boy talent who all were matched with fierce competitors, … well with the exception of one disgraceful “fighter” with loose screws.

The main event showcased featherweights Brualio Santos and Derrick Wilson clash who excited the crowd with a very entertaining, hard punching, close encounters all action brawl. The two warriors answered the opening bell with big power punches and great skilled technique boxing and continued until the final bell. The early rounds found the two tactfully exchanging heavy short combinations and sharp accurate punches. Santos dug with deep body shots and short punches while Wilson used his excellent athletic skills to counter punching the hard charging Puerto Rican. The action persisted through the middle rounds with both fighters throwing heavyweight thumping punches… Santos kept his steady attack however as the fight grew Wilson started settling in with his timing and blocking the hard punches thrown by Santos. The final rounds kept tempo and were very close, with Wilson doing just a little bit more each round. Round 9 Wilson landed a great right hand to the temple that put Santos down to the delight of the crowd. Santos quickly made it to his feet and back into action and the two went back to exchanging power punches. Going into the final round I had Wilson up by two points, the final round was a bit of a chess match where both fighters looked in great shape to finish strong and close. I scored the fight 96-95 for Wilson. The final cards read 96-93 twice and 96-94.

Light middleweight Daquan Arnett 11-0(7KO) kept his 0 intact with a sensational made for highlights knockout over hard charging Hector Zuniga 10-2(7KO) who was fighting of Tijuana Mexico. Arnett showed his superior boxing skills and defense. He was sharp with his counter punches and kept Zuniga off of him, when the Mexican was able to catch him on the ropes he was gifted with a few nice shots. The knockout sequence was awesome bringing the sparsely crowded BB&T center to a roar, one would think it was a packed house. The two combatants were exchanging along the ropes when Arnett connected with a left hood, followed by another, and yet another at which time Zuniga shook his head and waved Arnett in for more, a split second later Arnett unloaded a fourth and final left hook that dropped the Mexican like a hot tamale. Arnett barely beat the count but the towel from the Mexicans corner did not as they saved their beaten fighter. The end came at 1:37 of the fifth.

Jamall “The Hitman” Charlo 14-0(10KO) had someone special watching him tonight, the original Hitman, Thomas Hearns was ringside to watching the action. The new aged Hitman did not disappoint as he crushed 39 Ecuadorian journeyman Luis Hernandez 21-6(14KO) dropping him twice in the second round. Officially scored a TKO2 at 2:26

Local favorite Steve Geffrard got off the canvas in round one and put together a nice comeback in an entertaining and tough fight for the former amateur national champion and Boca Raton native. Travis Reeves 1-1-1 ripped a big left hook that dropped Geffrard in round one Round two was very close as Geffrard got a lead later in the round which made it very hard to score. Rounds three and four was in favor of the hard hitting Geffard who found comfort in a shelled inside affair with the Baltimore based Reeves who was happy to trade shot for shot with the taller Geffrard. Each fighter caught each other during inside pot-shotting action with very close rounds three and fourth that seemed to favor Geffrard. A deflated Geffard fell to the ground when the final decision was announced in favor of the underdog, Reeves. Two judges saw the fight 38-37 for Reeves and the other 38-37 for Geffrard

2012 United States Olympian Errol Spence 6-0(5KO) from Dallas TX made quick work of Guillermo Ibarra 11-4(7KO) fighting out of Mexico. Spence landed a nice left to the head that dispensed the Mexican to the floor and out at 1:33 of round one. Spence has gotten a nice start since he entered the pro ranks in November of last year.

Highly touted amateur and “dream team” fighter Justin DeLoach 3-0(2KO) made quick and almost comical work of shamefully licensed Jonathan Olivera who looked as if he had just started boxing this morning. Honestly one of, if not the most embarrassing fighters I have ever seen, next to “Worst Boxer in the History of the World …epic mullet!!!” who entertains on YouTube, and obviously used Mullets “Cat Technique” Which was embarrassingly ineffective. I am certain once this hits YouTube it will be a rival. Just a shameful performance by Olivera, and shame on the commission and his team and corner for putting this kid in the ring in the ring with a fighter who could have killed him. This kid didn’t even look like an amateur. I understand he was a late replacement and I truly believe he was literally a last minute replacement and traded his seat for a corner stool.

Fort Lauderdales Travis Castellon 1-0(1KO) kick started his professional career and the evening with an exciting round that got the rain soaked crowd off to an upbeat start. The southpaw Castellon met Orlando’s Will Fauth 0-1-1 mid ring a second after the opening bell meaning business. The two threw early heavy punch and a clash of heads midway through the first stanza caused an ugly bump on the head of Fauth who then pressured the former amatuer standout Castellon into a corner and caught the young pugilist with his first hard professional punches. In a show of true heart that corner worked seemed to ignite the young pro who then found his distance and landed some great shots including a perfect uppercut at the bell. Between rounds Dr. Allen Fields advised the Fauth corner to cease the action. As a result Castellon earns a TKO in his debut and the BB&T Center gets an awesome appetizer to kick the night off.

Chris “SugarBoy” Valez improved to 5-0-1(3KO) by prowling and landing clean shots almost at will on tough as nails Jose Segura in a bloody welterweight affair. Valez looked sharp throughout the bout picking his shots. The cards read 40-36 for Valez who remained undefeated.

Former world champions Joan Guzman and Vicente Mosquera will fight for a vacant 140 lb title on June 28th in Kissemee, Florida according to Dan Rafael of espn.com

“Guzman worked had in his last fight and fell short due to injury,” said Acquinity Sports chief executive Gary Jonas, Guzman’s promoter, who made a deal with Zabala to place the bout on his show. “He is a two-time world champion who knows what to do in the ring very well. This is a very interesting fight. I feel Guzman will win this fight and get another shot at Allakhverdiev and his world title.”

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, former world title challenger Derek Chisora will take on undefeated Malik Scott on July 20th in London.

“We have made offers to many of the top heavyweights, but it was Scott who called Chisora out and wants the fight, so now he’s got his wish,” said promoter Frank Warren.

“These are the type of fights that get you that next level,” said Scott’s promoter Dan Goossen. “Dereck has a great name and has been in there with great fighters. He went the distance with (heavyweight titleholder) Vitali Klitschko and he got robbed against Robert Helenius (in a European title fight). It’s a very good fight for Malik. It’s the type of fight he needs right now.”

“I can’t wait for the fight,” Chisora said. “Scott is a great name to have on my record. He’s big (6-foot-4, 225 pounds), unbeaten and dangerous. I’m just looking forward to going out there and doing a real good job on him. I’m disappointed that the other guys turned the opportunity down, but I will make a real statement against Scott and show that I’m back on track for the world title (opportunity).

Appearing in the undercard will be Carl Frampton. Frampton recently joined Warren after beng promoted my Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Sports

“We have enjoyed our time working with Carl Frampton as promoter of his boxing career,” Hearn said in a statement. “However, after the success of the last Frampton fight, we were informed by (manager and Hall of Fame former featherweight champion) Barry McGuigan that he wanted to be joint promoter in future Frampton fights.

“Whilst we had no problem whatsoever in agreeing (on) purses for Carl Frampton, we felt that such a relationship with Barry McGuigan represented a potential conflict of interest with Barry’s role as Carl’s manager and we could therefore not agree to be involved on this basis.”

“I’m really excited to be on the show at Wembley and for the opportunity to be showcased on great channel like BoxNation,” Frampton said. “I want to be a world champion and BoxNation will give me the platform to do it. I’ve got to keep winning and doing the business, but this is great time for me.”

Said Warren: “I’m really pleased that Carl will be on the Wembley Arena show on a great night of action with some of Britain’s best boxers. Carl has impressed me with his thrilling performances and is a world-class fighter on the verge of fighting for the world title.”

McGuigan told ESPN.com that the move was simply because they got a better offer.
“After the Martinez fight, our negotiations with Eddie Hearn ground to a halt and as a result Carl has been inactive. This is not acceptable,” McGuigan said. “We took the decision to move to another network because we got a substantially better offer and, importantly, more freedom to plot Carl’s accent to the top of world boxing.

“Our aim is to get Carl into a mandatory (position) for a world title within the next two fights, win the title, have our fights at home and then take him to America and make him a star.”

Bradley
According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, Timothy Bradley and Juan Manuel Marquez will now fight on October 12 and stead of September 14th due to the announcement of the showdown between Floyd Mayweather and Canelo Alvarez.

“What happened was Mayweather reserved Sept. 14 with the (pay-per-view) industry and we always said that we will respect that reservation and that if he went against anybody we would move,” said Top Rank’s Bob Arum. “We had a second hold on that date. Now, once he elected to go on that date then we shifted to Oct. 12. That is why we had Thomas & Mack on hold for both dates. This is something we completely anticipated.”

“I didn’t care and I talked to Tim (on Wednesday night) and he was like, ‘That’s fine. Hey, (Mayweather-Alvarez is) great for boxing, right?’ I said, ‘Yeah, it’s a huge fight. You don’t really care about moving do you?’ He said no,” said Cameron Dunkin, Bradley’s manager. “Whether Timmy and Marquez are fighting in September or October doesn’t matter to me and Tim doesn’t care either. We both said the same thing — that (Mayweather-Alvarez) is great for boxing and who cares if we have to move a month.”

“He said he’ll start doing some light workouts in early June,” Dunkin said. “Nothing crazy. He just wants to keep his weight down and do some running. But he’s got to be careful not to overtrain because he loves to fight and he gets excited about a fight and wants to train like 10 or 12 weeks when he should be doing about eight weeks.”

It was also found out that Welterweights Jesse Vargas and Mikael Zewski will appear on the undercard in seperate bouts.

“Vargas will be on the pay-per-view if he fights somebody,” Arum said. “We’re not doing appearance fights on the pay-per-view. If he fights somebody real he will be on the pay-per-view, like (newly signed Top Rank fighter Luis Carlos) Abregu. That’s a good fight. You don’t want us to put on junk on the pay-per-view. Zewski, same thing. He is fine to be on the pay-per-view but is he ready for prime time and will he fight somebody?”

Arum said another fighter who could be on the pay-per-view telecast is light heavyweight brawler Seanie Monaghan (18-0, 11 KOs), a New Yorker who is a popular ticket seller in New York.

“We’re talking about having him on,” Arum said. “We want to put on somebody that the New York papers will write about. He’s a pretty good draw and he makes great fights, so that’s somebody we are considering.”

According to his official Twitter account, Pound for Pound King Floyd Mayweather will take on WBC/WBA Super Welterweight champion Saul Alvarez on September 14th in Las Vegas.

The official statement read: “I chose my opponent for September 14th and it’s Canelo Alvarez. I’m giving the fans what they want. It will be at the MGM Grand”

The rumor is the bout will be contested at 152 lbs.

Carl Froch extracted revenge and retained the IBF and won the WBA Super Middleweight title with a twelve round unanimous decision over Mikkel Kessler in a terrific fight at the O2 Arena in London.

The bout was very competitive with Froch’s volume and come forward style being the difference in the outcome.

Froch was effective early with Kessler only looking for one shot. Kessler started to come forward and landed some vicious right hands that the Nottingham, Englad native Froch walked right through. The two had frequent toe to toe exchanges throughout the second half of the fight the had the capacity crowd of 19,000 people on the edge of their seats for much of the bout. The fight mirrored the first fight, which was won by Kessler on April 24, 2010 in Denmark in a thrilling battle.

Froch won by scores of 118-110, 116-112 and 115-113 and is now 31-2. Kessler of Denmark fought a tremendous fight but came up short and is now 46-3.

Delvin Rodriguez scored an eighth round stoppage over Freddy Hernandez in what was a scheduled ten round Jr. Middleweight bout at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut

In round two, Hernandez started getting through with the left hook. Rodriguez started to bleed over his right eye as early as round three from a headbutt. Rodriguez did well in spurts while Hernandez landed the cleaner blows. Those Rodriguez landed a hard right hand that opened up nasty gash above the left eye of Hernandez but the referee ruled a headbutt and the fight was stopped.

It was a close fight as one judge ruled it even at 76-76 while two judges ruled in favor of Rodriguez by scores of 78-74 and 77-75. The stoppage was originally ruled from a headbutt but later changed to a stoppage for Rodriguez

Rodriguez, 154 lbs of Danbury, CT is now 28-6-3 with 16 knockouts. Hernandez, 154 lbs is 30-5

Chris Howard scored a technical decision over previously undefeated Issouf Kinda in an aborted ten round Jr. Welterweight bout.

It was a close fight that saw Howard work the body early but Kinda came on in the later rounds with effective right hands. Swelling started around the left eye of Howard in the fifth round due to an accidental headbutt.

Howard was unable to come out for round seven and they went to the scorecards which read 58-56 on two cards for Howard while a third card read 59-55 for Kinda.

Howard, 140 lbs of Crossville, TN is now 16-2-1. Kinda, 139 1/4 lbs of Bronx, NY is now 16-1.

Canstantin Bejenaru and Excell Holmes fought to a no decision as a headbutt in round two forced a bad cut on the forehead of Bejenaru.

Benjearu had what looked liked a sure win taken away from him as he dropped Holmes in round two and was all over him with a barrage of punches before the headbutt stopped the bout.

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, former three-division champion Miguel Cotto could return September 28th at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

“Nothing set. We are holding a date (at Barclays Center), that’s all,” said Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer.

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, IBF Welterweight champion Devon Alexander suffered a broken left hand during his 7th round stoppage over Lee Purdy this past Saturday in Atlantic City.

“He hit Purdy on top of the head in the first round, and that’s when it happened,” said Alexander’s manager/trainer Kevin Cunningham. “Purdy dipped his head down, and Devon hit him right on top of the head. He knew it was broken. We came home and went straight from the airport to the emergency room and had X-rays, and they showed the break.”

“He’s going to see one of the top guys who works with the Cardinals baseball players on Wednesday,” Cunningham said of the St. Louis MLB team. “I think Devon will be ready to fight in late September or October, any time around that time.”

When Alexander (25-1, 14 KOs), 26, does return, there’s a good chance his next defense will take place Dec. 7 against England’s Amir Khan, the former unified junior welterweight titleholder who was ringside to scout Alexander and also to watch his younger brother, Haroon Khan, get a first-round knockout victory on the undercard in his second professional fight.

Cunningham said he likes the possible fight with Khan.

“I think it’s a really intriguing fight,” Cunningham said, adding he knew Golden Boy chief executive Richard Schaefer was also interested in making the fight. He said that he would sit down with Alexander adviser Al Haymon and “see what direction we want to go in. But we have no problem with that fight.”

“We have no problem fighting Amir Khan next,” Cunningham said. “Everyone wants the shot against Floyd Mayweather, but if we have to deal with Amir Khan first, no problem. Amir Khan can be next. If Amir Khan thinks he’s going to use Devon Alexander to get to Floyd Mayweather, well, he’s never gonna see Floyd.

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, IBF Middleweight champion Daniel Geale will take on Darren Barker on August 17th at The Turning Stone Resort and Casino in Verona, NY and will be televised by HBO.

“Fighting in the United States for the first time is truly an honor,” Geale said. “I’m going to give the fans a great night of boxing while representing my country with dignity.”

“Barker has to be one of the toughest opponents I’ve faced on paper, but I’ve been in the ring with world titlists and it remains to be seen whether or not Barker can offer up anything extra,” Geale said. “He is a top-rated fighter amongst 160-pounders, but in the middleweight division that’s saying a lot because the entire division is dangerous. A guy in the top 10 at middleweight would be top 3-4 in almost any other division.”

Said Geale’s American promoter Gary Shaw: “This division is so good that everywhere you look you see tough fights, but Daniel could’ve taken an easier fight. There are easier fights out there compared to Barker, but Daniel wanted this fight. The winner will be in a position to be considered the best middleweight out there.”

“I’m going to have my hands full, that’s for sure,” Geale said. “Barker gave Martinez all sorts of fits, but he is an even better fighter now, and I think he has improved a great deal since the Martinez fight. I’m not sure Martinez could beat Barker now. Maybe Martinez planned on fighting Barker before he got too good? I want the fights that will give me the biggest challenges, and I plan on handling Barker better than anyone has. It won’t be easy, but that’s what I’ll attempt to do.”

“This is a golden opportunity for me, and I feel it’s my time to shine,” Barker said. “It’s been a tough journey for me, but I’m one fight away from realizing my dream and becoming world champion. I’ve dedicated my entire life to this sport, and since the Sergio Martinez fight I really feel like I’ve grown as a fighter. I can’t wait to bring that IBF world title back to the U.K.”

“This is the fight that Darren wanted so badly, and now he’s got it,” said Barker’s promoter Eddie Hearn. “This is a wonderful fight between two incredibly gifted middleweights, it’s a pure 50-50 fight, and I know Darren is going to bring it home.”

Miguel Angel Gonzalez scored round stoppage over Luis Becerra in a scheduled eight round Jr. Lightweight bout.

Gonzalez, 135 lbs of Los Mochis, MX is now 9-0 with 8 eight knockouts. Becerra, 123 3/4 lbs Quetero, MX is 9-6-1.

Sergio Thompson scored a fourth round stoppage over Gustavo Sandoval in round four of a scheduled ten round Lightweight bout.

Thompson came out in round four and landed a heavy barrage of punches flush on a visibly tired Sandoval and the fight was stopped at 1:20 of round four.

Thompson, 135 lbs of Chetumai, MX is 26-2 with 24 knockouts. Sandoval, 133 1/2 lbs of Barranquilla, COL is now 12-4-1.

ATLANTIC CITY–In a fight between two reigning beltholders, Lucas Matthysse made a bold statement by wrecking IBF Jr. Welterweight champion Lamont Peterson in round three of their twelve round fight at Boardwalk Hall

Matthysse dropped Peterson with a vicious left hook in round two. Peterson fought back and landed some shots but Matthysse’s power Made a huge impact as he dumped Peterson in span of seconds from two huge left hooks and referee Steve Smoger stopped the fight at 2:14.

Matthysse who was looking a potential September 7th bout with Danny Garcia now with this performance could vault to the head of the line to fight pound for pound king Floyd Mayweather.

Matthysse of Argentina is now 34-2 with 32 knockouts. Peterson of Washington, DC is now 31-2-1.

After the fight, Matthysse spoke through a translator, “The first round I was trying to find out what I was bringing to the fight. After the second round I started connecting with more force. I had two and a half months of preparation for this fight and that was the difference.”

Feeling confident, Matthysse boasted, “Now I know I am the best at 140 pounds because no one has ever dominated Peterson the way I did tonight.”

When asked by SHOWTIME reporter Jim Gray if he would like to fight Unified Super Lightweight World Champion Danny Garcia, who was in attendance at Boardwalk Hall, Matthysse responded, “Golden Boy and Al Haymon will get me that fight. I’m ready for that fight. I want to fight him.”

Gray also spoke with Peterson right after the fight and asked how he felt following the three knockdowns. Peterson said, “I feel good. There is nothing physically wrong with me right now. Of course I am upset that I lost, but so far I feel good.”

On his performance, “I think I got a little lazy with the jab. I started relaxing a little bit…I guess he hit me with a good shot. He did a good job. I recovered from that first knockdown and I was okay for a while and then, eventually, he hit me again and he hurt me again. I still thought I could have fought through it but the ref did the right thing. I guess tonight he was (the better fighter). He won the fight fair and square tonight. He’s a good fighter.”

In round one, Alexander looked to be dominant as he landed some hard body shots to start the round and then some scraping lefts and uppercuts to close the stanza. Alexander continued to outclass the visitor while standing in the pocket and landing some great shots. Purdy was game and landed a few left hooks on the inside. The accumulation of blows began to show in round six as blood came down from the nostrils of Purdy.

Alexander continued using Purdy for target practice in round seven to the point that fight was stopped in the corner following that frame.

Alexander, 146.7 lbs of St. Louis is now 25-1 with 14 knockouts. Purdy, 147.8 lbs of Colchester, UK is now 20-4-1.

The fight was to be contested for Alexander’s IBF Welterweight title but Purdy weighed in one pound over the limit. He could only lose one-quarter of a pound and was fined ten percent of his reported $150,000 purse

Alexander admitted that he wasn’t able to fight to the best of his ability due to an injury. “I hurt my left hand in the first round actually. I hit him on top of the head. I hurt my hand, but I had to get that out of my mind. I had to fight to win. I wanted to impress tonight. My left hand was on point in camp. When I hurt my biceps, that strengthened my left hand so it would have been popping real hard, but I hurt it. I had to set it up softly. I wanted to use my hook and my upper cut but I couldn’t.”

He continued, “There are going to be a lot of critics saying Purdy wasn’t all that anyway, but he’s a good fighter. Over in the U.K. he beat some good guys and I think he was very suitable. He came to fight and he gave me a good fight. I got the win. I got the technical knockout.”

Haroon needed just fifty-seven seconds to dispatch of Vicente Medellin in a scheduled four round Bantamweight bout.

Khan dropped Medellin twice and the fight was stopped.

Khan, 116 1/2 lbs of Bolton, Englans is 2-0 with 1 knockout, Medellin, 115 lbs of Riverside, CA is 0-6.

In a battle of undefeated Welterweights, Shawn Porter had a relatively easy time with Phil Lo Greco as pounded out a unanimous decision.

In round one, Porter tried to back up Lo Greco with some solid body work. In round two, Porter landed a hard combination that backed up Lo Greco which led to two hard uppercuts on the ropes. Porter came out and in round four and landed some hard combinations. Later in the round, Porter ripped Lo Greco with a hard one-two combination. Porter then rocked Lo Greco with hard left hook in the fifth.

Porter continued to dominate and score a dubious knockdown with what looked like a left hook. In the tenth, Porter scored a more emphatic knockdown when he dropped Porter with a left hook. After that, Lo Greco did well to hold on to last the distance.

Porter, 150 lbs of Las Vegas won by scores of 100-88 on two cards and 99-89 and is now 21-1-1. Lo Greco, 150 lbs of Toronto is now 25-1.

Thomas Williams Jr. scored an eight round unanimous decision over veteran Otis Griffin in Light Heavyweight bout.

Williams boxed well over the first few rounds. He then opened up and hurt Griffin on the ropes in the fourth. Williams landed some of his best power shots in the seventh and eighth and had Griffin reeling several times but was not able to come close to the stoppage.

Williams, 175 lbs of Washington, won by scores of 8-72, 79-73 and 79-73 and is now 14-0. Griffin, 175 lbs of Sacramento is now 24-13-2.

2012 Olympic Bronze medal winner Anthony Ogogo pounded out a six round unanimous decision over Edgar Perez in a Middleweight bout

In round two, Ogogo started landing the power punches at range. Ogogo continued to use his range and mix up his punches over the next several rounds. Ogogo was never tested and boxed his way to the decision via scores at 60-54; 60-54 and 60-53 for Ogogo.

Ogogo, 159 lbs of East Anglia, UK is 2-0. Perez, 159 lbs of Arecibo, PR is now 5-5.

Cesar Seda banged out an eight round unanimous decision over Miguel Tamayo in a Bantamweight bout.

Seda, 117 1/2 lbs of Juana Diaz, PR won by scores of 80-70, 80-72 and 79-73 and is now 25-1. Tamayao, 117 1/2 lbs of Ciudad, MX is now 13-6-2.

Former world title challenger Anthony Peterson scored a stoppage over Dominic Salcido after round two of their scheduled ten round Lightweight bout

Peterson came out landing hard power punches in round one. In round two he scored with a vicious body shot that led to a hard barrage in the corner. Peterson continued to land with pummeling shots to the head. After the round, the fight was stopped after Salcido was deemed to have a broken nose.

Peterson, 136 1/2 lbs of Washington, D.C. is now 32-1 with 21 knockouts. Salcido, 136 1/2 lbs of Rialto, CA is now 18-5.

Three-time U.S Olympian Rau’She Warren scored a fourth round stoppage over Angel Carvajal in a scheduled four round Bantamweight bout.

Warren dropped Carvajal in round’s two and four and the bout was stopped at 2:05 of the final round.

Warren, 118 lbs of Cincinnati, OH is now 4-0 with 2 knockouts. Caravjal, 116 lbs of Chicago, IL is now 2-2.

It took two rounds and alot of vicious shots but Robert Easter Jr. scored a second round stoppage over Eduardo Guillen in a scheduled four round Light bout.

Easter landed a many hard lefts and rights that would have put most men down in the first round as Guillen was bouncing and flopping all over the ring from those shots. In round two, Easter landed a cruching left hook that looked like it almost spun Gullien’s head around before he dropped to the canvas. he was able to get up but that was not a good thing for him as another booming left hook sent him to the canvas and the fight was stopped at 1:30 of round two.

Easter, 133 1/2 lbs of Toledo, OH is now 4-0 with all wins coming early. Guillen, 132 lbs of Brownsville, TX is now 0-3.

2012 U.S. Olympian Jamel Herring opened the show with a one round beatdown over Victor Galindo in a scheduled four round Light weight bout.

Herring dropped Galindo with a hard riht to the body. Galidno continued only to absorb massive shots and finally went to his knee form another body shot. Galindo’s corner then stopped the fight at 2:01 of round one.

Herring, 134 lbs of Coram, NY is now 3-0 with 2 knockouts. Galindo, 134 1/2 lbs of San Juan, PR is 1-2

B.B. King’s Blues Club and Grille played host to another Broadway Boxing event put together by Dibella Entertainment. The event generated a buzz, as Andy Lee was set to continue his comeback after suffering a loss to Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. eleven months ago.

Lee (29-2, 20 KO’s) squared off against Darryl Cunningham (28-4, 11 KO’s) in a middleweight matchup. Cunningham was set to upset Lee, as going up against a solid young middleweight is nothing new to him. In Cunningham’s losses, his opponent’s records combined for 44-1. So he was no stranger to going up against a good looking record.

Things didn’t go as planned for Cunningham. Lee entered the ring with a fierce look on his face. As the first bell rang, his shoulders were a bit more square than usual; showing that he was prepared to make an early statement. A fast left hand found it’s way through Cunningham’s guard, staggering him into a corner. Lee immediately jumped on the opportunity to send Cunningham down, and unleashed a flurry of punches. Cunningham had nothing in response, and the referee jumped in to call the fight off. The stoppage came a bit early, but it would have only prolonged the inevitable. Andy Lee came away victorious with a TKO victory at the 1:27 point of the first round.

The co-feature of the evening showcased an exciting clash of styles between middleweights Delen Parsley 10-0, 3 KO’s) against Louis Rose (5-1, 1 KO). Parsley is a tall and athletic fighter who works behind his rangy punches, while Rose was much shorter and worked behind a slightly unorthodox style of having squared shoulders and threw punches in flurries. The action was close throughout the first half of the fight. Both fighters were able to generate success. Parsley was able to land from a distance, and when his punches came, and the distance closed, Rose would counter with hooks. Parsley was the hometown fighter, and there was a tension in the air over the possibility of an upset.

In the fourth round, Louis was able to position Parsley near the ropes, and as Parsley tried angling himself away and toward the center of the ring, Louis threw a barrage of punches that sent Parsley down. Parsley did not seem badly hurt, and was able to make it to his feet.

The remainder of the fight saw more close action, with both fighters looking strong. The venue went silent as the scorecards were announced. 77-74 for Parsley, 76-75 for Rose, and 76-75 for Rose. The deciding factor was the knockdown in the fourth round, giving Rose a split decision victory.

Tor Hamer (19-2, 12 KO’s) had his first fight after an embarrassing defeat six months earlier. He had a good test on paper in Maurenzo Smith (11-5-2, 8 KO’s); a solid fighter with a decent record, and who possesses a punching threat. Hamer started the fight tentatively. He is most known for his aggressive style, but he seemed to take a more calculated approach, landing numerous well timed left hooks. Towards the end of the second round, it became obvious that Smith was completely outclassed. As the third round opened, Hamer left his corner aggressively and began throwing combinations. After Hamer landed a right hand, Smith turned away and seemed to complain that he had injured his hand. He hadn’t landed a punch for a round and a half, so it wasn’t clear how exactly he hurt the hand. Either way, Hamer was credited with a TKO victory at 1:31 of the third round.

Super Middleweight Lamar Russ (12-0, 7 KO’s) took a step up when he faced Russell Jordan (15-9, 10 KO’s) in a bout scheduled for eight rounds. The bout saw both fighters being active, but it was Russ who landed the better punches and at a higher rate. As the bout headed into the middle rounds, Russ hand landed dozens of powerful blows that would only stagger Jordan slightly. It seemed clear at this point that a knockout wasn’t coming. Jordan, on the other hand forced russ to show him respect by landing hard counter punches of his own. They came few and far between. In the final round, Russ made a statement by staggering Jordan seconds before the final bell rang. The final scores read 79-73, 79, 73, and 78-74.

Neuky Santelises (4-0, 3 KO’s) continued his winning ways. This time it was against the over-matched Aaron Chavez (2-2-1, 1 KO). Santelises is a strong puncher at the Jr. Lighweight division, and came out swinging. He hurt Chavez badly very early on, and Chavez slumped onto the ropes, forcing the referee to rule it a knockdown. After Chavez made it to his feet, Santelises seized the opportunity and landed a barrage of left hooks that sent Chavez down and out. The time of the stoppage was 2:15 of the first round, giving Santelises a TKO victory.

Cruiserweights Jay Rodriguez (debut) and Andre Ward (1-1-2, 1 KO) fought to an exciting four round draw. They both wowed the crowd with their powerful punches and strong chins. The final scorecards read 38-38, 38-38, and one card reading 39-37 for Ward, officially making it a majority draw.

Eliezer Agosto (1-2, 1 KO) knocked out Angel Suarez(debut) cold in the second round of their bout. The time of the knockout was 2:59.

Louis Cruz (2-0, 2 KO’s) defeated Michael Carreras (debut) over the course of four rounds. Cruz couldn’t add another knockout to his record, but boxed wonderfully en route to a victory with scorecards reading 40-36, 40-36, and 39-37 for the unanimous decision victory.

2012 Olympic Gold Medal winner Luke Campbell is set to make his pro debut on July 13 in Hull, England according to Dan Rafael of espn.com

That bout will be paired with the rematch that will see Welterweights Kell Brook and Carson Jones square off in a bout for which Jones will look to get even after Brook scored an exciting victory last year.

“This is going to be a special night for Hull and a massive night for British boxing,” said promoter Eddie Hearn said.

“The whole city will have a chance to witness the start of Luke’s professional journey whilst also watching a huge card.”

“Kell Brook returns after a frustrating period, re-matching Carson Jones following their epic battle last July,” Hearn said.

“We took the fight for 20 percent of what he got in the first fight because he wanted the fight so badly,” Bobby Dobbs, Jones’ manager, said. “He left for camp [Tuesday] and Kell Brook is in trouble if he doesn’t pull out.”