According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, former Middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik has to decided to retire as he lacks the desire to continue his career and wants to preserve his long term health.

“When you stay in the sport too long you have health problems. That’s a big, big thing for me,” Pavlik said. “I’m not talking about now. I’m talking about in the future. I’m talking about when I’m 55 or 60. What’s gonna happen to me then? Why take any more chances, especially in that sport. It’s a brutal sport and you never know what can happen.

“I won the world title, I defended my title, I was champ for three years and I made good money. Why take the chance of medical problems? That’s a big part of it. I also don’t think the drive is there anymore. I’m moving on to a new chapter in my life.”

“I’ve been a pro for 13 years and doing this since I was 9,” he said. “I go away for two or three months at a time (to train) and I’m tired of leaving my family. It comes to a point where you just don’t want to do that anymore. I put my money away and then with the Ward fight being canceled, well, health and time with my family is more important at this stage, especially with no guaranteed big fight or date.

“I love Kelly. He did a lot of great things. He’s a friend and a great guy to know,” said Pavlik’s manager Cameron Dunkin, who is in New York because his fighter, Miguel Angel “Mikey” Garcia challenges for a featherweight world title against Orlando Salido in Saturday night’s HBO main event. “It was a great experience working with Kelly and I’m very happy for him making his decision.

“All the stuff he accomplished, when people said he couldn’t, when they were down on him earlier in his career and said he would never do anything, I believed in him and knew what he could do. I am so proud of what he accomplished.”

“I had a pretty good career,” Pavlik said. “I was 40-2 and I only lost to two of the best guys, Martinez and Hopkins. I’m content. It’s not like I got knocked out. It’s not like I got knocked out the way Manny Pacquiao got knocked out (in December by Juan Manuel Marquez).

“I’m fine physically. But I feel like why keep pushing the envelope? I made it this long and this far and I have had fights that were tough fights. I got dropped by Jermain Taylor, got dropped earlier in my career. But you constantly take punches and it all adds up. When you’re done, you might have brain problems, you might be punchy, you might develop Parkinson’s. Why push it? I don’t need it and my heart’s not in it anymore. So why take the chances? I’ve been very fortunate up to this point.”

“I know this — if it had been me who pulled out of the Ward fight, I would have been reamed. At this stage, I am just tired of the negativity and comments and a whole bunch of things. But I know people will think I’m drinking and it will be the first thing people go after.”

“I was contemplating it even before the last fight (in July),” Pavlik said. “Then they came up with the Andre Ward fight and I guess I got the motivation back. But I had been thinking about retiring and when the Ward fight fell out, that was icing on the cake for me.”

“For two or three years, she was telling me she wants me to be done. She said when I got to the age of 30, she wanted me to retire, so she backed it,” Pavlik said. “Her biggest fear was long-term (physical) affects of boxing. My parents are behind it. They always said if I am not going into the ring 100 percent mentally ready, they didn’t want me doing it, so they’ve been supportive of it.”

“As of right now, being a fighter and doing this since I was 9 and being at the level I’ve been at, I’m done,” Pavlik said. “Is out of the question would I come back? I can’t say that but then you can’t rule it out. But as of now, it’s legit.”

The Theater at Madison Square Garden played host to three of boxing’s most anticipated fights as Top Rank in association with K2 Promotions showcased three world title fights in one night. The main event was a breakout performance for Mikey Garcia (30-0, 26 KOs, 125 ½lbs) who took on WBO featherweight champion Orlando Salido (39-11-2, 27 KOs, 126lbs). Things started quickly for Garcia when a left hook dropped Salido, who was lunging in with his head low. Not long afterwards, another spectacular punch sent Salido down again. After a dominant second round, Garcia knocked Salido down for a third time with another blow that Salido just simply didn’t see. This time it was a right uppercut. Garcia’s patience against the veteran Salido was impressive. Salido had been down countless times in the past, and Garcia made sure that he wouldn’t make a mistake despite his dominant start. To open the fourth round, a short right hand tagged Salido and sent him down yet again. Four knockdowns in four rounds, but none of them were particularly devastating. Salido quickly made it up to his feat each time, but despite stilly seemingly looking okay, Salido was sitting on an eight point deficit after only four rounds, and he was being thoroughly outclassed by his younger opponent.

Garcia is the textbook definition of an economical fighter. He doesn’t move unless it is to put his opponent in an unfavorable position where it would be difficult to land clean punches. He doesn’t throw punches for the sake of throwing punches. Each punch matters and they all serve a greater purpose. The left hooks that sent Salido down were simply short hooks that caught Salido with his head down trying to lunge inside. Other left hooks were thrown to shift Salido’s head into perfect range for his right hand.

There was only so much Salido could do to respond. He opened up the fifth round in a much more aggressive manner. He wasn’t going to tire Garcia out with the way he had been fighting, so he worked towards mauling Garcia against the ropes, leaning his body weight onto Garcia’s hoping to tire him out with sheer physicality. While Salido’s sloppier tactics improved things a bit, Garcia was still in total control. For every successful punch that Salido landed, Garcia landed an even more impressive one; often buckling the knees of Salido. By the eighth round, Salido came in with a right hook, and his head came forward, smashing into Garcia’s face. It created a loud smacking noise heard many rows back. After the round ended and Garcia walked towards his corner, it was clear that he had suffered a broken nose. Referee Benjy Esteves Jr. called in both ringside physicians to observe Garcia’s injury, and they both decided that Garcia was unfit to continue. Due to the accidental headbutt fight came to the scorecards, which were all in Garcia’s favor by a wide margin. The official scores read 79-70, 79-69, 79-69, giving Garcia the victory and his first world title.

Rising sensation Gennady Golovkin (24-0, 21 KOs, 160lbs) had a strong Kazakhstan showing when he defended his middleweight title against the talented Gabriel Rosado (21-5, 13 KOs, 159lbs). Golovkin’s reputation preceded him as in the first few rounds; Rosado utilized a great deal of movement and was very hesitant to throw punches. Golovkin was not flustered by this and walked Rosado down into the ropes and landed some strong blows. In the second round, a right hand from Golovkin opened up a cut over the left eye of Rosado, and it wasn’t long before the blood started pouring out of it. Golovkin just continued to apply the pressure, giving Rosado no room to breathe. Referee Steve Smoger kept a close eye on Rosado’s cut, which was getting worse and worse, and it looked like he was ready to stop the action, but Rosado’s cutman was able to contain the bleeding just a bit, but it was an impossible task. In the seventh round, Golovkin seemed to be going for the KO, and that was when Rosado’s corner stepped up onto the apron and threw in the towel. Golovkin successfully defended his title with a seventh round technical knockout at the 2:46 mark of round seven.

In an interesting matchup, Roman Martinez (26-1-1, 16 KOs, 129lbs) Juan Carlos Burgos (30-1, 20 KOs, 129 ½lbs) squared off in what looked to be an interesting clash of styles. The bout started off in an entertaining fashion as Martinez was able to get inside of Burgos’ rangy offense. Both fighters landed hard blows in the opening rounds, but Burgos’ size and movement seemed to be in control. He often ripped hard hooks to the body from a great distance, and they were taking their toll on Martinez’ body. The pace hit a plateau in the middle rounds. Burgos maintained control of the fight, but neither fighter seemed to kick it into a higher gear, and the fans became a bit frustrated. The pace continued in this fashion until the final bell. Most in attendance had Burgos winning the fight clearly. The final scores read 117-111 for Burgos, 116-112 for Martinez, and 114-114, making it a disappointing split draw. He result drew boos from the crowd.

Sean Monaghan (16-0, 10 KO’s, 177 1/2lbs) was the final non-televised bout when he faced Roger Cantrell (15-2, 8 KO’s, 184 1/2lbs). In addition to his weight advantage, Cantrell also had a sizeable height advantage over his opponent, and he stuck behind his jab to open the fight. Monaghan was able to slip underneath and get inside Cantrell’s range to land some blows of his own. The second round saw Monaghan land multiple unanswered combinations on Cantrell. In the third, Cantrell’s size and weight seemed to come into play and he went on the offensive. The middle rounds saw things level out as both fighters exchanged some heavy blows. But it was Monaghan whose blows were harder, more frequent, and more precise. Cantrell’s stamina seemed to wither and his punches lacked pop. Monaghan used that opportunity to wisely go to the body. Cantrell managed to weather the storm and survive until the final bell. The final scores read 77-75, 78-74, and 79-73 in favor of Monaghan, giving him a unanimous decision victory.

Rising star Glen Tapia (16-0, 9 KO’s, 153 1/2lbs) made short work of Ayi Bruce (14-8, 8 KO’s, 153 1/4lbs) in their bout. Tapia was just simply too big, too strong, too fast, and too smart for Bruce. He opened up the bout mixing things up from a distance with combinations to the body and head. Bruce had no answer. After a successful first round, Tapia became more aggressive. After a hard combination, Bruce was shaken and forced to cover up and weather the storm. Tapia beautifully began landing to the body, which forced Bruce to drop his guard just enough to allow Tapia to land a left followed by a right hook that sent Bruce down.

Bruce beat the count but was on very shaky legs. Tapia went in for the kill and landed about a dozen blows before the referee jumped in and saved Bruce at the 2:33 mark of the second round, giving Tapia a TKO victory.

Puerto Rican Olympian Felix Verdejo (1-0, 0 KO, 130 ½lbs) needed only two punches to knock out Tomi Archambault (1-3, 1 KO, 129 ½lbs). The opening bell rang, and Verdejo threw a left hook to Archambault’s body followed by a fast left hook that landed on his chin. That was all it took, and Verdejo was victorious with a TKO victory in only :21 of the first round.

In an exciting cruiserweight match, Isa Akberbayev (10-0, 7 KOs, 196 ½lbs) and Anthony Ferrante (12-4, 7 KOs, 196lbs) exchanged hard blows for ten rounds. Neither fighter took time getting to know eachother. Near the end of the first round, a right hand to the side of Akberbayev’s head sent him down. The knockdown did not seem to have any lasting effects and when the fighters continued, with only a few seconds to go, Akberbayev landed a right hand that sent Ferrante down. The fight cooled off a bit, but both fighters still traded hard blows. Ferrante’s size and ability to use it well seemed to tire Akberbayev. That, plus a cut that Akberbayev suffered midway through the bout seemed to trouble him throughout the second half of the fight. Entering the final round, Ferrante’s trainer shouted that he needed a knockout to secure a victory even though it seemed like he was ahead on points. Ferrante, calm as ever, shared a laugh with referee Randy Newman before entering the tenth round and landing a vicious right hand that knocked Akberbayev out cold and face first on the canvas. The bout was waved off, and Ferrante was credited with a tenth round knockout at the 1:19 point.

Mikael Zewski (17-0, 13 KOs, 149 ½lbs) scored three knockdows en route to stopping Brandon Hoskins (16-3-1, 8 KOs, 146lbs). All three knockdowns came in the fourth round and the referee called a halt to the action at 1:42 of the round, giving Zewski a TKO victory.

The judges gave Ronald Ellis (6-0, 6 KOs, 168 ½lbs) every round when he took on Steven Tyner (3-9-2, 2 KOs, 170lbs). The scores all read 40-36 in favor of Ellis for the unanimous decision victory.

It was a classic. In a town that enjoys a classic brawl so few and far between, the Minneapolis Convention Center was treated to one for the storybooks when Caleb Truax finally met Matt Vanda with Minnnesota middleweight supremacy on the line.

Minnesota boxing, for all intents and purposes waved goodbye to an icon, as Matt Vanda came up short against his probable successor Caleb Truax in a 10 round unanimous decision. The state’s strongest ticket sellers in this era were able to generate a strong crowd, and supplement the atmosphere with an absolute show.

Minnesota’s middleweight champion, Caleb Truax, solidified his title by outclassing the St. Paul native over ten rounds, despite sporadic rallies from Vanda. The veteran, Vanda, attempted to win the mental war over the younger Truax by raising his hand in triumph following a flurry midway through the bout. The Osseo native, Truax, showed poise, and was able to answer back with strong combinations throughout the fight, and eventually silence a pro-Vanda crowd.

The electricity was amplified in the late rounds of the bout, as the always energetic Vanda fan base urged their fighter on, but to little success. Vanda was outgunned by the younger, faster and stronger fighter from the early going. In a bout that truly served as a shot in the arm to the sport of boxing in Minnesota, Truax reigned supreme and showed promise of a new era, just as Vanda did so many times in the past decade.

The bout was complimented by a strong undercard line up which featured an instant local classic between Charles Meir and Travis Perzynski. Both fighters tasted the canvas, in an all out war, as Meir was able to outlast the less experienced Perzynski over eight rounds.

A man dubbed as one of the state’s strongest punchers pound for pound, put his power on display, when Muhammad Kayongo went toe to toe with Gilbert Venegas in a six round slugfest. Kayongo was able to slide the uppercut through the cover of Venegas all too often, and pull out a unanimous decision victory in a well contested bout.

Also in action were lightweight standouts Jeremy Mclaurin, who made his way back into the win column by beating Dewayne Wisdom, and Tony Lee who topped Leonard Overstreet, both in decision victories.

If you haven’t heard of Sergey Kovalev you’re not alone. Until tonight not many have. But after an emphatic stoppage win over a top 5 opponent in Gabriel Campillo (on network TV no less!), it’s safe to say we’ll all be seeing more of Kovalev in the near future. So impressive was his destruction of Campillo that he may have actually made it hard for himself to get a big fight any time soon.

Campillo was legitimately world class and only recently lost a highly debatable decision to light heavyweight champ Tarvoris Cloud. Kovalev apparently didn’t get the memo as he steamrolled right though Campillo without a second thought. From the onset, Kovalev threw as if Campillo was merely a heavy bag that needed a good working over. Campillo seemed at a loss and was unable to keep Kovalev’s bombs from getting through his guard. About 30 seconds into round 3 Kovalev’s punches finally showed an effect on Campillo, who became trapped along the ropes and went down on all fours amid a flurry of punches. After beating the count, Campillo was again subjected to a flurry of Kovalev’s punches and wisely took a knee to compose himself. It didn’t help. When he finally did rise, he tried to back away from the onrushing Kovalev and ended up eating a hard right hand going backwards that dumped him on the seat of his pants. Referee Michael Ortega had seen enough and called of the fight at 1 minute 30 seconds of round three. Make no mistake, Kovalev (now 20-0-1 17kos)can certainly crack. It remains to be seen how good he truly is, but the way in which he dismantled Campillo makes me think it’ll be fun to find out. Campillo (21-5-1 7kos) on the other hand, simply can’t catch a break. After dropping a number of close fights and now being destroyed by Kovalev, Campillo’s risk/reward factor is off the charts. And not in a good way. It’s hard to imagine any top fighter who would want to fight him so it could be a long road back to the top for Campillo.

If you blinked, you might have missed the NBC Sports Net co-main event between middleweights Elvin Ayala and Curtis Stevens. Less than a minute into the first round, Stevens landed a picture perfect counter left hook that dumped Ayala to the canvas. Although he beat the count, Ayala was on shaky legs when he was allowed to continue and Stevens immediently took advantage; unleashing a flurry of punches that was punctuated by a left hook that laid Ayala out cold. Stevens(now 23-3 17kos) looked impressive taking care of Ayala so quickly and his stock will surely rise based solely on the severity of the knockout. Ayala (now 26-6-1 12kos) had been on the receiving end of a number of brutal knockouts and should probably being to start thinking about calling it a career.

In the opening bout of the evening, heavyweights Jarrell Miller and Joey Dawejko batteled to a 4 round draw. The fight was completely one sided with Miller throwing more and landing the harder, cleaner shots throughout. The fight was ruled a draw solely on the two points referee Johnny Callas took from Miller in round 3. Miller had pushed Dawejko to the canvas numerous time throughout the preceding 2 rounds, but it was unclear why the points were deducted as Dawejko was on his feet both times the points were taken. Whatever the reason, the 2 points were the reason all three judges scored the bout 37-37. Miller now stands at 4-0-1 (4kos). Dawejko adds his second draw and is now 7-1-2 (3kos).

A six round super featherweight bout between Joseph “Chip” Perez and Jason Sosa ended early courtesy of a Sosa right hand in round 4. The fight started poorly for Perez, who suffered a flash knockdown on a right hand to the midsection late in round 1. The knockdown happened as Perez was moving backward and though it did no damage, it did serve to animate Perez who fought back hard in rounds 2 and 3 to try and make up for the lost point. Sosa made the rounds close though by matching Perez punch for punch. Amid a heated exchange in the 4th, Sosa turned the fight with a lead right hand that caught Perez flush on the chin. Perez beat the count but was declared unfit to continue by referee Johnny Callas, who called the fight at 2 minutes 10 seconds. With the win, Sosa improved to 8-1-3 (4kos) while Perez dropped to 10-2 (3kos).

Super Middleweight Marcus Upshaw overcame some early troubles to knockdown and eventually knock out Vladine Biosse. Upshaw was being outworked over the first three rounds but started to pick up the pace in round 4. He began to land his right hand with regularity and in round 5, was able to floor Biosse with it after setting it up with a well timed jab. Biosse beat the count and was able to recover enough to make rounds 6 and 7 competitive. Upshaw was able to stop the momentum Biosse was building in round 8 when he again landed a perfect 1-2 that dropped Biosse to the canvas. Biosse rose but absorbed enough punishment over the course of 20 seconds to cause referee Tony Chiarantano to stop the fight. Upshaw runs his record to 15-8-1 (6kos) while Biosse slips to 14-2-1 (7kos). Time of the stoppage was 2:25 of round 8.

Lightweight Edwin Cotto (1-0 1Ko) made a successful pro debut by stopping Ian James (2-5-1 1Ko) within the scheduled 4 round distance. Cotto was never in any trouble and landed almost everything he threw. He dropped James in rounds 2 and 3 and ultimately stopped him in round 4; knocking him backward into referee Michael Ortega who wisely stopped the fight. Time of the stoppage was 18 seconds.

Welterweight Jimmy Williams got a little help from Curtis Stevens, whose 1st round KO of Elvin Ayala allowed his pro debut to be broadcast to millions on network TV. Williams didn’t shrink from the moment and batter his opponent, Noel Garcia, before stopping him impressively. Williams scored a knockdown in round 3 via a left hook, right hand, left hook combo. Garcia beat the count and survived the round, but probably wishes he hadn’t. In round 4 Williams landed a crushing right uppercut, left hook combo that knocked Garcia cold. It was about as good a way to make a pro debut as one could imagine. Williams is now 1-0 1Ko while Garcia drops to 2-16-2 1Ko. Time of the stoppage was 39 seconds of round 4.

Deontay Wilder kept his perfect knockout record intact by disposing of Matthew Greer in round two of a scheduled ten round Heavyweight bout.

Wilder dropped Greer from a hard right hand in round two and moments later the fight was ended after a combination put Greer to his knees.

Wilder, 225 lbs of Tuscaloosa, AL is now 27-0 with twenty-seven knockouts. Greer, 240 lbs is now 15-9.

Robinson Castellanos scored a first round stoppage over Edgar Ramirez in a scheduled ten round Featherweight bout.

Castellanos dropped Ramirez with a left hook and a second knockdown was registered from a right hand and the bout was stopped at 1:49 of round one.

Castellanos. 126 lbs of Cumajuato, MX is now 17-9 with eleven knockouts. Ramirez, 124 1/2 lbs of Hermoso, MX is now 13-6

Ivan Morales scored a spectacular one punch knockout over Patricio Camacho in the opening frame of their scheduled eight round Bantamweight bout.

Morales landed a perfect right hook that put Camacho flat on his back and the fight was immediately stopped at Forty-Seven seconds.

Morales, 117.7 lbs of Tijuana, MX is 20-0 with thirteen knockouts. Camacho, 114 lbs of Gusuave. MX is now 16-8-1

In a scheduled six round Middleweight bout, Francisco Reza scored a fourth round stoppage over Roberto Ventura.

Reza is now 11-5 with nine knockouts. Ventura is now 11-7.

WBO Lightweight champion Ricky Burns will take on IBF champ Miguel Vazquez on March 16th according to Dan Rafael of espn.com

The card will take place at Wembley Arena in London and also include light heavyweight titleholder Nathan Cleverly in a mandatory defense against Robin Krasniqi.

“It’s the best of Britain all in one night of big fights,” said promoter Frank Warren. “Fans have got two of our very best world champions, Burns and Cleverly, in action with Burns in a huge unification clash against Vazquez, while Cleverly faces a hard defense against Krasniqi. Groves has the chance to add the European title to his collection and has a tough fight against Ndiaye, while Chisora is reapplying for his license.”

“This is a dream come true for me,” said Burns, who held a junior lightweight title before vacating to move up in weight. “Any boxer would be happy winning two world titles at two weights and retire, but for me, I want to continue winning more world titles, unifying them and stepping up the weight divisions. Vazquez is a top fighter and one that I’ve been after a long time so I’m over the moon that it’s happening.”

“We’re really excited about getting this fight,” said Sean Gibbons of Zanfer Promotions, which promotes Vazquez. “Adrien Broner is running from us because of our style. We’re not the most exciting at times but we are the No. 1 lightweight in the world. We’ve proven it. We took the Burns fight because we couldn’t get Broner. So since we couldn’t get Broner, we’ll take the man Broner wanted, Burns. And when we beat Burns decisively, we hope Broner quits talking and fights the best lightweight in the world.

“Burns is a good, solid fighter and a good test, and going to England is not an easy place to win, but Miguel Vazquez is a master boxer and has the style to beat anyone in the world at lightweight.”

“Krasniqi will be a hard defense and he’s a fighter not to be underestimated,” Cleverly said. “I’ve got to beat him and in style to keep the heat on for a unification fight against (Tavoris) Cloud, (Chad) Dawson or (Beibut) Shumenov. Every fight is crucial for me, but there is extra pressure on this one to perform, which I love, because I fight best when the pressure’s on.”

“I’ve won the British and Commonwealth titles and the European is the next step for me towards the world title,” Groves said. “The guy (Ndiaye) is tough and awkward. James DeGale didn’t want to fight him, but I’ve got the tools to beat him. It’s a great show to be on alongside Cleverly, Burns and Chisora and it will be a fantastic night in London.”

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com is reporting that a deal for WBA Welterweight champion Paulie Malignaggi to take on former three division champion Shane Mosley is close to being finalized.

Mosley told ESPN.com on Monday that the deal has been agreed to and that “on my end, it’s a go.”

“Shane came to see me in early December and said he wanted to come back for an opportunity to win a world title again, that he feels ready, that he feels he can beat Malignaggi and see if we could give him the opportunity,” said Golden Boy Promotions Richard Schaefer. “I looked in his eyes and told him he cannot make a lot of money and that a lot of people question whether he should fight. But I told him I will do what I can to give him the opportunity and that it would be up to him to prove that he has what it takes to be world champion again.

“I discussed the fight with the networks and Paulie and I felt Shane deserved the opportunity to fight for a world title again. He has accomplished so much and thrilled fight fans in so many fights, so I am happy to give him this opportunity.”

“I’m excited to have my father back with me as my coach,” Mosley said. “To be able to go into a fight and (try to) win a world title again with my father in the corner, that is like a storybook. To go into a fight like this and have family in the corner and win another belt, it’s going to be a great feeling.”

“Me working with my son and other up-and-coming fighters, I felt good. My body feels better,” said Mosley, who attributed his winless stretch to a series of leg and groin injuries that he said are now better.

“My legs were dead,” Mosley said. “I couldn’t move like I wanted to and I was throwing one shot at a time. That started from injuries. I had a groin injury before the Mayweather fight. After that I had the Achilles injury. I was fighting with no legs and I couldn’t attack. That’s why I had so many problems.”

“I was thinking about it and running a little bit and I said, ‘You know what? I think I can do this,'” he said. “I’m holding my own in the gym no matter who I work with. I really love this sport. I love to do it. When I am in the gym, I can see myself improving.”

“I told Richard that this could be a good fight and asked him what do you think about Paulie and me fighting in Brooklyn,” Mosley said. “Fighting Paulie is a great opportunity. (When Golden Boy offered me the fight) it’s something you can’t really refuse. Paulie is a mover, but he’s durable. A lot of people underestimate him and then they lose. But I can’t afford to underestimate him.”

“I’m not fighting for money,” said Mosley, who has earned tens of millions of dollars. “I’m fighting for the belt and the love of the sport. I love the sport. I want to be in there. I want to win the belt. I’m not fighting for the money. I’m fighting for history, legacy and the family coming back together. This is a fight to give me a world title that I want and after winning it, I will fight all comers.”

“The first reaction from a lot of people when I mentioned the fight was, ‘Why?’ My reaction was who do you think will win the fight and the reaction was that they thought Shane might win,” Schaefer said. “That’s why it’s an intriguing fight. And Shane is going into the lion’s den in Paulie’s backyard because this is about his desire to become welterweight champion again.”

Said Mosley: “There’s not to much to say to the critics. Say what you say. I’m just thankful and grateful I have the opportunity to get in the ring and fight for a world title again.”

The first installment of Golden Boy’s Boxing Series at the BB&T Center in Sunrise FL showcased Johan “El Terrible” Perez 16- 1-1, 12 KOs squeaking by with a majority decision win over former world champion Stevie “2Pounds” Forbes 35-12, 11 KOs in a Jr. Welterweight matchup. The Venezuelan Perez had problems with Forbes, letting the smaller faster fighter inside with hopes he can win the infighting with his powerful punches. The momentum slightly shifted throughout the fight with many close rounds. Forbes boxed great, had a great sixth round and fought hard until the final bell, but it was the bigger Perez who closely won the final four rounds including a decisive tenth round. The cards read 97-93, 96-94 and 95-95.

Cuban Olympian Yudel Jhonson 13-1 (8KO) won a hard earned unanimous decision victory over late replacement journeyman Dhason “Fly Boy” Johnson 13-10-3, (4KO). Fly Boy’s courageous attack throughout the bout was trumped by Jhonson’s excellent experience and counter punching from his southpaw stance.

Middleweight Terrell Gausha 2-0, 2 KOs, a 2012 US Olympian, make quick work of Kenneth Taylor Schmitz (2-6,1 KO) with a TKO in the first round. The Olympian overwhelmed Schmitz with skill and punches from the opening bell and right up to the 1:42 mark where Sam Burgos stepped in the wisely save the Saint Joseph, Missouri product Schmitz.

Rising light heavyweight prospect Thomas “Top Dog” Williams, Jr improved to 12-0, 9 KO’s with a TKO win over Jason Smith 8-2, 6 KO’s. Williams, a native of Fort Washington, MD cut him early in the fight dropped Smith twice and. The southpaw Williams was fluid and accurate with his punches and did a great job breaking body down of the game and tough, but underskilled Smith from Logan WV. Referee Frank Gentile stepped in to stop the fight at 1:56 of the third round.

Tracy Rollins, fighting out of Hollywood FL 4-0 (2KO) came out guns a blazing on the way to a quick first round stoppage over Jose Angel Sanchez, who was making his pro debut. Rollins who got wild at times with punches knocked Sanchez down three times in the first round. The stoppage came at 2:29 of round one.

Golden Boy has signed with the BB&T Center in Sunrise Florida for the Golden Boy Boxing Series will hold future live boxing events on June 1, 2013, Oct. 12, 2013 and Jan. 14, 2014.

Daniel Cormier remained undefeated and pounded out Dion Staring in round two of their Heavyweight bout.

Cormier dominated from the beginning and in round two, Cormier had Staring on the ground and pounded him until referee John McCarthy stopped the bout at 4:02 of round two

Cormier, 230 lbs of Lafayette, LA is now 11-0 with five knockouts. Staring, 240 lbs of Netherlands is 28-8.

Cormier called out former UFC Heavyweight champion Frank Mir for a possible April 20th showdown

Josh submitted Nando Guelamino in the first round of their Heavyweight bout.

Barnett took Guelamino down that set up Barnett for the choke and he tapped at 2:11 of round one.

Barnett, 249 lbs of Fullerton, CA is 32-6 with 20 submissions. Guelamino is now 11-4-1.

Gegard Mousasi scored a first round choke out over Mike Kyle in a Light Heavyweight bout.

Mousasi got Kyle on the ground and started pounding on Kyle and made Kyle tap out from the choke at 4:09.

Mousasi, 205 lbs of the Netherlands is now 34-3-2 with 11 submissions. Kyle, 205 1/2 lbs of San Jose, CA is now 19-9-1-2.

Jacarie Souza scored a first round armbar submission over Ed Herman in a Light Heavyweight bout.

Souza, 193 1/4 lbs of Rio De Janeiro, BRA is now 17-3-1 with 13 submissions. Herman, 193 lbs of Denver, CO is now 20-8-1.

Ryan Couture won a disputed split decision over KJ Noons in an action filled Middleweight bout.

Scores were 29-28 on two cards for Couture, 155 1/2 lbs of Las Vegas and he is now 6-1. Noons, 156 lbs of San Diego is now 10-5.

Tim Kennedy scored a third round chokeout over Trevor Smith in a scheduled three round Middleweight bout.

The bout was stopped at 1:36 of round three from a guillotine choke.

Kennedy, 186 lbs of Austin, TX is now 15-4 with eight submissions. Smith, 186 lbs of Tukwila, WAS is now 10-3

Pat Healey scored a three round unanimous decision over Kurt Holobaugh in a Lightweight bout.

Scores were 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28 for Healey of Portland, ORE and is now 31-16. Holobaugh of Hammond, LA loses for the first time and is now 9-1.

Roger Gracie scored a second round tap out over Anthony Smith in a Middleweight bout.

Bot guys were cut but Gracie was able to force Smith to tap out from a triangle choke at 3:16 of round two.

Grace of London, UK is now 6-1 with five submissions. Smith of Omaha, NEB is now 17-8

Golden Boy Promotions won the purse bid to stage the rematch of the WBC Super Welterweight elimination bout between Vanes Martirosyan and Erislandy Lara according to Dan Rafael of espn.com

Golden Boy won the bid with $410,000 offer to Top Rank’s bid of $62,500

The two fought to a technical draw on November 10th in a bout that was supposed to give champion Saul Alvarez a mandatory challenger.

“It’s the fight we want, the fight we want to go back and do,” said Luis DeCubas Jr., Lara’s manager. “I think everyone had Lara winning the fight the first time around except two of the judges. We haven’t spoken on dates yet with Golden Boy. They said they would go out and win the purse bid and that’s exactly what they did. Lara will be ready to fight tomorrow, in 60 days, in 90 days, whenever.”

“HBO showed zero interest in the fight; mainly and rightfully so because of Lara’s style,” said Top Rank’s Carl Moretti. “Can’t blame them. They actually are cognizant of what they air and we respect that.”

DeCubas said whatever network puts on the fight, he was happy that Golden Boy made a commitment to it with its strong bid.

“There are a few networks I think that would buy the fight,” he said. “Golden Boy put up a great number, which we are happy about. So let’s see where it winds up

Ronny Rios scored a ten round unanimous decision over former world champion Rico Ramos in a Featherweight bout at the Fantasy Springs Resort in Indio, California.

It was a lackluster fight that saw a lot of clinching but it was Rios who landed the harder blows and he won by scores of 100-90, 97-93 and 96-94.

Rios is now 20-0. Ramos is 21-2

Rios is happy with the win but felt he could do better. “I give myself only a C grade,” he said. “I knew I won it, but I didn’t win it the way I wanted. I really wanted to make a statement on SHOWTIME, but I hesitated too much in the last few rounds.

“I wanted to keep pushing forward and working the body, but he kept smothering me. The good news is I passed my first big test, took the next step in my career and hopefully will be getting a world ranking because of it. It’s a great honor to win the NABF belt, but I really wanted to look better. It’s difficult to look good against a guy with his style.”

Ramos was moving up a notch in weight and making his first start in seven months, but he did not make excuses. “Sure, I’m disappointed,” he said. “I know I could and should have done more, but give Rios credit. He got me with some really nice jabs.”

In a battle of undefeated Jr. Middleweights, Daquan Arnett scored a eight round unanimous decision over Brandon Quarles.

Quarles was very effective over the first half of the fight as he landed a couple of right hands that rocked Arnett. Arnett came on over the second half of the fight by using combinations and working the body. Quarles was docked a point by referee Ray Corona in round seven for holding.

Arnett, 155 3/4 lbs of Orlando, FL won by scores of 78-73, 77-74 and 76-75 and is now 10-0. Quarles, 153 1/2 lbs of Alexandria, VA is now 9-1-1.

“He managed to take me out of my game plan, but I proved that I could adapt. I switched to southpaw at the start of the fourth round just to give him a different look and I think that threw him off. There’s no question I won it clearly in the end.”

Quarles, who had a point deducted in the seventh for leading with his head, felt the wrong guy got his hand raised. “I felt I was out-and-out robbed,” he said. “I outworked him, threw more punches, and hurt him way more than he hurt me.

“I took him out of his game plan. He was holding my hand down the whole fight. So what happens? They take a point away from me. I’m so sure I won, I can’t even be upset.”

Lightweight John Molina rebounded from being stopped in the first round of his world title opportunity with a fourth round stoppage over Dannie Williams in a scheduled ten round bout in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Molina controlled the fight using his distance and then he landed a right at the end of round three that buckled Williams. Molina then landed a jab that was followed by a huge right that sent Williams down along the ropes. When he arose he was on the apron and the fight was stopped.

It is a good win for Molina who was stopped in his WBC Lightweight title bid against Antonio DeMarco. Molina, 135 lbs of Covina, CA is now 25-2 with twenty knockouts. Williams, 235 lbs of St. Louis, MO is now 22-3.

Brandon Gonzales remained undefeated by scoring an eight round unanimous decision over Dpn Mouton.

Gonzales simply had more skills then the tough Mouton as Gonzales landed multiple punch combinations with both hands and at times focused on the body. Mouton was a tad more effective don the stretch but it was a too little too late as Gonzales won by scores of 78-75, 77-75 and 77-75.

Gonzalez, 167 1/2 lb of Sacramento, CA is now 17-0-1. Mouton, 164 lbs of Houston, TX is now 11-5-1.

In a battle of pro debuting Welterweights, Brandon Holmes scored a fourth round stoppage over Abelrado Javier Esparza.

Holmes landed a left hook that sent Esparza to the canvas for the ten count at thirty-six seconds of the fourth and final scheduled round.

Eduardo Dominguez scored a four round unanimous decision over Joshua Montoya in a Welterweight bout.

Scores were 40-36, 39-37 and 39=37 for Dominguez who is 1-0. Montoya is 0-2.

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com Tony Bellew and Isaac Chilemba will fight each other in a WBC Light Heavyweight elimination bout on March 30th to crown a top contender for champion Chad Dawson.

“I cannot wait for this show — it’s going to be a great night of boxing in Liverpool,” said Bellew’s promoter Eddie Hearn. “It’s a crucial night for Tony, with a win securing a well-earned second world title shot, and he has great momentum coming into the fight after performing well in 2012. Isaac is a tough customer, though, and Tony will have to be at his best to get the win.”

“It’s a massive night and a really tough opponent for the right to fight for the big one,” Bellew said. “Isaac is a top-class opponent. He beat Miranda at late notice and has only one defeat on his record from five years ago, so he’ll be well up for this and he’s in good form.

“But I’m on the edge of a world title fight, and I’ve worked too hard to give it away now. It’s a great card … for the Liverpool fans, and I am sure they will turn out in force on March 30.”

“We think that Isaac matches up well with Bellew and this is a tremendous opportunity for Isaac,” promoter Lou DiBella said. “It’s a title elimination bout, so you take the fight. You roll the dice, and if you have to go to England and fight in the other guy’s hometown for the opportunity, you go to England and fight in the other guy’s hometown. Isaac has been waiting for this opportunity.

“He’s a top-tier 175-pounder, and so is Bellew. People saw Bellew’s fight with Cleverly. It was a great fight. They saw what he did against Miranda. They saw what Isaac did against Miranda. It’s gonna be a good fight.”

IBF Jr. Welterweight champion Lamont Peterson will defend his crown against mandatory contender Kendall Holt on February 22nd in Washington, D.C. on ESPN 2 according to Dan Rafael of espn.com

“I’ve been talking to (Peterson’s Manager/Trainer) Barry (Hunter) all along trying to work this out. We went to a purse bid so we could protect the fight and make sure we had time to get it all worked out,” said Holt’s promoter Gary Shaw, who won the purse bid to stage the fight. “Barry and I are partners and we’re gonna split up the money and make our own deals with the fighters. Kendall will make more than $12,500 and Lamont will make more than $37,500.”

“I think it’s a wonderful fight for Kendall,” Shaw said. “These are two fighters who are both going to come to win. I don’t think the fight is going to go to a decision. Kendall can really punch. I’ve always believed he was the biggest puncher in the 140-pound division. And I have a lot of respect for Lamont Peterson. Look what he did to Khan. At the end of the day, he won the fight.

“Stylistically, I think it will be a terrific fight. Neither guy will back down from each other.”

Former two division world champion Juan Manuel Lopez will take on Aldimar Silva Santos of Brazil on February 2nd in Puerto Rico according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“This will be a good return fight for JuanMa after his biggest absence from the ring,” promoter Peter Rivera of PR Best Boxing Promotions said. “We are going to see how JuanMa looks after almost 11 months without a fight. JuanMa is training hard because he wants to win a world championship again.”

A very controversial decision capped an exciting 12-round elimination bout for the IBF’s #2 position at super featherweight between Miami-based Cuban Rances “Kid Blast” Barthelemy (18-0, 11 KOs) and previously undefeated Arash Usmanee (20-1, 10 KOs) season debut of ESPN Friday Night Fights, live from Stage 305 in the Magic City Casino in Miami, Florida.

Afghani-Canadian Usmanee closed the show with an amazing eleventh and twelfth round where he stalked, punched and attacked the Cuban Barthelemy relentlessly applying pressure until the final bell. The fight was competitive but I and many ringside reporters had the fight unanimously in favor of Usmanee. I spoke to Teddy Atlas after the fight and he was very upset with the decision and had the fight 117-111 for Usmanee. Barthelmy had a good first few rounds but started squaring up and Usmanee used that to his advantage and closed the gap and scored with great inside punching. As the cards were read the crowd, who was Barthelemy’s home crowd were also shocked by the decision. I had the fight 115-113 to Usmanee, all three judges scored for the Cuban 115-113, 116-112…. in the words of Teddy Atlas… the system is corrupt…

Puerto Rican slugger Jonathan “Mantequilla” Gonzalez 16-0(13KO) won a ten round decision over Derek “Pooh” Ennis. Gonzalez fought great on the outside throughout the fight with great accurate punches at times where he seemed to hit Ennis at will. Gonzalez, the Former Puerto Rican Olympian, is trained by former world champion John David Jackson, kept his composure throughout the fight and kept busy. Philadelphia’s Ennis, who dropped to 23-4(13KO) was able to land a couple big shots per round and found success while infighting, which Gonzalez avoided at good measure. The cards read 95-95, 98-92, 97-93.

Bayamón, Puerto Rico’s Roberto J. Acevedo (7-0, 5 KOs) destroyed Francisco Rios Gil (17-18) 12 KOs of Sonora, Mexico. An obvious physical mismatched produced an obvious underskilled attempt from the Mexican to hang with the bigger and stronger Acevedo.

Miami based Cuban Hairon Socarras 6-0-1(5KO) knocked out Josh Bowels 6-1(1KO) in the third round of their featherweight matchup. Socarras who is just 19, boxed nicely keeping Bowels at the end of his punches landing straight right hands and left hooks on the shorter Harrisburg, PA fighter, Bowel. The end came with a fascinating two punch combination, a left hook and a thunderous overhand right that deposited Bowels to the canvas. Bowels got to his feet but, however unable to continue.

Skilled rising prospect Light Heavyweight Radivoje Kalajdzic 9-0(6KO) won a hard fought unanimous decision over Grover “The Cobra” Young 7-8(4KO). Kalajdic was blistering fast and showed excellent ring generalship commanding the bout from the opening bell. The Bosnian born Kalajdic overwhelmed Young with punches in the third round dropping him twice, once right at the bell. Where the southpaw Young finished strong after the knockdowns, it was far too little too late.

The opening bout of the evening showcased Jeremy Bryan 16-2(7KO) from Patterson New Jersey with a great upset unanimous decision with over Light Welterweight Belarusian Yuri Ramanau 22-3(14KO). Early on Ramanau applied constant pressure tracking Bryan down and keeping his range and touching his counterpart. But it was the former two time amateur national champion Bryan who had a great fight past round 3 doing some nice work fighting from the outside and picking Ramanau off with sharp punches and great be first boxing. A cut over Bryans left eye in round two did not deter the determined New Jersey native, who should be proud of his performance.

Entertaining Cruiserweight Keith “Machine Gun” Tapia 6-0(5KO) destroyed Rafael Valenzuela and put on a great show while doing so….. with his boxing and with his ring antics.. which were humble and fun… I hope this kid goes on to do great things, he has the personality. I spoke with him after the fight and he was determined to take his career to the top. I am a fan.

WBC Lightweight champion Adrien Broner will make the first defense of hos crown when he takes on Welshman Gavin Rees on February 16th in Atlantic City according to Dan Rafael of espn.com

Rees got the fight after WBO champion Ricky Burns priced himself out of the fight.

“Gavin Rees was one of the fighters on the short list of approved opponents by HBO,” Schaefer said. “I guess he wanted the fight more since Ricky Burns outpriced himself. I can understand that a fighter would want a career-high payday when fighting Adrien, but when a fighter asks for three or four times his highest payday and wants payment tax-free, then it is simply a way of saying, ‘No, I don’t want to fight Broner.’

“My respect goes out to Gavin Rees for stepping up to the plate and fighting, in my opinion, one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world.”

“We have agreed to terms and are proceeding to contract,” Matchroom Sport promoter Eddie Hearn, Rees’ promoter, said. “Gavin is a tenacious fighter. I really feel he will give him a great fight. It is a great opportunity for Gavin. He is a former British, European and world champion, and this kind of fight and occasion is what you are in the game for. Of course, he will be a heavy underdog, but he is a tenacious man with nothing to lose. I believe he will give Broner one hell of a fight.”

The co-feature will pit the r

The postponed fight between World Super Middleweight champion Andre Ward and former Middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik is now off due to Ward needing shoulder surgery according to Dan Rafael of espn.com

The bout was originally scheduled for January 26th and then moved to March 2nd after Ward suffered the injury.

Pavlik’s manager Cameron Dunkin told ESPN.com that he was notified Wednesday night by Top Rank’s Bob Arum, Pavlik’s promoter, that Ward would be sidelined for an extended period.

“Bob called me up and told me the fight was out and said, ‘What are we gonna do with Pavlik?’ He said Goossen called him and told him that Ward needed shoulder surgery,” Dunkin said. “So I don’t know what we’re gonna do, but we’re going to move forward and get Kelly a fight and get him back in the ring.

“I sent him a text to let him know what was up because I couldn’t get in touch with him.”

“I wasn’t jumping up and down for the fight,” Dunkin said. “I wasn’t excited for it, but it’s something Kelly wanted and that is my job, to create opportunities for my clients. Kelly told me that fighting Ward was what he wanted to do. He said to get the fight done, so sometimes that’s what you gotta do. And now we will look for something else.”

UPDATE

Andre Ward said Thursday that he has a tear in his right shoulder that will require surgery.

“When I first got injured, there was a lot of inflammation, and the MRI was misread by the first radiologist,” Ward said in a statement. “I’ve been doing extensive rehab and the shoulder was getting stronger, but after three-and-a-half weeks of rehab, there was still slight pain that had me concerned enough to get two additional opinions.

“It was then diagnosed that there is a small tear in my shoulder capsule. It’s not a major tear, but I can either rest it and see if it heals itself or speed up the process by surgically repairing it, and be stronger than I was before the injury and that’s what we opted to do.”

“I’m working with one of the best orthopedic surgeons and physical therapists in Northern California, and I know that I will come back stronger than before,” said Ward, a native of Oakland, Calif. “I appreciate all the support that I’ve already received and my fans can rest assured that I’m going to be back in the ring as soon as possible.

“Despite the injury, I still plan to have a big 2013 and hope to have two fights in the New Year.”

“I was really looking forward to the fight with Pavlik,” Ward said. “Everything was on board and situations happen, but I wish Kelly Pavlik and his team nothing but the best in the future.”

Abner Cotto scored a stoppage after round six in his ten round Lightweight bout with Sergio Perez in Caguas, Puerto Rico.

Cotto dropped Perez in round one from a hard three punch combination and continued to dominate the bout until Perez did not come off his stool for round seven.

Cotto, 133 lbs of Aguas Buenos, PR is now 16-0 with seven knockouts. Perez, 133 lbs of Tijuana, MX is 27-14.

Cesar Seda Jr. scored four knockdowns en route to a second round stoppage over Lorenzo Trejo in a scheduled eight round Bantamweight bout.

Seda dropped Trejo with a body punch in round one and two more times later in the same round that ended almost a minute too soon/ Seda dropped Trejo just seconds into round two and the bout was stopped seventeen seconds into the second frame.

Seda, 122 lbs of Puerto Rico is now 24-1 with seventeen knockouts. Trejo, 122 lbs of Sinora, MX is now 31-26-1.

Jose Lopez remained perfect as he scored a four round unanimous decision over Eric Gotay in a Featherweight battle of previously undefeated Featherweights.

Lopez scored a knockdown in round one after a punch made Gotay take a knee and a left hook deposited Gotay in round four.

Lopez, 125 lbs of Carolina, PR is now 6-0. Gotay, 124 lbs of San Juan, PR is 3-1.

It was a historic afternoon of fights at the Sands Casino Resort in Bethlem, PA. Steve Cunningham (25-4, 12 KO’s 203.5lbs) and Tomasz Adamek (47-2, 29 KO’s, 223lbs) fought in a hotly anticipated rematch of their 2008 fight of the year candidate. This event was televised by NBC and the entire card was put together by Main Events and Ziggy Promotions in association with Peltz Boxing, DiBella Entertainment and Pushka.

Both fighters began the bout tentatively; trying to establish range with their jabs. Cunningham utilized the entire ring with his movement and fought behind his jab to keep the distance between the two of them even further. Adamak, a notorious slow starter, stalked Cunningham and poked away with his jab. Hoping to force his opponent into the ropes or a corner. By the third, Cunningham felt the desire to engage, and landed a big right hand that sent sweat flying off of his opponent’s head. Adamek responded with a flurry while pinning Cunningham against the ropes, but it was Cunningham that seemed in control early on by a slight margin. The third saw more back and forth action. Cunningham was again able to land some flush blows with his rangy punches, and Adamak continued to press Cunningham into the ropes.

The fifth round saw a bit more action, as Adamek turned up his punch volume, and Cunningham seemed happy to oblige. In the few exchanges they encountered in that round, Adamek had the the cleaner punches landed. However, in the sixth, it was Cunningham who got the better of Adamek in exchanges. He was able to land a massive right hand flush on Adamek’s chin with an overhand right as Adamek worked his way in. The iron chinned Adamek took the punch well, but Cunningham seemed to find his groove. That groove continued into the seventh, with Cunningham continuing to land his right. Adamek Resorted to rushing in on Cunningham in order to pin him against the ropes and immobilize him for a short while. When Adamek was successful in doing this, Cunningham snuck in a check right hook that knocked Adamek off balance. Entering the tenth round of what appeared to be a close fight by our scorecards, Cunningham opened up with two big right hands that drew wows from the crowd. Adamek continued to work forward, always knowing that his will and power will carry him late in fights. He was able to land a blow of his own, keeping Cunningham in check. Cunningham followed with a left hook that stopped Adamek in his tracks.

As they entered the championship rounds, Adamek became much more aggressive, but that left him open to counter right hands from Cunningham. About halfway through the round, Adamek finally landed clean with a right hand that shook Cunningham up. The end of the tenth round saw both fighters land clean, reminiscent of their first encounter which featured non-stop action. The final round saw both fighters give it their all. Adamek was poised, with his right hand cocked, hoping to land a big one, while Cunningham continued pumping out his longer punches. Both fighters landed huge right hands, and Adamek’s blows seemed to slightly shake Cunningham’s knees. Adamek wanted a brawl, and he was finally getting it. The final bell rang with both exhausted fighters throwing punches.

At first, Michael Buffer read the scores wrong; declaring it 115-115 even, 115-113 for Cunningham, and 116-112 for Adamak, making the fight a split draw. But after being informed of his error, Buffer announced 115-112 for Adamek, 115-113 for Cunningham, and 116-112 for Adamek, giving Adamek a split decision victory. Later, it was announced that there was another error and the one scorecard read 115-113 for Adamek.

15rounds scored the fight 117-111 for Cunningham.

Vyacheslav Glazkov (13-0, 9 KO’s, 2215) and Tor Hamer (19-1, 12 KO’s 221lbs) opened up the televised portion of the night. After a tentative start, Hamer was the first to get off after landing some straight rights to Glazkov’s mid section. Those punches seemed to allow Hamer an opportunity to land a solid left hook to end the round. Glazkov opened up the second working in some left hands of his own, alternating between his jab and hook. By the fourth round, Glazkov took command behind his left hook from the outside. After his second helping of Glazkov’s right hand, Hamer walked away shaking his head as if he knew he was in over his head. Glazkov landed the blow repeatedly throughout the round and often followed up with a straight right. Hamer provided absolutely nothing in response. As the round ended, Hamer sulked back towards his corner. In between rounds, Hamer and his corner were forced to retire from the match. In other words, Hamer quit. Glazkov, who was on his way to a breakout performance, was credited with a technical knockout at 3:00 of the fourth round. In what was supposed to be an exciting first fight on a historic night on NBC, Hamer instantly left a stain on the event.

In a swing bout that took place after the Adamek-Cunningham main event, Julio Angel De jesus (6-3-2, 3 KO’s, 144lbs) took on Korey Sloane (2-5-1, 0 KO’s, 141.5lbs) in a bout scheduled for four rounds. De Jesus opened up strong, landing an overhand right against his much taller opponent. Sloane eventually settled into the fight and began throwing his jab at an effective rate. The bout continued in that fashion for the entirety of the four rounds. The final scores read 39-37, 38-38, 38-38 with the fight being a majority draw. The one other scorecard was in De Jesus’favor.

Jerome Rodriguez (1-0, 1 KO, 139lbs) took to the ring against Edwardo Stith (Debut, 139lbs) in a bout scheduled for four rounds. Both fighters came out in southpaw stances, and Stith moved more and shot out occasional punches from a distance, while Rodriguez stalked behind his high guard and fast counter punching. Midway through the first round, a straight left staggered Stith into the ropes, and Rodriguez unloaded dozens of unanswered punches that left Stith reeling all across the ropes. To his credit, Stith stayed on his feet, and was able to bring the fight back into the center of the ring and eventually out of the round.

Stith was more hesitant to exchange from that point on, which left Rodriguez to opening his opponent up with hard body punching and stiff jabs. That worked to perfection later in the round when two body blows, followed by an uppercut, and then a hard straight staggered Stith into the corner. Stith barely remained on his feet, and Rodriguez came in with more viscous blows. The referee was forced to stop the match at the 2:56 point in the second round, giving Rodriguez a TKO victory.

Naim Nelson (8-0, 1 KO, 132.5lbs) squared off against Osnel Charles (9-4-1, 1 KO, 134.5lbs) in a bout scheduled for eight rounds. Nelson was the more well polished of the two, working behind a stiff jab and straight right. Charles used the ring well, and often barged his way inside with hard hooks. Charles’ workrate gave him a lead in the early goings of the match, but Nelson did not seem phased by Charles’ aggression, and would often unleash hard combinations of his own. Nelson’s punches were much more accurate and was able to stagger Charles twice in the middle rounds. In the seventh round, with Nelson in command, Charles crumpled onto the canvas after a body blow that landed on Charles’ belt line. Referee, Steve Smoger addressed it as a low blow. The eighth round saw Nelson sit back on his big lead, but still maintain control of the round behind his jab and solid defense. The scorecards were announced as 78-74, 78-74, and 77-75 in favor of Nelson, giving him a unanimous decision victory.

David Williams (6-6-1, 2 KO’s, 212.5lbs) and William Miranda (6-5-1, 242lbs) fought to a draw to open the night. Both fighters exchanged hard blows throughout, but neither maintained a significan edge in the fight.

Former world champion Juan Manuel Lopez will return to the ring against an opponent to be named on February 2nd in Puerto Rico according to Dan Rafael of espn.com

“I’ve been training since August and I feel in good shape for my comeback,” Lopez said. “I will fight in another division, but the featherweights should know that I’m not out of that division. I’m going to fight in the junior lightweights in my return bout and I’m going to see what happens.”

In mid-November, Henry Neumann, Puerto Rico’s secretary of sports and recreation, ended Lopez’s suspension.

“Juanma Lopez can continue his career starting today,” Neumann said at the time. “Practically, this is a pardon, taking into consideration Juanma’s career as an amateur and professional. Juanma has been an example, serving his community work and adding the forgiveness of the referee.”

“I learned a lot from this experience,” Lopez said. “I feel so good because I can fight again and continue my career. This is my sport, but is my job too.”

NEW YORK–Lou Diebella’s Dibella Entertainment put together another massive Broadway Boxing card at the Roseland Ballroom in the Theater District of New York City. The headline featured New York’s own Will “Power” Rosinsky (16-2, 9 KO’s, 174lbs) in a light heavyweight showdown against Otis “Triple OG” Griffin (24-10-2, 10 KO’s, 174lbs) for the New York State Light Heavyweight title.

Rosinsky, a volume puncher, started off by ripping hard shots to Griffin’s body. Griffin allowed Rosinsky to get on the inside, hoping to get in some shots around Rosinsky’s arms and point of view. At the end of the first, Rosinsky was showing a cut on the side of his left eye. By the second, Rosinsky seemed a bit more comfortable and was shooting his straight right from a distance. While in the corner, Griffin was able to turn and counter one of Roskinsky’s punches with a hook. The blow staggered Rosinsky, forcing him to steady himself by holding onto the ropes. After that exchange, swelling started to form around Rosinsky’s left eye.

As the bout progressed into the middle rounds, Rosinsky maintained his offensive output, while Griffin still did some good work countering while against the ropes. This quickly became one of those fights where one wouldn’t want to be a judge. By the sixth, it was Rosinsky who was moving around more, hoping to goad Griffin into initiating the action and opening himself up for a counter punch. Both fighters were extremely savvy and did not often fall into eacho others traps.

Griffin came out of his corner for the eighth round like a bull, rushing Rosinsky into the ropes and landing hard punches in the process. The swelling over Rosinsky’s left eye grew worse, and now there was blood coming out of his mouth. Rosinsky managed to weather the storm and looked good when he brought the fight back into the middle of the ring.

The final round of the fight saw Griffin work Rosinsky into the ropes. With a flurry of his own, Rosinsky came back to take over the second half of the round.

The final bell rang, and the judges scored it 97-93, 96-94, and 96-94 all in favor of Will Rosinsky for the unanimous decision victory and the New York state Light Heavyweight title.

Gabriel Bracero (20-1, 3 KO’s, 141lbs) continued his comebacking ways against Johnnie Edwards (15-5-1, 8 KO’s, 142lbs). Despite not possessing hard one punch power, Bracero is a bit of a brawler and opened up the fight taking it right to Edwards. After some hard in-fighting, Edwards fell on a slip, but got up on shaky legs. Bracero pounced and immediately scored a left hook that sent Edwards crashing into the ropes and onto the canvas. Edwards beat the count and was saved by the bell, but the next three rounds saw Bracero beat Edwards from pillar to post. In the fourth round, Bracero continued the beat-down. After a combination that backed Edwards into the ropes, Edwards took a knee and complained of an eye injury. The referee counted and then took a closer look to observe the injury and then was forced to call the bout over. Bracero won by technical knockout at the 2:48 point in the fourth round.

The up and coming sensation, Ivan Redkach (12-0, 11 KO’s, 134lbs) faced Edward Valdez (11-8-2, 8 KO’s, 134lbs). Redkach is known for his sensational knockouts, and he started the fight by taking it right to Valdez, landing two hard right hands. Valdez, to his credit was able to land long looping right hands over the top of Redkach’s straight left hands. This continued throughout the fight. Redkasch stalking Valdez with the left hand, landing it often, with Valdez countering with his right hand and landing every so often.

Valdez’counters definitely earned Redkach’s respect. Redkach wasn’t nearly as aggressive as he usually is. Redkasch landed more consistent blows, but Valdez’ shots wowed his hometown crowd. Entering the seventh round, Redkach seemed intent to put Valdez away, landing dozens and dozens of hard blows with Valdez in the corner. Finally, a little over halfway through the round, Valdez landed a hook that stopped Redkach in his tracks. Redkasch didn’t seem too phased, but it did stop him from continuing his high work rate from earlier in the round. The final round saw both fighters exhausted, but still throw punches until the final bell rang. The final scorecards were announced as 79-73, 78-74, and 78-74 for Redkach and a unanimous decision.

In an eight round feature, Ionut Ion Dan (29-3, 16 KO’s, 150lbs) squared off against Franklin Gonzalez (15-11, 11 KO’s, 150lbs). Ion Dan began the fight working behind his jab and keeping his southpaw left cocked for a counter. He was much taller than Gonzalez, so he maintained a safe distance to throw from, never allowing Gonzalez to be in his optimal range. That caused for Gonzalez (also a southpaw) to reach fairly often with his left hand. By the fourth round, it was all Ion Dan, still applying all the pressure and throwing all the meaningful punches. He worked Gonzalez into the ropes and unleashed multiple blows that had Gonzalez reeling, only to be saved by the bell. As the fifth round went underway, Ion Dan feinted a shot upstairs and landed a hard left hook to the body, dropping Gonzalez. The referee immediately waved the fight off after seeing Gonzalez writhe in pain. Ion Dan was credited with a technical knockout victory at the :11 point in the fifth round.

Travis Peterkin (5-0, 3 KO’s 175lbs) looked huge compared to his opponent, Edward Tigs (1-4-2, 0 KO, 169lbs). The entire bout from start to finish saw Peterkin utilize his size and strength to overwhelm Tigs. It was as one-sides as you can get. Tigs was not particularly bad; he used the ring well and was able to counter somewhat well. Peterkin simply out-matched him. In the third round, a right hand stunned Tigs, and Tigs wisely took a knee to prevent any more damage. The rest of that round and the fourth saw Peterkin continue his onslaught. The final scorecards read 40-35, 40-35, and 40-35, a unanimous decision for Peterkin.

Mikkel LesPierre (1-0, 1 KO, 143lbs) came out to a roaring ovation when he took on Cornelius Whitlock (Debut) in a bout scheduled for four rounds. Both fighters looked talented from the outset; utilizing skilled defense and ring usage. LesPierre was much more calm, fighting behind the shoulder roll in a southpaw stance. Whitlock fought off his back foot for those first two rounds, using every square inch of the canvas. In the second, LesPierre was able to walk Whitlock into the ropes and land multiple blows that had Whitlock reeling.

By the third, LesPierre smelled blood and went in for the kill. That proved to be a mistake as he walked right into a big right From Whitlock hand that buckled his knees and had him reach down to the canvas to stay on his feet. The referee called it a knockdown and when both fighters were allowed to continue, Whitlock was now on the hunt. He landed two more big right hands and then backed towards the corner. LesPierre walked right into another huge right hand bomb and was on his back. He beat the count, and Whitlock tried getting him out of there, but LesPierre survived the round. By most unofficial scorecards, Whitlock still needed the fourth and final round to win the fight. Instead of keeping his hands moving, Whitlock went back to the same backing away style that lost him the first two rounds. The bout ended and the final scorecards read 37-37, 37-37, and 37-37 scoring the fight a draw. Promoter Lou Dibella reached an agreement with both fighters that they would fight in a rematch at the next Broadway Boxing event.

The women took to the ring in a bout scheduled for four rounds. Akima Stocks (4-0, 3 KO’s, 154lbs) took on Marva Dash (0-1, 156lbs). Stocks started the bout very aggressive from her southpaw stance. The bout remained that way, with Stocks consistently working Dash into the ropes. The bout was a little sloppy because of the fact that both combatants were left-handed, but Stocks maintained her composure and alway skept her hands moving. In the fourth and final round, Dash finally began to throw her jab, and it was landing. Soon afterwards, she appeared to score a knockdown, but the referee ruled it off as a slip. The final bell rang, and all three judges saw it the same way, scoring it 40-36 on their cards, giving Stocks a unanimous decision victory.

Jarrell Miller scored a second round stoppage over Tyrone Gibson in a four round Heavyweight bout.

Miller rocked Gibson in round one from a right hand. Later in the round Miller opened up with a four punch combination on the ropes. Miller rocked Gibson with a huge right hand that he followed up with a barrage and the fight was stopped at 1:25 of round two.

Miller, 278 lbs of Brooklyn, NY is now 4-0 with four knockouts. Gibbing, 230 lbs of Hibbing, MN is now 1-4.

Allan Benitez (7-1, 1 KO, 136lbs) and Daniel Calzada (4-6-2, 1 KO, 135lbs) fought in a back and forth bout. Both fighters threw aggressive punches, but it was Calzada who kept the pressure throughout the first half of the fight. He was basic in that he stuck to the jab followed by a straight right, but he threw constantly and landed regularly Benitez resorted to counter hooks, which landed at a good rate, but they seemed to come few and far between.

By the second half of the fight, Calzada seemed to tire just a bit, and Benitez took advantage by upping his work rate. He seemed to try making up for the fact that he might have given up early rounds. The final round saw both fighters give it their all, exchanging huge hooks for the entire three minutes. At the end, the close scorecards of 60-54, 59-55, and 59-55 in favor of Daniel Calzada, giving him the upset victory.

The opening bout of the evening saw Maurice Hooker (6-0-1, 5 KO’s, 141lbs) square off against Cameron Kreale (2-3-2, 0 KO’s, 139lbs) in a bout scheduled for four rounds. Kreale was no pushover, showcasing an aggressive stance, but he was no match for Hooker, who was simply more talented. A right hook dropped Kreale in the opening stanza, and Hooker continued to apply the pressure throughout the fight. A second knockdown came in the second with another right hook. From then on, Hooker coasted to a UD victory, counting on his superior talent and resilience. The final scorecards read 40-34, 40-34, and 39-35 in favor of Hooker.

IBF Welterweight champion Devon Alexander’s mandatory title defense against Kell Brook has been rescheduled for February 23rd after an ankle injury to Brook according to espn.com’s Dan Rafael.

The fight will take place in Detroit according to Golden Boy Promotions Richard Schaefer

“We’ll have two world title fights, and it could turn out to be three, so if we bring three world title fights, including one with hometown champion ‘K9’ Bundrage, I think we will do darn well there. Detroit is a great fight town,” Schaefer said.

Cornelius “K9” Bundrage (32-4, 19 KOs), who is from Detroit, making his third defense against Ishe Smith (24-5, 11 KOs) of Las Vegas. Schaefer said there would be one other televised fight to be determined.

“Kell sustained an ankle injury that has hampered his training and running work,” said Brook’s promoter Eddie Hearn said. “I’m concerned mainly for the traveling U.K. fans, and it’s in no one’s interest for the fight to fall through closer to the time, so I requested a three- to four-week delay to the original date of Jan. 19. This will eradicate the risk and ensure Kell will be 100 percent for the biggest fight of his life.”

Gary Shaw Productions has won the the right to stage a potential IBF Jr. Welterweight title fight between champion Lamont Peterson and Kendall Holt according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

Shaw grabbed the rights for a mere $50,000. Since his company was the only one that showed up at the IBF offices for the purse bid, he submitted the envelope with the cheaper total. He would have bid a much higher amount had their been competition at the auction.

As the titleholder, Peterson (30-1-1, 15 KOs) is entitled to 75 percent of the money ($37,500) with Holt (28-5, 16 KOs) getting the remaining 25 percent ($12,500).

“We’re going to do the fight so I want to get with Barry Hunter and see if we can do it in D.C., and if not, then I’ll take the fight somewhere else,” Shaw said. “Kendall Holt wants this fight. Peterson? That will be up to him and Barry if I can make a deal with them.”

“I’ve been spoken to Barry and I thought we’d make a deal before the purse bid,” Shaw said. “He said he would call Lamont and get back to me, but I have not heard back from him.”

“Let’s see if Barry comes around and see what kind of gate we can do,” Shaw said.

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, Former world champion Amir Khan has signed a deal to have his fights be televised on Showtime.

“It was offered to us and to Amir, and we liked the terms and decided to do it,” Golden Boy Promotions chief executive Richard Schaefer told ESPN.com. “We want to do big fights with Amir and so does Showtime.”

Under the new Showtime deal, Schaefer said the remaining fights for Khan would likely take place in April and November.

“There could be a rematch with Danny Garcia, but there are also other big names,” Schaefer said. “Maybe a rematch with Lamont Peterson [who handed Khan a controversial split decision loss last December], maybe a Victor Ortiz, Devon Alexander or Andre Berto, when Amir moves up to welterweight.”

“Amir Khan is one of the most talented and entertaining boxers in the sport today,” said Steven Espinoza, General Manager of Showtime Sports. “He fights in weight classes that are deep in talent and compelling matchups, and he has shown that he is willing to fight anyone. Given Showtime’s emphasis on the junior welterweight and welterweight divisions, it made sense for us to establish an ongoing relationship with Amir and Khan Promotions so that together we can bring boxing fans more of the high-quality, all-action fights that Amir has become known for.”

Oscar Goddoy scored a third round stoppage over Javier Gomez in a scheduled six round Welterweight bout.

Goddoy landed a flurry against the ropes that sent Gomez down in round three and the fight was stopped at forty-eight seconds of round three.

Goddoy of Watsonville, CA is now 9-2 with four knockouts. Gomez, 146 1/2 lbs of Tijuana, MX is now 13-10.

Jonathan Garcia remained undfeated with a first round knockout over Rodolfo Armento in a six round Jr. Welterweight bout.

Garcia dropped Armenta from a left hook that was followed by a right to the head. Garcia finished the fight with a flurry that was punctuated by two vicious shots that sent Armenta down again and the fight was stopped at 2:03.

Garcia, 142 lbs of Watsonville, CA is now 10-0 with seven knockouts. Armenta, 142 lbs of Los Mochis, MX is now 11-9-1

HOUSTON – The Toyota Center undercard ended on a decisive note with impressive Oklahoma City welterweight prospect Alex “El Cholo” Saucedo beating down Utah opponent Eddie Cordova, assaulting him repeatedly with a left uppercut-right cross combination made famous by Mexican Juan Manuel Marquez. Saucedo (7-0, 5 KOs) whacked the outmatched Cordova (3-4-1, 1 KO) to the corner early in round 3 and stopped him at 2:14 of the same, remaining among promoter Top Rank’s very best prospects.

Victor Terrazas, a well-regarded Mexican featherweight contender, ended up in a tougher scrap than anticipated in the penultimate match of Saturday’s undercard, decisioning Californian Juan Ruiz by split-decision scores of 74-78, 78-74 and 79-73. Terrazas (35-2-20 KOs) had Ruiz (23-12, 7 KOs) outclassed but not outhustled, as Ruiz continually lowered his head and charged into Terrazas who at times seemed confounded by the task of keeping Ruiz off him, while boxing well at others.

Saturday’s last undercard match before the international television broadcast began featured Mexican welterweight Daniel Sandoval (30-2, 29 KOs) and awkward, buffoonish Texan Larry Smith (10-14, 6 KOs) in a six-round match that saw one man punch and the other clown around. Sandoval was the puncher and prevailed by unanimous decision scores of 60-54, 59-55 and 60-54, despite showing far less power than his record anticipated.

Lightweight Jose Felix Jr. did his Mexican hometown of Los Mochis proud in the fifth fight of Saturday’s undercard at Toyota Center. After spending a few rounds measuring his opponent, Bahamian Meachor Major (20-6-1, 17 KOs), Felix Jr. timed the slippery boxer leaning too far forward on the way in, clipped him with a left-hook lead, and hurt him badly enough to win by TKO at 2:23 of round 3.

Saul Rodriguez, a California super featherweight trained by Robert Garcia, had no trouble with Mexican Pablo Brates, in their four-round match. Rodriguez (8-0-1, 5 KOs) found Brates (2-5-1, 1 KO) with most every punch he threw, and despite being hit hard a few times himself, won each round by wide margins.

Saturday’s third fight, a six-round match between undefeated Houstonian Cedric Agnew (25-0, 13 KOs) and oft-defeated Mexican Alfredo Contreras (11-15-3, 4 KOs), a match that saw Agnew land numerous flush shots – and eat a few as well – ended with a wide decision for Agnew: 58-56, 60-54, and 59-55. Contreras, who hails from main-event fighter Jorge Arce’s hometown of Los Mochis, was entirely outclassed but managed to entertain throughout, raising questions about Agnew’s power.

Before that, in a four-round fight between Connecticut super bantamweight Tremaine Williams (5-0, 2 KOs) and Texas’ Rafael Casias (4-6), Williams held on to win a unanimous decision, 39-36 and 39-36 and 40-37, despite fading slightly in the final round.

Saturday’s card began with a four-round super welterweight match between California’s Sukhrab Shidaev (4-0, 2 KOs) and Texan Jose Trevino (1-7-1, 1 KO), a match that Shidaev won by knockout at 1:39 of round 3.

Opening bell rang on an empty Toyota Center at 5:15 PM local time.

Leo Santa Cruz retained the IBF Bantamweight title with a twelve round unanimous decision over Alberto Guevara at the Los Angeles Sports Arena.

It was an entertaining fight and both guys bled, Santa Cruz from the nose and Guevara from the right eye. It was Santa Cruz work rate that prevaied over the shiftiness of Guevara which worked well at the outset.

Santa Cruz, 117 3/4 lbs of Rosemond, CA won by scores of 119-109. 118-110 and 116-112 and is now 23-0-1. Guevara, 117 1/2 lbs of Mazalton. MX is niw 16-1.

“I want to thank Al Haymon, Golden Boy and all of my supporters because otherwise I wouldn’t have been able to fight on CBS,” Santa Cruz said. “I’m sorry I didn’t give as good of a show today. I felt a little different. I couldn’t breathe after the third round, so I had to breathe through my mouth. I messed up my right hand in sparring — that’s why I moved to southpaw.

“I usually throw more body shots, but he was running too much. I have been fighting a lot in the last several months and didn’t give my body enough time to rest.”

“I think I did great. I was very tough for him,” Guevara, a virtual unknown coming in, said. “Leo is very good, very tough and very strong. I know I hurt him in the 12th round, but he hurt me in the fifth.

“I said that I was going to be in there and not run around. I had to stay with my style and box. I felt like I trained for one and a half men. They called us for the fight three weeks ago.”

Errol Spence Jr. scored a third round stoppage over Richard Andrews. Spence is now 2-0 with two knockouts

Nonito Donaire 121.5 – Jorge Arce 122
Victor Terrazas 126.25 – Juan Ruiz 123.5
Daniel Sandoval 150.25 – Larry Smith 149.5
Jose Felix Jr. 133 – Meachor Major 132.75
Rafael Casillas 122.25 – Tremaine Williams 123.5
Alfredo Contreras 175 – Cedric Agnew 175.75
Eddie Cordova 147.5 – Alex Saucedo 146.5
Yakub Shadiev 150.5 – Jose Trevino 151.5
Pablo Briteas 128.5 – Saul Rodriguez 128.5

Lucas Matthysse will take on Hank Lundy as a televised co-feature to the Devon Alexander – Kell Brook IBF Welterweight title fight on January 19th in Los Angeles according to Dan Rafael of espn.com

“If there would be a pound-for-pound (list) of the most exciting fighters in the world, Lucas Matthysse would be at or near the top, and he is always must-see TV,” said Golden Boy Promotions Richard Schaefer. “I am very happy to have him back in January and if all goes well, we plan to bring him back in May for a big fight.”

“My dream is still to eventually do Maidana versus Matthysse, but first things first,” Schaefer said. “With Lundy, he is facing a determined fighter who realizes this is a big opportunity.”

Golden Boy matchmaker Robert Diaz said that the opening bout of the telecast would pit Turkish welterweight Selcuk Aydin (23-1, 17 KOs) against Mexico’s Jesus Soto Karass (26-8-3, 17 KOs), both of whom are regularly in action-packed fights.