Dan Rafael of espn.com is reporting that an intriguing Welterweight clash between WBC Interim champion Robert Guerrero and former two time champ Andre Berto will happen on November 24th on HBO.

“We have a deal in place and it’s a great fight, a fight for the fans,” said Guerrero’s co-manager Luis DeCubas Jr on Monday.

“They’re both warriors and known for putting on great fights. Come Nov. 24, there will be a new superstar in boxing, Robert ‘The Ghost’ Guerrero. The sky is the limit for this kid. He’s a million dollar fighter and he will prove why he’s the best 147-pound fighter in the world.

“Robert wanted to fight Bradley (on Dec. 15 on HBO) but Bradley punked out and we moved on to the next best guy, who we think is Andre Berto.”

“I’m excited to be back in there,” Berto told ESPN.com. “I went through a lot in the last year but I had a lot of good people continue to support me and give me encouragement, and then it all got cleared up. It’s time to move forward and get back in the ring. I didn’t care who it was against. I was just looking forward to the challenge.”

“We’re using USADA. They will do extensive drug testing and we will also be tested by the California commission, and we expect Andre Berto to have integrity for the sport and fight clean,” DeCubas said. “Everybody in life makes mistakes and he is getting a second chance.

“We wanted to use VADA, which had contacted Robert, and we looked into that. But Berto’s side wanted to use USADA. Robert is not going to make or break a fight over this. We’ll kick his ass whether it’s VADA, USADA or the California commission doing the testing. If Berto thinks Victor Ortiz roughed him up (in his lone loss) then wait until he fights Robert Guerrero.”

Said Berto, “I’m hyped and I’m motivated. A lot of things happened this year. I learned so much and I’m ready to put everything behind me and work.

“I went through all the testing with the commission. They know it was contamination (that led to the positive test), not enhancement drugs.

“My mind and my heart is real numb to that and I’m ready to move on,” he said.

“This is a kid who is clean inside the ring and outside the ring and if there’s anyone who deserves it it’s Robert Guerrero,” said DeCubas, adding that Guerrero would begin his training camp in Las Vegas on Tuesday. “He’s earned it. He hasn’t been given anything.”

“I was at his fight with Aydin and it was really close to me,” Berto said. “Aydin didn’t really have too much to bring, just that power and pressure. He was one dimensional. I bring a lot more to the table — speed, power, I can box and I can bang it out if I have to. I’m an all-around fighter. It’s gonna be an exciting fight.

“I don’t really think (Guerrero) will bring too much of that power up with him to 147, but at the same time he’s a crafty little southpaw. Aydin was so one dimensional but, at the end of the day, Guerrero got the ‘W.’ That the only thing that matters.”

“Floyd hasn’t defended the title in over a year and he won’t fight Robert, so we expect the WBC to do what’s right by Robert Guerrero and make this fight for the full title,” DeCubas said.

Jeffrey Fontanez scored a fourth round stoppage over John Nater in a scheduled eight round Lightweight bout.

Fontanez landed a big left to the body shot that sent Nater down for the ten count at forty-six seconds of round four.

Fontanez, 134 lbs of Caguas, Puerto Rico is now 9-0 with eight knockouts. Nater, 135 lbs is now 11-4.

Braulio Santos scored a second round stoppage over John Molina in a scheduled eight round Featherweight but.

Santos dropped Molina with a wide left hook in round two and when he got to his feet the referee deemed Molina unfit to continue at 1:05 of round two.

Santos, 125 lbs of Carolina, PR is now 8-0 with seven knockouts. Molina, 124 lbs of Barranquilla, COl is now 30-21-3.

Miguel Tapia scored a four round unanimous decision over Jose Rios in a Super Bantamweight bout.

Tapia is 6-1-1. Rios is 2-1.

CARSON, Calif. – Surgery isn’t pretty. But sometimes it’s necessary.

It was Saturday night for Nonito Donaire in a well-crafted, yet careful ninth-round stoppage of Toshiaki Nishioka in a super-bantamweight bout booed by a Home Depot Center crowd that had just witnessed some Fight of the Year drama in Brandon Rios’ victory over Mike Alvarado.

There was no way Donaire and Nishioka could put together a satisfying encore. Who could?

Then again, there also aren’t many times when a fighter with world-class credentials lands only 49 punches. That was Nishioka’s total, according to Compubox, which broke it down to 23 jabs and 26 power punches. Rios and Alvarado landed more punches in their walk from the dressing room for opening bell.

Nishioka, a 122-pound fighter from Japan with an accomplished resume, looked listless and perhaps a little surprised. From the beginning, he looked confused. He tried to avoid instead of engage Donaire. Fewer punches magnified the ones that did land, especially from Donaire.

“Nonito is a surgeon,’’ Donaire (30-1, 19 KOs) said.

In the sixth, the Doctor was in.

Donaire delivered a left- uppercut that dropped Nishioka (39-5-3, 24 KOs). Donaire said he hurt his left hand sometime in the middle of the fight. After the sixth, he said he had to rely on his right.

No problem. In the ninth, he dropped Nishioka and the curtain with a straight right. Referee Raul Caiz called it at 1:54 of the round.

“I’ve never seen a fighter with that kind of speed,’’ Nishioka said.

For Donaire, it’s hard to know what’s next. He wants to fight Abner Mares. But Donaire is a Top Rank fighter and Mares is promoted by Golden Boy. Peace on earth has a better chance than a Golden Boy-Top Rank alliance.

Then again, maybe a good surgeon can mend the promotional rift that stands in the way of the only 122-pound fight anybody wants to see. Dr. Donaire can hope.

Rios wins TKO on a night when he and Alvarado deliver

They hoped for Arturo Gatti-Micky Ward. They talked about Jose Luis Castillo-Diego Corrales. They promised a lot.

Brandon Rios and Mike Alvarado delivered.

In their own way.

First, there were punches. Then, there were counters. Then, there were chants. Then, there was astonishment. Never was there an interruption, until Rios suddenly found energy where everybody else had begun to see signs of potential fatigue. They weren’t looking in the right place.

But it was there, somewhere inside Rios (31-0-1, 22 KOs), who marshaled his energies Saturday night for a dramatic seventh-round TKO of Alvarado (33-1, 23 KOs) in what might be the Fight of this Year and few other years.

Rios, of Oxnard, Calif., caught Alvarado with an overhand right. The punch seemed to land on Alvarado’s left temple. He appeared dazed. He slumped against the ropes. That was an invitation the instinctively aggressive Rios could not resist. He swarmed Alvarado at a rate that the Compubox computer at ringside must have had a hard time counting. The punches were hard to see. Alavardo surely couldn’t

Appearing defenseless, referee Pat Russell called it at 1:57 of the round, awarding Rios a TKO and perhaps a shot at the Manny Pacquiao-Juan Manuel Marquez rematch on Dec. 8.

“I knew the overhand right would do it,’’ Rios said, who had a slight bruise under his right eye.

Rios, fighting for the first time at junior-welterweight, waited for his chance to land it while enduring one cracking uppercut after another from Alvarado. After six rounds, the bout was tied, 57-57, on each of the cards held by judges Max Deluca and Zach Young. On James Je Kin’s card, Rios led, 58-57.

Alvarado, of Denver, was showing Rios a shoulder and rolling it in a defensive tactic. Amid a relentless body attack, Alvarado finally abandoned the tactic. That was the beginning of the end to a drama that had a capacity crowd of more than 7,000 at the Home Depot Center on its collective feet and roaring its approval.

Rios listened and broke into a smile that said:

“I told you so.’’

Never, he said, was there a moment when he thought Alvarado might have gained the momentum and begun to do enough to win.

“Hell, no,’’ he said to a question thrown at him by HBO Max Kellerman moments after he was declared the victory.

Hell, yes, was the response from an audience that knew Rios and Alvarado had been to hell and back. And, hell yes, everybody was happy to have been along for the ride.

Benavidez rocked, yet survives to win unanimous decision

There’s always been one question about Jose Benavidez Jr.

Could he take a punch?

That punch landed Saturday.

For one fight, at least, Benavidez had an answer. He could take one. He could endure, at least long enough to remain unbeaten in his brief career.

Benavidez (17-0, 13 KOs), a junior-welterweight from Phoenix, was rocked by a left hook from Pavel Miranda (19-8-1, 10 KOs) of Tijuana with about 45 seconds left in an eight-round fight. Dazed and unsteady, Benavidez stumbled across the canvas at an outdoor ring at Home Depot Center, yet managed to hold on to victory by unanimous decision and his status as an unbeaten prospect.

If Miranda’s hook had landed earlier, or if he had followed up with another punch, or had the fight been scheduled for 10 rounds, the story might be very different. Benavidez might be anguishing over his first defeat.

Those are questions that the 20-year-old Benavidez will now have to confront and answer against better, more powerful opponents. There’s never a definitive answer. There are only lessons and more fights, many more of both for Benavidez, who relied on his jab to claim a victory that was nearly taken from him during the bout’s desperate last moments.

The Best
Light-heavyweight Trevor McCumby only enhanced the likelihood he’ll be offered a Top Rank contract this week with his seventh stoppage in seven victories. McCumby, a Chicago native who trains in Phoenix and Oxnard, Calif., at Robert Garcia’s gym, was never challenged in a first-round demolition of Mexican Eliseo Durazo (4-4, 1 KO).

The Rest

Lightweight Javier Garcia (8-2-1, 7 KOs) of Oxnard, Calif., knocked down Jose Roman (14-0-1, 11 KOs) in the first round. Roman, of Garden Grove, Calif., returned the favor in the second. But the ringside physician had the final say. He stopped the fight after the third because of a cut sustained by Garcia, although it appeared the wound was cause by a punch. The fight was declared a technical draw.

Featherweight Evgeny Gradovich (14-0, 7 KOs) calls himself the “Mexician Russan.’’ He needed Mexican tactics and toughness to score a unanimous decision over Jose Angel Beranza (36-25-2, 27 KOs) in a brawling, give-and-take eight-rounder.

Miami super-middleweight Ronald Ellis (4-0, 3 KOs) came into the ring wearing sunglasses. He took them off, fought for four rounds, put them back on, stepped out of the ring and into the sunshine with a unanimous decision over Denver’s Katrell Straus (2-3, 1 KO). Easy as that.

A super-featherweight bout between Mexican Cesar Garcia (6-12-1, 1 KO) and Saul Rodriguez (6-0-1, 5 KOs) was ruled technical draw. The ringside physician stopped it after two rounds because of bloody cut suffered by Garcia in an apparent head butt.

Top Rank signs Mexican Olympian
Top Rank announced Saturday that it has signed Mexican Olympian Oscar Valdez. Valdez, a two-time Olympian, lost to eventual silver medalist John Joe Nevin of Ireland at bantamweight during the London Games in August. Valdez, 22, grew up in Nogales, which is a town on the border with Arizona.

Photos by Chris Farina / Top Rank

Dan Rafael of espn.com is reporting that Nonito Donaire gave up his IBF Jr. Featherweight bout before his Saturday but with Toshiaki Nishioka.

The reasons were that Donaire did not want to participate in the IBF’s next morning weigh-in and saving $40,000 in sanctioning fees.

“So my recommendation was save the money instead of paying it and being stripped later when he wound up not fighting the (Ndlovu-Lopez) winner,” said Donaire’s manager Cameron Dunkin.

“We respect the IBF’s rules and, by the same token, we respect Donaire’s decision to not defend the title and give the opportunity to fight for the title to somebody else,” Top Rank vice president Carl Moretti said. “But the fact is, Donaire versus whoever that winds up being probably is an unsellable fight.”

Manny Pacquiao has signed a contract extension with promotional gian Top Rank through 2014 according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“Manny’s contract with Top Rank runs out on Dec. 31, 2013, and we’ve extended the contract for yet another year, to Dec. 31, 2014,” Arum said before the weigh-in for Saturday’s Nonito Donaire-Toshiaki Nishioka junior featherweight championship fight.

“I’ll confirm that Manny has signed an extension,” Michael Koncz, Pacquiao’s adviser, told ESPN.com. “The extension was done very quickly. A few phone calls back and forth, and it was done. It was a 10-minute thing at the most.

“Manny and I went through the contract before he flew home to the Philippines (after the media tour), but the discussions were between me and Arum, and then maybe two or three phone calls between me and Manny, and the extension was done in a matter of 10 minutes. It was not a lengthy process.”

“I never comment on Manny’s money. There was a bonus involved, but I’m not going to disclose the amount,” Koncz said.

“He said he’s happy for the deal and happy for the bonus, but there was no way he was going to leave me until his career was over,” Arum said. “It wasn’t like he was putting any pressure on me (for the extension). I don’t want to give that impression. He certainly wasn’t.”

Jose Pedraza remained perfect by scoring a eighth round stoppage in the final round of his Lightweight bout over Tevin Farmer at the Ameristar Casino in St. Charles, Missouri.

Farmer did well by beating Pedraza to the punch over the first two roundd. The fight turned in round three when a series of right’s and left sent Farmer to the ropes and he looked ready to go. He was able to withstand that barrage but was unable to find any success for the remainder of the fight. Pedraza started to feature some solid uppercuts and began to take all the rounds.

In round eight, Farmer seemed to go down from a hand injury. No knockdown was credited by he was was and a couple punches later the fight was stopped.

Pedraza, 133 lbs of Cidra, PR is now 11-0 with seven knockouts. Farmer, 133 1/2 lbs of Philadelphia is 7-4-1.

In a battle of undefeated Middleweights, Lamarr Russ scored a first round stoppage over Jonathan Cepeda in scheduled eight round bout.

Cepeda tried to get inside until he ran into a right hand that staggered Cepeda. Russ landed a left and a jab like punch that sent Cepeda down. When he got to his feet, referee Mike England stopped the bout just 1:45 into the fight.

Russ, 161 1/2 lbs of Fayettville, NC is now 11-0 with seven knockouts. Cepeda, 161 1/2 lbs of Jersey City, NJ is now 12-1

Kevin Bizier scored a sensational first round stoppage over Patrick Litkiewicz in scheduled six round Jr. Middleweight bout. Bizier landed a perfect left hook to the body that sent Litkiewicz down for the ten count and he rolled in pain at 1:53 of round one.

Bizier of St. Emile, Quebec, Canada is now 16-0 with thirteen knockouts. Litkiewicz of tczew, Poland is 6-1.

John O’Donnell scored a methodical eight round unanimous decision over Thomas Mendez in a Welterweight bout.

Scores were 79-73, 79-73 and 78-74 for O’Donnell of London, England and is now 26-2. Mendez of Dominican Republic is now 16-3.

In a six round thriller, Didier Bence scored a unanimous decision over journeyman Harold Sconiers in a Heavyweight bout.

It was actually Sconiers who almost had Bence out in round one as he dropped the undefeated Bence in the first from a series of heavy shots. Bence came back to drop Sconiers in rounds two, three and five and landed many more hard blows to the point where there referee almost stopped the bout on several occasions.

Bence of Montreal won all cards by scores of 58-52 and is now 6-0. Sconiers of Clearwater, FL is now 18-25-2

The California athletic commission upheld the one-year suspension of former Light Heavyweight champion Antonio Tarver after his failed drug test for his June 2nd draw with Lateef Kayode according to Dan Rafael of espn.com

“The Commission heard both sides of the issue and upheld Mr. Tarver’s suspension,” wrote Kathi Burns, the interim executive officer of the commission, to ESPN.com in an email. “I think the commission’s actions speak for itself. It’s well known that the commission has among the toughest anti-doping standards in the world, and that we have zero tolerance for doping.”

“I really am surprised they didn’t shorten the suspension,” Tarver told ESPN.com. “I can’t explain why it was in my system because I don’t know why it was in my system. But I know I’ve never taken any steroids. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.”

“I’ve been through a lot and this has been a very tough time,” Tarver said. “This is the lowest point of my boxing career. But I have never used steroids and I am holding onto that and holding onto my innocence.

“I am not mad at the commission. I was hoping they would reduce my suspension but they got a job to do, which is to protect the sport the way they know how. So I’m not angry at anyone. But I can’t prove how it got in my system. I know I didn’t intentionally or knowingly take something but I got to prove that fact. The burden of proof is on me and I accept that.”

“My doctor knows how I feel about taking shortcuts, so we never did any of that,” Tarver said. “I will take my suspension like a man. But I looked the commission in their eyes and told them I was innocent and they voted 4-1 to uphold it. So I’m out a year. Maybe I should go ahead and retire. I was in a transition period anyway. I wanted one or two more fights and then ride off into the sunset because I know there ain’t no turning back the hands of time. But this is a very dark cloud over me and my career and it leaves a bitter taste in my mouth.”

“I had the Olympic commentating position locked down and was enjoying my role with Showtime,” said Tarver, a 1996 U.S. Olympic bronze medalist and one of America’s most decorated amateurs.

“Now everything is all up in the air. It’s what (Showtime) decides to do. They haven’t told me anything. The network is bigger than me. I can’t control the network. But I’ve never been told I’ve been fired.

“Showtime supports me and they want to see me get through this, but I don’t know if that means I will ever be back on the air. They have to make a decision based on the interest of the network. But I miss it, I really do. I miss boxing period. I’m ready to get back but maybe it’s retirement.”

“I started training just in case we had some good news (Monday),” said Tarver, whose biggest wins were his two defeats of Roy Jones Jr., including a second-round knockout to win the light heavyweight championship in May 2004 in the second bout of their trilogy. “I’m going to train just so I can be in the best shape I can be in even if I am not training for a fight. So there is a possibility I could come back. I try to look at this positively, like it’s a minor setback for a major comeback. I got to look at all the options out there.

“I can’t get licensed in America but I don’t think it would be a problem anywhere else. I got to sit down and talk to (adviser) Al (Haymon) about that and see if that’s something we want to do. Right now, it’s right after the (commission) meeting and I’m filled with emotions and I just don’t know.”

Headbangers Promotions which is headed by Lamont Peterson’s manager/trainer Barry Hunter won the purse bid to stage the IBF Jr. Welterweight championship bout between Peterson and former world champion Zab Judah for $50,000 according to Dan Rafael of espn.com

“The fight must be done in 90 days, or by Jan. 2, 2013,” said Lindsay Tucker of the IBF.

“My thing is I’ve been around a long time and financially I’m OK in life,” Judah told ESPN.com. “I know that I need that title for the Zab Judah train to stay afloat. So we’re gonna be there. We’re coming to D.C., with a game plan. I’m in top shape right now. You can ask anyone in the gyms in Las Vegas. I’ve been killing guys in the gym.

“We are in. I know the bigger picture. I know what Zab Judah winning means. I said I ain’t doing this only because of the money. I’m fighting because I still love the sport and I love what I do, and I know I’m good at it. I’m doing pretty fine in life. I’m not starving. I ain’t never worked in my life. Boxing is all I ever did and I live great and every time my back is against the wall, like with this here fight, I pull it out.”

“I’m ready for this fight,” said Judah, who turns 35 on Oct. 27. “I don’t know if Peterson is ready. I’m here to show everybody that I’ll still reign. I know what I gotta do even with my last performance (against Paris) being great. I was disappointed with that purse. I was mad. I wasn’t going to do the fight. But it wasn’t about money. I live to do what I do. I know I can fight and I know where my mind is at. I’m doing things right. It’s the same thing with this fight with Peterson.”

Don King Productions bid a whopping $1.1 million to secure the rights to promote the WBC Title elmination bout between Chris Arreola and Bermane Stiverne.

King, Stiverne’s promoter, blew away the other bidders. Dan Goossen, Arreola’s promoter, offered $550,000; Golden Boy Promotions, which had designs on adding the fight to its Nov. 10 card at the Staples Center in Los Angeles to help beef up ticket sales because Arreola is a Mexican-American from Southern California with a good following, bid $512,000; and WealthTV, , offered $132,000.

According to Goossen, Arreola is entitled to 55 percent of the bid ($605,000) with Stiverne’s share the remaining 45 percent ($495,000).

“King has 10 days to give us a location and date of the fight,” Goossen said Sunday. “Whenever and wherever the fight is, Cris has his mind set on winning this fight and he has his mind set on becoming heavyweight champion of the world, no matter who he has to go against. He’s in great shape and he’s been training. That is music to my ears.”

“I’ve always felt if Cris is tip-top shape, be it against Bermane Stiverne or anyone else, he will overcome them. He’s so adamant that he will be in great shape for this fight and it showed when I saw him in Las Vegas (three weeks ago). He is really committed to win this fight and go on to win the heavyweight championship of the world.”

“Stiverne is a big puncher, but Cris has been in with big punchers, none better than Vitali Klitschko and he took everything,” Goossen said. “When you’re in great shape and can throw the combinations Cris can throw, there will be very few opponents who can handle it.”

“He’s been training and he’s fine,” Goossen said. “He’s good now. He said he’s 100 percent.”

“If for any reason Don has any problems moving forward we will step in,” he said. “Either way, this is a good fight for boxing, two powerful heavyweights fighting with a lot on the line.”

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com. WBC Lightweight champion Antonio DeMarco will defend his crown against undefeated former Jr. Lightweight champion Adrien Broner on November 17th at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantc City.

“We have a lot of respect for Broner and his skills,” said DeMarci’s promoter Gary Shaw told ESPN.com on Monday. “Broner will have his work cut out for him against DeMarco. He better take Tony seriously and train hard. DeMarco has already been in training for two weeks. He knows it’s a difficult fight. But he wanted to fight Broner so he is excited to get the opportunity.

“Antonio is a very sharp puncher. Although he’s a slow starter, other than his last fight, he doesn’t punch wide. I don’t know if Broner has ever been in with a guy who throws straight punches and reaches his mark the way Antonio does.”

“I knew who I wanted to fight, DeMarco, and I got it and I am happy,” Broner told ESPN.com just before beginning a Monday afternoon training session. “You got a lot of people out there asking, ‘Is Adrien Broner really the next big star in boxing?’ I know I am. I wanted to come straight to 135 pounds and fight the best. DeMarco is the champ and that’s who we are fighting.

“I’m very blessed and I’m very happy. I’m not going to take him lightly. He’s a good fighter, a world class fighter and he deserves to be champion. He is not world champion for nothing, but I have the talent to do what I want to do. On Nov. 17, everyone will know why I’m ‘The Problem.’ Everybody has their time and it’s Adrien ‘The Problem’ Broner’s time.”

“I think this is the biggest fight of Broner’s career, but it’s not the biggest fight of DeMarco’s career,” Shaw said. “Antonio has been in with (Edwin) Valero (a ninth-round knockout loss in a 2010 lightweight title fight) and with Linares, so he’s been in the big stage before. But this is absolutely the biggest fight of Broner’s career. But I think it’s a terrific fight.

“If Broner can do away with DeMarco quickly, he can come out of the fight a huge star because I think everybody has a lot of respect for DeMarco and the kind of fighter he is. If they have a real war and it’s close, maybe a little luster comes off of Broner, but nobody questions how good Broner is, certainly not me or DeMarco. But this may be a case of Broner being rushed. It’s on neutral territory, which is good. If DeMarco hurts him he will finish him because he is a great finisher.”

“The weight is not a problem,” Broner said. “I know the weight thing is a big deal because of what happened and people wonder if I can make the weight. But I just grew out of (junior lightweight). I guarantee you I will be 135 pounds or less for this fight. Making this weight is not going to be a problem.

“I am very happy that I can go up to the next weight class and that I don’t have to wait and sit, that I automatically got a shot at the title in my first fight in the weight class. So I am training hard and I will put on a great show.”

In the co-feature, Brandywine, Md., heavyweight Seth Mitchell (25-0-1, 19 KOs), 30, will face Johnathon Banks (28-1-1, 18 KOs), also 30, of Detroit in a bout that was originally scheduled for the July 14 Danny Garcia-Amir Khan undercard in Las Vegas. However, Mitchell suffered an injury to a knuckle on his right hand and the bout was postponed.

“He’s fine, he’s sparring and he looks good,” said Mitchell’s manager Sharif Salim. “He never really left the gym. He wasn’t using his right hand, but he was using his left hand. The doctor told him to rest the right hand and that’s what he did. Everything is working now but his left hook is even crisper because we went through a lot of drills just working on his left hand while the right was healing.”

Former world champion Julio Diaz scored a fifth round stoppage over Hector Sanchez in a Welterweight bout at the Fantasy Springs Casino in Indio, CA

Diaz dropped Sanchez in round two and the fight was stopped at 2:03 of round five when Diaz landed a big flurry of punches.

Diaz, 146 1/4 lbs of Cochella, CA is now 40-7 with twenty nine knockouts. Sanchez, 146 1/2 lbs of San Juan, PR is now 19-3.

Roger Gonzalez scored a ten round majority decision over Andrew Cancio in a Jr. Lightweight bout.

It was a close tough fight that could have gone either way but the veteran Gonzalez seemed to land the better punches.

Gonzalez, 127 3/4 lbs of Los Angeles, CA won by scores of 96-94 on two cards while a third card read 95-95. Gonzalez is now 28-6. Cancio, 127 1/2 lbs of Blyth, CA is 14-2-2.

Daniel Franco scored an explosive third round stoppage over Jesus Sandoval in a scheduled four round Jr. Lightweight bout.

Franco dropped Sandoval with a vicious two punch combination in round three and finished the fight by landing a handful hard flush shots and the fight was stopped at 2:51 of round three.

Franco, 129 1/2 lbs of Riverside, CA is now 4-0-1 with two knockouts. Sandoval of Sinaloa, MX is now 2-1-1.

Zulena Munoz scored a ninth round stoppage over Gabriella Bouvier in round nine of a scheduled ten round Flyweight bout in Mexico.

Munoz dropped Bouvier in round’s three and four and stopped her with a flurry in round nine.

Munoz is now 35-1 with twenty-four knockouts. Bouvier of Uruguay is now 8-3-1

Edwin Rodriguez remained perfect by administering a one-sided beat down of prebiously undefeated Edwin Escalera in round eight of a scheduled ten round Super Middleweight bout at the MGM at Foxwoods in Connecticut.

Rodriguez came out in round one pounding Escalera all over the ring. Escalera lost his mouth piece twice but it was the least of his problems as he ate about fifty power shots in the round and a case could have been made for referee Steve Smoger to intervene in the first stanza. Rodriguez continued to box and win round’s. Rodriguez went after Escalera in round four and drilled him with hard right in the fifth that buckled Escalera.

The rout continued until referee Steve Smoger stopped the drubbing twelve seconds into round eight.

Vic Darchinyan resurrected his career by scoring a ten round unanimous decision over previously undefeated Luis Del Valle in a Super Bantamweight fight.

Darchinyan proved that experience over Del Valle was a big factor as he pounded Del Valle for most of the thirty minute affair. Del Valle should get credit for determination but Darchinyan landed punches from all angles and to all parts of Del Valle. Del Valle made a brief rally in round nine when he landed a right that rocked Darchinyan.

Darchinyam of Sydney, Australia won by scores of 99-91, 99-91 and 96-94 and is now 38-5-1. Del Valle, 122 lbs of Bayamon, PR is now 16-1.

Antonin DeCarie scored a sixth round stoppage over Alex Perez in a scheduled ten round Welterweight bout.

DeCarie worked the body and head and was doing very well mixing up the punches. In round six, DeCarie landed a vicious left that wobbled Perez and a subsequent right hand put Perez down. Perez was shaken and ate about five more flush right hands that forced referee Danny Schivone to stop the bout at 2:54 of round six.

DeCarie, 147 lbs of Montreal is now 27-1 with eight knockouts. Perez, 146 lbs of Newark, NJ is now 16-1.

Julian Rivera scored a twelve round unanimous decision over Edgar Jimenez in a Super Flyweight bout in Polanco, Mexico.

It was a rematch and Rivera won by scores of 117-112, 117-112 and 117-11 and is now 13-6-1. Jimenez is now 15-7-1.

Former two division world champion Ricky Hatton will make his much anticipated comeback against former WBA Welterweight champion Vyacheslav Sanchenko on November 24th in Manchester, England according to Dan Rafael of espn.com

“I can’t wait to get in the ring now and I’m sure that Vyacheslav Senchenko will give me a good fight. It’s one that I am confident I can win, though,” said Hatton, who turns 34 next week.

Hatton stopped Malignaggi in the 11th round of a lineal junior welterweight championship fight in November 2008 in Las Vegas, one bout before Hatton got knocked out by Pacquiao.

“Senchenko lost the last time he fought to Paulie Malignaggi but he has got a good pedigree,” Hatton said. “I’m in great shape, I’m feeling good and I know I can put on a performance for all those watching.

“I’m a boxer who loves boxing and loves to box. I’m driven by a hunger to box and look forward to getting back in the ring on the 24th.

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, Featherweight titlist Orlando Salido fractured a finger by accidentally slamming his hand into a car door and his November 10th defense against undefeated Miguel Angel “Mikey” Garcia has to be postponed.

“The worst part of this is that it was not even a boxing-related injury,” said Salido’s manager Sean Gibbons. “It’s just bad luck. One of his guys shut the door on his hand by accident. Just a freak accident.

“We’ve never had an injury and had to pull out of a fight before. Salido is one of the healthiest guys you’ll meet. He’s always in condition. He doesn’t ever get too far out of shape but these things happen.”

Gibbons said that Salido would be ready to fight again in early January.

“This guy was making a very high six-figure payday for this fight,” Gibbons said. “Even though he was making a good purse, he’s got too much pride and heart just to go through with it and not be 100 percent. He isn’t just fighting for the payday. He wants it to heal properly so he can train properly so he can win the fight. Some guys would jump at the payday even if they were injured, just because of the money. But Salido has a lot of pride. He doesn’t want to just fight. He wants to win.”

“HBO’s intention is to go forward with the card,” said Top Rank’s Carl Moretti. “I’m talking to them. Everybody is in mind to fight Mikey. It depends on who is available and who we can get.”

The co-feature remains intact, a junior middleweight title elimination bout between 2004 U.S. Olympian Vanes Martirosyan (32-0, 20 KOs) against Erislandy Lara (17-1-1, 11 KOs) for the right to become the mandatory challenger for titleholder Saul “Canelo” Alvarez.

Dan Rafael of espn.com is reporting that a solid doubleheader has been consummated for November 10th on HBO that will originate from Las Vegas as WBC Super Welterweight eliminator between Erislandy Lara and Vanes Martirosyan as well as WBO Featherweight champion Orlando Salido defending against Mikey Garcia.

“Showtime informed our attorney that they are passing on the match,” said Top Ranlk’s Carl Moretti, adding that the card will take place in a 3,500-seat ballroom at the Wynn.

“This is a fight that matches Garcia’s youth against Salido’s experience,” Moretti said. “It’s boxer-puncher (Garcia) versus brawler (Salido). Clearly, whoever wins the fight establishes himself as probably the best featherweight in the world.”

Top Rank, which promotes 2004 U.S. Olympian Martirosyan (32-0, 20 KOs), won the right to the fight by winning a purse bid in July. Top Rank’s offer of $405,000 topped the $326,000 bid made by rival Golden Boy, which has Lara (17-1-1, 11 KOs), a former world amateur champion who defected from Cuba, under contract.

“It’s a very interesting fight,” Moretti said. “Both guys are quality contenders and both guys had stellar amateur backgrounds. There is a lot on the line for both of these guys. The winner of this fight will have truly earned the title fight. Vanes is really pumped for it.”

Said Martirosyan, “I’m bringing a big wagon so after I beat Lara people can jump on the Team Vanes Wagon. I can’t wait.”

“This is a great opportunity for Mikey even though Salido is not the guy we originally wanted,” manager Cameron Dunkin said. “This is the toughest featherweight in the world. It’s a very, very tough fight for Mikey. Believe me, there are other guys we would have rather fought but we needed somebody who would show up. Mikey wanted to fight for a title and with the other fight (against Caballero) falling apart, we all talked about it — me, Mike, his father (Eduardo) and (trainer and brother) Robert — and we decided we needed to go and make this fight.

“We wanted to fight Caballero but it didn’t materialize for different reasons. So here we are. We know Salido is a warrior. We know it’s a really hard fight, but Mikey is ready. This is what he’s wanted. Salido was willing to give Mikey the opportunity and he can’t wait.”

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, last Saturday night’s Middleweight showdown between Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and Sergio Martinez drew an estimated 475,000 Pay Per View buys.

“It’s an extremely solid number,” said the head of HBO PPV Mark Taffet. “I expect the figures to go up as we collect more of them.”

“It significantly exceeded our original expectations of 250,000 buys,” Taffet said. “Fight fans had been talking about and looking forward to Chavez-Martinez for a year. The pay-per-view performance simply reflects that the fans got the fight they wanted.”

“Pay-per-view fights typically have an average of five or more viewers per household,” he said. “Based on the group viewing phenomenon of pay-per-view, it’s likely well over 2 million people watched the fight.”

BETHLEHEM, PA— Gabriel Rosado earned a shot at IBF Jr. Middleweight champion Cornelius Bundrage with a tenth round stoppage over Charles Whitaker at the Sands Casino

It was a feeling out first two plus minutes until Whitaker uncorked but missed hard right hand. Rosado was content in jabbing and moving. The action picked up in round two as Rosado landed a hard two punch combination that buckled Whitaker to the ropes. Whitaker responded nicely by landing a right on a charging Rosado. The two traded shots as the bell sounded. Round four saw the action pick up as Rosado continued to stalk his way and create two way action. At the end of the round, Rosado landed a crushing left that Whitaker took well. In round fie, Rosado nailed Whitaker with a perfect counter right that put Whitaker on the seat of his pants. When the action resumed Rosado went for the kill only to eat a hard left hook and right at the bell. Whitaker had some success to start round six as he became more aggressive but Roasado turned the tables as he kept Whitaker against the ropes and landed some hard shots on the ropes to end the round.

Rosado came out for blood in round seven as he stalked and landed yet another booming right that registered a second knockdown. Like the previous rounds, both landed some good shot to end the seventh. Whitaker had his best round in the ninth as he started to find a consistent home his right hand. Rosado landed a left and over hand right that dropped Whitaker for a third time. After a brief flurry, Rosado landed two thudding rights that slumped Whitaker to canvas for a fourth and final time and referee Steve Smoger stopped the fight at 1:50 of round ten

Rosado, 153 lbs of Philadelphia is now21-5 with thirteen knockouts. Whitaker, 152.5 lbs of Georgetown, Cayman Islands is now 36-13-2.

Sergey Kovalev remained undefeated by blowing out Lionell Thompson in round three of a scheduled ten round Light Heavyweight bout.

Kovalev landed a right that buckled Thompson in round one. A hard left and right buckled Thompson yet again in the second. At the end of the round, Kovalev landed a nasty two punch combination that crumpled Thompson to the canvas. Clearly shaken up, Thompson ate another hard right that dropped him just before the end of round two. Kovalev ended things seconds into round three as a straight right dropped Thompson on his knees and the fight was stopped at fourteen seconds of eound three

Kovalev, 173 lbs of Chelyabinsk, Russia is now 19-0-1 with sixteen knockouts. Thompson, 175 lbs of Buffalo, NY is now 12-2.

Antwone Smith scored a ten round split decision over previously undefeated hometown hero Ronald Cruz in exciting Welterweight clash.

Smith boxed very well in the early going as he mixed up combinations working off double and triple jabs. Cruz started
to get it going at the end of round three and into round four as he countered with hard shots in between little flurries by Smith. They started trading in the fifth with the crowd full behind Cruz. Cruz started his vqunted body attack in the round. Cruz landed a couple of Heavy blows just before the end of the round.

Smith steadied himself in round’s six and seven as he started boxing well by mixing up the combination’s. Cruz came back in round eight by turning southpaw and landing some heavy blows on the ropes by focusing on the body. Smith landed a boomnig right that momentarily rocked Cruz in the eighth. the two took turns gaining advantages in the final frame as the both the knew the fight could be in the balance

Smith won by scores of 96-94 on two cards and is now 22-4-1. Cruz, 146 lbs of Bethlehem, PA is now 17-1.

In a four round Lightweight bout, Jason Sosa scored a majority decision over Esteban Rodriguez.

Scores were 39-37 on two cards for Sosa while a third card read even at 38-38. Sosa, 132 1/2 lbs of Camden, NJ is now 5-1-3. Rodriguez, 134 1/2 lbs of Lebanon, PA is now 5-3-1.

In a six round slugfest, local favorite William Miranda scored a six round unanimous decision over Pedro Martinez in a Heavyweight clash.

The two fought at close quarters for most of the bout. Miranda scored a knockdown in round one from a double jab.

Mirada, 231 lbs of Allentown, PA won by scores of 59-54, 59-55 and 58-55 and is now 6-5-1. Martinez, 243 lbs of Philadelphia is now 6-7.

Jerome Rodriguez scored a four round unanimous decision over Kywayne Hill in a Jr. Welterweight bout.

Scores were 40-36 on all cards for Rodriguez, 140 lbs of Allentown, PA and is now 1-1. Hill, 142 lbs of Philadelphia is now 1-10.

Alex Sanchez scored a second round stoppage over Fitzgerald Johnson in a scheduled four round Jr. Middleweight bout.

Sanchez dropped Johnson twice in round two with the second coming from a hard body shot and referee Gary Rosado reached the ten count at 2:14

Sanchez, 155.5 lbs of Camden, NJ is 1-1 with one knockout. Johnson 160 lbs of Philadelphia is 3-7.

Jonathan Romero remained undefeated by scoring a twelve round unanimous decision over Efrain Esquivias in a Super Bantamweight bout at the Chumash Resort in Santa Ynez, California.

Esquivias was the aggressor early as he ays and at times was successful in pushing Romero onto the ropes. Romero fought off the ropes well ans was even better as he was able to move and land punches at more than a 3-1 ratio. In round seven, Esquivias was docked a point for a low blow which replays showed that punch was above the belt but after the bell. Romero continued his accuracy and pounded Esquivias in occasion and was in control until the final bell.

Romero, 122 lbs of Cali, Colombia won by scores of 120-107, 120-107 and 119-108 and is now 22-0. Esquivias, 122 lbs of Gardena, CA is 16-2.

“I felt very good every single round,’’ he said. “I prepared hard for this fight. I sparred with guys that came forward all the time. I knew what he was coming to do because I’d seen him fight. I’m ready to become world champion. But to be a world champion I have to go through great fighters like Esquivias to get to my goal.’’

The aggressive-minded, five-foot-four Esquivias spotted the winner five inches in height, but he never stopped pressing the issue. Esquivias even started quickly, which isn’t the norm for him. But it did no good against the classy Romero.

“He fought his fight and he fought well,’’ said Esquivias, who was docked a point after the seventh for a blatant late hit. “He didn’t want to brawl, but he fought smart. He boxed and I couldn’t catch him. There’s really not much I could have done differently. I was little tired toward the end; it was my first 12-rounder. But I was still throwing punches at the finish. He gave me problems with his movement. I wanted to make it an exciting fight for the crowd. Too bad he didn’t want to stand and trade more.”

Roman Morales got off the deck to come back and score an eight round unanimous decision over Jonathan Arrellano in a Super Bantamweight bout.

It was Arrellano who got the advantage early he landed the more telling blows. In round three, Arrellano landed two left hook with the second depositing Morales on the canvas. That seemed to turn the tide actually for Morales as he started landing some heavy shots and in round six he landed a hard body shot that dropped Arrellano for the first time in his career.

Morales continued to land the hard shots over the next three rounds and came home with the unanimous decision victory by scores of 78-72, 78-72 and 77-73.

Morales, 122 lbs of San Ardo, CA is now 13-0. Arrellano, 122 lbs of Ontario, CA is now 13-1-1.

“I felt I did well,’’ he said, “I was just trying to listen to my corner. They were telling me to use my jab a lot and that’s what I kept trying to do. They were also telling me to work the body more. I should have done that from the beginning.’’

So what was it like getting floored for the first time in his career? “It was a new experience, something I never had felt before,’’ Morales said. “It’s part of boxing, but I said to myself that I have to keep coming forward and show some heart and respect for the game. It was a good fight and he’s a good boxer.”

Arellano felt the scoring was a tad out of line. “I feel that it was a little high in his favor,’’ he said. “I feel I won more rounds than they gave me. It was a good fight though. I don’t take anything away from the kid. I thought I had him out when I dropped him. I was ready to jump on him but for some reason the ref kept me from going right after him and gave him more time. Then he hung in and made it through the round.’’

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. has tested positive for Marijuana following his unanimous decision defeat at the hands of Sergio Martinez this past Saturday night in Las Vegas.

“The commission let (Top Rank’s Carl) Moretti know (Tuesday) night that he tested positive,” said Chavez promoter Bob Arum. “I can’t really get excited about it. There’s no promoter in boxing who could pass the marijuana test, including myself.

“Julio is going to have to explain to the commission what happened and the commission will be guided accordingly. If there was a trace of marijuana, to me, it’s not the same as using a performance-enhancing drug. That is cheating.”

“I will release the results from the event once I get them all back, but Top Rank’s statement is an accurate reflection of the conversation I had with them (Tuesday),” Kizer said. “We had a positive test, one from that card.”

“Of course, we’re disappointed in him,” Arum said. “Hopefully, he can learn a lesson here and next time get in top shape for the fight. But it shows you the immaturity here. He needs to grow up.”

“Of course, we’re disappointed in him,” Arum said. “Hopefully, he can learn a lesson here and next time get in top shape for the fight. But it shows you the immaturity here. He needs to grow up.”

Saul Alvarez defended the WBC Super Welterweight championship with an action filled fifth round stoppage over game Josesito Lopez in front of an enthusiastic crowd at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

After a good round one, Alvarez started to open up with ripping combinations to the head and body. Lopez was able to get in some decent shots, especially when Alvarez was on the ropes. Alvarez landed a thunderous left hook to the body that sent Lopez to the canvas late in the second. In round three, Alvarez continued scoring and then landed another left to the body that deposited Lopez to the canvas for a second time. That did int deter Lopez as he tried to stand toe to toe but Alvarez had more dynamite in his hands. Lopez was bleeding from his nose and mouth After Lopez landed a nice flurry, Alvarez landed a wicked five punch combination that sent Lopez to deck for a third time. Alvarez started round five with a huge body assault that had referee Joe Cortez looking closely but Lopez fired back. Lopez continued to get in some solid shots and showed a championship heart. In the last ten seconds of the round, Alvarez anded four more hard shots that forced Cortez to step in and save Lopez from further damage

Alvarez, 154 lbs of Guadalajara, MX is now 41-0-1 with thirty knockouts. Lopez, 153 lbs of Riverside, CA is now 30-5-1.

“I’m not always looking for the knockout, but this was perfect tonight,” Canelo said. “I had a big responsibility fighting for my fans around the world this weekend and I think I made them happy. I want the big fights now – (Miguel) Cotto and (Floyd) Mayweather.”

“I knew he was a tough fighter and he proved he’s a better fighter,” Lopez said. “He was smarter, stronger and patient. I felt good going in but there was a big size difference. I was hoping to land a good punch to change the momentum.”

Daniel Ponce De Leon wrestled the WBC Featherweight championship belt away from Jhonny Gonzalez when a cut over the right eye of Gonzalez via an accidental headbutt forced the bout to be stopped in round eight.

In the early going it was Gonzalez who was landing the better punches. In round three, a cut formed around the left said of Ponce De Leon’s hairline. That seemed to inspire De Leon as he started landing some good lefts’s. The two boxed evenly over the next couple rounds until De Leon landed a straight left that sent Gonzalez through the ropes and down on the canvas in round six.

The volume of De leon started taking affect in round seven as he began to back Gonzalez up with lefts and rights. A clash of heads opened up a big cut over the right eye of Gonzalez and the fight was stopped at 2:36 of round eight.

De Leon, 125 1/2 lbs of West Covina, CA won by scores of 77-74, 79-72 and 79-72 and is now 44-4. Gonzalez, 125 lbs of Mexico City, MX is now 52-8.

Former 140 lb world champion Marcos Maidana scored a eighth round stoppage over Jesus Soto Karass in a Welterweight war scheduled for ten rounds.

The fight was fought at a high rate as Maidana uncharacteristically started boxing and featuring the jab on the first round. In round two, the continued landing good shots with Maidana landing some hard left hooks. The animosity started in round three as at the end of yet another action filled round, the two sot in each other’s face and had to be seperated. Referee Kenny Bayless took a point from each man in round four as the two continued to be unsportsmanlike. Soto Karass was fueled by that as he landed some hard shots before a big left from Maidana was landed just before the bell. Soto Karass picked up where he left off in round five and yet again the two needed to be separated as Soto Karass would not let Maidana get to his corner. In round six, Soto Karass landed some huge shots and landed body shots on Maidana against the ropes. Maidana spent alot of the round against the ropes.

Maidana was docked another point in round seven but he more then made up for it as he launched a big right hand that sent Soto Karass to the deck. Maidana came out firing in round eight as he landed a some booming shots on the ropes and after a few right hands, Bayless stopped the bout at forty-three seconds of round eight.

Maidana, 147 lbs of Margarita Santa Fe, Argentina is now 32-3 with twenty-nine knockouts. Soto Karass, 147 lbs of North Hollywood, CA is now 26-8-3-1.

Leo Santa Cruz scored an impressive stoppage over former Flyweight champion to retain the IBF Bantamweight title after Morel’s corner stopped the bout after five rounds.

It was an extremely fast paced fight from the outset with with guys meeting in the center of the ring and wailing away on each other with Santa Cruz getting the better. It was evident that Santa Cruz was not only quicker but had more thump in his punches as he landed many body shots, sometimes doubling and tripling with the flank shots and then coming with hard over hand rights and uppercuts. Morel put up a valiant effort but he kept taking hard shots and his corner had seen enough and stopped the bout after the fifth frame.

Santa Cruz, 117 lbs of Rosmead, CA is now 21-0-1 with twelve knockouts. Morel, 118 lbs of Madison, WI is now 46-4.

Good looking nineteen year-old Andres Gutierrez pounded out a six round unanimous decision over Carlos Valcarcel in a Jr. Featherweight bout.

Gutierrez was more active and landed the harder punches. He featured some solid uppercuts and had Valcarcel against the ropes on several occasions.

Gutierrez, 124 lbs of Quertiaro, MX won by scores of 60-54, 59-55 and 59-56 and is now 23-0-1. Valcarcel, 123 lbs of Catano, PR is now 12-6-4.

Francisco Vargas remained undefeated with a four round unanimous decision over Alan Sanchez in a Jr. Featherweight bout.

Both guys threw a high volume of punches but Vargas threw more and landed the much harder blows.

Vargas, 131 lbs of Mexico City, MX is won by scores of 40-36, 40-36 and 39-37 and is now 13-0-1. Sanchez, 127 1/2 lbs of Houston, TX is now 3-4-1.

LAS VEGAS – And in an instant, Martinez-Chavez went from Pacquiao-De La Hoya to Chavez-Taylor.

Not since Manny Pacquiao retired Oscar De La Hoya had a small southpaw looked so profoundly dominant against a larger titlist as Sergio Martinez looked against Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. for 11 rounds. And not since Chavez Sr. came back to stop Meldrick Taylor in the final seconds of a fight he was losing lopsidedly had such a profound change of fortunes been brought to a world champion the way Chavez brought it to Martinez in the 12th.

Saturday night, in a match at Thomas & Mack Arena that disappointed all expectations of suspense for 33 minutes before becoming an unforgettable thing in its final three, Argentine middleweight champion Sergio “Maravilla” Martinez (50-2-2, 28 KOs) rose from the canvas in the final round to survive and decision Mexican Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (46-1-1-1, 32 KOs) by unanimous scores of 117-110, 118-109 and 118-109. The 15rounds.com ringside scorecard concurred, marking 117-110 for Martinez – while marking the final round 10-7 for Chavez.

“We are two professionals,” Martinez said afterwards. “And we comported ourselves as professionals.”

The fight began the way all prognosticators believed it would. Martinez’s class was too much for Chavez in the first round and each of its successors. What little sense of geometry Chavez showed in the opening round, extending Martinez’s circles to the perimeter somewhat, was gone by the third.

“I began slowly,” Chavez said in the ring after the judges’ cards were read. “But I will not do that in the rematch.”

In fact, not till the sixth round did Chavez land anything consequential. Though Chavez was the much larger man, Martinez was the far more balletic, polished, athletic and accurate, hitting Chavez with nifty left uppercut leads and other inventive combinations. Chavez, sporting a knee brace and suffering abrasions and swelling round both eyes, was not dissuaded, however.

“This confirms me in boxing,” said Martinez, to an outnumbered but surprisingly vocal Argentinean group of fans. “Long live Argentina!”

More fatigued than he knew as the bell for the 12th rang, Martinez walked into a short Chavez left hook that wobbled and shocked him in the final two minutes. Martinez’s eyes bulged and he collapsed in the ropes. A pair of rights and lefts from Chavez then tossed him limply to the canvas. But Martinez rose, ran, held, slipped, and ultimately punched his way to the final bell, as suddenly enchanted Mexican fans rabidly urged their man on.

“Of course,” Martinez said when asked if he would grant Chavez a rematch.

“Long live Mexico!” cried Chavez at the end of his postfight interview.

ROMAN MARTINEZ VS. MIGUEL BELTRAN JR.
In an attempt at prophecy, or at least wishful thinking, Saturday’s excellent Top Rank co-main event featured a hard-pressing Mexican slugger named “Junior” against a foreigner named Martinez. Unfortunately for the emotional Mexican crowd, the Mexican did not prevail.

Fighting for a vacant WBO super featherweight title, Puerto Rican Roman Martinez (26-1-1, 16 KOs) sneaked past Mexican Miguel Beltran Jr. (27-2-0-1, 17 KOs), besting him by split-decision scores of 116-111, 113-114 and 113-114. The fight would have been a majority draw, were it not for a penalty assessed to Beltran in the championship rounds.

Each round of Martinez-Beltran featured punches both well leveraged and well landed by both fighters, but in each of the opening six rounds, regardless of what Martinez did, Beltran appeared to do a little more. In the sixth, Beltran landed the match’s most-devastating punch, a right cross that snapped Martinez’s head back between his own shoulder blades.

The seventh round, though, saw Martinez begin to establish a more effective attack, catching Beltran on the way in, with oddly placed punches. But by the middle of the eighth, Beltran again appeared the stronger man. By the end of the 10th, Martinez, game as he was, did not appear to want much more.

The 11th brought a point deduction to Beltran’s tally from overly officious Nevada referee Russell Mora, though, tightening ringside scorecards somewhat. Martinez also flurried in the 12th, appearing to steal that stanza as well. Ultimately, the fight was a close one that might have gone either way and probably should have gone the way of a majority draw.

MATTHEW MACKLIN VS. JOACHIM ALCINE
Matthew Macklin makes his ring entrance to a hybrid song of “Mack the Knife” and “Rocky Road to Dublin,” in a two-part nod to his nickname and heritage. But Saturday, he didn’t have to take his opponent very far down a rocky road before knifing him.

In the penultimate match of the evening’s undercard, Macklin (29-4, 20 KOs) caught Canadian middleweight Joachim Alcine (33-3-1, 19 KOs) with a flush right cross in the opening moments of the fight then marched him down, dropped him a second time and brought the match to an exciting knockout conclusion at 2:36 of round 1.

Despite a record with four losses on it, Macklin again proved that he can rally a crowd and make an exciting, satisfying match whomever he is given for an opponent.

GUILLERMO RIGONDEAUX VS. ROBERTO MARROQUIN
After a 2010 showing in Cowboys Stadium that brought loud boos from those fans not yawning, Cuban super bantamweight Guillermo Rigondeaux needed two years of exciting knockouts to make fans forget how displeasing his defense-first style can be. Saturday in Thomas & Mack Arena, though, they were reminded once more.

Rigondeaux (11-0, 8 KOs) successfully, and rather easily, defended his WBA super bantamweight title against tough if limited Texan Roberto Marroquin (22-2, 15 KOs) by unanimous scores of 118-108, 118-108 and 118-109. And if there is a prizefighter today who fights like Floyd Mayweather as well as Mayweather does, he is Rigondeaux, right down to the cautiousness.

Rigondeaux established a superiority of reflex over Marroquin – a superiority of reflex Rigondeaux enjoys over most every opponent he faces – and then put the match on a form of cruise control that did little to entice fans. Possessed of every punch and step in the boxing lexicon, Rigondeaux does not appear to enjoy physical matches with larger men, and he certainly did not look for one with Marroquin, who appeared a weight class or two larger than Rigondeaux on Saturday.

Twice in the match Marroquin managed to land a pulled left hook that temporarily destabilized the Cuban southpaw’s otherwise flawless footing, but from each of those faux scares, Rigondeaux quickly recovered and returned to mastering Marroquin technically if not combatively.

In round 10, bored by Rigondeaux-Marroquin, the crowd – partisan Mexican though with an Argentinean contingent – began to sing futbol songs at one another till the match was over, despite Rigondeaux’s scoring the match’s one knockdown in its final two minutes.

MIKE LEE VS. PAUL HARNESS
Mike Lee is undoubtedly the best light heavyweight on the Notre Dame campus, but he is decidedly not the best light heavyweight in the world. Further evidence of this came at the midway point of Saturday’s undercard when Lee (11-0, 6 KOs) whacked away at Kansas City opponent Paul Harness (4-4-1, 3 KOs) for four rounds and ultimately prevailed by unanmious scores of 40-36, 40-36 and 40-36.

Questions about Lee’s power – he landed at least four clean right hands in every round without once felling Harness – and his defense, though, remain, and grow, with every showing. Despite leading comfortably in the fourth round, Lee nevertheless was tagged by several knee-buckling shots by Harness.

UNDERCARD
Highly regarded super welterweight John Jackson brought his undefeated record in the Thomas & Mack Center ring for Saturday’s third bout, against Cleveland’s Willie Nelson, and Jackson’s ‘0’ left the ring before Jackson did. In a close fight that might have been scored either way, Nelson (19-1-1, 11
KOs) decisioned Nelson (13-1, 12 KOs) by unanimous scores of 96-94, 96-94 and 98-92.

Before that, in an eight-round super welterweight match, Mexican Michael Medina (26-3-2, 19 KOs) scored a lopsided decision victory over North Carolinian James Winchester (15-5, 5 KOs). All three judges had the match 80-70 for Medina.

The evening began with an eight-round, unanimous-decision victory for California welterweight Wale Omotoso (23-0, 19 KOs) over Puerto Rican Daniel Sostre (11-7-1, 4 KOs).

Opening bell rang on a sparsely populated Thomas & Mack Center at 3:17 PM local time.

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, Manny Pacquiao will take on Juan Manuel Marquez for a fourth battle on December 8th at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

“Because the economics for the Marquez fight were so much greater than for a Bradley rematch, that is what Manny decided to do,” said promoter Bob Arum. “It’s so much greater because of the support Marquez has from the Hispanic community. Look at the past numbers. When Pacquiao fought Marquez (in November), it sold close to 1.3 million pay-per-view. Bradley was about 900,000. That’s a big difference. Plus, the gate goes from probably $8 million to $12 million.”

“Manny knew I would prefer Bradley,” said Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach. “I think the money was a huge factor. Bradley doesn’t bring the people Marquez does. But I would have rather had revenge for that bad decision in June.”

Roach said because of the controversial nature of the three previous fights between Pacquiao and Marquez, especially their fight in November, that Pacquiao would start out “down three rounds on the scorecards. Judges are human. They know what happened before. Maybe the judges will be thinking Marquez was robbed last time and they’re human, and they will give Marquez the benefit of the doubt.

“But Manny picked Marquez, and that’s who we will get ready for. It’s about time we have a good knockout anyway.”

“We had to work it out, work out the money and then (Marquez promoter) Fernando (Beltran) had to close with Marquez because he had only talked generally with Marquez about the deal,” Arum said. “But we couldn’t close anything until Marquez got here (Thursday).”

“There is no sanctioning organization title involved,” Arum said. “We’re going to give that money to charity.”

LAS VEGAS – A motorcycle accident took away Paul Williams’ legs, but not his confidence.

It was there, as evident as ever Friday when he came out of an elevator at the MGM Grand before the weigh-in for the Showtime-televised junior-welterweight fight between Canelo Alvarez and Josesito Lopez Saturday night.

Williams was in a wheelchair. But he made it sound as if that chair was a temporary vehicle until that day when he believes he will recover, perhaps enough to even fight again.

“I feel good,’’ Williams said. “This is a small thing for a giant.’’

Williams is in Las Vegas for a fight that was supposed to include him against Canelo before the accident in Atlanta left him paralyzed. In his brief comments to 15 Rounds and Lance Pugmire of the Los Angeles Times, it wasn’t clear what his condition was.

But his confidence was unmistakable. Williams has faith that he will walk again in a path that might even take him up those steps, through the ropes and into the ring for another opening bell.

“I think I can come back,’’ Williams said. “Give it two or three years. I’ll come back.’’

If Williams had been Canelo’s opponent instead of the undersized Lopez in a Golden Boy-promoted bout, there’s speculation that rival Top Rank would have moved Saturday night’s other fight, Sergio Martinez-versus-Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. for the middleweight at Thomas & Mack Center, to a different date, possibly Oct. 6.

The consensus is that Williams-Canelo would have been more competitive and marketable than Canelo-Lopez.

Weights from the MGM

About 90 minutes before the Martinez-Chavez weigh-in, Canelo and Lopez stepped on the scales. Canelo looked solid at 154 pounds, the junior-middleweight limit. Lopez looked a little soft at 153, his heaviest ever.

“I’m not as weak as I look,’’ Lopez joked a day before the weigh-in. “I just look skinny.’’

At opening bell, Lopez expects Canelo to be at 170, which would mean about a 10-pound advantage for the favored Mexican, who holds the World Boxing Council’s version of the title.

Notes, Quotes

· Golden Boy announced a sellout Friday for the Canelo-Lopez featured card. Within minutes of the announcement, tickets were still available on Ticketmaster.

· Jose Benavidez Jr., an unbeaten junior-welterweight prospect from Phoenix, has been added to the Top Rank card featuring Nonito Donaire versus Toshiaki Nishioka at Carson, Calif., on Oct. 13. Benavidez is expected to fight Raul Tovar.

LAS VEGAS – The weekend’s first upset happened Friday, and it wasn’t by way of a punch at Thomas & Mack Center. In what may turn out to be the greatest surprise of Martinez-Chavez, barring of course an early stoppage, Argentine Sergio Martinez outweighed Mexican Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. Friday afternoon at Wynn Las Vegas’ Encore Theater. But if either man was surprised, neither showed it.

Martinez, considered by most to be a small middleweight champion, and Chavez, considered by all to be an enormous middleweight titlist, shared a one-pound disparity on the scale: Martinez made 159, and Chavez made 158.

“He said it’s going to be a war,” Martinez said immediately after a talkative stare-down with Chavez that followed both making weight for their middleweight world championship match. “I want a war.”

Martinez, known as much for his cool demeanor and handsome countenance as his jazzy southpaw style, appeared uncharacteristically anxious Friday afternoon. Dressed in a black sweatsuit and dark shades, Martinez preceded Chavez to the stage and the scale and made a show of rallying a small Argentinean contingent waiving robin’s-egg-blue and white flags, stage left.

“He said that he is going to rip my head off,” said Chavez, when asked what words Martinez spoke to him after he climbed off the scale. Then Chavez, easily the cooler character Friday, laughed and shrugged.

While Saturday’s match for the lineal middleweight championship of the world – along with belts from The Ring, WBC and surely a few others – will be the biggest fight of both men’s careers, Chavez shows the demeanor of a man who knows other superfights will inevitably follow. Martinez, about whom the same cannot be said, appears to be channeling some of his handlers’ nervousness.

Part of what led to onlookers’ general surprise at Friday’s weighin, and specifically Chavez’s coming-in two pounds under the middleweight limit, were reports of undertraining by the Mexican champion. Numerous sources reported Chavez had skipped scheduled sessions with trainer Freddie Roach during his camp, preferring to work-out at home instead.

But Chavez’s promoter, Top Rank, expressed no concern. Chavez made weight easily, and apparently needs little instruction in how to cut-off a prizefighting ring, as he is expected to have to do against Martinez on Saturday.

Early Friday afternoon, one last thread of controversy was stitched in the Martinez-Chavez tapestry: Trainer Nazim Richardson will attend the wrapping of Chavez’s hands in behalf of the Martinez camp, Saturday. Richardson, of course, was the man who caught a hardening substance on the wraps of Antonio Margarito before the Mexican champion’s 2009 match with Shane Mosley.

Nevada State Athletic Commission executive director Keith Kizer said on Friday that while he’ll be at both of Saturday’s fight cards – Martinez-Chavez, and Saul Alvarez vs. Josesito Lopez a few blocks away at MGM Grand Garden Arena – the main event he’ll be attending is Chavez-Martinez, as Kizer anticipates potential prefight controversy at Thomas & Mack Center.

Photo by Chris Farina / Top Rank

Jesse Vargas christened a big fight weekend with a ten round unanimous decision over Aaron Martinez in a Welterweight bout at the Joint at The Hard Rock in Las Vegas.

Vargas was very solid throughout as he boxed well and the two engaged at times with Vargas getting the better of the action.

Vargas, 148 lbs of Las Vegas was making his debut under the Top Rank banner won by scores of 99-91, 98-92 ans 96-94 and is still perfect at 20-0. Martinez, 147 lbs of Los Angeles 18-2-1.

Jose Felix Jr. remained undefeated by scoring a ten round unanimous decision over Luis Cruz in a Lightweight bout.

Felix got off to a good start as he twice rocked Cruz in the first round. Felix was doing well until eating a straight left hand that sent him to the canvas. He shook that off well as mixed things up by boxing and coming forward and he controlled the ring over the last third of the fight and won by scores of 97-92, 96-94 and 99-94.

Felix Jr., 132 lbs of Los Mochis, MX is now 21-1-1. Cruz, 132 lbs of Las Piedras, PR is now 20-2.

UFC middleweight kingpin and pound-for-pound best, Anderson Silva,will headline UFC 153 against long time veteran Stephan Bonnar in Riode Janeiro, Brazil on October 13th according to USA Today.

Bonnar (14-7), currently riding on a three fight win streak, is well known for his epic battle against Forrest Griffin on the UltimateFighter 1 finale. He has also been a regular on ESPN’s MMA Livebroadcast as an expert analyst.

Silva (32-4) is coming off arguably the most satisfying win of his career against Chael Sonnen in July and has yet to have been bested inside the UFC Octagon.

The card, which was expected to showcase an anticipated featherweight title bout between Jose Aldo and Frankie Edgar, abruptly came to a halt when Aldo was forced to pull out after suffering a foot injury.

Making matters worse, former champion Quinton Jackson, who was supposed to challenge the prominent Glover Teixeira, has also pulled out citing injuries, putting an additional dent to the previously stacked card in Brazil. Countryman Fabio Maldonado is now slated to fill in to face Teixeira in a light heavyweight contest.

In other notable fights, former heavyweight champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira returns against Dave Herman while rising welterweight sensation Erick Silva takes on the toughest challenge of his career against Jon Fitch.

Ivan Morales scored a technical unanimous decision over former world title challenger Luis Maldonado when an accidental headbutt in the final round caused a cut over the left eye of Maldonado in the final round. The bout was a scheduled ten round Super Flyweight bout at the Pechanga Hotel and Resort in Temecula, California.

Morales, who is the brother of four-time world champion Erik Ël Terrible” Morales was solid and boxed very well in the battle of southpaws.

Morales, 115 lbs of Tijuana, MX is now 18-0. Maldonado, 114 1/2 lbs of Mexacali, MX is now 38-9-1.

Nineteen year-old Julian Ramirez needed just forty-two seconds to take out Noel Mendiza in a scheduled six round Super Bantamweight bout.

Ramirez dropped Mendoza hard on his back from a straight left hand. Mendoza got to his feet but only endured a relentless flurry and the bout was stopped/

Ramirez, 124 lbs of East Los Angeles is now 4-0 with three knockouts. Mendoza, 123 lbs of Phoenix is now 6-2-1.

Cesar Martinez scored an action filled four round unanimous decision over Jorge Porras in a Featherweight bout.

Scores were 40-36 on all cards for Martinez, 124 lbs of Los Angeles and is now 4-1. Porras, 123 1/2 lbs of Fallbrook, CA was making his pro debut