Madison Square Garden in the heart of New York City hosted a thrilling heavyweight match-up put together by Main Events in association with Hennessy Sports. The undefeated Tyson Fury (20-0, 14 KO’s) faced off against the two time cruiserweight champion Steve Cunningham (25-5, 12 KO’s). The action began even before the opening bell during the opening instructions. When the fighters were instructed to touch gloves, Fury boldly slammed hard onto Cunningham’s; drawing a reaction from the crowd.

The first stanza saw some exciting back and forth action. Fury, with a huge size advantage over Cunningham, worked behind straight jabs and rights, while Cunningham utilized his superior footwork. Fury, being the talker that he is, taunted Cunningham with his hands down for much of the round. The second round saw some amazing fireworks, as an overhand right floored Fury hard. He beat the count, and Fury finally kept his hands up while Cunningham chased after him, landing some good shots in the process. The round ended with Cunningham’s fans in attendance on their feet.

After a solid third round for Cunningham, he was able to lure Fury into another big right hand halfway through the fourth. Fury was able to work his way back into the round, but he paired together clinching with forcing his head into Cunningham’s, receiving warnings from referee Eddie Cotton. Then in the fifth round, after more clinching and headwork, the referee decided to penalize Fury by deducting a point. Fury responded by landing a hard right hand that hurt Cunningham. With Fury going in for the kill, Cunningham utilized good footwork and clinching to make it through the round. The sixth round saw the pace slow down a bit, and it could be said that Fury’s size and weight advantage began to take it’s toll. The seventh round saw Cunningham hope to fight his way out of the slight lull, and that worked against him. Towards the end of the round, an uppercut from Fury stunned Cunningham against the ropes. Cunningham attempted a clinch, but Fury wrestled his way out and landed a crushing right hand that sent Cunningham down. He attempted to make it to his feet, but it was too much, and the referee made his way to the count of ten.

Tyson Fury won by way of knockout at 2:55 of the seventh round. This victory pits Fury in a showdown with Kubrat Pulev in an eliminator to face Wladimir Klitschko for the IBF heavyweight title.

The re-emerging Curtis Stevens (23-3, 17 KO’s) and Derrick Findley (20-9, 13 KO’s) opened up the televised portion of the afternoon. Both fighters opened up the bout throwing hard punches, but it was Stevens who drew first blood, so to speak, when a left hook upstairs followed by a left hook to the body staggered Findley into the ropes. Findley was able to recover from the damage and work Stevens into the ropes for a time towards the end of the round. Findley continued the pressure to start the second round, working Stevens into the ropes again. Stevens stuck behind a shell defensive stance for most of the round.

The fourth round saw Stevens finally begin to open up, throwing multiple combinations that all finished with crisp left hooks. Findley had little answer, but continued to stay in Stevens’chest trying to find an opening. That did little to Stevens as he continued with hard right hands and flush left hooks. The fifth round saw some exciting back and forth action, but it was Stevens whose punches were more crisp and under control.

The seventh round saw some interesting action. Stevens landed some hard blows, but it was a left hand from Findley that seemed to knocks Stevens off balance and down. The referee ruled it a knockdown, but Stevens did not seem phased by the blow. Instead, he followed up the knockdown with some hard punches of his own. The eighth and final round saw Stevens give some time away to Findley, keeping a distance as if he had the fight won. Towards the end, Stevens gave the fans some showcase combinations. In the end, scores of 78-74, 78-74, and 79-73 were announced in favor of Stevens, giving him a unanimous decision victory.

Polish heavyweight Adam Kownacki (4-0, 4 KO’s) entered the arena with much fanfare when he took to the ring against Calbert Lewis (0-2). Neither fighter would win a bodybuilding contest, as they both carried excess weight around the mid-section, but they made up for it with a strong will to fight. Kownacki showcased some skillful offensive output, and was able to take chances due to the fact that Lewis’punches were telegraphed and looping. At the end of the first round, a strong right hand wobbled Lewis badly, but the bell rang, giving Lewis time to survive. The second round saw Kownacki pummel Lewis from pillar to post. Lewis had nothing in return. Finally, after dozens of unanswered punches, the referee called the fight off at the 1:43 point of the second round giving Kownacki the TKO victory.

In a heavyweight bout, brother of Tyson Fury, Hughie Lewis Fury (1-0, 1 KO) squared off against Alex Rozman (1-0, 1 KO). Rozman, with his exceptional build, looked the part before the bell, but as soon as the bout started, he was no match for Fury. A right hand early in the round sent him down on his back. Fury continued the pressure, landing uppercuts and right hands behind the jab, and Rozman went down twice more, but the referee called them slips. Another combination from Fury sent Rozman down face-first. After beating the count, it was a final right hand that sent Rozman down, and the referee waved the fight off. Fury won with a TKO at 2:26 of the first round.

Exciting up and comer, Karl Dargan (12-0, 6 KO’s) took on Edward Valdez (12-9-2, 6 KO’s) in a lightweight bout. Valdez came out swinging, reaching on overhand rights, while Dargan remained poised. Valdez is known as a very tough fighter, and did not seem to be very bothered by Dargan’s sharp blows.

After the second round, Valdez did not sit on his stool and began complaining about his hand. Eventually, the corner was forced to call the match, giving Dargan a TKO victory at 3:00 of the 2nd round.

The opening bout of the evening saw Sevdall Sherifi (9-1-2, 8 KO’s) of Albania take on Josh Harris (8-6-1, 6 KO’s) in a cruiserweight affair scheduled for six rounds. Sherifi comes with a bit of fanfare as his manager is fellow Albanian and Dancing With the Stars champion Tony Devolani.

The bout began with Sherifi throwing a wide array of punches and landing regularly. His selection was tremendous, and he moved to stay away from Harris’power. Despite his record, Harris is a highly regarded puncher as a cruiserweight.

The first three rounds saw Sherifi make great use of his movement, but he was lacking in his jab. On occasion, Harris was able to land hard left hooks from the outside. Sherifi managed to stay just out of range, but Harris was timing his counters. The only problem with Harris is that outside of his single shots, he rarely threw any other punches.

The fourth round saw some exciting action. Harris was finally able to land one of his hooks flush, and Sherifi legs buckled badly. Harris had time on his side and began chasing down Sherifi. Harris landed multiple huge blows to Sherifi’s chin, and the referee was watching closely to stop the fight. Finally, a big hook sent Sherifi down into the ropes, but he was able to beat the count and was saved by the bell. In the corner between rounds, the referee took a close look at Sherifi, and continued to keep an eye out when the bell for the fifth round sounded. A right hand landed hard for Harris, and the referee immediately stopped it. Sherifi protested, but ultimately it was a good call. Harris was victorious with a TKO victory at :19 of the 5th round.

Former WBA Featherweight champion Javier Fortuna obliterated challenger Miguel Zamiudio in the first round of their twelve round title bout at The Tropicana Hotel Resort in Atlantic City.

Fprtuna jumped right on Zamudio and landed a hard left that sent Zamudio to the canvas. Fortina then threw wild hard punches until he caught Zamudio and knocked him out cold for several minutes and had oxygen applied before being carried out on a stretcher.

Fortuna lost his title when he weighed in over the Featherweight limit and Zamudio was the only fighter eligible to win the title.

Fortuna, 126.6 lbs is now 22-0 with 16 knockouts. Zamudio is 24-2-1

The time of the stoppage was 1:08 of round one.

John Jackson scored an eight round unanimous decision over previously undefeated Cerresso Fort in a Jr. Middleweight bout.

It was a solid performance for Jackson who landed some hard right rights and was effective with the uppercut. Jackson had fort in Trouble in both round’s two and eight and Firt started to bleed from the nose in the final stanza.

Jackson, 154.2 lbs of U.S. Virgin Islands won by scores of 77-75 and 79-73 on two cards and is now 16-1. Fort, 155.2 lbs of St.Paul MN is now 16-1-1/

Former world champion Juan Diaz made a triumphant return after a 3 year absence as he stopped Pipino Cuevas Jr. in a scheduled ten round Super Lightweight bout at the American Bank Center in Corpus Christi, Texas.

Diaz dmintaed the action and landed a big flurry in round nine and that fight was stopped at the fifty-five second mark.

Diaz, 135 1/2 lbs of Houston, TX is now 36-4 with 18 knockouts. Cuevas Jr., 137 1/2 lbs of Mexico City, MX is now 15-10.

Jerry Belmontes scored an eight round Majority decision over Daniel Diaz in a Super Featherweight bout.

Scores were 76-76, 78-74 and 79-73 For Belmontes, 130 lbs of Corpus Christie, TX and he is now 18-1. Diaz, 130 lbs of Managua, NIC is now 19-5-1.

Justin DeLoach scored a four round unanimous decision over Martin Gonzalez in a Welterweight bout.

Scores were 40-36 on all cards for DeLoach, 147 lbs of Augusta, GA and is now 2-0. Gonzalez, 144 lbs of Edinburg, TX had a cut over his right eye is now 1-2.

NEW YORK–Guillermo Rigondeaux boxed his way to a twelve round unanimous decision over 2012 Fighter of the Year Nonito
Donaire to win the WBO and retain the WBA Super Bantamweight championship at Radio City Music Hall.

In round one it looked like the fight could turn into a barn burner as the two tried to exchange with hard shots. It was Rigondeaux straight lefts and a hard right which was the difference in the opening frame. Rigondeuax would beat Donaire to the punch and be able to slide away before Donaire could respond with anything of consequence. Donaire seemed to follow Rigondeaux around the ring rather then cut him off.

The quick shots of Rigondeaux was able to cause some swelling around Donaire’s eyes as early as round seven. Donaire would be coming forward and it seemed like he was on the verge of winning some rounds but Rigondeaux would land a couple shots and be able to build a lead. Rigondeaux was able to overcome a shake beginning to round ten as he was thrown down early in the round which was ruled a slip but seconds later Donaire landed a hard left off a break that sent the Cuban down to the canvas. That woke Rogoindeaux up as he finished the round pretty good and the knockdown was more of an aberration than anything else. Rigindeaux was solid with the straight left and hurt Donaire in the final round with that punch and even closed the right eye of Donaire. It was a solid performance from Rogondeaux in terms of beating a top pound for pound fighter but his defensive style did not thrill most of the pro-Donaire crowd in attendance.

Rigondeaux, 121.5 lbs of Miami won by scores of 116-111, 115-112 and 114-113 and is now a unified champion ar=t 12-0. Donaire, 121.6 lbs of General Santos City, Philippines lost for the first time in twelve years and falls to 31-2.

Hot prospect Felix Verdajo scored an explosive 1st round stoppage over Steven Gutierrez in a scheduled four round Jr. Lightweight contest.

Verdajo dropped Gutierrez with a hard right and then for a second and final time with a blistering uppercut and the bout was waved off at 1:50 of round one.

Verdajo, 131.5 lbs of San Juan, PR is now 5-0 with four knockouts. Gutierrez, 130 lbs of Fort Worth, TX is now 4-4-1.

Popular New York Light Heavyweight Seanie Monaghan scored a first round stoppage over Rex Stanley in a scheduled eight round bout.

Monaghan scored a knockdown from a overhand right and it appeared that Stanley hurt his foot when he tried to get up and the fight was waved off at 1:51 of round one.

Monaghan, 176 lbs of Long Beach, NY is now 18-0 with 11 knockouts. Stanley, 177 lbs of Kansas City, MO is 11-5-0-1.

Good looking Super Middleweight prospect Jesse Hart scored a vicious third round stoppage over Marlon Farr in a scheduled four round bout.

Hart landed a hard combination that resulted with Farr being dropped to the ropes and the bout was stopped at 1:33 of round three.

Hart, 169 lbs of Philadelphia, PA is 7-0 with 5 knockouts. Farr, 170 lbs of Zephyrhills, FL is 2-3.

Hard punching Welterweight prospect Mikael Zewski took out Daniel Sostre in round two of a scheduled eight round bout.

Zewski scored a knockdown in round two and finished the fight with a barrage of punches and the bout was stopped at forty-nine seconds of round two.

Zewski, 148.5 lbs if Trois-Rivieres, Quebec is now 19-0 with 15 knockouts. Sostre, 147 lbs of New York, NY is now 11-9-1.

Glen Tapia remained undefeated by scoring a eight round unanimous decision over Joseph de los Santos in a Jr. Middleweight bout.

Scores were 80-72 on all cards for Tapia, 154.5 lbs of Passaic, NJ and is now 18-0. de los Santos, 153 lbs of Bayamon, PR is now 13-12-3.

Tyler Canning scored a four round split decision over Dario Soccia in a Super Welterweight bout.

Scores were 39-37 on two cards for Canning and 39-37 for Soccia.

Canning, 150 lbs of Lander, WY is 2-1. Soccia, 153 lbs of New York, NY is 2-1.

Erick De Leon opened up the show by scoring a knockdown in round one and cruising to a four round unanimous decision over Diamond Baier in a Lightweight bout.

Scores were 40-36 on two cards and 40-34 for De Lepon, 131.5 lbs of Detroit, MI and is 3-0. Baier, 131.5 lbs of Phoenix, AZ is now 2-5-1.

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, Former Featherweight and currant Super Featherweight champion Yuriorkis Gamboa will move up to Lightweight and face Darley Perez on June 8th in Montreal in the opening bout of an HBO doubleheader featuring Chad Dawson defending his title against Adonis Stevenson

“I believe that Darley has the tools to beat Gamboa,” Gary Shaw, Perez’s co-promoter with Thompson Boxing, told ESPN.com. “Whether he uses them will be a different story. Should be a real test for Gamboa, who is moving to 135, as Perez is a real 135-pounder.”

Baha Mamadjonov scored an upset ninth round stoppage over previously undefeated Angelo Santana in a scheduled twelve round Lightweight bout at Treasure Island Casino in Las Vegas.

The fight was a close fight over the first few rounds with Santana boxing well with Mamadjonov getting in solid left hands. Mamadjonov was adept to working the body. In round eight, Mamadjonov landed a hard combination to the body that sent Santana to the Canvas. Santana was sent to the canvas for a second time in round nine from a hard combination and again from a hard left hand and referee Kenny Bayless stopped the bout at fifty-one seconds of round nine.

Mamadjonov, 135 lbs of Houston, TX is now 12-1 with eight knockouts. Santana, 134 lbs of Miami is now 14-1.

Baha Mamadjonov: “One week notice and I win by that kind of knockout. The first couple of rounds he (Angelo Santana) was difficult to figure out but once I did I just got more aggressive. The hard work paid off. I came to the United States to be a champion. I want to win a world title and this was the first step. I’m just starting. It’s going to be one belt at a time.

“Santana hits really hard and I respect him but I could see he was getting tired in the sixth round after I hit him with a body shot.”

Angelo Santana: “The referee stopped the fight. I tell you I was still in it. I landed two big left hands earlier in the round. We were in a good fight and it should have continued. Nothing against Baha, he’s a good fighter, but I want a rematch.

“The last knockdown came on a slip. I slipped after throwing a punch.”

Amir Imam stopped Jeremy Bryan with one hard right hand in round two of a scheduled eight round Super Lightweight bout.

Bryan had a solid round one by landing some good right hands. In round two, Imam landed a little left hook that was followed by a devastating straight right that plummeted Bryan to the canvas and referee Jay Nady stopped the bout at 2:13 of round two

Imam, 140 lbs of Pompano Beach, FL is now 9-0 with 8 knockouts. Bryan, 138 lbs if Sumter, SC is now 16-3

Amir Imam: “I had to figure him (Jeremy Bryan) out in the first round. I doubled up my jab in the second round and hit him with the big right that starched him. Some would say I took too big of a bite but I was composed, relaxed and knew what I had to do.

“Line ‘em up and I’ll knock them down.”

Jeremy Bryan: “I don’t really feel like talking because I still feel a little woozy. I expected so much more. I trained so hard. This is very disappointing.

“I had a lot going on. This was my first big fight on TV since 2004. I had a good fan base that came in for the fight. I think I got a little over-anxious and it cost me but I am a warrior. I’ve come back before and I’ll come back again.

Oscar Gonzalez scored a ten round unanimous decision over former world champion Rico Ramos in a Featherweight bout at the Little Creek Resort in Shelton, Washington.

Ramos boxed well early as he mixed up his comombinations. The fight changed in round six when Gonzalez landed a hard left hook to the body that sent Ramos to the canvas. The knockdown sparked up Ramos but it was Gonzalez who started focusing more on the body. There was good action down the stretch but it was Gonzalez who got the better of the exchanges and won by scores of 98-91, 96-93 and 97-93.

Gonzalez is now 18-2. Ramos, 125 1/2 lbs is now 21-3.

2012 Mexican Olympian Oscar Molina scored an easy first round stoppage over an overmatched Darryl Gardner in a scheduled four round Jr. Middleweight bout.

Molina dominated as he scored a knockdown from a right hand and then finished things off when he scored a hard left hook to the body that was followed up by a perfect left to the jaw that dropped Gardner for a second time and referee Jeff Macaluso stopped the bout at 2:39 of round.

Molina, 151 lbs of Los Angeles, CA is 4-0 with 3 knockouts. Gardner, 151 lbs of Spokane, WA is 1-2.

Ray Lampkin Jr. survived a knockdown to comeback and stop Landon Horseman in round three of their four round Lightweight bout.

Lampkin had a good round one but was caught in the opening seconds of round two from a lead right and was sent to the canvas. He came back to dominate the final two minutes of the round. In round three, Lampkin landed a big body punch that sent Horseman down for the ten count at 1:40 of round three.

Lampkin Jr., 139 lbs of Vancouver, WA is now 3-0 with 1 knockout. Horseman, 139 1/2 lbs of Tacoma, WA is now 1-1.

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, ageless IBF Light Heavyweight champion Bernard Hopkins will make the mandatory defense of his crown against German based Karo Murat this summer.

“History is marching on,” said Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer. “Bernard is up for the challenge. Karo Murat is 29, young enough to be Bernard’s son. He’s a good fighter and he has been waiting for this kind of opportunity.”

“It’s an obligation I have to do now,” Hopkins told ESPN.com while taking a break from a training session at the Joe Hand Boxing Gym in Philadelphia. “If there was a better option, maybe I’d do it. But there is no real option that’s better right now with all the other [top] guys fighting other fights right now. So there’s no other better option right now financially or historically than doing this fight and getting it out of the way, and at least you don’t get stripped of the title. But I got bigger fish to fry after I execute this guy. After this I want a superfight.”

“I had already made a deal and agreed on the purse and everything with (Sauerland’s) Chris (Meyer), but I had to wait to sit down face-to-face with Bernard,” Schaefer said. “He came to Los Angeles and we met on Friday, and Bernard made it clear to me that he feels great and that history will march on. I told him, ‘Great, looking forward to it, now let me get it done.’

“I needed to know from Bernard if he wanted to fight or if he wanted to fight but fight somebody other than Murat. He could have said, ‘I am calling it a day’ or he could have given up the title to fight someone else or he can defend the title. The IBF has always been supportive of Bernard, and he has a good relationship with the IBF, and he said, ‘I’m not giving up the title.'”

“From what I’ve seen of Murat, he’s a durable guy and a ‘B’ fighter, but I have to look at him like he’s an ‘A’ fighter,” Hopkins said. “He fought Cleverly and he got some experience. He’s rough and tough, so you got to come up with a game plan, especially at age 48. People want to tune in and see, ‘Is tonight the night Bernard Hopkins gets old?’

“We have come to an agreement,” Meyer said. “We at Sauerland and Karo are exited about this. We expected that Bernard would prefer to fight Cleverly in the U.K. or even resign from boxing. But he is what he is — a warrior, a fighter. He does now what he always did — do his mandatory, even against a fighter who is virtually unknown in the USA. Karo is delighted that after a very long wait of more than 12 months he has now his go, his shot at the world title.

“I have to give credit to Richard, who is one of the toughest negotiators in this industry. But he is a true professional and knows the business inside-out. We were able to close a deal within a very short time. We are happy to work with Richard and his whole team.”

Hopkins said his goal is take care of Murat and move on to a super fight. He said he is interested in unifying light heavyweight titles with Cleverly or defending against super middleweight titlist Carl Froch of England, should he defeat Mikkel Kessler in their May 25 rematch.

“Those are both huge fights over there in the U.K., and I’d go over there for those fights, no problem,” Hopkins said. “I love when the crowd is against me. I love shutting them up.”

“Listen, these guys have fights coming up and nobody is banging the door down to fight Bernard Hopkins,” he said. “I talked to Richard along with [attorney] Eric Melzer, and I know I had a duty after the Cloud fight to fight the mandatory, so we decided to get Murat out of the way, and then I can go on and unify the titles before I turn 50.”

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, IBF Jr. Middleweight champion Ishe Smith will defend against mandatory challenger Carlos Molina this Summer.

“We made an agreement to let [Mayweather Promotions] promote the fight,” said Molina’s promoter Leon Margules. “We made a deal on the money, on the airline tickets, on the parameters of the fight. I went back and forth with Leonard and we worked it out.”

“I think Molina can beat anybody in the division, whether it’s Ishe Smith, Canelo Alvarez, Austin Trout, anybody,” Margules said. “He’s hell for anybody, so we’re excited to get a shot at the title.”

Robert Byrd has been tapped to be the 3rd man in the ring on May 4th when Floyd Mayweather meets Robert Guerrero for the WBC Welterweight championship in Las Vegas.

Selected to judge Mayweather-Guerrero were Duane Ford and Jerry Roth, both longtime Nevada judges with lots of championship experience, and New York’s Julie Lederman, who also has a lot of world title experience.

Jay Nady of Nevada will serve as the referee for Ponce De Leon-Mares. Judges assigned to the bout are Dick Houck and Robert Hoyle, both of Nevada, and Michael Pernick of Florida.

Chinese Olympic hero Zou Shiming made a successful pro debut with a four round unanimous decision over Eleazar Valenzuela at the Venetian Hotel in Macau, China.

The two time Olympic gold medal winner had fun in the ring as he jumped in and out and landed some solid shits. He smiled for most of the bout as he won in an entertaining fashion which thrilled the more than 10,000 fans in attendance to view the historical contest. Shiming had his best flurry in round three where he landed a couple of combinations that moved the 18 year old Valenzuela back.

Shiming made a reported $300,000 for the debut fight and he won via shutout fashion by 40-36 scores on all cards.

Valenzuela is now 2-2-1.

Juan Francisco Estrada scored a twelve round split decision over Brian Viloria to wrestle the WBA and WBO Flyweight titles.

Viloria boxed great early as he mixed up his punches and countered beautifully and seemed like he was heading to another title defense. Despite taking some solid combinations, Estrada continued to stalk and pressure Viloria and that strategy took effect in the late rounds as his punches started to move and cut up Viloria. Estrada rocked Viloria in round eleven and had him in serious trouble on a couple of occasions in round twelve but despite that Viloria showed a champions heart by fighting to the final bell. Those flurries were the difference as he won by scores of 115-113 for Viloria, 116-111 Estrada and 117-111 for Estrada

Estrada, 112, lbs of Sinora, MX is now 23-2. Viloria, 111 1/4 lbs of Hawaii is now 32-4.

Roman Martinez retained the WBO Super Featherweight title with a twelve round split decision over Diego Magdaleno.

It was a good fight with some decent action. Magdaleno boxed well over the first three rounds as he moved with some slickness from his southpaw stance. In round four, Martinez landed a perfect right hand that sent Magdaleno to the canvas. That got Martinez into the fight as he started to be effective with the right hand and take control of the rounds. Magdaleno fought well and landed some good body shots but it was Martinez effective punches down the stretch that even opened a cut over the left eye of Magdaleno. The two battled hard in an exciting twelfth round but it was Martinez who had built up an advantage on two of the three judges scorecards.

Martinez, 130 lbs of Vega Baja, PR won by scores of 115-112 and 114-113 while Magdaleno took a card at 116-111.

Martinez is now 27-1-2. Magdaeleno, 130 lbs of Las Vegas is 23-1.

In a ten round war, Yasutaka Ishimoto scored a ten round majority decision upset over former WBO Super Featherweight champion Wilfredo Vasquez Jr.

The fight was a back and forth brawl with Vasquez getting cut and eventually knocked down from a straight hand in round eight. Vasquez gave as good as he received but the knockdown proved to be the difference as one card read even at 95-95 while Ishimoto took two cards by scores of 96-93 and 95-94.

Ishimoto, 121.8 lbs of Tokyo, JAP is now 22-6. Vasquez Jr. 122 lbs of Bayamon, PR is now 22-3-1.

Dodie Boy Penalosa scored a third round stoppage over Nimithra Sithsaithong in a scheduled six round Featherweight bout

Penalosa scored knockdowns in rounds one and two from sweeping left hands. Penalosa ended things in round three when after a furious exchange, Penalosa landed a perfect right to the body that sent Sithsaithong down for third and final time and the was stopped at 2:54 of round three.

Penalosa, 123.4 lbs of Cebu, Philippines is now 11-0 with 11 knockouts. Sithsaithong, 122,4 lbs of Bangkok, Thailand is now 4-5

Photos by Chris Farina / Top Rank

Rustam Nugaev scored a sensational knockout over previously undefeated Jonathan Maicelo in a scheduled ten round Lightweight bout at the Chumash Casino Resort in Santa Ynez, California.

Maicelo boxed well early as he used his speed to land some solid combinations and he worked the body the well. Around round three, Nugaev’s pressure seemed to take effect as he was able to come forward and start getting in some shots of his own. In the middle rounds, Nugaev started going to the body in an effort to slow Maicelo down.

That worked as Nugaev landed a perfectly timed right to the chin that sent Maicelo sprawling to the canvas and rolled over on his back. He tried to get to his feet but referee Jack Reiss called the fight off at 2:03 of round eight

Nugaev, who took almost a two year hiatus is now 23-6-1 with 13 knockouts. Maicelo of New Jersey via Peru is now 19-1.

Gabriel Tolmajyan scored a eight round unanimous decision over previously undefeated Jorge Maysonet Jr. in a Lightweight bout.

Tolmajyan used his awkward southpaw style to not let Maysonet get off any sustained offense while pot shotting from the outside. Tolmajyan was credited with a knockdown in round two when he landed a left hand at the same time as a headbutt landed on Maysonet and it was a ruled a knockdown.

Tolmajyan, 134 lbs of Glendale, CA won by scores of 80-71, 80-71 and 77-75 and is now 14-2-1. Maysonet, 135 lbs of Catano, PR is now 11-1.

Alejandro Luna remained perfect by scoring a four round unanimous decision over Mario Hermosillo in a Lightweight bout.

In round one, a headbutt caused a cut on the forehead of Hermosillo and a small abrasion around the right eye of Luna. Luna controlled the action and it was the right to the body / left hook combination that was his flurry of choice. He mixed in all of his shots as he held a five inch heaight advantage and was able ti kept Hermosillo at bay.

Luna, 136 lbs of Whittier, CA won by scores of 40-36 on all cards and is now 13-0. Hermosillo, 137 lbs of Mexico City, MX is now 11-10-3.

“I performed well-enough to get the win, but I know I can bring much more to the table. The kid (Maysonet Jr.) is talented and he was awkward to fight with his long body. I think I did a good job finding a way around his natural advantages, he gained some good experience in the ring and he’ll come back stronger. I’m ready for my next fight, I want to get right back in there and I felt good out there right now. Even though I have it in me to produce more than I showed tonight my confidence is where it should be and I just want to ride this momentum,” Tolmajyan said.

Gary Shaw was delighted to see the fireworks produced by the 2 combatants in the main event, but he wasn’t surprised and he knows that fans appreciate unfiltered action.

“It was a tough fight for Maicelo and we know that coming in; this fight was supposed to be a step up and we matched these guys based on the fact that we knew they’d create fireworks. It was a good fight and I’m sure that it was exciting for both the live and TV audience. Tonight the fans got two see some great fights,” Shaw said.

NEW YORK–Former world Super Welterweight champion Yuri Foreman scored a six round unanimous decision over Gundrick King that highlighted a ten bout card at the Roseland Ballroom

Scores were 60-54 on all cards for Foreman who is now 30-2. King is 18-10

Ionut Dan Ion ( 30-2, 17 KO’s, 147lbs) continued his come backing ways; this time against the very dangerous Damian Frias (19-6-1, 10 KO’s 148lbs). Both fighters fought on the inside, utilizing very few jabs. Frias moved a bit more, but Dan Ion was continuously in his chest.

In the end it was Dan who won a close unanimous decision via scores of 76-75, 78-73 and 78-73

Popular New York City fighter, Gabriel Bracero (21-1, 4 KO’s, 144 1/2lbs) looked to continue his winning ways when he took on Pavel Miranda (19-9-1, 10 KO’s, 143lbs). The bout started off in an exciting fashion, with both fighters aggressively trying to draw first blood. Things got chippy early on; while in a clinch, with the referee trying to break both fighters, Miranda and Bracero traded punches.

As the bout progressed, Bracero maintained control of the action, but Miranda was still in it, and landing some decent blows of his own. Despite the low knockout ratio in Bracero’s record, he is a tremendous inside fighter and is at home when the fight is a brawl.

In the fourth round, after a heated back and fourth exchange, Bracero suffered a cut just outside his eye. It seemed to bother him at first, but Bracero quickly got back into his groove. He continued his pace for the final four rounds at took home an 80-72, 79-73, and 78-74 unanimous decision victory

When Heather Hardy made her professional debut eight months ago, her opponent, Mikayla Nebel, knocked her down in the first round. Hardy won the next three rounds and the decision. Thursday night Hardy (4-0, 0 KO’s, 122lbs) took on Nebel (0-4, 0 KO’s, 123lbs) once more. This time, Nebel was not able to land the way she did eight months ago. Hardy cruised her way towards a six round decision, winning all rounds with scorecards of 60-53, 60-54, and 60-54 for a unanimous decision victory.

Luis Del Valle scored fifth round stoppage over Andre Wilson in a scheduled eight round Featherweight bout.

Del Valle scored two knockdowns in round’s one and five and was cut himself under the left eye in round one.

Del Valle is now 17-1 with 12 knockdowns. Wilson of St. Joseph, MO is now 13-6-1.

Luis Olivares (1-0, 1 KO, 139 1/2lbs) took the trip over from Glendale, AZ to fight on Broadway Boxing. He squared off against Christopher Williams-Ortiz (1-0, 0 KO’s, 139lbs). The first round saw Williams-Ortiz working behind his jab, while Ortiz worked volume punching behind his big frame. In the second, Olivares landed a hard body shot that brought Williams-Ortiz’s guard down. Olivares came in with two rights that sent his opponent down hard onto the canvas. Williams-Ortiz was able to beat the count, and kept his guard up while withstanding numerous blows from Olivares to close out the round. Olivares dominated the third, landing multiple rapid-fire combinations while on the inside. His greatest strength was his body punches, which came frequently with bad intentions behind them. The fourth and final round saw more impressive pressure from Olivares as he worked his way to the final bell. The final scorecards read 40-35, 40-35, and 40-35 in favor of Olivares, giving him a unanimous decision victory.

Bryant Cruz (2-0, 2 KO’s, 130lbs) took to the ring to loud cheers from his adoring fans as he was set to square off against Antoine Knight (2-2, 1 KO, 131lbs). Both fighters took very little time throwing big punches, and it was Cruz who took control early with a powerful jab that Knight couldn’t seem to avoid. After some hard combinations, Knight went into a shell and hardly threw any significant punches. The second round saw Cruz up the pressure, bloodying his opponent in the process with his hard combinations. The third saw Cruz land a left hook that had Knight teetering. Cruz continued the pressure, landing countless blows on his opponent. After a break in the action, referee Sparkle Lee, took a close look at Knight and didn’t like what she saw. She waved the fight off at 2:15 of the third round, giving Cruz a TKO victory.

In a four round Jr. Middleweight contest, Patrick Day remained perfect in a tougher then the scores indicate unanimous decision over Yosmani Abreu. Day controlled the action throughout the bout, but in the second, a hard right hand shook him up, and Abreu followed up with hard hooks afterwards. Day did not let Abreu’s advantage last long, as he was able to turn the tables and land numerous hard blows of his own and return the favor. The final two rounds saw Day control the action with his superior movement while controlling the action.

Scores were 40-37 on all cards for Day, 154 lbs of Freeport, NY and is now 3-0. Abreu, 153 lbs of Las Vegas is now 3-7-1.

In an exciting battle that featured countless hard blows, Donte Strayhorn(Debut, 138lbs) took on Michael Carrera (0-1, 0 KO’s, 141lbs) in a bout scheduled for four rounds. After a pedestrian first round, Carrera surprisingly came out in the second landing hard left hooks and overhand rights, causing Strayhorn to experience problems with his nose. The young Strayhorn was losing the round on account of Carrera’s big punches, and he needed to make adjustments. The third and fourth rounds saw Strayhorn make the necessary changes needed to take over the fight. He was taller than Carrera, and began pumping out a stiff jab followed by a straight right. He also began varying his punches from a distance, ripping hard shots to the body. After an exciting four rounds, the scorecards read 40-36, 39-37, and 39-37 in favor of Strayhorn, giving him a unanimous decision victory.

Photo by Ed Diller

Two action filled fights have been added to the June 8th card that will feature Marcos Maidana and Josesito Lopez card in Carson, California on Showtime according to Dan Rafael of espn.com

In a Jr. Middleweight bout, Erislandy Lara will take on Alfredo Angulo while Super Middleweights Marco Antonio Periban and Sakio Bika will slug it out.

“Angulo and Lara is an evenly matched fight,” said Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer. “Lara is technically better, but Angulo is a much bigger puncher. If he can get Lara in trouble, it could go his way, and if Lara decides to box him, it could go Lara’s way. Can Alfredo Angulo catch him, and if he does, how is Lara going to react?”

“We’re really excited about the opportunity. Angulo is one of the top guys in the division,” Luis DeCubas Jr., Angulo’s manager, told ESPN.com. “This is going to be his fourth top-10 contender in six fights — Paul Williams, Carlos Molina, Vanes and now Angulo. That’s four very solid top-10 guys. It just goes to prove that Lara is always willing to fight the best guys in the division.

“Angulo is definitely a guy who can turn the fight around with one shot, which makes it interesting. But Lara will hold his ground, so Angulo better be ready because he has to realize that Lara can hurt him as well. It’s a real interesting matchup. The winner of this fight will be in a great, great position to fight the winner of Canelo Alvarez and [Austin] Trout [who meet to unify titles on April 20] or to have some other big fight at 154. We’re just excited that Angulo stepped up to the plate to fight Lara because not too many people are keen on fighting him.”

“Angulo wanted a big fight, this is a big fight,” Schaefer said. “It’s not an easy fight for Alfredo. If he comes out and presses the action and catches Lara, it can be a short night. Lara, at this point, needs to step up his game. He looked average in his last two fights. He has the opportunity to look great against Angulo.”

“Bika and Periban, I expect fireworks in that one, too,” Schaefer said.

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, WBA Middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin will defend against tough Matthew Macklin on June 29th at a site to be determined.

Promoter Lou DiBella and promoter Dan Goossen are trying to close the deal to match Thomas Oosthuizen and Brandon Gonzalez (17-0, 10 KOs), of Sacramento, Calif. Gonzalez recently withdrew from an April 12 ESPN2 undercard fight because of a hamstring problem, but he is expected to be just fine to lace ’em up for June 29.

Also expected to appear on the HBO televised triple header will be Jr. Middleweight Willie Nelson

LAS VEGAS – Brandon Rios and Mike Alvarado promised more of the same. Sorry, Alvarado didn’t fulfill his end of the agreement. He couldn’t. If Alvarado had, he would have been left with only the promise of another defeat.

Instead, Alvarado did what Rios and few others thought he could Saturday night in a rematch at Mandalay Bay. He did more than break a promise. He beat a stereotype. He beat what was expected of him. And then he beat Rios.

Once a brawler, not always a brawler.

That was the surprise and the formula employed and sustained by Alvarado (34-1, 23 KOs) through 12 rounds of his second meeting with Rios (31-1-1, 22 KOs) within the last six months. Rios won the first one by a seventh-round TKO on Oct. 13 in a stand-and-fight slugfest in Carson, Calif.

Rios came into the rematch thinking it would be the same because Alvarado was the same. A few punches and the Alvarado seen in October would re-appear in March.

Didn’t happen.

In almost every round, Alvarado delivered a couple of solid right hands in the opening moments. Rios would smile as if to say thanks. But Alvarado never took the bait. He didn’t linger in a target zone where Rios is most effective. Instead, he danced backwards, then sideways throughout the middle of each round. Then, he would finish each round with an exchange of punches.

It was a strategy that convinced the judges. Bill Lerch and Dave Moretti scored it 115-113, each for Alvarado. On Duane Ford’s card, Alvarado won by one point, 114-113.

“My high-altitude training was the key to the fight,’’ Alvarado, of Denver, said in the middle of the ring after the scores were announced.

As expected, both fighters took a lot punishment. Alvarado suffered a huge gash over his left eye. Alavardo was taken to University Medical Center (UMC) after the bout. The ringside physician ordered Rios to go to UMC.

Alvarado’s victory also left each fighter with one win each. A trilogy looks to be inevitable.

“I gave you a rematch,’’ Rios said to Alvarado in the ring. “I deserve a third fight.’’

There’s another promise somewhere in that demand. Don’t expect it to be broken.

On The Undercard
The Best: Jose Ramirez’ nerves never had a chance. Neither did Charlie Dubray.
Ramirez (2-0, 2 KOs), a lightweight and 2012 U.S. Olympian, knocked out the nervousness he felt in his pro debut and then overwhelmed Dubray (1-1, 1 KO) for a first-round TKO. Dubray, of Hastings , Neb., was down twice within 66 seconds after he put in his mouthpiece.

“It’s all coming together,’’ said Ramirez, a farmworkers’ son from Avenal, Calif., who scored a first-round TKO in his debut on the Dec. 8 undercard of Juan Manuel Marquez’ stoppage of Manny Pacquiao. “I was a lot less nervous than in my first fight.’’

The Rest: There were headlines before Breidis Prescott-Terence Crawford, praise for Crawford from Bob Arum after it and boos throughout a dull bout during which Crawford (20-0, 15 KOs), a Nebraska junior-welterweight, made Prescott (26-5, 20 KOs), of Colombia, look stiff, awkward, frustrated and — in the end –defeated by unanimous decision. …Mexican super-featherweight Miguel Berchelt (17-0, 14 KOs) punches at a rate that leaves no time for an answer and Carlos Claudio (15-10-3, 8 KOs) had none in losing a first-round TKO to a Berchelt blitz. …A breeze blew through the Mandalay Bay Events Center from a body shot thrown by Las Vegas welterweight Michael Finney (11-0, 9 KOs), who scored a fifth-round KO with a paralyzing left that knocked the wind out of Osvaldo Rojas (7-3-2, 2 KOs) of Portland, Ore; Connecticut super-bantamweight Tramaine Williams (6-0, 2 KOs), nicknamed the Midget, came up big with a unanimous decision over John Herrera (4-6-1, 2 KOs); Las Vegas heavyweight Brett Rather (3-0) survived a first-round knockdown and endured successive right hands to score a unanimous decision over Juan Guajardo (2-1, 1 KOs) of McAllen, Tex.; Juan Heraldez (5-0, 4 KOs) of Las Vegas scored big points and left nasty welts across the forehead of overmatched Florida junior-welterweight Roberto Lopez (4-5-2) for a unanimous decision; and Denver junior-welterweight Manuel Lopez (2-0, 2 KOs) won a second-round TKO over Jason Tresvan (0-2) of Las Vegas

LAS VEGAS – Timothy Bradley on Friday said physicians told him he was fine after undergoing tests for a possible concussion at the Cleveland Clinic’s Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health.

“I’m good,’’ said Bradley, an unbeaten welterweight who worried that he might have suffered a concussion on March 16 in his unanimous decision over Ruslan Provodnikov at Carson, Calif., in an early contender for 2013 Fight of the Year.

Bradley, who was at the weigh-in Friday for the Brandon Rios-Mike Alvarado rematch Saturday night at Mandalay Bay, underwent tests at the Las Vegas clinic where neurologists are conducting a long-term study on possible brain trauma in combat sports. The study has included 103 boxers and 135 MMA fighters.

In a couple of months, Bradley said he hopes to hear about possibilities for his next fight. He also said he intends to stay at 147 pounds.

Bradley picks Rios to beat Alvarado, who lost a seventh-round stoppage in their first fight on Oct. 13, also in Carson, Calif.

“He’s got that dog in him,’’ Bradley said. “If Alvarado stays 100 percent focused, he can win. But, yeah, I’m picking Rios. He’s a problem. If I fought him, I’d just box all night.’’

VERONA, NY (March 29, 2013)—WBO Number-one ranked Middleweight contender Brian Vera retained the NABO Middlewight championship after Donatas Bondorovas was deemed unable to continue after round seven of their bout at the Turning Stone Resort Casino

Bondorovas was cut from the bridge of the nose in the first frame. Despite that, Bondorovas continued to charge forward and land punches. In round four, Vera was able to land some hard combinations that put Bondorovas on his heels. That was short lived as Bondorovas was able to land a hard right near the end of the round.

The continued to fight hard on the inside and in round six a cut opened up around the right eye of Bondorovas for which the ringside physician looked at the cut during the middle of the round. Round seven was an exciting one as Vera started pouting on the pressure and the blood started to cover the face of Bondorovas.

Referee Charlie Fitch checked on the cuts in between round’s seven and eight and stopped the fight due to the excessive bleeding.

Vera was ahead on the official scorecards 68-65, 67-66 and 67-66.

Vera, 160 lbs of Austin, TX will now look for a major opportunity as his name has been linked for fights against WBA champion Gennady Golovkin, WBO champion Peter Quillin and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. Vera is now 23-6 with 14 knockouts. Bondorovas fought well and is now 16-4-1.

Umberto Savigne captured the WBO Latino Light Heavyweight championship with a fourth round stoppage over previously undefeated Jackson Junior.

After a solid first round for Junior, the two engaged in a wild exchange that saw a right hand put down Junior in the second frame. In round four, Savigne landed a perfectly places right hand that sent Junior on the seat of his pants. After a furious exchange, Savigne clipped Junior with a right to the side of the head for a second knockdown. The bout was ended after a barrage of punches sent Junior down for a third time in the round and fourth time in the fight and the bout was waved off at 2:17

Savigne, 175 lbs of Miami is now 11-1 with 8 knockouts. Junior, 175 lbs of Sao Paulo, Brazil is now 14-1.

2012 Olympic Bronze medal Taras Shelestyuk needed just ninety-nine seconds to dispose of Kamal Muhammad in an impressive debut for Shelestyuk.

Shelestyuk dropped Muhammad twice and after the second knockdown, the bout was immediately waved off

Shelestyuk, 152 lbs of Sumy, Ukraine is 1-0 with one knockout. Muhammad, 153 lbs of New York is 0-1

New Banner Promotions signee Evgenii Chuprakov pounded out a four round unanimous decision over Micah Branch in a Jr. Lightweight bout.

Scores were 40-36 on all cards for Chuprakov, 131 lbs of Ekaterinburg, Russia and is now 5-0. Branch, 131 lbs of Cincinnati, OH is 1-5-1

Light Heavyweight Ryon McKenzie scored a six round unanimous decision over Steven Tyner.

McKenzie dominated the tough Tyner and looked to have Tyner in trouble in round’s four and five and cruised to the victory by 60-54 tallies on all cards.

McKenzie, 173 lbs of Syracuse, NY is now 14-0. Tyner, 174 lbs of Albany, NY is now 3-10-2.

In the opener Lavais Williams and Calvin Pritchard battled to a four round draw in a Welterweight contest.

Scores were 39-37 for Williams and 38-38 on two cards.

Williams, 143 lbs of Rochester, NY is 1-0-1. Pritchard, 143 lbs of Toledo, OH is now 2-6-3.

Antoine Douglas scored a four round unanimous decision over John Worthy in a Middleweight bout.

Scores were 40-36 on all cards for the impressive prospect out of Washington, D.C. and he is now 5-0. Worthy of Riverside, CA is now 3-6.

15rounds.com would like to congratulate ace writers Norm Frauenheim and Bart Barry for taking home multiple Barney Awatds and will be recognized at the 2013 BWAA Dinner at Capitale in New York City on April 11th.

Frauenheim took home a 2nd place in Event Coverage, Honorable mention for short feature and 3rd place for Investigative Reporting.

Barry took home a 3rd place for Column, Honorable mention for Long Feature.

15rounds.com is grateful for all the contributions from Norm and Bart

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com former four division world champion Erik Morales has been banned for 2 years following at least 2 positive tests in the wake of his bout last October 20th against Danny Garcia

“USADA conducts testing programs for professional boxing matches only when both athletes contractually agree to participate in the anti-doping program, which stipulates agreeing to abide by the applicable anti-doping rules, including the rules regarding the adjudication process and sanctioning,” USADA said in its statement announcing the ban. “Morales’ contractual agreement for this anti-doping testing program included his acknowledgement that USADA would be the results management authority to adjudicate any adverse analytical findings in accordance with the rules.

“In addition, the appropriate boxing commission was notified prior to the fight, and within 48 hours of USADA receiving the information, that there was a potential anti-doping rule violation.

“Morales has been offered the opportunity to participate in the full, fair legal process under the rules, but has indicated to USADA that he would not like to move forward with the independent arbitration process, and as a result, has received a two-year period of ineligibility and the disqualification of all competitive results obtained subsequent to October 3, 2012, including the forfeiture of any medals, points and prizes.”

Undefeated Jr. Middleweight contender Vanes Martirosyan suffered a broken thumb and wont be able to compete in his April 6th fight against Javier Maciel in Macau, China according to Dan Rafael of espn.com

I hit him on the elbow when I was going to the body and I hurt my thumb,” Martirosyan told ESPN.com on Monday. “It hurt and then I told [trainer] Freddie [Roach] that I thought something was wrong and I went to see the doctor and they said it was fractured.”

“The doctor said the longer I can go without punching the better, but he knows I’m a fighter, so I’m looking at three weeks,” Martirosyan said.

“It would have been nice to see how the people support boxing over there, but things happen for a reason and you have to wait it out,” he said. “I’m doing good, but it’s frustrating. I can’t really get upset about it. Life goes on. I have to stay focused and keep training, but I am bummed out about the trip.”

Andre Direll, who was supposed to headline an ESPN Friday Night Fights card on April 12th has been forced to drop out of the show due to a personal problem according to Dan Rafael. Also, Mrvin Quintero who was to face Ameth Diaz in a Lightweight elimination bout a week earlier had to withdraw from his bout due to a broken nose.

Jonathan Gonzalez remained perfect by stopping Joseph Rios in round three of a scheduled ten round Super Flyweight bout in Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico.

Gonzalez was never threatened as he was dominant with the right hand which help open up the cut around the left eye of Rios and the bout was stopped at 1:01 of round two.

Gonzalez is now 12-0 with 11 knockouts. Rios is 13-8-2

Super Prospect Felix Verdejo scored a 2nd round stoppage over Martin Quezada in a scheduled four round Super Featherweight bout.

Verdejo dropped Quezada with a vicious left uppercut in round one and finished the fight with a hard left in round two that sent Quezada down an the fight was stopped at fifty-one seconds of round two.

Verdejo, 131 lbs of San Juan, PR is now 4-0 with 3 knockouts. Quezada, 126 lbs of San Antonio, TX is now 2-4

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, IBF Jr. Welterweight champion Lamont Peterson will defend against tough Lucas Matthysse on May 18th at Atlantic City’s Boardwalk Hall. Showtime will televise

“Lamont called him out, so it shows you how confident he and (trainer/manager) Barry Hunter are,” said Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer. “Lamont had no problem fighting Matthysse, and right there in the ring after his last fight, he called him out. Lamont Peterson and Lucas Matthysse will fight anyone. Matthysse wanted to fight (unified titleholder) Danny Garcia, but he is busy with the fight with Zab Judah (on April 27), so we asked him about fighting Peterson. Matthysse said, ‘Line him up.’

“For Peterson to have a victory against one of the most avoided guys in boxing, that would be big and definitely make a big statement. The same goes for Lucas Matthysse. He’s been waiting for an opportunity to show he is ready to take on and win against an opponent like Lamont Peterson.”

Previously set for the card is the rescheduled co-feature between welterweight titlist Devon Alexander (24-1, 13 KOs) of St. Louis and mandatory challenger Kell Brook (29-0, 19 KOs) of England. Alexander-Brook was originally supposed to take place Jan. 19 in Los Angeles, but when Brook injured his ankle in mid-December, the fight was postponed until Feb. 23. Then it was postponed again when Alexander suffered a right biceps injury.

“With Peterson and Matthysse and Alexander-Brook, this is championship boxing at the highest level,” Schaefer said. “You have two great matchups in two of the hottest weight classes, and if you asked 10 experts to pick the winners, you’d probably have half pick one guy and the other half pick the other guy.”

“Matthysse’s first choice was somewhere in Southern California,” Schaefer said. “As much as I can appreciate that, the fight belongs on the East Coast with Peterson being from Washington, D.C., so the site was a stumbling block. Mario really didn’t want to go again into an opponent’s hometown. It was like a psychological thing. Matthysse feels like he did enough to beat Devon and Zab and got the short end of the stick.

“I brought up Atlantic City, which is pretty close to Washington, D.C., and was able to convince Mario that this is neutral territory and I was able to convince Barry also to get out of Washington but go to a place not too far away so Lamont’s fans can come to the fight. Ultimately, they agreed (Thursday) night, and now I think you have one of the best fights you can make in the sport.”

Robert Stieglitz recaptured the WBO Super Middleweight title with a stoppage over Arthur Abraham after Abraham could not continue due to his left eye being closed as the fourth round was about to commence in Magdeburg, Germany.

Stieglitz hurt Abraham in round two and almost had him out. But what he did do was cause massive swelling around the left eye of Abraham. It was more of the same in round three as Steglitz continued to pound on Abraham. Abraham, knowing he was in trouble tried to throw hayemaker punches but it was no avail as the fight was stopped by referee Michael Ortega stopped the bout due to the swelling of Abraham’s eye.

This was a rematch of last August bout that saw Abraham win a unanimous decision.

Stieglitz is now 44-3 with 25 knockouts. Abraham is now 36-4.

Heavyweight contender Robert Helenius scored a ten round unanimous decision over Michael Sprott.

Helenus looked good at times and very pedestrian at other parts of the bout as he took the first two and some of the middle rounds but was tagged on numerous occasions by Sprott.

Scores were 98-93 on two cards and 97-93 for Helenius who is now 19-0. Sprott is now 37-20

George Groves remained perfect by stopping an overmatched Baker Barakat in round two of a scheduled eight round Super Middleweight bout.

Groves was dominant and dropped Barakat in round and finished the fight with a big combination and it was stopped.

Groves is now 18-0 with 14 knockouts. Barakat is now 37-14-4.

Former world champion Kermit Cintron was fortunate to get a ten round draw with unheralded Adrian Granados in a Welterweight bout.

Granados landed the better shots and was more active despite fighting through a cut around the eye since the fourth round. Granados had a strong round ten and it looked like that would be enough to earn the biggest victory of his career. But it wasnt to be as Granados won a card 96-96; Cintron 97-93 and one card even at 95-95

Granados, 146 lbs of Chicago is now 9-1-2. Cintron, 146 lbs of Reading, PA is now 33-5-2.

Hairon Socarras scored a four round unanimous decision over Sergio Montes De Oca in a Featherweight weight bout.

Socarras scored a knockdown in round one from a right hand to the body that was followed by a left to the head that made Montes De Oca’s glove hit the canvas. Socarras continued to dominate the fight as he landed some quick combinations.

Socarras won the bout via scores of 40-35 on all cards and is now 7-0-1. De Oca, 126 lbs of Chicago is now 7-2-1.

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, WBA Super Lightweight champion Khabib Allekhverdiev injured his elbow and his March 30th title defense with Breidis Prescott has been postponed.

The bout was supposed to be the HBO televised co-feature to the highly anticipated rematch between Brandon Rios and Mike Alvarado.

“Khabib’s right elbow is a mess,” said Top Rank Vice-President Carl Moretti. “There are fragments and a lot of blood inside the elbow. He’s going to be on the shelf for several weeks. I don’t expect him to return until the summer. He was in Miami training and apparently was feeling pain for several days, if not a week. He went and had an MRI and an evaluation, and that’s what it showed. He tried to fight through it and stay in the fight but he just couldn’t pull it off.

“He couldn’t fight next week and will be out for a bit. He’ll need therapy and possibly a scope to clean it up. I think it’s been something there for awhile.”

Soon after the injury was disclosed promoters were trying to make a fight between Prescott and undefeated Terrance Crawford. Crawford is already ticketed to fight on the undercard.

“Crawford is already on the card and is in great shape,” Moretti said. “His fight was going to be shown on the international broadcast, and now he’ll get to fight a better opponent on HBO in the opening fight. There’s food and then there’s caviar. This was a no-brainer for us. (If it happens) it should be a great fight in the ring style-wise. You have Crawford, who is a young, undefeated fighter with a pleasing style, and Prescott, we already know the wars he provides. How could this not be an explosion of some sort?”

Former three division world champion Shane Mosley will come out of retirement to face recent world title challenger Pablo Cesar Cano on May 18th on Cancun, Mexico according to Dan Rafael of espn.com

“I’m happy to get back in the ring competing,” Mosley told ESPN.com on Wednesday. “This can put me back in contention to fight for another world title.”

“Cano’s last fight fell out because he was sick, so now he needs an opponent for his next fight,” Mosley said. “And I told everyone at Golden Boy that I am willing to fight anybody at 147. Anybody. My mind set is I am on a mission to win a world title again and do it with my father (Jack Mosley) in the corner.”

“We think it’s an interesting fight,” Golden Boy Promotions chief executive Richard Schaefer said. “Televisa, which we have a (television) deal with in Mexico, likes the fight so they are excited about it and, of course, those fights are on Fox Deportes in the United States, so this gives them a fight with some good names also.”

“HBO and Showtime felt that Shane should have a fight where he shows he’s still got it and that such a fight should not be on a premium network,” Schaefer said. “That was communicated to Shane. The message was conveyed and he took this fight with Cano.

“This is a fight that is going to show where Cano is and where Shane is. For Shane to fight Joe Shmoe wouldn’t do anybody any good. But if Shane can beat a young, talented guy like Cano, it’s a huge step for Shane, who can say, ‘Hey, I’m still here and I want to have another shot at the title.’ So this is a meaningful fight for Shane and also for Cano, because if he can beat Mosley that’s a great name on his resume. So Cano will be motivated for that reason and Shane knows how important this is because it can open doors for him again if he wins.

“I haven’t seen his fight with Malignaggi yet. I’m going to get a copy of it,” Mosley said. “But I watched the fight with Morales and I got a feel for how Cano fights. He looks like a good, young fighter. He likes to fight, he’s tough and he’s strong. I’m looking forward to fighting him. This is the type of fight I need to get myself back on the road to fighting the top guys at welterweight. At this point, I’m looking to fight everybody.”

“I was proud of him and I was inspired by the things he was doing at the age of 48,” Mosley said. “He looked good doing it. He had the moves and the style matched up very well for him. For him to be able to do that at 48 is phenomenal. At the end of the fight it didn’t look like he was breathing. He was smiling and talking — he always talks — and looked great. That really inspired me.”

“I’ve never fought in Mexico, but I went there for the press conference for the fight with Canelo and I got a good response,” Mosley said. “A lot of people there love me and respect me and I think it will be the same with this fight. Cancun is fine with me. After the fight maybe I’ll take a little vacation there and enjoy myself after all the hard work I’m about to put in.”

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, WBA Cruiserweight Denis Lebedev champion will defend against former champion Guillermo Jones on May 17th in Moscow.

“I tell the Russian fans who are ringside to be careful because there will be blood,” said Jones, who is predicting a knockout victory inside five rounds. “I am the tiger but I don’t speak Russian. No translator will be needed as my hands will speak for me.”

“My Russian co-promoters named the fight, ‘The One Will Stand,’ and it will be from Russia with love,” King said. “This is a gigantic promotion between Russia and Panama and I want to thank Andrey Ryabinsky for making this possible. The Panamanian people and their president, Ricardo Martinelli, will be watching with great interest.”

Said Lebedev, trained by fellow Russian and Hall of Famer Kostya Tszyu, the former undisputed junior welterweight champion, “I’m glad Don, Andrey and Vlad have named the fight ‘The One Will Stand’ as I plan on being the last man standing at the end of the fight.”

World Lightweight champion Adrien Broner was arrested on Monday in Miami for Battery.

Broner allegedly bit a security guard while trying to break up a fight. Broner was released on $1500 bail

“It was just a misunderstanding,” Broner told ESPN.com. “They thought it was this big fight, but it wasn’t. And I didn’t throw a punch. It’s OK. I’m OK.”