Anderson Silva re-emphasized his standing as the greatest MMA fighter of the world, but he did so for the first time in his home country of Brazil. After twice dropping the highly regarded Yushin Okami in round two with a perfectly timed punch to the head, barrages of punches from the top soon followed, prompting the referee to call the bout to a halt. It was vintage Spider, who displayed his usual dazzling speed, cat-like reflexes and most importantly, his finesse and flash that just can’t be replicated inside the Octagon.

A performance akin to that of the middleweight champ’s destruction of Forrest Griffin, Okami was simply overmatched, unable to neither initiate any offense nor sustain any effective output. Silva extends his unbeaten UFC streak to fourteen and successfully defended his middleweight crown for the ninth time.

The co-main event in Rio featured Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua, who avenged his loss to Forrest Griffin in a rematch between two former light heavyweight champions. Shogun was sharp, creating distance to measure his striking. Griffin looked a bit listless and got dropped by a right hand to the head, allowing Rua to follow up with a series of hammerfists. The referee soon stepped in, giving Rua the victory at the 1:53 mark of the first round.

Former heavyweight champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira revived his career in an exciting first round stoppage win over the streaking Brendan Schaub in a legend vs. up-and-coming contender type match up. Both fighters shared exchanges and the early going appeared to favor the American, who was able to stun the hometown veteran. The much more experienced Nogueira effectively used his clinch to push Schaub against the cage and landed a hard right hand that dropped his younger foe face-first on the canvas. It only took another hard shot to finish off Schaub, causing the ref to step in at 3:09. With the win, Nogueira gets back on the winning column, after suffering a devastating loss to current champion Cain Velasquez back in UFC 110.

In the other fights, Paulo Thiago bounced back from two consecutive losses to win in front of his home country against David Mitchell. It was a one-sided fight that saw Thiago use superior grappling and effective aggression to grind out a unanimous decision. Jungle Fight’s welterweight champion Erick Silva impressed in his UFC debut,quickly disposing Luis Ramos with an overhand right. After a quick ground and pound follow up, the ref stopped the contest at the :40 mark. The best fight of the night saw Rousimar Palhares and Dan Miller taking turns nearly knocking each other out before going the distance over three rounds. Palhares dropped Miller and relented after a short attack from the top, assuming that the fight was over. Palhares jovially got on top of the cage to celebrate before referee Herb Dean informed the Brazilian fighter that the fight was not finished. As the fight resumed, Miller recuperated and landed a devastating punch of his own, nearly stopping his foe all within the same round. Palhares dominated with a series of punches from the top in round two and secured the unanimous decision victory after three rounds.

Alexander Povetkin won the “WBA Regular Heavyweight title” with a twelve round unanimous decision over former champion Rulsan Chagaev in Erfurt, Germany.

Povetkin boxed well early but getting through with some body shots and uppercuts.

Chagaev seemed to have found his way in round’s five through eight as he dominated and even briefly staggered Povetkin with hard left hands.

Povetkin was urged on by trainer Teddy Atlas whose motivating tactics are unmatched as he tried and eventually did light a fire under Povetkin by mentioning Povetkin’s late family and late father.

In round nine, Povetkin started to get inside and penetrate Chagaev’s guard and that continued for the final third of the fight.

Povetkin, 231 1/1 lbs of Russia won by scores of 117-113; 117-113 and 116-112 and is in line for a showdown with Wladimir Klitschko with a record of 22-0.

Chagaev, 231 1/2 lbs of Uzbekistan is now 27-2-1.

It was a very tough fight,” Povetkin said afterwards. “I am very happy that I won. This is for my father, who died last year and always wanted me to be world champion.”

“I told him that the feeling of exhaustion would not last forever, only for 18 minutes at most,” he stated. “I told him he was about to write history. He could become heavyweight champion of the world and win the title for his father.” Povetkin survived the scare and fought back, hitting Chagaev with strong combinations. In the later rounds, he would regain control, cleverly firing in series of hooks and uppercuts. “Povetkin was better and deserved to win,” Chagaev said. “I´m very disappointed. It was not my day.”

Povetkin´s promoter Kalle Sauerland praised the Russian warrior´s skills and will. “He really showed he wanted to win the title. He hung in there when things got rough in the sixth round. I am very happy for Alexander that all his hard work has finally paid off. He´s been an Olympic champion and now he has fulfilled his dream of becoming heavyweight champion as a professional.”

Among the 4,500 spectators in Erfurt, Germany was four-time heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield. The Real Deal liked what he saw. “It was a great fight,” he said. “Povetkin and Chagaev fought like middleweights, they were very fast and threw a lot of punches. Povetkin was better. He deserves to be world champion. It was a strong performance.”

Good looking Heavyweight contender Robert Helenius scored a ninth round stoppage over former WBO champ Sergei Liakhovich in a bout scheduled for twelve rounds.

Liakhovich fought hard early but couldn’t seem to get past the size of the 6’7″ Helenius who landed some good shots that had the nose of Liakhovich bleeding early in the contest.

Helenius started dominating in round eight as series of blows dropped Liakhovich to his knees. Liakhovich beat the count but it was only a matter of time before Helenius would score the stoppage.

That happend in the beginning of the next frame as Helenius unloaded a series of power shots that sent Liakhovich down. The referee stopped the fight basically at the same time that Liakhovich;s corner threw in the towel.

Helenius is now 16-0 with eleven knockouts. Liakhovich is now 25-4.

“This is another big win for me,” Helenius said. “I started a little slowly but my coach Mr Wegner woke me up and then I did the right things. Liakhovich was very tough but I was the better man tonight and that´s why I won.”

Liakhovich gave Helenius, who defended his WBA/WBO Intercontinental Heavyweight Titles, credit: “He is very strong,” the White Wolf stated. “I don´t want to make any excuses or take anything away from him, but I broke my nose in the second round and had trouble to breathe. But he fought a great fight and deserved to win.”

Hall of Fame Promoter Wilfried Sauerland was full of praise for the hard-hitting Scandinavian. “That was another fantastic win,” he stated. “Robert has now knocked out three former world champions, which is amazing given his young age of just 27 years. His power is incredible and he has the potential to be world champion in the future. It was a great evening of heavyweight boxing.”

Sergei was unable to breathe through his nose from the moment the first break occurred in the third round,” Manager Tony Cardinale said. At the same time, Liakhovich began to swallow copious amounts of blood as he attempted to catch a breath through his mouth.

“Sergei proved last night that he is one of the toughest fighters in the heavyweight division.” Cardinale continued. “Despite a painful handicap that made it nearly impossible for him to take a proper breath, Sergei kept on coming. Even after the knockdown, he came back swinging. Had Sergei not been so severely injured, I think he would have won the fight.”

Doctors, last night, advised “The White Wolf” to remain at the hospital and have immediate surgery under general anesthesia. However, later on Sunday morning, a surgeon determined that the bruising and swelling was too severe to operate right now.

Liakhovich, whose trip back to the US has been postponed due to travel restrictions caused by Hurricane Irene, intends to have the necessary surgery later this week when he returns to his home in Arizona.

“Those who say that there are no exciting fighters in the heavyweight division haven’t been paying attention,” promoter Kathy Duva of Main Events said. “Sergei has now participated in two of the most action-packed heavyweight fights of the past 10 years and he let me know this morning that he wishes to remain as active as possible as soon as he recovers.”

The Belarusian, who has been inactive for 17 months due to a contractual dispute, a training injury and an injury suffered by Helenius earlier in the summer, fought under the Main Events banner for the first time, last night.

“A fighter needs to stay active to be sharp,” Duva continued. “While fighting through the pain and barely able to breathe, Sergei actually improved his performance during the middle rounds as his timing started to come back. When Sergei fully recovers from his injuries, Main Events intends to treat Sergei’s fans–and I know he made a lot of new ones last night–by keeping him very busy.”

Juan Garcia scored a six round majority decision over Hector Serrano in an entertaining Jr. Welterweight bout at Club Nokia in Los Angeles, California.

The two traded some solid shots throughout the fight as they both landed some good right hands. Garcia’s work was more evident as he landed some hard rights that had Serrano’s nose bleeding as early as round two.

The continued to wage a back and forth battle with Serrano being buckled a couple times but he showed great courage for not only making it to the final but getting in quality offense of his own.

Garcia, 136.6 lbs of Los Angeles, won by scores of 58-56; 58-56 and 57-57 and is now 15-3. Serrano, 136.4 lbs of Huntington Park, CA is now 13-3.

On the strength of a first round knockdown, Ramon Valadez cruised home with a six round unanimous decision over veteran Noe Lopez Jr. in a Lightweight fight.

Valadez dropped Lopez with a short right hand in round one. Lopez came back to land some solid shots in round two. Valadez boxed well over the next four rounds and came home with the verdict by scores of 59-54 on all cards.

Valadez, 131 3/4 lbs of East Los Angeles, CA is now 10-1. Lopez Jr., 132 1/2 lbs of Nogales, MX is now 8-10

Jose Sanchez scored a second round stoppage over Ricardo Garcia in a scheduled four round Jr. Lightweight bout.

Sanchez dropped Garcia in round two from a short left hand. Garcia recovered but only to be hit by a power punch combination and referee Lou Moret stopped the bout at 1:11 of round two.

Sanchez, 129 lbs of Santa Ana, CA is now 5-2 with two knockouts. Garcia, 128 1/2 lbs of La Habra, CA is now 2-2.

Dan Rafael of espn.com is reporting that WBC Middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. hurt his hand and is forced to cancel his September 17th bout with Ronald Hearns.

Chavez manager Billy Keane said Chavez suffered a freak injury about two weeks ago when he was in the gym training and stretched out his arms and caught his right hand on a ceiling fan. The fan cut Chavez’s hand, which needed two stitches.

He still wants to fight, but he really can’t,” Keane said. “I advised him to pull out when this first happened. He wanted to push on and fight. He says he is doing this for his father. But he’s only sparred one day and he had a really hard time.”

Keane said when Chavez’s hand hit the fan, “it split him open and there was a lot of blood. His girlfriend took him to the hospital and he needed two stitches. He said he was fine, but I went down to see him in Tijuana and it was all puffy. The hand is bad. He can’t make a tight fist. I advised him again to pull out of the fight. I told him to see the doctor again and he will (on Friday).”

Lou DiBella, Hearns’ promoter, said his right-hand man, Ron Rizzo, got the news Thursday night from Sean Gibbons of Zanfer Promotions, Chavez’s co-promoter. DiBella said he simply does not believe the story.

“They say he hurt himself two weeks ago and then I heard he was sparring two days ago with (Antonio) Margarito,” DiBella said. “People said he was way overweight, maybe 180 pounds. There’s a lot of red flags here so, no, I don’t believe it. I certainly believe he was in no condition to fight. His gut was injured. This was totally predictable, which is sad.”

Speculation that Chavez was indeed having weight problems surfaced again last week when the WBC conducted its mandated weight-check 30 days before the fight, a procedure designed to make sure the boxers are within a certain range of safely making weight.

Hearns’ was within the range when his weight was announced at 174.51 pounds while Chavez’s was listed as unavailable. Two days later, Chavez’s weight was announced at 173.

“I totally saw this coming when the 30-day weights— was going on,” DiBella said. “They released Hearns’ weight and wouldn’t release Chavez’s weight until a couple of days later. Come on. Ronald is going to be crushed because he was working his ass off. He loved this fight. He thought a big right hand might land. I think it would have been a competitive fight. An out of shape Chavez loses to an in-shape Hearns and I think that’s why the fight isn’t happening.

“Do I believe the injury happened weeks ago? No. Then the 30-day weigh-in stuff happened. There are just too many coincidences. Why do a press conference after this supposed injury? Come on. There is nothing you can do but shrug your shoulders and say f—.”

“He’s got no respect for Ronald Hearns,” Keane said. “He thinks he annihilates him. He thinks he’s too strong and he will break him down and it won’t be a difficult fight — even with one hand and a short camp.”

As disappointed as he was for having this weekend’s fight with Marcos Maidana postponed, Robert Guerrero will be out “only four months” after a second opinion revealed the injury was not as bad as first feared according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“I’m just staying positive and praying about it,” Guerrero told ESPN.com on Wednesday. “Right when I felt it, I thought, ‘This isn’t good.’ And then waking up the next day and not being about to move my arm at all, it was scary. I was doing 500 push-ups a day and about 100, 120 pull-ups, and then you can’t even move your arm. So it was scary.

“But I feel good about the test results and look forward to getting the surgery out of the way and getting my shoulder cleaned up and doing what I have to do to get back. I just got to take it one day a time, get the surgery done, get the rehab and get back to full-blown training.”

“He’ll spend two to four weeks in a sling and then can shadow box and jump rope and that sort of thing, but the doctor said he couldn’t punch on it for three or four months,” manager Bob Santos said. “So you’re looking at probably four months before he can train 100 percent. Best-case scenario is if he is back punching on it in four months and then does a six- or eight-week training camp, you’re talking about him being able to fight again in maybe February, March, April.”

“I feel helpless walking around with a sling on, especially on my dominant hand, the left hand,” Guerrero said. “I guess I got to look at the bright side. I can work on my right hand more and make it more effective in the ring. When you work with both hands, you’re more of a well-rounded fighter. I throw (the right) but there is always room for improvement. But the main focus is getting the surgery done and getting it all cleaned up and getting back to 100 percent.”

“The doctor said the arm looked fantastic except in the area where it was injured, that it had scar tissue,” Santos said. “That is probably from having an initial tear in the rotator cuff back then. So the thought is that, over time, it finally tore again.”

“We knew we weren’t going to the doctor and we were taught that if you’re hurt you block it out because you know you’re not going to the doctor,” Guerrero said. “If you can move it, it ain’t broke. That’s how we were brought up.”

“Sometimes you can do rehab, but this being the second time, we thought it was best to get it fixed because this is how he makes his living, using his arm,” Santos said. “So Dr. Dillingham said he would fix the problem and also be able to see what else, if anything, was going on in the shoulder that might not have shown up on the MRI.

“It’s really a shame this happened because I have never seen him in such great shape. We took Maidana more seriously than any fighter we have ever faced. Unfortunately, that old injury reared its head and derailed us.”

“Robert told me, ‘The more I kept thinking about it, every once in a while I would get a deep pain in (the shoulder) for the last few years,'” Santos said. “Now he knows something will be done about it. He would just say before when he felt it that he was the kind of guy who would suck it up and push through it, although this was different. I see him as relieved.”

Disappointed by the postponement of this weekend’s scheduled bout with Robert Guerrero, former 140 pound beltholder Marcos Maidana will not sit around and wait as he will take an interim bout in his native land of Argentina according to Dan Rafael of espn.com

That includes going home to Argentina for a Sept. 16 fight, Sebastian Contursi, Maidana’s adviser, told ESPN.com. Contursi said Maidana was “terribly frustrated” about the fight with Guerrero called off so close to the bout after spending a month training in Argentina and then two more months training in Puerto Rico.

“He was ready to go as he went out of the gym last Thursday at 144 pounds,” he said.

“We did, as Maidana was like a lion locked in a cage, ready for war, but Soto turned it down, which is understandable, of course,” Contursi said. “As we were told that no dates were open for Maidana within the next few weeks we decided to go back to Argentina and have a fight here for Marcos to stay busy. That’s why we are making arrangements to hold it on Sept. 16.”

The fight will take place in Buenos Aires in the neighborhood of Villa Ballester, where Maidana has lived since he was 16. No opponent is set yet, but Contursi said he is working with Golden Boy to secure one.

The fight will take place in Buenos Aires in the neighborhood of Villa Ballester, where Maidana has lived since he was 16. No opponent is set yet, but Contursi said he is working with Golden Boy to secure one.

“Obviously, Marcos was depressed (about) the cancellation of such a big fight and got a little out of focus during the weekend, but now he is back at training (in Argentina),” Contursi said.

If Maidana comes through his fight next month, Contursi said he hopes to face a big-name opponent before the end of the year. Maidana’s main target is titleholder Amir Khan, who is tentatively slated for a Dec. 10 fight as part of his HBO contract.

“Another guy Marcos likes is Tim Bradley, of course,” Contursi said of another of the 140-pound titleholders.

Dan Rafael of espn.com is reporting that former world title challenges Eddie Chambers and Tony Thompson will square off on October 28th in Atlantic City for the right to fight a rematch with the man who knocked them both out, Wladimir Klitschko.

The fight between good friends will take the night before the Super 6 Final between Andre Ward and Carl Froch at will take place at Ballys in Atlantic City which is just a few steps away from Boardwalk Hall where there Ward – Froch clash will take place.

It’s tough, but there is an opportunity for both of us to realize a dream,” Thompson said of fighting his friend. “I’m happy for both us to get this opportunity, but I have to go in there and take care of business. I consider us more than friends — I consider myself like a mentor to him. But I told my own brother I’d kick his ass if had to to get back to a Klitschko fight, and my brother knew I was dead serious.”

“But sometimes in this business you got to fight your friends,” Chambers said. “I’m just looking forward to the fight and getting it done. We’re two of the top heavyweights in the division and we’ve helped each other get there. I’ve helped him and he’s helped me get ready for fights several different times. He’s the kind of person that if I had kids, I’d have my kids play with his kids, but we know this is business. Boxing is not a team sport, but if it was a team sport, we would be on the same team.”

“Both fighters have had that taste of a championship challenge and both of them withstood many rounds with Wladimir. To me the question about their fight is who has learned more from their loss,” Said promoter Dan Goossen, who represents both fighters. “Both of them have come back from their loss. Eddie beat Rossy and looked good and Tony has been kept fairly busy and has been winning against pretty good opponents and getting knockouts. I hate to have our guys fighting each other and only one advancing, but that is what you do as a promoter — you give both of the guys an opportunity. I think it will be an interesting fight.”

“I definitely gotta go in there and stop this guy. I’m going in there to knock your head off your shoulders and separate you from your senses long enough for the referee to raise my hand,” said Thompson, who is close to Klitschko’s size at 6-foot-5 and 250 pounds.

“We’re both fighting for our professional lives,” said Chambers, who is 6-1 and 210 pounds. “This could be his last go-round, his last hurrah. He’s still performing well, but at the age of 40, you can get old overnight in this game. Yes, we have respect for each other, but that is even more reason to go out there and give 100 percent. We got two people on a collision course who have everything to lose, and there’s a lot to gain as well with a win. With a win it catapults us to a title shot again. That’s what we are both shooting for.”

Lightweight prospect Michael Perez remained undefeated with a one punch bidy shot knockout over Miguel Rodriguez in a scheduled ten round bout at the Paradise Theater in Bronx, New York.

Perez landed a left to the body that sent Rodriguez down on a knee. Rodriguez tried to get up but squatted right back down as he was riding in pain and referee Steve Willis had no choice other that to stop the bout at forty-nine seconds into the fight

Perez, 135 lbs of Lares, Puerto Rico is now 14-0-1 with eight knockouts. Rodriguez, 136 lbs of Juana Diaz, Puerto Rico is now 6-3.

Sensational looking eighteen year old Eddie Gomez scored a one round destruction over Marcus Hall in a jr. Middleweight bout scheduled for six rounds.

Gomez dropped Hall three times with the first being a perfect and quick right hand. The second came from a left-right combination to the head. The end came after a combination bounced off of Hall’s head and sent him to the canvas where referee Harvey Dock ended things at 2:00 of round one

Gomez, 150 lbs of Bronx, NY is now 6-0 with five knockouts. Hall, 151 lbs of Rochester, NY is now 5-4-1.

In a battle of pro debuting Welterweights, Richie Nieves and Latwon Halsey battled to a four round majority draw.

Scores were 39-37 Nieves while two judges ruled it even at 38-38.

Nieves, 146 lbs of Long Island is 0-0-1. Halsey, 147 lbs of Newark, NJ is now 0-0-1.

Mike Brooks scored a hard fought six round unanimous decision over Jamell Tyson in a Lightweight bout.

Scores were 58-55; 58-55 and 57-56 for Brooks, 136 lbs of Nassau, NY and is now 5-0-1. Tyson, 134 lbs of Rochester, NY was docked a point in round four for spitting out his mouthpiece is now 2-3-1.

Throw the records out when Light Heavyweights Todd Erikkson and Borngod Washington meet as the two put on an entertaining scrap that saw Washington score a four round unanimous decision.

Scores were 39-37 on all cards for Washington, 173 lbs of Queens, NY and is now 2-8. Eriksson, 170 lbs of Dover, NJ is now 3-7-1.

Photo by Claudia Bocanegra

Earlier tonight on the 2011 Season Finale of ESPN’s “Friday Night Fights”, 2008 U.S. Olympian, Demetrius Andrade took a step way up in class and won a dominate ten round unanimous decision over tough veteran, and winner of Season 2 of “The Contender”, Grady Brewer.

Andrade might have been the much younger and less experienced of the two, but it didn’t show as he worked his game-plan to a T, taking the veteran Brewer to school for their entire ten round jr. middleweight contest.

Working behind a piston-like jab, Andrade kept Brewer off balance and guessing all night long. Brewer who was coming off one of, if not the biggest win of his career, a fourth round TKO over previously undefeated and highly regarded Fernando Guerrero (21-0) on ESPN, just couldn’t put together any offense against the much quicker and more skilled Andrade. It was a very impressive showing for Andrade, who took the fight on very short notice, and silenced many boxing insiders who felt he was in over his head, winning the bout easily on all three judge’s scorecards 99-91, 99-91, 98-92. With the win Andrade improves to a 14-0, 9KO’s, while Brewer who suffered just the second defeat in his last twelve fights, falls to 28-13, 16KO’s

“Hammerin” Hank Lundy scored a wild war sixth round stoppage over former world champion David Diaz in a scheduled ten round Lightweight bout.

Lundy showed superior handspeed while Diaz showed toughness and grit. The fight took on a life in round four when Diaz landed a huge shot to the top of the head that had Lundy stumble to the canvas. Lundy went for the end but got caught with a big shot that caused a grotesque cut around his right eye. Diaz continued to land body and head shots until he ran into a bog right from Lundy. Diaz responded by ending the round with a big left.

Diaz was bleeding bad from the eye and was even checked by the ringside doctor. When the doctor let him continue Diaz started to fight with alot of urgency but that left him open for a big left hand that was followed by a series of lefts.

Lundy opened up the sixth with a big left hand that sent Diaz down and out at thirty-seven seconds of rounds.

Lundy, 134 1/2 lbs of Philadelphia is now 21-1-1- with eleven knockouts. Diaz, 134 1/2 lbs of Chicago is now 36-4-1.

“There’s something about those straight punches,” Lundy said. “When you land those straight punches, you don’t even have to look. You know once you connect, it’s done.

“Everyone can get hurt,” he continued. “Even with gloves on, it doesn’t matter. You can get touched in the right way and go down, but it’s how you finish the fight. Like the scriptures say, ‘We fall down, but we get back up.’ It’s all about how you finish, and God gave me the power to get up and finish.”

“I think that was my mistake,” Diaz said. “I should’ve been more calm because my legs were still wobbly.”

“[The cut] got him frustrated,” Lundy said. “I’ve been cut before, so it all depends on your career. Some guys see their own blood and fold under pressure and get a little tentative. I know when I get cut I’m going to see my own blood, but that makes me work harder.”

“It blurred my vision a lot,” Diaz said. “It was just coming down, but you’ve got to push through. That’s what I tried to do.”

“I broke him down a little bit,” Lundy said. “They know I’m a switch hitter so when I turned it right-handed I said, ‘OK, I’m going to try to go southpaw and try to land that overhand left.’

“I feigned him with the jab, he clinched, and then the left hand came over the top that he didn’t see. He was out. [My trainer] Sloan [Harrison] has been helping me turn those punches over. Everyone on the Lundy team has been working hard and that’s what we’ve been doing – turning those punches over.”

“My mistake was going to my right,” Diaz said. “I should’ve gone to my left and stayed away from the left hand that was coming.”

“I would love to have a rematch if he would accept it,” Diaz said. “This is boxing. [Stuff] happens. You get hit, you get hurt, you get cut – if you don’t, then it’s not boxing. Back in the old days, guys used to get knocked out everyday and come back in a month or two and start fighting again, so it’s no big deal.”

“You know what? Any guys in the 135-pound division that’s willing to fight me – [Robert] Guerrero, any of these top guys – let’s go,” Lundy said. “If not, I’ll go up to 140.

“I was fighting at 140 making a statement. Most of my knockouts came at 140, so I can bang with the big guys. God willing, anybody that comes my way, let’s get it. Let’s get it.”

Yakubu Amadu scored a third round stoppage over Martin Tucker in a scheduled six round Lightweight bout.

Amadu landed a big right that sent off a flurry that produced six hard punches and the referee stopped the bout at …

Amadu, 134 1/2 lbs of Accra, Ghana is now 20-2-1 with eighteen knockouts. Tucker, 136 lbs of Toledo, OH is now 7-10

Miranda Carter puts on a Sunday afternoon show at the York Hall in the East End of London on September the 18th.

Topping the bill will be the come backing Leon ‘Solid’ Williams at cruiser who is hoping to get back into title contention.

Also at light welter is Ideh Ockuko in a four rounder, while at feather and super feather you have Akash Batia and George Jupp respectively in four rounders.

Brett O Callaghan features at light middle, while Danny Connor doe’s at welter, at middle there’s Diego Burton and at light Francis Gichecha who along with Luke Fowler both make there debuts!

Heavyweight Ian Lewison fights in a four rounder, and also you have the comeback of Paul Bowen whose been out due to various injury’s, Bowen is hoping to get into title contention in the not too distant future, Paul whose been out since February last year will be boxing at cruiser!

No opponent’s were announced at time of going to press, for ticket information please phone 07825 795616 for ticket’s or alternatively log on to www.leftjab.co.uk for ticket information.

Door’s open 2 pm and the first fight is 3pm.

DOVER, DEL–Amir Mansour remained perfect as he captured the Interim NABO North American title with a ten round beatdown of former contender Dominick Guinn at Dover Downs

The action started out blistering with bith guys trying to land power punches. Mansour got in four hard and quick left hooks on the ropes. A fracas broke out in the crowd in round one. Guinn landed a couple of nice body shots to finish out the opening frame. Round three saw a dominant Mansour lnd some vidious hooks off the body and head of Guinn. In round four, Mansour landed two hard straight lefts to face of Guinn and he quicy followed that up with some nice body work. Mansour landed some hard lefts and rights that slammed into tyhe head of Guinn but the visitor showed a graniye chin and proved why he hadn’t been stopped in his pro career.

Mansour continued to be the boss by landing some hard and quick combinations with both hands. Guinn then went in a defensive shell but still got hit with a lot of hard shots from Mansour. Mansour and Guinn had a furious exchange in the final moments of the bout for which each landed some heavy blows with Mansour getting the better of the action. Mansour did his best to entertain the throngs of his supporters and they went home happy but for the first time since his comeback, Mansour failed to get a stoppage.

Mansour, 223 lbs of Wilmington, Delaware won by scores of 100-90; 100-90 and 99-91 and is now 15-0. Guinn, 227 lbs of Houston, TX is now 33-8-1.

Edgar Santana scored an explosive fifth round stoppage over Omri Lowther to capture the NABA Jr. Welterweight title.

Santana dropped Lowther in round one from a straight right. Lowther started to back Santana up over the next few rounds by focusing on the body then coming upstairs.

The momentum was clearly in Lowther’s favoR WHEN OUT OF NOWHERE, SANTANA LANDED A CRUNSHING LEFT HOOK that sent Lowther to the canvas. Referee Gary Rosato let the fight go on for a brief moment later before stopping the bout at 1:43 of round five.

Santana, 140 lbs of New York is now 26-3 with seventeen knockouts. Lowther, 140 lbs of Toronto, Canada is now 14-4.

Anthony Caputo Smith dropped Steve Walker in round one from a straight right hand that froze him and followed up with a body shot and moments later got him out of there with a combination in the corner in their scheduled four round Light Heavyweight bout.

The time was 2:09 for Smith, 175 lbs of Kennett Square, PA and is now 11-0 with nine knockouts. Walker, 169 lbs of Hannibal, MO is now 25-28.

Ronica Jeffrey scored a six round unanimous decision over Ela Nunez to capture the NABF Super Featherweight title.

Jeffrey came out boxing and landed a hard right on the ropes at the end of round one. Nunez began moving forward trying to land a big power shot.

Jeffrey worked behind a (sometimes double and triple) jab and came behind it with the right. Jeffrey used the ring very nicely as she darted in and out and was always just a step out of the way of Nunez punch attempts. Nunez came at Jeffrey hard to start the final round. Jeffrey was on her horse to start the frame but then came forward and landed a nice three punch combination on the charging Nunez.

Jeffrey, 127 1/2 lbs of Brooklyn, won by scores of 60-54; 59-55 and 59-55 to remain perfect at 8-0. Nunez, 128 lbs of Johnstown, NY is now 9-10-1.

Local favorite Ryan Belasco scored a six round unanimous decision over Fernado Basora in a crowd pleaseing and bloody Lightweight bout.

In round one, Belasco scored a knock down when Basora walked into a jab. Round two saw some big exchanges that got got Basora into the fight. Round three was a back and forth wild three minutes. Basora dropped Belasco with a little right hand in the corner. That only seemed to energize Belasco as he came firing out and ripped off a combination that was ended by a big right hand that sent Basora to the canvas. Basora began to bleed bad from under his left eye but was able to make it out of the round.

Belasco landed a big right and uppercut that ended the fifth which caused Basora’s cut to become more prominent. Knowing that he was behind, Basora went for in the final round and like the previous five, there was some very crowd pleasing moments with both guys landing solid shots. Towards the end of the round, Basora started to bleed from the middle of his forehead.

Belasco, 136 lbs of Wilmington, DE won by scores of 59-54; 59-55 and 58-55 and is now 15-5-3. Basora, 136 lbs of Bronx, NY is now 8-7-1.

Dan Biddle scored a four round unanimous decision over Dan Shull in a Cruiserweight bout.

Both guys traded hard shots that entertained the crowd with Shull landing some surprisingly effective blows but it was Biddle being more active that propelled him to the win.

Scores, were 40-36; 39-37 and 39-37 for Biddle, 189 lbs of Hockessin, DE and is now 8-1. Shull, 189 lbs of Winchester, VA is now 2-13-1.

Omar Douglas remained perfect with a first round stoppage over Corey White in a scheduled four round Lightweight bout.

Douglas dropped White twice with body shots with White not being able to be at the count at 2:25 of round one.

Douglas, 132 lbs of Philadelphia is now 2-0 with one knockout. White, 133 lbs of Cincinnati, OH is now 1-3.

Lamont Singletary needed just sixty seconds to dispose of William Clint Green in a scheduled four round Cruiderweight bout.

Singletary landed a hard combination that was punctiated by a right hand that sent Green down for Gary Rosato’s ten count.

Singletary, 195 lbs of Dover, DE is now 2-0 with two knockouts. Green, 192 lbs of Hannibal, MO is now 1-3

In one of his last training sessions before his August 27th bout with Marcos Maidana, Former world champion Robert Guerrero hurt his should which is forcing the be bout to be postponed according to various reports.

The whole card, which was to feature Seth Mitchell taking on Mike Mollo as part of the HBO televised show at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California has been scrapped for the time being.

“Robert Guerrero injured his shoulder [Wednesday] in sparring to the point where it was numb,” Golden Boy’s Richard Schaefer said on a teleconference with boxing reporters that was supposed to feature Guerrero and Maidana talking about their fight. “He couldn’t move it at all. It was numb. They were hoping it would get better overnight. It did not. He can’t move the arm at all, can’t put on a jacket.”

“We’re afraid it is a torn rotator cuff,” Schaefer said. “We don’t know. As a result, the fight card, which we were all very much looking forward to, has unfortunately been canceled. I hope it will be rescheduled. This is a fight that was on track to selling out in San Jose. It really is very unfortunate that this exciting showdown is not happening at this point. We wish and hope that Robert will be well and that it is an injury that can be taken care of. When I talked to Bob Santos he sounded extremely, extremely, extremely concerned. This is a big setback for (Guerrero).”

“HBO (was) saddened by the news as well,” he said. “We will have to wait to see what the doctors will say about his status. Hopefully, it can be rescheduled for a later date. Marcos Maidana obviously wants to fight, but on a week’s notice it is impossible to find a suitable opponent on such short notice.

“I would be surprised if Robert isn’t going to be out for quite awhile. If that’s the case Marcos Maidana will be fighting against somebody else (later in the year).”

“We’ll be working to see where we can place the other fighters,” he said. “We’ll look to see how we can accommodate them.”

Dan Rafael of espn.com reports that IBF Super Middleweight champion Lucian Bute on November 5th in a bout that will be televised on Showtime.

Johnson got that bout after negotiations failed with Mikkel Kessler and Kelly Pavlik.

“We reached an agreement. I’m just waiting for the paperwork and I’m moving forward. I’m preparing myself mentally and physically,” Johnson told ESPN.com. “I have every intention of going to Canada to derail that train.”

Leon Margules, Johnson’s co-promoter with Lou DiBella, said the offer eventually was improved, but he was still not happy with it. However, Johnson so badly wanted the fight, he gave Margules firm orders not to blow the deal. Margules didn’t and Johnson accepted an offer that will pay him less than $400,000.

“It’s a better deal than they initially offered, but it’s not as healthy as it should (be),” Margules said. “But at the end of the day, Glen’s the boss and he wanted the fight. The difference in money, while important, was not going to deter him from making sure he got this opportunity.”

“To be honest, I stopped focusing on the dollar value and just kind of wanted to keep my eyes on the prize, which is the opportunity to derail that train and then make a splash in a rematch or fight somebody else for big money,” Johnson said. “It is not about what I get for this fight. Even if I got what I wanted to get, or somewhere in between what I wanted and what I’m getting, it really wasn’t going to change my zip code. I had to just focus on the opportunity to fight for a world title against a major star in the sport in Canada. It doesn’t come any better than that.”

“We worked very hard for the Pavlik fight and we were very surprised with what happened,” Bedard said. “We were already planning press conferences. But at least he pulled out three months before the fight and not three days like he just did (for a fight scheduled against Darryl Cunningham on Aug. 6). We know we have a guy, Johnson, who will be there. This is Lucian’s biggest opponent. He’s fought everybody. He’s only been knocked out once and that was by Bernard Hopkins in 1997, and he didn’t even go down.

“For Lucian, there are still a lot of people who don’t think he’s the best super middleweight, so I think it’s a great fight for fans to see where Lucian is now. People (in Quebec) are happy that we can bring this quality of fighter here to fight Lucian. A lot of people think it’s a tougher fight for Lucian than Pavlik.”

“I’m extremely excited. I’m delighted. I believe this could not come at a better time,” Johnson said. “I’m coming off a loss I’m disappointed in. There’s nothing like getting an opportunity to go out there and redeem yourself, so this opportunity couldn’t have come at a better time.”

“He’s a tremendous body puncher,” Johnson said. “I’ve seen him work. He’s an overall good boxer. He’s a southpaw, so that bring its own difficulties. I have tremendous respect for his abilities and I have huge respect for his stardom and for him as a person. But this is a business and this goes out the window when the bell rings. I’m trying to feed my family and beat him.”

“It’s really a fight Glen’s wanted since they sparred,” Margules said. “He’s always believed he could beat Bute. Glen wanted the fight in the worst way.” The Jamaican-born, Miami-based Johnson, who has suffered several debatable decision losses in his opponent’s hometown, said he is not concerned about going to Bute’s turf for the fight. He said he knows he cannot leave it to the judges.

“I believe the knockout is going to happen. I feel like this is something I need to win the fight,” Johnson said. “I just need to dominate. I’m not going to win a close decision. I better go in there and separate from myself from Bute in every fashion and a knockout would be the best way, the sure way to get that victory.”

Dan Rafael of espn/com is reporting that WBO Super Middleweight champion Robert Stieglitz will take on former world champion Mikkel Kessler on November 5th in Denmark.

“The negotiations with SES Boxing and Robert Stieglitz have been tough but now everything is in place,” said Kalle Sauerland, who promotes Kessler. “With the support of his ferocious Viking fans, I am sure that Mikkel will accomplish his goal and become world champion for a fourth time.”

“I have a lot of respect for Robert Stieglitz,” Kessler said. “He has a very good record and he is a deserving world champion. But his reign will be over once we meet in the ring. Throughout my career, I have proven myself against the best fighters out there. I can’t wait to be world champion again. Winning the title for a fourth time will be special. & I have never lost a fight in Denmark. It will be no different this time. It can promise my fans a hell of an evening with me leaving the ring as the winner.”

Just more than twenty-four hours after announcing his retirement, Chris Lytle choked out Dan Hardy in round three of their Welterweight bout that was the main event of a UFC on Versus show from the Bradley Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Each had their moments until Hardy tried to shoot in with a takedown and Lytle was able to lock in the choke that made Hardy tap out at 4:16 of round three

Lytle, 170 1/2 lbs of Indianapolis, IND finishes his career with a mark of 41-18-4.

Ben Henderson battered Jim Miller over the final two rounds to win an three round unanimous decision and ending both a seven fight win streak and a potential title shot for Miller.

Miller had a good first frame as he had Henderson in a choke hold. Henderson came back to bloody the right eye of Miller, get Miller in a submission and at the end of round two begin to pound away on Miller. In round three, Henderson beat up Miller as he dominated the whole round by pounding and attempting to choke out Miller.

Henderson, 156 lbs of Glendale, AZ win by scores of 30-26; 30-27 and 29-28 and is now 14-2. Miller, 155 1/2 lbs of Whippany, NJ is now 20-3

Donald Cerrone scored a first round stoppage over Charles Oliveira in a Lightweight bout.

Cerrone landed a short punch to the body that sent Oliveria down. Cerrone then preceded to land twenty-five unanswered blows before referee Mario Yamasaki stopped the bout at 3:01

Cerrone, 156 lbs of Albuquerque, NM is now 16-3-1. Oliveria, 155 lbs of Houston, TX is now 14-2-1.

Duane Ludwig scored a three round unanimous decision over Amir Sadollah in a Welterweight bout.

Ludwig won on the strength of striking from the standup position.

Scores were 29-28 on all cards for Ludwig, 170 1/2 lbs of Denver, CO and is now 29-11. Sadollah, 170 lbs of Las Vegas, NV is 6-3

Abner Mares won the IBF Bantamweight championship and in the process captured the Showtime Bantamweight tournament crown with a dubious majority decision over reigning champion Joseph Agbeko at the Joint at The Hard Rock in Las Vegas.

Both guys gave a good effort. The same could not be said for Russell Mora as he became as much a part of the fight as the two combatants as he missed in upwards of twenty low blows that Mares landed on Agbeko. Mares was barely warned throughout the fight.

Mares was the more active fighter over the first have of the fight as he landed some solid shots with both hands. Mares scored a flash knockdown as he landed a little left hook but in combination with Agbeko slipping sent the campion to the canvas. It could easily been ruled a slip and that was the first of many missed calls from Mora throughout the fight.

In round six, Mares was cut over the left eye from a accidental headbutt.

Agbeko’s shining moment over the first half was a big right that buckled Mares in round four.

Agbeko started being more aggressive as he landed some nice jabs but was very right hand happy in trying to duplicate what he accomplished in the fourth.

Agbeko continued to fight well despite being peppered with the low shots and Mares was working the body.

After some good action rounds, all hell broke loose in round eleven.

Mares attempted t land a body shot but the punch ended up a good foot below the belt and Agbeko crumpled to a knee on the canvas. More hesitated and most people watching thought that finally Mares would be punished for his “South of the Border” shots but instead and shockingly, Mora began to count Agbeko by ruling a knockdown.

That seemed to to take the sails out of what was becoming a very close fight on the score cards Mares built an insurmountable lead. After round eleven, Agbeko and his corner men had to restrained by Nevada officials from the their bitter dismay at the job Mora was doing.

Not much happened in round twelve.

Mares, 117 1/2 lbs of Guadalajara, MX won by scores of 115-111; 115-111 and 113-113 and is now 22-0-1. Agbeko, 118 lbs of Bronx, NY is now 28-3.

During the telecast, SHOWTIME ringside analyst Antonio Tarver said, “Mora robbed all of us of a great fight.’’

There were 1,394 punches thrown in a give-and-take slugfest. Mares connected on 318 of 732, Agbeko on 318 of 732.

“I thought the first knockdown was clear,’’ said Mares, who made history by becoming the first homegrown Golden Boy Promotions boxer to capture a world title. “On the second I hit him on the belt and the ref chose to give him a count. I agree with the ref’s choice.

“I like to work the body but I was making the fight and all he did was counter-punch.

“I’m open to fight anybody (next). I love this tournament and would love to be in another one like this.’’

Said Agbeko, who demanded an immediate rematch, “I felt as though I was fighting two opponents in the ring tonight, Abner Mares and the referee. The referee ruled incorrectly on the knockdowns and he allowed Mares to hit me low repeatedly. Then, in the 11th, he called what everyone could see was another obvious low blow a knockdown.

“I don’t why these things happened to me. I felt the ref was against me from the start. All I wanted was a fair fight.

“I like Abner. He’s a good fighter. But I’m sure he didn’t want to win a fight this way.’’

Antonio Diaz scored a stoppage victory over Ernesto Zepeda after round eight of a scheduled ten round Jr. Middleweight bout at the Fantasy Springs Hotel in Indio, California.

Diaz controlled the action and really turned up the volume in round eight as he sent Zepeda to the canvas twice in the round for which referee Jose Cobian ruled slips but Zepeda went down for more or less exhaustion.

When Zepeda got back to the corner he had a look a defeat and the fight was stopped.

Diaz, 150 lbs of Indio, CA is now 46-6-1 with twenty-eight knockouts. Zepeda, 150 1/2 lbs of Tijuana, MX is now 39-15-2

Andrew Cancio scored a four round stoppage over Lowell Brownfield in round three of a scheduled six round Lightweight bout.

Cancio dropped Borwnfield in round two from a left to the head that was followed by two rights. Brownfield hit the deck once again in round three from a body shot.

Cancio finised thins off by landing a big flurry of punches until referee Tony Crebs stopped the bout at 1:49 of round four.

Cancio, 135 1/2 lbs of Blythe, CA is now 11-1-2 with all wins coming by knockout. Brownfield, 134 1/2 lbs of Los Angeles, CA is now 11-9-1.

Humberto Zatarain scored four knockdowns en route to an easy four round unanimous decision over Rocco Espinoza in a Featherweight bout.

Zatarain dropped Espinoza three times in round one and one in round two.

Zatarain,125 3/4 lbs of Whittier, CA is now 3-0. Espinoza, 125 lbs of Las Vegas is 1-1

Angel Osuna dominated, battered and eventually stopped Raul Rodriguez in the fourth and final scheduled round of their Jr. Middleweight bout.

Osuna had Rodriguez in trouble in every round and finally dropped him in the final round and the bout was stopped at twenty-five seconds of round four.

Osuna, 152 1/2 lbs of Cochella, CA is now 5-3-1 with three knockouts. Rodriguez, 154 lbs of Bakersfield, CA is now 3-7-1

Alejandro Lopez scored a solid twelve round unanimous decision over previously undefeated Teon Kennedy in a Super Bantamweight bout at Ballys in Atlantic City.

After a slow round one, Lopez started boxing nicely by putting right hands behind a long jab. In round three the two came out and had a furious exchange on the ropes. That was followed up by a blistering five punch combination from Lopez. Lopez put together a couple more combination’s before the close of the round that started some swelling underneath the left eye of Kennedy. Lopez’ movement cause Kennedy to look uncomfortable at times. In round five, it was a right hand that started the close of the right eye of Kennedy. Round six was a telling round as Lopez’ confidence began to show as he started clowning around and landing quick combination’s for which Kennedy started to look a little frustrated.

In round’s seven and eight Kennedy started to get a little closer as he started to get a little closer but he wasn’t slowing the full ring circular movement of Lopez. Kennedy kept trying to come forward but Lopez was slow that down with some pot shotting and little combonations that was offsetting Kennedy’s attempt at aggression. In round eleven, Kennedy started to look a little desperate. the two waged war on the ropes in the final round with a big shot opening up a nasty cut on the left eyelid of Kennedy. Despite that, kennedy tried to press forward only to eat quick right hands on his way in. For good measure, Lopez landed a hard right just before the final bell sounded.

Lopez, 121 1/2 lbs of Tijuana, MX won by scores of 117-111; 117-11 and 115-113 to raise his mark to 22-2. Kenendy, 121 1/2 lbs of Philadelphia, PA is now 17-1-1.

Karl “Dynamite” Dargan scored a sixth round stoppage over Juan Suazo in a scheduled eight round Lightweight bout.

Dargan dropped Suazo in round one from a blistering counter right. Dragan bloodied Suazo around his right eye and he never looked back.

Dargan landed some beautiful counter shots that drew ohhs and ahhs from the crowd. Finally in round six, a nice combaintion forced Suazo’s corner to end things at 1:20 of of the round.

Darga, 134 1/2 lbs of Philadelphia, PA is now 10-0 with five knockouts. Suazo, 134 lbs of Tucson, AZ is now 6-5.

In an entertaining Super Middleweight scrap, Derrick Webster scored a six round unanimous decision over Romaro Johnson.

Both guys landed some big shots with Webster landed a lot more volume and landed hard to the body

Both guys were stunned but Webster was effetive when he wanted to step on the gas.

Webster, 164 1/2 lbs of Glassboro, NJ won by scores of 60-54; 59-55 and 59-55 to raise his perfect mark to 10-0. Johnson, 164 lbs of Clevelnand, OH is now 11-4-1.

Camilo Perez remained perfect with a knockout over James Owens in a Featherweight bout.

Perez landed a perfect left hook that sent Owens down and the fight was stopped at 1:43

Perez, 123.6 lbs of Rio Piedras, PR is now 5-0 with four knockouts. Owens, 122 1/2 lbs of Milwaukee, WI is now 4-6.

Cuban import Yordenis Ugas scored a six round unanimous decision over gritty Fernando Rodriguez in a Welterweight bout

Ugas was dominant as he boxed very well. He hit Rodriguez with some hellacious right hands. In round three, Ugas started to pound the body with both hands. Ugas continued to batter Rodriguez but Rodriguez not only would take but come back with a (less effective) flurry of his own.

That scenario played for most of the fight whete Ugas got much better of exchanges but Rodriguez got the toughness, courage and approval of the crowd award.

Ugas, 144 1/2 lbs of Havana, CUB won by scores of 59-55; 59-55 and 58-56 to stay perfect at 9-0. Rodriguez, 145 lbs of Dallas, TX is now 6-5.

On the strength of three knockdowns, Pedro Martinez held on to score a four round unanimous decision over Elvin Sanchez in a Cruiserweight bout.

Martinez dropped Sanchez at the end of round one from an overhand right. Martinez scored two more knockdowns from big right hands in round two. Sanchez made a brief comeback over the final two rounds but Martinez was able to make it to the final bell without much trouble.

Scores were 38-35 on all cards for Martinez, 200 lbs of Philadelphia and is now 6-4. Sanchez., 196 lbs of Paterson, NJ is now 4-2

Photo by Chris Toney/Top Rank

Welterweight Ed “The Lion” Paredes 27-3-3(16KO) fought off a very tough and ready Juliano Ramos 16-5(13KO) who came after Paredes the entire fight. Ramos started very strong pressuring the taller Paredes and landing some very nice inside shots while Paredes touched the Brazilian from the outside. Ramos stuck to his game plan nicely for the opening few rounds pushing Paredes back and making the rangy brawler fight going backwards.

Paredes adjusted and started to create distance landing cleaner punches midway during round three which slowed Ramos down and turned the early momentuem into his direction. Ramos slowed as the fight wore on and Paredes got stronger landing bigger shots wearing the tough and tested Ramos down. Regardless Ramos stalked The Lion down looking to get inside but the sharp punching Paredes did his damage breaking his Brazilian counterpart down until a big right hand in the eight dropped Ramos, who got up slowly and staggered just enough to have Telis Assimenios wisely wrap him up and wave him into safety at 2:07 of the eighth.

WBC’s #8 ranked lightweight Richard Abril 16-2(8KO) dropped and stopped Sergio Rivera 25-8(16KO) fighting out of Mexico, with a big right hand to the body in the fifth round. The punch was initially called low however Rivera refused to continue. The blow was very suspect as far as being low and it would look like Rivera took an early siesta on a good body shot. Abril set the pace early with a steady diet of jabs and straight right hands and outclassed the tough Mexican showing superior hand speed and landing at a high percentage. The fight was called a TKO 1:28 in the fifth round. Abril has his sights set on WBA Champion Brandon Rios and hopes to soon see him on the other side of the ring.

Heavyweight prospect Luis “El Mercedes” Ortiz 13-0 (11KO) took the TKO win over Arron Lyons 12-11(9KO) from Mississippi. Ortiz clobbered and bloodied Lyons throughout the fight with thunderous shots and impressive speed, all while quickly maturing in the professional ring. While taking a nasty beating, Lyons was able to land a few shots but none seemed to faze the former world amateur champion Ortiz who had 381 fights before entering the pro ranks. It will be interesting to see how Ortiz would do with the top of ranks which he should be ready for in a few fights of tougher opponents. Ortiz looked sharp but may need to work on turning his punches over a little more as many of his power shots were somewhat palming the inferior opponent. Ortiz, who is working at fast tracking his way to the top of the heavyweight ranks, holds both the WBA Federation and the WBC FECARBOX titles which were not on the line tonight. Lyons was cut badly early in the fight and by the end of the seventh the ringside physician had advised the fight to be stopped. In the end Ortiz did his job and disposed of the tough but outclassed Lyons.

In a 105 lb hotly contested bout among a raucous crowd Carlos “el Chocorritonito Buitrago 20-0 (15KO’s) squared up against a fiery Mexican fighter Felipe Riveras 9-9(4KO). The first round were “choc” full of good exchanges and jeers from the crowd with both men getting in some nice shots to oohs and ahhs of the Nicaraguan and Mexican fans. The second round was more of the same with both men getting off some great shots with an extra dose of showmanship from Rivas before the end of the round. Third round was more of Riva getting off the better and cleaner power shots. The 4th ended up with more of the same all Rivas. The 5th round there was a shift in the momentum with Buitrago starting to get off the cleaner shots with Rivas doing more of the Ali shuffle then boxing. The 6th round showed a clear shift in the action with the Nicaraguan starting to dictate the action and dominate the fight. The 7th and 8th rounds gave the crowd a little less action with Buitrago and Rivas going back and forth equally with not man winning the rounds in spectacular fashion. The ninth and tenth rounds gave us more back and forth leaving a nail biting decision for the crowd to wait on.

Lightweight Yoelvis Gamboa 7-0(3KO), the younger brother of WBA and IBF Featherweight World Champion Yorkies Gamboa was successful in stopping iron chinned and clearly out matched Larry Yanez 2-3. Referee Frank Gentile stepped in and saved Yanez at 1:54 of the fourth round. This fight could have easily been stopped a stanza earlier.

In a youth vs. age bout Super Bantamweight Cuban amateur star Yoandris Salinas 16-1(7KO) pressured veteran fighter Felipe Almanza 18-27(9KO) from the opening bell and controlled the entire fight with commanding ring generalship and aggression. Salinas was relentless and landing big shots on the Colombian Almanza and in the 3rd the Cuban landed a vicious left hook right hand the floored Almanza who was unable to reach his feet at the count of ten. The end came at 2:35.

Nearly five weeks after suffering what some boxing insiders called a career killing defeat to Carlos Molina, former Welterweight champion Kermit Cintron got back on the horse and scored a solid ten round unanimous decision over Antwone Smith in a Welterweight bout at The Ameristar Casino in St. Joseph, Missouri.

It was a tough battle that was contested mostly on the inside with Cintron landed the better shots on Smith.

Cintron showed better hand speed and more urgency then he did in the loss to Molina that took place on July 9th.

Cintron, 149 lbs of Carolina, PR won by scores of 98-92; 97-93 and 96-94 and is now 33-4-1. Smith, 148 1/2 lbs of Miami is known for his upset ability came up a little short on this night and is now 20-3-1.

Dannie Williams scored an emphatic fourth round knockout over Antonio Cervantes in round four of their scheduled ten round Lightweight bout.

Williams dropped Cervantes in round one from a right-left combination to the head.

In round four, Williams landed a jab to the body and then came over the top with a thudding right hand that sent Cervantes plummeting to the canvas as he hit the back of his head on the canvas and referee Steve Smoger waved the fight off instantly.

The time of the of the stoppage was 1:05 of round four for Williams, 135 1/2 lbs of St. Louis, MO and is 19-1 with fifteen knockouts. Cervantes, 135 1/2 lbs of Ensenada, MX is now 16-6-5.

Keandre Gibson scored a six round unanimous decision over Lawrence Hughes in a Jr. Welterweight bout.

Gibson scored a knockdown in round one form a hard right hand. The same thing happened in round three as he landed a right that sent Hughes to the canvas.

Gibson dominated the rest of the bout and coasted home to the victory by scores 60-51; 60-52 and 59-53.

Gibson, 143 lbs of Berkley, MO is now 5-0. Hugues, 142 1/2 lbs of St. Louis, MO is now 3-1-1.

Bantamweight title holder Nonito Doanire will make his ring return on November 5th in a bout to be televised by HBO according to Dan Rafael of espn.com

“We are looking to secure an opponent and a site for Nonito’s return on Nov. 5 and we’re very excited,” said Todd duBoef, President of Top Rank.

The names presented to HBO as possible opponents, according to Moretti, are Argentina’s Omar Narvaez (35-0, 23 KOs), a reigning junior bantamweight titleholder and former longtime flyweight titlist; former two-time title challenger Silence Mabuza (23-3, 19 KOs) of South Africa; Mexico’s Christian Esquivel (23-2, 17 KOs); Sebastian Gauthier (21-2, 13 KOs) of Canada; former junior bantamweight titlist Alexander Munoz (35-4, 27 KOs); and Juan Mercedes (26-3, 17 KOs) of the Dominican Republic.

“Narvaez’s people have interest in the fight and there’s a hefty offer out to them right now,” said Top Rank’s Carl Moretti.

“We have absolutely zero interest in pursuing a Darchinyan rematch,” Moretti said. “We’ve been down that road before. We’ve tried to make it and it didn’t get done. I don’t think there’s anything for Nonito to gain by fighting him again.”

PHILADELPHIA—Rashad Evans came back after nearly a year and a half layoff to write a bad chapter in the Cinderella Story of Tito Ortiz as Evans scored a punishing second round stoppage of their emotional Light Heavyweight bout at the Wells Fargo Center.

The crowd was in frenzy as it was a Pro-Ortiz audience and they tried to urge their man on.

There was not much action in the first moments but Evans took control in the latter stages of the round as he had Ortiz in a dominant position while landing some good punches.

The second and deciding frame had as much ebb and flow as a round could have as Evans back slammed Ortiz hard to the mat. Ortiz showed his fighting spirited and excited the crowd as for a brief moment he applied a Guillotine choke for which Evans was able to slide out of.

That may have deflated Ortiz as Evans got on the offensive and pounded a prone Ortiz before the fight was stopped.

Evans, 204.4 lbs of Boca Raton, FL will now look for the winner of Jon Jones and “Rampage” Jackson for Light Heavyweight supremacy with a record of 21-1-1. Ortiz, 205.8 lbs of Huntington Beach, CA took the fight on just two and a half weeks notice and is now 17-9-1.

RASHAD EVANS
“Speed kills and I feel that tonight I was fast. Tito was a couple of steps behind. I had to keep the pressure on because Tito is strong. I didn’t feel in any danger with the choke, I felt like it was a wrestling position where I put my head to the ground and my shoulder to him so there wasn’t too much he could do with that. This victory is sweet, after 14 months off I feel stronger than ever.”

TITO ORTIZ
“Rashad was the better man tonight. I take my hat off to him. I fought my ass off tonight and I will be back. I took this fight on short notice and gave it my all. I stepped up for Dana, Lorenzo and the UFC.”

In the Middleweight co-feature, Vitor Belfort thrilled a partisan crowd by stopping Yoshihiro Akiyama in round one.

After a cautious first moment of the bout, Belfort landed a hard combination that got Akiyama to the ground. Belfort followed up by pounding the head of Akiyama and the fight was stopped.

Belfort, 185.4 lbs of Las Vegas, NV showed no affects of his title losing knockout loss to Anderson Silva and will look for another title shot at 20-9. Akiyama, 184.6 lbs of Osaka, JAP is now 13-4.

VITOR BELFORT
“I feel great. God gave me the strength to move forward and I thank Him for that. I have the courage it takes to be one of the best. I feel strong, fit, powerful and fast.”

Brian Ebersole took out Denis Hallman in round of their welterweight battle of MMA veterans.
The match took a backseat to Hallman’s tight trunks, which Dana White later described as tighter than Speedos.

That did not seem to distract Ebersole as escaped off his back to turn the tables and begin to land hard punches and elbows on Hallman. A thudding elbow across the head was the nail in the coffin as it sent Hallman out and the bout was stopped at 4:28 of round one.

Ebersole, 170.6 lbs of Melbourne, AUS is now 48-14-1-1. Hallman, 170.8 lbs of Yelm, WA is now 66-14-2.

BRIAN EBERSOLE
“The feeling is bitter sweet, the fight didn’t start the way I wanted it to start. I thought I would have had to wear him down much more but luckily for me he had an open guard which let me get in there. I’m ecstatic about my two straight victories. I want to fight the veterans now, the ones that I came up watching.”

DENNIS HALLMAN
“I feel the fight was stopped too soon, but Brian had some good blows. Overall it was a fair fight.”

Constantinos Philippou scored a three round split decision over Jorge Rivera in a Middleweight bout.
It was a close fight with both guys having their moments.

Scores were 29-28 for Philippou in two cards and Rivera took a card at 29-28.

Phililppou, 185.2 lbs of Long Island, NY is now 8-2. Rivera, 186.4 lbs of Milford, MA is 18-9

CONSTANTINOS PHILIPPOU
“I am very happy with winning my first UFC fight, but it wasn’t the way I wanted to win it. I wanted to show off my boxing skills and instead I was wrestling and using my jiu jitsu skills. But I will learn from my mistakes and come back stronger and fitter.”

JORGE RIVERA
“I wish I had finished the fight. I think that when the decision is left to the judges, you get what you deserve, and tonight I didn’t deserve to win.”

Superstar in the making Rory McDonald scored an impressive first round stoppage over Mike Pyle in a Welterweight bout.

McDonald had Pyle on his back and began to reign elbows and punches and the fight was stopped at 3:54 of round one.

McDonald, 170.5 lbs of Montreal is now 12-1. Pyle, 170.8 lbs of Las Vegas is now 21-8-1.

RORY MACDONALD
“I went in really confident, and I have a lot more to show. I’m constantly improving and stepping up the ladder which is what I want to be doing. Everything went my way tonight, I wanted a clear shot and I knew from looking in his eyes that the fight was over.”

MIKE PYLE
“I’ll do better next time”.

Alexander Gustafsson pounded Matt Hamill in round two of their three round Light Heavyweight bout.
After Hamill took round one, Gutafsson pounded Hamill on the ground until the ref stopped the bout at 3:34 of round two.

Gustafsson of Gothenburg, Sweden is now 12-1. Hamill of Utica, NY is 11-4.

ALEXANDER GUSTAFSSON
“This was by far the biggest fight of my career. It was unbelievable. I think that I was too defensive in the first round, but the second round I felt great. I want a career out of this, I want to fight the best guys in the world.”

MATT HAMILL
“I was eager going into the Octagon, but I was also fatigued. I had little time to prepare for the fight, and you could see my fatigue as my arms were down from the start of the fight. Alexander is a dangerous striker, and it was dangerous for me to have my arms down. I’ll be back tougher than ever though.”

Chad Mendes remained perfect with a three round unanimous decision over Rani Yahya in a Featherweight bout.

Scores were 30-27 across the board for Mendes of Sacramento, CA and is now 11-0. Yahya of Brasilla. Brazil is now 16-7.

CHAD MENDES
“Of course we all look for a finish, but overall I am happy with the fight and I felt good. When I took him down the first time I wanted to see what he felt like. Hes a tough guy and I knew he would be strong. I was trying to elbow him and follow through with some quick pop-shots as much as possible.”

RANI YAHYA
“Chad is strong and Chad is good. He is really good at what he does. He kicked me a few times and I felt them for sure, and he has great take downs.”

Ivan Menjivar scored a three round unanimous decision over Nick Pace in a Bantamweight bout.

Scores were 29-28 on all cards for Menjivar of Montreal and is now 23-8. Pace of Staten Island, NY is 6-2

IVAN MENJIVAR
“I happy with the win, he took me down so it was a very close fight. I think I punched him more than he did so I was more in control, but he hit me hard twice and that made my legs shake.”

NICK PACE
“I hate losing more then I like winning, and I want to be the champion. It was very unlucky, but that’s MMA and that’s life, its not always fair.”

Johny Hendricks scored a three round split decision over Mike Pierce in a Welterweight bout.

Scores were 29-28 on two cards for Hendricks and Pierce took a card at 29-28.

Hendricks of Dallas, TX is now 11-1. Pierce of Vancouver, WA is 12-4.

JOHNY HENDRICKS
“It was a very tough fight. Its always hard with other wrestlers, and he changed levels often making it even harder. I feel that the take downs were even, in fact, I don’t think he took me down at all. I feel awesome, my ground game is good, my knees are great and I am really happy with my improvement.”

MIKE PIERCE
“I’m obviously dissapointed. I had a really good camp, went through really good training and I feel dissapointed after all the hard work I put in. It was a fair fight, both of us were trying to finish what we started, and unfortunately it went the way it did.”

On the strength of a dominant first round, former WEC champion Mike Brown scored a three round unanimous decision over Nam Phan in A Featherweight bout.

Brown pounded Phan on the ground for the majority of the opening frame.

Scores were 29-27; 29-28 and 29-28 for Brown, 146 lbs of Coconut Creek, FL and is now 25-8. Phan, 145 lbs of Orange County, CA is 16-10.

MIKE BROWN
“At the beginning my back was haunting me so that’s why I was a little conservative, but I’m glad I got the job done. There was a lot of repetitive trauma there for over four minutes so even though I didn’t knock him out, I know that I was breaking him down. It wasn’t the most perfect fight, but I’m happy I got the victory.”

NAM PHAN
“It was a really tough bout so I did what I could do. Unfortunately it wasn’t enough, but I believe it was as fair as it could be”.

In the opening bout of the evening, Rafael Natal scored a three round unanimous decision over Paul Bradley in a Middleweight bout.

Scores were 30-27; 29-28 and 29-28 for Natal.

Natal, 185.4 lbs of New York is now 13-3-1. Bradley, 185.2 lbs of Minneapolis, MN is now 18-3-0-1

RAFAEL NATAL
“I am really, really happy about this fight! I feel like I needed it, I worked really hard for it. It was a tough fight and I’m glad I came through winning. Thank you God and thank you UFC.”

PAUL BRADLEY
“I feel like it was my fault, I could have taken him down in the second round. I didn’t, so it’s my fault. It was a close fight, and I am disappointed by the result. Like Dana always says, never leave it to the judges.”

Dan Rafael of espn.com is reporting that that Manny Pacquiao’s November 12th Welterweight title defense against Juan Manuel Marquez will be distributed bu HBO Pay Per View.

Pacquiao who had been a staple of HBO Boxing, had his May 7 showdown with Shane Mosley carried by Showtime after his promoter Top Rank got a better deal.

Just a few weeks after HBO Sports president Ross Greenburg resigned, HBO came to Top Rank with a better offer to reacquire the right to televise the world’s best Pound for Pound fighter.

“In boxing we talk about great fighters coming back after a loss. Well, HBO came back just like a great fighter,” said Top Rank President Todd duBoef, a key architect of the deal, told ESPN.com. “They came back from being on the canvas. They made their adjustments and came back and won the fight. You have to give them a lot of credit.”

“The Pacquiao-Mosley fight re-established Showtime as a major player in the pay-per-view arena and we look forward to future opportunities with Top Rank and the other promoters in boxing,” Showtime spokesman Chris DeBlasio told ESPN.com. “Right now we remain focused on a huge slate of sports programming we have lined for the fall.”

“I’m absolutely sick. This has been a physically and mentally very grueling process,” duBoef said. “But it’s invigorating to see how two major media companies have used incredible resources and assets to show how much they want to be involved in a boxing match.

“Showtime was disappointed and I’m disappointed. You’re disappointed when someone puts in a terrific proposal and then you have to tell them they’re not good enough because someone came across with a better one, a more appealing map for this fight. It was a tough call to make, especially when you’ve built relationships. I felt it was appropriate to be truthful and up front with Ken. I couldn’t sleep last night. I’m disappointed I had to leave somebody that I have a lot of respect for. The proposals (both networks) put together were fantastic. They were unprecedented. I’ve never seen anything like it. When you have that it is very difficult to make your decision. I wish both could have distributed the fight.”

“One of the things that motivated me personally (to make the HBO deal) is the attitude of Plepler and Lombardo,” Arum told ESPN.com. “I think they are extremely bright guys and have the same vision that we have to make boxing big-time again and a desire to elevate it on a world stage. With this deal, they brought to bear all the resources of the Time Warner empire.

“HBO can do only so much because of the limited audience it has. I can tell when people are extremely motivated and will put the time and effort in and to have them behind it and working with us on a day-to-day basis, along with the HBO staff, like (HBO PPV chief) Mark Taffet, it will be a home run.”

“We’re not tying ourselves to anyone,” he said. “Let’s see how this goes. But I have very high hopes that it will be a blockbuster.”

Arum said the goal is not only to do big pay-per-view numbers, but to bring boxing more into the mainstream. With Showtime and CBS marketing Pacquiao-Mosley, it generated about 1.3 million buys, according to Arum — the most ever for a Pacquiao fight.

Besides the usual promotional tools HBO would typically use for a fight — including the “24/7? reality series following the buildup, “Face Off With Max Kellerman” and replays of classic Pacquiao and Marquez fights — Arum said the fight would be promoted across Time Warner’s numerous platforms, which includes television networks (such as HBO, TNT, TBS and CNN), magazines (Sports Illustrated and People) and the websites for those outlets. They will be heavily utilized, Arum said. Among the plans, according to Arum and duBoef:

• CNN will show replays of “24/7? episodes.
• Arum and Pacquiao will appear for a joint interview on Piers Morgan’s primetime CNN show as well as be interviewed on CNN international programming.
• The fight will be promoted during TBS’ coverage of the Major League Baseball playoffs.
• If the NBA lockout is lifted, the fight would also be promoted during TNT’s basketball coverage.
• There will be daily coverage of fight-week activities on HBO, including the final news conference and weigh-in.

“Being on shows on CNN, to me, is elevating the sport to new levels,” Arum said. “To have the fight discussed on programs that intellectual elites watch is good for the brand. Time Warner is also going to pull out all the stops on their sports programs on TNT and TBS.”

Said duBoef: “The currency of these deals isn’t about the dollars. It was the currency of who could get my product out to the most eyeballs. It was an analysis. I didn’t just do it on a gut feeling. I went through this very strategically and we had it analyzed. At the end of the day, it was HBO, Time Warner who had a better deal across the board.”

Initially, Arum said whichever company got the rights to Pacquiao-Marquez III would also get the Dec. 3 Miguel Cotto-Antonio Margarito rematch, another major fight. HBO PPV did their initial fight in 2008 while Showtime PPV did Cotto’s win against Ricardo Mayorga in March.

Arum said he eventually changed his mind about making the two fights a package deal.

“Showtime still has a position on the Cotto fight because they did the last one, so Monday we’ll start talking to them,” Arum said. “When Todd and I had further discussions and we realized that it wasn’t the most advantageous thing to do, to make a package deal. Showtime did such a great job for us on the last Pacquiao fight and it would be important and good for the sport for Showtime to stay involved in these major pay-per-view fights. So if Showtime meets certain proposals that we’re going to make, and we get the support we need from them, then it behooves everybody to go with them. That way we keep more people and entities involved and it’s great for the sport.

“I don’t want to go back to the situation where there is one entity doing all the major pay-per-views and that entity does the same thing over and over and gets into this narrow box, which I felt the pay-per-views were in because they had been successful and we kept repeating the same thing over and over again. That is not a way to grow a sport. You grow it by being innovative and having competition and new ideas.”

Dan Rafael of espn.com is reporting that Jr. Welterweights Kendall Hilt and Danny Garcia will fight eachother on October 15th as part of the Bernard Hopkins – Chad Dawson world Light Heavyweight title fight undercard in Los Angeles.

“It’s done, 100 percent done and I’m very excited about this fight,” said Holt’s promoter Gary Shaw. “I think it’s a great fight and the right fight for both fighters.”

“It wasn’t hard at all,” he said. “Golden Boy and myself both wanted to make the fight and both fighters wanted the fight. That makes the perfect marriage.”

“I don’t think Garcia has ever felt the kind of power Kendall has and Kendall may not have been in with anyone recently with the kind of speed that Garcia has,” Shaw said. “It’s the old cliche — this is the young fighter versus the veteran, which is the theme of Hopkins and Dawson as well.”

junior lightweight titleholder Jorge Linares (31-1, 20 KOs) for the lightweight belt recently vacated by Humberto Soto (DeMarco’s cousin).

Shaw said he and Golden Boy are still working to finalize a fourth televised bout, but that it could include heavyweight Franklin Lawrence, whom Shaw recently signed, or blue chip featherweight prospect Gary Russell Jr., a 2008 U.S. Olympian.

“We’ll lock in the last fight probably by Wednesday,” Shaw said.

NEW YORK, NY (August 3, 2011) – DiBella Entertainment has added Irish middleweight contender Matthew “Mack the Knife” Macklin to its ever-growing stable of fighters. Macklin, 29, is an intelligent boxer-puncher, who has shown that he is not afraid to engage or press the action when necessary. He is currently ranked #4 by the WBA, #7 by the WBO, and #12 by the IBO, and has nothing but big fights on his mind as he joins the same promotional roster as middleweight champion Sergio Martinez and middleweight contenders Andy Lee, Brian Vera, Ronald Hearns, Peter Manfredo, Jr., and Ishe Smith.

There are times when a loss brings more positive attention to a fighter’s career than any of his previous victories. Coming off his most recent fight, a controversial loss to “Super” WBA middleweight titlist Felix Sturm, that statement could not be truer of Macklin, 28-3 (19 KOs). But now, Macklin is looking for redemption under a new promotional banner, a deal to bring him to the United States that was facilitated by Brian Peters, his manager since 2005.

“I am really happy to be signing with DiBella Entertainment,” said Macklin. “I’ve known Lou DiBella for many years. I met him in Manchester when Paulie Malignaggi fought Lovemore Ndou in 2008. We spoke about doing something together last year, but the timing wasn’t right. I feel that we’re now on the same wavelength. I’m excited about the future and I feel that I am in very good hands with Lou.”

Born in Birmingham, England, to Irish parents, Macklin was studying law at Coventry University while simultaneously competing as an amateur boxer. After winning the national senior Amateur Boxing Association of England welterweight title in 2001, Macklin made the decision to put his studies on hold, to the ire of his parents, in order to pursue a professional boxing career.

In Glasgow, Scotland, on the undercard of future featherweight champion Scott Harrison, Macklin stopped Ram Singh in just 112 second, on November 17, 2001. Going on to win his first nine bouts, six by knockout, Macklin built up enough of a reputation to challenge for the British junior middleweight title. Fighting Andrew Facey on November 6, 2003, Macklin lost a razor-thin 10-round decision by one point, with a score of 96-95.

Macklin bounced back from that defeat winning three straight before fighting professionally in Ireland for the first time against Michael Monaghan for the Irish middleweight title, on May 14, 2005, his 23rd birthday, at National Stadium in Dublin. Macklin won the belt with a fifth-round knockout, at 1:28 of the frame.

Three months after winning the Irish middleweight title, Macklin traveled across the pond to get his first taste of fighting in the United States, winning two bouts by knockout, stopping Leo Laudat in three in Atlantic City, and Anthony Little in two in Philadelphia.

Three fights later, Macklin would engage Jamie Moore in one of the best fights of 2006, in his second attempt to win the British junior middleweight crown. Fighting Moore at George Carnall Leisure Centre in Manchester on September 26, Macklin was quickly drawn into a brawl and the two continued to fight in the trenches for over nine brutal rounds, before the Irishman would succumb to a knockout halfway through the 10th frame.

“I fought Jamie Moore at the wrong weight,” said Macklin. “Although I shouldn’t have fought Moore’s fight, making weight was the problem in that bout. I felt weak, I had no stamina and no reflexes. I stayed at welterweight and junior middleweight for far too long. I am a middleweight.”

Maintaining a busy schedule over the next two years, Macklin would win his next six fights, three by knockout, including a 10-round decision over veteran Yori Boy Campas. Macklin then returned to his hometown of Birmingham to challenge Wayne Elcock for the British middleweight title on March 14, 2009, winning by TKO in the third. Macklin followed that up with a fight against Finnish Amin Asikainen six months later and destroyed him inside one round to add the European title to his collection.

After defending the European title in two of his next three victories, Macklin was poised to make a big slash on the world-boxing scene with a bout against former junior middleweight champion Winky Wright set for Las Vegas. However, that bout did not come to fruition when Wright pulled out after suffering an injury in training. A WBA eliminator against Khoren Gevor next presented itself with the winner to face Felix Sturm. Contractual issues led to Macklin pulling out of that contest, but he was rewarded with a direct shot at Sturm and, despite losing a highly controversial split decision on the champion’s home turf, made a statement with his dynamic performance.

“I went over to Germany and I proved myself. I felt that I won,” said Macklin, who lost the split decision by two votes of 116-112 for Sturm and a 115-113 tally in his favor. “I feel that if we fought 100 times, I would beat him every time. If it were up to me, I’d fight him next, although I don’t think he has any intention of pursuing a rematch with me. If he wants to fight me again, it’s an easy fight to make, as he is his own promoter. I think he knows that he cannot beat me. He’s not going to come to Ireland or England. Fighting Sturm in New York would be great, but I would go back to Germany if I had to. I’d expect a fairer crack at the fight. I think the German officials would be under a lot more pressure to make sure things were on the level, given the controversy of our first fight.

“I think the Sturm fight was an eye-opener for the boxing public at large. Sturm is a leading man in the middleweight division and I think I proved that I am among the top three middleweights of the world.”

DiBella Entertainment President Lou DiBella is excited about his new recruit.

“I viewed signing Macklin as a no-brainer,” said DiBella. “I have Sergio Martinez, the real middleweight champ, the best in the world. But clearly Matthew handled Sturm with ease and he has a claim at being the second-best middleweight in the world. He’s going to want a shot at Sergio and eventually that will make sense.

“I’m very, very happy with the deal,” he continued. “I happen to like the kid very much and that is part of it. There are certain guys who have very pleasing styles for TV. This guy rumbles but he also has skills. He’s fun to watch and made a case that he stands near the top of the middleweight division with the way he fought Sturm.”

LOS ANGELES (August 3)…The “STAR POWER: Mayweather vs. Ortiz” pay-per-view telecast is now complete with four star-studded fights from two sites all taking place Saturday, September 17 from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas and STAPLES Center in Los Angeles. Mayweather Promotions and Golden Boy Promotions announced today that Erik Morales vs. Lucas Matthysse and Jessie Vargas vs. Josesito Lopez have been added to the mega-event, which is being produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View®.

The out-of-this-world night of boxing will kick-off with a super lightweight bout featuring undefeated rising star Vargas in his HBO Pay-Per-View debut against hard-hitting Lopez, followed by the first of the night’s three world title fights as Mexican boxing legend Morales will face power punching Argentine Matthysse for the WBC Super Lightweight World Championship. The pay-per-view telecast will then go live to STAPLES Center in Los Angeles with Mexican boxing phenom Canelo Alvarez taking on Alfonso Gomez for the WBC Super Welterweight World Championship, followed by the main event welterweight championship mega-fight, Floyd Mayweather vs. Victor Ortiz, live from Las Vegas.

Fans in attendance at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas will be able to see the Alvarez vs. Gomez fight live, while those in attendance at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles will see Mayweather vs. Ortiz and Morales vs. Matthysse live. Following the showing of Mayweather vs. Ortiz at STAPLES Center, fans in attendance will see two special post-fight concerts performed by Los Tucanes de Tijuana and El Gran Silencio.

“The addition of Morales vs. Matthysse and Vargas vs. Lopez to the September 17 fight card makes ‘STAR POWER’ without a doubt the biggest night of boxing in 2011,” said Leonard Ellerbe, CEO of Mayweather Promotions. “Mayweather Promotions is very excited about Jessie Vargas’ pay-per-view debut on such a huge event to really get his name out there and show the world what he can do.”

“Now that we have a complete pay-per-view card, the stage is set for the world to witness a real supernova of boxing,” said Richard Schaefer, CEO of Golden Boy Promotions. “Three title fights in one night is something that we are very proud to bring to boxing fans around the world. Each of these championship fights could stand alone as their own main event and fans will be able to experience them all in one night. Adding undefeated Jessie Vargas in his pay-per-view debut and the legendary Erik Morales, who is fighting to make history as the first Mexican boxing warrior to win world titles in four weight classes, really strengthens the entire ‘STAR POWER’ event.”

Tickets for Mayweather vs. Ortiz, Morales vs. Matthysse and Vargas vs. Lopez at the MGM Grand Garden Arena are priced at $1,250, $1,000, $600, $300 and $150, not including applicable service charges. Ticket sales are limited to twelve (12) per person at the $1,250, $1,000, $600 and $300 price levels with a ticket limit of two (2) per person at the $150 price level. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000. Tickets also are available for purchase at www.mgmgrand.com or www.ticketmaster.com.

STAPLES Center tickets for Alvarez vs. Gomez are priced at $300, $150, $75, and $50, are on sale now and available for purchase online at ticketmaster.com, via Ticketmaster charge-by-phone lines at (800)745-3000. Tickets are also available at STAPLES Center box office.

A three-division world champion and future Hall of Famer, Erik “El Terrible” Morales (51-7, 35 KO’s) ruled the boxing landscape for years, thrilling fans with his classic battles against Manny Pacquiao, Marco Antonio Barrera, Paulie Ayala, Wayne McCullough and In-Jin Chi. But when he returned from a nearly three year layoff in 2010, many wondered if the Tijuana native still had what it took to compete with the elite. Those questions were answered loud and clear with a three fight winning streak in 2010 and a Fight of the Year candidate in April of 2011, when he went to war for 12 rounds with Marcos Maidana before losing a razor-thin majority decision. Now, the 34-year old warrior is back in the ring and back in Las Vegas to face the concussive punching Matthysse as he vies to become the only Mexican fighter in history to win world titles in four weight divisions.

“This fight is the chance of a lifetime,” said Morales. “I have waited for this moment my entire career. To have the opportunity to win world titles in four weight divisions on Mexican Independence Day and on a night like this is a dream come true. I am going to train harder than ever to make the Mexican people proud and to be victorious on September 17.”

One of boxing’s hardest punchers, Lucas Matthysse (28-2, 26 KO’s) of Trelew, Argentina has made former World Champions Zab “Super” Judah and Devon Alexander see stars in his last two fights, knocking each of them down, only to lose both fights by controversial split decisions. The 28-year-old’s new role as the people’s champion is a good one for the crowd-pleasing standout, who has been delivering stellar performances from the time he turned professional in 2004. A former WBO Latino and WBO Intercontinental champion who counts “Vicious” Vivian Harris, DeMarcus “Chop Chop” Corley and Rogelio Castaneda Jr. among his vanquished foes, Matthysse, who has won 93 percent of his fights by way of knockout, is amped up and ready to trade blows with one of the sport’s modern greats, Erik Morales, on September 17.

“I cannot wait to get in the ring and fight Erik Morales,” said Matthysse. “I will do anything and everything I can to walk away from this fight as a world champion. I will work harder because I don’t want to pass up this magnificent opportunity.”

Jessie Vargas (16-0, 9 KO’s), who grew up in Los Angeles, now resides in Las Vegas and trains at the Mayweather Boxing Club with recently hired trainer Robert Alcazar, is coming off of an impressive second-round knockout win over veteran Walter Estrada on July 8. His extraordinary performance set off a national buzz among boxing writers and fans that the young prospect is on the fast track to boxing greatness. Appearing in the opening bout in his pay-per-view debut, Vargas has the chance of a lifetime to make his name and talent known around the world against a stiff test in Josesito Lopez.

“Floyd Mayweather and Mayweather Promotions have given me an amazing opportunity to fight on the biggest night in boxing this year,” said Vargas. “On September 17, I know I will be ready to show the world that all of my hard work and preparation has led to this opportunity. I am so excited to be a part of this event and I look forward to beating Lopez and keeping my undefeated record.”

Riverside, California’s Josesito Lopez (29-3, 17 KO’s) may only be 27-years-old, but he’s old school when it comes to his approach to the sport of boxing. This attitude has led him to nearly 30 pro wins, with his only losses coming via narrow decisions. Currently riding a seven-fight winning streak, Lopez showed off his veteran savvy in his most recent victory in January, when he tarnished hot prospect Mike Dallas Jr.’s perfect record by scoring a seventh round knockout.

“I am very excited to be a part of this event and to show the world that I am a force to be reckoned with in the ring,” said Lopez. “I haven’t lost a fight in over three years and I don’t plan on losing this one. Jessie Vargas might be undefeated now, but he won’t be after September 17.”

“STAR POWER” is a mega-event taking place on Saturday, Sept. 17 from two world-class cities with three world titles at stake. Floyd Mayweather and Victor Ortiz will face off in a 12-round fight for Ortiz’s WBC Welterweight World Title from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nev. Canelo Alvarez and Alfonso Gomez will do battle in a 12-round fight for Alvarez’s WBC Super Welterweight World Title from STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, Calif. Also live in Las Vegas, will be Erik Morales vs. Lucas Matthysse in a 12 round fight for the vacant WBC Super Lightweight World Title and an opening fight featuring undefeated rising star Jessie Vargas against top contender Josesito Lopez. The mega event is promoted by Mayweather Promotions and Golden Boy Promotions and sponsored by Cerveza Tecate, DeWALT Tools and AT&T. Alvarez vs. Gomez is presented in association with Canelo Promotions and Morales vs. Matthysse is presented in association with Box Latino Promotions and Arano Box Promotions.”STAR POWER: Mayweather vs. Ortiz” will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View® beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT.

For more information, visit www.floydmayweather.com, www.goldenboypromotions.com, www.mgmgrand.com and www.staplescenter.com; follow on Twitter at @floydmayweather, @mayweatherpromo, @goldenboyboxing, @VICIOUSOrtiz, @terrible100, @Jessie_Vargas, @JosesitoLopez, @mgmgrand; or become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/FloydMayweather, www.facebook.com/Mayweatherpromotions, www.facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing. Follow HBO Boxing newsat www.hbo.com/boxing,Facebook at www.facebook.com/hboboxing and on Twitter @hboboxing. Follow STAPLES Center on Facebook at www.facebook.com/staplescenter and on Twitter @STAPLESCenterLA.

The “STAR POWER” pay-per-view telecast, which begins at 9:00 p.m. ET / 6:00 p.m. PT, will be produced and distributed by HBO Pay-Per-View and will be available to more than 92 million pay-per-view homes. The telecast will be available in HD-TV for those viewers who can receive HD. HBO Pay-Per-View®, a division of Home Box Office, Inc., is the leading supplier of event programming to the pay-per-view industry. For Mayweather vs. Ortiz fight week updates, log on to www.hbo.com.

HBO®’s Emmy® Award-winning all-access series “24/7” premieres an all-new edition when “24/7 Mayweather/Ortiz” debuts Saturday, Aug. 27 at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT. The four-part series will air for three consecutive Saturday nights before the finale airs the night before the welterweight championship showdown in Las Vegas.

Jr. Welterweight Mike Alvarado remained perfect by scoring a ten round unanimous decision over Gabriel Martinez at a Softball Park in Alvarado’s hometown of Denver.

Alvarado was dominant as he controlled the bout by boxing well and mixing in a good aggressive game plan. Alvarado scored a flash knockdown in round one.

Alvarado was never challenged in the bout that saw Martinez go down several times which were ruled slips.

Alvarado, 140 lbs of Denver, CO won by scores of 99-90; 100-89 and 100-90 and will now look for a big fight with a record of 31-0. Martinez, 140 lbs of Sinora, MX is now 27-3-1-1.

Roberto Marroquin scored two knockdowns en route to an eight round unanimous decision over veteran Jose Beranza in a Super Bantamweight fight.

Marroquin sent Beranza down in round three and again in round six from a perfect uppercut. Marroquin controlled the action with his combinations and hand speed but did get hit a few times as evidenced by the mouse that formed under his right eye.

Marroquin, 123 lbs of Dallas, TX win by scores of 78-71; 78-71 and 79-70 to raise his record to 19-1. Berazna, 123 lbs of Mexico is now 33-21-2

Sammy Martinez spoiled the pro debut of Martin Quezada by scoring a second round stoppage in a scheduled four round Lightweight bout.

Martinez was relentless in his assault by dropping Quezada twice in the second round with the finishing blow being a hard left hand that dropped Quezada to his knees and the fight was stopped immediately at 2:33 of round two

Martinez, 134 lbs is now 4-0 with three knockouts. Quezada, 133 lbs of Denver is now 0-1

Photo by Chris Farina / Top Rank

BROOKLYN, NY--Gabriel Bracero remained perfect as he thrilled a partisan crowd by overwhelming Danie Van Staden at 1:08 of round three in a scheduled eight round Jr. Welterweight bout that headlined a six bout card at the Aviator Sports Complex

It did int start out well for Van Staden as he was cut early in round one from a headbutt.

Bracero rocked Van Staden in round two from a right that was followed by a q quick flurry. Bracero landed a huge left that had Van Staden holding on. Bracero landed another big left to the head that sent Van Staden down just before the end of round two.

Van Staden was in deep trouble to start the third round and Bracero jumped on him by landing a flurry on the ropes that focused on the body before a perfect left sent Van Staden down and out. Van Staden was down for several minutes but left the ring on his own power.

Bracero, 141 lbs of Brooklyn is now 17-0 with three knockouts. Van Staden, 140 lbs of Key West, FL is now 8-7.

“It was so hard, I didn’t really feel it in my hands,” Bracero said of the winning shot. “I knew I had him.”

For Bracero, it was the second straight time he has ended a fight in dominating fashion. In June, he finished Guillermo Valdes in one round in a similarly devastating style.

“The only knock anybody had on ‘Tito’ was that he couldn’t punch,” said Lou DiBella, promoter of Bracero and Broadway Boxing. “Well guess what? Now he has added power to his fan friendly style of fighting. What is the knock now? He is becoming a complete fighter.”

Melissa McMorrow made it two straight against some of New York’s top females as she successfully defended her New York State Flyweight title as she evened up the score with Keisher McLoed-Wells via split decision in an eight round bout.

McMorrow showed the same determination she showed in her title winning effort when he she defeated Eileen Olszewski a month ago in Queens.

McMorrow bobbed and weaved her way inside very effectively through and under jabs and right hands of McLoed-Wells. In the middle rounds McLoed-Wells landed a few nicely timed uppercuts while McMorrow tried to get inside and even made McMorrow take a step backwards for the first time in the fight.

That didint last long as McMorrow had the fighting spirit and was undaunted by continuing to get inside and land combinations to any area that McLoed-Wells left unblocked.

It was a a crowd pleasing and close fight that saw McMorrow get the verdict by scores of 78-74 on two cards while McLoed-Wells took a card at 77-75.

McMorrow, 111 lbs of San Carlos, CA is now 6-2-3. McLoed-Wells, 109 lbs of New York is now 4-2.

Like Bracero, Seanie Monaghan brought a large cheering section and they didint cheer long by the were lous as their man needed just eighty-nine seconds to dispose of Brian Bernard in a scheduled six round Light Heavyweight bout.

Monaghan dropped Bernard with a hard right to the head early in the first round that sent Bernard on his back. Bernard was shaken up bad and referee Randy Neumann reached the count of ten at 1:29 of round one.

Monaghan, 175 lbs of Long Beach, NY is now 8-0 with five knockouts. Bernard, 175 lbs of St. Joseph, MO is now 10-9-2.

Jonathan Cepeda looked very good in taking out Rahman Yusubov at thirty-one seconds of round five in a scheduled six round Middleweight bout.

Cepeda landed countless power shots in the first round which foreshadowed what was to come throughout the contest.

In round two, Cepeda landed a hard left hook that sent Yusubov to the canvas. Yusubov made it back to his feet to continue to take some hard shots. Yusubov was also cut around his left eye in that round.

Yusubov showed tremendous courage and in between taking about fifteen shots, would land a few of his own and even cut Cepeda in round four around his left eye.

In round five, Cepeda landed a couple of four punch combinations with the latter being to a defensless Yusubov and the fight was stopped.

Cepeda, 158 lbs of West Palm Beach, FL is now 11-0 with ten knockouts. Yusubov, 156 lbs of Dallas, TX is now 10-3.

Joe Smith Jr. rebounded from his first career loss to take out Santos Martinez in round two of a scheduled four round Light Heavyweight bout.

The time of the stoppage was 2:40 for Smith Jr., 179 lbs of Mastic, NY and is now 7-1 with seven knockouts. Martinez, 179 lbs of Adrian, MI is now 2-2.

Travis Peterkin opened up the show by scoring a first round stoppage over Damion Reed in a schedule four round Light Heavyweight bout.

Peterkin, 175 lbs of Brooklyn dropped Reed three times before the fight was stopped at 1:50 and is now 3-0 with three knockouts. Reed, 172 1/4 lbs of Reidsville, NC is now 2-7-1

Photo by Claudia Bocanegra

Dante Jordan scored a second round stoppage over Adrian Tellez in round two of a scheduled twelve round Jr. Lightweight bout in Mexico.

Jordan dropped Tellez one in the first round from a hard combination. Tellez was clearly still shaken as he started the second and was dropped just seconds into the frame. Jordan finished the fight with a vicious upper the put Tellez down for a third and final time.

Jordan, 130 lbs of Mexico is now 18-1 with sixteen knockouts. Tellez, 130 lbs of Mexico is now 15-6-1.

Hector Morales scored an upset second round stoppage over Josue Veraza in a four round Featherweight bout.

Morales landed a big left that opened up a cut over the left eye of Veraza and the fight was stopped.

Morales, 125 lbs of Mexico is now 8-4-2. Veraza, 125 lbs of Mexico is now 12-2-1.

Jesus Faro scored a stoppage Mario Andrade after four rounds of a scheduled six round Jr. Flyweight bout.

Faro battered Andrade for the duration of the fourth frame and Andrade had taken enough for the night.

Faro, 108 lbs is now 6-5 with five knockouts. Andrade, 108 lbs is now 3-5-1.

Carlos Alberto Berraza and Salvador Juarez battled to a four round draw in a Light Flyweight bout.

Berraza, 108 lbs is 3-2-1. Juarez, 108 lbs is 1-1-1.

Beibut Shumenov defended his WBA Light Heavyweight championship with a ninth round stoppage over Danny Santiago at The South Point Hotel in Las Vegas.

Shumenov showed the faster hands and was more active throughout the bout. In round nine, the champion came out and landed twenty unanswered shots on Santiago and referee Tony Weeks stopped the bout at forty-six seconds of round nine.

Shumenov, 175 lbs of Las Vegas is now 12-1 with eight knockouts. Santiago, 173 lbs of Ocala, FL is now 31-5-1

I didn’t count the punches,” Shumenov said after the fight, “but I could have thrown more.”

“Fire& Fury” was promoted by KZ Event Productions (the Shumenov brothers –Beibut and Chingis – own and operate the Las Vegas-based KZ Event Productions) in association with Golden Boy Promotions, Don Chargin Productions, GuiltyBoxing and South Point Hotel Casino, and sponsored by Cerveza Tecate and AT&T.

Former world light heavyweight champion Jean Pascal watched the fight from ringside.“He said he wanted to fight me in Canada,” Shumenov said after speaking with Pascal in the ring. “I said he was from Canada, I’m from Kazakhstan, so let’sfight in Las Vegas where all champions dream of fighting. Pascal, Cloud, Dawson……I’m ready for anybody!”

“Shumenov is a great fighter,” Santiago remarked. “He has a good, sound technique. My eye swelled and got worse and I had trouble seeing the punches at the end. I thought I could have gone longer but, you live by the sword, you die by the sword.”

Lonnie Smith scored an impressive stoppage over Eduardo Arcos after round three of their scheduled six round Jr. Lightweight bout.

It was a very exciting bout while it lasted as Arcos landed some heavy bombs during some furious exchanges in round one. In round two, Smith gained control as he ripped some hard power shots that was showcased by some thumping uppercuts.

It was more of the same in round three, as Smith landed some hard shots and opened a cut on the left eyebrow of Arcos and the bout was stopped before round four could commence.

Smith, 130 lbs of Las Vegas is now 14-2-2 with ten knockouts. Arcos, 129 1/2 lbs of Tijuana, MX is now 16-5-1.

Joel Diaz Jr. dropped Esteban Nichol twice in round one en route to a stoppage in the opening frame of a scheduled four round Jr. Lightweight bout.

The time of the stoppage was 2:20 For Diaz Jr., 127 1/2 lbs of Palmdale, CA and is now 5-0 with four knockouts. Nichol, 127 1/2 lbs of North Denver, CO is now 3-2

Juan Suazo scored a six round unanimous decision over Ramon Montano in a Jr. Welterweight bout.

Scores were 60-54; 59-55 and 58-56 for Suazao, 137 1/2 lbs and is now 8-4-3. Montano 139 lbs is 17-10-2