Gilbert Melendez retained the Strikeforce Lightweight championship with a five round unanimous decision over Jorge Masvidal at the Valley View Casino Center in San Diego, California.

Melendez was dominant with the power strikes and was never in any jeopardy of losing his crown.

Melendez, 155 lbs of San Francisco, CA won by scores of 50-45; 50-45 and 49-46 and is now 20-2. Masvidal, 155 lbs of Miami, FL is now 22-7.

Cris Cyborg wasted no time as she needed just sixteen seconds to dust Hiroko Yamanaka to defend her Featherweight title.

Cybir landed a punch that sent the Japanese challenger to the canvas. Yamanaka quickly got to her feet but ate a flurry of punches and the fight was stopped.

Cybor, 145 lbs of San Diego is now 11-1 with nine knockouts. Yamanaka of Japan is 12-2.

Former Strikeforce Light Heavyweight champion, Gegard Mousasi scored a three round unanimous decision over Ovince St. Preaux.

Mousasi did well with St. Preaux on the gorund. St. Preaux made a late effort with a front choke but the bell rang to signal the end of the bout.

Mousasi 206 lbs of the Netherlands won by scores of 29-28 on all cards and is now 32-3-2. St. Preaux, 206 lbs of Knoxville, TN had his eight fight win streak snapped and is now 11-5.

In a good back and forth slugfest, KJ Noons scored a three round unanimous decision over Billy Evangelista in a Welterweight bout.

Both landed heavy shots but Noons got the better of the exchanges and bloodied the left eye of Evangelista.

Noons, 156 lbs of San Diego, CA won by scores of 29-28 on all cards and breaks a two fight losing streak and is now 10-3-1. Evangelista lost his second straight and is now 11-2

While the top story from Friday’s boxing card at Mandalay Bay was the star studded audience, Marco Antonio Rubio put on an impressive display in front of some of his most famous peers.

Rubio fired away at the game Matt Vanda, who couldn’t avoid the 1-2 combinations that Rubio was able to stick right through his defense. The always durable Vanda had his moments, putting together combinations in certain places, but was never able to really get a rhythm established that could keep up with Rubio’s high volume game plan.

In the 5th round Rubio stepped on the gas pinning Vanda against the ropes and not letting up. While Vanda was able to duck away from the initial fire, a second flurry prompted a stoppage from Kenny Bayless, and a 5th round TKO for Rubio in the midst of a gathering of stars.

In the room to take the action in from the start was Hector “Macho” Camacho, joking with fans and personnel from the beginning. Camacho’s arrival was followed by the likes of Tommy Hearns, and Marvin Hagler, both taking their fair share of photos with eager fans. Former Hearns conqueror Iran Barkley sat ringside talking boxing with the rest of the crowd. The most attention grabbing arrival was from Mike Tyson, who stopped for a few pictures en route to his ringside seat. As well as the several former world champions, not all of which were named, an impressive crop of current fighters showed up for the event. Sergio Martinez, Andre Dirrell, Wayne McCullough, Hasim Rahman Jr., Ishe Smith, and several others were also on hand.

In preliminary action Javier Fortuna had no trouble landing flush on Miguel Roman, but was never able to put together enough power shots for the stoppage. Fortuna moved well, and landed solid combinations throughout ten rounds and picked up a decision victory.

Son of Julian Jackson, John Jackson looked impressive, stopping Keandre Leatherwood in round six. Jackson took his fair share of punishment, but put a durable chin on display, and finished Leatherwood off in the sixth.

Super middleweight Badou Jack opened the card up in emphatic fashion, dropping Adam Collins in the first round. Jack put his power on display, collecting three quick knockdowns and a stoppage moving him to 9-0 with 8 ko’s.

In other action Samuel Rogers stopped Jamar Freeman in the tenth, Azael Cosio stopped Ronnie Warrior Jr. in the sixth, and Laura Serrano fought to a majority draw with Ela Nunez.

All in all the show provided some boxing entertainment, to the most hardcore of boxing audiences. Something of a family reunion feeling was in the air throughout the ballroom, and the boxing community for at least one night, felt like a fraternity.

ATLANTIC CITY, NJ–Andre Ward made his claim to be the best Super Middleweight in world as he pounded out a lopsided twelve round unanimous decision over Carl Froch to retain the WBA and capture the WBC, Ring Magazine and Super Six world Boxing Classic Championships.

Ward was masterful in every way and he looked like a seasoned baseball pitcher dealing for nine innings but in this case it was for twelve rounds. Froch was kept off balance by the diversity of punches coming from the hands of Ward as when it looked like Froch expected a jab, a lead left hook would either land in his face or the body of the British fighter.

The two would engage in some serious exchanges but it was always Ward landing first and last which drew ooohs and ahhs from the crowd at Boardwalk Hall. Ward continued his variety as he even started bullying Froch on the inside and landing hard shots to the body. Froch was a step slow during most of the exchanges and Ward built up an insurmountable lead.

Froch started to get in some offense midway through round eleven and the beginning of round twelve as Ward seemed to slow just a little bit which gave Froch just a little glimmer of hope but Ward was never in any danger and cruised home to the victory.

Ward, 168 lbs of Oakland, CA remains perfect and is now 25-0 with the 115-113; 115-113 and 118-110 victory victory. Froch, 167 1/2 lbs of Nottingham, ENG is now 28-2.

“It’s supernatural. These are all great fighters. That’s why you don’t hear me talking badly about them before the fight. I know what I’m getting into. I just want to be a little bit better on the night of the fight.”

“He’s very good defensively,” Froch said of Ward. “I couldn’t get my shots off. I never found myself in the range. Ward was either too close and smothering me or too far away.”

“Right away, I was actually surprised how slow Froch was,” said Ward. “We were just able to beat him to the punch and that’s what won us the fight.”

Froch was gracious in defeat and offered no excuses. “I lost tonight, fair and square. I had a bad night.”

He elaborated, “I couldn’t get anything going. He’s very slippery. It was very frustrating for me. It was a bad night.”

In a bloody eight round Light Heavyweight bout, Cornelius White scored a unanimous decision over Yordanis Despaigne.

Both guys were cut with Despaigne cut from a punch in the opening frame. The blood was evident as both were wearing white trunks and by the end of the fight both were turned crimson. It was White who pushed the action and landed the more volume shots.

White, 173 lbs of Houston, TX won by score of 60-53; 59-55 and 59-55 and is now 18-1. Despaigne, 174 1/2 lbs of Coral Gables, FL is now 9-2.

Former world title challenger Edison Miranda scored a fifth round stoppage over Kariz Kairuki in a scheduled eight round Light Heavyweight bout.

Miranda rocked Kairuki in round one with a big right hand and controlled the action until the fifth when he landed a big right that sent Kairuki and his mouthpiece to the canvas. After Miranda charged Kairuki and knocked him down before he had a chance to replace the mouthpiece but no knockdown was ruled. Miranda then battered Kairuki with hard right and left and referee Alan Huggins stopped the bout at 2:15 of round five.

Miranda, 175 lbs of Carolina, PR is now 35-6 with thirty knockouts. kairuki, 174 1/2 lbs of Tampa, FL is now 24-10-2

Bowie Tupou hung on and scored a ten round unanimous decision over Donnell Holmes in a Heavyweight bout that featured fighters with only one defeat.

The action was mostly slow paced with Tupou scoring with little combinations while Holmes was following Tupou around the ring. Tupou dropped Holmes in round seven from a hard over hand right. Holmes shook it off and finished the round. Holmes made a late stand in the final frame as he landed two hard left hooks that got the attention of Tupou but he was never in any serious danger.

Tupou, 242 lbs of Los Angeles, CA won by scores of 95-94; 96-93 and 95-94 and is now 26-1. Holmes, 226 lbs of Ivanhoe, NC is now 33-2.

Heavyweight John Lennox battered Jeremiah Witherspoon and scored a third round stoppage in a scheduled four round bout.

Lennox landed a hard combination that sent Witherspoon into the ropes and he quickly followed up by landing a hige barrage that rocked the head of Witherspoon back and forth several times before the bout was stopped fifty seconds into the round.

At the WBC Convention in Las Vegas, the sanctioning body ordered a rematch of the October 15th Light Heavyweight title fight that saw Bernard Hopkins and Chad Dawson fight to a no-contest after Hopkins hurt his shoulder in the second round.

Gary Shaw, Dawson’s promoter, was pleased with the WBC’s decision.

“I think justice has been served,” he said. “When Hopkins had a draw with Pascal, the WBC gave him an immediate rematch. And now they have done the same thing for Dawson after the controversy.”

“Let’s get the ball rolling,” Hopkins, who turns 47 next month, told ESPN.com after leaving the convention. “The fans got cheated because of circumstances in the first fight. Now they get an opportunity to get their money’s worth. It’s been a really interesting 48 hours. Things are different now because of that (order). Let’s get it on. The bottom line is a champion defends his belt. That’s what champions do. I believe I am the best at light heavyweight. So my whole thing is champions defend, they don’t get stripped, they don’t throw belts away. I’ve done it for 20 years and I ain’t changing my stripes today.”

“Whatever is best economically without having my belt stripped then I’m fine with that,” he said. “I duck no one. I never did. But if the fans and the people and the networks believe that Chad Dawson don’t draw bees to honey — and this is a business — then that is what it is. I’ve earned this championship belt and I am not ready to leave.”

“My record speaks for itself. I’m normally victorious the second time round,” he said.

“I think that there is no interest in this fight,” he said. “As long as the fighters know that, and they are OK with whatever money there is, then why would I want to stop that fight from happening? I really just want to do fights the public would want to see and where I know going into the fight that it will be entertaining. I just don’t think that these two styles mesh.”

The WBC also ordered Middleweight champion Julio cesar Chavez Jr. to defend against Sergio Martinez

“Chavez has to fight Martinez next unless we make a deal,” said Martinez promoter Lou DiBella said. “But we have leverage. So we’ll talk to (Top Rank’s Bob) Arum and to HBO and see what we can work out.”

NORTH BERGEN, NJ–— North Bergen’s own, Danny McDermott, righted his two fight losing streak with a sensational fourth round TKO victory against a very game Brian Abraham.

From the bell it was clear that both fighter’s would be willing to eat their opponent’s punches to land some of their own. In the first round, both fighter’s willingly engaged in exchanges, with McDermott getting the best of Abraham. The best punch of the round came around the midway point when McDermott placed a crisp left hook on Abraham’s chin, who took it well, but clearly felt McDermott’s power.

Abraham was able to regroup between rounds and get the best of McDermott in the second round. Momentum swung back McDermott’s way in the beginning of the third round after he landed a thudding right hand on Abraham’s left ear, which sent the Schenectady, New York native in retreat. Midway through the round, however, McDermott — whose looked a bit soft — was beginning to tire, and Abraham stepped on the gas. Abraham walked down McDermott, firing shots around the hometown fighter’s guard. With about a minute remaining in the round, McDermott struck Abraham below the belt, resulting in a brief stoppage of the fight. No point was deducted.

When the bell sounded to start the fourth round, a rejuvenated McDermott rose of his stool and — with the crowd behind him — began to overwhelm Abraham. A huge right hand about a minute into the round hurt Abraham, who immediately started to backpedal. Unfortunately, there was no where to go, and McDermott continued to pummel Abraham while he was pinned in the corner. Eventually, after McDermott chased his counterpart to all four sides of the squared circled — peppering him with power punches — referee Earl Morton stepped in at the 2:28 mark of the fourth round to call a halt to the action.

With the win, McDermott improves to 9-3-1, 4 KO, while Abraham drops to 5-10-2, 3 KO.

Danny Terrill v Daniel Crabtree — 4 Rounds, welterweight

Ohio’s Daniel Crabtree spoiled the professional debut of Danny Terrill by stopping the Long Island native in third round of their scheduled four round scrap. Vicious exchanges were riddled throughout the fight, with both fighter’s finding their fare share of success. Ultimately, however, in the third round, Crabtree took command of the fight. After Crabtree’s right hand sent Terrill to the canvas for the second time, the referee saw fit to step in and stop the fight at the 1:18 mark of the third round.

Crabtree improves his record to 2-3, 2 KO.

Terrill drops his debut. He is now 0-1.

Ian James v Tevin Farmer — 4 Rounds, super featherweights

Philadelphia’s Tevin Farmer overwhelmed Brooklyn’s Ian James, stopping him at the :23 mark of the second round. James was unable to ever get started, while Farmer seemed to never stop. The Philly fighter exploded right from the bell and didn’t let up. He scored a vicious knockdown as the first round was coming to conclusion and in the second round, he needed only twenty-three seconds to pick up where he left off and finish the job for a TKO victory. The referee stepped in Farmer teed off on a defenseless James who was pinned back in the ring’s blue corner. The time of the stoppage was :23 into round 2.

Farmer improves to 3-2-1, 1 KO.

James’ record slides to 1-2, 1 KO.

Thomas Baldwin v Dominique Foster — 4 Rounds, junior middleweight

In the night’s only bout to go to the judge’s scorecards, Newark’s Thomas Baldwin and Ohio’s Dominique Foster fought to a draw.

The turning point of the fight came in the third round, when Foster dropped Baldwin with a huge right hand that landed right on the button. Baldwin was able to survive round three and

The judges scorecards read, 38-37 Foster; 38-37 Baldwin; and 38-38.

Baldwin’s record now reads 2-0-2, 1 KO.

Foster, who was making his professional debut, starts his career off 0-0-1.

Santander Silgado v Glen Williams — 6 Rounds, heavyweights

In the bout’s opening scrap, Colombian heavyweight prospect Santander Silgado made easy work of his opponent, Glen Williams, to improve his already perfect record to 19-0, 17 KO. Friday night’s bout marked Silgado’s first in the United States, having previously only fought in his native Colombia or in Argentina.

Towards the end of the first round, Silgado placed a crisp one-two on William’s chin, forcing his legs to give out, resulting in a knockdown. Then in round two, Silgado landed another straight right, forcing Williams to crash to the mat again. Although he beat the 10 count, referee Earl Morton stepped in to stop the fight at the 2:51 mark of round two.

Williams’ record is now 7-6-1, 5 KO.

Dan Rafael of espn.com is reporting that an HBO Boxing After Dark doubleheader has been inked for February 25th in St. Louis that will feature former Jr. Welterweight champions Devon Alexander battling Marcos Maidana while the co-feature will pit WBO Jr. Lightweight champion Adrien Broner taking on mandatory challenger Eloy Perez.

“Devon’s like a big brother to me,” Broner said Monday night. “I grew up with him through the amateurs. Feb. 25, you can’t ask for nothin’ better than this card.”

“I have emails from both sides confirming the fights. Everything is agreed on and I have a deal with HBO,” said Golden Boy Promotions Richard Schaefer.

Maidana-Alexander has been in the works for about a month.

“They both feel that they are going to have an even bigger impact on the sport in the higher weight class,” Schaefer said. “Devon, based on what I am hearing, he feels significantly better at 147 than he did at 140.

“For Maidana, I think you can put him in any weight class and he’s exciting as hell. Give or take a few pounds, it doesn’t matter. He is a warrior and he will fight anyone and make it exciting.”

“I think it’s going to be a great fight and fan friendly,” Kevin Cunningham, Alexander’s manager and trainer said. “Devon at 147 will have the speed, snap and energy that allows him to perform at 100 percent. St. Louis is a fight town and has always supported the St. Louis fighters. Devon has a special bond with his community and on Feb. 25 they are going to come out in full force to support him.”

“Eloy is an exciting guy, Broner is an exciting guy, so it’s a fight I am looking forward to seeing. I think it’s a toe-to-toe fight. I think Broner has the talent and charisma we need in boxing. What fighter asks his father to comb his hair during his interview with (HBO’s) Max Kellerman? He is an entertainer and a terrific young fighter.”

Said Broner, “I know a lot that want to see me lose and a lot that want to see me win. Perez will come prepared but I am going to come in the ring fresh, fly and flashy, and I’m going to have my brush with me. He’s good, 23-0 with seven knockouts, but from his record, he can’t punch his way out of a wet paper bag. But he’s obviously good and has always come out on top in his fights.

“Against me, he’s gonna be just like the other 22 I have faced. This is going to be his first ‘L.’ I’m not going looking for the KO, but I just don’t feel he will last 12 rounds with me

Dan Rafael of espn.com is reporting that a solid doubleheader will take place on January 28th in Houston when WBC Super Lightweight champion Erik Morales will take on undefeated upstart Danny Garcia while the co-feature will pit Jr. Middleweights James Kirkland and Carlos Molina.

“Everything has been agreed to. These are two excellent fights,” said Richard Schaefer of Golden Boy Promotions. “I think Morales-Garcia is definitely a crossroads fight. Erik is excited about going back to Texas. For Danny, it is an amazing opportunity to fight a legend like Erik Morales. He is thrilled beyond belief. He is going to want to make the best out of it.”

“I think it’s going to be a good fight because of the styles of these two guys,” Schaefer said. “It can only be an exciting fight, a toe-to-toe battle. You know the way Erik fights and the way Danny fights.

“Erik was ringside at Danny’s fight against Holt and Erik has never turned down anybody. He feels he’s going to teach the youngster a lesson. He feels that this is a very winnable fight for him otherwise he wouldn’t take it.”

“You saw the performance against Maidana. Erik made it clear that he is back,” Schaefer said. “Let’s see what he can do against a young, strong fighter like Danny Garcia. It’s a dangerous fight for Erik and for Danny. Erik is one of the most experienced fighters and has shown that the time he took off was good for him. He is back, his body is back and he feels good.

“Erik Morales fights everybody and he said he feels Danny Garcia is very mechanical and he will expose him. He said, ‘I have the style and skills and experience to beat the young, mechanical guy.’ Let’s see. Danny is one of the young guns.”

“I really couldn’t believe it, it’s a like a dream come true,” Garcia told ESPN.com. “I am happy for the opportunity. Erik Morales was a great fighter, but now it’s time for a new generation. It’s time for a new champion. We haven’t signed a contract yet, but the fight is verbally agreed to and I feel like this is the perfect time for me.

“I just fought one of the hardest punchers (Holt) in the division. I feel Erik Morales is a great fighter, but I feel like he had his day. He is the champion because of politics. I will be champion because I will take that belt off of him. I grew up watching Morales. Me and my friends were big fans. He is a great fighter, so to be in the ring with him will be a pleasure. I guess he’s looking at me like his last fight, fighting a young guy to use his experience against. But I am not the same fighter as the last kid. Why he took the fight with me I don’t know, but he is in for a tough fight.”

“We like the fight. Carlos is busy, he’s slick and he’s durable,” promoter Leon Margules said. “He is also a legitimate 12-round fighter. He has good stamina. We know Kirkland is a great puncher, but if he gets through the first couple of rounds when Kirkland is dangerous, then I think he can outwork him.”

Said Schaefer, “James Kirkland has clearly established himself again in the 154-pound weight class with his thrilling performance against Alfredo Angulo. He showed everything. James Kirkland is back. With Carlos Molina, you have a very skilled fighter who has come up with the biggest wins of his career recently and he feels this is a winnable fight. Both fights on this card are explosive. That’s the right word.”

Morales is 52-7 with thirty-six knockouts. Garcia is 22-0 with fourteen knockouts and ranked number seven by 15rounds.com

Kirkland 30-1 with twenty-seven knockouts is ranked number nine by 15rounds.com Molina is 19-4-2 with knockouts is ranked number seven by 15rounds.com

WASHINGTON, D.C – British sensation Amir Khan (26-2, 18KOs) made his debut at the Nation’s Capital of United States in hopes to successfully defend his unified WBA/IBF jr. welterweight championship against D.C’s own Lamont Peterson (30-1-1, 15KOs). The pro-Peterson crowd backed their fighter feverishly, as their man fought the fight of his life to dethrone King Khan, who was touted to be too fast, too powerful, and simply just too good for the D.C. native.

From the opening seconds, Khan was quickly on the offensive, throwing a fast one-two and connecting with a right cross. Peterson did his best remain composed, but ate a left hook that sent him to the canvas for a quick eight count towards the end of the round. Peterson focused to the body and stalked his moving target in round two, but Khan’s versatility and quick hands were a bit superior. Peterson assaulted Khan with hard body shots in round three that had the Brit in serious trouble. Khan was hurt after taking a hard right and combinations against the ropes, but held on to finish the round. Body attack resumed in the fourth, but Khan returned with combinations of his own. Again, Peterson got the better of the exchanges and his tight defense allowed him to slip most of Khan’s punches.

Khan showed resurgence in the fifth. Creating distance to avoid Peterson’s body shots, Khan circled and landed flurries downstairs and also found success with looping uppercuts and well timed lead right hands. From this point on, Khan’s strategy was to box and clinch at close quarters to prevent his opponent from focusing to the midsection. In the seventh, Khan appeared to be in control before Peterson poured on with clubbing right hands. Khan also threw an elbow that cost him a point deduction. Feeling the fatigue from all the circling around, Khan was helpless in the eighth as Peterson punished him around the ring with a variety of shots to the head and body.

The crowd cheered and roared in support of Peterson, but Khan, again, used all the tricks and guile to thwart the finish. Ninth round was a war. Peterson pursued Khan and stunned him again by the ropes, but Khan returned the favor with a left hook and a body shot that briefly had Peterson on wobbly legs. Peterson regrouped in the last thirty seconds and successfully threw right hands, splashing the sweat off Khan’s noggin.

Khan fought with discipline in the tenth, picking his shots and staying elusive for the most part. Peterson kept charging in the eleventh but often got clinched or hit with flurries before getting shoved off. Khan fought well against the ropes and got away with swift one-twos, followed by either a left hook to the body or an uppercut to the chin. Khan was deducted another point in the twelfth for using his elbow, but appear to land more to evade a 10-8 round.

In the end, there was a winner of this seesaw battle as Michael Buffer announced the official scorecards that read (113-112 2x, 111-114) in favor of the new champion, Lamont Peterson. ‘All the hard work paid off. Tough fight. It couldn’t have been a better night. I would definitely give him a rematch’ said the newly crowned jr. welterweight champion. Khan was a bit bitter in defeat, citing the ref’s bias against him in deducting points that cost him his title, ‘It was like I was against two people in there.’ In the post fight interview, Khan also expressed his interest in a rematch.

The co-feature of the evening saw unbeaten heavyweight contender Seth Mitchell (24-0-1, 18KOs) of Brandywine, MD impressively down former contender Timur Ibragimov (30-4-1, 16KOs) of Uzbekistan. Mitchell, a local DC favorite, measured his more experience foe with peppering jabs from the outside and following up with right hands. Ibragimov closed the gap in the second, nailing Mitchell with a hard right, but ran into a hard left hook that wobbled his legs. Mitchell immediately jumped at the opportunity and unleashed a barrage of right hands that sent Ibragimov reeling across the ring. Another right hand connected against the corner and the referee stepped in to stop the bout at the 2:48 mark.

Southeast, Washington, DC’s Anthony Peterson pleased his hometown crowd with a dominant unanimous decision win over the heavily faded former world title challenger Daniel Attah (26-9-1, 9KOs) after eight rounds.

Peterson, holding advantages in multiple facets, controlled the action from round one with attack to the body and backing his smaller foe against the ropes. Attah, a former Olympian, was mostly in retreat mode, unable to put together any offensive output against the naturally bigger Peterson. Peterson rocked Attah in round four, but Attah regrouped and finished the round. Attah, being the wily veteran, tried his best to counter from his southpaw stance and tie up, but to very little effect as Peterson landed the stronger and more telling shots to win rounds. The sixth saw another punishing round by Peterson, sustaining body attack and finding his mark with combinations up top, but Attah landed some of his best shots in retaliation. Peterson unleashed a series of uppercuts and doubled up on his left hooks in round seven. The eighth and final round told a similar story with Peterson easily taking the ‘10’.

Official scores were 80-72, 80-72, and 80-72. This was Peterson’s first fight since his disqualification loss to Brandon Rios in 2010. With the win, Peterson improves to 31-1, 20KOs.

Former highly touted middleweight contender Fernando Guerrero (22-1, 16KOs) of Salisbury, MD made his return to the ring for the first time since his upset loss to spoiler Gary Brewer, defeating St. Paul, MN’s Robert Kliewer (11-14-2, 5KOs) over five one sided rounds. Guerrero dictated the pace throughout, forcing the action with aggressive shots to the body and consecutive one-two combinations. Kliewer retaliated in spurts, but provided very little. Kliewer was dropped near the end of the fourth, but managed to survive. Guerrero resumed attack in the fifth and scored three knockdowns en route to a TKO victory. Kilewer was rendered unconscious after the third knockdown and was carried out on a stretcher. Official time of the stoppage was 0:45 of the fifth round. — Joon Lee

Hollywood, CA’s Jamie Kavanagh (8-0-1, 3KOs) and Puerto Rico’s Ramesis Gil (6-3-5, 5KOs) fought to a draw in a tactical battle over six rounds of lightweight contest. Kavanagh was cut over the right eye from what appeared to be a headbutt in round two. Both guys fought patiently, carefully measuring shots to the head. Ramesis was more of the aggressor, stalking his more mobile opponent and seemingly held the edge in power shots. After three competitive rounds, Kavanagh got his groove going in the fourth and fifth, utilizing his superior footwork to land effective jabs and right hands to scores points. The sixth round was close. Scores were 58-56 (for Kavanagh), 57-57, and 57-57.

Seventeen year old Dusty Harrison took out winless Terrell Davis in round one of a scheduled four round Welterweight bout.

Harrison dropped Davis twice with hard rights to the head and ended the mismatch with crushing right to the body and the bout was stopped at 2:46 of round one.

Harrison, 144 lbs of Washington, DC is now 3-0 with one knockout. Davis of Washington, DC is now 0-5.

In lightweight action, Terron Grant of White Plains, MD improved his mark to 2-0, 1KO with an easy first round stoppage win over Dashawn Autry (0-2) of Garland, NC. It was simply a mismatch in terms of skills and talent as Grant overwhelmed the awkwardly balanced Autry with an onslaught of unanswered array of body shots and hard right hands to the head. Time of the stoppage was 1:10 of the first round. —Joon Lee

In the opening bout of the evening, Joshua Davis scored a four round unanimous decision over Chris Russell in a Lightweight bout.

Davis landed some heavy shots in the fourth round while blood dripped form the nose of Russell.

Davis, 134 lbs of White Plains, MD won by scores of 40-36; 39-37 and 39-37 and is now 2-0. Russell, 134 lbs of Shattuck, OK falls to 2-8-1.

Junior Middleweight contender, Pawel Wolak has decided to call it quits after thirty two professional fights. On his facebook page, Wolak stated, “I am at peace with my decision to retire from boxing. I left it all in the ring and I have absolutely no regrets. I got to do what most people will never be able to and I couldn’t be more proud to have been part of the best sport in the world.”

In regards to his plans now that he has retired, Wolak wrote, “I will stay active, busy and in boxing shape as I have done since 17 years old but I hope to help other fighters in the NY area in their careers.”

Pawel Wolak ends his boxing career with a record of twenty nine wins, with nineteen knockouts, with only two losses and one draw. 2011 was a very good year for the Junior Middleweight who carried a large Polish following. He stopped the popular Yuri Foreman in March, and then fought to a draw against Delvin Rodriguez in what many consider to be the best fight of the year. After much demand for a rematch, they met again at Madison Square Garden this past weekend, with Wolak losing a decision.

In closing, Wolak wrote, “The list of people to thank is too long but you all know you are. Thank you to my core team, my family, my friends and the fans who have made me a better husband, man, father, son and fighter. I am forever grateful. Thank you to Top Rank for always having my back and to the boxing media who have always been fair and treated me with respect. I am not going to do any interviews at this time. While I am retiring I am staying under contract for the duration of my contract terms with both Top Rank and my manager Cameron Dunkin. Please direct all questions to Cameron.”

Thomas “Hitman” Hearns and five time trainer of the year Freddie Roach head the class of the 2012 Boxing Hall of Fame class to be inducted this June in Canastota, New York

Also inducted were former Flyweight champion Mark “Too Sharp” Johnson.

ring announcer Michael Buffer, famous for his “Let’s get ready to rumble” call; and late promoters Hugh D. McIntosh and Rip Valenti.

Elected in the observer category were Showtime broadcaster and former longtime ESPN analyst Al Bernstein and journalist Michael Katz, who covered boxing for decades for The New York Times and New York Daily News, and was an Internet boxing pioneer.
Posthumous honorees include former flyweight contender Newsboy Brown; Leo Houck, who competed from flyweight to heavyweight; heavyweight contender Jake Kilrain in the old-timer category; and James Wharton in the pioneer category.

Jhonny Gonzalez made the third defense of the WBC Featherweight title with a second round stoppage over Roinet Caballero in Mexico City.

Gonzalez dropped Caballero with a hard body shot on the ropes and did not even try to be the referee’s ten count.

Gonzalez is now 51-7 with forty-five knockouts. Caballero is now 31-11-1.

Lightweight Alejandro Sanabria scored a fourth round stoppage over Vinvin Rufino in a scheduled ten round bout.

Sanabria landed a hard body combination that sent Rufino down for the ten count.

Sanabria of Mexico is now 30-1 with twenty-three knockouts. Rufino, 134 lbs of the Philippines is now 30-15-3

Marco Reyes scored a third round stoppage over Mauro Lucero in a scheduled eight round Middleweight bout.

Reyes landed a body shot that sent Lucero down for the ten count.

Reyes, 160 lbs of Mexico City is now 22-1 with twenty knockouts. Lucero is now 46-16-1

Randy Caballero remained perfect with a eight round unanimous decision over Arturo Santiago in a Super Bantamweight bout at the Fantasy Springs Casino in Palm Springs, California.

It was a rough fight as Santiago was docked points in rounds three and six for holding.  Caballero controlled the action with solid boxing skills.

Scores were 80-70 on all cards for Caballero, 120 lbs of Cochella, CA and is now 13-0. Santiago, 119 lbs of Lajas, PR is now 7-4-1.

Kenny Williams and Joaquin Chavez fought to a spirited four round draw in a Jr. Lightweight bout.

Chavez dropped Williams in the first round from a left hook. Williams evened things up by knocking Chavez down in the second from a wide right hand.

There wasnt much to choose from down the stretch as Chavez took a card at 38-36 which was over ruled by the two other cards which were tallied at 37-37.

Williams, 138 3/4 lbs of Palm Springs, CA is now 2-0-1. Chavez, 139 1/2 lbs of Commerce, CA is now 1-0-1.

Andrew Cancio scored a thrilling eight round umajority decision over Fernando Carcamo in a Lightweight bout.

The two traded heavy blows through out the fight with the Heavy handed Cancio landing the harder shots.

Cancio dropped Carcamo twice in the final round and appeared to be one punch away from keeping his perfect knockout to win ratio in tact but Carcamo was tough and made it to the final bell.

Cancio, 137 lbs of Blythe, CA needed those two knockdowns as the score cards read 76-74; 76-74 and 75-75. Cancio is now 12-1-2. Carcamo, 135 lbs of Sonora, MX is now 9-3.

Hugo Centeno remained perfect by scoring a six round unanimous decision over David Lopez in a Jr. Middleweight bout at Club Nokia in Los Angeles.

Centono, 150 1/2 lbs of Oxnard, CA won by scores of 60-54 on all cards and is now 11-0. Lopez, 151 1/2 lbs of Idaho is now 3-7-3.

In an entertaining Jr. Welterweight bout, Luis Mora and Cameron Krael fought to a majority draw.

Both guys came forward and landed heavy shots and the action was two way the whole fight.

Mora 141 lbs of Los Angeles took a card at 39-37 while two cards read 38-38. Krael, 138 lbs of Las Vegas is now 0-0-2.

Santiago Guevara scored a second round stoppage over Salvador Cifutenes in a four round Lightweight bout.

Guevara dropped Cifutentes in the first frame with a left to the body and rocked him again at the bell. In round two he landed combinations to the head and body before the fight was stopped

Guevara, 131 1/2 lbs of Mexico City is now 2-0 with one knockout. Cifuentes, 131 1/4 lbs is now 1-3

Popular Zachary Wohlman scored a knockdown and went on to win his pro debut with a four round unanimous decision over Ricard Malfavon in a Welterweight bout.

Scores were 40-35 on all cards for Wohlman, 148 lbs of Los Angeles and is now 1-0. Malfavon, 148 lbs of El Rancho, CA is now 1-7-1.

It took him eight professional years to finally get the ‘fight’ that would have defined his career. And it took him three more years to finally get the win he desperately needed. Scoring the sweetest victory of his storied boxing career, Miguel Cotto can finally say that he defeated Antonio Margarito. For the Tijuana native himself, there was a chance for vindication or perhaps exoneration, but the man could only prove one thing in the ring. That he is a true warrior.

This was three years later from their epic classic that took place in Las Vegas, and the wear and tear were apparent on both guys. Still, fans in attendance got a sense that there was something special brewing whenever these two stood across from one another. Margarito entered the ring as the villain, not even slightly overwhelmed by the loud jeer of boos from the Madison Garden crowd. Cotto was the crowd favorite, backed by his avid Puerto Rican and New York fans that cheered tumultuously. One can’t remember the last time the building roared to this effect, probably not since Felix Trinidad downed William Joppy a decade earlier.

From the opening bell, it was clear what the Caguas, PR native’s strategy was. Plaster or no plaster, Cotto respected his rival’s fistic power and fought with more caution than he did in their first battle. It was the simple, stick and move, hit-and-not get hit type of a game plan. For Margarito, all he needed to do was replicate his predictable method of constantly pressuring and cornering Cotto in hopes to wear him down late.

Both fighters were older and slower, but their efforts were highly spirited. In the first three rounds, Cotto was able to side step and land fluid combinations. Margarito ate shots coming in, but was closing the distance as he aimed for his mobile foe to the body. The fifth saw back and forth action, as Margarito poured on and chased Cotto across to ring, digging shots to the midsection and smothering punches to make it a rough fight. Cotto didn’t succumb to pressure and dished back with much cleaner shots.

Perhaps it was obvious from how their first encounter unfolded, but Cotto knew he needed to pitch a perfect game to win this fight. Margarito’s injured eye was reinjured early on, and from the sixth round, there were concerns whether he could continue to fight. The pace picked up in rounds seven and eighth, but more in favor of Cotto, who was using all of his guile and dexterity to pepper his less dimensional foe. Margarito would not fold and often smiled and taunted, but his face told a different story.

In between rounds eight and nine, the doctors at ringside carefully examined Margarito’s right eye. They barely allowed him to continue. Margarito pounded his gloves to psyche himself and his opponent to engage toe-to-toe, but Cotto was smart and stuck with the game plan.

Again, the ringside physician and the ref assessed the Mexican’s condition after the ninth round and after a long plead to continue from Margarito and his corner, referee Steve Smoger did the right and humane thing and called this bout to a halt.

There was a huge sigh of relief from Cotto, who just scored the biggest win of his decorated boxing career. Margarito lost, but fought with a ton of heart and dignity. There was a look of disappointment, but hardly any dejection. He fought like a proud champion and left it all in the ring.

With the W, Cotto retains his WBA version of the jr. middleweight title and improves to 37-2, 30KOs. Margarito is now 38-8, 27KOs.

RIOS LETHARGIC IN STOPPING MURRAY

Things didn’t exactly go smoothly for Oxnard, CA’s Brandon Rios (29-0-1, 21KO) in his first significant trip to New York. First, he lost his WBA title on the scale after failing to make the 135 pound limit. In addition, his opponent, John Murray (31-2, 18KOs) from England didn’t cut him any slack either, providing a difficult challenge for the former lightweight sensation. It wasn’t the usual spirited and lively fought performance by Rios, who appeared sluggish in the first two rounds. Rios got the ball rolling in the third however, stunning his opponent with consecutive uppercuts on the inside and doing nice work to the body. Murray fought back valiantly and troubled his unbeaten foe in the next two rounds. By the fifth, exhaustion clearly showed in Rios, who was obviously in a very tough fight. It didn’t deter him from trying his best which was probably a good thing on the scorecards as he pressed on did his best to effectively win rounds with aggression. Murray was undaunted, but became a bloody mess in the sixth after eating a series of hard uppercuts from his younger counterpart. While Rios looked to be the more tired of the two, he still demonstrated superior technique and work rate that might have benefited him on the official scorecards. Murray was effective in spurts, attacking Rios’ midsection, but lacked the power to inflict real damage. In the eleventh, Rios’ uppercuts finally overwhelmed. Badly staggered, Murray deemed unable to continue, who was stopped on his feet at the 2:06 mark. With the win, Rios remains unbeaten, but is no longer a world title holder.

RODRIGUEZ OUTCLASSES WOLAK

They say boxing, rather than slugging it out is the smarter way to win. That’s what Delvin Rodriguez needed to do this time around to get the official W over his rival Pawel Wolak. It wasn’t the violent jr. middleweight slugfest that their first meeting proved to be, but Rodriguez and Wolak didn’t go too far to find one another, engaging in a closely contested battle over twelve rounds. Both combatants weren’t shy to walk up and down the stairs, landing effective shots to the body and head. Rodriguez appeared to find his comfort zone in the third, connecting with a well timed uppercut to the chin. Wolak did not phase, but like their first encounter, his eye began to redden. Things started to heat up in the fifth as Rodriguez was able to tag his Polish opponent with head snapping upper cuts, but Wolak soon returned the favor in retaliation. Most rounds were hard fought, but Rodriguez seemingly held the edge in terms of technique, cleaner shots, and overall ring generalship. Wolak charged in on the seventh, chasing his opponent and smothering him against the ropes, but Rodriguez was able to clinch and neutralize with shots on the inside. The Danbury, CT native was more relaxed in the eighth, throwing fluid combinations and swiftly moving in and out to avoid damage. Rodriguez relentlessly battered his bloodied foe in the tenth and final around, staggering him with a series of uppercuts and left hooks. Wolak (29-2-1, 19KOs) displayed a ton of heart and was able to survive the onslaught. Official scorecards read 98-91, 98-92, and 100-90 in favor of Rodriguez, who improves to 26-5-3, 14KOs.

JONES DECISIONS LUJAN IN A SNOOZER

Welterweight contender Mike Jones kept extended his unbeaten run to 26-0 (19KOs) by denying the challenge of former Margarito opponent Sebastian Lujan (38-6-2, 24KOs) of Argentina over twelve uneventful rounds. A right hand to the top of the head nearly dropped the Argentinean in the first round. From there on, it was Jones who was outworking his shorter foe with superior reach, landing jabs and occasionally finding his target with right hands. Lujan was able to evade a lot of punches by using his unorthodox stance to juke and jive, but wasn’t effective offensively. In end of the eleventh, Lujan let his guard down and lured Jones to land at will. Scores were 118-110, 119-109 (2x) in favor of the Philadelphian.

Fan favorite Sean Monaghan (11-0, 8KOs) wasted very little time in taking care of business with an impressive stoppage win over Adrian, MI’s Santos Martinez at 2:56 of the second round in cruiserweight action. All it took was a left hook to the body in round two for Long Beach, NY’s Monaghan to quickly dispose of Martinez (2-3, 2KOs) who failed to show any reason for the ref to allow him to continue after getting up from the knockdown.

Unbeaten light heavyweight Chicago prospect Mike Lee (8-0, 5KOs) won an easy fourth round TKO over Denver, CO’s Allen Medina (9-20-1, 1KO). After three one sided rounds, Lee unleashed a series of punches that dropped Medina, prompting the referee to step in to call a halt to the bout.

Undefeated former two division champion Zsolt Erdei injured his hand and has been forced to withdraw from his New Years eve showdown with IBF Light Heavyweight champion Tavoris Cloud according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“He’s been waiting for this opportunity, so he is not a happy camper,” said Erdei’s promoter Lou DiBella of Erdei. “He’s upset, but if you can’t fight, you can’t fight, and the doctor is telling him he can’t fight.

“We are looking at all options and hope to have an answer by Monday,” Showtime’s Gordon Hall told ESPN.com.

At todays’s weigh in for the big rematch between Miguel Cotto and Antonio Margarito, WBA Lightweight champion Brandon Rios was about a pound and a half over the mandated 135 pound limit and was forced to relinquish his belt. His opponent John Murray can beome champion with a victory over Rios on Saturday night’s mega card at Madison square Garden.

According to espn.com, Murray’s team threatened to call off the fight, but eventually extracted concessions from Rios. He will pay Murray $20,000 from his $325,000 purse, a nice increase for Murray, who is due $50,000 plus a piece of British television revenue.

Also, to prevent Rios from blowing up in weight overnight, Murray’s camp insisted that Rios not weigh more than 147 pounds at 9 a.m. ET Saturday. If he is over 147, the fight could be called off.

“I think that may play to my advantage, but I’m just going to concentrate on myself,” Murray said. “I’ll let him worry about himself. I’m just going to stay on my game and do my business. I’m not upset at all. I’m just focused on doing my business (Saturday) night.

“We had already prepared to take him into the deep waters. This is a great opportunity for a guy like me. Fights like this are the fights that I want. I want to be in the center of the ring, hammering away to see who is going to be left standing, him or me.”

“He’s been in a colder climate than he’s used to and that probably hurt him trying to make weight,” Carl Moretti of Top Rank, Rios’ promoter, said of the Southern California fighter. “He’s a big 135-pounder. He just couldn’t get down. The question is what happens Saturday night and in the future? I think it’s too soon to say that he’s done at 135 but he could be. We’ll have to talk about with him and his team, see if maybe he went about making weight the wrong way. But he looked drained, very drained.”

Saul Alvarez made the third defense of the WBC Super Welterweight title with a fifth round stoppage over former Welterweight belt holder Kermit Cintron in Mexico City.

Alvarez boxed well over the first three-plus rounds as Cintron was content on jabbing against the power punches of Alvarez. In round four, Alvarez landed a hard right that sent Cintron back and onto his knee. for a knockdown. At the end of the frame, Alvarez landed a hard left on the ropes that froze Cintron on the ropes and the challenger looked like he was ready to go. In the fifth, Alvarez withstood a brief final stand from Cintron and landed a blistering combination that had the referee jump in and stop the fight at 2:53 of round five.

Alvarez, 154 lbs of guadalajra, MX is now 39-0-1 with twenty-nine knockouts. Cintron, 154 lbs of Reading, PA is now 33-5-1

Adrien Broner won the vacamt WBO Jr. Lightweight title with a third round stoppage over Martin Rodriguez at the U.S. Bank Arena in Cincinnati.

The first two round were competitive as Rodriguez tried to make it a rough and sloppy fight and had some success. In round three, Broner landed a big uppercut that set off a flurry of punches which was highlighted by a body shot that was followed by a big left hook that sent Rodriguez down on the bottom rope. With blood trickling out of his nose, Rodriguez did not even try to beat referee Frank Garza’s ten count and the bout was halted at 1:43 of round three.

Broner, 128 1/2 lbs of Cincinnati is now 22-0 with eighteen knockouts. Rodriguez, 129 1/2 lbs of Argentina is now 34-3-1.

Super prospect Gary Russell Jr. scored a sensational first round stoppage over veteran Heriberto Ruiz in a scheduled ten round Featherweight bout.

Russell landed a perfect right hook to the body then a blistering right hook to the head and Ruiz plummeted to the canvas and the fight was stopped.

Russell of Capital Heights, MD is 19-0 with eleven knockouts. Ruiz of Los Mochis, MX is now 48-12-2.

Dan Rafael of espn.com is reporting that former world champions Victor Ortiz & Andre Berto will rematch their 2011 Fight of the Year candidate on either January 28th or February 11th with this bout landing on Showtime rather than HBO where the first bout was televised.

Lou DiBella, Berto’s promoter, would not confirm the figures, but acknowledged that Showtime had bought the fight and was the highest bidder.

“Showtime’s offer was the highest in the marketplace,” DiBella told ESPN.com on Thursday night. “It’s good to know that they’re in the game and that a fight of this quality had interest from both networks. Competition in the marketplace is a good thing. As Andre Berto’s promoter, I am very grateful for the loyalty and investment HBO made in Berto over the years, and I know Andre is also.”

“The first fight was one of the best, most crowd-pleasing fights of the year and it’s the best thing for boxing fans that it’s going to happen again in 2012,” DiBella said. “This fight represents a good start to the year for Showtime, although I believe HBO made a good faith offer to get the fight.”

“This is something the people want and I want as well,” Berto told ESPN.com on Thursday night. “I gave up a world title for this to happen. You know how serious this is for me. I’ve been with HBO my whole career but Showtime stepped up to the plate money-wise to have it. Surprised HBO didn’t, but this is a business. So I am just looking forward (to) bringing the people the best fight possible to jump off the 2012 year with a bang.”

Dan Rafael of espn.com reports that Antonio Margarito has been approved for his boxing License and will take on Miguel Cotto on December 3rd in New York’s Madison Square Garden.

Margarito was originally denied a license after it was revealed his eye was not cleared by the omission after surgery for a cataract. The figures to be a lot of boxing betting on this fight. To bet on this fight click here

“There is a fight. This gotta be a chapter in my book,” Top Rank promoter Bob Arum exclaimed after watching the commission hearing on a live webcast. The commission had reservations about licensing Margarito because of a serious eye injury he suffered in a lopsided decision loss to Manny Pacquiao last November. Margarito suffered a badly broken orbital bone in his face and developed a cataract in his right eye.

“We went through a lot and Antonio saw every doctor he was asked to see and all of them gave us the same news — that everything was great and that there was no reason for him not to be approved,” Sergio Diaz, Margarito’s co-manager, said. “When we told Antonio he was licensed, he was screaming and he was happy. Now he is saying he has to take care of business come Dec. 3.

“We understood New York was trying to cover themselves and get assurances from the doctor they picked. But we felt confident all this time,” said Margarito’s co-manager Sergio Diaz.

“Evidence has been introduced, including an affidavit from the applicant himself, detailing the rehabilitation steps taken to ensure that all of the rules of the commission will be followed,” Torres said. “After due consideration of the evidence of rehabilitation the commission finds the issuance of a license to the applicant not to be contrary to the best interests of boxing.”

“Further, following the thorough examination performed by Dr. Goldstein and his testimony that it is his opinion that the condition of Mr. Margarito’s eye is such that he is fit to be in the ring, the commission rules that Mr. Margarito’s petition for licensure in New York is granted.”
Moretti, who was at Tuesday’s meeting with Top Rank president Todd duBoef, and Margarito’s attorneys, David Moroso and Daniel Petrocelli, said they were all pleased with the commission vote.

“The tension in the room, you could cut it with a knife,” he said. “I’m drained because all Todd and I wanted, and what all of us wanted, was for this fight to happen in New York because it’s important for the sport. You have a Madison Square Garden that is almost sold out — and I bet it will be sold out in the next day or two — with electricity running through it. If we had to move the show, it wouldn’t have had the same impact. Just the fact that we got the license and it came down to the 11th and half hour, it’s unreal.”

Said Diaz, “It’s been a real pain in the neck but it was something we had to go through. We couldn’t run. Antonio has been fighting for this. There wasn’t anything any of us were trying to hide about his injury. We were open to any kind of exam.”

Arum was glad the saga was over.

“I think you got to commend the commission that they were thoughtful and deliberative and that having Margarito fly in to be examined by a doctor designated by them, while an inconvenience, I think was something that was good to do because you can have doctors opining about this and that, but if they don’t examine the patient you can’t get a full feel,” Arum said. “That being said, the criticism I have is why wasn’t this done before the press conference (to announce the fight) in September? One way or another it would alleviated all the problems.

“If he had passed at that time none of this would have occurred. If not, we would have moved on to another state because we felt that having had him treated by Crandall, the leading (eye) doctor in the country, maybe the world, and having a retinal specialist check him out, morally we were on the high ground. We believed his eye was as good as anyone’s based on Crandall’s treatment.”

Jr. Middleweight prospect Eddie Gomez stopped Antonio Infante in round five of a scheduled six round bout in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Gomez landed a hard left-right combination and then landed a crushing uppercut and the bout was stopped at 2:16 of round five.

Gomez, 154 lbs of Bronx, NY is now 7-0 with six knockouts. Infante, 150 lbs of Miami, FL is now 6-2-1.

Roberto Acevedo scored a six round majority decision over previously undefeated O’Neill Negron in a Jr. Welterweight bout.

Acevedo, 138 lbs of Moca, PR is now 11-12-1. Negron, 138 lbs of Vega Baja, PR is now 8-1-1.

In a battle of pro debuting Super Welterweights, Keith Tapia stopped Andrus Kuilan in the first round of a scheduled four round bout.

Tapia scored one knockdown and finished off Kuilan with a wild flurry at 1:50

Starling Cordero made a successful pro debut by scoring a first round stoppage over Luis Duclet in a scheduled four round Bantamweight bout.

The time was 2:31 of round one for Cordero, 118 lbs of Carolina, PR. Duclet, 119 lbs is 0-3

Rafael Marquez (2-1) scored a four round unanimous decision over William Lorenzo (1-6) in a jr. Welterweight bout.

Former three-time former world champion Joan Guzman scored a one punch first round knockout over Florencio Castellano in a scheduled twelve round Welterweight bout in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

Guzman landed a devastating uppercut that sent Castellano down for the count and the fight was over.

Guzman is now 31-0-1 with eighteen knockouts. Castellano is now 16-6

In his first fight since losing a hotly disputed world title fight, Argenis Mendez stopped late replacement Alex Perez in round two of a scheduled eight round Jr. Lightweight bout.

Mendez dropped Perez with a hard left hook in round two. Perez got to his feet only to take a pounding over the next minute and the fight was stopped.

Mendez is 19-2 with ten knockouts. Perez is now 23-43-4.

IBF Jr. Lightweight champion, Amanda Serrano remained perfect by stopping Grecia Nova after round three of a scheduled ten round bout.

Serrano dropped Nova with a combination in round one and battered her over the next two rounds before the fight was stopped.

Serrano is now 13-0-1 with nine knockouts

Julio De jesus remained perfect by stopping Ramon Duran in round two of a scheduled eight round Jr. Welterweight bout.

De Jesus landed a hard right that dropped Duran in round two and then finished him off with a flurry on the ropes that had the referee stop the fight.

De Jesus is now 13-0 with twelve knockouts. Duran is now 21-5.

HOUSTON – Mexican Julio Cesar Chavez may never win fighter of the year, but if the Boxing Writers Association of America gave out a Most Improved Fighter award, Chavez would likely be a perennial finalist.

Saturday night at Reliant Arena in a WBC middleweight title fight broadcast on HBO’s “Boxing After Dark” program, Chavez (44-0-1-1, 32 KOs) outworked, outboxed and ultimately outslugged Rhode Islander Peter Manfredo Jr. (37-7, 20 KOs), stopping him at 1:52 of round 5.

After a fairly even open, one that saw Chavez employ a snapping left jab that was not part of his arsenal when his career began eight years ago, in round 2, Chavez began to show improved footwork to complement his improved physique, gliding away from Manfredo and landing left hooks and right crosses. The third round saw Chavez drop his hands and nudge backwards, luring Manfredo towards him then lacing him with right-hand leads.

After having his best round in the fourth, Manfredo came out his corner in the fifth and began to pressure an uncharacteristically relaxed Chavez. At the midway point of the round, Manfredo caught Chavez with a right cross that knocked the sweat of the young Mexican’s head. That effective aggressiveness proved to be a mistake by Manfredo.

A moment later, an angered Chavez launched a right hand that straightened Manfredo up and made him blink. And in the time it took to complete those blinks, Chavez swarmed Manfredo, causing referee Lawrence Cole to rush to Manfredo’s rescue and wave the match off after 30 seconds of sustained abuse.

Afterwards, an inspired Chavez, watched by recognized middleweight world champion Sergio Martinez from ringside, said, “I want to fight the best.”

Manfredo, who said before the fight that he would retire if he lost, looked and sounded dismayed in a postfight interview that was likely the last of his career.

JOSE PINZON VS. LARRY SMITH
If Mexican Jose Pinzon expected to look good against a guy who goes by the cognomen “Too Slow,” he ended up as disappointed as the evening’s partisan-Mexican crowd.

In Saturday’s final undercard bout, one that proved a weak appetizer for what was to follow, Pinzon (21-2-1, 13 KOs) applied a workmanlike pace to Dallas super welterweight Larry Smith (10-8, 7 KOs) and grinded out a win all three official judges scored 79-72 in his favor.

To a chorus of his countrymen’s boos, Pinzon moved forward and engaged Smith, even when it appeared neither man was much interested in a confrontation. Throwing tentative left hooks at Smith’s high and tight guard, Pinzon stayed busy enough to deserve his victory if not fans’ adoration.

LUCKY BOY OMOTOSO VS. LANARDO TYNER
Detroit welterweight Lanardo “Pain Server” Tyner is one of boxing’s rarest sorts: A trashtalker who has a chin and is unafraid to prove it. He fights with a smile and other antics and wins over the crowd, regardless of his matches’ final tallies.

Saturday’s performance – a fight he ultimately lost to undefeated Nigerian Lucky Boy Omotoso (20-0, 17 KOs) by unanimous scores of 79-73, 79-73 and 78-74 – was no exception for Tyner (25-5-2, 15 KOs), who had even former world champion Roy Jones Jr. laughing from his ringside seat.

Tyner employed hip rolls instead of shoulder rolls and collected some hellish right crosses from the longer and sharper Nigerian. But Tyner also entertained the Houston crowd, ensuring he’ll be back for future undercard performances.

ALEX SAUCEDO VS. CEDRIC SHEPPARD
Professional debuts can be tricky things, especially when they happen in a rival state that shares a border with one’s own. Oklahoma welterweight Alex Saucedo, though, made his look easy.

Saucedo (1-0, 1 KO) kept a measured pace till he saw openings against Austin’s Cedric Sheppard (0-2), and once those openings were found, Saucedo attacked and stopped the Texan at 2:28 of round 1.

MICKEY BEY VS. HECTOR VELAZQUEZ
Cleveland’s Mickey Bey may have Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s dad in his corner, but he sure doesn’t have Mayweather’s defense.

Matched against Tijuana lightweight Hector Velazquez (51-17-3-1, 35 KOs) in Saturday’s fifth fight, Bey (18-0-1, 9 KOs) kept his lead hand low and his leaping left hooks predictable but still managed to prevail by unanimous decision scores of 76-75, 78-73 and 77-74. The Reliant Arena crowd was animated in its disapproval of the official result.

Velazquez caught a wild-cocked Bey left hook with a well-timed hook of his own in the second minute of round 2, sending the undefeated Ohioan to the blue mat, from which Bey rose at a count of seven to weather the next 60 seconds of Velazquez’s assault. From there on, Bey kept his distance and got through a fight that could easily have been scored for Velazquez.

IVAN OTERO VS. GINO ESCAMILLA
In a well-contested and close four-round featherweight match between two Texans, undefeated local favorite Ivan Otero (7-0, 1 KO) and Laredo’s Gino Escamilla (5-11-1, 2 KOs), Houston’s Otero prevailed, much to the crowd’s delight, by majority decision scores of 38-38, 39-37 and 40-36.

A score of 38-38 might have been a bit too close and 40-36 was absolutely too wide, but the light-hitting Otero made an entertaining match with Escamilla, ensuring future appearances for him in this city.

JOSHUA CLOTTEY VS. CALVIN GREEN
Ghanaian Joshua “Grand Master” Clottey (36-4-0-1, 22 KOs) used the nickname “Hitter” for most of his career. He changed to “Grand Master” shortly before his abortive 2010 scrap with Manny Pacquiao in Cowboys Stadium. Saturday, he returned “Hitter” form against Texas super welterweight Calvin Green (21-7-1, 13 KOs), blasting him out with a left-hook lead at 1:56 of round 2.

Texas fans who’d last seen Clottey playing timid turtle behind a shell defense against Pacquiao had to be surprised by the more aggressive fighter they saw Saturday. Clottey was all business, attaining his first victory since 2008 in impressive fashion.

LUIS ZARAZUA VS. RICARDO AVILA
In a four-round battle of Texas featherweights, Edinburg’s Luis Zarazua (2-0, 1 KO) had former champion Jesus “El Matador” Chavez in his corner. That was appropriate, because against San Antonio’s outmatched Ricardo Avila (1-6), Zarazua was all bull, charging Avila relentlessly and winning a unanimous decision all three judges scored 40-36.

From the opening 30 seconds – a half minute Avila was lucky to finish on his feet – Zarazua established a superiority of class and power, blitzing Avila with left hooks galore to the body and a few to the protective cup, even dropping Avila with a low blow in round 2. But Avila displayed a noteworthy chin and heart, winging right crosses and somehow enduring to the match’s closing bell.

MARCUS JOHNSON VS. WILLIAM BAILEY
Saturday’s action began with a six-round light heavyweight match between undefeated Texas boxer-puncher “Too Much” Marcus Johnson (21-0, 15 KOs) and California brawler William Bailey (10-13, 4 KOs), a match Johnson won easily by unanimous decision scores of 60-53, 60-53 and 60-52.

After establishing his superiority of reflex early, Johnson caught Bailey with enough force to knock his mouthpiece out in the fourth round. The referee then allowed Bailey to bend and drag his glove across the blue mat in an effort to retrieve the fallen mouthpiece. Technically, it was a knockdown, but since little that Bailey did in Saturday’s opener was technical, no one stood on formality. The remaining two rounds were a formality of their own, as Bailey cruised to an easy victory.

Opening bell rang on an echo-filled Reliant Arena at 6:16 PM local time. Saturday’s attendance was estimated at 5,000.

Dan Rafael of espn.com is reporting that after Friday’s special license hearing for Antonio Margarito, that Margarito must see a New York State approved doctor to see if he can be licensed due to an eye injury sustained in his loss to Manny Pacquiao last November.

Earlier in the week it was rumored that the show would be moved out of New York’s Madison Square Garden, scheduled for December 3rd if the former Welterweight champion could not be granted the license to fight in the state.

Saying that the commission’s “primary objective is to safeguard the health and safety of all the athletes who compete under its jurisdiction,” Said New York Commission Chairperson Melivina Lathan the commission is “noting our multiple concerns” about Margarito’s right eye. Margarito could have sought assistance from a great Canadian Pharmacy

She said the commission was directing Margarito to submit “as soon as possible” to an eye exam in New York.

Top Rank promoter Bob Arum said Margarito would submit to the exam and was pleased with the decision.

“That’s good. That’s fine,” Arum told ESPN.com. “That means he is not going to be automatically disqualified because he had the cataract surgery. The surgery was performed by the best possible doctor (Crandall). As long as it’s a competent doctor in New York who does the exam, fine. It’s better than a denial.”

Arum said he is happy with the plan.

“We offered to do this six weeks ago and we are happy to do it now,” he said. “They are arranging how the exam will take place and we will fly Margarito and the doctor in.”

Arum suggested that the exam should take place in Salt Lake City at Crandall’s office, so all of the necessary equipment will be available.

“Whichever doctor the commission selects, he will examine Margarito and find the same thing our doctor has found, that he is OK,” Arum said.

If New York denies the license, Arum said he will move the fight on short notice to another venue with places such as Denver, Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, and venues in Mississippi possible.

Photo By Chris Farina / Top Rank

Dan Rafael of espn.com is reporting that former world champion Joel Casamayor tested positive for Marijuana for this past Saturday’s title bout with Timothy Bradley

“It’s unfortunate. If the commission finds him in violation of the drug-testing regulations, they could fine him or suspend him, or a combination thereof,” Nevada Commission head Keith Kizer said Thursday.

Dan Rafael of espn.com is reporting that famed cutman Joe Souza passed away Monday due to Prostate Cancer. he was 77.

In recent years, Souza was known as the man who kept Arturo Gatti fights despite massive cuts around Gatti’s eyes in just about every one of his fights.

Souza, also an amateur boxing coach in San Antonio, worked with numerous top professionals during his career. His first champion was San Antonio star James Leija, who won a junior lightweight title with Souza in his corner in 1994. Souza, who learned from mentor Ace Marotta, worked with numerous star fighters, including Evander Holyfield, Pernell Whitaker, Fernando Vargas and Wladimir and Vitali Klitschko, among many others.

Many of the fighters Souza worked with were promoted by Main Events.

“Joe worked with just about every fighter that fought under the Main Events banner for a very long time,” Main Events’ Kathy Duva said. “I remember first meeting him in Texas around 1980. Ace Marotta took him under his wing early on and taught Joe all of his secrets. After Ace’s passing, Joe became Main Events’ go-to guy in the corner.

“He was such a sweet man. Kind, considerate and sincerely caring. Everyone at Main Events loved him and will miss him.”

“Joe was James’ amateur coach and asked me to manage him,” said Lester Bedford, who was friends with Souza for about 30 years. “I wasn’t interested in managing fighters, but Joe talked me into it. When I saw James fight I was more enthusiastic about it. Joe got his name and experience working James’ corner. When he won the title against Azumah Nelson, Joe probably saved James in the fight because he had a really bad cut. He saved him in many fights. James was probably cut 40 times in his career. You can imagine how many times he could have lost meaningful fights if he didn’t have Joe in the corner.”

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, WBO Welterweight champion and his team are looking in another direction rather than tp face Floyd Mayweather in a bout that the whole world has been clamoring for the better part of three years.

Leonard Ellerbe, one of Mayweather’s advisors, and Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer both told ESPN.com Monday that they were notified that Pacquiao promoter Bob Arum of Top Rank was not interested in coming to the table.

“We have been informed that Bob Arum is not interested in pursuing a fight between Mayweather and Pacquiao at this time,” Schaefer said.

“I am sick and tired of Bob Arum twisting the truth. It’s another case of ‘yesterday I was lying, today I’m telling the truth,’ ” Schaefer said, invoking Arum’s most famous quote. “The truth of the matter is that we received this afternoon an email from retired federal judge Daniel Weinstein, who has informed us that Top Rank is pursuing a rematch with Marquez and, therefore, is not interested in immediate talks for a possible Mayweather-Pacquiao fight. This is obviously as clear as it can be that they have no intentions of making a Mayweather-Pacquiao fight. Therefore, Floyd Mayweather will have no other choice than to move on and identify and lock in another opponent for his ring return on May 5.”

“Judge Weinstein is respected by both parties and mediated issues between Top Rank and Golden Boy before, so the plan was to see if he could help facilitate such a fight. Floyd’s team really wanted to get this fight done,” Schaefer said. “If you just sit down with Arum, he can at any time have one of his fits, one of his ‘f— you’ attacks, and the likelihood that he would have a ‘f— you’ attack in front of a retired judge seemed less likely than if Arum and me would be alone in a room.”

“In my opinion, you have three cowards — Bob Arum, (Pacquiao trainer) Freddie Roach and Manny Pacquiao,” Ellerbe told ESPN.com. “Now we all know the truth once and for all why this fight hasn’t been made. It should be clear to everyone that they don’t care what the fans want, especially when Floyd is ready, willing and able to fight Manny Pacquiao now. Floyd said if this isn’t clear, he doesn’t know what is.

“All along we know why the fight isn’t being made. This is the perfect opportunity. Both guys just fought. This is the fight the fans want to see, and it’s a disgrace that they are not willing to give the fans what they want. In my opinion, there are three reasons why Arum doesn’t want the fight. He knows there is no way that Manny Pacquiao can win, it kills his cash cow, and he wants to do in-house fights where he controls both sides. I said all along why this fight hasn’t been made to this point. Manny Pacquiao knows, Bob Arum knows and Freddie Roach knows.”

Ellerbe said he and Schaefer would begin exploring potential May 5 opponents for Mayweather.

“We have a number of options, and we will evaluate that and give the fans the biggest fight we can give them,” he said. “But before we can get started (on a Pacquiao fight), Top Rank doesn’t even want to listen. They’re not even interested in Floyd Mayweather. They want no part of Floyd Mayweather. They have no interest in the little fella fighting Floyd. Manny Pacquiao needs to stand up, in my opinion, and tell his promoter that he wants to fight Floyd Mayweather next and stop hiding behind his promoter.”

LAS VEGAS – In the years since Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez began their rivalry, fans have debated what might have happened had Pacquiao not felled Marquez four times with left hands in the men’s first two fights. Saturday, they found out. But somebody forgot to tell the judges.

In a fight at MGM Grand likely to be remembered for Marquez’s technical mastery of Pacquiao through its second half, Pacquiao inexplicably prevailed by majority-decision scores of 114-114, 115-113 and 116-112.

The 15rounds.com ringside card did not concur, scoring the fight a clear victory for Marquez, 117-113.

After four uneventful but even rounds, 12 minutes in which each fighter showed the other perhaps too much respect, Pacquiao (54-3-2, 38 KOs) and Marquez (53-5-1, 39 KOs) began to exchange in round 5, with Marquez throwing left-uppercut leads Pacquiao surely had not seen in training-camp sparring sessions. Marquez also kept Pacquiao off-balance and somewhat confounded by his counter movement and patience.

Through the fight’s midway point, only round 5 had been decisive for either fighter. That round went Marquez’s way.

By the end of round 8, it had become apparent that Marquez understood Pacquiao better than Pacquiao understood Marquez, and that if Marquez could stay fresh and away from the left hand, he’d have the fight won. In the ninth, the fight’s best round to that point, Marquez appeared to expose the myth of Pacquiao’s improved footwork, causing the Filipino champion to swim at him, flailing wildly with both hands.

As each round passed, it became more apparent that uneventful rounds should be scored in Marquez’s favor for demonstrating the Mexican’s superior ring generalship.

Heading into the championship rounds, Pacquiao still did not have a solution for Marquez’s left uppercut lead, but Marquez had picked up every Pacquiao left cross and slipped it or ducked it, sending Pacquiao careening over his lead shoulder. As the fight ended, Marquez triumphantly raised his fist while Pacquiao turned and walked slowly away.

After the judges’ scorecards were read, fans’ disapproval grew so loud that Pacquiao’s voice could not be heard over the roar, and Pacquiao’s postfight interview yielded no new insights.

TIMOTHY BRADLEY VS JOEL CASAMAYOR
While most fights open with a contest between combatants to see who can establish his jab, California junior welterweight Timothy “Desert Storm” Bradley’s match with Cuban Joel Casamayor began with a contest to see who could establish the head.

And so it went in Saturday’s co-main event, a fight for Bradley’s titles and a foul-fest that was every bit as ugly as boxing insiders, and even outsiders, expected it to be. Referee Vic Drakulich earned his pay, warning Casamayor (38-6-1, 22 KOs) repetitively for butts and low blows and presiding over an aesthetically displeasing fight in which Bradley (28-0, 12 KOs) eventually prevailed by corner-stoppage TKO at 2:59 of round 8.

From the opening bell, Casamayor pursued a prefight strategy that could best be classified as slip-butt-hold, establishing his bald head as his best weapon. Bradley, who has often and somewhat unfairly been classified as a dirty fighter, held his own head high, keeping Casamayor at a safe distance and whacking him with accurate right hands.

The match’s result was never in doubt – with Bradley too active and Casamayor too old – which left lots of room for doubt as it concerned the making of Bradley-Casamayor in the first place. Matched correctly and given a chance by fans, Bradley could likely be a star in one of boxing’s best divisions. Matched against a cagey Cuban against whom no one has ever looked particularly good, and fighting before a partisan Filipino and Mexican crowd, Palm Springs’ Bradley had little chance to win new fans for himself.

MIKE ALVARADO VS. BREIDIS PRESCOTT

Coloradoan “Mile High” Mike Alvarado, long seeking a career-defining win that would make him popular as his undefeated record says he should be, might have gotten just such a win against Colombian Breidis Prescott.

Appearing to trail by a significant margin in the match, Alvarado (32-0, 23 KOs) rallied in the final round to bludgeon an exhausted Prescott (24-4, 19 KOs) with ferocious uppercuts till referee Jay Nady stopped the match, awarding Alvarado a knockout victory at 1:53 of round 10.

After giving away most of the match’s opening four rounds, Alvarado was bleeding from his nose, right eye and mouth but still marching forward, undissuaded, by the end of the fifth. Rounds 5 and 6 were the best Alvarado put together to that point in the match, and Prescott began to evince fatigue, fighting within Alvarado’s range and backpedaling awkwardly, after the fight’s midpoint.

Rounds 8 and 9 saw Prescott regain his stamina and reestablish distance, outboxing the heavier-punching Alvarado, who appeared at times to be fighting as if protecting a lead. But then the 10th round struck and Alvarado went for broke, leveraging uppercuts that completely changed the fight and kept him unbeaten.

JUAN CARLOS BURGOS VS. LUIS CRUZ
The first televised fight of Saturday’s undercard, Puerto Rican lightweight Luis Cruz (19-1, 15 KOs) against Mexican Juan Carlos Burgos (28-1, 19 KOs), featured two guys who appeared to want to fight each other quite desperately but just never found the rhythm needed to turn the trick.

Although caught by a number of clean punches during the 10-round match, Burgos nevertheless prevailed by majority-decision scores of 91-95, 97-93 and 98-92, in a fight with numerous tough-to-score rounds.

DENNIS LAURENTE VS. AYI BRUCE
After six rounds of even if not particularly enthralling combat, Filipino Dennis Laurente’s (38-3-4, 20 KOs) undercard match with New York’s Ayi Bruce (13-5, 6 KOs) ended abruptly with a perfectly leverage left cross from the Filipino southpaw that ended Bruce’s night. Laurente’s left-handed lightning struck with effect enough to score Saturday’s first knockout at 0:57 round 7.

JOSE BENAVIDEZ VS. SAMMY SANTANA

Phoenix super lightweight Jose Benavidez may well represent promoter Top Rank’s best shot at a superstar for the year 2020, but he is not there just yet.

Against tough but limited Puerto Rican Sammy Santana (4-5-2), Benavidez (14-0, 12 KOs), who hurt both hands during the match, moved well and struck hard but was unable to stop Santana despite dropping him three times in the fight’s opening two rounds and winning a decision all three judges scored 60-50. Benavidez, whose lanky frame and perilous right cross are a little reminiscent of a young Thomas Hearns’, still relies on reflexes too much – often dropping his hands and pulling his head back from punches, in an amateurish maneuver that needs to be remedied.

VICTOR PASILLAS VS. JOSE GARCIA
Saturday’s second bout featured a battle of California featherweights in a four-round match between Victor Pasillos (1-0) of East Los Angeles and Jose Garcia of King City (0-4). Pasillos prevailed in his professional debut by three, one-sided scores of 40-36.

FERNANDO LUMACAD VS. JOSEPH RIOS
Latino versus Filipino, the ethnic theme for Pacquiao-Marquez III, began with an entertaining and competitive eight-round scrap between Philippines super flyweight Fernando Lumacad (25-3-3, 12 KOs) and Texan Joseph Rios (10-6-2, 4 KOs). Lumacad prevailed by unanimous decision scores of 77-73, 77-74 and 78-72.

The match began uneventfully, with neither fighter risking much of himself in the opening five minutes. With little time remaining in round 2, though, Lumacad caught Rios with what appeared to be a balance-shot left hook that sent Rios stumbling straight-legged to a far corner. In round 5, Lumacad dropped Rios a second time. But in the three rounds that followed, Rios fought back admirably, even winning the sixth on two of the official judges’ three cards.

Opening bell rang on Saturday’s card at 3:23 PM local time.

Photos by Chris Farina / Top Rank

LAS VEGAS – Diego Magdaleno may not have blown through his opponent the way some hoped he would, but he made a dominant showing just the same.

Friday night at the Islander Ballroom in Mandalay Bay, a venue hard to locate but telegenic enough for promoter Top Rank’s fight-weekend-appetizer purposes, Magdaleno (21-0, 7 KOs), a local super featherweight favorite, cruised to a unanimous and well-deserved victory over New York’s Emmanuel Lucero (26-8-1, 14 KOs). Judges scored the match 100-87, 100-88 and 100-89.

After an even beginning, Magdaleno, a quick-hopping southpaw, began to hurl his straight left at the slower Lucero and find him most every time he did. Though Lucero was game throughout, often goading Magdaleno as if to seduce him into further punishment, Magdaleno was too quick and accurate with the assault he mounted.

Round 7, the most lopsided of the fight, saw Las Vegas’ Magdaleno catch Lucero with a left cross as the New Yorker bounced of the ropes and came forward. Magdaleno’s left landed with force enough to send Lucero directly back to the same ropes. Though Lucero did not drop to the canvas, he hit the ropes hard enough to get the referee’s attention and collect a 10-count. That knockdown accounted for the one-sided scorecards Nevada judges submitted.

While Magdaleno is a contender with a fair degree of class, there are concerns about his ability to hurt opponents. At some point in the near future, Magdaleno will need to start brutalizing tough but limited men like Lucero by grinding them to stoppages, if he is to become more than a local attraction.

MERCITO GESTA VS. RICARDO DOMINGUEZ
The Philippines’ Mercito “No Mercy” Gesta may not be Manny Pacquiao – no one is – but he does a workable enough cover of the southpaw champion’s style to deserve a spot in crooner Pacquiao’s band.

In Friday’s co-main event, and only other televised match, Gesta (24-0-1, 12 KOs) worked over Mexican lightweight Ricardo Dominguez (34-7-2, 21 KOs) for 10 somewhat-uninspired rounds, easing his way to a unanimous decision the official judges scored 99-91, 97-92 and 98-92.

Skipping forward from his southpaw stance and propelling an educated left hand, Gesta had Dominguez in trouble for a moment of the fourth round but ultimately allowed the Mexican to remain standing till the match’s final bell six stanzas later.

Gesta has feasted on b-level opponents in the past and seemed somewhat surprised at Dominguez’s durability. Going forward, Gesta will have to make fantastic strides to take himself from backup-player to main-event participant, with Pacquiao, in his countrymen’s minds.

Photo By Chris Farina / Top Rank

Manny Pacquiao 143 – Juan Manuel Marquez 142
Juan Carlos Burgos 129 – Luis Cruz 130
Breidis Prescott 140 – Mike Alvarado 140
Timothy Bradley 140 – Joel Casamayor 141 *
* Must lose a pound and came back to make 140

LAS VEGAS – Bob Arum threw a combination as only he can, first by praising Home Box Office for its work in the build-up to Manny Pacquiao-Juan Manuel Marquez and then ripping the network for its documentary, Thrilla in Manila, a look at the Joe Frazier-Muhammad Ali rivalry that HBO will replay Thursday and Sunday in honor of the late Frazier.

“That documentary, I find is disgusting,’’ Arum said Wednesday after HBO senior vice-president Mark Taffet announced the scheduling during a formal news conference for the third chapter in the Pacquiao-Marquez trilogy Saturday at the MGM Grand.

The 2009 film tells a story about the Muhammad Ali-Frazier rivalry through the eyes of Frazier, 67, who died Monday from liver cancer. Through most of his life, Frazier was bitter at the way he was treated by Ali, who called him “ugly”, a “gorilla,’’ and an “Uncle Tom’’ during their heavyweight trilogy.

Arum remembered Frazier as a great fighter, yet he was angry at the film’s portrayal of Ali.

“I’m 80,’’ said Arum, a former Ali promoter. “I was there. It is an unfair attack on Ali. Watch it. But don’t believe a word that is said.’’

The 90-minute documentary is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. (ET/PT) on Thursday and 5:30 p.m. (ET/PT) Sunday.