NEW YORK, NY–It was glitz and glamor in New York city, as WCMG events paired up with Salita Promotions to host a night of boxing at the Roseland Ballroom. The popular Mike Ruiz (12-4, 1 KO, 146lbs) was slated to face off against Martin Wright (8-1-2, 1 KO, 146lbs) for the New York State welterweight title.

Neither fighter packs much of a punch, so a tactical battle was expected. Somebody forgot to tell the fighters in the ring, as they came out swinging in what turned out to be an action packed fight. Both fighters landed big punches early, but it was Ruiz who drew first blood, as he landed big and knocked Wright down in the third round. After lots of holding, Wright was able to overcome his rubbery legs, and eventually land some huge punches of his own, hurting Ruiz badly at some points. As the fight continued into the later rounds, both fighters began to tire and there were moments of sloppiness. In the eighth and final round, Wright was penalized a point for excessive holding. Both fighters made it to the final bell, and the fans in attendance gave them a standing ovation. The final scores read 77-74, 76-75, and 75-76 for Wright, giving him a split decision victory. It is not all that common for fighters find themselves in rematches at club shows, but another go should really happen.

New Yorks newest and most well liked boxer, Boyd Melson (2-0, 155 1/2 lbs), made short work of his opponent, Hector Rivera(2-7, 1KO, 153lbs). As soon as both fighters settled in, a left hand from Melson smashed onto Rivera’s jaw, sending him to the canvas. Rivera beat the count, but the referee ruled that he was unable to continue. Melson was victorious with a TKO at the :44 point in the first round.

Irishman, Thomas Hardwick (212 lbs) utilized his god-given Irish style in his professional debut and brawled his way to a victory over Derek Walker (1-4, 244 lbs). Hardwick just simply out-worked his tall and strong opponent and used a high-octane offense to wilt his opponent away. In the third round, Hardwick’s onslaught was too much for Walker, and he took a knee and didn’t get up until the referee called the fight off. Hardwick’s debut was a good one, giving him a TKO victory.

Deano Burrell (1-1, 1KO, 134 lbs) faced George Santiago (1-3, 1KO, 135 lbs) in a very one sided match. Burrell was just too tall, too fast, and too smart for Santiago. The only attribute that Burrell did not possess enough of was power, which meant that Santago lasted the full four rounds, losing a 40-36 decision on all three scorecards.

In an exciting heavyweight bout Jarrell Miller (1-0, 1KO, 246 lbs) squared off against Issac Villanueva (0-1, 233 lbs). Miller came out guns blazing, as he looked to impress the high roller crowd in attendance. Villanueva was tougher than expected, and managed to take Miller’s bombs fairly well, and even land some of his own. As the fourth and final round began, Miller was still on the hunt, and was not satisfied with sitting on his lead. After dozens of clean punches, referee Wayne Kelly had seen enough, and called the bout off at the 1:53 point of the fourth round, giving Miller a TKO victory.

Arman Mrkanovic (1-0, 191 lbs) took on Rayshawn Meyers (3-7, 2 KO’s, 190) in a bout that was not expected to last long, as Mrkanovic was heavily favored to win. Things went according to plan at first, as Mrkanovic easily landed an overhand right that sent Meyers crashing to the canvas. Meyers beat the count, and was immediately pounced on. Mrkanovic, sensing his opportunity, went for the stoppage. While throwing a punch, he stopped halfway and awkwardly twisted his knee in the process. Mrkanovic was unable to continue, and contrary to what ringsiders expected, the bout was ruled a TKO victory for Meyers. Mrkanovic said afterwards that he will appeal to the New York State Athletic Commission for a no contest ruling.

The first bout of the evening saw Vadim Gurau (156 lbs) take on Eduardo Ayuoso (158 lbs) in a four rounder. Both fighters were making their professional debut. They started out very competitively, but that did not last very long as Gurau’s more polished training began to show. Thats seemed inevitable to those of us at ringside, as Gurau is trained by the legendary Tommy Gallagher. In a one sided fight that went the distance, Gurau won with scores of 40-36 on all three judges’ scorecards.

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, the agreed upon bout between Paul Williams and Nobouhiro Ishida will not go on as planned as HBO put the kibosh on Ishida as Williams comeback opponent.

The bout was set for July 9 in Atlantic City and the report said that HBO gave no explanation why they would not approve Ishida as the opponent.

Williams will fight on July 9 as promoter Goossen-Tutor is looking for a more suitable opponent for HBO’s liking

Mike Ruiz 146 – Martin Wright 146
(New York State Welterweight Title)
Boyd Melson 155 1/2 – Hector Rivera 153
Thomas Hardwick 212 – Derek Walker 244
Deano Burrell 134 – George Santiago 135
Jarrell Miller 246 – Isaac Villanueva 233
Arman Mrkanovic 191 – Rayshawn Myers 190
Vadim Gurau 156 – Eduardo Ayuso 158

Promoters: Jed Weinstein / Dmitry Salita
Venue: Roseland Ballroom
Matchmaker: Felipe Gomez

Saturday’s WBO Light Heavyweight champion between Jurgen Brahmer and interim champion Nathan Cleverly has been postponed for a second time. This delay is due to a cut that Brahmer suffered just days before the fight in London according to espn.com’s Dan Rafael

“I am obviously disappointed that Brähmer has pulled out, especially as I was so convinced that Nathan was going to take his world title off him in the ring,” Said Cleverly’s promoter Frank Warren. “Unfortunately, this will now not be possible as Brähmer has withdrawn from the fight.”

“We will get an opponent for Nathan and I’m confident he will enter the ring as champion,” Warren said. “Brähmer has not acted like a champion so, therefore, does not deserve to be one after this. He has a track record for it. He’s a letdown. I couldn’t give a s— what happens to him after (he is stripped). He’s nuts, the guy.

“But at the moment the people I feel most sorry for are Nathan and the fans who have bought tickets. Nathan has trained hard to fight a southpaw, trained the hardest he’s ever done before, but you can bet he won’t be fighting a southpaw on Saturday when we get an opponent for him and that’s a real problem. But we hope we will have a name before the close of business (Wednesday). We are talking to a few fighters who have got good records and are ranked. It’s just a matter of trying to agree to terms with one of them.”

Brähmer was due to fly into the UK on Tuesday,” Warren said. “We got a call saying that he had missed his flight, but would land in the UK on Wednesday at 12 p.m. We sent a car to pick him up from the airport, but he didn’t show up. I then read on the Internet that he has a cut and won’t be fighting. We then found out that his team had emailed their hotel at 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday morning and canceled their rooms.

“Neither Brähmer nor his promoters (Germany’s Universum Box-Promotion) have picked up the phone and had the decency to explain to me what is going on. He is completely unprofessional, and the WBO should impose the ultimate sanction, which is to strip him of his title. It’s one of the most unprofessional things I have seen in my time in boxing. It’s a complete joke, an utter disgrace.

“It’s not the first time this guy has done this and I want the WBO to strip him of the title. It just seems to me Brähmer never wanted this fight.”

Former welterweight champion Kermit Cintron will take on Carlos Moliina to kick off the July 9 Showtime broadcast that will be hadline by Brandon Rios defending the WBA Lightweight title against Urbano Antillon in Las Vegas according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“It’s not signed, but it’s all agreed to,” said Carl Moretti of Top Rank of Cintron-Molina. “It’s Mexico versus Puerto Rico, and that is always a great rivalry in boxing. The winner is going to get a big fight.”

“Molina is on a little bit of a roll with the draw over Lara and the win over Conyers,” Moretti said. “A lot of people thought he beat Lara. You have a highly motivated Molina and a Cintron, who has to beat someone like this to get back to where he wants to be at 147 or 154 pounds. I hate the cliche of it being called a crossroads fight, but it really is.”

A Cintron victory would likely put him back in the mix for a much bigger fight at welterweight or junior middleweight.

“He has the ability to fight at 147 or 154, so if he wins, Cintron puts himself into play for a lot of different fights,” said Moretti, noting that he could eventually face junior middleweight titleholders Miguel Cotto or Sergiy Dzinziruk. “There are a lot of names out there where if he wins, he can find himself another fight on premium cable.”

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, Pound for Pound king Manny Pacquiao looks like he could be meeting currant Lightweight champion Juan Manuel Marquez for a third time after Marquez agreed to terms for a possible fight November 12 in Las Vegas.

The bout would be at a contract weight of 144 pounds.

“Manny has to eat extra meals just to weigh even 145 pounds,” Pacquiao’s promoter Bob Arum said.

The report indicated that Marquez would face former Lightweight champion David Diaz on July 2nd in a tuneup bout before the fight with Pacquiao.

“He’s going to do that fight, and if he loses, he’s out,” Arum said.

“It’s the same old story — styles make fights, and, for some reason, I believe if we fight Marquez 10 times, we will have controversy 10 times because he’s figured something out about Manny that no other fighter can do,” Michael Koncz, Pacquiao’s adviser, told ESPN.com. “We’ve had him down three times, but he’s able to adapt and adjust. I think it will be a very close fight again if we decide to pick that fight. The question is, what is Manny’s monetary reward?”

Golden Boy Promotions Richard Schaefer had the right to match any terms of a Marquez fight but chose not to and that paved the way for the fight.

“He told us we could go ahead with Marquez.” Arum referring to Schaefer’s response.

“I can’t really talk about anything right now based on the advice of my lawyers,” Schaefer told ESPN.com in an email.

“Marquez is definitely the frontrunner we’re looking at, but I have not yet sat down with Bob to discuss our financial deal,” Koncz said. “Bob and I will do that this week before I leave to go see Manny in the Philippines on Sunday. I’ll talk with Bob and see what his offer for Manny’s purse is and all the other things involved, and then I will take that to Manny. I have the parameters from Manny, but Bob and I have not yet had a meeting of the minds.

“Bob has one component for the fight, but he needs two. We have not agreed to the fight or the terms, but we are certainly discussing it. We’ve always been able to come to an agreement.”

“We will listen to both networks and make our decision based on who is contributing the most valuable assets to the promotion,” Arum said. “Who is going to give us the best platform to promote the fight will get the fight.”

Arum said the fight almost assuredly will be at the MGM Grand, even though there are overseas venues interested in making offers.

“I’ve been spending my life with these offers from Singapore, Macau, Dubai,” Arum said. “As far as I am concerned the only offer to cash in on are the ones from the MGM and Cowboys Stadium [where Pacquiao fought twice in 2010].”

Arum said Marquez is the only legitimate option he is looking at for Pacquiao. He mentioned Zab Judah and Timothy Bradley Jr., both junior welterweight titleholders, as alternatives to Marquez immediately after Pacquiao beat Mosley, but he said neither are likely.

“Bradley I cannot talk to because he is still under contract to Gary Shaw, even if he is unhappy,” Arum said. “His contract allegedly runs out at a certain point soon, but not yet. So I’m not going to go there. I could make a deal with [Main Events promoter] Kathy Duva for a Judah fight in five minutes, but that is not my plan. If [Pacquiao] wants to explore Judah, I’ll explore Judah.”

Los Angeles, CA (May 16, 2011) – Southern California heavyweight star Chris “The
Nightmare” Arreola (31-2, 27 KOs) will make a quick return to the ring when he
faces 28-year-old Kendrick “The Apostle” Releford (22-14-2, 10 KOs) of Fort Worth,
Texas, in a 10-round main event on Friday, May 27, at the world-class 6,000-seat
Reno Events Center operated by the Reno-Sparks Convention Visitors Authority and
televised LIVE on ESPN2 “Friday Night Fights” at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT.

Goossen Tutor Promotions will present the televised doubleheader of heavyweight
championship boxing billed as “Blame It On Reno, ESPN Style.” The main event of
the ESPN2 “Friday Night Fights” telecast was originally scheduled to feature Josesito
Lopez (29-3, 17 KOs) in his first championship defense of his NABF Light Welterweight
Title against “Showtime” Steve Upsher Chambers (23-1-1, 6 KOs).

An injured knuckle by Lopez has forced the postponement of the fight.

The co-feature – in association with Boxing 360 – will remain a scheduled 12-round
IBF Heavyweight Championship Elimination bout matching former Heavyweight World
Title challenger Tony “The Tiger” Thompson (35-2, 23 KOs) against newly crowned
USBA Heavyweight Champion Maurice “Sugar Mo” Harris (24-14-2, 10 KOs).

Last Saturday, May 14, a newly slimmed-down and focused Arreola once again put on
a power-punching display as he recorded a third-round knockout against Nagy Aguilera
at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif., on the undercard of the Andre Ward-Arthur
Abraham Showtime Super Six World Boxing Classic Semifinal. After the fight, Arreola
told reporters he hoped to get another fight soon.

“It’s only my second fight back since being serious,” Arreola said on Saturday.
“I’ll be back in the gym, back to work on Tuesday. I need another fight fast just
to stay focused on what I need to do.”

After learning his wish was granted by promoter Dan Goossen of Goossen Tutor Promotions
on Monday, Arreola said: “I didn’t think twice when Henry (Ramirez) told me the
possibility of going right back into the ring in Reno. I’ve got one objective in
my career now – train, fight and win.”

“It’s always unfortunate when a main event fighter gets hurt, but in this case,
the fans are the real winners having Chris accept this challenge on such short notice,”
Goossen said. “He’s everything you would want in a heavyweight world contender,
he loves to fight.”

In the former WBO Latino Heavyweight Champion Releford, the 30-year-old Arreola
will face an experienced fighter with a rich family history in boxing. Releford
is trained by his father Kenneth Releford who won several amateur titles, including
the Fort Worth (Texas) Golden Gloves. Releford’s three uncles – George Releford,
Anthony Releford and Vincent Releford – also had noteworthy amateur careers.

Doors open at 4 p.m. with the first bout at 5 pm. The first ESPN televised bout
is set for 9 p.m. PT / 6 p.m. PT.

Tickets for the May 27 boxing card at the Reno Events Center are priced at $100,
$59.50 and $29.50 (General Admission). Tickets may be purchased at Reno Events
Center, Eldorado and Silver Legacy’s Ticket Offices, or by phone at 1-800-745-3000
and on line at www.ticketmaster.com.

Dan Rafael of espn.com is reporting that former two-division world champion Paul Williams will return to the ring for the first time after being smashed in two round by Middleweight champion Sergio Martinez, on July 9th when he takes on Nobouhiro Ishida in Atlantic City.

“We’ve made a deal with Golden Boy for Ishida,” Dan Goossen, Williams’ promoter, said.

“We have a verbal agreement with Ishida and we are just waiting for the signed contract to come back,” said Eric Gomez of Golden Boy Promotions, which co-promotes Ishida with Canelo Promotions. “Ishida agreed to the fight. Everybody involved has agreed to the fight. We’re looking forward to it.”

“We figured since this young man stopped Kirkland, he was hot since Kirkland was hot,” said George Peterson, Williams’ trainer. “We said, ‘Hey, we’ll fight him.’ ”

“We are just anxious to get Paul back in the ring and to do it against someone who just had a spectacular first-round knockout over a highly respected fighter in James Kirkland. That adds intrigue to Paul’s first fight back from the Martinez fight,” Goossen said.

“My experience has told me not to have any concerns,” Goossen said. “I have seen a lot of great fighters — Tommy Hearns, Lennox Lewis, Wladimir Klitschko — be on the bad end of a great punch and come back and be dominant world champions. I’ve got no reason to think that Paul Williams won’t follow in those same footsteps.”

HBO accepted Ishida as the opponent after the Williams camp turned down a number of proposed opponents, including former titlist Sergiy Dzinziruk and former title challenger Deandre Latimore.

“It’s going to be Ishida, no doubt about that, so that is who we are preparing for,” Peterson said. “But I haven’t seen him yet. I don’t know the type of fighter he is, but we just want to fight. I heard he knocked Kirkland down three times. I thought Kirkland was a little tougher than the way it seems that fight went, but you never know when you get clocked. A lot of times you don’t recover. So I will take a look at the tape in the next couple of days. But we are looking forward to fighting. All Paul wants to do is fight.”

“The big question is going to be Paul Williams,” Gomez said. “How is he? Ishida has never been knocked out. He’s not a big puncher even though he looked like one against Kirkland. When a guy is coming off a really bad knockout, are they the same? I think we’ll know in the first couple of rounds. If Ishida lands a big punch we will know. We don’t know what Williams has left in the tank. It’s not just the Martinez fight either. Williams has been fighting tough fights since the (Antonio) Margarito fight (in 2007). How much more does he have in the tank?

“Goossen and Team Williams are doing the right thing by getting a guy that doesn’t have a high knockout ratio. But I did the same thing with Kirkland and we guessed wrong. We put Ishida in with Kirkland and, surprisingly, he knocked out Kirkland. You would figure Paul Williams should win. He’s always had a good chin and throws so many punches. But what does he have left? We’ll see what happens. Ishida has nothing to lose and will probably go for broke again.”

“We can’t hang our heads in sorrow and cry over a loss,” Peterson said. “Paul is like, ‘If I take a loss, I take a loss.’ Like (in his first career loss to Carlos Quintana), he said he had a bad night with Martinez. Paul just said, ‘Hey, I had a bad night. I got caught.’ ”

“Paul had some time off, some needed time off,” Peterson said. “We are to a point where we realize that it’s going to be a struggle getting back and getting the recognition after the devastating loss. But Paul will be back and will want Martinez again, no doubt about it. After this one, he wants to fight Martinez for a third time. He is not ducking anyone.

“When I tell people we want to fight Martinez for a third time people say you do? Why not? The guy is in the fighting business. This is his occupation. Guys who shy away from a challenge, we don’t consider them fighters. They are hustlers, pick pocketers.”

SANTA YNEZ, CALIFORNIA–In a high stakes pairing of former world champions, Kendall Holt put himself in line for a meaningful fight with a devastating third-round knockout of Julio Diaz on Friday night at the Chumash Casino Resort in Santa Ynez, California.

The jury is still out on whether Holt (27-4, 15 KOs) of Patterson, New Jersey is still the same fighter he was during his title reign, but one thing is for sure: he can still punch. That is what Diaz (38-7, 27 KOs) of Coachella, California found out in their ESPN2 Friday Night Fights main event.

Holt, the WBO #8/WBC #8/WBA #10/IBF #15 ranked light welterweight, was the naturally bigger and stronger fighter and fully exploited that advantage in the less than three rounds of action. Holt quickly landed two solid right hands in the first round, before Diaz, the IBF #9 ranked 140-pounder, came right back, throwing his left. Before the end of the round, Diaz would be cut above his left eye from an apparent headbutt.

Out-muscled for a stretch in the first, Diaz, 141 ½, had a determined start to the second. Diaz threw several combinations, but Holt, 142, did well enough covering up. Several times in the round, Holt would wait for Diaz to finish throwing before looking for a haymaker counter. On a few occasions, Holt just missed landing one of the wild swings. Diaz was the busier fighter in the round, as it was obvious Holt was looking for one knockout punch.

The third round featured excellent two-way action before the fight’s sudden end. Holt came out quick with a good right hand which briefly upset Diaz’ rhythm. In an exchange in which Diaz landed a left and Holt a right, the former belt holders clashed heads again. Soon after action resumed, Diaz opened up and landed a nice combination that gave Holt reason to take a step back. Diaz followed Holt, perhaps thinking he had hurt the New Jersey resident. Instead, Holt gave himself the room to land a left to the body that brought down Diaz’ guard and left him susceptible to the ensuing left hook upstairs. Diaz went down hard, but somehow managed to make it to his feet. With Diaz in no condition to continue, referee Marcos Rosales waved off the fight. Time of the stoppage was 2:37 of the third.

The Diaz victory alone – compounded by its shocking conclusion – instantly makes Holt a viable opponent for one of the money players at 140-pounds. After the fight, talk was that the Holt camp is considering an offer to fight IBF Light Welterweight titleholder Zab Judah. The match-up would be a turf war of sorts, with Holt hailing from New Jersey and Judah, New York. The fight will have to simmer should it come to pass; as an arm injury Holt suffered earlier in the bout gave the California State Athletic Commission reason enough to tag him with a 180-day medical suspension.

For Diaz, Friday’s stoppage may have been the knockout blow to his career and at the very least drops him from contender to opponent status. Should his career be over, Diaz should take solace in the fact that for a bunch of years he was one of the best in the sport. Counted out more than once his career, Diaz always battled back and brought himself back into the upper echelon. Diaz twice claimed the IBF Lightweight title and twice dropped the belt to elite fighters, Jose Luis Castillo and Juan Diaz. This time however, it is hard to envision the now 31-year-old “Kidd” Diaz working his way back to a title opportunity.

In the spirited co-feature, Jonathan Gonzalez (13-0, 13 KOs) of San Juan, Puerto Rico turned back the challenge of a game Rudy Cisneros (12-3, 11 KOs) of Chicago, Illinois, scoring a seventh-round stoppage. Cisneros, 152 ½, gave Gonzalez, 154, some trouble, especially in the early going, with his constant pressure. Eventually class showed through, as Gonzalez, the WBA #11 ranked light middleweight, took charge in the second half.

Cisneros took some solid shots through four, but handled them well outside of some bad swelling around his left eye. However, by the fifth, Gonzalez’ power began to have a showing effect on Cisneros. Most notably a short right forced the Chicago native to stutter step. Still determined, Cisneros managed to return the favor and rock Gonzalez late in the round.

The fight took a complete turn in favor of the 2008 Puerto Rican Olympian in round six, as Gonzalez unloaded with Cisneros against the ropes late in the round. Cisneros refused to cave in and fired back when possible, but with not much behind his shots. Gonzalez jumped back on Cisneros early in the seventh, eventually forcing him to the ropes for an unanswered barrage. Cisneros’ corner attempted to throw in the towel, but their toss fell short and got caught on the rope. Finally the inspector in their corner signaled referee Ray Corona to stop the bout. The official time came at 1:50 of round seven.

Gonzalez will be back after a quick turnaround as he is scheduled to compete in an eight-rounder against an opponent to be named on a special Saturday edition of Showtime’s Shobox: The New Generation on June 11th emanating from the Roseland Ballroom in New York, New York.

In a rematch of a thriller, undefeated Kurtiss Colvin (5-0, 4 KOs) of Austin, Texas made a statement with a second-round knockout of Cameron Allen (3-7, 1 KO) of Battle Creek, Michigan. Colvin, 159, jumped on Allen, 158 ½, early and often, rocking him early in round one with a combination.

Allen managed to withstand Colvin’s attack and make it into the second round, but may wish he had not. Colvin dropped Allen with a left, but the Battle Creek resident got up to take more punishment. Eventually, Colvin forced Allen against the ropes for a pounding before a right to the body set up a two-punch combination upstairs which downed Allen a second time. Referee Ray Corona waved off the fight without a count at 2:52 of the second round.

In their first meeting, which took place in February, the well regarded Colvin survived a knockdown and a standing eight-count to drop the tenacious Allen in the third en route a four-round majority decision. Colvin will likely return to the ring on June 10th back at the Chumash Casino Resort.

In an excellent fight, unbeaten prospect Julian Williams (6-0-1, 4 KOs) of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania failed to notch a win for the first time in his pro career as Francisco Santana (12-2-1, 6 KOs) of Santa Barbara, California came on strong in the second half of the fight to force a unanimous draw.

Williams, 153, got off to a solid start, outboxing Santana, 153 ½, in rounds one and two. Santana was competitive in the early going, but Williams seemed to be taking the rounds with a composed and measured performance. Santana looked to turn the fight in round four, as he just threw and threw, keeping Williams on the defensive. Eventually Santana tired, which enabled Williams to pick him off at range as the round closed.

In the second half of the fight, Santana seemed to understand he had little chance fighting on the outside, and made it an inside fight whenever possible. At times he would smother his shots, but it was still more effective than anything he had done at a distance, where Williams’ boxing skill made a big difference.

Santana had his best round when he needed it most, the fifth. The Santa Barbara native caught Williams with a leaping left counter, rocking the Philly prospect. Late in the round, Santana landed clean with a combination and flurried Williams until the bell. Had there been another minute in the round, it looked as though Williams may fall.

One would have had to figure Williams was up on the cards entering the sixth, and it would be in his best interest to keep the fight at range if not get outright on his bicycle. However, Williams was apparently too tired to run which made for an exciting final round. Both had their moments in some heated exchanges to close out the fight, which received a standing ovation from the crowd on hand. Justly perhaps, no fighter left with an ‘L’ as all three judges had the fight 57-57.

Rufino Serrano (9-3) of Santa Maria, California did enough to edge journeyman Ramon Flores (3-12-2, 3 KOs) of Wilmington, California by way of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico in a six-rounder. Flores, 129, did have more than his fair share of moments in the contest. After getting outboxed from the opening bell, Flores managed to drop Serrano, 126 ¾, with a right hand before the end of the first round. It was clearly a flash knockdown, but still not the way Serrano wanted to end the first round.

The fight was mostly Serrano’s from there on out however. Serrano, who fights and dresses in a style similar to former champion Paul Malignaggi, scored a knockdown late in the fight, but when Flores kneeled down, the local favorite continued to swing away at him. Nothing really damaging seemed to land and referee Marcos Rosales chose to issue a warning to Serrano, rather than take a point. In the end, Serrano was a unanimous victor by scores of 58-55, 58-56 and 57-56.

Anthony Dirrell (21-0, 18 KOs) of Flint, Michigan continued to bolster his stats with a third-round knockout of a completely outclassed Alberto Mercedes (14-18-1, 10 KOs) of West Allis, Wisconsin.

Dirrell, 170, was superior in every way and it was very clear from the first bell. Mercedes, 171, came to earn his paycheck however, and did not fold at the first opportunity as one might have expected him to. Watching the fight, you got the sense Dirrell, the WBC #8 ranked super middleweight, could end it at any instance if he really wanted to, but he opted to toy with Mercedes instead.

Apparently deciding he had put in enough time, Dirrell opted to throw and land the left to the body that had been available all night. Having taken some stiff head shots, Mercedes gave in to the body blow and dropped to a knee. Having seen enough, Mercedes’ corner threw in the towel to signal for the stoppage which came officially at 2:48 of the third round. According to his team, Anthony Dirrell is pegged to fight in his home of Flint, Michigan for the first time in almost five years on July 2nd.

Former amateur champion Seniesa Estrada (1-0) of East Los Angeles, California flashed some of the skills that made her one of the top amateurs in female boxing over the last few years en route to a shutout unanimous decision over Maria Ruiz (0-3-2) of Houston, Texas.

Estrada, 111 ½, switched seamlessly from orthodox to southpaw, showed great hand speed and solid technique over the four rounds. Ruiz, 112 ½, was rocked by a left hook in the early going and had no answer for Estrada at any time in the fight. Estrada may have been a bit too relaxed and cautious considering the level of her opponent. At range Estrada looked like a world class veteran, but she did look uncomfortable in spots on the inside. In the end all three judges had the fight and every round for Estrada, 40-36.

In an exciting swing bout, Daniel Roman (2-0-1, 1 KO) of Garden Grove, California scored a four-round unanimous decision over a gritty Alfredo Madrigal (1-1) of Bakersfield, California. Roman and Madrigal went toe-to-toe from the outset. In the first, it seemed every time one of them landed solid; the other would return the favor right away.

The action remained pretty even until a left hook from Roman, 118, dropped Madrigal, 118, in the second round. Roman began to find Madrigal’s body repeatedly in the third round. By the middle of the round, it was clear that Madrigal’s right side was pretty tender. Roman had loaded up on lefts to his body all round before the final bell sounded. When Madrigal made it back to his corner, his trainer placed him gently on the stool and the Bakersfield native still winced in pain. Roman took the fourth, most notably landing a solid one-two against the ropes and went on to win by the score of 40-35 three times.

In the opening bout of the night, Jhon Ortega (5-0, 5 KOs) of Londonderry, New Hampshire scored a devastating fourth-round knockout of Marcus Thompkins (5-4-1, 2 KOs) of Michigan City, Indiana. After controlling the action for three plus rounds, Ortega, 144 ½, landed a picture perfect one-two to drop Thompkins, 145 ¼, who went down hard and did not require even the start of a count from referee Ray Corona. Official time was 27 seconds of round four.

Joel Diaz (3-0, 2 KOs) of Palmdale, California made short work of Dionicio Alvarez (1-3) of Fresno, California in the final bout of the evening. After a clean body shot, Diaz, 128, flurried Alvarez, 126 ¼, into a corner before referee Ray Corona stopped the bout. The stoppage came at 2:08 of the first round.

Photos by Mark Ortega

Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortega15rds@lycos.com.

Hugo Ruiz retained the WBA Interim Bantamweight title with a twelve round unanimous decision over Francisco Arce in a bout where the combatants traded four knockdowns in the town where both fighters reside in Los Mochis, Mexico

Arce got on the board first as he dropped Ruiz in round three from a combination. Ruiz scored a flash knockdown in round five when Arce’s glove hit the canvas. In round eight, Arce landed a flush left hook that sent Ruiz to the deck. Ruiz scored the most telling knockdown when a right hand knocked Arce through the ropes in round eleven.

Ruiz, 118 lbs of Los Mochis, Mexico is now 28-1. Arce, 118 lbs of Los Mochis was attempting to join his brother Jorge, who won the WBO Super Bantamweight title last week in Las Vegas as a champion but he falls to 31-7.

CARSON, CALIFORNIA–In the first Super Six World Boxing Classic semi-final, tournament favorite Andre Ward continued his unbeaten run through the competition with a decisive twelve-round decision over Arthur Abraham at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California on Saturday night.

Abraham (32-3, 26 KOs) of Berlin, Germany by way of Yerevan, Armenia did have his moments in the early going. Ward (24-0, 14 KOs) of Oakland, California did not appear to be comfortable in rounds one and two. Abraham, 167, kept Ward, 168, out of his rhythm while making the former Olympian fight his fight.

The fight got rough and ugly in the third, as Abraham, the WBO #1/WBA #3 ranked super middleweight, got on the inside and smothered Ward. Not much was accomplished, but it was Abraham that landed the only clean blows in the round.

Incredibly after winning all of the first three rounds on this writer’s unofficial card, Abraham reverted back to his shell defense of previous fights to start the fourth. Slowly as the round progressed, Ward began to open up offensively, while Abraham remained defensive. Just before the end of the round, Ward began to break through Abraham’s guard. A heated exchange to close the fourth woke up the crowd.

Each fighter had their moments in a back-and-forth fifth. Two rights for Ward stunned Abraham. The Germany-based, Armenian-born crowd favorite managed to catch Ward while chasing the champion into a corner. After a warning from referee Luis Pabon for holding, Abraham landed a solid left near the end of the round.

In the sixth, Ward began to find a home for his one-two combinations. The jab forced Abraham to cover up, but Ward would place his follow-ups where he could find openings. Abraham’s body also became a more available target once Ward began utilizing his jab. Before round’s end, Ward landed a clean uppercut followed by a hard right hand. Again, Abraham just covered up and offered nothing in return.

Rounds seven, eight and nine were near mirror images of each other. Abraham remained defensive and Ward found success boxing and moving his hands. Not everything landed clean, but even when Ward hit Abraham’s gloves it took an effect on his face, which was hiding behind them. In the tenth, a now ultra-confident Ward turned southpaw for the longest stretch in the fight and pounded away at Abraham while facing no consequences.

After making little visible effort to win from the middle rounds of the fight, Abraham made a somewhat spirited attempt at making something happen in the final round. It would be far too little too late. Ward weathered the brief on rush was out in front again by the end of the round. The scoring was academic, as judge Ingo Barrabas had it 118-110, James Jen-Kin, 118-111, and judge Stanley Christodoulou, 120-108.

Given the large Armenian community in Southern California, Ward had the crowd against him for the first time in a long time Saturday night. It was something Ward, who has received criticism from pundits as well as opponents’ promoters for fighting at home in recent bouts, welcomed with open arms.

“I told people before, who said they thought he might have more fans, ‘He might have more fans but it’ll be fun.’ That’s what it was, because you have to prove you as a champion that you can win under different circumstances,” said Ward at the post-fight presser. “I know that I can perform under any circumstances, but it was good to let the people know I can perform under any circumstances.”

With the victory, Ward retained his WBA 168-pound title and moves on to the tournament finals where he will meet the winner of the June 4th clash between Carl Froch and Glen Johnson, which takes place at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Froch is currently the WBC Super Middleweight ruler, and a unification bout is something Ward looks forward to. “I want that green belt,” said Ward, citing its historical relevance as the reason.

While Ward does not discount Johnson’s chances in the bout, he expects Froch to come out victorious and move into the finals. It is a fight that Ward eagerly anticipates, should it come to fruition. “He’s been calling for it,” said Ward of Froch. “We want to give the fans what they want. It is going to be an action-packed fight. It’ll be a live atmosphere like it was tonight.”

Chris Arreola (31-2, 27 KOs) of Riverside, California came in shape, but fought a risky fight en route to a third-round knockout over Nagy Aguilera (16-6, 11 KOs) of Newburgh, New York. Arreola, 234, landed a right hand that staggered Aguilera, 238, early in the first. With Aguilera in the ropes Arreola opened up, but left himself open to a right hand counter that looked good. But Arreola did not flinch and kept coming before rocking Aguilera again.

Arreola, the WBC #3/IBF #5/WBO #12/WBA #15 ranked heavyweight, worked over Aguilera again in the second, but the New Yorker remained game. Late in the second round Arreola went for the kayo, but ended up punching himself out. Aguilera took note of Arreola’s waning energy level and opened up himself to some success.

Arreola came out swinging and wobbled Aguilera with a right in the third. As the Riverside native unloaded a combination, referee Raul Caiz Jr. almost jumped in to stop the fight. However, Aguilera would fire a wild swing every time the stoppage looked eminent. When Arreola took a break and flurried again, Caiz decided Aguilera had taken enough. Right when Caiz leaped in, Aguilera fired a wild shot. While Aguilera was coherent and angry over the stoppage, Caiz made the right call. Time of the stoppage was 1:58 of round three.

Shawn Estrada (12-0, 11 KOs) of East Los Angeles, California did what he was supposed to in knocking out Joseph Gardner (7-3-1, 1 KO) of Woonsocket, Rhode Island early into round one. Estrada, a 2008 U.S. Olympian, was the much bigger man in the fight and it showed. Estrada, 174, landed a right hook, left hook combination to drop Gardner, 166, in the first round. The referee immediately waved off the bout at 1:27 of the first.

In Gardner’s two previous losses it took former world title challenger Elvin Ayala four full rounds to get a stoppage and prospect Vladine Biosse only managed a four-round decision. Given that information, Estrada’s performance looks pretty impressive on paper. However, much of the praise he would have received for outshining Gardner’s previous foes will not come due to the fact that Estrada, a middleweight as an Olympian, came in several pounds over the contracted weight on Friday. At the scales Estrada outweighed Gardner by eight pounds, a differential that was likely increased by first bell.

Goossen Tutor Promotions’ Javier Molina (6-0, 4 KOs) of Norwalk, California scored a four-round unanimous decision over durable Danny Figueroa (3-2, 2 KOs) of Hastings, Minnesota. Molina, 148, was clearly the more technically sound boxer and used those skills to outbox the determined Figueroa, 148. After four-rounds, Molina, a 2008 U.S. Olympian, had scored a shutout on all three cards, 40-36. Molina will get a quick turnaround with a fight already scheduled for May 27th at the Reno Events Center in Reno, Nevada. Molina is slated to take on David Lopez in a swing bout that may be his initial foray into the six-round scheduled distance.

Dominik Britsch (23-0, 8 KOs) of Neckarsulm, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany stopped Delray Raines (18-10-1, 13 KOs) of Paris, Arkansas in the fifth-round of a bout that was put together at the last possible minute. Britsch, who had his opponent switched several times in the last month, scored one knockdown each in the second thru fifth rounds. Most of them looked brutual enough to warrant the stoppage. The one that did it in the end was a right that sent the journeyman down in a heap. Referee Ray Balewicz had finally seen enough at 2:21 of the round.

Armen Ovsepyan (11-1, 9 KOs) knocked out Arturo Brambila (9-15, 4 KOs) of Phoenix, Arizona by way of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico in the first round of a scheduled four-rounder. A two-punch combo started with the left dropped Brambila to the canvas and referee Raul Caiz Jr. opted not to begin a count. Time of the stoppage was 2:44 of the first.

Rising bantamweight prospect Matt Villanueva (6-0, 5 KOs) of Van Nuys, Caifornia overpowered young journeyman Frank Gutierrez (2-10-2, 1 KO) of Highland, California in an impressive first-round knockout. Gutierrez, 118, was game us usual, but also outgunned as usual. Villanueva, 117, went swing for swing with Gutierrez before placing a blow that looked to catch the Highland resident behind the head. However, the referee ruled it a knockdown. It was quickly downhill from there, as another right knocked Gutierrez down and out. Official time of the stoppage was 2:56 of the first.

Andrey Klimov (11-0, 6 KOs) of Van Nuys, California by way of Klimovsk, Moscow, Russia scored the most impressive win of his young career with a third-round knockout of former prospect Ty Barnett (18-2-1, 12 KOs) of Washington, DC. Klimov, 137, was in control of the fight from the outset before putting Barnett, 135, down and out in the night’s opening bout. Official time of the stoppage was 1:12 of the third round.

Bowie Tupou (21-1, 16 KOs) of Los Angeles by way of Nuku’alofa, Tonga battled back from some tough early rounds to stop former world ranked contender Manuel Quezada (29-7, 18 KOs) of Wasco, California in the final bout of the evening.

After a feeling out first round, Quezada, 233, turned up his aggression and took control of the fight in the second. Quezada stuck Tupou, 245, with a hard left early in the round. The shot put Tupou against the ropes and set him up for a clean right. The series put Tupou in clinch mode, which helped him get out of trouble.

After winning the third close, Quezada was got caught by a suddenly wild Tupou in the fourth. One flurry forces the Wasco native to the ropes, but Quezada managed to avoid Tupou’s fiercest bombs. After a shaky fourth, Quezada battled back in the fifth and got the better of some heated exchanges.

The fight then turned against Quezada in the sixth, as Tupou suddenly discovered his right hand. After some hard shots upstairs, Tupou landed a combo to Quezada’s body that had the former contender bending at the waist. Another right to Quezada’s body seemed to score a knockdown for Tupou, but it was waved off as a slip by referee Jerry Cantu.

Further illustrating the fact that Tupou had really scored a knockdown in the sixth, Quezada was quickly in trouble after the start of the seventh. With “El Toro” against the ropes, Tupou landed a clean left to his face that forced Quezada to his knees. Stunned with a bloody and perhaps broken nose, Quezada failed to get up off of his knees and was counted out. Official time of the knockout, the most significant win of Tupou’s career to this point, was 53 seconds of the seventh.

Photos by Stephanie Trapp/trappfotos@gmail.com

Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortega15rds@lycos.com.

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA — The Super Six World Boxing Classic, boxing’s version of Survivor, enters its final stages tonight as tournament favorite Andre Ward defends his WBA Super Middleweight title against early tournament front-runner Arthur Abraham at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California. Fighters weighed in Thursday at the Crowne Plaza Hotel Los Angeles International Airport in nearby Los Angeles.

Ward (23-0, 13 KOs) of Oakland, California may be just two wins away from breaking through into the superstar realm of the sport. Entering the tournament, few of boxing’s so-called experts gave Ward much chance to upset Mikkel Kessler, much less win the entire tournament outright, running the table in the process as he has done thus far. Some may be quick to point out that, due to some early fighter fallouts, Ward has only faced one of the original Super Six in his three bouts since the tournament began.

However, Abraham (32-2, 26 KOs) of Berlin, Germany by way of Yerevan, Armenia is not only one of the original tournament competitors, but entering the ground-breaking experiment, “King” Arthur was one of the co-favorites alongside Kessler. Abraham finds himself in a position he probably never envisioned. After putting Jermain Taylor’s career in doubt with a last minute stoppage, the former middleweight champion was completely outboxed by Andre Dirrell before he got himself disqualified in the eleventh. In his next outing, Abraham was again outboxed, this time even more one-sidedly by Carl Froch. Abraham, ultra-confident entering the tournament, was so down that his promoter arranged a confidence-building tune-up this past February in Germany. What Abraham gained from his second-round stoppage of an overmatched Stejepan Bozic remains to be seen.

Based on their recent body of work, Ward enters tonight’s contest an overwhelming favorite and the pick of many to win the entire tournament, regardless of who triumphs in the other semi-final between Froch and late tournament entry Glen Johnson. Abraham, who enters the bout the WBO #1/WBA #3 ranked super middleweight, has left some to question his viability as a 168-pound contender with his recent performances. Should Abraham pull of the upset tonight, his recent disappointments will be quickly forgotten. Ward scaled 168 Thursday, while Abraham came in at a fit 167-pounds.

Adding some ticket-buying incentive for the local fight fans, world class heavyweight Chris Arreola (30-2, 26 KOs) of Riverside, California will continue his rebuilding process in a ten-rounder against former upset artist Nagy Aguilera (16-5, 11 KOs) of Newburgh, New York.

Arreola, the WBC #3/IBF #5/WBO #12/WBA #15 ranked heavyweight, came in at a fit-and-trim 234, shocking many of his critics. Aguilera, whose name-making victory came over former champion Oleg Maskaev, came in at 238-pounds. A motivated Arreola figures to be a hard test for Aguilera to pass. Arreola, who has routinely showed up out of shape for much bigger fights, looks to be ready to make a statement and move on to bigger things once more.

Another local favorite looks to further endear himself to the Southern California faithful, as Shawn Estrada (11-0, 10 KOs) of East Los Angeles, California will take on Joseph Gardner (7-2-1, 1 KO) of Woonsocket, Rhode Island in a six-round super middleweight attraction. Estrada got his career back on track late last year and has looked impressive against a higher caliber of opponent in recent outings. Estrada, a 2008 U.S. Olympian, dominated once-beaten Jon Schmidt this past January and will look to do the same tonight against Gardner, who has only lost to quality opposition. Unfortunately any victory Estrada comes out with tonight will likely be diminished by the lack of professionalism he displayed by coming in well over the contracted weight Thursday. Estrada did not look to be in great condition as he scaled 174-pounds to Gardner’s 166-pounds.

Javier Molina (5-0, 4 KOs) of Norwalk, California signed a promotional agreement with Goossen Tutor Promotions at the same time his 2008 U.S. Olympic teammate Shawn Estrada did, but injuries have held Molina back at several instances in his brief career. Molina looks to accelerate his career path beginning tonight with a four-round welterweight bout against Danny Figueroa (3-1, 2 KOs) of Hastings, Minnesota. Should Molina, who scaled 148-pounds, come out unscathed, he is already scheduled to return to the ring May 27th in Reno, Nevada. Figueroa also came in at 148-pounds.

In an intriguing crossroads heavyweight clash, former world ranked contender Manuel Quezada (29-6, 18 KOs) of Wasco, California takes on untested hopeful Bowie Tupou (20-1, 15 KOs) in a ten-rounder. For tonight’s victor, big fights and big names could be right around the corner. Quezada, who is returning to the ring for the first time since a brave effort against Chris Arreola, came in at 233-pounds. Tupou, who has had a stop and start career to this point, came in at 245-pounds.

Rising bantamweight prospect Matt Villanueva (5-0, 5 KOs) of Van Nuys, California will take on young journeyman Frank Gutierrez (2-9-2, 1 KO) of Highland, California in a four-round bout. Villanueva, who has impressed his fair share of boxing pundits in his five outings, weighed in at 117-pounds Thursday. Gutierrez, who has never been matched in an easy fight, came in at the 118-pound bantamweight division limit.

Armen Ovsepyan (10-1, 8 KOs) of Yerevan, Armenia will take on longtime journeyman Arturo Brambila (9-14, 4 KOs) of Phoenix, Arizona by way of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico in a four-round light middleweight fight. Ovsepyan, who will likely have a large and supportive Armenian crowd on hand, came in at 147 ¾-pounds on Thursday. Brambila, in the familiar role of opponent once again, scaled 149 ½-pounds at the weigh-in.

Ty Barnett (18-1-1, 12 KOs) of Washington, DC will test Andrey Klimov (10-0, 5 KOs) of Van Nuys, California by way of Klimovsk, Moscow, Russia in a six-round light welterweight bout. Barnett, who not too long ago was a well-regarded prospect himself, is by far the toughest for Klimov has shared a ring with since turning professional. Klimov, trained by Joe Goossen, came in at 137-pounds. Barnett, came in at the lightweight limit of 135.

For the last few weeks it looked as though Sauerland Event-promoted Dominik Britsch (22-0, 7 KOs) of Neckarsulm, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany would be left without an opponent tonight. Among the opponents that fell out were journeyman Ryan Davis and former title challenger Billy Lyell. Stepping in last minute for the six-round encounter is Delray Raines (18-9-1, 13 KOs) of Paris, Arkansas. Britsch came in at 168, while Raines came in at 167-pounds.

Tickets for the event, promoted by Goossen Tutor Promotions, are available online at Ticketmaster.com.

Quick Weigh-in Results:

WBA Super Middleweight Championship, 12 Rounds
Ward 168
Abraham 167

Heavyweights, 10 Rounds
Arreola 234
Aguilera 238

Super Middleweights, 6 Rounds
Estrada 174
Gardner 166

Light Middleweights, 4 Rounds
Molina 148 ¼
Figueroa 148

Heavyweights, 10 Rounds
Quezada 233
Tupou 245

Super Flyweights, 4 Rounds
Villanueva 117
Gutierrez 118

Light Middleweights, 4 Rounds
Ovsepyan 147 ¾
Brambila 149 ½

Light Welterweight, 4 Rounds
Barnett 135
Klimov 137

Super Middleweights, 6 Rounds
Britsch 168
Raines 167

Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortega15rds@lycos.com

15rounds.com would like to congratulate correspondent Dominick Panfile who married his lovely bride Michelle Wunder at a beautiful ceremony in Pennsylvania.

15rounds.com would like to wish the newlyweds a lifetime of happiness.

Sharif Bogere scored a close unanimous decision over Ray Beltran in a ten round Lightweight bout at Buffalo Bills in Primm, Nevada

Bogere took most of the early rounds as he landed quick shots with both hands. The fight turned in both round’s three and four as numerous headbutts caused bad cuts on each guy.

Beltran suffered a cut over his left eye in round three and Bogere suffered the same fate in the next round.

With both guys dripping blood into their eyes, each man fought at times with reckless abandon.

Beltran made a stand in round’s six through eight he rocked Bogere with a right left combination in round seven and landed a thudding body punch in round eight that had Bogere holding and eventually falling in what could have been ruled a knockdown but referee Robert Byrd ruled a slip.

Bogere moved and boxed just enough to get to the finish line and win the decision by scored of 97-93; 96-94 and 96-94.

Bogere, 134 lbs of Kampala, Uganda is now 20-0. Beltran, 135 lbs of Los Mochis, Mexico is now 24-5.

Prized Heavyweight prospect Seth Mitchell made short work of Evans Quinn be scoring a knockout in round one of a scheduled ten round bout.

The two fought evenly in the first moment until Mitchell landed a big overhand right that staggered Quinn and a follow up combination sent Quinn down to his knees and referee Joe Cortez counted ten at the 2:38 mark of round one.

Mitchell, 245 lbs of Brandywine, MD is now 22-0-1 with sixteen knockouts. Quinn, 217 lbs of Bluefields, Nicaragua is now 20-6-1.

After the fight, Mitchell commented, “He couldn’t handle my power. He couldn’t handle it.”

Michael Perez remained undefeated with a third round stoppage over Ira Terry in a scheduled eight round Lightweight bout in Ponce, Puerto Rico.

Perez dropped Terry in round two from a combination. In round three, Perez landed a huge overhand right that staggered and ultimately dropped Terry to the canvas where the referee stopped the fight at 2:19 of round three.

Perez, 136 lbs of Lares, PR is now 13-0-1 with seven knockouts. Terry, 133 lbs of Memphis, TN is now 24-5.

Jonathan Vidal remained undefeated with an eight round unanimous decision over former four-time world title challenger Cecilio Santos in a Super Bantamweight fight.

Vidal controlled the bout and looked like he scored an apparent knockdown in the final round when he landed a right to the top of the head but it was ruled a slip. That lit a brief fire under Santos who landed a couple shots that had Vidal holding on.

Vidal, 118 lbs of Guaynabo, PR is now 16-0. Santos, 124 lbs of Mexico is now 25-16-3.

Braulio Santos scored a first round stoppage over Felix Rivera in a scheduled four round Featherweight bout.

Santos landed a thudding left to the body that sent Rivera down for the ten count at 1:42 of the opening frame.

Santos, 126 lbs of Carolina, PR is now 2-0 with two knockouts. Rivera, 124 lbs is 0-2.

Jonuel Tapia scored a four round unanimous decision over Emill Gonzalez.

Tapia is now 8-1. Gonzalez is 4-5.

The term “must-win” is one of the many overused phrases in all of sports. That being said, tonight’s pairing of former world champions Kendall Holt and Julio Diaz, which takes place at the Chumash Casino Resort in Santa Ynez, California, is one that warrants that abused label. The winner will be set up for one last crack at a major player, while the loser will likely be relegated to name opponent status.

It seems like forever ago that Holt (26-4, 14 KOs) of Patterson, New Jersey was in a pick ‘em unification bout against Timothy Bradley Jr. A quick check of the record books shows that bout, a notch or two below a superfight at the time, took place just over two years ago. Holt scored two official knockdowns, but came up short in losing a twelve-round unanimous decision, thus handing over his WBO 140-pound title to Bradley. Holt has experienced his share of troubles since, including legal woes and a surprising stoppage suffered at the hands of Kaizer Mabuza. Diaz represents the type of opponent that could bolster the view of Holt enough that a bigger money fight could be possible.

Diaz (38-6, 27 KOs) of Coachella, California is in a very similar position. Turn the pages of the record books back a little further and you will find Diaz entering a lightweight unification bout with Juan Diaz a slight underdog. The young “Baby Bull” handled Julio “The Kidd” quite handily that October night in 2007. Diaz would go on to losing two of his next four bouts before restoring some of his credibility with a recent two-fight winning run over solid to decent opposition.

Their ten-round fight, which takes place just over the light welterweight limit, headlines tonight’s ESPN2 Friday Night Fights telecast. Diaz, the two-time former IBF Lightweight titleholder, scaled 141 ½-pounds Thursday. Holt, who ended an eleven-month layoff with a first-round knockout in January, weighed in at 142-pounds.

In the televised co-feature, undefeated puncher Jonathan Gonzalez (12-0, 12 KOs) of San Juan, Puerto Rico will take on his toughest test to date in Rudy Cisneros (12-2, 11 KOs) of Chicago, Illinois in an eight-round light middleweight bout. Gonzalez, a 2008 Puerto Rican Olympian, weighed in at 154-pounds. Cisneros, who had a solid win on his resume before his 2008 decision over Latif Mundy was changed to a no contest for a failed drug test, weighed in at 152 ½-pounds. Cisneros has been out of action since December of 2009.

In an intriguing undercard bout, Julian Williams (6-0, 4 KOs) of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania meets Francisco Santana (12-2, 6 KOs) of Santa Barbara, California in a six-round pairing of light middleweights. Williams has an unblemished record, but he has never been in with a fighter of Santana’s caliber before. Santana has faced the tougher opposition and both of his losses were suffered at the hands of still unbeaten prospect Karim Mayfield. Williams scaled 153-pounds, while Santana weighed-in at 153 ½.

Locally popular super featherweight Rufino Serrano (8-3) of Santa Maria, California will take on Ramon Flores (3-11-2, 3 KOs) of Wilmington, California by way of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico in a six-rounder. Serrano, a winner of this last four, weighed in at 126 ¾-pounds, while Flores came in at 129.

Jhon Ortega (4-0, 4 KOs) of Londonderry, New Hampshire will take on Marcus Thompkins (5-3-1, 2 KOs) of Michigan City, Indiana in a six-round welterweight fight. The unbeaten Ortega, fighting in California for the fifth straight time, weighed in at 144 ½-pounds. Thompkins, who has failed to win four straight times, scaled 145 ¼-pounds.

Joel Diaz (2-0, 1 KO) of Palmdale, California looks to get his year rolling against Dionicio Alvarez (1-2) of Fresno, California in a four-round super featherweight fight. Diaz turned pro last July and picked up two wins in three months, but has been on the shelf since late last year. Diaz’ layoff is nothing compared to the one Alvarez will end tonight. Alvarez was last seen in May of 2006 and is coming off of a knockout defeat at bantamweight. Diaz scaled 128-pounds, while came in at 126 ¼.

In a rematch, undefeated Kurtiss Colvin (4-0, 3 KOs) of Austin, Texas will take on Cameron Allen (3-6, 1 KO) of Battle Creek, Michigan in a four-round middleweight fight. In what was described in various ringside reports as a war, Colvin survived a knockdown and a standing eight-count to drop the tougher-than-advertised Allen in the third en route a four-round majority decision in February. Allen took a fight against another unbeaten foe just a month later and lost a decision, while Colvin has been idle since his first pro scare. Colvin came in at 159-pounds, while Allen scaled 158 ½.

Former amateur champion Seniesa Estrada of Los Angeles, California will make her professional debut against Maria Ruiz (0-2-2) of Houston, Texas in a four-round light flyweight bout. Estrada, the 2009 USA Boxing National Champion at 112-pounds, came in at 111 ½-pounds, while Ruiz scaled 112 ½.

In a four-round bantamweight bout, Daniel Roman (1-0-1, 1 KO) of Garden Grove, California will take on Alfredo Madrigal (1-0) of Bakersfield, California. Roman, coming in off of a February draw, weighed in at 118-pounds, as did Madrigal, who is making his 2011 debut.

A familiar name was a late addition to the card, as Anthony Dirrell (20-0, 17 KOs) of Flint, Michigan will take on Alberto Mercedes (14-17-1, 10 KOs) of West Allis, Wisconsin in a six-round light heavyweight fight. Dirrell, the WBC #8 ranked super middleweight, came in at 170-pounds. Mercedes, originally of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, scaled 171-pounds.

Tickets for the event, promoted by Gary Shaw Productions, are available online at StarTickets.com.

Quick Weigh-in Results:

Welterweights, 10 Rounds
Holt 142
Diaz 141 ½

Light Middleweights, 8 Rounds
Gonzalez 154
Cisneros 152 ½

Light Middleweights, 6 Rounds
Williams 153
Santana 153 ½

Super Featherweights, 6 Rounds
Serrano 126 ¾
Flores 129

Welterweights, 6 Rounds
Ortega 144 ½
Thompkins 145 ¼

Super Featherweights, 4 Rounds
Diaz 128
Alvarez 126 ¼

Middleweights, 4 Rounds
Colvin 159
Allen 158 ½

Light Flyweights, 4 Rounds
Estrada 111 ½
Ruiz 112 ½

Bantamweights, 4 Rounds
Roman 118
Madrigal 118

Super Middleweights, 6 Rounds
Dirrell 170
Mercedes 171

Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortega15rds@lycos.com,

INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA — What was supposed to be a banner night for one of the famed boxing families in Southern California history slowly unraveled over the last two days and ended in dramatic fashion Thursday night at the Hollywood Park Casino. The three fighting brothers of former heavyweight champion Mike Weaver were positioned to make an improbable comeback, but it was not to be.

Floyd, Troy and Lloyd Weaver, identical triplets, who began their pro boxing careers way back in 1985, had hoped to turn back the clock in their three advertised featured bouts. However by start time, “Pretty Boy” Floyd would be the only member of the clan left on the bill.

Floyd Weaver (18-10-3, 11 KOs) of Diamond Bar, California began the scheduled four-rounder as a ball on fire, quickly catching Santiago Perez (11-3-2, 2 KOs) of Los Angeles, California by way of Copala, Guerrero, Mexico with an overhand right and scoring a knockdown with the resulting combination.

Perez, 153.2, tried clinging to Weaver, 153.6, once action resumed, but the veteran managed to get space and land a short right. Ever so slightly, the momentum began to change as Perez caught Weaver off balance with a right midway through the first. Weaver was still a frantic offensive-minded force as Perez looked to block as many blows as possible. However, just before the end of the round, Perez, who had regained his footing, landed a hard right hand. The crowd may have noticed it was a clean punch, but little did the pro-Weaver crowd know the fight had completely shifted in favor of the Mexican.

Early in the second, a right hook drops Weaver directly on to his face. Weaver rose on unsteady legs as many in the crowd took a deep breath. Weaver, still wobbly, traded for a moment before another right hurt him against the ropes. Perez continued to flurry until Weaver slumped over, prompting referee Thomas Taylor to stop the fight. Official time of the stoppage was 1:37 of the second round.

It would appear to be the end for Floyd Weaver, who had last fought in April of 2007. Weaver has now lost six of his last nine outings, which incredibly dates back to 1998. Floyd was walked to the ring arm-in-arm by his two identical brothers, both of whom had been scheduled to appear on the card Thursday night.

Troy Weaver (20-8-2, 20 KOs) of Diamond Bar was to have fought Billy Bailey (10-11, 4 KOs) of Bakersfield, California in another four-rounder. However, at yesterday’s weigh-in the Weaver camp withdrew from the fight. According to a member of Team Weaver, they had signed to fight in a 174-pound bout. Bailey, who replaced Alex Armenta, had a contract set for 184. Troy Weaver was last seen in the ring in September of 2004.

Lloyd Weaver (10-7, 6 KOs) of Diamond Bar was to have met journeyman Juan Pablo Montes De Oca (9-19-2, 6 KOs) of Las Vegas, Nevada by way of San Miguel Zinacantepec, Estado De Mexico, Mexico in a four-round middleweight bout. However just before the first bell Thursday, the ring announcer announced Weaver was a late scratch due to an undisclosed injury. Word ringside was that there was something that looked off about Weaver’s jaw, and the California State Athletic Commission doctor pulled the fight. Lloyd Weaver was last seen in action in June of 2001.

Jesus Arael Adame (1-0) of Los Angeles made it through his first pro bout and claimed a four-round majority decision over Manuel Machorro (0-4) of Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico in a free-swinging, but somewhat amateurish affair.

Adame, 118.8, landed the harder shots, but left several openings for the determined Machorro, 120, to exploit during the twelve-minute contest. Adame ran across the ring throwing to begin the bout, quickly pressing Machorro against the ropes. To his credit, Machorro weathered the storm and took Adame’s punches well. Eventually Machorro turned Adame around and worked over the young local against the ropes.

The second round was fairly even, as both charges threw punches in bunches, but failed to put their body behind many of their offerings. The third was all “Chuy” Adame, as he landed clean with several wild swings. Machorro found his back against the ropes for much of the round and could not turn Adame as he had done earlier in the contest. Adame remained the busier and more successful of the two in the fourth, most notably catching Machorro as he attempted to utilize a feint. In the end, one judge had the fight even, 38-38. That score was overruled by scores of 40-36 and 39-37 for the winner Adame.

Brandon Adams (2-0, 1 KO) of Los Angeles scored an impressive fourth-round knockout of Miguel Lopez (2-1, 1 KO) of Oakland, California in the night’s opener. Lopez, 153.6, got off to a good start in round one, as he pressed Adams, 155.8, to the ropes and used his strength to control the pace.

Adams took over the fight in the second, as his body work began to take effect on Lopez. Adams buzzed Lopez in the third with a right that forced the Oakland native to hold on the inside. Adams was the busier and more effective fighter in the round and carried the momentum into the fourth. Lopez came out fighting, forcing a heated exchange in the early going. Again Adams stunned Lopez on the inside which eventually set up a clean overhand right that scored a knockdown. Lopez went down hard, prompting referee Thomas Taylor to stop the bout without a count. Time of the stoppage was 2:09 of the fourth.

Promoters Garcia Promotions and Big Champion Promotions plan to bring another card to the Hollywood Park Casino on June 9th. They expect to announce the main event sometime next week.

Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortega15rds@lycos.com.

Former Middleweight and Super Middleweight title challengers, Edison Miranda and Allan Green will appear on the June 4th undercard that will feature the Super Six WBC Super Middleweight title match between Carl Froch and Glen Johnson in Atlantic City according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

15rounds.com was informed on Wednesday that Green (29-3) will take on Philadelphian Dhafir Smith (24-20-7).

Miranda will fight an opponent to be named.

“I’d like to get him in the mix and make some money,” Warriors Boxing promoter Leon Margules said. “Edison is a very exciting fighter. He adds a lot to the game of boxing. If he comes back and looks good, he can still stir it up and be a factor.”

Dan Rafael of espn.com is reporting that undefeated Featherweight Mikey Garcia will take on once beaten Miguel Beltran Jr. as the televised co-feature of the June 4 WBC Middleweight showdown featuring Julio Cesar Chavez and Sebastian Zbik, spurning down a title opportunity against Billy Dib.

“It’s a good fight because styles make fights,” said Carl Moretti of Top Rank, Garcia’s promoter. “Beltran is a little bit bigger than Mikey. It can’t help but be a good fight.”

“They decided to not pursue the vacant IBF title fight against the worst television fighter in history,” Moretti said. “HBO wasn’t going near it and refers to Dib as the worst television fighter, and I don’t disagree. It’s a tough sell in today’s market. Mikey won’t have the opportunity with the IBF in his next fight, but I have no doubt he will fight for a title and win one.

“Anyone can fight for a belt, but looking good and moving on is where you make money and grow and cement your reputation. I think that passing on a fight with Billy Dib in Staples Center in a fight that would have been ugly to watch was a good move in the long run,” Moretti said.

“Mikey, more than anything, wants to be a champion, but passing on another HBO fight, it was just too much to give up,” said Garcia’s manager Cameron Dunkin. “He considers it an honor to be on HBO and he would never ever turn that down. Although he wants the IBF title and is thankful to them for making him the No. 1 contender, this wasn’t a 10-second decision. He said he can’t give up HBO for anything. It hurt him to give up the title shot, but he said that nothing touches being on HBO, especially to come right back and have a second fight in a row on HBO. He knows he will get his title shot eventually.”

LAS VEGAS – For Manny Pacquiao, there is only more waiting and more speculating about Floyd Mayweather, Jr. For Shane Mosley, there are boos.

Other than hype and some good rock-and-roll in the fighter’s parade to the ring before opening bell, not much else happened Saturday night at the MGM Grand. Then again, it was exactly what many had expected when the welterweight fight was announced four months ago.

It was a mismatch. Pacquiao was too good. Mosley was shot. The decision was more than unanimous. It was Pacquiao in a rout on scorecards that couldn’t add up the potential damage to Mosley’s reputation. On Glenn Trowbridges’ card, it was 119-108. Dave Moretti scored it 120-108. On Duane Ford’s card, it was 120-107. Mosley must have got points for tripping while he backpedaled, hopefully into retirement.

Mosley came into the ring with his knockout promise put into pounding lyrics by LL Cool J. But the rapper might have had a better chance at a stoppage. Pacquiao followed with Eye of The Tiger. He didn’t need the eye. He need some Tiger balm for cramps in his left leg that trainer Freddie Roach said limited his ability to land a knockout punch.

There were a lot of misses Saturday, other than perhaps the driver who rear-ended Pacquiao’s vehicle in a reported minor mishap while he was returning from a mid-day church service. As it turned out, Pacquiao’s vehicle wound up with more damage than he did.

“I wasn’t going to take risks,’’ said Mosley, whose only chance at an upset seemed to be in taking a least a few.

The first round was hard to judge. Perhaps, it was even, because both Pacquiao and Mosley were equally cautious. Pacquiao landed a couple shots to the body. Mosley scored with a right hand and an uppercut. If there was a surprise, it was Pacquiao’s immediate aggressiveness.

Conventional wisdom seemed to dictate that the Filipino Congressman would wait for a few rounds, first to avoid Mosley’s power and then to test his 39-year old legs. But nothing about Pacquaio has ever been conventional. If the opening round was a scouting mission, it was successful. Pacquiao quickly detected an opportunity, a Mosley vulnerability.

Pacquaio almost seemed to leap off his stool to begin the second round. The Pac-man pace, an exhausting race for fallen challengers, was underway. It quickly produced a left-right combination from Pacquiao and there was a sting-of-things-to-come in a foreboding look from Mosley.

In the third, the sting turned deadly. A Pacquiao left dropped Mosley and left those same eyes spinning like errant dice on the nearby tables in the MGM casino. In the face of Pacquiao’s relentless pursuit, Mosley had thrown it into reverse in an attempt to survive. He did so, but there will be price to pay in terms of reputation from a public that expected a desperate last stand.

Wary and weary, Mosley pulled himself up and off the canvas like a man a lot closer to retirement than his prime. He wasn’t the younger fighter he had promised to be. Instead, he was the shell of the Hall of Famer many had suspected he was. Broken promises mean consequences and for Mosley that meant the booing had begun. It continued through the fourth, fifth and sixth rounds, when Mosley said he suffered a blister on one foot.

In the eighth, there were finally some cheers. A couple of Mosley rights rocked Pacquiao, who said he began to suffer leg cramps in the fourth. In the 10th, Mosley was credited with a knockdown by referee Kenny Bayless. But on a night when Mosley didn’t deserve much, he didn’t deserve that either. He stepped on Pacquiao’s right foot while pushing the Filipino down with his left hand.

“He is fast and strong,” said Pacquiao, a politician and diplomat who was expected to collect more than $20 million for a forgettable bout that included a $6 million guarantee for Mosley.

But Mosley isn’t Mayweather, who is the only fighter on this planet that anybody other than Juan Manuel Marquez wants to see in the ring against Pacquiao.

“I leave it up to my promoters,’’ Pacquiao said. “But I’m satisfied with my career, with what I’ve done, no matter what happens with Mayweather.’’

Pacquiao has said that before and might again. On this night, however, there was not much else he could say.

Jorge Arce’s nickname is Trevieso. It means Mischievious

. The mischief continues.

Arce (57-6-2, 44 KOs) stunned a younger Wilfredo Vazquez (20-1-1, 17KOs), forcing him to surrender his WBO super-bantamweight title in the 12th and final round Saturday night at the MGM Grand.

The 31-year-old Arce looked as if he was in trouble after suffering a knockdown from a Vazquez left in the final second of the fourth round. Both Arce’s energy and mischief looked as if they had been exhausted. But plenty of both was left in an Arce career that found new life.

Early in the 11th, Arce knocked Vazquez into the ropes, hurting him with a lunging right hand. At the end of the round, Vazquez’ corner men helped the stumbling and dazed Puerto Rican to his corner. But they couldn’t save him. After 55 seconds of a sustained fury in undefended blows from Arce, Vazquez’ corner stepped onto the ring’s apron, stopping a fight, that was a majority draw on the scorecards after the 11th.

Mike Alvarado (30-0, 22 KOs) continued to put himself back into the middle of the junior-welterweight debate. At least, there won’t be much debate from Ray Narh (25-2, 21 KOs). In the first fight on Showtime’s pay-per-view telecast, Narh quit after three rounds of punishment from Alvarado, a Denver fighter who has the city’s 303 area code tattooed across his chest.

The Showtime telecast was about to begin, but the network first had to wait for Filipino flyweight Rodel Model to finish. He almost didn’t. Model (28-5-2, 21 KOs) held on for a majority decision over Javier Gallo (17-4-1, 9 KOs) of Tijuana. It looked as if Model would win by a stoppage in the fifth. But he began to tire over the next five rounds. Judge C.J. Ross scored it a draw, 95-95. But it was one-sided on the other two cards. Both Lisa Giampa and Jerry Roth scored it, 98-92, for Mayol.

It was Jose Benavidez Jr.’s turn in the third fight on the non-televised portion of the Showtime card. Benavidez (11-0, 10 KOs), an 18-year-old junior-welterweight from Phoenix, scored a fifth-round TKO of James Hope (6-8-1, 4 KOs) of Rock Hill, S.C. Benavidez, scheduled for his hometown debut on June 11, landed head-rocking combos throughout the first four rounds, yet was not able to knock down Hope, whose nickname could have been “No.” In the fifth, a couple of undefended body shots were enough for referee Russell Mora to end it at 1:43 of the round.

In the second fight, Canadian junior-welterweight Pier Oliver Cote (16-0, 11 KOs) got in some target practice en route to a fourth-round technical knockout of Aristeo Ambriz (15-2-1,8 KOs of Azusa, Calif. Ambriz was virtually finished in the third when a right hand from Cote dropped him, leaving stretched across the canvas like a blanket. In the fourth, referee Tony Weeks stepped in for a predictable, merciful stoppage.

The biggest crowd at MGM’s Grand Garden Arena was in the ring several hours before Manny Pacquiao and Shane Mosley were supposed to take center stage Saturday.

Karl Dargan, Randy Arrellin and referee Vic Drakulich were there, surrounded by ropes and rows of empty seats.

In the end, the place belonged to only Dargan.

The unbeaten Philadelphia lightweight (9-0, 4 KOs) won a unanimous decision over Arrellin (8-5, 4 KOs) in the opening bout on the Pacquiao-Mosley card. With Mosley trainer Naazim Richardson in his corner, Dargan employed his superior reach and power to win all of the rounds on two scorecards and five of six on the third.

Richardson’s work day started early. It began before even the arrival of Mosley or Pacquiao, who reportedly was involved in an auto mishap after leaving church service in Vegas hours before the card.
Arce dethrones Vazquez Jr in a war

Photos by Chris Farina / Top Rank

LAS VEGAS – Freddie Roach will try to put America’s Olympic boxing back on the gold standard.
USA Boxing and Roach announced Saturday morning that the Hall of Fame trainer will help select and train the U.S. team for the 2012 London Games.

“It’s a little embarrassing for America right now,’’ Roach said about 12 hours before working Manny Pacquiao’s corner in a welterweight title fight against Shane Mosley at the MGM Grand. “We’ve got to change that. We’ve got to bring some gold back to this country.’’

U.S. boxers failed to win gold at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. The Americans left China with one medal, a bronze by heavyweight Deontay Wilder. The last American gold medalist was unbeaten super-middleweight Andre Ward at the 2004 Athens Olympics.

Roach was offered $75,000 to work with the U.S. team, according to his agent Nick Khan. But Roach gave the money back to the United States Olympic Committee, Khan said.

The Roach-USA Boxing partnership will include Olympic training at Roach’s Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles. Roach is expected to share the training duties with U.S. National coach Joe Zanders.

Over the last three Olympics, the U.S. team has been plagued by politics and turmoil, including interference from fathers and personal coaches. The American fighters listened more to them than they did to coaches on American staff. Roach said he will attempt to work with everybody.

“I want everybody to learn and maybe I can learn something,’’ said Roach, who plans to travel to amateur tournament whenever possible.

Roach said he was first approached by Pacquiao about coaching the Filipino team for the London Games.
“But I’m an American,’’ Roach said. “I asked to work with the American team.’’

Diego Magdaleno got a big fight weekend underway with a third round stoppage over Gilberto Sanchez Leon in round three of a scheduled ten round Super Featherweight bout at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.

Magdaleno scored a knockdown in round two from a left to the head. He landed some hard head shots but Sanchez Leon get out of the round. Magdaleno dropped Sanchez Leon at the beginning of round three from a hard right hand. That knockdown was authoritative and Sanchez Leon was hurt. Magdaleno finished the show with a flurry of punches that sent Sanchez Leon to the canvas just as referee Vic Drachulich stopped the bout.

The time of the stoppage was forty-nine seconds of round three for Magdaleno, 130 lbs of Las Vegas and is now 19-0 with seven knockouts. Sanchez Leon, 130 lbs of Mexacali, Mexico is now 31-9-2.

Juan Carlos Martinez scored an upset split decision victory over former world title challenger Bernabe Concepcion in an eight round Super Featherweight fight.

Martinez just did more then the disappointing Concepcion as he almost doubled his punch and land output. The fight was not action filled although Martinez had some blood from his nose in round five.

There was a good exchange at the end of round seven as the two traded right hands.

Martinez, 127 lbs of Mexico won by scores of 78-74; 77-75 while somehow Concepcion won a card by the tally of 77-75.

Martinez is now 18-13-1. Concepcion, 128 lbs of the Philippines was making his first start since being stopped by Featherweight champion Juan Manuel Lopez is now 28-5-1.

Notre Dame Alum Mike Lee scored a four round umajority decision over Gilberto Gastellum in a Light Heavyweight bout.

Gastellum had a decent first round but Lee settled in a boxed his well over the next three rounds which included a nice rally at the end of the third frame that was set off with a nice uppercut

Lee of Chicago won by scores of 40–36; 39-37 and 38-38 to stay undefeated at 5-0. Gastellum, 174 lbs of Tucson, AZ is now 0-2-1.

LAS VEGAS – The scales tipped in favor of Shane Mosley by three pounds. The noise meter favored Manny Pacquiao by untold decibels, all deafening. The odds grow, but never really change. They always add up to Pacquiao.

From news conferences to introductions to the official weigh-in, all of the preliminary rituals have gone as expected, almost as if they have been rehearsed and the roles pre-determined. But Pacquiao-Mosley Saturday night in Showtime-televised fight at the MGM Grand isn’t a movie script or a Broadway play.

It’s a fistfight, which means the real chance at drama lurks in the unforeseen. Maybe, it’s there in Mosley’s power or Pacquaio’s aggressiveness, or a twisted knee, or twist of fate.

But if there’s a buzz for this welterweight clash, there also are things that make you stop and wonder at a betting line that has grown faster than the national debt. It was 6 ½-to-1 on Wednesday, 8-to-1 on Thursday and 9-1 on Friday, all for Pacquiao. If you believe the line, Congressman Pacquiao (53-3-2. 38 KOs) is about to win in a landslide, or at least bury Mosley (46-6-1-1, 39 KOs) in one.

It’s been abundantly clear for weeks that Mosley (46-6-1-1, 39 KOs) doesn’t believe in any of it. If anything, he’s bemused by it when the media asks and perhaps motivated by it when the camera crews aren’t around.

“I’m confident I’m going to win,’’ Mosley told broadcaster James Brown and a crowd of about 6,000 after he was at 147 pounds, the welterweight limit, three more than Pacquiao, who was at 144 after he stripped off a bright yellow shirt emblazoned by a red heart.

A reason for his confidence is rooted in what Pacquiao himself has done. For at least the last couple of fights, distractions have followed Pacquiao the way an entourage used to collect around Mike Tyson. But those distractions have been pushed into the background in training for Mosley. Pacquiao put them aside, almost as if he knew he knew he couldn’t let them get in the way of a fighter who looms as a much bigger challenge than Antonio Margarito or Joshua Clottey ever did.

A refocused Pacquiao can be interpreted in a number of ways. Call it concern. Call it worry. Call it the look of an athlete who is happy to be away from the daily grind of duties in the Filipino Congress. Whatever the interpretation, it is surely the look of a fighter who knows he can’t take his eye off the threat about to face him at the MGM Grand.

In the end, the 39-year-old Mosley might prove to be too old or too shopworn to do any more than just stand. He might not have enough left in his legs to move out of harm’s way, which is sure to be there early, or late, or throughout the scheduled 12 rounds against Pacquiao.

In his last two fights, there was precious little of the Mosley remembered by fans. He couldn’t follow up on a right hand that rocked Floyd Mayweather, Jr., in the second round a year ago. He looked tired and sloppy in winning a decision over Sergio Mora in September.

But the Mora fight was misleading, Pacquiao trainer Freddie Roach said. It was a bad match for Mosley.

“A bad choice,’’ Roach said. “Shane looks bad against runners and that’s what Sergio Mora did. It made Shane look like he’s shot and I don’t think he is.’’

But the one-sided odds are a sure indication that the betting public thinks otherwise. Mosley’s hair is growing as gray as Barack Obama’s. It’s a good look for a president or an AARP member, but not a fighter.
Meanwhile, the crowd’s cheers at the weigh-in said something else. Overwhelmingly, they were for Pacquiao, who is expected to collect between $20 and $25 million. Mosley stands to earn about a quarter of that. Pacquiao is riding a cresting wave of popularity. A pop icon, he also aspires to be the Filipino president one day, or at least his promoter, Bob Arum, thinks so.

But Pacquiao won’t be playing politics Saturday night. He’ll be more than a politician. Arum, who promoted Muhammad Ali, calls him the best fighter he has ever seen. With punching power and accuracy in both hands, Arum compares Pacquiao to major-league pitcher who can throw with both his right and left.

“He’d be pretty damn good,’’ Arum said.

He also doesn’t exist.

Not yet, anyway.

Notes, Quotes
Roach trained rock-and-roller John Mellencamp’s son to an Indiana Golden Gloves title. Roach’s compensation for about a month of work probably didn’t include all of those interest-bearing zeroes he gets from a Pacquiao fight. Still, it was valuable. “A Fender guitar with Mellencamp’s autograph on it,’’ Roach said. “Got it in the mail. It’s on my wall.’’

Pacquiao’s gambling isn’t a secret, especially in the Philippines. Pacquiao likes to bet and bet big. Roach recalls a fight in 2000 against Nadel Hussein in The Philippines. Pacquiao, then a junior-featherweight, bet his entire purse that he’d win a first-round stoppage. He won the fight, but lost the bet in scoring a 10th-round TKO.

Rest of the weights for Showtime’s pay-per-view telecast: Former middleweight champ Kelly Pavlik (36-2, 32 KOs) was at 170 pounds for his super-middleweight bout against Texan Alfonso Lopez (21-0, 16 KOs), who was at 169; Super-bantamweight champ Wilfredo Vazquez (20-0-1, 17 KOs) was at 122 for his WBO title fight against Jorge Arce (55-6-2, 43 KOs) also 122 pounds; and unbeaten Denver super-lightweight Mike Alvarado (29-0, 21 KOs) was at 139 pound for his bout against New Yorker Ray Narh (25-1, 21 KOs), who was at 140.

Photo by Chris Farina/ Top Rank

Manny Pacquiao 145 – Shane Mosley 147
(WBO Welterweight Championship)
Wilfredo Vazquez Jr. 122 – Jorge Arce 122
(WBO Super Bantamweight Title)
Kelly Pavlik 170 – Alfonso Lopez 169
Mike Alvarado 139 – Ray Nahr 140

Dan Rafael of espn.com is reporting that discussions for the 140-pound unification bout between Timothy Bradley and Amir Khan have been extended until Wednesday at 4pm eastern after Monday’s deadline came and went without a deal.

The fight is tentatively scheduled for July 23rd in Las Vegas, Anaheim or Los Angeles.

Khan has already reached an agreement with his promoter, Golden Boy Promotions while Bradley is still mulling over an offer which will pay him $1.3 million.

“HBO asked me to extend the deadline with the understanding that if Bradley doesn’t take it we will go forward and lock in another opponent for Amir for July 23,” Richard Schaefer of Golden Boy Promotions said. “Bradley was calling out Amir for so long and questioned if Amir would ever fight him and then Amir agrees to fight him and agrees to terms, and Bradley doesn’t. I find that ironic.”

“I’m going to have to call my fighter and see if I can get him here sooner than later,” said Cameron Dunkin, who manages Bradley and lives in Las Vegas. “I don’t think he’s coming in until Thursday night, so a deadline of Wednesday at 4 isn’t going to do us any good. Timmy’s perspective is that he needs some time to think about it and what he wants to do with his career. There are issues for us to discuss. But I want to get this worked out. I would have liked to see him get more money for this fight, but that’s obviously not what they’re going to do.”

“We’ll see Amir in Las Vegas this weekend. He’ll be at the boxing writers’ dinner to receive his fight of the year award and we will have some conversations with him about what he wants to do if Bradley does not take the fight,” Schaefer said. “I’ve already had some conversations with Amir and his father and the fact is they don’t care who they fight. They will fight anyone. It is refreshing to have a fighter like that.

“Khan is ready and willing to fight Bradley. That’s the fight HBO wants to buy. But if Bradley does not take the fight, HBO is not going to punish Amir. He’s willing to take the fight they want. It’s not Amir turning down the fight, so he will still fight July 23. I don’t know what is going on with Bradley. I know Timothy Bradley is a terrific young man and a great fighter and $1.3 million is a very good purse. It would be the biggest purse of his career.”

Jose Nieves scored a twelve round split decision over Cuauhtemoc Vargas in a Super Bantamweight bout in Kissimmee, Flordia.

The fight was a back and forth fight with the bigger Vargas getting in some good shots early. Nieves came back and took most of the late rounds to take the fight.

Nieves, 122 lbs of Carolina, PR is now 18-2-3. Vargas of Mexico is now 15-5-1.

Darley Perez remained undefeated by scoring a right round unanimous decision over former fringe contender Jose Reyes

Perez is now 20-0. Reyes is now 23-10.

RENO, NEVADA — Peter Quillin announced his presence amongst the leading middleweight contenders with a third-round stoppage of a suddenly faded former title challenger in Jesse Brinkley at the Reno Events Center on Friday night. The Telefutura-televised fight, which looked like a great crossroads bout on paper, unfortunately ended up being a total mismatch.

Brinkley (35-7, 22 KOs) of nearby Yerington, Nevada never looked sure of himself in the fight, which was almost to be expected after witnessing his physical and emotional state at Thursday’s weigh-in.

Quillin (24-0, 18 KOs) of Hollywood, California wobbled Brinkley, 166.6, early in the first round with a left to his ear. Brinkley retreated to the ropes, but managed to throw just enough to keep a patient Quillin, 165, at bay for much of the remainder of the round.

Brinkley, who entered the fight the IBF #7 ranked super middleweight, was fooled by a feint early in the second, which left him open for a Quillin right that landed clean. Brinkley was briefly inspired and traded with Quillin for a quick back-and-forth exchange. Before the close of the second, Brinkley landed a straight right hand that looked good, but did not seem to affect Quillin.

While Brinkley was competitive for a moment in the second round, it seemed to be more of a case of Quillin letting off the gas pedal, as he looked to pace himself for the scheduled ten rounds. Though the writing was on the wall from the moment the bell rang, the end of the fight came somewhat suddenly in the third. Quillin landed a perfect straight right hand and seriously rocked Brinkley with the ensuing one-two. Referee Joe Cortez apparently thought Brinkley was going down, as he leaped in and reached across Quillin as if a knockdown had been scored.

The Cortez blunder only delayed the inevitable, as Quillin quickly pressured Brinkley against the ropes and let loose with a rapid flurry. Brinkley, either dazed or resigned to the eventual stoppage stood up to the blows, but did not attempt to counter or move out of the corner. After five or six clean punches, Cortez decided that he had seen enough and called the fight at 2:34 of round three. The victory netted Quillin the IBO-affiliated USBO Super Middleweight title, but more importantly sets the unbeaten Grand Rapids, Michigan/New York transplant up for some lucrative paydays.

While it was apparent Brinkley was a shell of his former self, possibly having not shaken off the aftereffects of his damaging loss to Lucian Bute last year, the incredibly humble Quillin still gave him more than his due after the bout. “He ate that first punch, and that was a hard punch I hit him with,” described Quillin. “I don’t know how hurt he was, because I am not him, but he is a tough guy and I am very thankful I had the opportunity to fight him here in Reno. He had all the things I didn’t have. He had the pressure with his home crowd and I didn’t have none of that. I just wanted to go in there and do what I was trained to do.”

The story going into the fight was that Jesse Brinkley was having trouble making the contracted 165-pounds, and there were some disagreements between the camps over what the actual contracted weight requirement was for the bout. In the end, Brinkley officially weighed either 1.6 or .6-pounds over the contract, depending on which side of the dispute you stood. Quillin, the positive guy that he is, remained restrained throughout the whole process. “It’s all about being professional,” said Quillin succinctly after the fight. “We signed a contract to fight at 165-pounds, so be fair and come in at the weight we were supposed to.”

The word after the fight was that the Quillin team has been in serious discussions with the representatives of undisputed middleweight king Sergio Martinez. “They are going to try and secure me a fight with Sergio Martinez,” revealed Quillin. “If that’s what they want me to do, then that is what I am going to train for. They have been having talks, but I wasn’t allowed to say anything. This was the fight to see how well I would do, and I put it out there for the people to see.”

A fight with Martinez would be a monumental step-up in class for Quillin, especially considering the lackluster version of Jesse Brinkley he was presented with on Friday night. However, Quillin talks the talk of a fighter ready for his breakout opportunity. “I am out here to call out all comers,” said Quillin, breaking away from his normally reserved tune. “Whoever want to come and get it, let me hear from you. It’s whatever my team says. If they say ‘fight King Kong’, then I am going to get ready to fight King Kong. So Sergio Martinez, I doubt he is King Kong and I know he is not Superman, because if he is Superman, I have kryptonite.”

In the action-packed Telefutura-televised co-feature, Lonnie Smith (13-2-2, 9 KOs) of Las Vegas, Nevada impressively moved past former prospect David Rodela (15-4-3, 6 KOs) of Oxnard, California with a six-round unanimous decision.

Smith, 130.8, came out fast, looking to pressure Rodela, 130.8, in the first, and that is exactly what he did. After covering up, taking some headshots and defending others, Rodela briefly turned Smith to the ropes and landed a clean uppercut. As the round came to a close, it was Smith putting it on Rodela, who held up his gloves and leaned into the ropes.

Rodela battled back and did well in the second, but Smith looked reinvigorated at the start of the third. Rodela had his moments, as he timed Smith’s shots in spots. However, Smith landed the harder blows throughout the round, often forcing Rodela against the ropes and into retreat mode.

The fourth round was back-and-forth, but the constant was that Smith remained the harder puncher. Midway through the fifth, Rodela landed a clean two-punch combination at range, but the unfazed Smith countered with a smile before sticking out his tongue, informing the Oxnard native that he was not affected by his offering. Smith proceeded to land a clean left hook out of the corner that stopped Rodela in his tracks momentarily. Smith punctuated the round with an unanswered series against the ropes.

Smith came out for the sixth much like he did for the first, rushing out at Rodela looking to do damage. The wilting Rodela had little left on his punches, but Smith looked fresh and strong. Rodela still landed in spots, but Smith won over the fans ringside as well as the official scorers, who had the fight 58-56 and 59-55 twice for the Las Vegas native.

Jose “Chuy” Elizondo (1-0) of Reno did not exactly thrill his local fan base, but he did emerge victorious in his professional debut with a four-round unanimous decision over Rodrigo Espinoza (0-1-1) of Lindsay, California.

Elizondo, 155.4, has freakish height for a junior middleweight, but did not use that to his full advantage. Espinoza, 154, could never get close enough to do any real damage and was consistently outworked by the taller Elizondo over the four rounds. When the Lindsay resident did get in close he was usually too off balance to throw a punch in the manner he would like.

Espinoza finally got Elizondo pinned against the ropes in the third, but unfortunately for the Lindsay native, it was the local fighter that got work done in that instance. Elizondo tired in the fourth, as he held after nearly every combination, but alas Espinoza could still not get anything of significance to land in close. All three judges scored the fight a shutout, 40-36 for the southpaw Elizondo.

Jose Sandoval (1-0, 1 KO) of Modesto, California was successful in his pro debut as he pounded away at the amateurish Andrew Rempp (1-3-1) of Yerington en route to a fourth-round corner stoppage. Sandoval, 124.6, rocked Rempp, 126.4, with left hooks all night. Rempp was in trouble in both the second and third rounds, getting a short reprieve when Sandoval punched himself out briefly in the latter round.

The fight went from one-sided, to brutally one-sided in the fourth as Rempp took an unanswered series of head shots against the ropes with referee Joe Cortez looking on. With the result a formality and Rempp taking many blows to the head, a stoppage seemed to be the obvious call. With Cortez unwilling to take the initiative, Rempp’s corner finally threw in towel to force the ref’s hand. Official time was 2:04 of the fourth.

Trevor McCumby (3-0, 3 KOs) of Glendale, Arizona ran through a less than stiff opponent just inside of one round in the final bout of the evening. Ritchie Cherry (2-2, 1 KO) of East St. Louis, Missouri provided no test and did little to earn his free airfare to the Biggest Little City in the World.

McCumby, 180.4, rocked Cherry, 178.4, with the first left hook he landed. Cherry was awkward, which may have provoked McCumby to throw the Midwest club fighter to the ground. Cherry’s one shinning moment came when he caught McCumby off balance with a quick combination that made him stumble over his own feet. It was a fleeting feeling for Cherry, as he was soon deposited onto the canvas by a right uppercut followed by a glancing left. Cherry’s gingerly fall to the mat left many at ringside questioning the validity of his instability.

Another left put Cherry down again, but the St. Louis fighter did make it back up. However, when Cherry leaped off the ground, only to fall back on to the canvas, he turned away from McCumby which forced referee Vic Drakulich to stop the mismatch. Time of the stoppage was 3:00 of the first.

Photos by Stephanie Trapp/trappfotos@gmail.com

Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortega15rds@lycos.com.

RENO, NEVADA — Weeks of bargaining and negotiation culminated with some bad blood at Thursday’s weigh-in at the Silver Legacy Resort Casino, as hometown favorite and former title challenger Jesse Brinkley came in heavy for his Telefutura-televised bout with undefeated prospect Peter Quillin, which takes place down the street at the Reno Events Center tonight. After deliberation between the two camps, the intriguing crossroads fight will go on as scheduled with the vacant USBO Super Middleweight title at stake.

Brinkley (35-6, 22 KOs) of nearby Yerington, Nevada is coming off a ninth-round stoppage defeat to Lucian Bute in a failed attempt and claiming the IBF 168-pound crown last October. The loss ended a properly matched nine-fight win streak highlighted by an upset decision win over Curtis Stevens last January in Reno. Brinkley’s run to a title shot was as unlikely as one could be if you think about where he was back in 2007, having lost four of five fights. With a win over Quillin, Brinkley is instantly back in the mix at super middleweight, but a loss could mean the end of his viability as a contender.

Quillin (23-0, 17 KOs) of Hollywood, California does not have a resume littered with big names, but he has beaten everyone he has been in the ring with to this point. Brinkley represents a step-up in competition for Quillin, who wants to campaign at 160-pounds after tonight’s fight. Quillin last fought just over two months ago, as he quite easily dispatched journeyman Dennis Sharpe inside of four rounds in Fairfield, California. Quillin initially weighed-in over at 165.2-pounds, but took the scale in the nude and came in at 165 even.

Brinkley, who has publicly admitted to ballooning up in weight between fights in the past, apparently had trouble making the contracted 165-pound weight limit. In Nevada, there is a one pound leeway in the contract weight unless specified. Due to a communication error perhaps, Brinkley’s contract stated 165-pounds, while Quillin’s stated 165-pound max. Brinkley came in at 166.6-pounds, which would have been over the allowance by .6 pounds anyway, but Quillin’s camp vehemently declared that Brinkley needed to come in at 165-pounds even. A deal which included a pay increase for Quillin salvaged the fight.

Brinkley was determined to show that he had made 166-pounds, which is what his contract allowed him to weigh, but by the time he came back to the weigh-in the digital scale had been taken away. Brinkley, either bitter over the weight discrepancy or testy because he had been in a sauna all day, refused to pose for any pictures and made his presence at the weigh-in very brief.

In the Telefutura-televised co-feature, Lonnie Smith (12-2-2, 9 KOs) of Las Vegas, Nevada will take on once-promising prospect David Rodela (15-3-3, 6 KOs) in a six-round super featherweight fight. Smith, an exciting action fighter, has rebuilt his career, reeling off seven straight wins since his last defeat back in 2007. Rodela, who has seen his career take a downturn, going 1-2-1 in his last four bouts, represents a major step up in opposition for Smith. The jury is still out on what David Rodela will show up in Reno tonight however. Since suffering a third-round knockout to Dante Jardon over a year ago, Rodela struggled to a split decision over Eric Cruz and wound up with a draw against 4-3-1 Juan Montiel last September. Smith and Rodela both scaled 130-8-pounds Thursday.

Former amateur standout Jesus “Chuy” Elizondo of Reno will make his long awaited professional debut against Rodrigo Espinoza (0-0-1) of Lindsay, California in a four-round super middleweight fight. Elizondo, once nationally ranked as an amateur, has been attempting to make his debut several times over the last two years, but injuries have always popped up at the wrong time. Espinoza, who trains out of the McDermont Field House in Lindsay, was cut in the first-round of his only pro bout, which resulted in a technical draw. Elizondo weighed in at 165.4-pounds, while Espinoza scaled 164.

Andrew Rempp (1-2-1) of Yerington will take on debuting Jose Sandoval of Modesto, California in a four-round featherweight fight. Rempp has been out of action since dropping a four-round decision to 0-2 Johnny Mancilla in December of 2009. Rempp scaled 126.4-pounds, while Sandoval scaled 124.6.

Cameron Dunkin-managed Trevor McCumby (2-0, 2 KOs) of Glendale, Arizona will take on Ritchie Cherry (2-1, 1 KO) of East St. Louis, Missouri in a four-round cruiserweight fight. McCumby, who scored a first-round stoppage in his last outing just last month, weighed in at 180.4-pounds. Cherry, who fought to a no-contest in March due to a headbutt, scaled 178.4-pounds.

Tickets for the event, promoted by Golden Boy Promotions, Let’s Get It On Promotions and Don Chargin Productions, are available online at Ticketmaster.com.

USBO Super Middleweight Championship, 10 Rounds
Brinkley 166.6
Quillin 165

Super Featherweights, 6 Rounds
Smith 130.8
Rodela 130.8

Super Middleweights, 4 Rounds
Elizondo 165.4
Espinoza 164

Featherweights, 4 Rounds
Rempp 126.4
Sandoval 124.6

Cruiserweights, 4 Rounds
McCumby 180.4
Cherry 178.4

Photos by Stephanie Trapp/trappfotos@gmail.com.

Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortega15rds@lycos.com.

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, Former Light Heavyweight champion Zsolt Erdei and Super Middleweight contender Allen Green will headline the off-tv undercard of the Carl Froch – Glen Johnson Super 6 Super Middleweight tournament in Atlantic Coty on June 4.

Erdei will take on former Super Middleweight champion Byron Mitchell in a ten round bout.

Zsolt needs to fight and stay active and stay in the consciousness of fans, plus he will be on the international broadcast,” said Lou DiBella, who promotes Johnson, Erdei and Green. “And last time he fought in Atlantic City, he brought a big crowd. So the idea is to get him a fight against a recognizable opponent, which Mitchell is, and wait our turn for something bigger.”

“We’re also in position to fight an eliminator in another organization after June 4, so we just have to keep him active and in front of people and he will get a big fight,” DiBella said.

Dan Rafael of espn.com is reporting that the May 14 Super Six Super Middleweight semi-final between WBA Champion Andre Ward and Arthur Abraham is now up in the air due to Abraham’s camp being upset with the appointment of officials.

“Contrary to what has been previously agreed on, the California commission all of a sudden insists on installing a Californian judge as well as a Californian referee,” said Abraham’s promoter Wilfried Sauerland. “That is totally unacceptable. This turnaround comes as a huge and unpleasant surprise.

“Two months ago, everybody involved agreed that this tremendous fight would be served by neutral officials. We agreed to have one judge from California, one from Europe and one from neither Europe nor the U.S. The referee is supposed to be neither American nor European either. Unless this issue is sorted, King Arthur will not leave the country. We have put his flights on hold.”

“King Arthur is more than happy to challenge Ward in his backyard, but we demand neutral officials as agreed on,” Sauerland said. “We have learned our lesson from the Kessler-Ward fight. Back then the California commission insisted on having a Californian referee. His performance was, to put it mildly, a joke.

“This is not some beach bar brawl but the semifinal of the Super Six World Boxing Classic, a sensational tournament that has captured global attention. It’s a shame that the clash is jeopardized just because a local commission refuses to honor existing agreements and basic rules of fair play.”

“Their accusation that California insisted on a California referee [for Ward-Abraham] is 100 percent inaccurate and, as far as I know, we have agreed to have one California official of the four officials, which is unusual to do. I don’t know how much more neutral the commission can be.”, said Dan Goossen, who promoted Ward.

“I felt the California commission bent over backward to accommodate the parties,” Goossen said. “It is out of my hands. It’s going to be up to them.”