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.”

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, a shakeup in the boxing industry as HBO has cut ties with Golden Boy Promotions.

“I’m hardly surprised. I cannot be surprised, and I am not surprised,” said Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer told ESPN.com. “The president of HBO Sports did not have any conversations with me since last November or December about anything. It is clear that in the aftermath of the biggest names in the sport, Floyd Mayweather and Canelo Alvarez, leaving HBO for Showtime that HBO is obviously upset at [Mayweather adviser] Al Haymon and me, and this is their way of getting back at us.

“I think it’s an ill-advised strategy because the only ones that are getting hurt are the HBO subscribers, which were used to seeing the best fighters on HBO. That will obviously no longer be the case. Having said that, I wish HBO well. They’re a terrific company, and life goes on. For us, it’s business as usual.”

“In order to achieve our goal of the best fighters in the most compelling matchups we’ve decided to focus our efforts and resources on those strategic relationships where we better share common goals and business philosophies,” said head of HBO Sports Ken Hershman said in a statement given to ESPN.com.

“I see [HBO is] drinking the Top Rank Kool-Aid, and the only thing I can say is, ‘Beware, you’re drinking at your own risk,'” Schaefer said.

“HBO decided they want to go in a different direction, and I respect their decision and I wish them well,” he said, “but I saw this coming last September with the Canelo situation.”

Former world title challenger Roberto Marroquin scored a third round stoppage over Antonio Escalante in a scheduled ten round Super Featherweight bout in Thackerville, Oklahoma.

Marroquin sent Escalante to the canvas with a right hand in the third frame and the fight was stopped at the forty-eight second mark.

Marroquin, 128 1/4 lbs of Dallas, TX is now 23-2 with 16 knockouts. Escalante, 128 3/4 lbs of El Paso, TX is now 28-6.

Alex Saucedo remained perfect by scoring a second round stoppage over Norman Allen in a scheduled six round Jr. Middleweight bout.

Saucedo scored a knockdown in round two from a huge right that was followed by a left hook that sent Allen down and when he got to his feet the referee ruled him unable to continue u at 1:40 of round two

Saucedo, 149 lbs of Oklahoma City, OK is now 8-0 with six knockouts. Allen, 149 1/2 lbs of Laurel, MD is now 6-8.

Tony Lopez scored a four round unanimous decision over Manuel Rubalcava in a Super Bantamweight contest

Scores were 40-36 on all cards for Lopez of Fort Worth, TX and is now 3-0. Rubalcava, 122 lbs of Laredo, TX is now 1-3.

Orlando Cruz inched closer to a world title shot with a sixth round stoppage over Aalan Martinez in a scheduled ten round Featherweight bout in Kissimmee, Florida

Cruz dropped Martinez in round one from a short right hook. Cruz dropped Martinez in round four and in round five from a hard uppercut. Cruz scored his fourth and final knockdown in round six from a hard straight left hand and Martinez was down for the ten count.

Cruz, 126 1/2 lbs maybe in line to take on Mikey Garcia and is now 20-2-1 with 10 knockouts. Martinez, 126 lbs is now 14-2-1.

Luis Olivares scored a second round stoppage over Victor Vegas in a scheduled four round Jr. Welterweight bout.

Olivares scored two knockdowns with the finisher coming from a body shot and the bout was waved off at 1:07 of round one.

Olivares, 140 1/2 lbs is 2-0 with 2 knockouts. Vega, 141 1/4 lbs is now 0-2

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, Super Featherweight Takashi Uchiyama will defend his title against Jaider Parra on May 6th in Tokyo.

“I wish to keep winning until my ultimate confrontation with another interim titlist, Yuriorkis Gamboa,” said Uchiyama, who is coming off an eighth-round knockout of then-undefeated interim titlist Bryan Vasquez on Dec. 31.

According to Dabn Rafael of espn.com, former Heavyweight title contender Dereck Chisora had his boxing license re-instated by the British Boxing Board of Control

Chisora lost a lopsided decision to world titleholder Vitali Klitschko in Germany in February 2012. At the postfight news conference he was in the mood to fight again, igniting an ugly brawl with former titleholder David Haye of England.

Haye, on hand to work the British broadcast of the bout, and Chisora got into a verbal tussle at first, but Chisora then got up from the dais and walked toward Haye in the back of the room to confront him. They wound up in a nasty fight during which Haye allegedly cracked a bottle over Chisora’s head.

“I’m glad that this whole episode is finally behind me and I can carry on with my boxing career in my own country and with a British Boxing Board of Control license,” Chisora said in a statement. “I would like to thank everyone who has kept faith in me over the troubled months and I look forward to repaying their loyalty with my performances in the ring as opposed to my action outside of it. I’d like to particularly thank the Luxembourg Boxing Federation for their support.”

“I’m delighted that the British Boxing Board Control has made the right decision and reinstated Dereck’s license, and the slate is now clean,” said Choria’s promoter Frank Warren. “He is an exciting fighter who always gives 100 percent. We will announce who Dereck will be fighting at Wembley Arena shortly, but it’s great to have him back in action, and we’ve got some big plans for him.”

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, WBO Lightweight champion Ricky Burns has left promoter Frank Warren in favor Matchroom Sport

“I’m delighted that my future has been resolved, and I’m really looking forward to the next chapter of my career,” Burns said. “It’s been a frustrating time since the Kevin Mitchell win in September, but now I’m just focused on May 11 and putting in a great performance.

“I would love it to be in Glasgow. My last two fights were there, and the atmosphere was just electric. I’ve got great fans in Scotland, and it means a lot to box in front of them.”

“I’m delighted to welcome the WBO lightweight world champion Ricky Burns to the team,” said Matchroom’s Eddie Hearn. “Ricky is an outstanding fighter and a hugely popular sporting figure in Scotland. We are looking forward to a massive show on May 11 in Scotland on Sky Sports [the United Kingdom subscription sports network with which Hearn has an exclusive deal] as we begin our journey with Ricky.”

“Since being promoted and managed by Frank Warren, Ricky Burns has earned just approaching three-quarters of a million pounds and has had seven world title fights in just over two years,” Richard Maynard, Warren’s publicist, said in a statement on Warren’s behalf. “Ricky Burns is under binding promotional and management contracts. Following the announcement by Eddie Hearn that Ricky Burns has signed with him, W. Promotions Limited [Warren’s company] and Frank Warren are suing Burns for substantial damages.”

“He is not under contract because Burns has terminated this agreement,” Hearn said. “If Frank wishes to argue whether Ricky has grounds to terminate, then, no doubt, this will be discussed in a court of law. It’s very similar to what just happened with Tony Bellew.”

Sad to report that former Welterweight contender and USBA champion Tony Martin was gunned down on Friday while trying to collect rent for a property he owned in Philadelphia.

Martin had a record of 34-6-1 with 12 knockouts and had wins over the likes of Livingstone Bramble, Micky Ward and 2 wins over Kip Diggs and was a staple at the Legendary Blue Horizon in Philadelphia where he made 11 appearances according to boxrec.com

Martin retired in 1997 after losing a 10 round unanimous decision to Julio Cesar Chavez.

Martin was 52.

Alejandro Gonzales scored a fourth round stoppage over Alexander Acosta in a scheduled eight round Bantamweight bout.

Gonzalez scored two knockdown in round four and the bout was stopped at 2:02 of round four.

Gonzalez, 118 lbs of Guadalajara, MX is now 18-0-2 with 12 knockouts. Acosta, 119 1/2 lbs of Guadalajara, MX is now 1-8-2.

BROOKLYN, NY–At age 48, Bernard Hopkins won the IBF Light Heavyweight title with a twelve round unanimous decision over Tavoris Cloud at Barclays Center

After a first round of absolutely nothing, the action picked up in round two started trading good shots with Cloud focusing on the body and Hopkins landing some solid combinations. Cloud focued more on the bidy early because his shots upstairs were wild and Hopkins was able to avoid them with ease. Hopkins started to control the action with his patented combinations and slick defense. In round six, a butt caused a cut over the left eye of Cloud that was later checked out by the ringside doctor.

The fight went on, and the few and far between times that Cloud tried to mount any offense it either wasn’t sustained or extremely ineffective. Hopkins continued to land some terrific combinations that drew ooohs and ahhs from the assembled crowd inside Barclay Center.

Hopkins was never threatened down the stretch and won by scores of 117-111, 116-112 and 116-112 to raise his 1st ballot Hall of Fame mark to 53-6-2. Cloud is now 24-1.—–More to come

Welterweight prospect Keith Thurman scored a twelve round unanimous decision over former titlist Jan Zaveck.

Thurman came out boxing and landed a nice hook in round one. Thurman continued to land blistering power shots in the second frame. Thurman continue to mix up the power shots on the former champion and was dominant with the exception of a nice overhand right that Zaveck landed in round six.

The second half of the fight started as more of the same with Thurman controlling the rounds. Thurman had a big round ten as he rocked Zaveck several times with hard combinations. The two fought hard down the stretch but Thurman was never in any serious danger.

Thurman, 145 lbs of Clearwater, FL is won by scores of 1201-08 on all cards. Zaveck, 146.6 lbs of Slovenia is now 32-3.

Michael Perez and Lonnie Smith battled to a technical draw after a headbutt opened up a cut over Perez forehead and the bout had to be halted in the seventh round of a ten round Lightweight bout.

Perez dropped Smith with a perfect left uppercut in round two. Smith came back in the round to land solid left uppercut and and left hook. Perez was bleeding from the left eye while Smith was bleeding heavily from the mouth. In round four, Perez started bleeding from his forehead but then rocked Smith with an uppercut on the inside. Late in round six, a nasty cut formed on the right side of Perez’s head. That cut was ruled by a headbutt after originally being ruled by a punch. Scores were 67-65 Perez while two judges ruled 66-66

Perez, 136 lbs of Newark, NJ is 18-1-2. Smith, 135.6 lbs of Las Vegas, NV is now 14-4-3.

Eddie Gomez scored a sensational 1st round stoppage over Javier Gomez in a sheduled six round Jr. Middleweight bout.

Eddie drilled Javier with a nasty left hook that rocked Javier. Eddie finished the fight with another vicious left hook that sent Javier down. When he got to his feet referee Arthur Mercante Jr. stopped the bout at 1:17

Eddie Gomez, 152 lbs of Bronx, NY is now 13-0 with 9 knockouts. Javiier Gomez, 153.4 lbs of Tijuana, MX is now 14-11

2012 U.S. Olympian Marcus Browne made quick work of Josh Thorpe as he scored a first round stoppage in a sxheduled four round Light Heavyweight bout.

Browne battered Thorpe all over the ring for the first round until a huge uppercut sent Thorpe down. Browne then landed eight straight hard blows that forced referee Pete Santiago to stop the bout at 2:42 of round one.

Browne, 175.6 lbs of Staten Island, NY is now 3-0 with all wins coming early. Thorpe, 175.4 lbs of Cincinnati, OH is 1-3.

Exciting Jr, Middleweight prospect Frank Galarza scored an explosive 2nd round stoppage over Guillermo Ibarra in round two of a scheduled six round bout.

Galarza rocked Ibarra with hard shots in round one. He dropped Ibarra in round two from a hard right hand. Galarza sealed the deal with a thunderous combination that was punctuated with a hard left hook and referee Arthur Mercante Jr. stopped the bout at 2:19 of round two.

Galarza, 153.4 lbs of Brooklyn is now 9-0-1 with 5 knockouts. Ibarra, 153 lbs of Los Mochis, MX is now 7-2

Claude Staten Jr. made A successful pro debut with a four round unanimous decision over Mike Hill in a Super Bantamweight bout.

Staten dropped Hill in round one from a right hand and cruised home from there on out.

Staten, 122 lbs of Brooklyn won by scores of 40-35 on cards. Hill, 121 lbs of New Orleans is 0-2.

Stivens Bujaj hung on to score a four round unanimous decision over Zeferino Albino in a Cruiserweight bout.

Bujaj controlled the bout bu landing the harder blows over the first three-plus rounds until Albino drilled Bujaj with a hard left hook the set off a furious exchange in the corner.

Bujaj, 201 lbs of New York won by scores of 40-36 on all cards and is now 9-0. Albino, 201 lbs of Philadelphia is 4-16-3

Argenis Mendez won the IBF Jr. Lightweight championship with a fourth round stoppage over Juan Carlos Salgado at the Hanger in Costa Mesa, California.

Mendez dropped Salgado hard in round one from a thudding right hand. In round four, it was a left hok that dropped Salgado and the fight was stopped by referee Wayne Hedgepath at the forty-five second mark of round four.

Mendez of the Dominican Republic is now 21-2 with 11 knockouts. Salgado of Mexico is 26-2-1.

Oscar Molina scored a second round stoppage over Willie Walton in a scheduled four round Jr. Middleweight bout.

Molina dropped Walton in round two from a beautiful counter right. Molina then landed five hard punches on the ropes and referee Tom Taylor stopped the bout 3\thirty-five seconds into round two.

Molina, 149 lbs is 2-0 with 1 knockout. Walton, 152 lbs is 4-7

Jhonny Garcia scored en eleventh round stoppage over Oscar Ibarra in a scheduled twelve round Super Flyweight bout in Ciudad, Mexico.

The time of the stoppage was twenty seconds into round eleven for Garcia, 115 lbs and is now 17-8-3 with nine knockouts. Ibarra, 115 lbs is now 27-9

Carlos Ruiz scored first round stoppage over Angel Navarette in a scheduled six round Lightweight bout.

Ruiz, 133 lbs is 7-0 with two knockouts. Navarette, 134 lbs is 7-13

Roberto Pucheta scored a six round unanimous decision over Jorge Reynoso in a Bantamweight bout.

Pucheta, 119 lbs is 6-4-1. Reynoso, 117 lbs is now 5-6

Hugo “The Boss” Centeno Jr. (18-0, 9 KO’s), of Oxnard, Calif., remained undefeated with a one-sided 10-round decision victory over KeAndrae “Lightning” Leatherwood (17-3, 10 KO’s), of Tuscaloosa, Ala., in the main event Friday on ShoBox: The New Generation live on SHOWTIME® from Fantasy Springs Casino Resort in Indio, Calif.

Centeno, an up-and-coming junior middleweight going 10-rounds for the first time, was triumphant by the scores of 100-89, 100-90 and 99-91. There were no knockdowns.

The 6-foot-1½-inch Centeno, a former amateur standout, was happy with the victory, but unhappy with the way the fight played out.

“I really felt I could have done a lot more, but every time I connected with a good shot or started to get something going, he would hold on to me,” he said. “The way he was grabbing hold of me it seemed at times it was more wrestling than boxing. Every time I’d land a good punch, he’d hold, or try and take me down. The worst thing that happened to me was when he got me in a choke hold.

“It was frustrating. Every time I thought I had him, he’d hold, and I definitely felt I was hurting him. In the last round I really wanted to take him out, but he just kept holding me. Overall, I did the best I could under the circumstances.

“I know I have to continue to work in the gym because I want to take it to the next level. I want to continue to step it up a notch in opposition. That I went 10 rounds in this type of fight showed how well prepared I was. My team really had me in great condition and I thank them for that.”

Braulio Santos needed less than a minute to take out Kevin Hoskins in a scheduled eight round Featherweight bout.

Santos staggered Hoskins with a left and followed it up with a huge uppercut that sent Hoskins to the canvas. Hoskins got to his feet but staggered around and the fight was stopped at fifty-four seconds

Santos, 23, was surprised the match ended so abruptly. “I certainly didn’t expect it to end this fast,” he said. “I was doing my work.”

Hoskins had spent the last two days, Santos says, trying to intimidate him. “He tried to get in my face during the weigh-in, talking all kinds of stuff to me,’” said Santos, who was a member of the Puerto Rican National team for two years before turning pro in February 2011. “But I didn’t let it get to me. I didn’t care. It’s what happens in the ring that counts, not what you say or do before.

“There’s no extra pleasure beating him like I did. I was just doing my job. I am very, very happy, though, and ready to do it again. I just fought two weeks ago. With tonight’s fast fight, I’ll be ready to go in another two weeks.”

Santos, 127 1/2 lbs of Carolina, PE is now 10-0 with nine knockouts. Hoskins, 127 1/2 lbs of Los Angeles is now 7-2

ATLANTIC CITY–Emanuel Taylor scored a terrific eight round stoppage over former world title challenger Victor Cayo in a scheduled ten round bout at Resorts Hotel and Casino

Taylor got things started in round one with a solid right while Cayo tried to work the body. Round two became a battle of the body attacks with Cayo getting the better. Late in the round Taylor landed a solid left hook and nice right on the ropes. Later in the round Taylor landed a blistering barrage of punches that sent Cayo stunned on the ropes just before the bell to signify the end of the frame. Taylor continued to batter Cayo in round three with a combination that featured hard left hooks. In round five, Cayo landed a hard left that sent Taylor to the canvas. Cayo continued to pressure and land hard shots on Taylor.

The tude turned once again in round six as Taylor rocked Cayo with a huge left hook. In round eight, Taylor landed a huge right hand that set off a hard combination that was punctuated by a hard right hand that sent Cayo down in the corner. Taylor then landed a big right that forced referee Benjy esteves to stop the bout at 1:11 of round eight.

Taylor, 142 lbs of Edgewood Arsenel, MD is now 17-1 with 12 knockouts. Cayo, 142 1/2 lbs of Santo Domingo, DR is now 31-4.

Magomed Abdusalamov kept his perfect knockout streak by halting former Puerto Rican Olympian Victor Bisbal in round five of a scheduled ten round Heavyweight bout

Bisbal came out strong as he hit Abusalamov with a series of right hands over the first two rounds.

A war broke out in round three as Abdusalamov landing some hard shots with Bisbal giving as good as he was receiving. The two continued to wage war in round four with the highlight being Abdusalamov rocking Bisbal with a hard straight left. Abdusakamov landed a huge ledt that rocked Bisbal again in round five and then dropped with a hard combination and referee Randy Neumann stopped the fight at 1:12 of round five.

Abdusalamov, 226 lbs of Russia is now 17-0 with all wins coming early. Bisbal, 245 lbs of Salina, PR is now 21-2.

Local favorite Thomas LaManna remained perfect by scoring two knockdowns en route to a six round unanimous decision over Joshua Snyder in a Middleweight bout.

Early in round one, LaManna dropped Snyder with a right hand. LaManna then got in a few shots while taking some short shots on the inside. The two traded big shots in an action filled round three. In round four, LaManna caught Snyder with a hard right that deposited the Maryland native on the canvas for a second time. Snyder began pushing the pace in round five as walked down a tired LaManna. Both guys gave a spirited final frame with LaManna getting the better of the action.

LaManna, 157 lbs of Millville, NJ won by scores of 58-54, 58-54 & 57-55 and is now 11-0. Snyder, 160 lbs of Berlin, MD is now 9-9-1.

Scott Burrell scored a six round unanimous decision over Edgardo Torres in a lightweight bout.

Burrell was sharp particularly with the overhand right which he stunned Torres numerous times. In round six, a short combination put Torres down. He recovered enough to eat a solid furry until reaching the final bell.

Burrell, 138 lbs of Brooklyn won by scores of 60-53, 60-53 & 60-54 and is now 7-1. Torres, 136 ls of Vineland, NJ is 2-2

Samuel Rogers scored six round unanimous decision over Ivan Zigler in a Jr. Middleweight bout.

Scores were 60-54, 59-55 and 58-56 for Rogers, 153 lbs of St. Thomas, Virgin Islands and is now 13-0. Zigler, 154 1/2 lbs of Virginia Beach, VA is now 7-3-1.

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com the multi-time WBC Heavyweight title eliminator bout between Chris Arreola and Bermane Stiverne will e re-scheduled for April 27 at a site to be determined most likely in California.

The was due to take place this Saturday but Arreola fell ill.

“He’s not back in training yet but he’s feeling better,” said Arreola’s promoter Dan Goossen said of Arreola, whom he expects will return to training by the end of the week. “He wants to get rid of the bug entirely but he’s happy with the date, and I’m glad it’s right around the corner.”

“I’m in the process of trying to finalize a site,” Goossen said. “But I’m looking to do the fight out here in Los Angeles. It’s a great fight for California. I’ve got three or four places that I’ve got in mind but nothing concrete yet.”

“I spoke to Don (King). He’s aware of everything,” Goossen said. “I spoke to the WBC (which is sanctioning the bout). Everyone’s been informed. (HBO was) anxious to do the fight in the first place and that didn’t wane just because Chris got sick. Once they knew a late April date would work that’s what we started to target.

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, Featherweight prospect Gary Russell Jr. fractured his left hand during his unanimous decision victory over Vyacheslav Gusev this past Saturday night in La Vegas.

“They have told him to rest it for four or five weeks and he should be good to go,” said publicist Julie Goldsticker.

“Ponce De Leon has been holding that belt for me,” Russell said before facing Gusev. “I hope he beats (Abner) Mares (on April 20) and then fights me. I also want to get my hands on Gamboa. He’s undefeated and I want to get my hands on him before anyone gives him a loss. He’s a really reckless fighter. He takes too many chances and gets hit too much.

“I would love to fight those guys. I’m on the edge of my seat every time Gamboa and Lopez fight because I don’t want anyone to beat them because I want to do it. I know Lopez lost a couple of fights already, but I want to put another ‘L’ on him. I know I have the skills and talent to beat them.”