SAN ANTONIO – When your main event is a joke, the undercard better be filled with punch-lines. Fortunately for Golden Boy Promotions and its local partner, Leija-Battah Promotions, the undercard, and the local talent that staffed it, had lots of punches in both straight and bent lines, redeeming a main event between an undefeated Texan and a man unfit for a swing bout.

Saturday at Our Lady of the Lake Gym, on a gorgeous campus in the western part of this city’s downtown area, Texas junior welterweight Omar Figueroa (20-0-1, 16 KOs), of Weslaco, leaped out his corner and obliterated frightened Floridian Henry Aurad (14-7-1, 11 KOs), dropping him once in the first half minute and stopping him decisively with an overhand right at 0:47 of round 1.

Aurad stood in the opponent corner, blue, before the match commenced, looking unprepared, spacey and nervous. If bystanders noticed this, you can bet Figueroa did. The Texan raced out his corner and assaulted Aurad, who appeared not to have any plan at all for fighting a man with 15 knockouts in 19 fights. Quickly enough, Aurad was on the canvas, rising on unconvinced legs and escaping a few seconds longer.

Figueroa’s right hand closed all exits a moment later, though, and the main event was through before it could earnestly begin.

JERMALL CHARLO VS. GILBERT VENEGAS
Houston junior middleweight Jermall Charlo (12-0, 8 KOs) made short work of fellow Texan Gilbert Venegas (12-9-3, 8 KOs), of Eagle Pass, stopping the overmatched lad at 0:24 of round 3, in the evening’s co-main event.

From the opening bell the disparity in height between the lanky Charlo and his opponent was dramatic; the fighters appeared to be from different sports more than different weight classes. Venegas did what he was able, applying pressure enough to land a left hook to the body and a right hand in each round, but against Charlo he hadn’t a chance.

Charlo did everything better than Venegas, using his enormous height and reach advantage properly, outjabbing Venegas through the fight’s full six minutes and landing crisp right hands. Charlo’s power has occasionally been questioned by aficionados, but against an opponent he dwarfed, there was little doubt what Charlo’s right cross possessed for a man at whom he could punch downwards, and who was there to be hit with it.

The two in Charlo’s 1-2 was ferocious against Venegas, dropping him for the fabled 10 1/2 count at the open of round 3.

ERROL SPENCE VS. LUIS TORRES
2012 U.S. Olympian “The Truth” Errol Spence (4-0, 3 KOs), of Dallas, decisioned local junior middleweight Luis Torres (4-3-3, 1 KO) by unanimous scores of 40-36, 40-36 and 40-36, in Saturday’s antepenultimate fight. While Spence was never imperiled by the San Antonian, he was touched more often by right hands than was expected.

Spence has a number of areas that will need steady improvement if he is to fulfill the high expectations that greet Olympians’ arrivals in the professional ranks. Spence often pushes-off with the jab more than he thrusts it, punching to get away rather than initiate attack. He throws the left cross from his southpaw stance in an almost premeditated way, appearing to put the punch behind the jab in obedience to a plan more than a moment. And finally, as evidenced by Torres being felled not once despite absorbing numerous power shots, Spence may not hit hard as hoped.

Nevertheless, Spence did what needed doing Saturday, outboxing Torres for every instant of their four rounds together.

JAIRO CASTANEDA VS. CHRISTIAN SANTIBANEZ
The night’s best match was its swing bout before the main event, when two San Antonio junior welterweights, Jairo Castaneda (2-0, 1 KO) and Christian Santibanez (0-1), fought each other like neighbors, or brothers, and relented not once in their 12 minutes of combat that Castaneda won by unanimous scores of 39-36, 39-36 and 38-37.

The otherwise even bout was decided, in largest part, by a counter right cross with which Castaneda felled Santibanez in round 2, clipping Santibanez on the way in and marking a 10-8 round that proved helpful. Santibanez, though, showing much composure in his professional debut, fought Castaneda better after being knocked down than he’d fought him before it happened. Neither man relented, and both fought with the familiarity that convinces a man the person opposite him is not his superior.

This match, along with others that featured local fighters like Emanuel Ledezma, Felipe Castaneda, Joseph Rodriguez and Kenton Sippio-Cook, filled Our Lady of the Lake University Gym with a capacity and energetic crowd. Leija-Battah Promotions, in its first year of work, has shown an inventiveness and insider knowledge every promotional startup claims but few actually possess. Its largest test will come next month, when it presents Saul Alvarez vs. Austin Trout at Alamodome.

In an ugly foul dest, Richard Abril retained the WBA Lightweight championship with a twelve round unanimous decision over Sharif Bogere at the Joint at the Hard Rock in Las Vegas.

The raggedness pace was set early was the two clutched and Bogere headbutted and Abril was even wrestled to the canvas in the first two rounds. Two traded rounds until the fight was turned in round six when a butt from Bogere opened up a cut over the right eye of Abril.

Bogere had a decent round seven and Abril was docked a point for holding in round eight but after that it was all Abril as he started to find a home with his right hand in between clinches. Rounds nine through eleven were pretty much the same as Abril continued to land pinpoint shots in between all the rough housing while Bogere tried to work the body but it was in effective. Bogere was docked a point himself for many headbutts in round twelve and by that time he was far behind on the cards. Despite cuts around both eyes, Abril dominated the last four rounds and came home with the victory by scores of 116-110, 116-110 and 115-111.

Abril, 134 1/2 lbs of Miami via Cuba is now 18-3-1. Bogere, 134 lbs of Las Vegas via Uganda is now 23-1.

“I am very happy to get the win, but I’m not happy at all with the way the fight went,” said Abril after retaining his WBA 135-pound title with a unanimous 12-round decision over previously undefeated Sharif “The Lion” Bogere in the main event of Saturday’s SHOWTIME BOXING – Special Edition live on SHOWTIME® from The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.

“I was hoping for and expected a much cleaner fight,” Abril said. “It’s hard to show your skills in a fight against a dirty fighter. I kept getting warned for holding, but I really didn’t feel like I was holding. He was shorter and kept coming in head-first.”

“I definitely knew I would get the decision. I landed all the cleanest shots,” said Abril, who connected on 35 percent of his punches (152 out of 433) according to SHOSTATS provided by CompuBox. Bogere, who was busier but less effective, hit on only 15 percent (93 out of 614).

The right eye of The Tiger was cut from an unintentional head-butt in the sixth. “He used his head to come in on me the whole fight,” Abril said. “The bleeding made it hard for me to concentrate.”

Bogere said he felt the fight was much closer than the scores indicated and that he had “done enough to win.”

“He was taller and that made it difficult for me to get inside,” said Bogere, who fell short in his quest to join fellow Ugandan fighters such as Cornelius Boza-Edwards, John Mugabi, Ayub Kalule and Kassim Ouma to capture a world title. “But when I did get inside, all he did was hold.

“This is very, very disappointing. My dream was to win the world title. I’m not happy now and I’m pretty down, but I know I’ll come back. You haven’t heard the last of The Lion.”

Super prospect Gary Russell Jr. struggled with his hand and gloves more than he struggled with Vyacheslav Gusev en route to an ten round unanimous decision in a featherweight bout.

Russell got off to a blazing start as he showed his world class hand speed over the first three rounds which culminated with a knockdown in round three from a combination that made Gusev’s glove touch the canvas. After that it seemed that Russell hurt his left hand sometime in the middle rounds and threw nothing but jabs and hooks with the right hand.

Fortunately Gusev proved no threat and didn’t take any chances and Russell’s superior ability showed in what basically turned into a sparring session that Russell dominated to the tune of 100-89 on all cards.

Russell, 127 lbs of Capitol Heights, MD is now 22-0. Gusev of Russia is now 20-1.

The talented Russell fought the last several rounds with a bruised left hand. “I think I hurt it in the third round,” he said. “The last few rounds I was tentative with it and only showed it to him. My corner knew I’d hurt it and did a great job between rounds coming up with different strategies, like starting off with a stiff jab and maintaining it, and slowing down the pace.

“My right hand is bruised too, but I don’t think it is anything serious. I fully expect to fight again in three months.”

According to SHOSTATS, Russell landed 229 of 797 punches (29 percent). Gusev, making his second start in the United States, connected on just 15 percent. Of the 214 punches he delivered, he landed only 33 times, the lowest total in the history of CompuBox for a 10-round fight.

Knockout artist Jorge Melendez lived up to just that, a scintillating fourth round stoppage over Ryan Davis in a scheduled eight round Middleweight bout.

Davis had a nice first round as he tried to push the big punching Melendez on the ropes. Melendez got things going in round two by starting to land power punches. At the end of round of three, Melendez landed a hard right to the body that sent Davis to the canvas. It wasn’t long, actually just thirteen seconds into round four, Melendez landed a devastating right uppercut that sent Davis down with a thud and the fight was waved off immediately.

Melendez, 156 lbs of Vega Baja, PR is now 26-2-1 with 25 knockouts. Davis, 158 lbs of Granite City, IL is now 24-10-3.

Lightweight Jeffrey Fontanez scored a six round unanimous decision over former world title challenger Daniel Attah.

Fontonez won with activity over the first five rounds to built up an insurmountable lead and coasted home and won by scores of 60-54, 59-55 and 59-55.

Fontanez, 134 1/2 lbs of Caguas, PR is now 11-0. Attah, 135 lbs of Washington, DC is now 28-14-1.

Thomas Williams Jr. scored a third round stoppage over Kevin Engel in a scheduled eight round Light Heavyweight bout.

Williams was dominant throughout as Williams mixed up the shots with both hands and used a good variation of punches from jabs to uppercuts. Engel tried but was overmatched and in round three, Williams landed a hard combination that dropped Engel along the ropes. Referee Tony Weeks stopped the bout at the count of six at 1:31 of round three.

Williams, 175 lbs of Washington, DC is now 13-0 with 10 knockouts. Engel, 174 1/2 lbs of St. Louis, MO is now 20-8.

It was a mauling 12 round fight between featherweights Billy Dib and Evgeny Gradovich; ending with Gradovich taking a split verdict over the more well known Dib. Gradovich often was able to get the best of the exchanges; typified in round 5 which he stunned Dib with a hard left hook. Dib recovered and had his moments throughout the 12 rounds, but the tone of the fight was set. Despite Dib’s aggression, Gradovich was the one to consistently land the harder and cleaner shots. Gradovich was deducted a point in round 8 for holding but Dib was dealt the same; also losing a point in the same round for holding. Despite his best efforts, Dib was unable to break the pattern throughout the fight. Gradovich was simply the harder and cleaner puncher throughout and it earned him a split decision victory by scores of 114-112 (twice) to 112-114 for Dib. Both fighters gave their all and neither backed down so perhaps a rematch is in order. Gradovich improves to 16-0 (8kos) while Dib drops to 35-2 (21kos).

For junior middleweight Wille Nelson, only one round of the scheduled 10 was necessary for victory. Nelson blitzed foe Michael Medina in only 2 minutes, dropping him once with a counter right hand along the ropes and finishing with a right hand, left hook combo. It was a quick and brutal finish, and referee Arthur Mercante Jr. was wise to stop the bout at 2 minutes of round 1. Nelson improves his record to 20-1-1 (12kos) while Medina drops to 26-4-2 (19 kos.) Scores were 36-40 across the board.

Making his pro debut, light welterweight Luis Olivera blitzed through his opponent Rafael Munoz with ease. Olivera knocked Munoz down with a beautiful lead left hook early in round one and didn’t let up. After Munoz rose and was cleared to continue, Olivera jumped on him and stunned him with another lead left. As Munoz backpedaled toward the ropes, Olivera caught him for a third time with the left and finished with a flurry, dumping Munoz to the canvas and forcing referee Johnny Callas to call the fight. Time of the stoppage was 1:38 of round one. Olivera notches his first win and stands at 1-0 (1ko) while Munoz drops to 1-2.
Welterweight Jimmy Williams outworked Ray Younger over 4 rounds to earn himself a unanimous decision. Williams scored far more often with his jab and body attack and limited Younger to an ineffective defense of potshotting and moving. The fight played out mainly the same over the 4 rounds and Williams picked up an easy win, improving to 2-0 (1ko) while Younger dropped to 0-2.

Ulises Lara scored a suprising second round stoppage over former four-time world title challenger Omar Soto in Mexico City, Mexico.

Lara dropped Soto in round two from an upper cut. Soto never full recovered and was sent to the canvas two more times with the third knockdown sending Soto down for the ten count.

Lara, 112 lbs is now 12-13-2 with seven knockouts. Soto, 111 lbs is now 23-10-2.

Pedro Melo scored a six round unanimous decision over Angel Rezago in a Bantamweight bout.

Melo is now 13-2-1. Rezago is 15-4-1.

Jose Zuniga won a four round split decision over Pablo Arias in a Jr. Welterweight bout

Zuniga is 2-1-1. Arias is 0-2.

Omar Gonzalez scored a second round stoppage over Oscar Gonzalez is a scheduled four round Featherweight bout.

Omar is now 1-1 while Oscar was making his pro debut

IBF Welterweight champion Devin Alexander will defend his crown against mandatory contender Kell Brook on May 18th in Atlantic City according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

The bout has been postponed twice due to injuries.

I like Atlantic City. There are great boxing fans there,” Said ALexander’s manager/trainer Kevin Cunningham. “I’ve been out there working with Adrien Broner [as an assistant trainer last month] and there’s a great boxing atmosphere. I always had pretty good luck there.”

“He started back in the gym on Monday, so he’s basically at 90 percent, and so we’ll step it up a little more next week,” Cunningham said. “Within the next couple of weeks, he should be back to 100 percent and we’re expecting to do some sparring in the next couple of weeks. We’ll be ready, and Kell Brook will finally get his wish to be in the ring with Devon Alexander — but that’s about as far as that wish will go.”

The bout will be televised by Showtime and could be the co-feature to IBF Jr. Welterweight champion Lamont Peterson defending against Lucas Matthysse

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com Victor Terrazas will meet former world champion Cristian Mijares on April 20th in Mexico.

“I am excited because soon I will go for the title of the world,” Terrazas said. “I will go through a great moment in my career and it will be reflected that night. I fought hard for this opportunity. In a fight with Cristian Mijares, I will go for the knockout. We must go in there well prepared to beat him. He was the world champion and has a lot of experience, but I want to be champion and nobody will stop me from reaching my goal.”

The bout will be televised bu Uni Mas

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, Featherweight champion Daniel Ponce De Leon will defend his crown against Abner Mares as part of the Floyd Mayweatherf – Robert Guerrero card on May 4th in Las Vegas.

“We got it worked and both fighters are excited, we are excited,” Golden Boy chief executive Richard Schaefer told ESPN.com. “It’s a great platform for Abner and Ponce to be on. They will be on the biggest pay-per-view and it is on Cinco De Mayo weekend, which is big for them as Mexican stars.”

“Once it became known that Canelo was not going to be on card, Floyd called me himself and said, ‘Please go get the best fight you can for the card,’ and I discussed with him the possibility of Ponce and Mares, and he was excited about it. He said, ‘Go out and get it done,’ and that’s what I did,” Schaefer said.

“I had numerous conversations with (Mares and De Leon Manager) Frank (Espinoza) ,” Schaefer said. “I told him to look at some of the great fighters who had big fights — George Foreman, Oscar (De La Hoya), Manny Pacquiao, Floyd. Those cards all had young fighters gain tremendous exposure on their undercards. So I told him this was a great opportunity for his guys to be in high-profile card.

“He realized that and was excited about it and then couldn’t wait to talk to the fighters. He did a great job to look out for Ponce and Abner. Frank’s a smart guy, a great poker player. He knows the benefits of them being on this card, so what he did was he negotiated for more money. He did a good job.”

“We’re very excited about appearing on the May 4 card,” Espinoza told ESPN.com. “The addition of Abner and Ponce De Leon will make an explosive night for boxing fans all around the world. We know it’s big. There’s no question. To be showcasing both of their talents on a worldwide platform, to have worldwide media and fans from around the world seeing them, it’s just the greatest exposure for both of them, and they can’t wait.

“Being on Cinco De Mayo and you have two of the finest Mexican fighters, it’s perfect. People were already excited about this fight happening on April 20, and now it just adds more being on Cinco De Mayo.”

“We finalized the fight and it’s the kind of fight you know can be a fight of the year candidate because of how these two guys fight,” Schaefer said.

Former Middleweight beltholder Julio Cesar Chavez Jr was fine $900,000 and suspended for nine months for his positive post fight drug test following his loss to Sergio Martinez in September that showed that Chavez had marijuana in his system.

“I’d like to apologize to everyone in boxing,” Chavez told the commission. “I know this has been a very bad thing for me and my career. A lot of things have been said about it and my reputation. I respect boxing a lot. I’ve been in it a long time. I try to do the best I can and will continue to try to do the best I can because I love boxing more than ever.”

“The nine months is fine, but a 30 percent fine on a purse of $3 million, that’s extortion,” Chavez promoter Bob Arum told ESPN.com. “That means Julio has to make a decision — is he going to contest the fine in court or he can elect not to fight ever again in Nevada. There’s no question the nine months is the nine months, but it’s ridiculous money, particularly since you already take out 30 percent for taxes.

“I was hoping for nine months, that worked out. The fine is an absolute stunner. You don’t do that to an athlete. Which athlete in any sport has been fined as much as $900,000?”

Under questioning from the commissioners, Chavez admitted that he smoked marijuana “eight or nine days before the fight.”

“I feel very bad about the situation,” Chavez said. “I know I committed a big error, a mistake. I wanted everyone to know this has hurt me and that I let a lot of people down. It was a big mistake and I know it has damaged me.”

Chavez was asked why he thought the commission should be lenient on him.

“I’m asking for leniency so I can fight as soon as I can, but I am willing to take my punishment,” he said. “I know I committed an error.”

Asked why he decided to smoke before the fight, Chavez said, “I was told it would help my stress. I was tense for the fight and someone mentioned it to me and that’s why I did it eight or nine days before the fight.”

Chavez would not say who suggested he smoke marijuana other than that it was a “personal friend of mine from Los Angeles.”

Chavez was asked if he had felt pressure before previous fights and answered, “Never like this time.”

On why he smoked marijuana before this fight and not any other, Chavez said, “I couldn’t tell you the exact reason why I did it. I just can tell you I was under a lot of stress and had family problems, a lot of things going on in my life. Just something I did. It was the biggest mistake and I’ll never do it again.”

Chavez said he never smoked before any other fight, but declined to answer whether he had ever smoked marijuana at all, answering only, “I wasn’t myself. I was not thinking properly

“He didn’t answer if he had smoked before and that has an impact on me making a decision,” commissioner Pat Lundvall said.

“He’s well aware of the rules of the commission,” Lundvall said.

“He’s going to fight June 16, we cleared that with the commission,” Arum said. “They told us we can promote the fight during the suspension as long as the fight takes place after the suspension is up. But we were not going to take this fight to Las Vegas anyway. We have a hold on a building in Texas or we may do the fight in the new arena in Mexico City. One thing we won’t do is have Chavez fight in Mexico during the suspension [where he could get a license].”

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com the much talked about Super Welterweight unification bout between WBC champ Saul Alvarez and WBA champ Austin Trout is just about finalized to take place on April 20 in San Antonio at The Alamo Dome and will be broadcasted on Showtime.

“It’s the biggest fight for Canelo, a big step up for him and a world title-unification bout,” said Richatd Schaefer of Golden Boy Promotions, who promotes Alvarez. “It’s two undefeated fighters against each other, two of the best in their weight class.

“Austin Trout is coming off the big win against Miguel Cotto and can get another big win. Canelo wants to shut up all of the doubters. He wants to show he is the best at 154 pounds.”

“I was trying not to get too excited about the possibility of the fight,” Trout said when a reporter broke the news to him that the fight had been set. “Not Canelo personally, but his handlers were 100 percent against a fight with Austin Trout. Canelo would go out there and say this was the fight he wanted, but [Golden Boy promoter Oscar] De La Hoya would shoot the fight down.

“Canelo put his foot down and said this was the fight he wanted. He said he was ready. God bless him. I’m here to show the world he’s not. But he made the people who work for him make it happen, and boxing and the fans thank him.”

“I’m not worried about what he will do,” Trout said. “If I beat his brother or not, it doesn’t matter to me, but it was something I was using to entice him to fight me. But I am after his name and legacy. I got my own legacy to push out.”

“Canelo’s not making it to a Mayweather fight,” Trout said. “Our fight is a great matchup not just for me, personally, but for boxing. I know it won’t be easy, but we’re not here for easy. We’re here to be the best. The harder the challenge, the greater the victory. This is the ‘Cinnamon’ test.”

“I would have fought on the Floyd undercard because I’m happy for the opportunity, but I’m also happy that we have our own card and venue,” Trout said.

“I kept saying all along that I would work on it and see if it can be done,” he said. “People were saying it was done, but I never said that. But I’m not disappointed. I am happy for the sport of boxing to have Floyd Mayweather back against Guerrero, a guy I consider the most dangerous guy out there. I’m happy for Robert to get this opportunity against Floyd and I am happy for Canelo and Trout, as well.

“Canelo will have his own date and fight in Texas, which he has wanted to do for a long time because he has so many fans there, and he’s in a huge fight. So I have Floyd Mayweather fighting a Mexican-American on Cinco De Mayo and I got Canelo-Trout done. Hallelujah for fight fans. So the two fights will be spread out a little bit. The [Mayweather-Alvarez] fight eventually is going to happen, but right now, let’s enjoy two unbelievable fights.”

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, featherweight beltholder Daniel Ponce De Leon will defend against fomrwe Bantamweight and Super Bantamweight champion Abner Mares on April 20th at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California and will be televised on Showtime.

“Ponce De Leon versus Mares is signed, sealed and delivered,” said Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer, who promotes both fighters. “That’s a big-time fight. It’s a big opportunity for Ponce De Leon to fight against one of the best young fighters in boxing and a great opportunity for Abner to move up to yet another weight class to challenge for the world title.

“Ponce De Leon versus Mares is signed, sealed and delivered,” said Schaefer, who promotes both fighters. “That’s a big-time fight. It’s a big opportunity for Ponce De Leon to fight against one of the best young fighters in boxing and a great opportunity for Abner to move up to yet another weight class to challenge for the world title.

“It’s funny how things work out sometimes,” Schaefer said. “We’ve had some fights fall out and some are being rescheduled and some aren’t, but everything happens for a reason. With this fight, once [the Velez fight] dropped out, and with Abner moving up, it made sense. It’s definitely a great fight, a great showdown. Abner is very excited and loves the challenge and Ponce De Leon can’t wait. You will see two highly motivated guys.”

What made the fight more delicate to put together than most was the fact that Ponce De Leon and Mares are both managed by Frank Espinoza. Managers usually don’t want to match their fighters with each other, not to mention the complicating factor of it being illegal to take full percentages from both purses.

“Everything was worked out,” Espinoza told ESPN.com.

“Abner’s goal has been to win a third world championship and this is that opportunity and Ponce, as well, knows fighting Abner can only benefit his career.”

Said Schaefer, “We talked to Frank and explained to him that it was the right thing to do for both of his fighters and that he has to look at it like that, that he has to represent each one of them, but it was the right fight to make. It’s the biggest challenge for them so why stand in the way? Frank was immediately on board. He said, ‘Let me talk to the fighters and see if we can get it done.’ Frank did a terrific job getting it done with each one of them.”

Espinoza said he will keep everything even between the two in the lead up to the fight.

“It’s a difficult situation for a manager to be involved with both fighters, but I plan to be neutral,” he said. “I respect both fighters. I will not be in either corner at the fight. I won’t walk with either fighter to the ring and I won’t be in the ring. I’m just going to have a seat and watch and enjoy the fight. This is a great fight for the fans. Adrenaline will be flowing at the Home Depot Center.”

The proposed co-feature could be a Welterweight clash between Marcos Maidana and Josesito Lopez

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, The March 9th WBC elimination bout between Chris Arreola and Bermane Stiverne has been postponed due to Arreola contracting Bronchitis.

“He got sick over the weekend,” said Arreola’s promoter Dan Goossen of Arreola. “We were hoping for a quick recovery but it just didn’t happen. He’s still out of commission and hasn’t gotten any better. For a fight of this magnitude you have to have a healthy fighter.

“He’s certainly disappointed. It’s a big blow to have to delay it. It is what it is and we’ll just reschedule it and go from there.”

“I talked to HBO and, hopefully, within four or five weeks we can get it back on,” Goossen said.

“I don’t think anyone can take this any other way other than disappointment,” Goossen said. “We hoped to have this heavyweight fight on March 9, but we’ve all been around this business long enough to know these things happen.”

“I’m working with HBO to keep the rest of the show together, including the title fight,” Goossen said. “We’ve got some good fights on the show.”

Chris Avalos scored a fourth round stoppage over Jose Luis Araiza after a headbutt caused a huge gash over the left eye of Araia in a scheduled ten round Super Bantamweight bout in Hawaii Gardens, CA

The time of the stoppage was 1:42 for Avalos, 122 lbs of Lancaster, CA and is now 21-2 with 16 knockouts. Araiza123 1/2 lbs of Tecate, MX is now 32-8-1.

Trevor McCumby scored a six round unanimous decision over Ricardo Campillo in an exciting Light Heavyweight bout.

There was a lot of action in the contest that saw McCumby, 174 3/4 lbs of Chicago win by scored of 60-54, 60-54 and 60-53 and is still undefeated at 10-0. Campillo, 176 lbs of Ciudad, MX is now 7-6-1.

Undefeated Heavyweights Vyacheslav Glazkov and Malik Scott battled to a ten round draw at the Paramount Theater in Huntington, New York.

Scott controlled the action early with a pin point jab and solid movement. Glazkov was only able to muster up some combinations on the ropes. Glazkov was moving forward but really didin’t have a consistent output. Scott continued to jab and move while mxing some solid hooks. Glazkov tried to come on late but it looked like Scott would be rewarded for his solid boxing.

That wasn’t the case as the scores read 98-92 for Scott, 96-94 for Glazkov and 95-95.

Scott, 225 lbs of Philadelphia is now 35-0-1. Glazkov, 220 lbs of Lugansk, Ukraine is now 14-0-1.

In a terrific back and forth fight, hometown kid Chris Algieri scored a ten round unanimous decision over Jose Peralta in a Jr. Welterweight tilt.

ALgieri was the boss early as he mixed up some good jabs and body shots. With Peralta squatting to try to get inside, Algieri also featured a solid uppercut throughout. Peralta did well in round’s five and six as he landed hard left hands that momentarily shook Algieri. Algieri then seized control in round seven as again it was a high volume of punches that had him counted at over 1000 punches with some solid uppercuts and body shots.

Algieri, 143 lbs of Huntington, NY won by scores of 96-94, 97-93 & 98-92 and is now 16-0. Peralta, 143 lbs of Jersey City, NJ is 10-2

DETROIT (Feb. 23, 2013) – Ishe Smith captured the IBF Junior Middleweight World Championship and became the first Las Vegas native to win a major world title when he scored a split decision victory over Cornelius “K9” Bundrage in the main event of a special edition of SHOWTIME BOXING at the Masonic Temple Theatre in Detroit, Mich.

The fight was scored 116-111 Smith, 114-113 Bundrage and 116-111 Smith, who became the 48th ShoBox: The New Generation alum to win a world title.

In a fight that started slow and was tough to score in the early rounds, Smith (25-5, 11 KO’s) was the more active fighter and took over in the second half of the bout. With Bundrage backing up and mostly on the defensive, Smith moved forward and found success with his right hand.

The 34-year-old Smith, a protégé and close friend of Floyd Mayweather, whose Mayweather Promotions promotes Smith, seemed to be the hungrier fighter and fought with a sense of urgency, knowing that he had to capitalize on his first championship opportunity in his 13th year as a pro.

“Thirteen years, man. That’s all I can say,” said an emotional Smith fighting back tears of joy immediately after the bout. “It means everything. Five years ago I was about to kill myself and I thought about my children growing up without a dad and I didn’t do it. I don’t know what to say. I didn’t think I’d be here. I’m so happy for the opportunity.

“I got hurt in camp and Floyd asked me if I wanted to pull out, but I knew I couldn’t give up. This was my chance to become a world champion.”

The 39-year-old Bundrage (32-5, 19 KO’s) was disappointed in his performance in front of his hometown fans.

“Ishe fought a good fight, he won fair and square,” Bundrage said. “He was the better fighter tonight. Of course I’ll fight again. I just need to take it to the next level like when I won the world title. I didn’t listen to my trainer tonight or follow my game plan.”

In an interview with SHOWTIME reporter Jim Gray, Mayweather explained his loyalty to his fellow Las Vegas resident.

“Ishe is my guy. I love him,” Mayweather said. “When everybody turned their back on Ishe, I stuck with him. Everyone turned their back on him and I don’t believe in turning my back on anyone. SHOWTIME gave him a chance and I have to thank K9 for giving him a chance, too.”

In Saturday’s co-main event, undefeated middleweight prospect J’Leon Love kept his undefeated record intact with a hard-fought unanimous decision victory (100-90, 99-91 twice) over the tough Derrick Findley.

After three fairly even rounds, Love (15-0, 8 KO’s), of Las Vegas, Nev., by way of Detroit, stepped on the gas in the fourth and staggered Findley with a series of punishing combinations that opened up a cut under Findley’s right eye. While it seemed as if Findley (20-9, 13 KOs), of Gary, Ind., barely survived the round, the bulking boxer bounced back and looked to gain momentum in a few of the latter rounds.

In the 10th, Love, who was pushed past the eighth round for the first time in his career, kept the pressure on and closed strong with a steady dose of right hands and shots to the body.

“It was a tough learning experience,” Love said. “Derrick Findley is a tough fighter, but we asked for Derrick Findley. We asked for a tough fighter. I’d rather have a tough fighter on my resume than some slouch.

“He was very, very aggressive. He gave me some close rounds. but keeping your composure and sticking to the game plan is what I learned.”

The 25-year-old Love had his promoter Mayweather also working as his trainer between rounds in the absence of his usual trainer Roger Mayweather for what proved to be the toughest fight of his career.

“He knows the experience and he knows what I’m going through so there’s nobody better than that,” Love said.

Findley, 28, complained that he got caught with a thumb in his eye early in the bout and that affected his vision.

“I couldn’t’ see after that,” Findley said. “He can’t punch. If he could, I wouldn’t’ have gone forward like I did, but no excuses, he’s the better man tonight.”

Said Mayweather: “It was rough fight. We chose Findley because he’s a rough fighter, but when J’Leon faces a tough fight later on down the road, he’ll be ready for that.”

Middleweight J’Leon Love was taken to ten rounds for the first time but remained perfect by scoring a unanimous decision over Derrick Findley.

It was a good learning experience for Love as he was very effective with the jab early and mixed in some good body punches. Love’s corner was headed by Pound for Pound king Floyd Mayweather who was stepping in for his ill uncle Roger.

Love, 161 lbs of Las Vegas won by scores of 100-90, 99-91 & 99-91 and is now 15-0. Findley, 161 lbs of Merrilville, IN is now 20-9.

Jose Nieves scored a ninth round stoppage over Danny Flores in a scheduled twelve round Bantamweight bout in Palm Bay, Florida.

Flores dropped Nieves in round three from a combination. Nieves recovered and started taking control in the middle rounds until a heavy flurry hurt Flores and the bout was stopped.

Nieves, 118 lbs of Carolina, PR is now 22-2-3 with eleven knockouts. Flores is now 14-3.

In a sloppy Heavyweight bout scheduled for ten rounds, Yunier Dorticos remained perfect by stopping Willie Herring after the third round.

Dorticos was docked a point for low blows. After that Herring kept falling to the canvas and he finally could not continue after the third round.

Dorticos, 202 lbs of of Miami is now 14-0 with all wins coming by knockout. Herring, 202 lbs of Orlando, FL is now 14-13-3.

In a battle of pro debuting Super Flyweights, Ariel Vega dropped Jose Rodriguez in round two and round four with the latter leading to a fourth round stoppage victory

CABAZON, Calif. (Feb. 23, 2013) – For the 102nd and 103rd times in its 10½-year history, a previously unbeaten fighter suffered the first loss of his career on ShoBox: The New Generation live on SHOWTIME®.

The latest was Art “Lionheart” Hovhannisyan, of Glendale, Calif., who dropped a close, unanimous 10-round decision to Alejandro “El Alacran” Perez, of Salinas, Calif., in an action-packed main event Friday night at Morongo Casino Resort.

Perez (17-3-1, 11 KOs) outpointed the naturally bigger Hovhannisyan (15-1-2, 8 KOs) by the scores of 96-93 twice and 95-94. There were no knockdowns.

Perez and Hovhannisyan are quite familiar with each other, having sparred as many as 80 rounds in the past. They are pals. But they didn’t perform like it, treating the fans to an entertaining, fast-paced, hard-fought fight that featured numerous heated exchanges

The crowd-pleasing Perez lost his previous ShoBox fights to then-highly regarded prospects Diego Magdaleno and Rico Ramos. Magdaleno is still perfect as a pro; Ramos went on to become a world champion.

“It’s a great relief to finally win one on ShoBox, but I definitely felt I had it,’’ said Perez, who was triumphant despite getting docked a point for a low blow in the fifth. “All the hard work paid off for me. Although this was my first fight in a year, I never stopped training and never quit going to the gym.

“I think I surprised Art with my straight right hands down the middle. I don’t think he expected that. It was something we worked on specifically for this fight. I train hard to please the fans and give them a great show, and I think we gave them a great fight tonight.’’

A bitterly disappointed Hovhannisyan didn’t seem as upset with the decision as he was with himself. “It was a close fight,’’ he said. “I didn’t throw enough punches.’’

Former Bahamian Olympian Tureano Johnson scored a eight round unanimous decision over Willie Fortune in a fight that featured two undefeated Middleweights.

Johnson was dominant as he thew and landed many more punches then Fortune and was extremely accurate and the fight was one-sided as Fortune showed more guts then competitiveness in the bout.

Johnson outlanded Fortune 277-140 and connected on a staggering 59% of his punches

Johnson, 159 lbs of Nassau, Bahamas won by scores of 80-72 on all cards and is now 14-0. Fortune, 157 lbs of Detroit is 15-1

Lamont Peterson retained the IBF Jr. Welterweight title with a eighth round stoppage over former beltholder Kendall Holt at the DC Armory in Washington, DC.

Holt came out boxing well over the first three rounds. Peterson started ti get his motor running as he started walking down Holt and dropped him with a big overhand right in round four. Peterson started applying intense pressure that had Holt backing. A big combination on the ropes hurt Holt in round six and it was cleaned up by a big right hand that sent Hold to the canvas for a second time.

Peterson was relentless and landed some hard combinations in round seven and he then finished things off in the eighth with a devastating flurry on the ropes and referee Tony Weeks stopped the bout at 1:42 of round eight.

Peterson, 139.6 lbs of Washington, D.C. was fighting for the first time in fourteen months after testing positive for synthetic testosterone is now 31-1-1 with sixteen knockouts. Holt, 140 lbs of Paterson, NJ is now 28-6.

Roman Morales scored a fifth round stoppage over Jesus Hernandez in a scheduled eight round Jr. Featherweight bout.

Morales boxed well and got out to an early lead lead over the first three rounds. In round four, Morales scored a knockdown from a right habd just before the end of the frame. Morales ended things with a perfect left to the body that sent Hernandez down for referee Malik Walid’s ten count and the bout was over at 2:59 of round five

Morales, 122 lbs of San Ardo, CA is now 15-0 with eight knockouts. Hernandez, 121 lbs of Riverside, CA is 10-1-3

Ivan Redkach, of Los Angeles, improved to 14-0, 12 KOs, scoring a KO at 2:06 of the very first round against Sergio Rivera, now 27-11-2, 17 KOs. Scheduled for eight rounds in the lightweight division, the knockout artist Redkach came out of his corner like a tornado, throwing fast combinations to the head and body. Body shots bent Rivera in half and the southpaw Redkach followed up with uppercuts to the chin that dropped his foe for the full count.

The co-feature showcased Travis Peterkin (6-0, 3 KO’s, 175lbs) completely out-classed Thomas Turner (3-2, 2 KO’s, 173lbs) over the course of three rounds. Turner did not land a significant punch the entire fight, while Peterkin brawled his way through three rounds, hurting Turner regularly. Finally, after taking dozens of unanswered punches, the referee was forced to call a halt to the bout at 2:10 of the third round and Peterkin received a TKO victory.
2:10 rd 3

Coming off of his first professional defeat, Thomas DuLorme (16-1, 12 KO’s, 143lbs) took on Edward Brooks (9-3, 3 KO’s, 148lbs). DuLorme took the fight to Brooks from the outset, and it didn’t take long for the KO to come. A measuring left jab followed by a powerful right dropped Brooks hard. Brooks made two attempts to get to his feet, but fell both times. The referee counted to ten at the 1:35 point of the first round, giving DuLorme a first round knockout victory.

Keisher McLeod Wells scored a six round unanimous decision over Jacqueline Park in a Female Flyweight bout.

McLeod Wells, 109 lbs of Brooklyn won by scores of 59-55, 58-56 and 58-56 and is now 6-2. Park, 110 lbs of Burlington, Ontario is 0-2.

In a bout scheduled for four rounds, former amateur national champion Patrick Day (1-0, 1 KO, 154lbs) took on Dominique Foster (1-1-1, 0 KO’s, 154lbs). Day opened up the bout aggressively, and Foster had no answer. He weaved away wildly while he took hard blows throughout the entirety of the first round. As the round ended, Foster complained about pain in his neck, and all three ringside doctors were called over to observe. Eventually, Foster’s trainer made the decision to call the fight off in between rounds. Day was credited with a TKO victory at 3:00 of the first round.

The popular Louis Cruz(1-0, 1 KO, 141lbs) of the Bronx, NY took on a very talented Demond Brock (3-1, 2 KO’s, 143lbs) in a bout scheduled for four rounds. Both fighters didn’t take long getting to know each other. Cruz worked behind his jab and powerful straight right hand while Brock countered to the body. Cruz’jab eventually opened up a cut over Brock’s right eye early in the fight, and that might have been the difference maker for what came later. Two rounds later, while Brock tried throwing a left hook, Cruz threw a better left hook that landed flush on Brock’s chin, flattening Brock. Cruz won by way of stoppage at 1:12 of the third round.

Neuky Santelises (3-0, 2 KO’s, 132lbs) scored a first round stoppage over Denis Madriz (1-0-1, 1 KO, 130lbs) in a scheduled four round Super Featherweight bout.

It was a brawl from the get but Santelises gained control and landed some hard shots before the fight was stopped forty-six seconds into the bout.

Santelises, 132 lbs of Washington Heights, NY is now 4-0 with three knockouts. Madriz, 130 lbs of San Francisco is now 0-1-1.

Super Bantamweight world champion Nonito Donaire will take on fellow beltholder Guillermo Rigondeaux on April 13th at Radio City Music Hall in New York City.

“There’s no question that fighting at Radio City Music Hall is like a coronation for the fighter of the year, fighting on that historic stage,” Top Rank chairman Bob Arum told ESPN.com. “We couldn’t get the Theater [at Madison Square Garden] so [MSG executive vice president] Joel Fisher said maybe he could get Radio City, because the Garden owns it. We said that was a great idea. It’s expensive to do a fight there, but it’s worth it.

“I think it’s going to be a terrific fight. It’s one I have wanted to see. These guys have been spouting off about each other for a long time and now it will be decided in the ring.”

“I’ve heard so much about the place and how Roy fought there and Roy is one of the guys I look up to, so I am very excited about fighting there,” Donaire told ESPN.com.

“We want to show up the second time in New York and make a statement this time and not have Rigondeaux run from me when he gets hit hard,” Donaire said. “We already have the remedy and answer for that style from what I learned in the Narvaez fight. We have a blue print ready.

“I failed to get a knockout in my first fight in New York and I want the fans to see a knockout from me. I am going out there to knock my guys out. I believe I have great fans on the East Coast and I want to give them a good show.”

“It took awhile because there were internal problems on the Rigondeaux side with [his co-promoter] Caribe,” Arum said. “But we worked everything out and they were gentlemanly. It takes time. Eventually, sanity prevailed and everyone wants the fight to happen, so you make a deal.”

Said Donaire, “I watched Rigondeaux’s last fight with [Robert] Marroquin and he’s pretty decent. He’s pretty good at countering, so I was getting excited about fighting him. It’s a good fight. I look forward to taking that belt. That’s my goal.”

Two nights before the fight, Donaire will make an appearance at the annual Boxing Writers Association of America awards banquet to collect his fighter of the year trophy.

“I was really honored they gave me that award,” Donaire said. “Last year, all I wanted to do was fight the best guys they put in front of. I’m just trying to be the best and fight the best. I have Rigondeaux now and, hopefully, we can get the Mares fight too.”

“I will do as much as I can this year, but my primary thing this year after this fight is having a family,” he said. “We are very excited about [the baby]. I can win titles and more titles and it pays the bills but I also want to be a good father and husband.”

“He was talking all this crap about drug testing, saying he would do whatever it took to fight me,” Donaire said. “We negotiated it and I want to show the sport is clean. But then he didn’t sign [the VADA contract].”

“We got that resolved and we have a fight,” Arum said.

In a move that will change the television landscape in boxing, pound for pound king Floyd Mayweather has signed a lucrative deal with Showtime, this ending his 16 year relationship with HBO and will fight Robert Guerrero on May 4th according to Dan Rafael of espn.com

“Floyd has signed a record-breaking deal with Showtime PPV/CBS, and Floyd is ecstatic,” Leonard Ellerbe, one of Mayweather’s top advisers, told ESPN.com. “This historic deal reflects a global superstar who is head and shoulders above his peers. HBO, they made a great offer, but the Showtime PPV/CBS offer was substantially greater in every facet, from top to bottom.

“So bottom line, HBO was outgunned. They came to a gun fight with a knife. At the end of the day, it’s business. Floyd has had a fantastic relationship over the last (16) years with HBO but he’s moving on. He made the decision based on what was best for him and his family. Showtime/CBS really stepped up and made it crystal clear that they wanted Floyd Mayweather. This is a tremendous platform, and Floyd’s looking forward to putting his talents in front of a much larger worldwide audience.”

“The first fight is Guerrero, ‘The Ghost,’ the boogey man,” Ellerbe said. “Floyd’s going to line all these guys up and he’s going to whup their asses one by one.

“It was a very detailed process,” Showtime Sports head Stephen Espinoza told ESPN.com. “We put forth a very aggressive offer, and I know Floyd spent a lot of time with (adviser) Al Haymon poring over the details. Ultimately, I was able to bring a lot of the (Showtime and CBS) assets to the table, and with so many of our platforms stepping forward to support it, this was a deal he couldn’t refuse.

Golden Boy Promotions chief executive Richard Schaefer, who promotes Guerrero and has promoted all of Mayweather’s fights since 2007 on a fight-by-fight basis, told ESPN.com that the kickoff news conference for the fight, which hasn’t been scheduled yet, will be nationally televised on CBS on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon, when the network televises most of its sports fare.

“This will redefine the way boxing press conferences are done,” said Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer, who has worked on Mayweather’s fights since 2007 said. “The traveling to different cities maybe was the most effective thing at a time when you had in each city a half dozen writers. Now it’s driven by different platforms and we are looking at putting together a press conference similar to the way you see a presidential debate — a moderator, a live audience and journalists can submit questions that will then be read and it will televised nationwide on CBS.

unior middleweight titleholder Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (41-0-1, 30 KOs), the 22-year-old Mexican star and a big draw for the card on Cinco de Mayo weekend, is expected to fight on the undercard, possibly in a unification fight with Austin Trout (26-0, 14 KOs), who upset Miguel Cotto in a December title defense.

But Schaefer said that deal is not done.

“First we needed to get (Mayweather-Guerrero and the TV deal) done and now, within the next 24 or 48 hours, I am trying to see if in fact we can get a fight done between Canelo and Trout,” he said. “It is not done, it is not signed. There are other possibilities we are looking at for Canelo.

“But as I have said all along, we have every intention to have Canelo fight on this card. As for the matchup, that is my next task.”

“I think it’s a fantastic matchup. Robert is one tough competitor,” Schaefer said. “He hasn’t lost (since 2006) and that loss was to a fighter (Orlando Salido in a featherweight title fight) who tested positive for steroids after the fight (and the decision was changed to a no contest). He’s a multiple-weight world champion. He actively campaigned for this fight, and a lot of media people say he has earned the fight if you look at what he’s done in the last 12 months.

“He’s young, he’s been active, he’s coming off the biggest wins of his career and he showed he is a real welterweight against Berto and Aydin. This is a hell of a challenge for Floyd, and Robert as well. At 147, he is the most dangerous opponent Floyd could have picked, end of story.”

Said Ellerbe: “Guerrero thinks he’s a badass and come May 4, Floyd is going to show him why he is the top dog and why he’s been world champion for 15 years.”

“We made an aggressive and responsible pay-per-view offer,” HBO said in a statement given to ESPN.com. “Now we move on. We are focused on the best boxing franchise in the television business. We are proud of the roster of superstar fighters and emerging stars who are scheduled to appear on the multiple HBO television platforms this year.”

“Robert can box, he can punch, he has a chin,” Schaefer said. “He has a hell of a chance to win this fight. When you look at Floyd Mayweather, he’s the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world. He’s the most skilled fighter out there, but at the same time he’s getting older and hasn’t fought for a year. Not fighting for a year when you are in your 20s is one thing, but in your 30s, fighting once a year is not the best setup.

“His body went through a grueling fight with Cotto, and he was in jail. Who knows what all that has done to him? There are a lot of interesting aspects which make this fight high-stakes.”

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, potentially the biggest bout in Canadian boxing history between former world champions Jean Pascal and Lucian Bute has been agreed to.

“Bute and Pascal are going to fight each other, it’s just when we don’t know,” Yvon Michel, Pascal’s promoter, told ESPN.com on Monday. “We are working on different scenarios.”

The likely scenario is that they will meet in the spring, probably May 25. A less likely scenario is that they would meet in the fall with each having an interim bout. Either way, Bute would rise in weight from 168 pounds to 175 to fight in Pascal’s division, Michel said.

“I have already had phone calls from the Bell Centre, from Olympic Stadium and a football stadium in Quebec City,” Michel said. “It’s the biggest ever fight in Canada.”

Said Buter’s promoter Interbox CEO Jean Bedard: “Everybody here [in Canada] has wanted the fight for a long time. It will be the biggest event in boxing history in Canada.”

The reason the deal comes as such a surprise, however, is the timing. Pascal has had a deal in place, although not signed, to face light heavyweight champion Chad Dawson on May 25 on HBO in a rematch at the Bell Centre. The fight was originally scheduled for March 9 but postponed because Pascal re-injured his shoulder in a unanimous 10-round decision win against Aleksy Kuziemski on Dec. 14 and needed additional time to recover.

Michel said Pascal’s interim bout before facing Bute could be the rematch with Dawson, but he was not very convincing. It would be a big gamble to take with the Bute fight looming.

“This is what we haven’t decided yet. This is what we are evaluating right now,” Michel said of whether to fight Bute or Dawson next. “But Pascal will make $700,000 to fight Dawson. He will make more than $2 million fighting Bute.”

“There’s a lot of interest from people in Canada and outside of Canada for this fight,” Bedard said. “HBO already planned for Pascal-Dawson II, so this is an issue for them, but it’s their decision. They say that have already planned to work with [Dawson promoter] Gary Shaw and Yvon.

“But Pascal wants to fight Bute more than Dawson and there is a lot more money for him in the fight. HBO likes to be part of very big events. May 25 would be a big event because HBO has [the Mikkel Kessler-Froch super middleweight title rematch] in London and after that (on the same telecast) you could have Pascal-Bute. That’s big. The boxers are there, the promoters are there, the fans are there for this fight. Everybody is on the same page.”

Shaw is not happy about Pascal-Bute likely killing the May Pascal-Dawson rematch.

“I met with Yvon this week in New York, where he told me that Bedard had offered him a fight with Bute and he would put Dawson on the undercard, give him $600,000 and we could bring our own opponent. I told him, I would never do that to my fighter or HBO,” Shaw said. “We finished lunch, I asked, ‘Do we still have a fight,’ and Yvon said, ‘Yes,’ and shook my hand, and said, ‘We have a deal.’

“That is everything I know. Yvon has always been honest and I would be very disappointed to find out that Yvon has done anything underhanded. But remember, this is boxing, and stranger things have happened.”

At the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, NJ Golden Boy Promotions alongside R&R Promotions featured boxing’s best young talent take another step towards greatness. That boxer’s name is Adrien Broner (25-0, 21 KO’s, 134lbs), and on Saturday night he squared off against the rugged former world champion, Gavin Rees (37-1-1, 134 1/2lbs). Broner has remained undefeated by blending his amazing speed with raw power …. And of course a pinch of flash to go along. Rees came out swinging to start the bout. The smaller of the two fighters, Rees put his head down and charged in while taking head snapping blows right on the chin. His aggression might have won him that first round, but Broner was extremely efficient with his punches and was landing at a higher rate as the bout progressed.

Broner’s amazing ability drew “ohhs” and “ahhs” from the crowd, and Rees toughness and strong will drew cheers from his supporters. Entering the fourth round, the fight was already very entertaining, but Broner was completely in control. In a flash, a right uppercut landed clear on Rees’ chin, sending him crashing onto his back. With the crowd in a frenzy, Broner felt it necessary to break into a dance.

Rees made it out of the round, and seemed fairly competent in the fifth round until a vicious shot to the body sent him to his knees. It was a beautiful punch on the inside that was timed to absolute perfection. Rees, beat the count, but was in a difficult position. Broner proved that he could hurt Rees to the head and body. Rees had to make a decision as to how high or low he should place his guard; to protect his body or head? He decided to go with what probably hurt the most at that moment; his body. Broner capitalized by landing numerous punches upstairs. He was looking to close the show. Rees’ corner understood this, and his trainer wisely threw in the towel to spare his fighter more punishment. Adrien Broner won by TKO at 2:59 of the 5th round.

In an exciting clash of styles, Sakio Bika (30-5, 21 KO’s, 167 1/2lbs) squared off against the relatively unknown Nikola Sjekloca (25-0, 7 KO’s, 167 1/2lbs). Bika took control of the action quickly. Sjekloca possessed the typical European rigid style. Standing upright and moving straight backwards and side to side. While that works for some, it was not cutting it for Sjekloca. Bika’s awkward style gave his opponent fits while giving himself angles to land multiple combinations. After the first few rounds of the fight, many in attendance felt that Bika could win by knockout. Like flicking a switch Sjekloca got into his groove by the middle rounds. It was still clearly Bika’s fight, but Sjekloca now made it competitive. He was often able to time Bika’s unorthodox upper body movement with his right hand, and he certainly earned Bika’s respect during those middle rounds. Still, Bika managed to kit it up into another gear by the late rounds and essentially shut down whatever abilities Sjekloca possessed. The bout made it’s way to the scorecards and they read 119-109, 118-112, and 120-108 all in favor of Bika for a unanimous decision victory. He is now the WBC mandatory for Andre Ward’s title.

Demetrius Hopkins (32-2-1, 13 KO’s, 152 1/2lbs) came out to a throng of cheers when he took to the ring against Charles Whitaker (39-13-2, 23 KO’s, 154lbs) for the USBA light middleweight title. Those cheers quickly turned to boos as the action was anything but exciting. Hopkins has always been a methodical fighter, so the pace wasn’t unexpected for those in attendance. Whitaker, the bigger of the two fighters had very little desire to engage Hopkins, and this made for a very boring few rounds. After a round of boos, Hopkins lulled Whitaker into backing straight back into the ropes, and unleashed a solid overhand right that sent Whitaker down. This made things more interesting, but whatever little desire Whitaker had of throwing punches was immediately thrown out the window after the knockdown. Hopkins just continuously stalked his opponent and landed his right hand whenever he managed to get Whitaker to stop back pedaling. At the end of the sixth round, as Whitaker was hearing more boos from the crowd, he complained of loss of vision in his left eye. His corner was forced to stop the bout. The ruling was that Hopkins won by TKO at 3:00 of the sixth round.

The once rising star, Vincente Escobedo (25-5, 15 KO’s, 129 1/2lbs) took the ring for a comeback fight after losing to Adrien Broner last summer. His opponent was the battle tested Edner Cherry (30-6-2, 17 KO’s, 129 1/2lbs). He made a bad mistake. Cherry just simply out-hustled Escobedo from the get-go; putting in most of his work to the body, which completely opened Escobedo up for punches upstairs. Cherry’s work rate kept Escobedo off balance throughout most of the night and it prevented Escobedo from getting a rhythm. The second round saw Cherry floor his opponent, and it was more of the same from there on out. By the sixth round, Escobedo seemed completely spent, and a big hook sent him crashing down onto the canvas. Escobedo barely made it to his feet, and the referee allowed the fight to continue. Cherry, on the other hand was aware that time was running out on the round, and stormed right in once both fighters were cleared to box. More hooks came in and Escobedo went down again just as the bell to end the round. Referee Allan Huggins wisely stopped the bout right then and there, giving Cherry a TKO victory at 3:00 of the sixth round. Escobedo was once considered to be the top prospect in boxing. It seems unlikely that he will ever become a player at 130lbs or any other weight for that matter.

Former Olympian Rau’Shee Warren (2-0, 0KO’s, 116 1/2lbs) made easy work of Richard Hernandez (0-5, 0 KO’s, 115 1/2lbs) en route to a TKO victory. Warren, a friend and training partner of Broner, was just too fast, too strong, and just flat out too good for Hernandez. After a dominant first round, Warren kicked it into a higher gear in the second, scoring two knockdowns that prompted Hernandez’ corner to throw in the towel to spare him any further embarrassment and pain. Warren won by TKO at 2:04 of the second round.

In an anti-climactic fight, Robert Easter Jr. (2-0, 2 KOs, 133lbs) opened up a cut over the right eye of Jose Valderrama (2-3, 2 KOs, 135lbs). Easter was dominating the first round when the cut occurred. Valderrama was visibly distracted by the bleeding and placement of the cut. Nobody seemed surprised when the ringside physician advised the referee to stop the bout. Easter was credited with a first round TKO at the 3:00 point of the first.

Another Olympian, Jamel Herring (1-0, 1 KO, 134 1/2lbs) boxed beautifully against the outmatched Carlos Lopez (4-2, 0KO’s 137lbs). After a three-round beat down, the bout was called at the 3:00 point of the third round, giving Herring a TKO victory.

ADRIEN BRONER VS. GAVIN REES POST-FIGHT QUOTES

ADRIEN BRONER, WBC Lightweight World Champion

“I knew he [Rees] was going to come to fight. He’s a world-class fighter.

“He [Rees] kept coming. He threw every shot like it was his best shot. I knew he would hang.

“When you have two world-class fighters going toe-to-toe, it’s going to be a great fight.

“Thanks to everyone who came out. It’s [NBA] All-Star Weekend and you came to see an All-Star.

“He’s [Rees] tougher than a steak that’s been well done.

“If I fought Ricky Burns, he would get burnt out. I want to fight him, but if he doesn’t want to fight me. Oh well.

“There are high expectations for me to take boxing over after [Floyd] Mayweather and [Manny] Pacquiao hang up their gloves.

“Tonight was a nice fight. I have to go back and watch it. Overall I felt pretty. I just looked in the mirror and I still look good.

“I would fight 10 times a year if I could.”

GAVIN REES, Former World Champion

“He’s [Broner] the best I have ever been in [the ring] with. It’s not a case of whether he will go on to be a super star… he is already there.

“I made a lot of mistakes and I believe I have a better skill set than that.

“I knew he [Broner] hit hard, but his power just stunned me. I got reckless and that was the end of the night, but I was always going to get back up.

“I would have gone on until I was knocked out cold. I disagree with Gary pulling me out, but he knows that I would have gotten hurt. We are good friends and he was just looking out for me.”

MIKE STAFFORD, Broner’s Trainer

“We knew Gavin was going to come in [to fight]. I wanted Adrien to take his time and pick his punches.

“He made mistakes and Adrien countered each mistake he made.

“Gavin was a great fighter for two rounds. I knew he was going to try his best to take Adrien out and Adrien capitalized on his mistakes and picked him apart.

“Believe it or not, you haven’t seen the whole package deal. It’s a secret that we behold in the gym.”

GARY LOCKETT, Rees’ Trainer

“I was going to pull him out in the fourth. I considered pulling him out after the third, but I knew he would say ‘there is no way.'”

Dorely Valente and Mayela Perez battled to a ten round draw in a Female Flyweight bout.

Scores were 96-94 for Valente while that was over ruled by a pair of scores that read 95-95.

Valente is 8-0-2. Perez is 10-15-4.

Roberto Ortiz scored a six round technical majority decision over Fidel Monterrosa in a Welterweight bout scheduled for twelve rounds.

Monterossa was cut from an inadvertent elbow and Ortiz was docked a point in round two and that cut eventually led to the stoppage.

Ortiz, 146 lbs of Torreon, MX won by scores of 58-54, 58-54 and 56-56 and is now 28-0-1. Monterrosa, 145 lbs of Barranquilla, COL is now 29-7.

Joseph Aguirre, 131.8 lbs scored a four round unanimous decision over Israel Huerta in a four round Jr. Welterweight bout featuring pro debuters.

The March 2nd WBA Lightweight title fight between Richard Abril and Sharif Bogere has been moved from the Apollo Theater in New York to the Hard Rock Casino in Las Vegas according to Dan Rafael of espn.com

The fight was moved after the Featherweight title bout between Daniel Ponce De Leon and Jayson Velez was called off due to a injury to Velez.

“Sharif Bogere is from Vegas and is very popular there, so for him fighting for his first world title, it makes sense to take it there,” Golden Boy chief executive Richard Schaefer told ESPN.com. “The Apollo in Spanish Harlem, in the middle of the Mexican and Puerto Rican neighborhoods, made all the sense in the world for Ponce versus Velez, but with them off the card, it makes more sense to do it from Vegas.”

Also on the card will be undefeated prospect Gary Russell Jr. battling Vyacheslav Gusev

According to Dan Rafael, HBO has hired New Jersey based judge Steve Weisfeld to commentate on rules.

“Our producers see him in the same manner as the role that Mike Pereira plays for the NFL on Fox,” HBO spokesman Ray Stallone told ESPN.com. “He’s our rules expert.”

Weisfeld has long been considered one of the best judges in America and has worked major fights all over the world.

Weisfeld’s first broadcast will be this Saturday’s Lightweight title bout between Adrien Broner and Gavin Rees

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, newly crowned WBA Super Lightweight champion Khabib Allakhverdiev will make his maiden defense when he takes on hard punching Bredis Prescott on March 30th as the televised co-feature to the anticipated rematch between Brandon Rios and Mike Alvarado on March 30th at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.

“He beat (Joan) Guzman, who’s a very good fighter and (matchmakers) Bruce (Trampler) and Brad (Goodman) think he’s a very good fighter, so we signed him,” said Top Rank Chairman Bob Arum. “We want to make him a big name and then we have fights we can try to make. Maybe he could fight (welterweight titlist) Tim Bradley, or the Rios-Alvarado winner. We can mix and match these guys.”

“It’s a title fight in the 140-pound division on the same card with Rios and Alvarado on top, so the winners and losers from that night, I can see them fighting each other somewhere,” Top Rank vice president Carl Moretti said. “It’s just a natural mix no matter who wins and loses that night.”

“Prescott was the first man to knock out Amir Khan, he had the war with Mike Alvarado and the disputed loss to McCloskey, who’s a southpaw, which shows he can handle that style,” Moretti said. “And Khabib just keeps coming and throwing punches. He doesn’t know any better. Let’s give him some credit. Khabib said to get him a tough guy. He had no problem taking this fight. Some people create their own storms and then complain when it rains, so let’s see what happens with Khabib and Prescott.”

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, Floyd Mayweather will be trained by his father Floyd Mayweather Sr. for his May 4th bout against a still unnamed opponent.

Mayweather and his father have had many differences in the past but appear to be back on the same page.

Me & my trainer [my dad] back working together getting ready for May 4th,” Mayweather tweeted. Mayweather also included a link of a photo of them together, presumably at his gym.

After the fallout of the Jonathon Banks – Seth Mitchell co-feature for this Saturday’s HBO World Championship boxing card featuring WBC Lightweight champion Adrien Broner battling Gavin Rees, HBO has decided iy will air the WBC Super Middleweight elimination bout between Sakio Bika and Nikola Sjekloca according to Dan Rafael of espn.com

“I think it’s terrific,” said Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer. “It is a fight which I was hoping get televised anyway and I didn’t have a spot, but the fight had to happen [because it’s an official eliminator] so we put it on the card and it wasn’t going to be televised. Bika is a come-forward guy who makes good fights and my matchmakers tell me that Sjekloca is an exciting come-forward guy as well, so it should be a terrific fight and I am happy HBO is picking it up.”

The winner of the fight is due to become a mandatory challenger for super middleweight champion Andre Ward, already an owner of a lopsided decision win against Bika, who has won two fights in a row since that defeat.

“Obviously, since HBO is deeply invested in the 168-pound weight class, I feel this is the right spot for this fight to air,” Schaefer added.

PLUS CHARLES WHITTAKER VS. DEMETRIUS HOPKINS,

VICENTE ESCOBEDO VS. EDNER CHERRY AND

2012 UNITED STATES OLYMPIANS RAU’SHEE WARREN AND

JAMEL HERRING SET FOR UNDERCARD

ATLANTIC CITY, February 13 – After a broken thumb forced Johnathon Banks to withdraw from his February 16 rematch with Seth Mitchell, Golden Boy Promotions has announced that a pivotal 12-round WBC super middleweight title eliminator between unbeaten number one rated contender Nikola Sjekloca and number two rated contender Sakio “The Scorpion” Bika will move into the HBO World Championship Boxing co-main event at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey before Adrien Broner defends his world title against Gavin Rees.

Plus, the stacked non-televised undercard will feature a USBA Junior Middleweight title fight between Charles Whittaker and Demetrius Hopkins, a junior lightweight bout pitting Vicente Escobedo against Edner Cherry and appearances by 2012 United States Olympians Rau’Shee Warren and Jamel Herring.

Budva, Montenegro’s Nikola Sjekloca (25-0, 7 KO’s) is a skilled boxer whose long hours in the gym and the ring are finally starting to pay off as he makes his way to the ring in Atlantic City for his first fight in the United States. A professional since 2006, the 34-year-old Sjekloca has been dominant while fighting in Europe, winning the WBC International and WBC Mediterranean titles along the way. His quest won’t be complete until he adds a world title to his resume and a win over Bika will put him one win away from that goal.

A punishing puncher whose aggressive style has stopped 21 foes in their tracks, 33-year-old Sakio “The Scorpion” Bika (30-5-2, 21 KO’s) has been among the best in the world for years, with the only thing eluding him being a world championship belt. A 2000 Olympian for Cameroon who also won NBC’s hit boxing reality show “The Contender” in 2007, Bika’s list of vanquished opponents includes Sam Soliman, Jaidon Codrington and Peter Manfredo Jr. The winner of two straight and coming off of a 10th round technical knockout over Dyah Davis last June, Bika is fired up for his February 16 showdown with Sjekloca.

Back in a fighting rhythm after a layoff of over a year, Philadelphia’s Demetrius “The Gladiator” Hopkins (32-2-1, 12 KO’s) has looked sharp in his new weight class of 154 pounds, shutting out Doel Carrasquillo and stopping Joshua Snyder in his first two fights in the division. However, the truest test of his ability to challenge the elite at junior middleweight thus far will come on February 16 when he meets up with Miami’s Charles Whittaker (39-13-2, 23 KO’s). A hard-hitting late bloomer who has won 15 of his last 16 bouts, the 39-year-old Whittaker will push Hopkins hard for 12 rounds if necessary in defense of his USBA Junior Middleweight title, but the “Killa” would love to end matters sooner than that.

2004 United States Olympian Vicente Escobedo (26-4, 15 KO’s) will make his first start since a July 2012 title fight loss to Adrien Broner on Saturday night and the 31-year-old Woodland, California native can’t wait to score a win and get back on track for another shot at a world championship. Standing in his way will be Miami veteran Edner “Cherry Bomb” Cherry (30-6-2, 16 KO’s), a former world title challenger at 140 pounds whose return to his optimum weight class of junior lightweight has seen him go unbeaten in his last seven bouts.

Three-Time United States Olympian Rau’shee Warren (2-0) has left the amateur game behind as he searches for professional gold and he’s off to a good start thus far wins in both of his bouts. On February 16, the bantamweight prospect will join his fellow Cincinnati native Adrien Broner on one of the most highly-anticipated cards of the year in a four-round battle against Wharton, Texas’ Richard Hernandez (0-5).

Rockville Centre, New York’s Jamel Herring (1-0) proudly represented the United States at the 2012 London Olympics and after his professional debut win over Puerto Rico’s Jose Valderrama on December 8, the lightweight prospect will seek his second victory the weekend against Carlos Lopez (4-2) of San Juan, Puerto Rico in a four-round.

In lightweight action, Toledo’s Robert Easter Jr. (2-0, 2 KO’s) will meet up with the aforementioned Valderrama (3-3, 3 KO’s) from Manati, Puerto Rico in a four-round fight and opening up the show will be Philadelphia’s Wahid Rahim (3-0, 1 KO) facing Allentown, Pennsylvania’s Ismael Serrano who will be making his professional debut.

Broner vs. Rees, a 12-round fight for Broner’s WBC Lightweight World Championship will take place Saturday, February 16 at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The event is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions, R & R Promotions, sponsored by Caesars Atlantic City and Corona and will be televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing beginning at 10:30 p.m. ET/PT. The co-main event will be a 12-round WBC super middleweight title eliminator between undefeated number one rated contender Nikola Sjekloca and number two rated contender Sakio Bika

Tickets priced at $200, $100, $50 and $25, plus applicable taxes and service charges, are available for purchase at the Boardwalk Hall box office, by calling Ticketmaster at (800) 736-1420 or online at www.ticketmaster.com.

For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com, follow on Twitter at www.twitter.com/GoldenBoyBoxing, www.twitter.com/AdrienBroner,www.twitter.com/ChenteEscobedo, www.twitter.com/RausheeWarren, www.twitter.com/RobertEaster_Jr, www.twitter.com/JamelHerring, www.twitter.com/BoardwalkHall and www.twitter.com/HBOboxing, follow the conversation using #BronerRees or become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing and www.facebook.com/HBOboxing.

According to Dan Rafael of esp.com IBF Bantamweight champion Leo Santa Cruz will relinquish his title and begin campaigning as a Super Bantamweight

We knew Leo was going to vacate,” said Golden Boy chief executive Richard Schaefer, Santa Cruz’s promoter. “He felt there were no more challenges in that weight class and he felt it was time to move up for new challenges.

“We get together and discuss with our fighters where they are and where they want to be. That’s what we’ve done with Leo and his team — his father and (adviser) Al (Haymon). We felt, jointly, that it made sense for Leo to move up.”

“Leo had a very busy year and it was important for his body to rest after he was so active, so we said let’s target a ring return for sometime in May,” Schaefer said.

“For the first fight at the higher weight class, we want to pick a quality opponent and we see in the next two or so fights that Leo will be fighting for a world title again,” Schaefer said. “He didn’t move up to do tune-up fights.

“We will have to see what is available for him for a big fight, but we believe as a company that, in no particular order, Leo Santa Cruz, (Nonito) Donaire, Abner Mares, (Guillermo) Rigondeaux and Gary Russell Jr. are the best guys in these (junior featherweight and featherweight) weight classes, and we are not afraid to put Leo in with anyone.”

Kevin Bizier remained undefeated after former world Lightweight champion Nate Campbell did not come out for round nine of their ten round Welterweight bout at the Bell Centre in Montreal.

Bizier used his size to slowly wear down the forty year old Campbell as he focused on the body. Campbell came out being active but was unable to sustain any type of momentum as the hometown guy was able to land hooks and uppercuts to pile up the points. The official stoppage came at the end of round eight.

Bizier, 147 lbs of Quebec City, Can is now 20-0 with 14 knockouts. Campbell, 146 lbs of Jacksonville, FLA is now 36-10-1-1

Laham squeaks past Asselstine

In a a battle of undefeated Lightweights, Baha Laham was able to score a ten round majority decision over Tyler Asselstine.

Asselstine tried to use his height and work rate early. Laham tried to get inside and make it a dog fight and he was able to make it that in the later rounds. It was a fight that could have gone either way but it was Laham getting the decision by a score of 96-94, 96-95 and 95-95.

Laham, 134 lbs of Montreal is now 11-0-1. Asselstine, 130 lbs of Toronto is 12-1.