HOLLYWOOD, FLA–ESPN Friday Night Fights was live from the Diplomat Resort in Hollywood, where Henry Rivaltas’ and Shannon Briggs’ Acqinity Sports presented the “D-Day: Dominican Domination” card.

“Acquinity Sports has the best fighter on the planet, Joan Baby Tyson” Guzman, proudly representing The Dominican Republic” is what promoter Henry Rivatla exclaimed about the his contender earlier this week. Joan Guzman 32-0-1, (19 Kos) lived up to some of that hype with a brutal knock out win over Puerto Rico’s Jesus Pabon 17-3, (11 KO’s). Guzman controlled the fight with vicous punches that knocked Jesus Pabon down a total of 4 times. The fight was cleary a mismatch of skill as Pabon had a ton of heart but very little of a challange for the tough Brooklyn based fighter Guzman. Guzman took his time where it seemed at times where he seemed to hold back from attacking.

Guzman dropped Pabon with an brutal left that put Pabon down and out at 1:23 of round eight. Acquinity promoter and former heavyweight champion Shannon Briggs was vocal of the hard work Guzman has put in at the Miami gym of Brigg’s former trainer Herman Caicedo.

Previsouly Guzman has dealt with adversity, despite capturing belts in the junior-lightweight and lightweight divisions. The label was placed on Guzman after he failed to make weight for title fights against Nate Campbell and Ali Funeka. Moreover, the Nevada Athletic Commission suspended Guzman for eight months after he tested positive for a banned substance before another bout in December 2010. Guzman, 32, now feels rejuvenated. Free of his suspension he has begun his run for a third world title and to repair his reputation.

The opening on air bout showcased local Miami contender Welterweight Ed “The Lion” Paredes (30-3-1, 11 KOs) in impressive fashion over late replacement Manuel Leyva (21-5, 12 KOs). Paredes successfully defended his WBO an WBC Latino titles while representing the Dominican Republic. Paredes started the fight with sharp punches while his southpaw counterpart retreated trying to stay away from Paredes’ sharp hard right hands. Paredes found an early home for his right hands and hurt his Mexican oponent in the third round with blistering straight rights and uppercuts. Paredes had Leyva hurt in the third and applied steady pressure but seemed to let Leyva recover and survive the round. Paredes continued with the pressure and dropped the Mexican twice in the fifth both times with an excellent left hook right uppercut combination and again Leyva survived the round while punching on his feet quit admirabley. The brave Mexicans’ survival came to an end came at 1:29 of round seven when Paredes dug a deep left hook to the body and a right uppercut that crumbled Leyva ending the bout with Sam Burgos wisely calling a halt to the beating.

In a middleweight chess match of a bout Taureano Johnson 7-0(5KO) remained perfect while outpointing tough Brazilian Edvan Dos Santos Barros 13-13. Johnson commanded the fight with pressure while Barros fought cautiously seldom offering exchanges. Johnson swept all cards 60-54.

The opening bout of the night was an exciting brawl that left Anthony Castellon 0-0-1 and Tommy Bryant 2-4-1 to a majority draw. The two welterweights slugged however both seemed to have lost steam in just the four round bout. The final round saw both fighters slow and tired but punching. The cards read 39-37 for Bryant and two deadlocked at 38.

Light heavyweights Abdulah Dobey and Jerrod Caldwell had an opportunity of a lifetime when their bout was shown as the final bout of the live ESPN show. The bout was a rock’em sock’em robot affair that ended in a draw. The fight was ugly but entertaining while the two kept very busy. The cards read 39-37 40-36 and 38 38.

Super Middleweight Umberto Savigne improved to 8-1 with a crushing knockout win over Franck Paines 11-3.

Featherweight Claudio Marrero 11-0(9KO) captured the WBC FECARBOX title with a dominating unanimous decision win over Gerardo Zayas 18-19(11).

Former WBC Lightweight champion David Diaz has announced his retirement according to Dan Rafael espn.com.

“I’m done with the sport. I love the sport, but I would be doing it an injustice if I kept fighting. My heart isn’t in it anymore,” Diaz, 35, told ESPN.com on Wednesday. “I could have taken fights just for the money, but it’s not about that. It’s about giving a good fight and having some dignity doing it.”

On that night, Aug. 4, 2007, Diaz outpointed all-time great Erik Morales of Mexico in a slugfest that sent Morales into a 2½-year retirement.

“That was one of the greatest moments of my life,” Diaz said. “It was always a dream of mine to fight at home for a title or in a title fight and it happened, and it happened against a legend in Erik Morales, who has done tremendous things for the sport and the Mexican people. To share the ring with him and have that fight at home was so meaningful to me.”

Although Pacquiao bloodied Diaz and stopped him in the ninth round of a lopsided fight to take his belt, Diaz said it was one of the two highlights of his career, along with the hometown defense against Morales.

“Fighting Manny Pacquiao was definitely one of them,” Diaz said. “After our fight he went on to do great things. His punching power was nothing that I hadn’t felt before, but the speed was something I could not control or adapt to.”

Including the Pacquiao fight, Diaz closed his career 2-3 but said retirement had been on his mind since he lost a decision to Humberto Soto for a vacant lightweight belt in March 2010 on the Pacquiao-Joshua Clottey undercard at Cowboys Stadium.

“It’s been on my mind since then. I thought maybe I had lost a step or two because I saw openings against Soto and I couldn’t take advantage of them,” Diaz said.

Diaz returned 10 months later for a majority decision win against Robert Frankel

Headlining on ESPN2’s “Friday Night Fights,” Diaz knocked down rising contender Hank Lundy but suffered a severe cut over his right eye and was eventually knocked out in the sixth round of a bloody fight in Hammond, Ind., just outside of Chicago.

“I felt good going into that fight but Lundy was young blood coming along and I thought if I didn’t take that fight, what I am doing, just padding my record? So I took the fight and Hank Lundy deserves credit,” Diaz said. “I had him, but he came back and that was it. He’s a good fighter with a bright future and wish him nothing but the best.”

“I didn’t want to think, ‘Am I fighting just for the money?’ Nah. I love the sport a lot but I wasn’t performing to my standards and giving great exciting fights,” he said. “I wasn’t doing that anymore. So I’m getting out while I still have my senses with me. I’m able to have a conversation with people. I’m hosting a radio show and having fun with that. So this is a good time to say goodbye. I love the sport, I love my fans and it was a great run. I’ve been blessed. I feel humbled by the people that helped me and supported me and always were there for me.

“Now it’s time to get a real job, because what I did (as a fighter) was fun — work out, travel and fight. It was beautiful.”

Dan Rafael of espn.com is reporting that IBF Super Middleweight champion Lucian Bute will travel to Nottingham, England to defend his crown against former champion Carl Froch on May 26th.

“It’s my goal to fight the best boxers in the super middleweight division,” Bute said Thursday. “Carl Froch belongs in the elite of the super middleweight division and it will be a great fight. I am very confident and it will not faze me fighting in enemy territory.

“Supporters of Carl Froch will live their greatest disappointment. The IBF belt will fly roundtrip Montreal-Nottingham and back.”

“We are delighted to have agreed to terms for what I believe will be the biggest night for British boxing in many years,” said Eddie Hearn, Froch’s promoter. “I have to respect Lucian and his team for agreeing to enter the lion’s den and face Carl in his hometown of Nottingham, but am fully confident that Carl can become a world champion again on this epic night.”

“It’s a dream come true to get this opportunity to become a three-time world champion in my hometown of Nottingham,” Froch said. “The Super Six was an incredible journey for me but I missed fighting in the UK and it was important that Eddie and I made that happen, and for it to be for a world title is the icing on the cake. I’m ready to go to war all over again.

“Andre Ward wants Lucian to fight an A-level fighter. This should happen in May, and after he will have no more excuses to avoid Lucian,” said Jean Bedard of InterBox, Bute’s promoter.

“We really wanted to press forward with this fight. We’ve been insistent, made some concessions, but it was important to realize this is a fight that Lucian, our fans and our partners wanted,” Bedard said. “Also, I am convinced that Lucian will silence the critics. Lucian is showing great courage in agreeing to defend his title in enemy territory.”

“It is great news that Carl has landed this fight as it is one that we have wanted for a long time,” said Rob McCracken, Froch’s trainer. “I have always been confident that Carl will beat Lucian, and I will have him fully prepared and in the best possible shape on May 26.

“Lucian has already fought outside Canada in his professional career,” Larouche said. “This is a great challenge ahead for him on May 26 and Lucian will perform to his fullest as he always does. The style of these two incredible fighters will make for an explosive fight that I am sure boxing fans around the world won’t want to miss.”

Sources confirmed to 15rounds.com that a battle of former world title challengers will take place as Yusaf Mack will defend the USBA Light heavyweight crown against Omar Sheika on April 27th at Resorts Casino in Atlantic City.

The bout, will be the kick off to a huge Light Heavyweight weekend in Atlantic City as the next night Bernard Hopkins defends his Light Heavyweight championship against Chad Dawson.

Sheika (32-11, 21 KO’s)who competed for the Super Middleweight crown four times is coming off two straight wins including a thrilling victory over Tony Ferrante this past Friday night in Chester, PA.

Mack (29-4-2, 17 KO’s) of Philadelphia will be making his his first ring appearance since dropping his bid to win the IBF crown last June when he was stopped by Tavoris Cloud.

The bout has received interest from several television outlets.

Dan Rafael of espn.com is reporting that Heavyweight’s Seth Mitchell and Chazz Witherspoon will open up the HBO telecast on April 28th before Bernard Hopkins rematches Chad Dawson in Atlantic City.

“It’s a good solid fight and a good step up for Seth,” Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer told ESPN.com after finalizing the bout with HBO on Monday. “It’s a fight that makes sense for Seth and for Chazz Witherspoon.

“We’ve agreed to the fight and I just got the contract today, so I’ll go over it and, assuming everything is in order, we have a fight,” said Xavier James, Witherspoon’s attorney and former HBO Sports executive. “Chazz knows he has to win in order to take that next step in his career.”

“It is a fight that just makes sense,” Schaefer said. “It’s the perfect addition to this card because both of them can have their fans at the fight.”

“We finally got it made. (Witherspoon) came to terms and it’s one of the fights we’ve been going after,” said Mitchell’s manager Sharif Salim said. “Chazz is from Philly, Seth is from the D.C. area. I know we have busloads of people looking forward to going up for the fight. We thought this was the most exciting fight we could make right now for where Seth is in his career.”

“I’m very excited about the fight. We’ve been trying to get this fight for a while,” said Mitchell, adding that he has been in the gym but will get down to serious training this week. “I’m excited that Chazz took the opportunity. It’s gonna be a good fight. We’re comparable in our experience, height, weight. He has a recognizable name. I’m really looking forward to the challenge. He has a good jab and good tools, but I believe I will be victorious.”

“Chazz Witherspoon can move, he has tremendous boxing pedigree, the guy can fight and he has a very good record,” Salim said. “We knew HBO would approve him and, hey, I also like the human interest side of this fight. These are two guys who are smart guys, both college graduates.”

“That’s the plan but everything is contingent on me taking care of business,” Mitchell said. “I’m looking forward to fighting at least three times this year, hopefully four, but April 28 is the first business I have to take care of.”

Said Salim: “Seth has tremendous work ethic and is really coming along. He just needs the rounds and the experience. But I really believe that it won’t be too long until he is ready for one of those big fights. We have to focus on Witherspoon first. Witherspoon is a good fighter. You won’t hear us saying anything bad about Chazz Witherspoon.”

Former Jr. Welterweight champion Devon Alexander made a pretty loud statement in his Welterweight debut with an impressive ten round unanimous decision over Marcos Maidana in a fight between two former Jr. Welterweight champions at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis.

Alexander was brilliant as he mixed up his punches with right hooks to the body and straight lefts to the head. Alexander never let Maidana get into any type of groove as his speed and assortment of punches kept Maidana off balance. Alexander had Maidana in trouble on a few occasions and Alexander looks solid both skill wise and physically at this weight.

Alexander won by scores of 100-90; 100-90 and 99-91 and is now 23-1. Maidana, 146 3/4 lbs of Santa Fe, Argentina and is now 31-3.

Adrien Broner defended his WBO Super Featherweight title with a one punch fourth round stoppage over previously undefeated Eloy Perez.

Broner showed the skills and speed that have made him one of the most talented fighters in the world as he landed some solid shots over the first three frames. Perez fought hard and got in a few hooks but he was out skilled by the man known as “The Problem”

Broner landed a perfect right hand that sent Perez down face first in the fourth round. Perez tried to get to his feet but was unable and the fight was stopped.

Broner, 130 lbs of Cincinnati, OH is now 23-0 with nineteen knockouts. Perez, 130 lbs of Salinas, CA is now 23-1-2.

Poise might have been the area that veteran Lanardo Tyner(25-7-2 15 ko’s) chose to target more than any other in his welterweight bout with prospect Jessie Vargas(18-0 9 ko’s), but the 22 year old showed composure beyond his years, and outlasted Tyner in an ugly ten round affair littered with fouls.

Vargas opened up the fight long exchange in illegal blows by catching Tyner low in the first round, part of a sustained body attack. Tyner was granted time to recover by referee Tony Weeks, and was visibly angry as he rose to his feet, and converted his frustration into an offensive rally to close out the first round.

The two men exchanged combinations inside, until round four when Tyner evened the score with a low blow of his own that sent Vargas to the canvas, reeling in pain. After a recovery period Tyner pounced on his weakened opponent, putting punches together and scoring well. Vargas turned the tables once again, however, with another shot below the belt in retaliation, which infuriated the 36 year old Tyner.

The fighters were able to keep things moderately clean for the next few rounds, with the exception of a few exchanges after the bell that were quickly broken up. Vargas continued to work well inside, but showed a few defensive flaws, and ate some unnecessary shots from Tyner.

Vargas stepped on the gas pedal in round 7, teeing off on Tyner with hooks, and right hands to the body and head. The offensive showcase drew a reaction from the crowd until Tyner smiled and beat his chest at the younger Vargas, and pressed forward with a successful combination of his own.

After a rough and tumble eighth round that saw the two men wrestle their way through the ropes and out of the ring momentarily, Vargas was able to clean up the pace of the bout, and get the better of Tyner in close quarters, outworking his man down the stretch.

In what started out as a firefight, Jessie Vargas was able to keep his cool in the late rounds, and outlast a savvy veteran opponent for a lopsided decision victory with scores reading 99-91 all the way across. It was an ugly affair for the centerpiece of Floyd Mayweather’s promotional stable, and while room for improvement is clear, Vargas was able to pick up a big win, and a valuable learning experience.

“I don’t think this was my toughest or hardest fight, but it was a good fight,’’ said Vargas, who was sporting a cut on the upper left side of his head afterward. “This was just another learning experience. I need these kinds of fights against these kinds of fighters to stay in position to move forward.

“I probably could have moved and boxed more, but he took my out of my game plan a few times. There were times when all I wanted to do was connect with the big shot.

“That low blow he got me with in the fourth round was definitely the hardest low blow I’ve ever been hit with. I’ve never been nailed with anything like that before.’’

Latimore vs. Nunez

“The Bull’ took on the role of matador when Deandre Latimore (23-3-1) survived a late rally from short notice replacement Milton Nunez (23-4-1) and took home a majority decision win.

St. Louis native Latimore, originally slated to face Ryan Davis (who failed his eye exam), brought a conservative game plan into Friday’s bout, working his jab, and making the Columbian miss with wide hooks. In round three the 26 year old Latimore found a rhythm, landing to the body and putting combinations together, staggering Nunez at certain points.

24 year old Nunez, who was brought in on 48 hours notice, stayed competitive, but wasn’t able to do any significant scoring. Until round 9 that is. In the final minute of the ninth Latimore’s sharp defense offered up a costly opening, which Nunez capitalized on with a hard right hand. With Latimore visibly staggered Nunez charged forward with a wild, but effective flurry that dropped Latimore to the canvas. Latimore rose to his feet, still out of sorts, but was saved by the bell to end the round.

Latimore was able to slow the pace down a little bit to open round ten, staying defensive and jabbing himself out of trouble. Nunez, however, was able to find another opening and drop Latimore once again inside of the round’s final minute, winning over the crowd, and earning his paycheck.

Latimore was announced the majority decision winner, to a mixed reaction from the crowd at Hard Rock in Las Vegas, improving him to 23-3-1.

“It was my first start in nearly a year and I’m just happy to get the win,’’ said Latimore, who was making his first start for new trainer Jeff Mayweather. “Honestly I didn’t care if I won by 10 points or one, I just wanted the win. I had to pace myself at times but I did what I had to do and what Jeff wanted me to do,

“The second knockdown wasn’t a knockdown. I went down from headbutts. It is what it is, though, and I look forward to getting back to work in the gym and fighting on a regular basis.’’

“I knocked him down and was hitting him with a barrage of right and left hands and the referee (Joe Cortez) moved in and stepped between us. I thought he was going to stop it. You don’t do what the ref did and not stop the fight.

“Still, I thought I’d done enough to win.’’

Undercard

Junior Welterweights Joaquin Chavez (0-0-1) and Jalani Wilson (0-0-1) put both their passion and inexperience on display. Chavez was able to land significant shots throughout the four round affair, while Wilson lunged forward with hooks, landing on occasion but failing to inflict any meaningful damage. The bout was ruled a draw after four rounds.

Antonio Orozco (13-0 8 ko’s) looked sharp as nails in a dominating performance over Rodolfo Armenta(11-5 9 ko’s).

Orozco stayed tight with his combination punching, working the body, and scoring upstairs. Armenta was game, but overmatched by the hand speed of “The Simple Man”. Orozco scored a well earned stoppage in round 4 with a combination that dropped Armenta for the count.

In a California vs. Nevada border war David Clark(4-2-1) blitzed Rocco Espinoza(3-3-1) for an easy TKO1 via 3 knockdown rule. Espinoza had no answer for Clark’s immediate pressure and collapsed to the canvas three times early on for the quick loss.

Juan Carlos Burgos survived a ninth round knockdown and held on to defeat Cristobal Cruz via ten round unanimous decision in a Super Featherweight bout at Dover Downs in Dover, Delaware.

Burgos controlled the first half of the fight as he got in some short shots inside the lunging long punching of Cruz. In round six a short left hook by Burgos connected and sent Cruz to the canvas. Shortly after that a cut formed around the right eye of Cruz. That inspired Cruz to come on late in the fight and then he deposited Burgos on the canvas in the ninth. Cruz had a soliid tenth as well but it was too little too late as Burgos previous work distanced himself enough to hold to the 96-92; 96-92 and 98-90 victory.

With the win, Burgos, 129 lbs of Tijuana, MX is now 29-1. Cruz, 128 3/4 lbs of Tijuana, MX is now 39-13-3

Manny Perez scored the biggest win of his career by scoring a ten round unanimous decision over Edgar Santana in a Jr. Welterweight bout.

Perez dictated the pace and never let Santana get in a rhythem. Perez controlled the middle rounds with solid combination punching and it seemed like Santana could never get set and land many solid blows. Santana began to swell around his right eye in the ninth round. The final frame saw some good action as Santana landed a couple big right hands but Perez walked through them and fought back hard and worked the body.

Perez, 138 1/2 lbs of Denver won by scores of 96-94 on all cards and is now 17-7-1. Santana, 139 1/2 lbs of New York is now 26-4.

As expected, HBO Pay Per View will show the June 9th showdown between Pound for Pound King Manny Pacquiao and undefeated Jr. Welterweight champion Timothy Bradley according to Dan Rafael of espn.com

The announcement coincided with the day that Pacquiao and Bradley kicked off a two-city media tour in Los Angeles to promote the fight. “Manny Pacquiao’s fights are always special events and we are very excited that his June 9 fight with Timothy Bradley will be presented by HBO Pay-Per-View,” HBO Sports president Ken Hershman said in a statement to ESPN.com. “We look forward to working with Manny, Timothy and Top Rank on this major PPV event.”

Pablo Cesar Cano rebounded from his first professional defeat to score a sixth round stoppage over Francisco Contreras in a scheduled ten round Lightweight bout in Cancun, Mexico.

Cano dropped Contreras in round one. Cano controlled the action until he dropped Contreras twice in round five. Contreras did not get off his stool when the sixth round bell rang and the fight was officially stopped just one second into the round.

Cano was stopped by Erik Morales when he competed for the WBC Super Lightweight title on short notice in September is 23-1-1 with eighteen knockouts. Contreras is 16-2

Mario Rodriguez scored a shocking fifth round stoppage over former world champion Gilberto Keb Bas in a scheduled ten round Flyweight bout.

Rodriguez drilled Keb Bas with a perfect left hook to the live that sent the former champ down for the ten count.

The time of the finish was 2:01 for Rodriguez, 111 lbs and is now 13-6-4 with nine knockouts. Keb Bas, 108 lbs is now 35-22-4.

Roberto Manzanarez remained perfect by taking out David Solorio in the first round of their scheduled six round Lightweight bout.

Manzanrez dropped Solorio with a three punch combination and then ended things with a big combination that dropped Solorio a second time. Solorio got to his feet but the fight was waved off just 2:09 into the fight.

Manzanarez, 130 3/4 lbs is now 17-0 with thirteen knockouts. Solorio is now 17-6.

Fernando Guerrero scored a fourth round stoppage over Jason Naugler in a scheduled eight round Super Middleweight bput.

Guerrero dominated the action but the stoppage seemed premature as he landed some solid shots but the flurries did not seem worth enough to have the fight stopped.

Guerrero is 23-1-1 with eighteen knockouts. Naugler is now 18-16-1.

Jose Mex (2-0, 2 KO’s) remained perfect with a third round stoppage over Hugo Ricandes in a scheduled four round Jr. Middleweight bout

CORPUS CHRISTI, Tex. – Paul “The Punisher” Williams burst on the scene years ago as a gangly, volume-punching giant whom no manager wished to match his fighter against. That made him entertaining. He is the same man today. But no one is entertained by it any longer.

In the main event of Saturday’s “Triple Threat” card from American Bank Center Arena, Williams (41-2, 27 KOs) beat Japanese super welterweight Nobuhiro Ishida (24-7-2, 9 KOs) by shutout scores of 120-108, 120-108, 120-108. Not one of the three judges scored a round for Ishida. And not one of the fans attending Saturday’s card seemed to care.

“This win feels really good,” Williams nevertheless said afterward.

Through the opening quarter of Saturday’s main event, an awkward nine minutes that saw the fighters’ limbs entangle, dropping Ishida twice on non-knockdowns, Williams was the slightly busier and more aggressive man, though Ishida gave little ground.

Round 4 found Williams finally landing effective punches, employing several times a right hook-left cross combination that backed Ishida up. After more of the same in round 5, Williams allowed Ishida to come inside in the sixth. Once inside, though, Ishida found that wasn’t necessarily where he wanted to be, as Williams, a much better in-fighter than his frame anticipates, continued to land.

And so it went.

As the crowd slowly deflated and American Bank Center Arena’s energy went away, Williams-Ishida went from main event to walk-out bout, regardless of the concerted effort both men made. When the final bell rang, the arena was quiet as it had been when the doors opened five hours earlier.

“We’re going to make it back to the top again,” Williams said, though by then the arena had emptied.

TAVORIS CLOUD VS. GABRIEL CAMPILLO
Dressed like a tiger, IBF light heavyweight titlist Tavoris “Thunder” Cloud walked into something of a lion’s den, Saturday, fighting Gabriel “Chico Guapo” Campillo, a tricky southpaw Spaniard, before a partisan-Spanish-speaking crowd, and emerging with his title but lots of controversy.

The three official judges disagreed on what happened in many of the rounds, turning in split-decision cards of 116-110, 111-115 and 114-112 for Cloud. The 15rounds.com ringside scorecard, too, had the match for the champion, 114-113.

“He was the busier fighter, and that is what the crowd here in Corpus Christi responded to,” said Cloud, in explanation for the crowd’s vociferous disapproval of the official result.

From the opening bell, Cloud (24-0, 19 KOs) wasted no time whatever, charging out his corner and cracking Campillo (21-4-1, 7 KOs) with a lunging right cross that dropped the handsome Spaniard in the fight’s opening two minutes. Cloud would drop Campillo again with a barrage of rights and lefts, 30 seconds later, winning the first round 10-7.

“He won the first round,” Campillo said afterwards. “But after that, I dominated.”

Campillo proved his mettle in the second round. Having risen from the blue mat twice in the opening stanza, Campillo outboxed Cloud, catching him with left uppercuts and right hooks from his southpaw stance and then outclassing him with slick movement in the third.

Rounds 4, 5 and 6 found Cloud, still bemused by Campillo’s tricky style, pressing forward with greater aggressiveness, no longer retreating to the ropes and trying to set traps. Still, Campillo had the better movement and more accurate punches, while some sting appeared to come off Cloud’s blows.

The fight’s most even round, its seventh, saw a cut over Cloud’s left eye begin to bleed and cause the referee to take a double look after each clinch. The blood flowed even more loosely in the eighth, after a sustained assault by Campillo backed the champion into a corner. Cloud fought back when pressed, but Campillo’s left-uppercut lead was a riddle Cloud never solved all night.

After a trip to the doctor’s corner midway through the 11th caused Cloud to fear the fight could be stopped on account of his left eye, Cloud increased his aggressiveness three-fold, narrowly winning the championship rounds on two of the three judges’ cards.

“I felt like I won the fight,” Cloud said of his effort.

CHRIS ARREOLA VS. ERIC MOLINA
If Texans circled one match on the American Bank Center card, if there was one fight that brought them out Saturday night, it was California heavyweight Chris “The Nightmare” Arreola (34-2, 30 KOs) against Texan Eric Molina (18-2, 14 KOs), and the match was excellent while it lasted. Unfortunately for fans, it lasted only 150 seconds, as Arreola, despite being hurt early, dropped and stopped Molina at 2:30 of round 1.

Arreola, who has lost at least 20 pounds from previous fighting weights, now appears somehow less menacing in his trimmer figure but nevertheless brings a row every time he steps between the ropes. Molina learned this harsh lesson after stunning Arreola 90 seconds into their match.

“I said before the fight that if I had him hurt, I would come in and try to finish, and I did,” Molina said afterwards. “And he caught me.”

Arreola has more class than his detractors are often wont to admit. He looks and talks like a face-first brawler, but this brash exterior belies a stellar amateur pedigree and an impressive ability to land seemingly blind overhand rights on contender-caliber heavyweights. After being backed to the ropes by Molina and forced to clinch, Arreola used a pair of such right hands to get Molina off him.

And then it was a walloping right hand that put Molina’s lights out.

“I did my best,” said Molina.

Arreola did better.

MALIK SCOTT VS. KENDRICK RELEFORD
The evening’s first undercard fight televised by Showtime Extreme, an eight-round scrap between undefeated Philadelphia heavyweight Malik Scott (33-0, 11 KOs) and Texan Kendrick “The Apostle” Releford (22-16-2, 10 KOs), saw a technically superior though light-hitting Scott preserve his ‘0’, decisioning Releford by unanimous scores of 79-73, 80-72 and 80-72.

Throughout the occasionally sober match, Scott tagged Releford with right uppercut-left hook combinations that snapped Releford’s braided hair upwards and leftwards but did not imperil him.

Scott has every punch in the boxing lexicon, and appears to commit to each one, too, but whatever the mysterious force that gives a prizefighter one-punch stopping power, Scott does not possess it.

UNDERCARD
The undercard ended well with a competitive four-rounder between two Texas lightweights. Corpus Christi’s Gregorio Gutierrez (5-1, 2 KOs) prevailed over Brownsville’s Hector Garza (3-5, 2 KOs) by three scores of 39-37.

Saturday’s fifth fight saw the evening’s biggest upset, when unknown New Orleans super middleweight Justin Williams (4-5-1, 2 KOs) decisioned local and well-known contender Alfonso Lopez (22-3, 17 KOs) by unanimous scores of 57-56, 58-55 and 58-55. Williams was faster and better throughout, dropping Lopez once and doing everything necessary to win a fair and well-deserved victory.

Before that, hometown welterweight Julian Barboza (2-0, 2 KOs) made decisive work of San Antonio’s Arturo Lopez (0-1). Lopez, making his professional debut, came out quickly and boxed confidently for the bout’s opening minute, but then Barboza began to take him apart with tight combinations, stopping him at 2:11 of the second round.

Saturday’s first match, a hesitant six-round affair between undefeated Washington D.C. light heavyweight Thomas Williams Jr. (7-0, 4 KOs) and Louisiana’s Kentrell Claiborne (2-5, 1 KO), went to Williams by three unanimous scores of 40-35.

Opening bell rang on a silent American Bank Center Arena at 6:22 PM local time.

Mike Dallas Jr. got back in the win column with a ten round unanimous decision over Miguel Gonzalez in a Jr. Welterweight bout in Arlington, Texas.

Dallas controlled the action with his quicker hands and worked the body of the southpaw Gonzalez. Dallas fought much of the fight with a bad cut over his left eye that he suffered due to a clash of heads in round two. Dallas doubled Gonzalez connect rate 184-92.

Dallas, 140 lbs of Bakersfield, CA had last his previous two outings but was solid as he won by scores of 100-90; 100-90 and 100-89 and is now 18-2-1. Gonzalez, 139 lbs of Cleveland, Ohio is now

Former U.S. Olympian Shawn Estrada, came in nearly twenty-five pounds overweight and scored an easy eight round unanimous decision in a Light Heavyweight turned Cruiserweight bout.

Estrada won each round easily and battered Woods especially in round’s two and seven and almost was able to stop Woods.

Estrada, 196 lbs of East Los Angeles, CA won by scores of 80-72; 80-72 and 78-74 and is now 14-0. Woods, 177 lbs of Bay City, TX is now 9-4

Vitali Klitschko made the eleventh successful defense (over two interrupted reigns) of the WBC Heavyweight title when he scored a twelve round unanimous decision over willing challenger Dereck Chisora in Munich, Germany.

Klitschko basically won the fight with one hand as as he landed some solid right hands in every round. Unlike most Klitschko opponents, Chisora actually fought hard and came to win for all twelve rounds but he was unable to land the big shot as he was caught time and again by the right hand. Klitschko used his size to cut off Chisora but the champion was better in all aspects.

Klitschko of Ukraine won by scores of 118-110; 118-110 and 119-11 and is now 45-2. Chisora of England is now 15-3.

NUTLEY, NJ — In the very gymnasium where Martha Stewart once took phys. ed, Nutley native Thomas “Cornflake” LaManna TKO’d Ohio’s Daniel Crabtree igniting the hometown crowd, as well as almost starting a riot.

The first round was favorable for the taller LaManna, who showcased his impressive arsenal of offensive weapons. He worked well behind his stiff jab and pieced together crisp combinations.

The second round, however, proved to be a bit tougher for LaManna, who increasingly on the receiving end of Crabtree’s punches.

When the bell rang to signal the start of round three, LaManna once again began to press the action. Cornflake landed a hugh right hand that sent Crabtree off balance, forcing his glove to touch the canvass in order to keep him on his feet. Referee Randy Neumann, however, didn’t witness the glove scraping the mat, and never ruled the knockdown.

LaManna showed great natural instincts immediately rushing to finish off the injured Crabtree. He chased the Ohioan from corner to corner until finally, referee Randy Neumann stepped in to call a halt to the bout.

Immediately after Neumann’s stoppage, which was arguably premature, Crabtree’s trainer rushed into the ring to give the New Jersey Hall of Fame ref a piece of his mind. He then got into it with LaManna’s father, Vinny LaManna, who engaged him in a brief shoving match before authorities intervened.

With the win, Thomas Cornflake LaManna stays undefeated and improves to 7-0, 5 KO, while Crabtree falls to 3-4, 3 KO.

Richard Pierson v Anibal Acevedo — 6 Rounds, middleweight

Anibal Acevedo is a 38 year old Puerto Rican fighter who looks 48, at best. He sports a mostly-gray head of hair and a somewhat lengthy goatee for a boxer. His skin on his face, neck, and chest were wrinkled and a bit rubbery — think Ric Flair circa 1998. His opponent, Richard Pierson, although only 8 years his junior, sports a baby face and is in phenomenal shape.

The first round was rather interesting. Acevedo, a southpaw, exhibited craftiness — sneaking uppercuts here and there, landing some impressive shots along the way. But the round ultimately belonged to Pierson, who kept sticking his stiff jab in Acevedo’s face. As the round came to conclusion, Acevedo walked back to his corner, sat on his stool and immediately began wincing in pain. The referee almost instantly signaled the bout was over and motioned for the EMTs to enter the ring.

The word ringside was maybe a rib, or even his testicles. But whatever happened to Acevedo, it had him in what looked to be unbearable pain. An oxygen was placed on his face, his shorts were cut open, and he was placed on a stretcher and taken to a hospital for further examination.

Acevedo’s record now reads 13-9-1, 11 KO, while Pierson improves to 10-2, 7 KO.

John Thompson v Laureno Laracuente — 4 Rounds, middleweight

Newark’s John Thompson battered Puerto Rico’s Laureno Laracuente for twelve straight minutes en route to a TKO 3 victory. From the onset it was clear that Laracuente would be overmatched and that Thompson was the more skilled, more athletic boxer. After twelve minutes of being on the receiving end of Thompson punches, trainer Jose Rosario stepped in and saved his fighter from suffering any more punishment. With Laracuente failing to answer the bell for 4, his record fell to 7-5-1, 2 KO, while Thompson stays undefeated and moves to 6-0, 2 KO.

John Lennox v Miles Kelly — 6 Rounds, heavyweight

In an extremely strange heavyweight bout, local attraction John Lennox scored a first round KO over Arkansas’ Miles Kelly. Much like the night’s other heavyweight scrap, Lennox and Kelly came out guns-a-blazin’. About thirty seonds into the first round, Kelly sucked the air out of the Nutley High gymnasium when he landed a crushing right hand on Lennox’s left cheek that wobbled the big man’s legs. Kelly followed up until Lennox collapsed to the canvass. After beating Randy Nuemann’s ten count, Lennox still stood on wobbly legs. He moved slowly and his steps were deliberate — it was as if his feet were in two buckets of cement.

Kelly didn’t take advantage, however, and Lennox soon recovered. Towards the end of round one, Lennox landed a massive right of his own sending Kelly to the canvass where we would remain until Nuemann reached the count of ten.

The time of stoppage was 1:28 in the first round. Lennox improves to 10-1, 5 KO, while Kelly drops to 2-7, 2 KO.

Godson Noel v Satchell James — 4 Rounds, middleweight

In his professional debut, Bloomfield, New Jersey’s Godson Noel disposed of Alabama’s Satchell James via first round KO. James seemingly punched himself out in the first 90 seconds or so, and paid the price for the last 90 seconds. Noel battered James during the final minute of the first round, ultimately sending him to the canvass where he was unable to beat referee Sparkle Lee’s 10 count.

The time of the stoppage was 2:59 into the first round.

Noel’s professional career begins with a record of 1-0, 1 KO.

James, who was also making his professional debut, starts his career 0-1.

Alantez Fox v Fitzgerald Johnson — 4 Rounds, middleweight

Fitzgerald Johnson will likely have trouble sleeping tonight.

Heading into the fight — on paper — this looked like a mismatch. Alantez Fox — who is managed by Cameron Dunkin — entered the ring with at least a 4” height advantage over Fitzgerald and he also sported a perfect record of 6-0, 3 KO.

At the conclusion of the first stanza, it was clear that this wouldn’t be a one-sided fight, but Fox was in control; he was snapping his jab, maintaining distance between himself and his shorter foe.

But midway through round three everything changed with one short, crisp hook delivered on Fox’s chin courtesy of Johnson’s left fist. Fox stumbled backward, his legs turned into Jell-O. Fox’s knees bent funny and he quickly found himself with his back against the ropes. When he stepped forward, his legs almost gave out again.

Instead of immediately rushing forward to try and finish off his opposition, Johnson nonchalantly walked forward and allowed himself to get tied up. As Fox retreated to the other side of the ring, Johnson stalked him, but with no urgency. By the time Johnson let his hands go again, Fox had enough of his legs back under him to survive the round and ultimately win the fight.

All three judges had Fox winning 39-37, giving him rounds 1, 3, and 4.

Fox improves to 7-0, 3 KO, while Johnson falls to 2-6, 1 KO.

Aaron Kinch v Donnie Crawford — 4 Rounds, heavyweight

Brick City’s Aaron Kinch treated his hometown crowd to a third round KO victory over West Virginia’s Donnie Crawford. The two big men traded wild punches right from the opening bell — like two lumberjacks hacking away at a Redwood with a dull axe. Their swings were wild, aggressive, and with purpose. While both men had success at times, it was ultimately a sweeping right hands to Crawford’s gut that sent the Mountaineer down to a knee wincing in pain. Before referee Randy Nuemann could even reach the count of 10, Crawford waved Nuemann off to signal that he wouldn’t be able to continue. Kinch improves to 2-0-1, 1 KO, while Crawford drops to 1-3, 1 KO.

Jose Calderon v Jonathan Garcia — 4 Rounds, junior welterweight

In the night’s opening bout — a battle between two Boricuas — Jonathan Garcia scored a majority decision victory against Jose Calderon, who suffered his first professional loss. Judges Larry Layton and John McKaie scored the contest 39-37, while judge Julie Lederman saw the bout a draw, 38-38. With the majority decision victory, Garcia improves to 2-1, 1 KO, while Calderon tastes defeat for the first time and now possesses a record of 3-1, 3 KO.

Dan Rafael of espn.com is reporting that the May 5th showdown between Floyd Mayweather and WBA Super Welterweight champion Miguel Cotto will be distributed by HBO PPV

“It’s the best working with the best,” Leonard Ellerbe, one of Mayweather’s advisers, told ESPN.com. “We’re looking forward to the numerous platforms they stepped up and brought to the table to make this deal happen. The fans won’t be disappointed.”

“We’re thrilled that Floyd Mayweather’s fight with Miguel Cotto will be presented by HBO Pay-Per-View,” HBO Sports Head Ken Hershman said in a statement to ESPN.com. “We look forward to working with Floyd, Miguel, Mayweather Promotions and Golden Boy Promotions on this special event.”

The IBF banned Light Flyweight Luis Lizarte for his participation and subsequent threats to referee Eddie Claudio during a wild brawl during his bout with Johnreil Casimero last Saturday in Argentina according to Dan Rafael of espn.com

After Claudio docked a point from Lazarte for blatant punches behind Casimero’s head in the sixth round, Lazarte removed his mouthpiece and can clearly be heard (in comments translated from Spanish on the broadcast of Argentine network TyC) saying to Claudio, “Do you want to make it out of here alive?”

“There is one measure that we are taking into our own hands and that we will enforce,” (IBF Predident) Darryl Peoples wrote. “As a result of Luis Lazarte threatening the life of referee Eddie Claudio while receiving a points deduction in the sixth round, Lazarte is banned from being involved in any capacity in any IBF-related fight that takes place in Argentina or around the world.

“I believe that I do not have to express to you that Lazarte’s threat to Claudio, which can be clearly heard in the telecast, is completely unacceptable, should not be taken lightly and merits punishment. Behavior of this nature by a fighter is not and will not be tolerated by the IBF.”

“I take this opportunity to address you in regards to the deplorable acts of violence that transpired after the Lazarte-Casimero bout,” Peoples wrote. “This type of violence has no place in a boxing match, or any sporting event for that matter, as it completely goes against the grain of what competition is about. Surely you agree to that. It is important that all of us in the boxing community, because this act in not exclusive to Argentina, utilize this experience as one to learn from and develop better ways to protect the perimeter around the ring and the people that are in it, while also (ensuring) the safety of all those attending a boxing match.

“Furthermore, I would like to know what steps have been taken with the local police department to bring those individuals that entered the ring and assaulted Mr. Casimero and his camp to justice. There are a number of individuals that can likely be identified in the video recording of the fight and who should be investigated through the proper legal channels. I expect that you will do what you can to further inform me on this matter.

After first saying he would not fight WBA Welterweight champion Vyacheslav Senchenko for the allotted $250,000 from a purse bid, Former Jr. Welterweight champion Paulie Malignaggi changed his mind and will travel to the Ukraine and take on Sanchenko on April 29th according to espn.com’s Dan Rafael.

“I’m making this a real-life ‘Rocky’ story, I’m going to the Ukraine to bring that title back to the United States of America,” Malignaggi said on his Twitter account. “This fight is for the people who have supported me from day one. I’m bringing the belt back to New York.”

Union Boxing Promotions bid $1,000,010 on the fight, while Malignaggi’s promoter, Golden Boy, bid only $250,000, and no television outlet was interested in buying it. Under the bid terms, Malignaggi is due 25 percent, with the rest going to Senchenko (32-0, 21 KOs), who will be making his fourth title defense.

“Once again I am going into enemy territory, but that’s life,” Malignaggi said. “Gotta do what you gotta do.”

Golden Boy’s Richard Schaefer, Malignaggi’s promoter, told ESPN.com that the deal was done.

“We have a signed contract, so he is going to Ukraine,” Schaefer said. “We worked everything out and now we have a fight. Paulie has a hell of a chance to become a world champion again. We like our chances and we are fully supportive of Paulie. A lot of credit goes to Paulie for taking this fight and going to Ukraine and we are convinced he will come back with a world title.”

“We gave up our percentage to help get this deal done. That is how much we believe in Paulie,” Schaefer said.

“I did pay my dues, but no one wants to fight me here,” Malignaggi said. “I gotta do what I gotta do and fight this dude in the Ukraine. No one wants to throw Paulie Malignaggi a bone, but they throw bones left and right to cheaters. So now I have to go bone-collecting in the Ukraine. I am making a ballsy decision by going to the Ukraine, but life is a risk. Take a risk or sit back and watch someone else take that risk.

“My whole life, nothing was handed to me. I had to go out in the world and get it. So going to the Ukraine is nothing new.

Fairfax, VA – More than six years have gone past since jr. middleweight Jimmy Lange has embarked on the Patriot Center era in Fairfax, VA and his loyal fanbase proved to remain just as strong as thousands were in attendance to support their hero making his fourteenth appearance at the arena often referred as the ‘house that Jimmy built’. Lange surely didn’t disappoint, dominating the workhorse veteran Ruben Gaivan (27-21-4, 10KOs) to capture the WBU and NABU jr. middleweight championships.

Lange was in command from the opening round, targeting his much shorter opponent with consistent jabs and work to the midsection. Gaivan, who was as unorthodox as an opponent could be, did his best to clown his way to befuddle the fan favorite by constantly taunting and clowning. The crowd seemed to enjoy the villainous tactics however, but the rounds were stacking up in favor of Lange who was one hundred percent business. Gaivan’s clowning gradually reduced in the fifth frame while Lange continued to execute his game plan, connecting with hard right hands.

In the sixth, a hard right hook to the body, followed by a combination to the head briefly stopped Gaivan on his tracks. But the Hammond, IN native played possum and later dished back with two hard right crosses of his own and closed out the round strong with last second flurries.

Gaivan might have had his best round in the eighth, successfully outmaneuvering his charging foe and landed short crisp hooks and right hands. Lange answered with a more disciplined strategy in the ninth and focused on keeping the distance to land more jabs.

Championship rounds also belonged to Lange who stuck to his textbook boxing of executing well timed one-two straights. The peppering jabs and straight rights took an obvious toll on Gaivan, whose face begun to redden although he was never in danger of being stopped.

All three judges were in an agreement, unanimously scoring the fight in favor of Lange. Official cards read 120-108 (3x). With the win, Lange improves to 38-4-2, 25KOs.

STEWART EDGES WYATT TO LIFT WBU WELTERWEIGHT STRAP

In the co-feature, long time veteran and Delaware’s popular Mike ‘No Joke’ Stewart (49-7-3, 25KOs) claimed the vacant WBU welterweight trinket with a lackluster technical majority decision win over Pittsburgh, PA’s Joe Wyatt (23-3, 15KOs). It was a difficult contest for the most part with neither guy being able to land effectively. As Stewart stalked, Wyatt circled and the clash of two opposite styles simply did not mesh for an action packed fight that the fans were clamoring for. There were occasional one-twos from both fighters, but constant clinching and tying-up frustrated the fans, drawing a jeer of boos at times. After eight monotonous rounds that saw plenty of feints and clinches, the ref stopped the bout in the ninth at the ringside physician’s advice due to a severe cut on Wyatt’s right eye caused by an accidental headbutt. Joe Wyatt arguably held the edge in measuring the distance, but Stewart was the aggressor. Scores were 76-76, 79-73, and 78-74.

WILSON DODGES BULLETS, OVERCOMES ‘THE WHIP’

Local unbeaten prospect Todd ‘White Lightning’ Wilson (12-0, 3KOs) continued to show progress in his fruitful career, entertaining the Fairfax crowd with a thrilling unanimous win over Bronx, NY’s Fernando ‘The Whip’ Basora (8-8-1, 7KOs). Wilson, fighting from his southpaw stance, controlled the action in the first two stanzas. However in the third, the popular local ran into a Basora counter that put him in perils and on unsteady legs. Wilson regained position in the fourth, but all hell broke loose in the fifth when Basora unleashed a series of attack that prompted Wilson to backpedal on shaky legs. But showing heart and courage, Wilson fought back and finished the round landing head-snapping shots. In another exchange, a right hand buckled and dropped Basora to his knee. Wilson jumped on his wounded foe, but undeterred, Basora fought back and finished in what turned out to be a fantastic slugfest that had the crowd up on their feet. Two judges scored the bout 59-54 while the other saw it 58-55, all for Wilson who extended his unblemished record.

YORGEY BREEZES THROUGH

Bridgeport, PA’s Harry Joe Yorgey (24-1-1, 11KOs) resumed his journey back to title contention by outworking Lawrence Jones (4-6-2, 1KO) of Washington D.C. over six one-sided rounds. Yorgey was the aggressor, moving forward to force action. Jones was reluctant to engage, mostly moving backwards aiming to counter. Yorgey found his rhythm in the third round, focusing on his southpaw counterpart’s body and continued to do so throughout. Jones made some effort to retaliate, but with minimal success and began to tire in the fifth as his Pennsylvanian foe began to pour on. Jones took a beating in the sixth as Yorgey went for the finish, but held on to hear the final bell. Yorgey won by the scores of 59-55 (twice) and 58-56. The bout was contested above the jr. middleweight limit.

NELSON AND LIVING STEAL THE SHOW

Fighting mom and world middleweight champion Tori ‘Sho Nuff’ Nelson (6-0-1) of Ashburn, VA denied the lively effort and challenge of the younger Vashon ‘Lady V’ Living (5-3-1) to claim the vacant WIBA jr. middleweight crown over ten rounds. Living, a Houston, TX native wasted very little time in bringing the heat from the opening bell, but the resilient Nelson responded with a counter that dropped her opponent to the canvas. The third saw Living doing her best to sustain her greater work-rate, but again paid for it by getting knocked down in the process. Two warriors slugged it out in the fourth, battling toe-to-toe and it seemingly favored Nelson, who clearly held the edge in power. As Living was staggered by a hard right hand, Nelson followed up violently with an onslaught of winging body shots and hooks to the head. A huge barrage of punches came in the beginning of the fifth and a thudding right hook dropped Living again for the count. Showing tremendous courage and determination, Living vied to fight on and managed to stay in the war. ‘Lady V’ in spurts appeared to be superior in terms of technique, but the brute strength of Nelson proved to be the factor in winning the exchanges at close quarters. The verdict was unanimous in favor of Nelson who won by 97-90 (twice) and 99-88.

Two unbeaten jr. welterweight newcomers collided to kick off the event, but it was Kevin ‘The Scarecrow’ Womack who downed Richie ‘The Rock’ Andrews (3-1-3) to keep his zero intact. It was a fierce battle between two contrasting styles. Womack proved to be the conventional boxer against an aggressive, more offense minded brawler in Andrews. Womack utilized his reach in the first round and stunned his shorter opponent with ranging shots from the outside and inside uppercuts. Andrews increased the tempo in rounds two and three with wild swinging haymakers, some that landed effectively. Womack closed the gap in the fourth and final round, tying up his foe to find his mark. Official scores were 38-38, 39-37 (twice) in favor of Womack who now improves to 3-0, 1KO.

Upper Marlboro, MD’s Duane Mobley made his professional debut in a satisfying fashion, upending Norfolk, VA’s Dennis Benson (1-1, 1KO) after four tightly contested rounds. Both heavyweights were looking to pot shot, but Mobley appeared to be a step ahead, initiating more with lead left hooks and following up with right hands. Benson, a southpaw, made his effort to remain in pocket and counter, but lacked in work-rate. Scorecards were read unanimously for Mobley who is now 1-0.

Orlando Cruz scored an eleventh round stoppage over Alejandro Delgado in a twelve round Featherweight bout.

Cruz dropped Delagado with a flurry of punches in that eleventh round. Delgado was able to fight on until eating another of flurry that was punctuated by a perfect straight left that sent Delgado flat on his back and the fight was stopped just as the bell rang to end round eleven.

Cruz is now 18-2-1 with nine knockouts. Delgado is 15-6

In the ESPN Friday Night Fights main event, former U.S. Olympian Demetrius Andrade made short work of late sub Angel “Toro” Hernandez; knocking him down and then out inside of two rounds. Hernandez, who was woefully outclassed from the opening bell, took the fight on two days notice when Andrade’s original opponent Derek Ennis pulled out with the flu. Perhaps thinking his only chance lay in an early knockout, Hernandez came charging out of his corner straight into the fists of Andrade. Almost immediately, Hernandez was staggered by right hook and straight left hand counters from Andrade. Hernandez took a beating all throughout the first round and at the bell, walked back to his corner on shaky legs. About a minute into the second, a straight left hand from Andrade dropped Hernandez hard. Up at the count of two, Hernandez was clearly hurt. Had Hernandez not risen so quickly, the fight would most likely have been stopped. But referee Steve Smoger allowed it to continue and seconds later Hernandez caught another flush left hand on the chin, teetering momentarily before falling face forward to the canvas. No count was necessary as it was clear Hernandez was out. The fight was a classic example of a late sub facing an up and coming prospect and neither fighter strayed far out their assigned roles. With the win, Andrade improves to 16-0 with 11 Kos. Hernandez drops to 30-11 (17Kos.)

Junior welterweight Raymond “Tito” Serrano of Philadelphia, PA put on a surprisingly lackluster performance against Rochester, NY native Kenny Abril in the ESPN Friday Night Fights co-feature. Serrano started well and was backing Abril up with good hooks and body shots over the first two rounds, but his momentum came to a grinding halt when Abril caught him in the third with a right hand going backwards. Serrano hit the deck but was up quickly and was seemingly more off balance than hurt, yet his output following the knockdown wasn’t anywhere near that of the previous two rounds. The fight then diminished into a clinch fest, with Abril doing most of the holding and Serrano doing little to avoid it. For the most part Serrano had the higher output but Abril managed to keep the fight somewhat close with good showings in rounds 6 and 8. When the final bell rang, Serrano had done enough to get the win but not enough to gain any new fans. He took the unanimous decision by scores of 97-92 (twice) and 95-94. He improves to 18-0 (8Kos) while Abril drops to 11-2-4 (6Kos.)

Junior welterweight “Mighty” Mike Arnaoutis of Astoria, Queens, NY, scrapped his way to an entertaining 6 round unanimous decision over Norwalk, CT’s Shaka Moore. The two southpaws were evenly matched through three, with Moore putting in good bodywork and Arnaoutis landing well to the head. The fight turned in round 4 when Moore visibly began to tire mid round. Arnaoutis took advantage of the increasingly stationary Moore and began to land flush lead lefts that took the remaining fight out of Moore. Despite a few spirited flurries, Moore never regained the energy he showed over the first 3 rounds and ate flush shots for the remainder of the bout. In the end, Arnaoutis picked up a unanimous decision by scores of 60-54 (twice) and 59-55; improving to 23-7-2 (10Kos.) Moore drops to 11-17-3 (2Kos.)

In one of the most exciting fights of the night, local super featherweight Joseph “Chip” Perez (Hartford, CT) waged a 6 round war with Rochester, NY’s Jamell Tyson. Both fighters threw with reckless abandon from the opening bell, ignoring defense and simply letting their hands go. The fight was close until the 4th round when Perez, spurred on by the crowd, began to overpower the fading Tyson with his sheer volume of punches. At the end, Perez simply had a little more in the tank and managed to take the unanimous decision by scores of 59-55 and 58-56 (twice.) Perez now stands at 7-1 (2Kos) while Tyson falls to 2-5-1 (1KO.)
Super middleweight Charles Foster (2-0 1KO) overcame a first round knockdown to sneak by with a decision win over Borngod Washington (3-10 1KO.) Foster was dropped early by a right hand but fought hard over the remaining 3 rounds to remain unbeaten. Scores were 38-37 on all three scorecards.
Unbeaten super featherweight Emanuel Gonzalez kept his record intact with a 4 round unanimous decision over Jesus Bayron. Gonzalez had the more accurate punches throughout the bout and won by scores of 39-37 (twice) and 40-36. He remains perfect at 10-0 (7Kos) while Bayron slides to 5-4-1 (4Kos.)
In the opening bout of the evening, junior welterweight Jair Ramos (2-0 2Kos) of Waterbury, CT easily dispatched Philadelphia, PA native Miguel Rodriguez (0-2) in the second round of a scheduled four. Ramos felt out his opponent in the first round before unleashing a string of rights early into the second that sent Rodriguez to the ropes. Stunned, Rodriguez absorbed three more flush right hands and a window dressing uppercut before taking a knee. Although Rodriguez rose at the count of 9, referee Steve Smoger wisely stopped the fight at 53 seconds of round two and handed Ramos his second pro victory.

Dan Rafael of espn.com is reporting that WBC Super Welterweight champion Saul Alvarez will take on future Hall of Famer Shane Mosley on May 5th in Las Vegas as part of the Floyd Mayweather – Miguel Cotto Pay per View undercard.

“This is more of a fight to prove myself. I know I didn’t look good in my last couple of fights and I really to make a statement in this fight,” Mosley told ESPN.com on Friday night. “I just want to get in the ring, fight a world champion and win another belt.

“I’m very excited and happy. It’s another chance for me to show that I still belong. He’s a young guy and it’s a tough fight, but I’m excited to get the fight. A lot of guys want to be in the position I am in to have this type of fight.”

Said Alvarez, “This is the fight I was looking for. Shane Mosley is a tremendous fighter with a lot of experience and big victories in his storied career. Even though I have enormous respect and admiration for Mosley, because he is a great person outside of the ring, my goal is to defeat him with a great performance.

“It’s Cinco de Mayo, so when you add Mexico’s biggest star to a card that already has Mayweather, the pound-for-pound king, and Cotto, Puerto Rico’s biggest star, and ‘Canelo’ is fighting Mosley, who is a legend, that is a huge night,” said Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer, who had been working for weeks on the fight.

“It was not an easy fight to put together because it is really a main event on its own and could have sold out a venue on its own or even been its own pay-per-view,” he said. “But this takes a mega event with Mayweather and Cotto, which is a huge fight and didn’t need any help at all, and takes it to a totally different level. With these two fights on the card, it’s one of the biggest events we’ve ever promoted. It will be a celebration of the sport of boxing, a shining moment for the sport. To have Mayweather, Cotto, Canelo and ‘Sugar’ Shane Mosley all on the same card, I get the chills thinking about it.”

“I have to give a lot of credit to Oscar,” Schaefer said. “He worked very hard on this to get this done. He did a terrific job. He pulled it together. He dealt with Canelo. It was challenging to secure the spot than getting the actual fight done. But Canelo knows it’s a big fight. When we met with him, he said he knows it’s a dangerous fight. Shane Mosley knows he has his back against the wall. He knows it’s do or be done and that makes a veteran that much more dangerous.” “Canelo said he’s going to go into the fight and make a statement and that would be to stop Mosley, because nobody has ever done that before.”

“I didn’t have any negativity about being the co-main event,” he said. “I know I am not a co-main event fighter, but I want to get in the ring. To fight someone like Canelo Alvarez will be tremendous for me at this stage of my career. I believe I’m a lot more experienced that he is. It’s youth against experience. It’s ‘Sugar’ against ‘Cinnamon.'”

“I have no grudges against Golden Boy, they’re a good company,” he said. “I can do business with them. I can do business with Top Rank, whoever is going to be fair. I wanted this fight, so we did what we had to do to get it. It would be great to beat somebody like Canelo to kind of show that the naysayers that say I’m old and can’t do it anymore and should retire are wrong. This will be the victory to show I am still here and I haven’t left yet.”

Dan Rafael of espn.com is reporting that 140 lb world champion Timothy Bradley has signed on the dotted line for his June 9 showdown with Manny Pacquaio that will take place in Las Vegas.

“It’s a very tough fight. Stylistically, Timmy poses a real threat,” Top Rank president Todd duBoef said. “I think Timmy is an incredibly skilled fighter. He has quick hands, quick feet, he’s undefeated and he doesn’t know how to lose. Tim Bradley is a winner. Manny will have to be on top of his game against Tim Bradley, who is in his prime. Manny has always taken on those challenges.”

“Manny and his team understand that in order to put on these big events you need the most skilled fighters in the world and competition, and that’s why he respects all of his opponents and what they bring to the table,” duBoef said.

“In Timmy Bradley, you’re dealing with an accomplished fighter,” duBoef said. “He’s a premier fighter in the 140-pound division and he’s on everyone’s pound-for-pound list in the top 5 to 10. He had a destruction of Peterson (in a one-sided decision in December 2009). He played with Peterson, who just beat Khan, and I was on the other end in that fight because I was Peterson’s promoter. Bottom line — Timmy Bradley is a terrific fighter.”

Abner Mares relinquished his IBF Bantamweight title rather then face mandatory challenger Vusi Malinga and will abandon the division in order to compete at Super Bantamweight according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“The whole team came to a decision to give up the title when we sat down and talked with Richard (Schaefer of Golden Boy Promotions) and the staff,” Mares told ESPN.com on Wednesday. “The IBF ordered the mandatory against Malinga and the team asked me, ‘What do you think?’ We knew TV didn’t want the fight because the guy is not known and I didn’t really want to go back fighting on a smaller show.

“I’m in a great position and I want to continue to fight the best. So no disrespect to Malinga, but I just feel there’s more fights at 122 pounds, and I am struggling to make 118 anyway, so why not move up to 122 and fight the best up there?”

“(The IBF was) forcing the South African guy and there was no interest here in the fight,” Schaefer said. “The money is not there. You have to decide if you want to go for the title or the money. Abner has a big name and a good following and we have Televisa in Mexico interested in him and Showtime.

“Every fighter wants to have a belt and be called a world champion, but they have to make a living as well, and that was important to him — to do a fight commercially more viable than fighting a South African mandatory

Mares is scheduled to return April 21 on Showtime in a fight that is supposed to take place in Mexico City. Although Mares (23-0-1, 13 KOs) grew up in Southern California and lives in Lakewood, Calif., he was born in Mexico and has wanted to fight there.

“I’m really excited and thrilled that I can fight in Mexico City,” Mares said, adding that he would head to Mexico in the next week or so to train there in order to get used to the altitude. “What I told (manager Frank) Espinoza and my team is that even though I can make 118, I would rather have this April 21 fight be my debut at 122.”

“I think it’s just the way the business goes,” Mares said. “I did fight the best at 118. I fought four tough opponents back to back and I don’t think anyone could take that away from me. It’s the right decision to fight at 122 now.”

“I have no problem moving up and fighting the best fighters at 122,” he said. “This is the best decision we could have made. There’s no use for us to fight at 118 for this next fight. I don’t want to struggle making 118 anymore. Why kill myself to make 118?”

Mares does not yet have an opponent for the April 21 bout but he said Golden Boy has brought up three names: former flyweight and interim bantamweight titlist Eric Morel (46-2, 33 KOs) of Puerto Rico; former junior bantamweight champion Cristian Mijares (44-6-2, 20 KOs) of Mexico, who has been fighting at junior featherweight; and junior featherweight contender Victor Terrazas (32-2-1, 18 KOs) of Mexico, who is coming off an upset decision win against former bantamweight champion Fernando Montiel in November.

Schaefer said Mares probably would face Morel.

“It will be a classic Mexico versus Puerto Rico rivalry fight and it’s a fight that means more to Abner than fighting the South African,” Schaefer said.

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, Super Bantamweight champion Nonito Donaire hurt his left hand during his Saturday night title win over Wilfredo Vazquez Jr. but that hand was deemed ok after x-rays were negative.

“My hand is swollen and there is damaged soft tissue, but everything is good,” Donaire said. “The doctor said I need three or four weeks to get the proper healing and then I can go.”

“The blood was because I popped a little vein in there, near the knuckle area, but it was nothing major, just bloody,” Donaire said. “It was a vein and that’s why it was bleeding a lot. It kept bleeding and didn’t stop bleeding until the next day. My hand kept bleeding after the fight. I guess from all the impact, I popped a vein.

“It looked really bad and it felt so painful for a couple of days, but it was unbearable in the later rounds of the fight. I’m just very thankful that there’s nothing seriously wrong and that I will be ready to go when we get our next date from Top Rank.”

Top Rank, Donaire’s promoter, plans to match him with Mexican star Jorge Arce, who vacated the title Donaire (28-1, 18 KOs) won to move down and claim one of the bantamweight belts Donaire had relinquished. Arce (59-6-2, 45 KOs) would move back up to 122 to challenge Donaire.

“I’m fine with fighting Arce next. That’s a fight I’ve been looking at,” Donaire, 29, said. “Whoever it is, I will be ready. Tell me who I am fighting and I will train to the best of my ability. In three or four weeks my hand should be healed and I will be ready to go. Everything is good. My hand is OK, I got my title and I’m happy.

1996 Olympian Terrance Cauthen will step in for the ill Derek Ennis and face 2008 Olympian Demetrius Andrade this Friday night at the Mohegan Sun on ESPN 2 according to Dan Rafael of espn.com

Ennis fell ill Monday and was forced to pull out of the elimination bout

“I’m lucky to get a guy with the pedigree of Cauthen on such short notice,” said Star Boxing matchmaker Ron Katz said. “It’s not often you’ll see two former Olympians fighting each other.”

“He’s not happy because he trained six weeks for a right-hander and now he is faced with a completely different style,” Katz said. “But being the type of kid he is, he is stepping up to the plate. Some fighters can be a wuss about it, but he said if it’s what he has to do, it’s what he has to do.”

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com the rematch scheduled for this weekend between former Welterweight champions Victor Ortiz and Andre Berto is looking to be rescheduled for June 30th.

The fight will now take place at the Mandalay Bay instead of the MGM Grand.

“Being cautious, Berto should be prepared to fight in about four months,” said Berto’s promoter Lou DiBella. “The fight is going to happen and the fight is going to happen next. My expectation is it will happen next within about four months, somewhere between late May and late June. I’ve talked to Showtime and they’ll accommodate it. This is a fight they want very much.”

Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer said he was unsure what would happen with the other two bouts that were scheduled to be part of the Showtime tripleheader — junior middleweight contender Erislandy Lara against Ronald Hearns and featherweight Gary Russell Jr., the 2011 ESPN.com prospect of the year, against Dat Nguyen — but that he was working on it.

“We don’t want to wait until June,” said Luis DeCubas Jr., Lara’s manager. “If he did, that would be just about a year since his last fight (a highly controversial decision loss to Paul Williams last July). That’s too long. Either we’re hoping to reschedule Hearns as quickly as we can or we hope to move on to a bigger fight. But we need to start working things out. Right now they don’t know, but I know Richard is working on it.”

Photo by Claudia Bocanegra

15rounds.com has learned that Jr. Middleweight Derek Ennis was forced to pull out of this Friday Night’s elimination bout with Demetious Andrade at the Mohegan Sun in Connecticut due to a bout with the flu.

Ennis started feeling iil on Sunday and saw a doctor on Monday he was ruled out after seeing a doctor and told to do nothing but rest for the next couple days.

“It’s very disappointing because Derek trained his ass off and was in great shape”, said Ennis manager Moz Gonzalez.

Ronny Rios scored a fourth round stoppage over Jeremy McLaurin in round four of a scheduled eight round Jr. Lightweight bout at Club Phoenix in Anaheim, California.

It was entertaining battle with McLaurin being competitive over the first three frames. Rios then battered McLaurin on the ropes and dropping him. Mclaurin got up only to suffer an unanswered fury from Rios and the fight was stopped at 2:31 of round Four.

Rios, 128 lbs of Santa Ana, CA is now 17-0 with eight knockouts. Mclaurin, 127 1/2 lbs of St. Paul, MB is now 9-3.

ALejandro Perez scored a knockout over Derrick Wilson in the eighth and final round of their Featherweight bout.

Wilson came out firing in round one in effort to take Perez out early. It was Perez who landed a big left hook that sent Wilson to the canvas in round two. Perez dropped Wilson again in round four from a combination that was punctuared by another left hook. In was the right hand that sent Wilson down for a third time just a round later. Perez suffered a cut above his left eye in round seven from a head butt.

The two came out standing tow to toe which thrilled the crowd and then Perez landed a booming right hand that sent Wilson on his back and the fight was stopped without a count at twenty-seven seconds of the final frame.

Perez, 126 lbs of Salina, CA is now 16-3-1 with eleven knockouts. Wilson, 125 1/2 lbs of Fort Myers, FL is now 9-3-2.

Julian Ramirez stopped Javier Damian in one round which was a contest of debuting Featherweights

Joe Sanchez dropped Manuel Sarabia twice in the first round and scored a stoppage victory in the same round of their Jr. Lightweight affair.

Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. retained the WBC Middleweight title with a hard fought twelve round unanimous decision mandatory challenger Marco Antonio Rubio in front of an enthusiastic crowd as the Alamo Dome in San Antonio, Texas.

Chavez swept through early rounds by landing the crisper shots inside. It was a solid performance for Chavez as he was dealing with struggling to make the 160 pound weight limit and the recent reports of an alleged DUI charge in Mexico.

The fight heated up in the last three rounds with the two guys standing to toe with Chavez landing some solid head shots which was a deter from his noted body assault.

Although Rubio threw over 400 more punches he landed about twenty less and the less powerful shots then the son of the legend.

Chavez, 159 1/2 lbs of Cuilcan, MX won by scores of 118-110; 116-112 and 115-113 and is now 45-0-1. Rubio, 159 lbs of Terron, MX is 53-6-1.

Nonito Donaire claimed the WBO Super Bantamweight championship with a twelve round split decision over former champ Wilfredo Vazquez Jr.

Donaire controlled the fight with power shots as he worked the body and head. In round three he had Vazquez against the ropes as he landed a hard left hook and followed up with a flurry on the ropes. That caused a mouse under the left eye of Vazquez which was visible as early as round four. Vazquez had good round’s five and six as he started popping the jab that he followed with some straight rights.

Donaire started landing some hard shots in eight and nine that culminated with a huge uppercut that was followed by a left hook that sent Vazquez to the canvas for the first time in his career. Donaire coasted down the stretch as he switched between orthodox and southpaw picking Vazquez apart from distance.

Donaire, 121 1/2 lbs of General Santos City, Philippines won by scores of 117-110 on two cards while a third judge somehow saw the fight 115-112 in favor of Vazquez.

Donaire is now 28-1-1. Vazquez, 122 lbs of Bayamon, Puerto Rico 21-2-1.

SAN ANTONIO – The final undercard match of Alamodome’s “Welcome to the Future” card featured Mexican super bantamweight Raul Hirales (16-0-1, 8 KOs) against Colorado’s Shawn Nichol (5-9, 5 KOs), in a six-round match that was the evening’s least-inspired, one in which Hirales prevailed by curious split-decision scores of 59-55, 55-59 and 58-56.

ALEX SAUCEDO VS. JEAN COLON
The undercard’s best knockout was scored in its sixth bout when Mexican-born Oklahoman Alex Saucedo (2-0, 2 KOs) stretched Florida welterweight Jean Colon (0-2) at 1:03 of the first round, with a devastating left hook.

ADAM LOPEZ VS. RICHARD HERNANDEZ
In the night’s biggest match of local interest, San Antonio amateur superstar Adam Lopez (1-0, 1 KO) made his professional debut and did it emphatically, stopping fellow Texas bantamweight Richard Hernandez (0-2) at 2:53 of round 1. Lopez showed the speed and technique that made him a finalist for the U.S. Olympic team, snapping Hernandez’s head leftwards with hooks and dropping him twice.

VANES MARTIROSYAN VS. TROY LOWRY
Saturday night, undefeated perma-prospect Vanes Martirosyan (32-0, 20 KOs) of California knocked out oft-defeated Minnesotan Troy Lowry (27-12-0-2, 15 KOs) at 2:53 of round 3, successfully hoisting the WBC Silver super welterweight belt overhead.

WALE OMOTOSO VS. NESTOR ROSAS
In the evening’s third match, Nigerian welterweight Wale “Lucky Boy” Omotoso (21-0, 18 KOs) remained undefeated if not particularly enthralling, stopping Texan Nestor Rosas (9-3, 6 KOs) at 0:55 of round 6. After establishing a superiority of craft early, Omotoso gradually wore Rosas down until the referee could abide no more.

IVAN NAJERA VS. DAVID CASTILLO
Before that, local lightweight Ivan Najera (6-0, 6 KOs) of host city San Antonio remained both undefeated and unchallenged, scoring a technical knockdown at 2:54 of round 2 over New Mexico’s David Castillo (2-4).

JEREMY LONGORIA VS. RICARDO VALENCIA
Saturday began with an exciting four-round featherweight match between two Texans. In a mild upset, theretofore un-victorious Ricardo Valencia (1-2-1) of Houston decisioned theretofore unbeaten Jeremy Longoria (3-1, 1 KO) of Corpus Christi by unanimous scores of 38-37, 39-36 and 39-36, dropping him with a body shot in round 2.

First bell sounded on a half-full Alamodome at 6:15 PM local time.