Dan Rafael of espn.com is reporting that a rematch of one of the more controversial bouts between IBF Bantamweight champion Abner and former champ Joseph Agbeko will take place December 3rd at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California and will be telecast live on Showtime.

The first fight was marred in controversy after referee Russell Mora missed in upwards of twenty low blows committed by Mares and one of those resulted in a knockdown which helped Mares eek out a majority decision earlier this Summer.

In the co-deature, Bantamweight titlist Anselmo Moreno will make his Golden Boy Promotions debut when he takes on former world champion Vic Darchinyan.

“We have finalized it,” said Golden Boy’s Richard Schaefer. “I’m thrilled about it. It’s a much-anticipated rematch.”

Vinny Scolpino, Agbeko’s manager, said they were just pleased to get the deal done and get a another chance against Mares.

“I think Joseph goes back in there and beats Mares. He knows what he did wrong the first time and I think he’ll take the title home,” Scolpino said. “This is a great opportunity. I’m glad Showtime stepped up to the plate and made it happen. They needed to get some extra money for their budget, but they did the right thing. I’m happy that Joseph gets another opportunity to get his belt back. That’s the bottom line, whatever happened in the first fight.”

“I really think when it comes to this weight class that this is Abner Mares’ time,” Schaefer said. “When you watch him and how he has developed the last year or so, he has really developed into a top bantamweight. The first time he beat Agbeko it wasn’t a fluke. He will confirm that and remain world champion in an impressive manner. That is what I expect from him. This is his time.”

“Abner is looking forward to clearing up any doubt that took place in the first fight,” Frank Espinoza, Mares’ manager, said. “It’s the right call for Abner and the right call for Agbeko. It’s the right thing. Golden Boy and Team Mares just want to clear up any doubts in the rematch. Abner is excited and looking forward to starting training on Monday. These guys are both warriors. They will give a great fight again and please the fans.”

“Dec. 3 was the only date we had to work with so it is what it is, but this is a much-talked about rematch, especially in Los Angeles, and it will be a much covered event. The fact is that the first fight did well on Showtime and we think it will do well again. It is an event that stands on its own. In today’s day and age, with the economy the way it is, I think that it is going to be a welcome gift from Showtime to boxing fans that they can see it without having to pull out their wallet.”

“Moreno and Darchinyan, that’s another interesting fight,” Schaefer said. “You have two really exciting bantamweight fights on the same night, so I think it will do extremely well.”

Philippine Lightweight Mercito Gesta scored a closer then the scores unanimous decision over Manny Perez in a ten round bout at the Blue Water Resort and Casino in Parker, Arizona.

Getsa, a southpaw boxed very well and mixed up body and head shots while Perez looked like he took more then one or two rounds with some solid flurry punching.

Scores were 99-91; 98-92 and 98-292 for Gesta, 136 lbs of Lobogan, PHIl is now 23-0-1. Perez, 136 lbs of Denver, CO is now 16-7-1.

Super prospect Jose Benavidez Jr. drilled out Dedrick Bell in round of a six round Super Lightweight bout.

Just seconds in, Benavidez landed a huge right that dropped Bell in the corner. Bell was clearly hurt when Benavidez landed a big shot to the body and and then to head that put Bell down and out 1:29 of round one

Benavidez, 141 lbs of Phoenix, AZ is 13-0 with twelve knockouts. Bell, 139 1/2 lbs of Memphis, TN is 6-10-1.

Heavyweight Andy Ruiz scored a second round stoppage over Ken Frank in a scheduled six round bout.

Ruiz dropped Frank with a left hook AFTER the bell in round one and was correctly ruled no knockdown. Ruiz opened round two by landing a barrage of punched that rocked Frank. With Frank hurt, Ruiz landed a huge flurry for which Frank’s corner threw in in the towel at 1:53 of round two.

Ruiz, 253 lbs of Mexicali, MX is now 12-0 with eight knockouts. Frank. 293 lbs of Lethbridge, CAN is now 6-4-1.

Good looking Lightweight prospect Jose Roman remained perfect by scoring three knockdowns on left hooks to the body and ending Baudel Cardenas nigh in the opening frame of a scheduled six round bout.

The time was 2:44 of round one.

Roman, 135 1/2 lbs of Garden City, CA is now 12-0 with ten knockouts. Cardenas, 131 lbs of Los Mochis, MX is now 19-23-2.

LAS VEGAS – LAS VEGAS – Don’t ever say sorry to Floyd Mayweather Jr. He’ll make you feel sorry, very sorry, if you do.

Victor Ortiz found out just how sorry Saturday night at the MGM Grand.

Mayweather had no apologies for the way he knocked out Ortiz and no apologies for a tantrum he threw after a question asked by HBO’s Larry Merchant in the aftermath of a crushing left-right combination that caught Ortiz as he was looking at referee Joe Cortez at the end of the fourth round.

“You don’t know shit about boxing,’’ Mayweather screamed at Merchant, who must have felt like Mayweather’s dad, Floyd Sr. “HBO should fire you.’’

Merchant was at ringside before the 34-year-old Mayweather was born. He knows boxing. He also knows enough about good manners and sportsmanship to realize when a line has been crossed. Mayweather was way beyond it.

“If I was 50 years younger, I’d kick your ass,’’ the 80-year-old Merchant said.

Only Merchant didn’t have to say sorry. No apology was necessary for his counter, the best of the night.

It all happened as Mayweather (42-0, 26 KOs) was beginning take control of the bout for Ortiz’ WBC welterweight title. Ortiz (29-3-2, 22 KOs) tried to get more aggressive late in the fourth round. He threw a flurry of punches at Mayweather, whose back was on the ropes. In stepping inside, Ortiz threw his head in attempt at a butt. Cortez stepped in and penalized him a point.

Ortiz appeared to reach over and plant a small kiss on Mayweather’s cheek. As they then moved toward the center of the ring, Mayweather and Ortiz touched gloves. Cortez looked toward the scorer’s table when Mayweather threw a long left that landed with Ortiz’ gloves down and still at his side. Ortiz then looked at Cortez. That’s when Mayweather threw a right that landed like a baseball bat on a stationary baseball.

Ortiz went down, knocked out at 2:59 of the fourth. After he regained some of his consciousness, Ortiz smiled with the look of a victim who had to ask about had just hit him. A few days ago, Ortiz trainer, Danny Garcia, had called Mayweather a dirty fighter. After the bizarre ending, Garcia stood behind his fighter, smiling almost as if he couldn’t believe at how right he was.

At the post-fight news conference, Garcia seemed to blame Cortez more than Mayweather. According to the Nevada State Athletic Commission, Cortez said “Box.” Ortiz said he never heard him.

“He made a mistake as a result of Joe Cortez’ instructions,” Garcia said in Spanish translated into English by Ortiz manager Rolando Arellano. “Floyd took advantage of that.”

However, Garcia also said that he believes the fight-ending blow will prove to be illegal.

“But we have to review the tape to make sure,” said Arellano, who apologized for Ortiz’s attempted head butt.

Mayweather was as unapologetic a few days ago as he was Saturday night when told about Garcia’s accusation that he was dirty, Mayweather shrugged his shoulders. He countered that boxing has always been a dirty business.

“I got hit with a dirty shot,’’ Mayweather said of Ortiz’ attempted head butt. “He does something dirty. We don’t have to talk about what he did dirty or I did dirty.’’

Sorry, but somebody does. At least, Merchant tried, making him the only winner on a sorry night.

Erik Morales (52-7, 36 KOs) was in against a substitute, somebody named Pablo Cesar Cano (22-1-1, 17 KOs) instead of Lucas Matthysse, who withdrew because of a shoulder injury. But there was no substitute for what Morales faced in winning a TKO after 10 rounds.

Blood stained Morales’ white trunks like butcher cloth. Blood poured from a cut above his left eye, suffered in the seventh. But blood and guts are what have always defined Morales. That’s why he is called Terrible and that’s what he was all over again in the ninth and 10th rounds of a fight for a vacant and controversial 140-pound title.

But the WBC’s version of the championship doesn’t matter much. It’s just tinsel. But Morales is not. He’s still the stubborn, dangerous fighter he has always been, regardless of opponent and no matter what the title. In the middle rounds, Morales looked as if he was in trouble. But then it was clear that he been there, done that. He rocked Cano, a fellow Mexican, with a wicked left hook in the ninth. He busted a cut wide open above a Cano eye with a thundering right in the tenth.

Morales looked at the gushing blood, looked at referee Kenny Bayless and knew it wouldn’t go on much longer. It didn’t. Cano’s corner ended before the 11th.

Las Vegas junior-welterweight Jesse Vargas (17-0, 9 KOs), a Mayweather Promotions fighter, escaped his first loss and retained his prospect status with a split decision over Josesito Lopez (30-3, 17 KOs) in the first televised fight Saturday night on a card featured by Floyd Mayweather Jr.-versus-Victor Ortiz at the MGM Grand.

Lopez, of Riverside, Calif., appeared to be much stronger than the much-hyped Vargas, who began to back away after the first two rounds. For the next few rounds, Lopez delivered body shots and a wicked right hand without much resistance from Vargas, whose punches appeared to have no effect on a California fighter trained by former Oscar De La Hoya cornerman Robert Alcazar.

In the eighth of 10 rounds, Vargas threw a low blow. It appeared to be intentional. It might have been out of frustration. Whatever caused it, it cost Vargas one point, a penalty assessed by referee Tony Weeks. But Vargas began to mount a rally in the ninth and backed up Lopez with an uppercut in the 10th. Apparently that was enough for two judges, who scored it 96-93 and 95-94 for the hometown fighter. The third judge had it 95-94 for Lopez.

Floyd Mayweather’s trainer and uncle, Roger, began his day with a defeat. Oklahoma City welterweight Carson Jones (32-8-2, 22 KOs) won a TKO over the Mayweather-trained Said Quali (28-4, 20 KOs) when the fight ended after the seventh round with Quali still on his stool. Jones knocked down Quali, of Las Vegas, in the fourth. Then, stinging uppercuts from Jones for the next rounds turned Quali’s face into a bloodied, twisted mess.

Super-middleweight Dion Savage (10-2, 6 KOs) had Free Dion on the belt of trunks that were prison-like – black-and-white stripes. Canadian Adonis Stevenson (15-1, 11 KOs) freed him from having to go through eight punishing rounds. Stevenson dropped Savage with a right uppercut about 90 seconds after the opening bell. At 1:57 of the first and Savage hanging on the ropes, referee Tony Weeks stopped it for a Stevenson victory by TKO.

British lightweight Anthony Crolla (22-2, 9 KOs) of Manchester had a dollar sign on his trunks and some luck with him against Juan Manuel Montiel (6-5-3, 1 KO) of Mexico City. With a solid hook, Crolla split open a cut above Montiel’s right eye. Montiel fought through the blood, rallied late in the seventh round and throughout the eighth, but was left with a loss by split decision.

About six hours before Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Victor Ortiz were expected to step into the ring, Marco Antonio Periban and Dhafir Smith were there to answer a first bell that echoed through an arena as vacant as a foreclosed home.

The seats were empty.

Then again, there wasn’t much to see.

Periban (15-0, 10 KOs), a super-middleweight from Mexico, walked forward and almost over Dhafir Smith (24-22-7, 4KOs) of Upper Darby, Penn., to win a decision Saturday at the MGM Grand in an 8-round matinee on a card that would end at night with Mayweather and Ortiz for the World Boxing Council’s welterweight title.

Periban celebrated his country’s Independence Day by raining shots off Dhafir’s body and head with little resistance. Dhafir tried to back away behind a long jab. Other than a spot under a row or two of empty seats, there was nowhere to hide.

He had the name and an offer. But when it was over, Las Vegas junior-lightweight Cassius Clay still had the name, but a defeat instead of an offer. A contract possibility with Mayweather Promotions was lost in Kyrone Butler’s four-round victory by unanimous decision. Clay couldn’t seal the deal, because he couldn’t overcome the quickness possessed by the shorter Butler (1-0), also of Las Vegas.

LAS VEGAS – Devon Alexander introduced his intentions Friday and made them official Saturday morning with a formal announcement that he has left Don King for Golden Boy Promotions in a move that also signals a move up in weight, from 140 pounds to 147.

“One-forty-seven is where I’ll take over,’’ Alexander said at a news conference that included Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer, his trainer Kevin Cunningham and manager Drexel Stith. “I know Richard will put me in a position to do what I’ve got to do at 147. That’s why I made this transition.’’

Alexander’s jump from King to Oscar De La Hoya’s company was evident Friday at the MGM Grand when he was introduced before the weigh-in for Saturday night’s Floyd Mayweather Jr.-Victor Ortiz fight, a Golden Boy promotion.

Schaefer said the negotiations were conducted over two to three weeks.

“It was very easy,’’ Schaefer said. “We wanted him to come to Golden Boy and they wanted to come to us.’’

The signing of Alexander adds further depth to the quality of Golden Boy’s fighters at junior-welter and welterweight. Schaefer said he would approach Showtime and Home Box Office next week about the possibility of staging tournaments at 140 and/or 147. There is a wide-range of possibilities at either weight, he said.

However, it will have to be at 147 for Alexander, who says he won’t fight again at 140. Alexander (22-1, 13 KOs) lost a technical decision in January to Timothy Bradley and won a controversial split decision in June over Lucas Matthysse, has struggled to make the junior-welterweight limit.

Schaefer says the heavier weight could transform Alexander the way it did Ortiz against Andre Berto in a dramatic win that earned him the shot at Mayweather.

“Victor was more aggressive,’’ Schaefer said. “We are convinced Devon will make some noise in the 147-pound class and also become a world champion at 147.’’

There already has been some noise. More of it was heard Saturday several hours before opening bell for Mayweather-Ortiz. Welterweight Paulie Malignaggi, a Golden Boy fighter, sat in the back of the room. He and Alexander already have been involved in a trash-talk exchange via Twitter. It continued Saturday in person.

“I’m not a trash-talker,’’ Alexander said.

Malignaggi, who has never ignored a chance to talk, countered: “You started it. If you don’t want to trash-talk, let sleeping dogs lie.’’

But it sounded as if Alexander wanted to sidestep rhetoric that might be the prelude to an actual fight.

“I’m at the top of my game; he’s on the downslide,’’ Alexander said. “I want to fight the best. He’s not at the top of the division.’’

Alexander said he hopes to fight for the first time under the Golden Boy banner in either December or January. Schaefer mentioned Berto as one possibility. As Schaefer talked early Saturday, he could only wonder whether another one might emerge later that night.

“If Ortiz would lose, then that would be a possibility,’’ he said.

Rising Heavyweight prospect Seth Mitchell stopped trial horse Hector Ferreryo in round three of a scheduled ten round Heavyweight bout at the Texas Station Gaming Hall in Las Vegas.

Mitchell was all over Ferreyro from the outset as even the first jab of the fight knocked Ferreyro back on his heels. Mitchell battered his foe all over the ring in round two. After a good round two for Mitchell, He came out hard in round three had him reeling all over the ring with rights and lefts. Ferreyro’s right eye was swollen badly and then he was rocked to where he was draped over the top rope and referee Robert Byrd ruled a knockdown. Mitchell then jumped on a helpless Ferreyro and the fight was stopped under an onslaught in the corner at 2:17 of round three.

Mitchell, 242 lbs of Brandywine, MD is now 23-0-1 with seventeen knockouts. Ferreyro, 221 1/2 lbs of Laredo, TX is now 21-11-2.

Former 2008 Olympic Gold Medal winner Felix Diaz scored a workman like eight round unanimous decision over Larry Smith.

Diaz was more active and was able to penetrate the guard of Smith with straigt lefts and body shots. Diaz gritted the effort out despite having an eight inch height disadvantage.

Diaz, 150 1/2 lbs of Santo Domingo, DR won by scores of 80-72; 79-73 and 79-73 and is now 10-0. Smith, 147 lbs of Dallas, TX is now 10-6.

Despite suffering a cut over his left eye, Terron Grant made a successful pro debut over Alonso Loeza with a four round unanimous decision in a Super Lightweight bout.

Scores were 40-36; 39-37 and 39-37 for Grant, 139 1/2 lbs of Brandywine, MD and is now 1-0. Loeza, 141 lbs of Gilroy, CA is now 0-1-1.

According to TMZ.com, Manny Pacquiao’s L.A. house has been burglarized … law enforcement sources tell TMZ — and we’re told 4 people have been arrested.

It happened minutes ago. Someone ransacked Manny’s Hancock Park mansion.

Police are on the scene. They are not sure what was taken … they’re trying to contact Manny.

Pacquiao was out of town

Finding an opponent for Phoenix prospect Jose Benavidez Jr. is little bit like searching for a blind date. You never know who’s going to show up.

A roulette wheel of possibilities for a Benavidez foe Saturday night at BlueWater Resort & Casino in Parker, Ariz., appears to have finally stopped on Dedrick Bell (6-9, 4 KO’s) a junior-welterweight from Memphis, TNwho got the call after a couple of other opponents fell through.

Bel steps in for Adrian Hernandez who stepped in for Mexican Jorge Pimentel, who was forced off the FOX-televised card by an Arizona State Boxing & MMA Commission rule that disqualified him because he was stopped in his last three bouts within the last 12 months. Pimentel had been a replacement for Puerto Rican Angel Rios, who lost a decision last Saturday to Terence Crawford in Atlantic City.

Schedule changes are part of the learning process for any young prospect. The 19-year-old Benavidez (12-0, 11 KOs) has yet to encounter one that has dropped him from the head of the class. After a change before his last fight in June, he remained unbeaten with a stoppage of Corey Alarcon in Phoenix.

Against Bell) in a scheduled 6-rounder, Benavidez is expected to work on the lesson plan he continues to pursue in sparring at trainer Freddie Roach’s Wild Card Gym with Shane Mosley, Paulie Malignaggi and Mercito Gesta (22-0-1, 12 KOs), who faces Manuel Perez (16-6-1, 4 KOs) in the main event of at BlueWater. Seven fights are scheduled for a card put together by Top Rank and Showdown Promotions. First bell is set for 5 p.m. (PST).

Dan Rafael of espn.com is reporting that IBF/WBA 140 lb champion Amir Khan will face mandatory challenger Lamont Peterson on December 10th in either Washington, Detroit or Montreal in a bout to be televised on HBO.

Peterson does not have a promoter, so Golden Boy Promotions Richard Schaefer said he made a deal with Barry Hunter, Peterson’s manager, trainer and father figure.

“I’ve been talking to Barry for the last couple of weeks and we were going back and forth between what they wanted and what the Khans wanted, trying to bridge the gap and agree on a number,” Schaefer told ESPN.com at the MGM Grand, where he is promoting Saturday night’s Floyd Mayweather Jr.-Victor Ortiz fight. “And we were finally able to do that, so as a result we have informed the IBF and called off the purse bid.”

“A dream come true,” Peterson told ESPN.com about the prospect of fighting for a world title in D.C.

“Lamont Peterson is a very skilled fighter with a different skill set than fighters like Maidana or Judah,” Schaefer said. “It’s going to be interesting. Lamont was dropped a couple of times in the fight with Ortiz, but showed the heart, the smarts and the skills to have the fight end up in a draw.”

“Lamont is a credible opponent. He got a draw with Ortiz, who is now fighting Mayweather,” Khan said in an interview with ESPN.com last week, while negotiations were ongoing. “Now he’s my mandatory and it would be a good fight. He wants to fight and I am willing to fight him. That’s probably the best fight for me before I move up to welterweight.

Victor Ortiz 147 – Floyd Mayweather 146 1/2
(WBC Welterweight Championship)

Jhonny Gonzalez retained the WBC Featherweight title with a second round stoppage over Rogers Mtagwa at the County Coliseum in El Paso, Texas

The first round was competitive until Gonzalez started working the body of Mtagwa. That set up the second round that saw Gonzalez began to pound away on the challenger with a two fisted assault that had Mtagwa wobbling around the ring. Gonzalez then ripped off a three punch combination that forced the referee to stop the bout at 2:15 round two.

Gonzalez, 125 lbs of Mexico City celebrated his 30th birthday today and notched his second defense of his title and his record now stands at 50-7 with forty-four knockouts. Mtagwa, 124 lbs of Philadelphia falls to 27-15-2

Antonio Escalante took out Pipino Cuevas Jr. in round one of a scheduled ten round Lightweight bout.

Escalante landed a huge flurry of punches and fight was stopped.

Escalante, 137 lbs of Ciudad, MX is now 25-4 with sixteen knockouts. Cuevad, 136 lbs of Ciudad, MX is now 14-8.

Miguel Roman scored a one punch body shot knockout over Antonio Meza in the first round of a scheduled ten round Lightweight bout.

The time was 2:09 of round one for Roman, 135 lbs of Ciudad, MX and is now 36-8 twenty-eight knockouts. Meza, 136 lbs of Mexicali, MX and is 25-11-1.

Former U.S. Olympian Javier Molina remained perfect with a six round unanimous decision over John Revish in a Welterweight bout.

Scores were 60-54; 59-55 and 58-56 for Molina, 148 lbs of Commerce, CA and is now 9-0. Revish is now 10-5-2.

Carlos Villa remained perfect with a first round stoppage over Javier Nunez in a scheduled four round Welterweight bout.

The time was 1:09 of round one for Villa of El Paso, TX is 3-0 with two knockouts. Nunez, 141 1/2 lbs is 0-2

Joel Garcia stayed perfect with a four round unanimous decision over Ricky Lacefield in a Flyweight bout.

Scores were 39-37 on all cards for Garcia who is 3-0. Lacefield is 0-2

LAS VEGAS – An experienced opponent for prospect Jose Benavidez, Jr., Saturday night at BlueWater Resort & Casino in Parker, Ariz., was forced off the FOX-televised card Wednesday because he suffered successive stoppages in his last three bouts.

Benavidez’ trainer and father, Jose Benavidez Sr., was told Wednesday as he was traveling to Parker that Jorge Pimentel would not be able to fight his 19-year-old son. Benavidez’ dad said Top Rank was searching for a new opponent.

An Arizona State Boxing & MMA Commission rule knocked Pimentel, a Mexican journeyman, off the card. Commission executive director Dennis O’Connell said it prohibits a boxer from fighting in Arizona if he has been stopped three straight times within a year.

“It’s clear,’’ O’Connell said.

Pimentel (23-12, 17 KOs) was stopped in eight rounds at Panama City on Nov. 30, in two rounds in Mexico on April 2 and in three rounds in Carson, Calif., on July 9.

The third of the three came at the hands of Mercito Gesta (22-0-1, 12 KOs), who is featured at BlueWater in a 10-round main event against Manuel Perez (16-6-1, 4 KOs) of Denver.

Benavidez (12-0, 11 KOs), a junior-welterweight, had to wait on a late change in opponents for his last victory, a fourth-round stoppage of Corey Alarcon on June 11 in Phoenix, his hometown.

Benavidez has returned to trainer Freddie Roach’s famed Wild Card Gym in Hollywood, Calif., after training for several months in Phoenix. He has sparred with Gesta, Shane Mosley, Rey Beltran and Paulie Malignaggi.

“The sparring with Gesta brought us back to the top,’’ the senior Benavidez said of recent sparring that became a YouTube hit.

Dan Rafael of espn.com is reporting that a rematch of one of the leading front runners for Fight of the Year that will pit Flyweight champion Hernan Marquez and Luis Concepcion will take place on October 29 in Mexico.

“I will come very motivated to Hermosillo, Mexico, to the land of ‘Tyson’ Marquez (and) I will recover what is mine — the world title belt,” Concepcion said. “I have been working on all the errors that I committed in the first fight and this time things will be different. I am going to defeat him in his own house and then the title will return to Panama.

“It does not matter to me that he has thousands of fans who will be against me. That will be my motivation.”

Dan Rafael of espn.com is reporting that IBF/WBA 140 lb champion, Amir Khan is looking to fight on December 10th and may fight his IBF mandatory Lamont Peterson

“Dec. 10 I will be back. I’ve got a TV date with HBO and I am looking forward to it,” Khan told ESPN.com, adding that the fight would take place in the United States. “Opponents are quite hard to get. We asked about (Erik) Morales, but he said no. Bradley (titlist Timothy Bradley Jr.) has said no, just refused to fight me even though we offered him everything he wanted. I really think he just doesn’t want to fight me no matter what’s on the table.

“It’s too bad because the fans want to see it. But I know I am No. 1 in the division and that’s what most other people say also because Bradley has not been active and he just won’t fight me.”

Richard Schaefer of Golden Boy Promotions said he is negotiating for Khan to face Lamont Peterson of Washington, D.C. Peterson is one of Khan’s mandatory challengers.

“That’s the fight we are pursuing,” Schaefer said. “We are having conversations with Barry Hunter (Peterson’s trainer, manager and father figure). “They’re interested in the fight. Now we have to see if we can agree on a purse. If we can’t, I guess we will go to a purse bid, but we are working on the numbers.”

Said Khan, “I think it’s a good fight. Peterson is skillful and a good fighter. But I will leave the negotiations to Golden Boy. This will probably be my last fight (at) 140.”

“Lamont is a credible opponent. He got a draw with Ortiz, who is now fighting Mayweather,” Khan, 24, said. “Now he’s my mandatory and it would be a good fight. He wants to fight and I am willing to fight him. That’s probably the best fight for me before I move up to welterweight.”

“I know I will give him a tougher fight than Victor Ortiz will,” Khan said. “He’s never faced anyone as slick as me.”

“I love fighting in the U.S. My fan base is growing,” said Khan, who trains with Roach at his Wild Card Gym in Hollywood, Calif. “I’d like to do another fight in New York or Las Vegas or have a fight in Los Angeles. Los Angeles would be a good place. I train there, so it would be like home for me.”

“It was good to come to Washington and meet Hillary Clinton,” Khan said. “She shook my hand and mentioned me on the podium when she was giving her speech. She called me a good role model for Muslims. That was nice to hear. She had nice words to say to me. We got to take a picture together. It was exciting.”

Yuriorkis Gamboa scored an eight round technical decision over Daniel Ponce De Leon after De Leon Suffered a cut from an accidental headbutt. The bout was a scheduled twelve round Featherweight bout at The Adrian Phillips Ballroom inside of Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City.

As expected Gamboa proved the be the faster man and that was the difference in the fight. After a feel out first round, Gamboa showed the rare god given ability as he landed some good right hands that landed flush on the chin of De Leon.

In round three, Gamboa landed some solid right hands and flush left hooks. Gamboa landed a hard right in round round five which the combination of the punch plus De Leon’s balance buckled the Mexican.

Gamboa continued to win every round emphatically against De Leon who fought a spirited fight but was second best by a lot on this night.

The two clashed head in round eight which caused a bad cut over the left eye of De Leon and the fight to be stopped on the advice of the ringside doctor at 1:28 of round eight

Gamboa, 127 lbs of Guantanamo, Cuba won by scores of 70-63; 70-63 and 69-64 and is now 21-0. De Leon, 127 lbs of Mexico is 41-4

Photo by Chris Farina / Top Rank

Vitali Klitschko continued the two headed monster of Heavyweight dominance when he stopped Tomasz Adamek in round two of their WBC Heavyweight title in Worclaw, Poland.

Klitschko was never in any trouble as he used his nearly six inch height advantage that kept Adamek on the outside and in the process eating bean-pole stiff jabs from the champion.

Klitschko landed a big right hand in round two that wobbled Adamek into the ropes that could have been ruled a knockdown but wasn’t. Klitschko did get credit for a knockdown in round six when another booming right sent him into the corner and was ruled ruled that only the ropes kept him from touching the canvas.

The beatdown continued over the next few rounds as a bloody Adamek continued to take punishment and the fight started to take on the same script that many Klitschko (Vitali and Wladimir) have taken on over the past half decade.

The end came with Vitali drilling Adamek all over thr ring by sticking jabs and right hands in Adamek’s face and the fight was correctly stopped at 2:20 of round ten

Klitschko of Kiev, Ukrane is now 44-2 with forty knockouts. Adamek of Gilowice, Poland is now 44-2.

Vincent Arroyo continued his impressive run as he scored a ten round unanimous decision over Hector Sanchez in a Welterweight bout at the Grand Hinckley Casino in Hinckley, Minnesota.

It was the taller Sanchez who controlled the action over the first third of the fight as he used his range and countered well with the right hand. Arroyo was cut around the left eye in round one. Sanchez rocked Arroyo in round two from long right. Arroyo started landing some good power punches in the middle rounds and he was pulling even on the cards.

Arroyo was very effective in round five with his left hook and picked up the momentum as they came towards the late rounds. Arroyo had Sanchez in big trouble in round eight has he landed a perfect left hook that buckled Sanchez to the ropes. Arroyo jumped on Sanchez and landed a flurry of punches but not the one big shot that would have ended things.

The two slugged down the stretch in what seemed to be a close fight but two of the three judges disagreed as the voted for Arroyo by a wide 98-92 scores while a third judge was closer to the consensus 96-94.

Arroyo is now 12-1. Sanchez, 143 lbs of San Cruz, PR is now 19-2.

World ranked Lateef Kayode hung to score a ten round unanimous decision over Felix Cora Jr. in a Cruiserweight bout.

Kayode landed the harder shots over the first half of the fights as he got through with his vaunted right hand. He started working the body with the right hand. Cora suffered a cut from a but over his left eye.

Cora finally got started in the ninth round by landing multi punch combination’s that seemed to bother Kayode and even backed him off. With Cora having a solid round ten, Kayode landed his third low blow and was docked a point by referee Steve Smoger.

It was too little too late as Kayode, 198 lbs of Lagos, Nigeria won by scores of 98-92;97-92 and 96-93 to remain perfect at 18-0. Cora, 198 lbs of Galvastan, TX is now 22-6-2.

Former contenders Cosme Rivera and Antonio Pitalua fought to a back and forth spirited draw in a Mexico City in a Jr. Welterweight bout in Mexico City.

The two exchanged hard shots through out the fight and the scores read 115-114 for Pitalua; 115-113 for Rivera and 114-114.

Pitalua, 140 lbs of Monteria, COL is now 52-5-1. Rivera, 140 lbs of Sinaloa, MX is now 32-14-3

Ariel Guzman scored a four round split decision over Miguel Dominguez in a Super Flyweight fight.

Scores were 39-37 on two cards for Guzman who is now 6-1. Dominguez took a card but is now 1-3.

PHILADELPHIA –Despite having a tumultuous summer, Jr. Middle Gabriel Rosado looked ready and focused as he captured the Pennsylvania State championship with a shutout ten round unanimous decision at the Asylum Arena in South Philadelphia that highlighted a card that was broadcasted across the country on Telefutura.

Rosado used his range and quick hands to keep Collins at bay and never let Reading, Pennsylvania native get into the fight more than just a few seconds over the thirty minute bout.

Rosado started taking complete command as early as round two as he started featuring three and four punch combination’s for which Collins could just cover up and absorb the blows. In round three, Rosado began mixing in the thunder as started landing huge shots on the ropes. Collins has some brief moments in round four but they were short lived as Rosado landed about fifteen unanswered blows that had Collins in trouble. Those shots forced a cut over the left eye of Collins. He showed enough fight to been able to continue on in the bout.

Over the second half of the fight, Rosado boxed and slugged with equal success as it looked like he had a game plan to dominate boxing in one round and then use power shots in the next.

Rosado coasted down the stretch and won by scores of 100-90 on all cards.

The win has to be extra sweet for Rosado, who was arrested in July for allegedly hitting a Police Officer in an Atlantic City casino just hours after stopping Ayi Bruce.

To have the type of flawless performance with all of the out of the ring distractions shows the focus that Rosado had going into this fight and going forward and he is becoming a factor in the Jr. Middleweight division.

Rosado, 153 lbs of Philadelphia is now 18-5. Collins, 152 lbs of 13-7-2.

In the co-feature, rising Welterweight Ronald Cruz continued to systematically break down his foe as he made Christopher Fernandez say “No Mas” after round six of their scheduled eight round bout.

Much like his previous bouts, Cruz used a body assault that took the will and desire from Fernandez. He started boxing in rights that do not look like much but have hurt just about everyone of his opponents.

That punch usually sets up well placed flank shots that on this night continuously made Fernandez take two and three steps back.

Fernandez landed some good shots in round four that drew some blood from the mouth of Cruz.

One of the few times that Fernandez didn’t go backwards on a body shot was in round five when he took a left to the ribs and went down.

Fernandez was able to get out of the round only to take a pounding of body blows in round six.

Fernandez had enough of the drubbing after the round and the fight was stopped.

Cruz, 146 lbs of Bethlehem, PA is now 14-0 with eleven knockouts. Fernandez, 146 lbs of Salt lake City, UT is now 19-14-1

In the opening bout, Tevin Farmer out boxed Joshua Arocho and scored a four round unanimous decision in a Featherweight bout.

Scores were 39-37 on all cards for Farmer, 126 lbs of Philadelphia and is now 2-1. Arocho, 126 lbs of Vineland, NJ is now 1-5-1.

On the strength of a second round knockdown, Lonnie Kornegay got into the win column as he scored a four round split decision over William Miranda in a Heavyweight bout.

Kornegay, 266 ½ lbs of Baltimore, MD won by scores of 39-36; 38-37 and Miranda took a card at 38-37.
Kornegay is now 1-4-2. Miranda, 234 lbs of Allentown, PA is now 3-4-1.

DeCarlo Perez needed just ninety-eight seconds to dispose of Tolan Tascoe in a four round Welterweight bout.

Perez, 149 lbs of Atlantic City, NJ is now 5-0-1 with two knockouts. Tascoe, 150 lbs of Newark, NJ is now 1-6-1.

Bryant Jennings dropped Alex Mejias in round three en route to a six round unanimous decision over Alex Mejias.

Jennings clipped Mejias with a hard over hand right in round three that briefly hurt Mejias. Mejias made the fight a raggedy affair but Jennings landed the better shots and won by scores of 59-55; 59-55 and 58-56.
Jennings, 223 lbs of Philadelphia remains perfect at 10-0. Mejias, 227 lbs of Paterson, NJ is now 11-8.

Fred Jenkins Jr. dropped overmatched Peter Yates twice and scored a stoppage at 3:00 of round two of a scheduled four round Super Middleweight bout.

Jenkins, 166 ¾ lbs of Philadelphia is now 4-0 with two knockouts. Yates, 166 lbs of Norfolk, VA is now 1-3.

The card was promoted by Hall of Famer Russell Peltz and Peltz Boxing along with Don Chargin Productions

After Lucas Matthysse fell ill earlier this week, Golden Boy Promotions scrambled to find an opponent for Erik Morales as part if the Floyd Mayweather Victor Ortiz undercard and they came up with undefeated Mexican Pablo Cesar Cano according to Dan Rafael of espn.com

“When Matthysse dropped out we looked at who the available contenders were and we wanted to still put on an exciting fight,” Golden Boy Promotions Richard Schaefer told ESPN on Friday night, just after the deal had been completed. “Matthysse against Morales would have been toe-to-toe action. We all know that. With Pablo Cesar Cano I know it will also be toe-to-toe action. And the rivalry between Mexico City (Cano) and Tijuana (Morales) continues.”

It turns out that the 21-year-old Cano (22-0-1, 17 KOs) is trained by Rudy Perez, who trained another Mexican star, Marco Antonio Barrera, for his all-time classic trilogy with Morales.

“Rudy Perez is excited about the opportunity. Cano is thrilled,” Schaefer said. “Rudy Perez told me has exactly the recipe to beat Morales. He’s done it before in (two of the three) Barrera fights. They are all fired up for this opportunity. Cano just fought a couple of months ago and he is in great shape and ready go. They really jumped on this.”

Schaefer said Morales (51-7, 35 KOs), 35, also accepted the fight immediately.

“He said, ‘I don’t care, just sign him up,’” Schaefer said. “He said, ‘I don’t care who I fight. Bring me King Kong.’ I know this is going to be an exciting fight. It was easy to get made and I’ll bet anyone it will be an exciting fight. When you have two Mexicans fighting each other — on Mexican Independence Day weekend — for a world title, I don’t think you see too many boring fights. These guys really want it.”

Nick Diaz must have done something right in order to keep his name on the UFC 137 roster. UFC president Dana White announced on Thursday via Twitter, stating that Diaz will now take on B.J. Penn, who was left without an opponent after his original foe Carlos Condit received the call to replace Diaz to face Georges St. Pierre for the welterweight crown. Despite the twisting turn of events, the main headliner and its co-feature still feature all four guys originally slated to compete. Stylistically speaking, some say that the swap might even lead to more entertaining bouts. UFC 137 will take place on October 29th at Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, NV.

Dan Rafael of espn.com is reporting that Lucas Matthysse has fallen ill which will force him to opt out of next Saturday’s showdown with Erik Morales that would have been for the vacant WBC Super Lightweight title that was to be a part of the Floyd Mayweather – Victor Ortiz undercard.

“They did send us a certificate from a doctor but this is a situation where I don’t even need to see a certificate,” said Richard Schaefer of Golden Boy Promotions. “The guy was favored to go and win a world title against a legend like Erik Morales on the biggest pay-per-view card of the year. Who the hell would want to pull out of that?”

“He has a very severe virus, which totally dehydrated him and weakened him,” Schaefer said. “I was told he had to be admitted to the hospital to deal with the dehydration issues, but he is going to be OK.”

When Matthysse (28-2, 26 KOs) dropped out Schaefer said Morales’ first request was that Golden Boy try to line up a rematch with titleholder Marcos Maidana, who won majority decision against him in an April barnburner.

“Erik came to us and said he was looking forward to the fight with Matthysse and that he will fight anyone in his place,” Schaefer said. “He said, ‘Get me Maidana.’ So we reached out to Maidana, but he prefers to fight in Argentina at this point.”

Schaefer said there are three potential opponents for Morales, although he declined to name them.

“We should have something to announce in the next 24 hours,” he said.

“Erik Morales is always in exciting fights,” Schaefer said. “You could never see Erik Morales in a bad fight, so I am excited no matter who he fights.”

Dan Rafael of espn.com is reporting that the anticiapted grudge match between WBC Super Welterweight champion Miguel Cotto and Antonio Margarito set for December 3rd in Madison Square Garden will be televised on on HBO Pay Per View.

“New York, Cotto versus Margarito, HBO. All the ingredients for a memorable night,” said Top Rank President Todd duBoef.

“What made us make the decision (to go back to HBO) was because they’re really giving us tremendous assets and the deal is very, very good,” said Top Rank CEO Bob Arum. “They’re gearing up and they think we can do 750,000 homes for that fight.”

“Showtime knows we are going with HBO and they took it OK,” Arum said. “They’re pros.”

Asked if the move would damage his new found relationship with Showtime, Arum said, “It’s not helping it, but it’s not hurting it. They’re sensible. If we have a product good for their network they’ll buy it, and we are certainly not going to shut the door to them.”

Omar Chavez remained undefeated with a one punch stoppage over Alberto Martinez in a scheduled ten round Welterweight bout Mexicali, Mexico.

Martinez face was reddened from the outset. The two exchanged wildly for most of the first round. Chavez uncorked a perfect left hook over the jab of Martinez and dropped him to the canvas. Martinez beat the count but the fight was stopped at 2:51 of round one.

Chavez, 147 lbs of Culican, MX is now 27-0-1 with twenty knockouts. Martinez, 146 1/2 lbs of Case Grandex, MX is now 11-2.

Jorge Paez Jr. scored a third round stoppage over Rodrigo Juarez in a scheduled eight round Welterweight bout.

Paez dropped Juarez in round one from a uppercut. In round three he landed a left hook that rocked Juarez back to the corner where Paez landed three crunching blows that sent Juarez down and the fight was stopped at 1:02 of round three.

Paez Jr. 146 3/4 lbs of Mexicali, MX is now 29-4-1-1 with eighteen knockouts. Juarez, 147 lbs of Tijuana, MX is now 16-14-1.

In an exciting eight round Bantamweight bout, Ruben Tamayo scored a split decision over previously undefeated Jose Cayetano.

Scores were 77-75 on two cards for Tamayo while Cayetano won a card at 78-75.

Tamayo, 122 1/2 lbs of Ciudad, MX is now 18-2-2. Cayetano, 123 lbs of Tijuana, MX us now 9-1.

Jose Gonzalez scored a spectacular first round stoppage over Eddie Soto in a scheduled ten round Lightweight bout at Coliseo Ruben Rodriguez in Bayamon, Puerto Rico.

Gonzalez landed a wicked left hook that would be followed up by a short right that sent Soto Crashing down to the canvas where the back of his head slammed on the canvas.

Soto started breathing heavy as he would lie on the canvas and he was quickly attended to by ringside doctors where they applied oxygen and was removed from the ring on a stretcher.

The time of the stoppage was 1:50 of round one for Gonzalez, 134 3/4 lbs and is now 17-0 with thirteen knockouts. Soto, 134 3/4 lbs is now 12-3.

McJoe Arroyo scored a one punch stoppage over Ivan Moxey in a scheduled six round Bantamweight bout.

Arroyo landed a right hook that sent Moxey to the canvas. He got to his feet but the referee would not let him continue and the bout was halted at 1:35 of the opening frame.

Arroyo, 116 3/4 lbs of Puerto Rico is 8-0 with five knockouts. Moxey, 114 3/4 lbs is now 2-5.

In an upset, faded former Light Heavyweight world title challenger, Epifanio Mendoza scored a surprising third round stoppage over previously undefeated former Puerto Rican Olympian Carlos Negron in round three of their scheduled six round Heavyweight bout.

Mendoza rocked Negron at the end of round two with a leaping left hand. Negron never really recovered as he was dropped from a vicious right hand in round three and sent down again with a right. With no legs left, Mendoza hurt Negron gain with a crunching left and the bout was stopped.

Mendoza, 207 3/4 lbs is now 32-12-1 with twenty-eight knockouts. Negron is now 13-1.

Andre Berto won his second Welterweight championship after capturing the IBF portion when reigning champion Jan Zaveck could not continue after round five of their clash at The Beau Rivage Hotel and Casino in Biloxi, Mississippi.

The two set a good pace early with Berto displaying lightning hand speed but Zaveck seemed unimpressed as he trucked forward and was solid with the right. Berto had a good round three as he pounded the body of Zaveck by doubling up his hooks. Zaveck had a good round four as he started working to the body and got through with good combination’s’.

Round five was an intense round with both guys landed hard shots. Zaveck landed a good right to open the round. The two traded nice uppercuts in the center of the ring. It was Berto, who showed the war scars as he had a mouse forming under his left eye. Berto’s hard shot formed swelling around the right eye of Zaveck. The landed another over hand right to end the round.

When Zaveck sat down in the corner, there was blood on the right eyelid and swelling from the left eye. he told his corner he couldn’t see but wanted to continue. The corner won out and the bout was stopped before round six could commence.

Berto, who was coming off his professional loss to Victor Ortiz but won back a sliice of the welterweight title and is now 28-2 with twenty-two knockouts. Zaveck of Slovenia was making his American debut put up a tough effort but is now 31-2.

Featherweight Super Prospect Gary Russell Jr. scored a dominating eight round unanimous decision over Leonilo Miranda.

Russell Jr. showed incredible handspeed and had Miranda in trouble on a few occasions. Russell had a big round four as he landed some big body combinations and then came upstairs to the head. In round six, Russell ripped off a ten punch combination that had Miranda to the point that he ducked under the top rope to avoid anymore damage. those big punches opened up a cut around the right eye of Miranda.

Russell cruised downed the stretch and showed glimpses of the brilliance that many boxing insiders beleive he could be one of the next stars on the American circuit.

Russell of Capitol Heights, Maryland won by scores of 80-72; 80-72 and 79-72 to remain perfect at 18-0. Miranda of Mexico is now 32-4-1.

It was a clean sweep for DiBella Entertainment (DBE) stable-mates Thomas Oosthuzien, Randall Bailey, Luis Orlandito Del Valle and Ivan Redkach earlier in Biloxi, Mississippi, on the undercard of tonight’s live HBO Boxing After Dark telecast, featuring former WBC Welterweight Champion, Andre Berto looking to reclaim a piece of the welterweightr crown when he takes on reigning IBF Champion, Jan Zaveck.

In a very entertaining fight, South Africa’s Oosthuzien defended his IBO Super Middleweight Title with a twleve round unanimous decision victory over Aaron Pryor Jr. The southpaw, Oosthuzien who was making both his U.S. and DBE debut, was able to work behind a vicious body attack to outwork Pryor for most of the fight. Pryor hung tough, and did some good work of his own, causing a nasty cut to open over Oosthuzien’s right eye, but in the end Oosthuzien was the much busier of the two, winning by scores of 117-11 on all three judge’s scorecards.

IBF #2 rated welterweight, Randall “The K.O. King” Bailey improved to 42-7, 36KO’s with a dominate ten round unanimous decision over Yoryi Estrella. Bailey, the manadatory challenger to tonight’s main event winner, controlled the action throughout, dropping Estrella with an uppercut in the 5th round, before going on to win by scores of 100-89, 100-89, 98-91.

Del Valle knocked out Anthony Napunyi with a tremendous overhand right, improving to a perfect 14-0, 11KO’s. Official time of the stoppage was 1:21 of round three.

Redkach improved to a 8-0, 7KO’s stopping Vernon Alston (4-2, 4KO’s) in the third round of their scheduled six round lightweight contest.

In the opening bout of the evening, Gerald Jordon (8-5-1, 5KO’s) scored an upset six round split decision over previously undefeated welterweight Sergio Vartanov (9-1, 6KO’s).

After having his August 27th HBO debut fight against Mike Mollo canceled, undefeated Heavyweight prospect was quickly re-scheduled for a September 16th date that will be broadcasted on dueling Networks Telefutura and Fox Sports Net from Las Vegas accoring to Dan Rafael of espn.com

The card will take place at the Texas Station casino and will be on the eve on the much anticipated Floyd Mayweather – Victor Ortiz showdown.

“Seth had worked so hard and I needed him to have something,” manager Sharif Salim told ESPN.com. “This is the longest layoff he’s had between fights. I just said to Golden Boy, ‘Hey, get us something so we can stay busy.’”

“Seth was so disappointed that the (Aug. 27) fight was called off,” Salim said. “He was disappointed not just because of the purse factor, but because he had worked so hard. It was going to be his first time on HBO. That was humongous.”

“We’re ready for what I like to call the ‘fading glories,’” he said. “We’re ready for (former contenders) like Michael Grant and Hasim Rahman. But we have to just stay focused. After the fight was called off, we gave him about two days off and then he got right back in the gym.”

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, World Bantamweight champion Nonito Donaire will make his New York debut when he takes on Omar Naravez on October 22nd at The Theater in Madison Square Garden.

“We’re finalizing stuff with the Garden now,” said Top rank President Todd duBoef. “It’s where stars are born. If you can play New York, you can play anywhere. It doesn’t matter what sphere of entertainment you are in — music, theater, athletics — to play that city is a big steppingstone for anybody.”

“Stylistically, it’s a good match and his record speaks for itself,” duBoef said. “Narvaez made an incredible amount of defenses (at flyweight). He is a pressure fighter who will come to Nonito, and you couldn’t ask for anything else. He will put pressure on him and be there all night. We felt that from a television and fan point of view this could be a very crowd-pleasing fight.”

“Narvaez is, by far, the most popular fighter in Argentina and I believe one of the most popular fighters in South America,” Top Rank’s Carl Moretti said. “He’s small, but Donaire is going to be bigger than any bantamweight because you are basically looking at a featherweight fighting at bantamweight. Donaire is going to grow into the featherweight division, so the size factor will be there no matter who he fights. He has freakish size, like Thomas Hearns when he was at welterweight. So you have to come up with the toughest style and toughest guy to challenge him.

“Look, Narvaez is an undefeated southpaw, clearly experienced and a champion in his own right. He brings tremendous credentials to the ring.”

“The fact that Donaire, a top three pound-for-pound fighter in the world, gets to display his talents to the East Coast fans and media at the mecca of boxing is a plus for everybody,” Moretti said. “We are aware of a large Filipino contingent in the tri-state area, which we will directly market to as well as making sure we have a lot of local flavor on the undercard. We love these types of opportunities and challenges in promoting. It’s so much better than going to a stale casino atmosphere, and better for the sport overall.”

Dan Rafael of espn.com is reporting that WBO Light Heavyweight champion will defend his crown on October 15th against Brit Tony Bellew in Liverpool, England.

“A fight between me and Bellew has been heating up for a long time and now he’s ready to be taught a lesson,” Cleverly said. “He’s got a big mouth, but he can’t back it up with his fists and this time he’s talked himself into big trouble that he won’t be able to fight his way out of. My blood boils when I think back to the press conference we had and he wanted to fight there and then.

“I just wish it was him in the ring that night instead of Kuziemski. I would have knocked him (out), but he would have come out with excuses that he was a last minute replacement. I’m happy that this time he’s had time to prepare and his weight will right and he’ll have no excuses when he’s knocked out cold by me.”

“I’ll be fit and ready on the night and it’s the worst scenario that he could have ever wished for. I’ll give him nightmares,” Bellew said. “This is the fight I’ve wanted and been banging for and now I’m going to prove all along what I’ve been saying is true. I rattled him at the last press conference. He’ll deny it, but he was physically shaking and it’s still playing on his mind now. He can’t beat me mentally or physically and he knows that. He may have a touch more speed, but I have plans to counter that.”

Cleverly’s promoter Frank Warren said it is possible that the winner could get a chance to face champion Bernard Hopkins if he defeats Chad Dawson on Oct. 15.

“I’m in discussions with Hopkins’ promoter, Richard Schaefer, about a potential fight with the winner, so it’s a massive incentive for both guys.”

Former world champion Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero had successful surgery on his shoulder on Tuesday according to Dan Rafael of espn.com

Guerrero’s manager Bob Santos said the arthroscopic surgery, which lasted about two hours, was performed by Dr. Michael Dillingham, the San Francisco 49ers team physician, in Burlingame, Calif. Guerrero (29-1-1, 18 KOs), 28, was already resting at home Tuesday evening.

“Dr. Dillingham is a very humble doctor, so he is not one of these kind of guys who will jump up and down and say, ‘Hey, it’s a success!’ But in his opinion, everything was OK and we are very optimistic,” Santos said. “He felt he was able to fix the tear.”

“The doctor looked at the rotator cuff and said he probably hurt it when he was playing football, that this was not just something that happened in one sparring session,” Santos said. “He said the whole thing has been damaged for years, but that he went ahead and fixed everything. He was amazed that Robert has been fighting his whole career with this. He said the rotator cuff was all scar tissue and had to have been there for years. The reason he could deal with it throughout his career was because of his pain threshold. But once it tore more when he was sparring, it was a different feeling.

“The doctor was very optimistic about things. Robert has been dealing with it for years and never knew it, but went about his business and sucked it up. But whatever the doctor could do to his best surgical ability, that is what he did.”

Guerrero will be in a sling for about two weeks before he can begin rehabilitation. Santos said the doctor said Guerrero would probably be able to punch with his left hand in about four months.

“Robert was relieved to go in and get the surgery done,” Santos said. “God-willing, everything will OK. He’s just 28 and there is no reason to rush him.”

Heralded prospect Frankie Gomez edge Adrian Granados via eight round majority decision in a Lightweight bout of unbeaten fighters in Chicago.

Gomez scored a knockdown in round two when Granados walked into a pushing right hand. He was not hurt and finished the round. In the next round Granados was cut underneath his left eye but that was not a problem during the fight. In fact, Granados was spurred on and engaged in some furious exchanges over the second half of the fight.

For most of the next couple rounds, Granados was walking the hard charging Gomez down. The two fought at close quarters to the end of the fight which thrilled the crowd.

Gomez, 136 lbs of East Los Angeles, CA won by scores of 78-73; 77-74 and 76-76 to stay perfect at 11-0. Granados, 136 lbs of Cicero, IL is now 6-1-1.

Omar Figueroa scored a sensational second round stoppage over Marcos Herrera in round two of a scheduled six round Jr. Welterweight bout.

The two engaged in a heated flurry on the ropes when hard left from Figueroa got through and sent Herrera to the canvas. After Herrera was able to get up, Figueroa landed a crushing left hook that sent Herrera down and out at 1:19 of round two.

Figueroa, 138 lbs of Weslaco, TX is now 13-0-1 with ten knockouts. Herrera, 135 lbs of Arroyo Seco, NM is now 6-7-1

Luis Santiago scored a four round unanimous decision over Cliffored McPherson in a Welterweight bout.

Scores were 40-36 on all cards for Santiago, 148 lbs of Chicago, IL and is now 3-0. McPherson, 147 lbs of Cleveland, OH is now 2-5-1.

Juan Bustamante scored a first round stoppage over an overnatched Andrew Kato in a scheduled four round Lightweight bout.

Bustamante was all over Kato, who looked like he had no business in the same ring as Bustamante. Bustamante dropped Kato with a series of body shots. Kato got to his feet only to eat eat five more unanswered blows with the final being a left to the body and the fight was stopped by referee Gerald Scott at 1:40.

Bustamante, 130 lbs of Chicago is now 2-0 with one knockout. Kato, 134 lbs of Milwaukee, WI is now 0-3.

Daniel Sotelo made a successful pro debut with a first round stoppage over Ronnie Fuentez in a four round Welterweight bout.

Wit the two fighters exhanging on the ropes, Sotelo landed a hard left to the body that put Fuentez down for the count at 1:20.

Sotelo, 143 lbs of Chicago is now 1-0 with one knockout. Fuentez, 144 lbs of Milwaukee, WI is now 0-2.