Dan Rafael of espn.com is reporting that WBC Middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez will defend his crown against Andy Lee June 16th in El Paso,Texas.

Contracts are not signed yet, but both sides said they are confident the deal will be finalized. Adding intrigue to the fight is that Chavez promoter Bob Arum of Top Rank and Lou DiBella, Lee’s promoter, are also working on a deal under which the winner of Chavez-Lee would challenge lineal middleweight champion Sergio Martinez — who is promoted by DiBella — in September.

“The Chavez-Lee fight is done between me and Bob. We’ve agreed to everything and we are putting everything to paper,” DiBella told ESPN.com. “And now we’re working on the contract for the winner to face Martinez. Arum and I have had substantive conversations and I’m confident we will get that done in short order too.”

Arum is on vacation, but Top Rank president Todd duBoef tweeted, “Andy Lee set for June 16 against Chavez Jr. in El Paso at Sun Bowl.”

“We have agreed in principle to the terms but we need to see a contract. But I’m optimistic,” Billy Keane, Chavez’s manager said. “I’m hoping that a contract will come that will reflect the terms we verbally agreed on.”

“I think it’s a very exciting and hard fight,” said Steward, who once trained the great Julio Cesar Chavez Sr. for three consecutive junior welterweight world title fights in 1994. “I think it will be a very tough fight. Chavez has developed into a real fighter. He’s become a serious fighter. He has very high energy in the ring. He cuts off the ring very well and smothers you. He gets inside and works the body like his daddy did. Him and Andy, they’re both big guys for middleweights, they’re both good punchers and they both get hit, which makes it a good fight.”

Said DiBella, “These are two long, lean middleweights, two big guys. Chavez is improving and is big and strong and will have the home-field advantage in El Paso. We might as well be going to Mexico. But Andy is a lefty, he’s strong and he can box. Andy Lee will be the best guy Chavez has ever fought.”

“I’ve taken my swipes at the kid, so I’m giving the kid props for taking the fight. That’s the kind of fight a champion takes,” DiBella said. “It also says to me he is serious about Martinez if he wins because he’s taking on a lefty, and I don’t think he’d be doing that if he didn’t think he’d fight Martinez if he won. This is a fight that Andy has been waiting for. He was p—– that he didn’t get Martinez in March, so he is thrilled with this opportunity. He knows it is the opportunity of a lifetime. HBO got themselves a good fight here.”

“I feel very good about it,” he said. “I know it’s not the ideal situation for us because everything is against Andy, but I have the confidence that he has the ability to score a knockout. We know what we’re going up against with the whole situation. But this is the type of opportunity we can’t pass up.”

“I’m actually looking forward to it,” he said from the Kronk Gym in Detroit. “I like having that bunker mentality when everything is against you. We’re gonna train hard and Emanuel will have the right plan and we will go in there and get that belt. It’s my turn. I’ve waited a long time and it’s been a long journey. The time is right for me physically and mentally and I am just glad it’s here.

“I never thought I would get this fight. But I spoke to Lou and he said the fight’s a go, so it’s very hard to contain my excitement. I don’t even know what I’m getting paid yet and I don’t even care. I’m fighting a champion and I will take that belt.”

“That is 100 percent the fight Julio wants subject to a reasonable deal,” Keane said of a pay-per-view fight with Martinez later in the year. “All we’re looking for is a reasonable deal. We’re not looking to hold anyone for ransom, just to be treated fair and reasonably.

“It certainly doesn’t hurt to have Julio have a southpaw look and a southpaw training but their styles are so drastically different that I don’t think Andy Lee is any great preparation for Sergio Martinez. But it doesn’t hurt to get that southpaw look.”

“We wanted to fight Sergio for a long time and Andy got tired of being on his undercards, but we always wanted Martinez,” Steward said. “Now we can get him by beating Chavez.”

“I can beat up Chavez and it will make me a star and then I can beat Martinez and that will make me a superstar,” Lee said. “It’s very exciting to be two fights away from that. This will be a vindication of my lifetime of work. I’ve been in the gym already today. I know what’s ahead of me. I know there is hard work to do. I’m ready for it.”

Photo by Chris Farina /Top Rank

15rounds.com would like to congratulate Florida staff writer Johnny Schulz for winning the Ringside world amateur masters championship in Kansas City.

Schulz won tow bouts as he defeated Robert Vanacore from Huntington NY who was in the 2010 NYC Golden Gloves and over 50 fights. He then defeated Canadian Adam Congiu who was previously unbeaten at 18-0. Schulzscored a knock down in the first round!!!

Sergio Thompson scored a shocking second round stoppage over former world champion Jorge Linares in a scheduled twelve round Lightweight bout in Cancun, Mexico.

The two traded heavy blows in round one with each guy getting rocked. Linares seemed little worse for wear as he finished the round with a bad cut around his left eye. Thompson jumped on Linares with a furious barrage of punches the ultimately dropped Linares. Linares beat referee Bill Clancy’s count but emerged with a nasty cut around that left eye. Clancy took Linares to see the ringside doctor where the fight was called off at 2:27 of round two.

Thompson, 134.2 of Mexico is now 21-2 with nineteen knockouts. Linares, 134.6 of Venezuela had a July 7th rematch with WBC champ Antonio DeMarco washed down the drain with the loss and is now 31-3.

Super Middleweight Marco Antonio Periban got off the canvas to score a first round stoppage over Gerardo Diaz in a scheduled ten round bout.

Periban was dropped in round one from a counter right hand. Periban came back in round two to score the stoppage as he was non stop punching and landing on Diaz which forced Diaz corner to stop the fight at 2:52 of round two.

Periban, 167 1/2 lbs of Mexico City is now 16-0 with eleven knockouts. Diaz, 164 1/2 lbs of Guadalajara, MX is now 12-2-1.

Francisco Vargas kept his perfect win to knockout ratio in tact by stopping Carlos Fernando Perez in three rounds.

Vargas is 7-0-1 with seven knockouts. Perez is now 12-3.

Jorge Romero scored a fourth round stoppage over Eduardo Canales in a six round Jr. Welterweight bout.

Romero,136.6 lbs of Culican, MX is now 21-5 with eighteen knockouts. Canales, 137 lbs of Varacruz, MX is now 13-2.

Josue Guerrero scored a first round stoppage over Andres Uribe in a scheduled four round Welterweight bout.

Guerrero dropped Guerrero twice with the second coming from a devastating left hook and the fight was stopped at 1:27

Guerrero, 146.6 lbs of Cancun, MX is now 2-1 with two knockouts. Uribe,140.8 lbs of Conzumel, MX is now 1-4

SAN ANTONIO – It was “Mexican Russian” against “Little Soldier” at Illusions Theatre, in Saturday’s main event. All of the monikers were apt.

Fighting in a 10-round “Top Rank Live” match made for Spanish-language network TV Azteca, undefeated Russian featherweight Evgeny Gradovich (13-0, 7 KOs) and Mexican Frankie Leal (17-6-3, 10 KOs) made the night’s most savage battle, engaging each other constantly and from close range every second of every round. Gradovich prevailed by technical knockout, stopping Leal with a short left hook in the match’s final minute. The fight then took on a tragic hue.

Rising well before referee Rafael Ramos’ 10-count completed, Leal stumbled slightly rightwards. Ramos took note and wisely waved an end to the match at 2:15 of round 10. Immediately thereafter, Texas officials began a postfight evaluation of Leal that resulted in his being removed from ringside on a gurney. As he was wheeled from the ring, however, Leal was conscious, and referee later Ramos confirmed that Leal had been able to answer questions.

A later report from a local hospital indicated that Leal was responding to doctors’ questions. The word “precautionary” was being used hopefully at ringside.

It was a sad end to what was a hell of a scrap.

KELLY PAVLIK VS. AARON JACO
It has been a long time since former middleweight world champion Kelly “The Ghost” Pavlik fought in the second co-main of a local card, but that was the position in which he found himself Saturday, while making only his second prizefight in 23 months.

Pavlik (38-2, 33 KOs) responded well to the unfamiliar, and blasted overmatched Florida super middleweight Aaron “Jedi” Jaco (15-3, 5 KOs), forcing the 35 year-old to the blue mat twice, once in each of the first two rounds, and stopping him at 0:45 of round 2.

“He was looking for the right hand,” Pavlik said afterwards. “How do you think my left hand looked?”

Pavlik dropped Jaco with a left-hook lead in the second minute of the first round, a few seconds after a less-professional-looking overhand-right lead failed to move Jaco. Pavlik, working for the first time in his career with a trainer outside of Ohio, this time new chief second Robert Garcia, made left hands the focus of his new look.

“I had a really good camp, and you can see I had more of a bounce in my step,” Pavlik said. “My left arm was actually getting tired in there.”

In round 2, Pavlik connected with another left-hook lead, this one verily damaging Jaco. Fully outmatched but still tough, Jaco rose before the count of 10 but was in no condition to continue.

“We’re going fight-by-fight,” Pavlik said, when asked about his current fighting weight and future plans. “I just don’t know yet.”

This first fight of Pavlik’s latest comeback told observers little more than this: Pavlik is back, can make the super middleweight limit, and is working on his left hook.

ADAM LOPEZ VS. RAMON BAYALA
As a highly praised prospect in his second prizefight, Adam Lopez was supposed to make quick work of a limited Puerto Rican with nary a victory on his record. But Ramon Bayala, that limited Puerto Rican, sent Lopez to the mat in round 3 and made Lopez work much harder than anticipated throughout.

Ultimately, Lopez (2-0, 1 KO) decisioned Bayala (0-3-1) by three unanimous scores of 38-36, scores that reflected both Bayala’s third-round knockdown and his fourth-round holding penalty, one provoked by a shoulder he threw on a break.

“He was holding, but the ref warned me,” Lopez said afterwards, still in apparent disbelief. “And I got mad and lost my concentration.”

Lopez rose after his first professional knockdown and struggled to a neutral corner. Referee Jon Schorle moved in, completed his count and twice cleaned Lopez’s gloves, and Lopez made his way through the rest of the stanza.

“He got up too early,” said Ronnie Shields, Lopez’s trainer, who said there was lots of work to be done on Lopez – starting with keeping his hands up.

UNDERCARD
Saturday’s second match of its TV Azteca broadcast saw local lightweight Ivan Najera (7-0, 7 KOs) run through unprepared Michigander James Lester (9-8, 4 KOs), dropping him twice and stopping him with a left hook to the body at 0:35 of round 2.

The best fight of the undercard was a four-round battle of Texas featherweights Luis Zarazua (3-0-1, 1 KO), of Edinburgh, and Victor Sanchez (1-3-1), of Houston, one that ended in a fair and proper majority draw that ringside judges scored 38-38, 38-38 and 39-37 (Zarazua). Sanchez began the fight winging uppercuts that betrayed a surprising familiarity with Zarazua’s style. But Zarazua soon solved that puzzle and did enough to win three rounds on one scorecard, in an excellent match.

Before that, in a four-round light heavyweight match between Cleveland’s Eduardo Alicea (3-0, 2 KOs) and Houston’s Edwynn Jones (1-4-1, 1 KO), four uneventful rounds punctuated by a few suspenseful seconds of action led to a decision victory for Alicea that all three judges scored 40-36. Alicea, who slaps when he throws an ill-advised right hook to the body and also got himself clipped by a surprise uppercut in round 3, nevertheless did enough to decision Jones easily.

California featherweight Saul Rodriguez (4-0, 4 KOs) remained undefeated in the evening’s second match, stopping Houstonian Ricardo Valencia (1-3-1) at 0:19 of round 1. Charging out his corner and connecting with his first combination – a nifty right cross, left hook mix – Rodriguez then landed a pair of right hands that brought referee Rafael Ramos racing in to stop the fight before it got too ugly, or even truly started.

Saturday’s card opened with a four round super welterweight scrap between Florida’s Bryant Perrella (2-0, 2 KOs) and San Antonio’s Arturo Lopez (0-2), a match referee Jon Schorle stopped at 2:08 of round 4 when Lopez did not respond adequately to a series of combinations from Perrella.

Attendance for Leija and Battah Promotions’ debut was estimated at 1,500. Opening bell rang on a sparsely occupied Illusions Theatre at 6:03 PM local time.

Photo by Chris Farina / Top Rank

Lightweight Hank Lundy survived a first round knockdown to take control and cruise to a 10 round unanimous decision over Dannie Williams. Lundy, of Philadelphia, PA got clipped late in round one by a left hook from Saint Louis, MO’s Dannie Williams and dropped to a knee. Lundy rose to survive the round and righted the ship in round two by keeping Williams at bay with jabs and right hands. Round 3 and 4 were a treat for the fans as Williams and Lundy went at it, winging wild shots with seemingly reckless abandon. Lundy was staggered in round 3 by a left hook from Williams but surged back to take round 4 with the more accurate shots. Perhaps learning a lesson from the previous rounds, Lundy took a more scientific approach to the fight and began boxing Williams from the outside in round 5. The shift in strategy seemed to work for Lundy who stacked up rounds behind his increasingly accurate jab and left hook. In the end, Lundy prevailed by scores of 97-92 (twice) and 98-91. Lundy runs his record to 22-1-1 (11Kos) while Williams slips to 21-2 (17kos.) It remains to be seen if Lundy can compete against the top fighters in his division. His only loss is to the mediocre John Molina and despite his trash talking, hasn’t really claimed big name victory to put him in the running for a title shot. Hopefully, Lundy will look to step up the competition in the near future and show us the kind of fighter he purports to be.

Elvin Ayala has always been a staple in the Connecticut fight scene. The local middleweight has always tried to make a good fight and in the past has been given a title opportunity for it. Despite coming up short in his biggest bouts, Ayala has always displayed a willingness to engage that has earned him the respect of fans and media alike. Tonight though, Ayala seemed to fight down to the level of his opponent, 42 year old Eric Mitchell of Vero Beach, FL. Ayala was in control of the bout throughout, but he repeatedly let himself be tied up by Mitchell and seemed content to pot shot his way to victory. Ayala finally came alive in the fourth, landing a stinging right hand halfway through the round that shook Mitchell up. Ayala closed strong in the eighth, landing numerous left hooks to the body and head of Mitchell but never doing any serious damage. Ayala easily won the unanimous decision by scores of 79-73 (twice) and 78-74 and improves to 25-5-1 (11Kos.) Mitchell drops his fourth fight in the last five to land at 23-9-1 (11Kos.) Though Ayala does still have something left, he needs to really strive to make a statement against C level opponents like Mitchell if he wants to earn another title shot. Tonight’s performance did him little justice and with any luck, his next fight will display some of the fire that garnered him so much fan support in CT.

SAN ANTONIO – Kelly Pavlik, the former lineal middleweight world champion and fighting pride of Ohio, approached the small stage at a crowded cantina, Friday afternoon, after joking he’d be at a loss for words if asked to address the South Texas crowd. Then he climbed on the scale and showed more pounds and tattoos than his old fans remembered.

More pounds, perhaps, but still within the contracted weight for his Saturday fight. More tattoos, definitely, but apparently more comfortable in his own skin that he’s been in a while.

Friday afternoon at Ojos Locos, a sports bar northwest of the downtown area, Pavlik (37-2, 32 KOs) and his Saturday “Top Rank Live” co-main event opponent, Aaron Jaco (15-2, 5 KOs), who calls himself “Jedi” but whose knockout record shows limited use of the force, each came in under their agreed-upon weight of 170 pounds. Pavlik weighed 169 1/4 pounds, while Jaco made 169 1/2.

Saturday will be Pavlik’s first match with new trainer Robert Garcia, who indicated Pavlik had no trouble whatever with weight during their 10-week training camp. Saturday will also mark the promotional debut of retired world champion Jesse James Leija, a native son of San Antonio’s and owner of two local ChampionFit Gyms.

“Five and a half weeks ago,” said Leija, when asked at a Thursday open workout when he decided to become a promoter. “My buddy Mike Battah and I were talking about bringing fights back to San Antonio, and we started talking to the right guys, like (Pavlik manager) Cameron Dunkin, about a core base of fighters that people would want to come see.”

Leija and Battah Promotions will make its first event in Alamodome’s Illusions Theatre – so named, in part, because it comprises a temporary stage, ceiling and curtain arrangement converted from an existing stretch of Alamodome’s endless floor – with plans for regular shows, as many as six in the new firm’s first year.

“They needed a place to put the fight, and we had a couple different places,” said Leija. “But I said let’s do the Alamodome. We’re just going to have to work harder.”

Local interest has apparently kept pace with Leija’s ambitions, as noted matchmaker Chris Middendorf verified Thursday.

“This is a great fight city,” Middendorf said of San Antonio. “So much local interest.”

Middendorf’s assessment was proved apt Friday at Ojos Locos, where the weighin for a comparatively small, Spanish-language-broadcast card brought a full bar’s worth of supporters out on a workday afternoon, hours before quitting time.

Alamo City’s tradition of supporting boxing cards is part of what convinced Leija to start promoting, regardless of what aficionados sometimes opine of his new profession.

“The number one sport for Mexican-Americans is boxing, and we have a huge base of Mexican-Americans here in San Antonio,” said Leija. “And no one can take your good name away from you except you.”

Leija promised that as a promoter he would remain a fighter’s guy.

“Look, I know what they’re going through,” said Leija. “I know what it’s like to have to do this to put food on the table for your wife, and for your kids. I’ve been there. You get paid, and the check goes in two weeks. I know.”

Leija’s hope is to create an infrastructure that can nurture young professional talent in what has long been one of the country’s best fight cities. That hope currently rests on the 119-pound frame of Adam Lopez (1-0, 1 KO), a local amateur standout who will make his second career prizefight Saturday, against Puerto Rican Ramon Bayala (0-2). Ivan Najera (6-0, 5 KOs), a San Antonio lightweight who will face Detroit’s James Lester (9-7, 4 KOs) Saturday, is also expected to attract ticket-buyers.

Saturday’s main event will see undefeated Russian featherweight Evgeny Gradovich (12-0, 6 KOs) fight Mexican Franky Leal (16-5-3, 10 KOs). Alamodome doors will open at 5:00 PM local time, with first bell scheduled to ring on its eight-match card at 6:00. 15rounds.com will have full ringside coverage.

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com., an intriguing world unification doubleheader is in the works for a potential August 25th date on HBO featuring WBO Middleweight champion Dmitriy Pirog and IBF champion Daniel Geale as well as WBA Super Welterweight champion Austin Trout taking on WBO champ Sergiy Dzinziruk.

“It’s very close. We’re 99 percent done,” Said Artie Pelullo, who promotes Pirog and is the co-promoter of Dzinzuruk. “I’m very excited about the opportunity for Pirog to be on HBO and for Dzinziruk to be back on HBO. These four fighters are among the best in their respective weight classes, and it’s been a long time coming that they are on HBO.”

“These are two very interesting, pick ’em fights,” said Garry Shaw, who promotes Geale, co-promotes Trout with Greg Cohen and co-promotes Dzinziruk with Pelullo, who also promotes Pirog. “We’ll come out with someone important at 154 and definitely someone important at 160. So I really like this card. I really believe there will be two people who come out of these fights who will be important to boxing in these two weight divisions.”

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, IBF/WBA/WBO?Ring Magazine Heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko will rematch Tony Thompson on July 7 in Switzerland.

A Tuesday Purse bid was called off due to Klitschko adviser Shelly Finkel.

“There is no purse bid because we made a deal,” Finkel said.

Klitschko (57-3, 50 KOs), who turned 36 on Sunday, will be meeting Thompson (36-2, 24 KOs), 40, of Washington, D.C., in a rematch. He first faced Thompson on July 12, 2008 in Hamburg, Germany and dominated. Klitschko led 99-91, 98-92 and 98-92 on the judges’ scorecards before scoring a crushing 11th-round knockout.

Zab Judah (41-7, 28 KO’s, 138lbs) had his first ever fight in Brooklyn, NY, and it was up against rising talent, Vernon Paris (26-0, 15 KO’s, 138lbs). The bout took place at the Aviator Sports Center, which has become the home for boxing in Brooklyn.

With Judah being a southpaw and Paris in the orthodox stance, both fighters quickly worked at establishing their straight hands. Judah was the first to gain control, and he showed no signs of losing that control.

Any analyst will tell you that when opposite handed fighters face eachother, footwork is key. If one fighter’s lead foot is outside his opponent’s, he has the angle and leverage to land the better blows. Paris was losing the footwork battle badly. Judah beat him to the punch every single time as Paris could not grasp the very basic aspect of proper punching against a southpaw.

Judah repeatedly stunned Paris throughout the fight. To his credit, Paris showed a great chin, and was occasionally able to follow up with good shots of his own. But those shots were few and far between.

As both fighters entered the ninth round, Paris was way behind on the scorecards and needed something drastic to occur in order to come away victorious. Judah made sure that wouldn’t happen by sticking to the gamelan that was working to absolute perfection. He stunned Paris with another left hand and backed him into a corner. With Paris stunned and trapped, Judah stepped back and measured the situation before unleashing another combination that forced the referee to step in and call the fight. Judah came away victorious in impressive fashion, acoring a TKO victory at the 2:27 point in the ninth round.

The popular Tomasz Adamek (44-2, 28 KO’s, 222.5lbs) took to the ring against Nagy Aguilera (17-6, 12 KO’s, 226.5lbs) in what was expected to be a one sided affair. Aguilera was aggressive early, taking advantage of Adamek’s notoriously slow starts. Aguilera did well until Adamek landed a left hook that badly wobbled Aguilera’s legs.

From that point on, Adamek was in control of the slugfest, repeatedly landing the ol’ one-two combination, and then slipping out of harms way. Despite the I’ve sided nature of the fight, Aguilera landed some hard blows of his own, temporarily quieting some of Adamek’s passionate fans.

After ten rounds, the scores read 99-91, 100-90, 100-90 for Adamek, giving him the unanimous decision victory.

Sergei Liakhovich (25-4, 16KO’s, 231lbs) took on Bryant Jennings (12-0, 5 KO’s, 219.5lbs) in a crossroads battle. From start to finish, Jennings was in total control of the bout. His better footwork led to better opportunities to throw combinations. And throw combinations he did. Jennings landed at will and had Liakhovich staggered in nearly every round. Liakhovich was just too slow and had no answer for Jennings.

Over the course of eight one sided rounds, Liakhovich took a beating. Before the round, the ringside physician took Liakhovich aside for a closer look. He let the fight continue, and Jennings continued the beating. After the round was over, the doctor advised that the fight should should be stopped. Jennings was credited with a TKO victory at the 3:00 mark of the ninth round.

Cruiserweights Santader Silgado (20-0, 18 KO’s, 196lbs) and Willie Herring (13-9-3, 4 KO’s) took to the ring next. The experts in attendance were going to get a good look at Silgado, who boasts an impressive record.

Things did not start so peachy for Silgado, as Herring turned out to be a crafty counterpuncher. The early rounds were a closely contested chess match.

In order to work his way inside, Herring made many aggressive lunges forward that led to headbutts. Eventually, a headbutt seemed to open up a cut over Silgado’s right eye, but luckily, his cutman, Danny Milano was on hand, and the bleeding was stopped.

Things changed in the fifth round. Silgado landed a body blow, and Herring was able to sell it as a low blow. From that point on, Silgado was in control and used his advantage in size very well for the rest of the fight. Herring’s continued attempts at selling phantom low blows did not work.

The final round saw lots of fireworks as Herring was able to land some looping hooks. The second half of the round had Silgado back in control. In the end, the final scores read 77-75, 78-74, and 78-74 in favor of Silgado, giving him a unanimous decision victory.

Much to the delight of his adoring Brooklyn fans, Curtis Stevens (21-3, 15 KO’s, 162lbs) made short work of Romaro Johnson (11-5-1, 6 KO’s, 160lbs) in their bout. Not long after the opening bell, a combination from Stevens sent Johnson onto the canvas. Johnson quickly made it up to his feet, but Stevens gave him no breathing room, and another combination sent Johnson down.

Johnson beat the count again, but the referee stayed close by to jump in if there was danger. That danger came quick, as another combination landed, and the referee called an end before Johnson even landed. The time of the TKO came at 2:16 of the first round.

The opening bout og the evening saw Angel Garcia (1-0, 1 KO, 130lbs) dominate and stop Alan Beeman (debut, 129.5lbs) in three rounds.

HOUSTON – Finally, Erik “El Terrible” Morales, at age 35, did not have enough of what once made him great to wrest a victory from a well-prepared young challenger. There was no shame in Morales’ losing, and there was enough pride in his effort to make Danny “Swift” Garcia’s victory a meaningful one.

Saturday in Reliant Arena, Philadelphia’s Garcia (23-0, 14 KOs) decisioned Tijuana’s Morales (52-8, 36 KOs) by unanimous scores of 117-110, 116-112, 118-109, in a fight for a junior welterweight title that Morales lost on the scale Friday, when he missed the fight’s contracted weight by two pounds.

Saturday, after an uneventful first round that Garcia nevertheless won with quicker hands, both fighters became slightly more active in the second. Despite a trio of right uppercuts landed by Morales at the midway point of round 2, though, the second belonged to Garcia much as the first had.

The end of the third round saw Garcia land a succession of right hands to Morales’ chin that forced the Mexican icon to drop his gloves, hold onto the ropes and look startled. Morales resumed his hesitancy in the opening third of round four before being caught with one Garcia right hand too many. Morales then adjusted his left guard, promised himself he’d not lower it again, and promptly had his best round of the fight.

After an even fifth that saw Garcia warned for a low blow, the Philadelphian pinned Morales to the ropes and assaulted him with lefts and rights for the opening 90 seconds of round 6. Then Morales, showing some of his world-class wiles, set a trap for the younger man and beat him back in the round’s final minute.

After that, Garcia made an adjustment of his own. He stopped endeavoring to hurt or stop Morales and merely tried to outbox him. The adjustment worked, and Garcia won the seventh, eighth and ninth.

Round 10, though, saw Morales find Garcia with right hands enough to begun a stream of blood from Garcia’s nose, marking the first round Morales convincingly won in four.

In the eleventh, Morales’ confidence led him to launch a right uppercut from distance, a classic no-no, and Garcia capitalized by dropping him with a left hook. Morales rose at the count of eight and made it to the end of the round, but his legs were not sturdy.

The fight ended much the way it began, with Garcia too young and fast for the Mexican veteran.

Ringside judges marked a wide unanimous decision for Garcia. And the 15rounds.com card concurred, scoring the match 117-111 in his favor.

KIRKLAND VS. MOLINA
A remarkable fight was stopped prematurely in Saturday’s co-main event. The culprit was a cornerman or referee, depending on one’s feelings about enforcing the letter of a regulation.

Texas super welterweight James Kirkland (31-1, 27 KOs) defeated Chicago’s Carlos Molina (19-5-2, 6 KOs) by 10th-round disqualification, in a fight Molina was winning, when Molina’s cornerman improperly stepped on the ring apron before the 10th round had officially concluded.

Afterwards, both Kirkland and Molina said they would like a rematch.

Molina started the fight boxing and moving well, circling away from Kirkland’s power and keeping himself out of reach with range-finding jabs and crosses to Kirkland’s body. After an even second round, Molina worked his way back on to Kirkland’s chest in the third, slowing the Texan’s pace and discomfiting him for at least two of the round’s three minutes.

In round 4, a trend emerged clearly: James Kirkland was fading after the first minute of each stanza. Kirkland would have little trouble finding Molina with left crosses and uppercuts, from his southpaw stance, but then would lose his pace after 60 seconds. Kirkland, his mouth open, would start taking breathers, and Molina would move forward, land scoring punches and steal rounds.

The fifth and sixth, both very close, were marked by Kirkland’s loading-up on aggressiveness and punches early, in the apparent hopes of making an impression enough on the judges that Molina’s lighter, though more sustained, offense would not sway them in the final 90 seconds of each round.

Rounds 7 and 8 saw declining activity from both men, but enough activity by Molina to win them. The eighth, particularly, saw Kirkland exposed in some ways as a prizefighter who is uncomfortable on the inside and incapable when pushed backwards.

Even the ninth round, which may have been Kirkland’s best, saw the Austin prizefighter fade late and collect light but effective right hands from Molina.

The 10th saw both men exhausted enough to land on the blue mat, Kirkland from exhaustion, Molina from a punch. And that was when the fight fell apart. Beating referee Jon Schorle’s count comfortably after the bell to end the round had rung, Molina walked back to his corner, where his trainer had already entered the ring. Enforcing a rule that mandates a fight must be stopped if a cornerman climbs on the apron before the end of a round, referee Schorle disqualified Molina, awarding a 10th round victory to Kirkland.

At the time of the stoppage, Molina was winning by majority-decision scores of 87-84, 88-83 and 85-86. The dissenting scorecard belonged to Texas judge Gale Van Hoy. The 15rounds.com ringside scorecard concurred with the other two judges, marking the match 88-85 for Molina.

“I’ve been refereeing 29 years,” said Schorle after the fight. “That’s the first time I’ve ever had to do that.”

UNDERCARD
In the last pre-television fight of the night, Houston super welterweight Jermell Charlo (17-0, 8 KOs) did what his brother Jermall could not earlier, dropping his opponent, Chicago’s Chris Chatman (10-2-1, 5 KOs), and stopping his match in a thrillingly concussive way. After an interesting pair of opening rounds, six minutes that saw Chatman look lively and Charlo slip most of his punches, Charlo floored Chatman, whose head slammed the blue mat, causing the fight to be stopped at 1:22 of round 3.

Irish lightweight Jamie Kavanaugh (9-0-1, 4 KOs), who fights out of California, needed none of his people’s fabled luck in the evening’s fourth match, working his way through Florida’s Cesar Cisneros (3-4-2, 1 KO) and stopping him at 2:28 of round 5. After being cut in the match’s opening stanza, Kavanaugh sat down on his punches, opened a gory gash over Cisnero’s right eye and finished the match with aplomb.

Local welterweight Lanard Lane (13-1, 8 KOs) completed Saturday’s third fight with an exclamation mark of sorts, beating on game but overmatched Milton Ramos (7-3-2) of Waco, Texas, and stopping him at 1:34 of their eighth and final round. In claiming the eighth knockout of his career, Lane showed every tool but stopping power, landing numerous right crosses without quite claiming Ramos’ consciousness and ultimately leaving the referee to stop the bout.

The second match of the night, a super welterweight match between undefeated Houstonian Jermall Charlo (9-0, 5 KOs) and Nebraskan Shawn Wilson (5-9, 1 KO), was a mismatch from its opening moments, as Charlo was too long, too well-schooled and too fast for Wilson, who fought with a certain strong-jawed resignation through the first four rounds before succumbing to a sustained assault and losing by technical knockout at 2:21 of round 5.

Saturday’s action began with a quick stoppage, when Florida super welterweight Daquan Arnett (2-0, 1 KO) dropped San Antonio’s Fabian Cancino (0-4) with a left hook to the liver. After an enthusiastic start, Cancino was unable to rise before the 10-count, and Arnett scored his first career knockout at 1:51 of round 1.

Opening bell rang on an empty Reliant Arena at 5:12 PM local time.

TUCSON, Ariz. – Maybe, it was a wake-up call. Maybe, it was just embarrassing. Whatever it was, it worked Friday night for Las Vegas super-featherweight Diego Magdaleno in front of a soldout crowd of 2,000 at Casino Del Sol.

Magdaleno got up from a surprising knockdown in the fourth round, seemingly angered and unmistakably determined to make amends.

Mission accomplished.

Magdaleno (22-0, 8 KOs) rocked Fernando Beltran Jr. (35-8-1, 19 KOs) with menacing purpose and head-rocking rapidity, finally forcing Beltran’s corner to surrender at 2:28 of the seventh round.

“I was upset at myself,’’ said Magdaleno, who retained his Northern American Boxing Federation title and improved his chances at getting a shot at a major crown. “I’m my own worst critic.’’

Magdaleno almost drove Beltran, a Mexican journeyman, through the ropes in the sixth. In the seventh, Beltran was on unsteady feet and appeared ready to collapse when his corner threw in the towel.

Magdelano hops his next step is a fight for either the International Boxing Federation title held by Takashiro Ao of Japan or the World Boxing Council’s version held by Juan Carlos Salgado.

“Either one,’’ Magdaleno said. “I’m ready for either guy.’’

Best of the undercard: Yordenis Ugas, a 2008 Olympic bronze medalist for Cuba at the Beijing Games, had all of the credentials and most of the hype. Johnny Garcia had most of the resilience and all of the toughness.

Resilience and toughness prevailed in a significant upset of Ugas (11-1, 5 KOs), a Top Rank prospect, who lost a split-decision to Garcia (12-0, 8 KOs), an unheralded super-lightweight from Holland, Mich. Garcia won because he got up. Ugas dropped him in the fifth with a left-right combination. The stunned look in Garcia’s eyes seemed to say he was finished. Looks are deceiving.

Garcia came roaring back. Surprised and perhaps fatigued, Ugas began to back-pedal and at one point in the sixth he almost fell through the ropes into the lap of a ringside judge. It could have been scored a knockdown. It wasn’t. In the end, however, it didn’t matter. Garcia already had made his point. Two judges scored it, 76-75, for Garcia. The third had it, 76-75 for Ugas.

The rest: Middleweight Abie Han (16-0, 10 KOs) of Mexico won a unanimous decision over Rahman Yusubov (13-6, 11 KOs) of Dallas; Mexican heavyweight Andy Ruiz Jr. (14-0, 8 KOs) won a unanimous decision over Homero Fonseca (9-5-3, 2 KOs); and Mexican super-flyweight Hanzel Martinez (17-0, 14 KOs), scored a first round stoppage of fellow Mexican Jose Miguel Tamayo (12-4-2, 11 KOs).

TUCSON, Ariz. – Talks are underway for Antonio Margarito to fight in Arizona in May or June, Margarito and his manager, Sergio Diaz, said Friday.

“We’re talking about May 26,’’ Margarito said through an interpreter after his brother-in-law, super-flyweight Hanzel Martinez, threw a powerful right hand for a first-round stoppage of Jose Miguel Tamayo at Casino Del Sol.

Margarito manager Sergio Diaz said June 15 also is under consideration, possibly at Casino Del Sol’s outdoor stadium. Friday night’s card was staged in one of the casino’s ballrooms.

“May or June is fine,’’ said Margarito, who last fought in December in a dramatic loss to Miguel Cotto in New York.

Margarito, whose surgically-repaired right eye was badly bloodied by Cotto, said he is pointing to a fight in September with World Boxing Council middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr.

Margarito said he currently training and his weight is at 165 pounds.

Roberto Garcia scored a ten round unanimous decision over Antwone Smith in a Jr. Welterweight in Pharr, Texas.

Garcia outworked Smith for most of the fight. Garcia took the lead and was more effective then Smith who goth through with some good counters.

Garcia, 154 lbs of Welasco, TX won by scores 98-92; 97-92 and 97-93 and is now 31-3. Smith, 154 lbs of Miami is now 21-4-1.

In a battle of two Jr. Middleweights coming off long lay offs after their first loss, James De La Rosa scored a eight round unanimous decision over Tyrone Brunson.

De La Rosa had a solid round one by landing combinations. Brunson had his one shining moment in round two when De La Rosa walked into a right hand that knocked him off balance and his glove touched the canvas for a knockdown. De La Rosa responded nicely in the round as he came back to back Brunson up with combinations. De La Rosa continued the consistency of landed combinations as Brunson leaned in and was only able to throw one punch at a time. De La Rosa’s work showed as Brunson began to swell under his left eye in round seven. Neither guy fought with the urgency of the previous seven rounds but De La Rosa built up a solid lead and won by scores of 79-72; 78-73 and 77-74

De La Rosa, 155 lbs of Harrington, TX came back after a fifteen month layoff when he lost to Allen Conyers and is now 21-1. Brunson, 154 1/2 lbs of Philadelphia was making his first start in nearly twenty-seven months after being stopped by Carson Jones is now 21-2-1.

The Irish fans came in full force to celebrate St. Patricks day at the theater in Madison Square Garden. They were also on hand to celebrate Ireland’s very own Matthew Macklin (28-3, 19 KO’s) as he squared off against against reigning middleweight champion, Sergio Martinez (48-2-2, 27KO’s). The bout began with Martinez showing an aggressive stance. His straight left behind his southpaw stance was a weapon that he prepared for. Macklin fared well under the circumstances. He came into the fight as a heavy underdog despite solid performances in the past, but was showcasing some skill and tenacity under the bright lights of Madison Square Garden.

Macklin’s straight right hand proved to be an effective weapon. He landed them well against Martinez, whose movement makes him a difficult target, stealing rounds due to staying on the offensive. Entering the seventh round, many ringside observers had the bout scored even at three rounds apiece. In a startling exchange, a looping right hook knocked Martinez off balance, causing his glove to touch the canvas, forcing referee Eddie Cotton Jr. to rule it a knockdown. The blow did not seem to phase Martinez, and once the fight resumed, he aggressively went after Macklin, landing one hard straight left after another.

The ruled knockdown ended up becoming the turning point of the fight. It brought the champion out of Martinez, and he dominated from then on. His straight left did not seem to miss it’s target, as he repeatedly beat Macklin to the punch with his superior hand speed. Entering the eleventh round, Macklin’s face began to redden due to the blows that he was taking. About a third of the way through the round, Martinez landed a picture perfect left hand that knocked Macklin down hard. He beat the count, but was on very unsteady legs, and the blow opened up a gash on the right side of his face. It did not take long for Martinez to send Macklin down again. All it took was another left hand, and Macklin was down again. He beat the count as the round ended.

It was then that Macklin’s corner, headed by Buddy McGirt, decided to assess their fighter. They saw that he was spent and hurt, and therefore unable to continue, and wisely made the decision to end the bout. Martinez was credited with a TKO victory at the 3:00 point in the eleventh round.

In a bout that guaranteed fireworks, Edwin Rodriguez (20-0, 15KO’s) faced off against Don George (22-1, 19KO’s) in a super middleweight match. The early portions of the bout saw each fighter measuring up their jabs and trying to get into range for harder punches.

Things began to heat up a bit in the third round as both fighters traded big rights. The fight continued at a tactical pace entering the middle rounds. Despite the high expectations of a barn burner, this fight became a smart chess match. Rodriguez proved to be the better of the two at this game. He used his skills to keep George out of reach, and the plan worked very well.

With George seemingly behind on the scorecards, the twelfth round was highly anticipated. Both fighters threw big punches for the entire three minutes. It had the crowd on their feet. As the final bell rang, both fighters embraced before the scores were read. The final scores were 96-94, 99-91, and 97-93 all in favor of Rodriguez.

The popular Seanie Monaghan (12-0, 8 KO’s) squared off against Eric Watkins (6-1, 2 KO’s) in a light heavyweight bout. Watkins started off quickly, hoping to catch Monaghan off guard. Recently, Monaghan has employed a more measured approach to fighting, and took it all in stride. He started off by throwing powerful combinations to the body, and followed that up with combinations upstairs. Watkins was unable to answer with any significant punches of his own.

The bout progressed with Monaghan in complete control of the action. After eight one-sided rounds, the final scores read 80-72, 79-73, and 79-73 in favor of Monaghan.

In the final non-televised bout of the night, heavyweights took to the ring when Magomed Abdusalamov (13-0, 13 KO’s) took on Jason Pettaway (11-0, 8 KO’s). Pettaway started the fight utilizing his quick footwork and boxing technique, while Abdusalamov stalked. In the opening rounds, it was evident that Abdusalamov had punching power, but he did not land that one power shot that would end the fight. Then, in the fourth round, Abdusalamov landed a combination that had Pettaway reeling and on the canvas. He beat the count, but was on very shaky legs. As the bout resumed, Abdusalamov took advantage and landed huge punches flush on the chin. An official immediately hoped onto the canvas to request an end. The referee called a halt to the bout at 1:20 of the fourth round, giving Abdusalamov a TKO victory.

The third bout of the evening featured the popular Kevin Rooney (3-1, 1 KO, 163.5lbs) up against Anthony Shuff (0-1, 168lbs). Rooney opened up aggressively working his opponent, and it immediately became evident that Shuff wanted no part of it. After a barrage of punches, he looked over to the ref as if to plead for mercy. The referee granted it to him, stopping the fight at 1:27 of the first round, giving Rooney the TKO victory.

In a vert tactical match, Charlie Ota (19-1-1, 13 KO’s, 151.5lbs) took on Gundrick King (16-7, 11 KO’s, 153.5lbs). Both fighters took their time in letting their hands go, as they are both counter punchers. Throughout the bout they took turns finding openings. Gradually throughout the first for rounds, Ota was landing the fresher combinations. By the sixth, a combination from Ota ended with a solid left hook that sent King down. Ota beat the count and the round ended. The seventh round saw more action from Ota, and he trapped King in the corner and landed a right that sent King to a knee. The referee stopped the bout at the :35 point in the seventh round, giving Ota a TKO win.

The opening bout of the evening featured Thomas Hardwick (4-0, 2 KO’s, 215lbs) against TJ Gibson (1-1, 207lbs) in a four round match. Hardwick maintained control throughout the bout en route to a unanimous decision victory with all three scores reading 39-35.

Danny McDermott (9-3-2, 4 KO’s, 140.5lbs) faced off against Carl McNickels (7-3, 6 KO’s, 137 1/4lbs) in a six round bout. Like any other McDermott fight, it featured a whole lot of back and fourth brawling. The final scores read 57-55, 57-55, 56-56 in favor of McNickels, giving him a majority decision victory.

Photos by Ed Diller

Omar Figueroa stayed undefeated as he stopped Roman Ayala in round two of a scheduled ten round Lightweight bout at the Fantasy Springs Resort in Indio, CA.

Figueroa dominated the first round with landed punches from both hands. In round two, Figueroa landed two crushing lefts with the first being a hard shot to the body and a shot to the head that was followed up by a few shots that sent Ayala to the canvas. When he got to his feet referee Lou Moret called the bout off after Ayala stumbled back at 2:53 of round two.

Figueroa, 136 1/4 lbs of Weslaco, TX is now 15-0-1 with twelve knockouts. Ayala, 135 lbs of Mexico City is now 22-3-1.

“It surprised me when he didn’t try to box because he is a pretty tall guy,” said Figueroa. “Once he started throwing power shots with me, I knew it wouldn’t last long. He had decent power so I was careful of his wild shots but I never thought the fight would make it past the third or fourth round.”

Randy Caballero remained perfect but was extended in hist first ten round bout by scoring unanimous decision over grizzled veteran Jose Luis Araiza in a Bantamweight bout.

Caballero boxed very well over the first half of the bout as he outlanded Araiza almost two to one over the first five rounds. Araiza started landing some heavy overhand rights that seemed to get the attention of Caballero. Caballero righted the ship in rounds eight and nine as he outworked Araiza in between some attempted big shots from Araiza. Round ten was furious with Araiza landing several big shots but time ran out as Caballero had established a big lead.

Caballero, 117 3/4 lbs of Cochella, CA won by scores of 98-92; 98-92 and 97-93 and is now 14-0. Araiza, 117 3/4 lbs of Tecate, MX is now 32-6-1

“This was more of a learning experience for me,” said Caballero after the bout. “We knew he was going to try to do a couple of things in the ring and I let him do them a couple of times. That’s my mistake so we’re going to go back to the gym and keep working so we can come out even better next time.”

Lightweight world champion Juan Manuel Marquez will now fight Sergey Fedchenko instead of Rene Cuenca for a vacant Jr. Welterweight belt on April 14 according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

In what looked like a competitive bout on paper proved to be a total mismatch in the ring as former world champion Kendall Holt needed less then two rounds to pound out Tim Coleman at the Morango Casino & Resort in Cabazon, California.

Holt dropped Coleman in round one with a perfect left hook to the body. Holt was deliberate in dropping Coleman three more times in round two first with a right hand. After that Coleman looked like he wanted to be anywhere except in the ring with Holt as he was dropped two more times with body shots before his corner mercifully stopped the bout at 2:23 of round two.

Holt of Paterson, NJ is now 28-5 with sixteen knockouts. Colemna, 143 lbs of Las Vegas is now 19-3-1

Abraham Lopez scored an eight round unanimous decision over Gabriel Tolmajyan in a Super Featherweight bout.

Although Tolmajyan fought very well early by being more active moving up and down on Lopez. Lopez pushed the action late but he already had an insurmountable lead on the cards which didint seem to be the case as Tolmajyan deserved better.

Lopez, 127 lbs of Le Puente, CA won by scores of 79-73, 78074 and 78-74 and is now 17-0. Tolmajyan is now 12-2-1.

Roman Morales remained perfect with a six round unanimous decision over Ruffino Serrano in a Super Bantamweight bout.

Morales dropped Serrano with body work in round five and was never challenged in the bout as he won by scores of 60-53, 59-54 and 59-54.

Morales, 122 lbs of San Ardo, CA is now 10-0. Serrano, 121 lbs of Santa Maria, CA is now 12-4.

LOS ANGELES, March 15 – In 2011, former Mexican Olympian Abner Mares left his mark on the professional boxing world by winning and defending his first world championship at bantamweight against former World Champion Joseph King Kong Agbeko. Now, on Saturday, April 21, Mares will begin his quest for a world title in a second weight class as he moves up in weight to take on former World Champion Eric “Little Hands of Steel” Morel of Puerto Rico, in a 12-round bout to be contested at 120 pounds at the Don Haskins Center in El Paso, Texas which will be televised live on SHOWTIME®.

“Mares vs. Morel: Battle on the Border” is a 12-round super bantamweight fight presented by Golden Boy Promotions and sponsored by Corona and AT&T. The SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecast airs live at 9 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast). Just prior to the action on SHOWTIME, preliminary bouts will air live on SHOWTIME EXTREME® beginning at 7 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast).

Tickets, priced at $25, $50, $75 and $150, go on sale on Saturday, March 17, at 10 a.m. MT and may be purchased at the UTEP Ticket Office, all Ticketmaster locations or by phone at (800) 745-3000. Tickets may also be purchased online at www.ticketmaster.com. For more information, please call (915) 747-5234.

Unbeaten in 24 fights, Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico native Abner Mares (23-0-1, 13 KO’s) first made his name as a member of Mexico’s 2004 Olympic team, but he didn’t truly show off his amazing talent until he began fighting the top professional bantamweights in the world. Mares fought to a controversial draw with Yonnhy Perez in his first world title fight in 2010, and after decisioning Vic Darchinyan for the WBC Silver Bantamweight title later that year, he set the stage for his IBF Bantamweight World Title winning effort against Joseph King Kong Agbeko in August of 2011 to win SHOWTIME’s Bantamweight Tournament. In his most recent fight on December 3, 2011, Mares repeated his win over Agbeko, successfully defending his crown. Now it’s time for the 26-year-old Mares to seek out new challenges as he moves up to super bantamweight.

San Juan, Puerto Rico’s Eric “Little Hands of Steel” Morel (46-2, 23 KO’s) has defied the odds in recent years, showing that a fighter over 30 can not only compete with the best, but also beat the best. Now 36 years young, the longtime former Flyweight World Champion has been taking out all comers, winning 11 straight since his last defeat to Martin Castillo in 2005. Among his list of vanquished foes are Heriberto Ruiz, Luis Maldonado and Gerry Penalosa, who he defeated for the WBO Interim Bantamweight World title in 2010. On April 21, the former Two-Time World Champion will attack the unbeaten Mares with skill and experience in an effort to hand him his first professional defeat.

More information about a press conference which will take place, Tuesday, March 20 at the Don Haskins Center will be announced shortly. For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com, follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/GoldenBoyBoxing, www.twitter.com/abnermares00 or visit us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing. Знакомства

For information on SHOWTIME Sports, including exclusive behind-the-scenes video and photo galleries, complete telecast information and more, please visit http://sports.SHO.com, follow www.twitter.com/shosports, and visit www.Facebook.com/SHOBoxing.

Recent world title challenger Eloy Perez tested positive for cocaine following his knockout loss to Adrien Broner on February 25th in St. Louis according to Dan Rafael of espn.com

“I’m obviously disappointed by this,” said Golden Boy Promotions Richard Schaefer. “There’s no excuse and nothing more you can say. It’s not good.”

The Monterey (Calif.) Herald reported Wednesday that Garcia Boxing, which had guided Perez into a mandatory position for a shot at Broner’s 130-pound title, had released Perez from his contract on Monday but did not give a reason.

“Due to pending matters, we are not at liberty to discuss his personal and professional conduct,” Kathy Garcia told the paper.

“It’s not good for the sport, but most important, it is not good for Eloy Perez,” Schaefer said. “You’re not talking about a performance-enhancing drug. You’re talking about cocaine. I feel bad for Eloy and his family. This is something he will have to deal with and need help with. We wish him the best.”

“We haven’t addressed yet if we are going to release him or not,” he said. “First and foremost, I just feel bad for Eloy and his family because this is a serious issue. I’m sure fight fans are concerned about this as well.”

“In response to your question regarding Eloy Perez, drug test results, like other information regarding licensees, are confidential,” public information officer David Owen told ESPN.com via email. “Therefore, the office of athletics has no public or open information in response to this inquiry.”

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com the much anticipated April 14th clash between WBA Lightweight champion Barndon Rios and Featherweight titlist Yuriorkis Gamboa has been called off due to Gamboa missing pre fight obligations.

“Brandon will be fighting April 14 and we are working on the details now,” Top Rank spokesman Lee Samuels told ESPN.com on Wednesday. “There will be a fight April 14.”

Samuels said that the junior welterweight fight between Mike Alvarado (32-0, 23 KOs) and Mauricio Herrera (18-1, 7 KOs), which was scheduled to open the HBO telecast, will go on as planned on the reshaped card.

“Brandon is disappointed. He’s mad. He’s hurt. All those emotions,” Cameron Dunkin, Rios’ manager, told ESPN.com. “He was really looking forward it. It’s a shame, but he’s gonna fight.”

Rios will still fight on the card.

Richard Abril (17-2-1, 8 KOs), who holds an interim lightweight title, is the leading candidate, Dunkin said. Abril, a Cuban living in Miami, got into a heated argument with Rios (29-0-1, 22 KOs) at last week’s Miami news conference, which had been planned for that city because it is where Gamboa, also a Cuban, lives. Abril also holds the WBA’s interim belt while Rios and Gamboa were scheduled to fight for the vacant full title.

“He’s a big possibility, probably the leading candidate, but it’s not done yet,” Dunkin said of Abril. “We don’t know what we’re doing yet. I need to still talk with Todd and Carl and we’ll figure it out. I gotta tell them what I want to do and I need to hear what they want to do. I had a long talk with Brandon and (trainer) Robert Garcia about it (Tuesday) night. They are just disappointed because they want to fight and they wanted to fight Gamboa.”

“I’m never mad at HBO. They’re the buyers. They buy what they want to buy,” Dunkin said. “Do I agree with them on this? No, I don’t agree with them. But it’s their choice and their network. All I can do is go sign the best fighters in the world and get them with the best people in the world and the best promotion in the world and I’ve done that. I don’t know how you don’t like Brandon Rios. I’m stumbling for words.

“I don’t know how you pass on Brandon Rios against anyone. He’ll make a fun fight every time out, so it’s a shame. He loves to fight and he gives it everything he’s got. But if they don’t want it, they don’t want it. It’s a bad situation, but it’s boxing.

Former world Middleweight Champion Jermain Taylor will make his second comeback fight on April 20th against Undefeated Caleb Truax on Showtime.

“I thought Jermain had a very good performance against Nicklow after 26 months out of the ring, but what I want to see is a better performance against a slightly better opponent,” Lou DiBella, Taylor’s promoter, told ESPN.com on Tuesday.

“Anyone who is undefeated is a different type of challenge,” DiBella said. “When you’ve been out of the ring for 26 months, this is exactly what Jermain needs. He fought at the end of December and is coming back just a few months later. He can’t just fight twice a year at this stage. He needs the activity, the rounds and the comfort of the ring.

“I thought the first performance was very good given the time off and the circumstances of why he had the time off. He sustained an injury and took time off, so there is a hurdle that has to be overcome when you get back in the ring.”

“Pat Burns did a great job getting Jermain in shape,” DiBella said. “He was in better shape in his fight in December than he was for some of the fights he had at the end of his first go-round. I expect to see a more relaxed and more fluid fighter against (Truax). I think the activity is very important and we’ll really be able to assess things after this fight.”

Also on the card, junior middleweight contender Erislandy Lara (15-1-1, 10 KOs), in his first bout since a highly controversial majority decision loss to Paul Williams in July, will face former middleweight title challenger Ronald Hearns (26-2, 20 KOs), the son of newly elected International Boxing Hall of Famer Thomas Hearns, in a scheduled 10-rounder at a catch weight of 157 pounds.

Featherweight Gary Russell Jr. (19-0, 11 KOs), the 2011 ESPN.com prospect of the year, will open the card in a scheduled eight-round bout against Dat Nguyen (17-2, 6 KOs).

Sources have confirmed to 15rounds.com that WBA Super Bantamweight champion Guillermo Rigondeaux will defend his crown against once beaten Philadelphian Teon Kennedy as part of the June 9th Manny Pacquiao – Timothy Bradley undercard.
These are the games that make unforgettable this sport and it’s a real shame to miss them. As the boxer Ottavio Barone once put it: ‘This is not merely throwing your fists on a curve, it’s a challenge against yourself.’ Luckily, even if you miss a game, you can still get the latest updates on your phone, maybe whilst you’re playing some mobile casino games.

Rigondeaux, 9-0 with seven knockouts won the full title on January 20 with a sixth round stoppage over Rico Ramos. Kennedy, 17-1-2 with seven knockouts is coming off a draw with Christopher Martin

It could be a big night for the stable of Promoter Russell Peltz/Managers Doc Nowicki and Joe Hand who also have Mike Jones fighting Randall Bailey for the vacant IBF Welterweight title on that same PPV undercard

Various reports have surfaced that former WBO Light Heavyweight champion Julio Gonzalez passed away following a motorcycle accident in Mexico.

Gonzalez was 41-8 with twenty-five knockouts had his crowning moment when he scored a shocking upset over Dariusz Michalczewski in 2003. Gonzalez had previously took on Roy Jones to headline an HBO PPV event.

San Juan, P.R.- The main event started to a standing crowd in an almost full house. Fans knew they were about to see a war and were cheering López with as much enthusiasm as they booed Salido. Both fighters looked primed and in great shape for the fight. As soon as the bell rang for the first round silence dominated the arena. Salido stalked JuanMa while López used lateral movement and looked for countering opportunities in the first and second rounds. The third round saw some good exchanges and even if it was a fairly even round, Salido appeared to be making it into his type of fight.

Salido had the best of the first two minutes of the fourth webbanki.ru but JuanMa came back with some good shots in the last minute that got Orlando’s attention. JuanMa boxed well in the fifth and knocked Salido down with a short right hand towards the end of the round. Siri came out aggressive for the sixth and eventually put López against the ropes where he landed some of his best shots so far. The Mexican kept the pressure up during the seventh and both landed good shots but Orlando seemed the fresher boxer.

Roles changed in the eight when JuanMa started driving Salido back and Salido got pinned against the ropes but still managed to land his share of punches as the crowd cheered for their charging countryman. The ninth saw all pretense of defense thrown out the window as both fighters traded to the delight of the crowd. Often it was hard to tell who was getting the better of the exchanges, but it was López going forward now.

The tenth saw a dramatic change as JuanMa came out looking completely exhausted and Salido took advantage to end things with several big rights and a short left. López got up but referee Roberto Ramírez Sr. saw that it was over and waved it off at 32 seconds.

With the loss, Salido solidifies himself as a world class boxer who still fights at the level of his opponents and López needs to take a long serious look at what his future holds. For the former Puerto Rican champion, there will be future opportunities as any brawler with his knockout power and his willingness to trade is always an entertaining boxer to watch. Salido will take his title for some spins and as long as he stays away from the Gamboa’s and, in my opinion, the Mickey Garcia’s of the featherweight division, he should be all right for a while.

“This is how I planned this fight,” said Salido. “I knew it was going to be a very tough fight. We both competed punch for punch. I’m just lucky he’s the one that fell.”

“He hit me hard but I could still continue,” said Lopez after the fight. “I was dominating the fight. It was a tough fight but I was winning.”

As simply put by Salido, “This was a classic in the long rivalry between Mexican and Puerto Rican fighters.”
The co-feature of the night featured featherweight phenom Miguel “Mickey” Angel García (28-0, 24KO’s) of Oxnard, California defending his NABO title against Filipino Bernabé Concepción ( 29-5-1, 15 KO’s) in a fight to ten rounds. Action started slowly in the first two rounds. García used his reach advantage to land some jabs while Concepción managed to land two right hands at the end of the second. The third and fourth followed the same pattern until Mickey started letting his hands go at the end of the fourth and landed several right hands and left hooks that made Abe take a few steps back.

In the fifth, García upped his work rate and again landed several good shots as Concepción appeared to be in a much tougher fight than his opponent. In the sixth, García managed to take Bernabé against the ropes several times where he would land good shots. The Filipino fought back but his punches usually fell short o their target. Concepción had a good start to the seventh round as he landed several combinations but halfway through, Garcia landed a combination that knocked down and hurt Concepción. Bernabé beat the count but Mickey went systematically for him and forced the stoppage at 2:33 with Concepción receiving punishment against the ropes.

García looked as formidable as always in breaking down a game opponent with the demeanor of an experienced veteran. At 126 lbs he is threat to anyone and everyone.

Puerto Rican prospect José “Chelo” González (18-0, 13 KO’s) faced Hevinson Herrera (15-8-1, 13KO’s) who fights out of Miami, Florida in a ten rounder at lightweight. The first four rounds were very tactical with both fighters looking for their range and only landing a few punches a piece while the crowed booed in disapproval.

Finally with forty seconds left in the fifth, Chelo landed a right hand that wobbled Herrera, got the crowd on its feet and went for the finish but ran out of time. González landed multiple straight lefts from his southpaw stance in the sixth finally knocking down Herrera but again couldn’t seal the deal before the bell rang. By the seventh round, Chelo was dominating but seemed in no hurry to press the action until the final seconds.

The referee finally halted the fight when in the eighth González landed several flurries to the head of Herrera. Herrera complained but he was hopelessly behind in the scorecards and seemed pretty hurt at the time of stoppage which was 1:12 of the eighth. Chelo won, but did leave much to be desired considering he is usually an action fighter and this was a big opportunity for him to shine on Showtime.

As to what’s next for Garcia, he responded, “I would like to face any of the champions at 126.”

The televised portion of the card started with the other half of the Arroyo brothers, McWilliams Arroyo (11-1, 9 KO’s) facing tough journeyman and two time world title challenger Luis “Titi” Maldonado (38-7-1, 29KO’s) of Baja California, Mexico. The fight was set at a limit of 112lbs. and set for ten rounds with the WBO Latino Title on the line. Arroyo dominated the first round with jabs, lead left hooks and straight right hands to his southpaw opponent’s head and body. Both fighters traded lefts in the second, but the Puerto Ricans’ were sharper and seemed to carry more power. Arroyo won the third but developed some ugly swelling right over his right eye, possibly from a Maldonado left hand. Arroyo countered well in the fourth but his swelling eye started bleeding.

The fifth saw some more counter punching from McWilliam and on the sixth he unloaded with some excellent combinations that eventually opened a cut under Titi’s right eye. Rounds seven, eight and nine were fought at a slower pace as Arroyo started using more of the ring and doing less body work while fighting with his mouth open. The Mexican had his best round in the tenth managing to land several good shots and forcing Arroyo to backpedal for most of the round. Judge’s scorecards were 98-92 and 99-91 twice in favor of Arroyo.

Allan Tanada (11-2-2, 5KO’s) of Paranaque City, Philippines and Gamalier Rodríguez (18-2-3, 12KO’s) of Bayamón, P.R. Were up next for a featherweight bout set for eight rounds. Tanada was eager to exchange from the get go but Rodríguez used his superior footwork and counter punching skills to land clean punches while staying away from danger. By the fifth round Tanada was showing signs of desperation and payed the price for it when, with thirty seconds left, got caught and rocked. After several more big blows from Rodríguez, the referee appeared to stop the fight but let them at it again apparently realizing the round wasn’t over. The last rounds saw Tanada looking to land something spectacular but only finding the business end of Gamalier’s powerful counters. Final scores were 80-72 and 79-73 twice all in favor of Rodríguez.

Former Puerto Rican amateur star McJoe Arroyo (10-0, 5 KO’s) fought Shawn Nichol (5-10, 5KO’s) of Denver, Colorado at a limit of 115 lbs. After a fairly even first round, Arroyo’s more precise punches and better footwork started to take over in the second when he also landed several big blows to the body. Nichol was game through the third and fourth but by the end of the fifth, Arroyo’s body work began paying dividends. Nichol went all out in the sixth but the former Olympian’s straighter, shorter punches rocked him throughout. Final scores were 59-55 and twice 60-54 in favor of the still undefeated Arroyo.

Charlie Serrano (14-3-1, 4KO’s) took on local Camilo Pérez (7-0, 4KO’s) in a junior featherweight bout set for six. Both fighters fought on mostly even terms for the first two rounds and in the third, Pérez landed some crisp right hands that seemed to wake up Serrano who closed the round strong. An unintentional headbutt opened a cut on Camilo’s forehead in the fourth but he closed the round landing the cleaner punches. Pérez used his jab well offensively and defensively to win the last two rounds and take a unanimous decision with scores of 58-56 and 59-55 twice.

Junior welterweights Alberto González and John Karl Sosa made their respective pro debuts to start of off the night. In a one sided fight, Sosa (now 1-0,1 KO) showed a classic amateur style before dropping González twice in the second round. Sosa landed well to the body and head of his over matched opponent before the referee stopped the fight with González on his back. Time of stoppage was 1:02 of the second round.

The next four rounder featured Enrique “Quique” Quinones (4-11-1, 4KO’s) vs. Rafael González (8-0 7KO’s) in a welterweight bout set for four. Quinones offered only a little bit of resistance in the first stanza but González took over and chased him around the ring while landing hard punches from then on. Round two saw more of the same with González feeding Quinones a steady diet of uppers until Quinones’ corner finally waved a towel and the referee stopped the fight at 1:10 of the third.

Former Middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik will return on March 31st against Aaron Jaco in San Antonio accoriding to Dan Rafael of espn.com

“He’s going to fight and he’s just excited,” said Pavlik’s manager Cameron Dunkin.

“For Kelly to drive down by himself, it just shows you how much he’s into boxing again and wants to be around it,” Dunkin said. “He was laughing and joking. He looked so good. He said to me, ‘I’ve never trained like this consistently. I’ve been training six days a week. I get a good night’s sleep. I’m in bed by 9 o’clock. I’m on a health kick. I’m eating the right foods.’ Kelly said he was 173 pounds but after he works out he’ll be down at 169. His weight is good.

“He said, ‘I work two hours a day just on moving my head and reacting to punches.’ Robert has told he can’t get anyone to really spar with Kelly except for (2008 Olympian) Alfonso Blanco because he’s hurting everyone he spars with.”

“If everything goes OK, Kelly will fight again in June and then come back in the fall and, hopefully, have a real, real fight,” Dunkin said.

Photo by Chris Farina / Top Rank

NEW YORK–In what was hailed as as one of the mist intriguing main events in the history of the popular Broadway Boxing series, Alex Perez scored a ten round unanimous decision over Francisco “Gato” Figueroa in a Welterweight bout at BB Kings.

Figueroa was active early as he was able to get inside and land some shots which included some nice uppercuts early in round one. Perez started using combination punching and started to seize control in round three as he kept Figueroa on the ropes while continuing to move his hands. In round four, Perez scored a hard knockdown as he caught Figueroa with a solid left hand that had Figueroa springing off the ropes and into a second flush left that sent Figueroa down. Figueroa was able to get to his feet only to suffer a huge rally from Perez. Figueroa motioned on two occasions to referee Gary Rosato that he was OK so the fight was able to continue. Perez was unable to to finish the job. In round five, Figueroa was able to regain his senses and engage in some solid exchanges and even getting the better of those flurries.

Perez used his seven inch height advantage well as he kept Figueroa at arms length for much of the fight. Figueroa, who had a decided advantage, was urged on by his fans but he simply could not overcome the early success by Perez as well as the physical advantages that more natural Welterweight, Perez had going into the fight.

Perez, 145 lbs of Newark, NJ won by scores of 99-90, 98-91 and 96-93 remains perfect at 16-0. Figueroa, 147 lbs of Bronx, NY is now 20-4-1.

“I broke my hand in the fourth round,” said Perez. I respect Gato, he is a tough fighter, but the only problem for me tonight was my hand. I know I would have knocked him out if I didn’t suffer the injury.”

“Hopefully I don’t have to take too much time off. My plan is God’s plan and that is to go straight to the top.”—Marc Abrams

In what was a blazing co-feature of undefeated Jr. Middleweights, Delen Parsley survived two knockdowns to score a final round knockdown which propelled him to a razor thin if not controversial eight round split decision over Boyd Melson.

Melson was aggressive early with Parsley trying to counter which he punctuated the first frame with ahard right hand. Round two saw Melson work his way inside. Melson landed two hard shots with the second shot got the fighters tangled up and Parsley went down to the canvas but it was ruled a slip. Melson continued to land clean shots that hurt Parsley. Melson continued to land looping shots for which the final one sent parsley down to the canvas. Parsley was badly hurt but made it put of the round. Parsley got his legs back in the next round and was able to hold off Melson’s aggressive attack. The fight started getting sloppy in the fourth frame and parsley was able to counter and land some good shots.

Parsley started getting sharp in round five which could have been attributed to a slowly fatiguing Melson. Melson looked much better in round six as he was able to score his second knockdown of the fight from a body shot. Parsley showed he wasn’t hurt as he was able to land a hard right that momentarily staggered Melson at the end of the frame. The seventh was much of the same with Melson fighting very aggressive from the southpaw stance with parsley landing hard shots late.

With the fight seemingly in the balance, the eighth round provided high drama as Parsley started out the round with a hard right hand that dropped Melson. Melson was hurt but was able to beat the count. parsley jumped all over Melson with big shots. Melson was able to buy a few seconds when he landed a punch behind the head that put Parsley down but the punch was ruled a rabbit punch. Both fighters brought the crowd to their feet with toe to toe action until the final bell.

Parsley, 153 1/2 lbs of White Plains, NY won by scores of 76-73 on two cards while Melson, 154 1/2 lbs of White Plains, NY took a card at 75-74 (same as 15rounds.com ringside score).

“Boyd showed me that he is a real fighter,” said Parsley. “When he knocked me down in the second round, I was definitely hurt. He also showed me things that I learned about myself as a fighter. I regrouped and began to box him to get myself back into the fight. Boyd is like a brother to me and no matter what he will always be.”

Melson, bitterly disappointed with the loss briefly said, “I was doing what coach told me. When that stopped working I changed it up. I feel like I won the fight.”

Parsley is now 7-0. Melson is 8-1.

Will Rosinsky came back from his first pro defeat to put a three round drubbing over Zane Marks in a eight round Light Heavyweight fight.

Marks came out very aggressive to the body. Rosinky remained calm and then landed a right followed by a left hook of his own to Marks body that sent Marks to the canvas. Whem Marks got to his feet, the two brawled and Rosinsky landed another left that sent Marks down for a second time. Marks was able to beat the count and got out of the round. Round two saw Rosinsky beginning to pummel Marks. Marks would try to get in shots but had little power behind them. Rosinsky went back to work in the third and continued to beat on Marks until the fight was stopped at 1:26 of round three.

Rosinsky, 172 lbs of Queens, NY is now 15-1 with nine knockouts. Marks, 170 lbs of Golden Meadow, LA is now 17-7.

“The body shots were part of the game plan from the start. We trained for that in the gym. He was a very tough customer and he forced me to fight at a very fast pace. I know a big fight is coming my way but I just want to get into the ring again as soon as possible. I would like the winner of Rodriguez-George next week on HBO.”

In a four round Ladies Flyweight bout, Keisher McLoed Wells and Patty Alcivar engaged in an entertaining scrap.

McLoed moved around and landed little combinations on the hard charging Alcivar, who herself was able to land some some good shots of her own. McLoed scored a flash knockdown when Alcivar walked into a jab in round three. The two fought some close rounds with Alcivar scoring a scoring a knockdown from an overhand right in the final frame.

It was McLoed, 109 lbs of New York getting the split decision by tallies of 5-55 on two card while Alcivar took a card at 57-55.

McLoed Wells is now 5-2-1. Alcivra, 110 lbs of Queens, NY is now 5-1.

Heavyweight Tor Hamer was impressive in disposing Dieuly Aristelde in round two of a scheduled six round bout.

After a tentative first round, Hamer took control and dropped Aristelde twice in round two with the final come from a big right hand and the fight was stopped just one second before the end of the round.

Hamer, 233 lbs of Harlem, NY is now 14-1 with ten knockouts. Aristelde, 218 lbs of Miami, FL is now 9-5.

Floriano Pagliara scored an entertaining six round unanimous decision over James Lester in a Jr. Lightweight bout.

The fight saw good periods of action with both guys giving there with Pagliara getting the better of the fight.

Pagliar, 130 1/2 lbs of Brooklyn, NY won by scores of 60-64; 60-54 and 59-55 and is now 12-4-1. Lester, 129 1/2 lbs of Detroit is now 9-7.

Luis Rosa used a strong body attack in scoring a six round unanimous decision over Jonathan Alcantara in a Jr. Featherweight bout.

Rosa, 122 lbs of New Haven, CT is now 10-0. Alcantara, 121 lbs of Los Angeles is now 5-7-2.

In a six round Light Heavyweight bout, undefeated Badou Jack scored a six round unanimous decision over Grover Young.

Jack showed youth and a better offensive arsenal and cruised to the 60-54; 59-55; 58-56 victory and is now 10-0. Young is 6-6-1.

In the opening bout, Allan Benitez dropped Ian James with a left hand in round four en route to a four round unanimous decision in a a Jr.Lightweight bout.

Scores were 40-35; 40-35 and 39-36 for Benitez, 133 lbs of El Paso, TX and is now 4-1. James, 133 lbs of Brooklyn, NY is now 1-3.

Former Light Heavyweight champion Antonio Tarver will take on top cruiserweight contender Lateef Kayode on May 26th on Showtime according to Dan Rafael of espn.com

“The date is locked in and Lateef Kayode and me will be a good fight,” Tarver said. “People will see what I’m doing at 43 and realize that age is nothing but a number. Kayode is a fight I’d like to have. I will be in great, great shape, show my boxing ability, and I should be able to win that fight.”

“It’s very close to being done,” Kayode’s promoter Gary Shaw told ESPN.com. “Kayode will have to be at his best to beat Tarver. He is a big puncher, but has not looked sharp in his last few outings. Tarver is a very smart fighter with lots of tools in his arsenal. He could very well give Kayode a boxing lesson. But should (Tarver) decide to trade, it will be very interesting.

Tarver was critical of Kayode’s performance in a decision victory against Nick Ianuzzi in February 2011, a fight many thought Ianuzzi won.

“He took offense to my commentary in that fight with Ianuzzi. He said he thought I didn’t like him and that I wasn’t calling his fight right,” Tarver said. “I told him I called it like I saw it and said the things he could improve on. I said my job as an announcer is to call things as I see them and he took offense to what I said. I heard later that he called me out on some video on YouTube. Well be careful what you ask for and never disrespect your elders. He should have learned that by now.”

“As he (Kayode) has moved up the ladder with his competition, he has struggled, but we won’t take anyone lightly,” Tarver said. “I feel I would have to be the favorite in the fight.”

“He’s a power puncher and very aggressive, and I’m sure Freddie (Roach) will have him at his best and formulate a plan to beat me. My job is to make sure it doesn’t work,” Tarver said. “I’m excited to get back on center stage and show that I am still relevant.”

“We rushed into that heavyweight situation,” Tarver said. “If I ever do it again, I’ll do it the right way. I love cruiserweight. I feel like I can knock out every cruiserweight because I’m too big and strong with my speed and power in this division. I feel like I could break down any cruiserweight in the world. I was not in the best shape for Aguilera and it showed, but I was still able to outbox him.”

“My goal is to be heavyweight champion, but if I have to take two more fights at cruiserweight and then be ready for the heavyweight division by the end of the year, that is what I will do,” Tarver said. “And when I am back at heavyweight I will not be the heavyweight you saw against Aguilera. I will be a lean, mean punching machine. First cruiserweight. I’m in the twilight of my career and I need to stay busy. If I could squeeze in three fights this year, it would be a blessing.

“Most of the cruiserweights who have gone on been successful at heavyweight have impressive stays at cruiser. If you can’t beat the best cruiserweights in the world you’re kidding yourself about beating the best at heavyweight. I just need to get comfortable where I can be strong and make these cruiserweights feel my power, and then do the same with the heavyweights.”

Gabriel Campillo’s request for an immediate rematch stemming from his controversial split decision defeat to IBF Light Heavyweight champion Tavoris Cloud on February 18th has been denied according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“The judging of professional boxing events is subjective,” IBF President Darryl Peoples wrote in an email to Campillo’s attorney Leon Margules. “While you have presented many media accounts disputing the scoring of the fight, these criticisms do not represent the opinions of professional boxing judges. Absent any proof of wrongdoing, we must rely on the decisions rendered by the judges whether their decisions are popular or not.

“Any action taken by the IBF in this situation without proof of wrongdoing or violation of IBF rules would serve to invalidate the decision of the judges. You pointed out in your letter dated February 27, 2011, ‘While we do not believe that a judges’ scoring should normally be questioned,’ the IBF agrees with your position. Based on the foregoing, the IBF will not grant an immediate rematch.”

“I just think if they have this discretionary rule then this is the type of thing they should use it for, where the fighter was wronged and there is no specific grounds under their appeal rules to allow us to appeal anything that happened that night,” Margules told ESPN.com. “This is when they should use the discretionary rule — to right the wrong. But they decided not to.”

Ronda Rousey made it five for five in first round armbar submissions as she took out Miesha Tate to capture the Strikeforce Bantamweight crown at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio.

It was a terrific action fight as Rousey had Tate in an armbar early in the round only to see Tate get out of it and land some big shots of her own. Rousey was able to Judo flip Tate over and moments later was to get Tate in the painful submission hold until Tate was forced to tap at 4:27

Rousey, 134 1/2 lbs of Venice, CA is now 5-0 with all wins coming by first round submission armbar. Tate, 134 1/2 lbs of Yakima, WA is now 12-3.

Josh Thompson secured a Strikeforce Lightweight title match with a three round unanimous decision over KJ Noons.

Scores were 29-28 on all cards for Thompson, 155 lbs of San Jose, CA and is now 19-4-1. Noons, 156 lbs of San Diego, CA is now 10-4

Despite being bloodied over his left eye Kazuo Masaki scored a three round split decision over Paul Daley in a Lightweight bout.

Scores were 30-27 and 29-28 for Masaki, 169 1/2 lbs of Tokyo, JAP and is now 25-11-2-1. Daley, 171 lbs of Nottingham, UK took a card 29-28 but falls to 29-12-2

Lumumba Sayers choked out Scott Smith in the first round of their three round Middleweight bout.

Sayers got in a tremendous back slam that got him in a dominant position that got him into a Guilatine choke that forced Smith to tap out at 1:34 of the first frame.

Sayers, 185 lbs of Denver, CO is now 9-2 with five submissions. Smith, 186 lbs of Elk Grove, CA is now 18-10-1.

Jacare Souza choked out Bristol Marunde in a Middleweight bout.

Souza domintated the whole fight until he got Murande to tap out from an arm triangle choke at 2:45 of round three.

Murande, 184 lbs of Las Vegas is now 15-7.

Sarah Kaufman scored a three majority decision over Alexis Davis in a Bantamweight bout.

The fight had a lot of action and in round one Davis was cut over the eye and Kaufman was sliced open on here forehead.

Kaufman 135 1/2 lbs of Victoria, BC won by scores of 29-28 on two cards and 28-28 and is now 15-1. Davis 135 1/2 lbs of Jensen Beach, FL is now 11-5

Roger Bowling scored a second round stoppage over Brandon Sailing in a wild and blood Welterweight bout.

The two rocked each other several tomes in the first round with Bowling getting rocked a couple of times. Towards the end of the round Bowling got into a dominated Sailing by getting him on the ground and pounding Bowling util opening a big cut on the forehead. Bowling got on top of Sailing to start the second round and began punching Sailing until the bout was stopped at 1:15.

Bowling of Cincinnati is now 11-2 with eight knockoouts. Sailing Byesville, OH is now 8-6.

Pat Healey scored a third round choke out with an arm triangle to knock Carlos Fodor in their Lightweight bout.

Healey, 155 lbs or Portland, OR Fodor tap at 3:35 of of round three and is now 29-17 with 15 submissions. Fodor, 155 1/2 lbs of Kirkland, WA is now 7-1.

Ryan Couture scored a third round stoppage over Conner Huen in a Three round Middleweight bout.

Couture had Huen on the ground and landed ten unanswered blows before the bout was stopped at 2:52 of round three

Couture, 154 1/2 lbs of Tempe, AZ is now 4-1 with his first knockout. Huen, 155 lbs of Hollywood, CA is now 9-5

Wladimir Klitschko made his eleventh consecutive defense of his world Heavyweight championship by destroying undeserving challenger in former Cruiserweight champion Jean Marc Mormeck in round four at the Espirit Arena in Dusseldorf, Germany.

All Mormeck tried to was get inside without throwing any punches. He did that successfully but that may have been the highlight of his fight because he was dropped hard at the end round two from a big right hand. Klitschko got closer until uncorking a perfect left-right-left combination that sent Mormeck down to the canvas for the count of referee Luis Pabon at 1:12 of round four.

Klitschko notches is fiftieth knockout that sees his record raised to 57-3. Mormeck is now 35-5.