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.”

SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA — Giving away 52 ½-pounds, local heavyweight and current James Toney sparring partner Hector Martinez avenged a closely-contested decision defeat with a six-round unanimous decision over Yohan Banks in the featured attraction at the Red Lion Hotel on Friday night.

The fight was not the action-packed slugfest their first encounter was last year, but surely Martinez (6-5, 4 KOs) of Broderick, California was happy to reverse the result no matter how the route. Banks (4-5-3, 2 KOs) of Redwood City, California was tentative in the early going, as he allowed Martinez to control the distance with his long arms.

Martinez, 225, landed his first telling combination in the second, catching Banks, 277 ½, with a jab, followed up by a right. Once the punch landed, Martinez was in Banks’ range, and thus forced a clinch to get back on the outside. It would be a strategy that would work well for Martinez for much of the contest. In the moments that Martinez would stay in range, Banks was quick to fire his right, but the shot hit the target only sparingly.

Banks began the third well, snapping Martinez’ head back with a looping right. Martinez quickly got on his bicycle. Once Martinez got his legs back to one hundred percent, the local favorite went right back to his one-two and hold technique to great effect. Action picked up in the fourth, as Martinez began to fire quick combinations when on the inside, before backing back out at range. Banks looked quite drained by the fourth, as the big guy threw even less and often took heavy breaths.

Wearing out Banks further, could have been Martinez’ longs arms and tall body hanging on him when they would clinch. When the fight was a wrestling match, Martinez had the advantage because he would look for an opening to throw in those situations. Banks on the other hand, looked to be looking for a rest when they would come together on the inside. After some mauling rounds, Martinez took the fight by scores of 58-57, 59-56 and 60-54.

“I felt that I had to redeem myself,” said Martinez Monday. Banks had scored a four-round split decision over Martinez in Oroville, California in March of last year. Martinez has been in training camp with future hall of famer James Toney. “It’s like going to college,” said Martinez of the experience. “I’m going to the school of hard knocks and learning from the professor. The living legend: James “Lights Out” Toney.”

Martinez will return to the ring on the undercard of Toney’s upcoming fight with Vinny Maddalone. That bout will take place May 21st at a casino in Biloxi, Mississippi. Martinez is already scheduled to come back to the Red Lion Hotel on June 17th as well.

In the co-feature, rising prospect Maximilliano Becerra (5-0-1, 2 KOs) of Vacaville, California scored a four-round unanimous decision as he turned back the challenge of a game Christian Gonzalez (2-1, 1 KO) of Bakersfield, California by way of Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico.

Gonzalez, 136, came out throwing in the first, but his punches clearly did not have the same force behind them as the ones that would be uncorked by Becerra, 136. After competitive exchanges in the first, Becerra turned the fight completely in his favor in the second round. Seconds in, Becerra unloaded a right hook that dropped Gonzalez into a corner. Gonzalez got up, but was soon downed by a flurry which looked to be helped by the tangling of their feet. When Gonzalez got up he was rocked by a straight left and right hook combo that almost put him down a third time. Had Gonzalez not stayed up, the fight would have been over.

Gonzalez managed to make it out of the second, even throwing back as the round concluded. In the third, the Bakersfield resident caught Becerra with a solid right, which began a good back-and-forth between the two. Gonzalez’ main problem was getting inside on the much taller and longer Becerra. The Mexican native almost had to eat one or two punches just to get close enough to throw one of his own.

Still, Gonzalez continued to press the fight, even landing a pretty combination in the fourth. The power difference remained clear however, as Becerra shook off the Gonzalez rally before taking all three official cards by the scores of 38-36 and 40-34 twice. Becerra will likely be back in the ring June 3rd at the Fairfield Sports Center in Fairfield, California and then return to the Red Lion Hotel on June 17th.

Former New York Golden Gloves champion Joshua Landers (1-0, 1 KO) of Hollywood, California spoiled the pro debut of locally popular former Badge VS. Badge and toughman competitor Larry Ward (0-1) of Sacramento via first-round stoppage to silence the boisterous Red Lion crowd.

Ward, who works full-time at the California Medical Facility, a state prison in nearby Vacaville, backed Landers to the ropes early and seemed to get overconfident after his brief success. Landers, 230, turned the momentum in his favor with a right that stunned Ward. Landers followed up the right with a left hook that rocked Ward, 223, almost wobbling him to the mat.

For a moment, it looked as though Landers was letting Ward off the hook, as he backed into the ropes and allowed Ward to come in throwing shots. With his back to the ropes, Landers landed a left hook that dropped Ward hard to the canvas. Referee Ed Collantes immediately waved off the fight at the time of 2:47 of the first round. Despite the loss, Ward will try it again June 17th back at the Red Lion Hotel.

In one of two exciting four-rounders on the card that evenly matched fighters making their pro debut, Brett De La Torre (1-0) of Vacaville scored a four-round majority decision over Will Walters (0-1) of Sacramento.

The action was fast and furious from round one on and throughout the fight. De La Torre, 142 ½, got things going as he quickly backed Walters, 142 ½, into the ropes. De La Torre, who kept his hands unusually low almost the entire fight, got a little cocky, which opened the door for Walters to take a turn at forcing the action. De La Torre then landed a pretty one-two combination before Walters came on again just before the bell.

After Walters had a successful round two, De La Torre clearly took the third with some excellent combination and counter-punching. The high work rate seemed to catch up to De La Torre late in the third, as he was visibly breathing heavily before the round ended. With De La Torre still looking a bit winded, Walters rocked the Vacaville native against the ropes in the fourth.

The tired De La Torre was in retreat much of the final round, but Walters did not cut off the ring enough to do any real damage. In the end, one judge had the fight even, 38-38. The other two favored De La Torre, 40-36 and 39-37. The 40-36 card seems highly questionable, considering De La Torre barely landed a punch in the fourth.

The joy of yet another Sacramento fighter’s pro debut was dampened by an out-of-towner, as Lee Reyes (1-0) of Hollywood scored a unanimous decision over Juan Luna (0-1) of Sacramento in an action-packed four-round affair. Reyes, the son of well known Santa Clara, California-based martial artist Ernie Reyes Sr, was also making his pro debut.

Luna, 159, got off to a great start, landing a stiff left hook that got the attention of Reyes, 160. Reyes soon landed a left hook of his own and the fight was on from there. Luna was controlling the round with his boxing for a moment, before Reyes landed another left hook that rocked the local product and likely stole the round.

Reyes, who trains out of the Wild Card, found himself bloodied over his left eye sometime in the second, but that turn of events would not deter him as he controlled the round with his higher output. Reyes began to utilize his right more in the third, often following it with a left that would rock Luna. In the fourth, Luna came out determined and forced Reyes into a neutral corner. Reyes adeptly fought his way off the turnbuckle and had a winded Luna in some trouble as the round progressed. Luna then briefly turned the tide, before getting stunned again to close out a thrilling final round of action. In the end, all three judges favored Reyes, 40-36. However, just as in the De La Torre-Walters bout, the loser had nothing to be down about and looks to have a bright future as a fighter for pay.

Fighting for the first time in almost two-and-a-half years, Andrey Kim (3-3, 1 KO) of Sacramento jumpstarted his pro career again with an impressive third-round knockout of Matt Mahler (0-3) of Stockton, California. Mahler, who himself had been out of action since a January 2009 knockout, was never a factor in the bout.

Kim, 137, wobbled Mahler, 137, with the first left hook he landed in the bout’s opening moments. The left would be there all night for Kim, who also controlled the distance with his movement. Finally in the third, Kim caught Mahler with a straight right, followed by that left hook again. The combo had Mahler stumbling around the ring, before Kim planted him with a right hook that put him down flat on to the right side of his face. No count was need, as referee Jon Schorle waved it off at 2:01 of the third.

Mixed Martial Arts

Derrick Burnsed (7-1, 3 KOs, 4 Submissions) of Citrus Heights, California flashed some power with a scary first-round knockout of Moses Baca (3-5) of Pleasant Hill, California. Burnsed, 154, dropped Baca seconds in and quickly pounced on his prone body before the referee could step in and call off the fight. Official time of the knockout was 1:01 of the first round. Baca was taken out of the ring by paramedics on a stretcher.

Amateur Boxing

Five amateur boxing exhibitions combined to open and close the card. Drew Heneffe of Overcome Training in Cameron Park, California scored a first-round stoppage of Arnulfo Rizo of the Cal Street Fight Club in Stockton, California in the opening fight of the night. Heneffe, 199, forced a standing eight count with two left hooks. When action resumed, Heneffe again landed a couple clean left hooks against Rizo, 192, which was enough for referee Ed Collantes to end the bout.

Joshua Green out of California Total Fitness in Manteca, California scored a three-round unanimous decision over Koran Richardson of the Cal Street Fight Club. It was a competitive contest throughout. Green, 161 ½, closed out the first well, while Richardson, 172 ½, did well in the second. With the fight apparently on the table, both fighters fought the third hard. Green did best with a straight right hand, while Green had his moments with the Manteca resident against the ropes. In the end, all three judges gave two of the three rounds to Green, 29-28.

Ukrainian import Aleksander Muza continually found a home for his overhand right on his way to a three-round unanimous decision over Jesus “Chuy” Sandoval of the Cal Street Fight Club. Muza, 116, who trains out of Niavaroni Kickboxing in Roseville, California, fought a very measured fight throughout. Muza seemed comfortable waiting for Sandoval, 123, to throw and leave an opening before offering up any offense of his own. Muza did come out of this shell in the third, as he closed the fight as the aggressor. In the end, all three judges gave the fight to Muza and his overhand right by scores of 30-27 three times.

James Davis out of Smash Time Boxing in Sacramento scored a hard-fought three round decision over Jared Moore of Anaheim, California. Moore, 175, took round one with two left hooks. Davis, 178, found a right hook and a solid body shot with his left in the second to take that round. The third was competitive, but judges favored Davis 29-28 across the board.

In the final fight of the evening, amateurs Jason Williams and Albert Avina of the Cal Street Fight Club traded at close quarters and fought at a steady pace for three rounds. In the end, all three judges had the fight for Williams.

Promoter Nasser Niavaroni of Uppercut Promotions is arranging to host the next event at the Red Lion Hotel on June 17th. When tickets for the event, planned to be held outdoors, do go on sale, they will be made available by calling the hotel at 916-782-4757.

Photos by Stephanie Trapp/trappfotos@gmail.com

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

Dan Rafael of espn.com is reporting that pound for pound king Manny Pacquiao could be fighting his arch rival Juan Manuel Marquez for a third time in October.

Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer said Monday that Top Rank has made a formal, written offer for Marquez, the lightweight champ, to challenge Pacquiao for his welterweight title on a date to be determined in October if he defeats Mosley.

“Last Friday, April 22, Top Rank made a firm offer to Juan Manuel Marquez to fight Manny Pacquiao in October for his WBO 147-pound belt,” Schaefer said. “Part of the deal includes a rematch provision in case Marquez would win. So Pacquiao could potentially be tied up for quite awhile.”

“I have no comment on anything regarding Marquez,” Top Rank president Todd duBoef said. “We have said that Marquez would be one of the possible opponents for Pacquiao after the fight with Mosley if he is successful against Mosley on May 7. But I have no comment. I am concentrating on promoting a fight on May 7.”

“Based on this offer, it seems like Pacquiao and Top Rank have no interest in fighting Mayweather, at least this year,” Schaefer said. “If they did, I am sure Top Rank would have had language in the offer saying this was the deal unless a Mayweather fight could be secured, but it doesn’t say that.”

“Obviously, Top Rank will have to live by these deal points they offered Marquez, so if any of these things would change — the date, the guaranteed money, the [pay-per-view] upside — they would have to come back to us, because Golden Boy continues to hold the right of last refusal for Marquez’s next fight until the end of February 2012,” Schaefer said.

“I think [Top Rank] sent us the offer because they know that we have these rights, these last negotiation rights. So they informed us that they had submitted that offer to Marquez. It’s the right thing to do. I don’t have a beef here with Top Rank whatsoever. ”

“I am a firm believer that when a fighter becomes a free agent and has certain rights or options that they explore those options. Top Rank did the right thing here. Assuming Top Rank lives by those deal points, so be it. But I don’t really understand it as it relates to the timing,” he said.

“What’s the urgency of locking in Pacquiao’s October fight before he has fought Mosley? I just find the timing strange that you would do that before a big promotion. Maybe Top Rank discounts Shane’s chances. Maybe they just feel it’s important to have that opponent lined up for Manny now.”

“Top Rank gave us their offer, but we have not heard from Marquez,” Schaefer said.

Schaefer said he met with Marquez in Mexico City about three weeks ago and presented him with a new promotional offer. Had he accepted, Marquez’s first bout of the deal could have been a July 30 pay-per-view headliner against junior welterweight titlist Zab Judah. Schaefer has been talking to Judah promoter Main Events about the fight, which Judah wants.

The fight would have given Marquez the opportunity that he has wanted — a chance, with a win, to become the first Mexican to claim a world title in four divisions.

“Maybe that was why [Top Rank] made the offer — because they knew we were trying to make a deal with Marquez and they wanted to make sure they have an opponent for Pacquiao in October,” Schaefer said.

Photo by Gene Blevins/Hogan Photos

Unheralded Frankie Leal scored an upset split decision over previously undefeated hot prospect Roberto Marroquin in a ten round Featherweight bout at the Winstar Casino in Thackerville, Oklahoma.

Marroquin and Leal fought on pretty even terms over the first half of the fight with Leal hanging around and being competitive.

leal got the better of the exchanges in the fat paced second half of the contest as his punches from his southpaw stance got through the guard of the prized Marroquin. Marroquin suffered a cut that had blood streaming from down his forehead which could have caused him some issues as Leal had solid round’s eight and nine. the two closed the show by standing toe toe action with Leal more than holding his own as the bell sounded to end the fight.

Leal, 123 lbs of Mexacali, MX won by scores of 99-92 and 96-94 while Marroquin took a card 97-93.

Leal is now 17-6-3. Marroquin, 124 lbs of Dallas, TX is now 19-1.

Baltimore Raven safety Tommy Zbikowski scored an explosive first round knockout over Blake Warner in a scheduled four round Cruiserweight bout.

Zbikowski landed some hard shots before he landed a wicked uppercut that dropped Warner and referee Vic Drachulich stopped the bout at 2:20 of round one

Zibikowski, 197 lbs of Chicago is now 4-0 with three knockouts. Warner, 194 lbs of Oklahoma, City is now 1-3.

Casey Ramos remained undefeated by scoring an eight round unanimous decision over one-time prospect John Jackson in a Lightweight bout.

The bout had some bizarre happening as in round one, Ramos pounded Jackson with a right hand off the break and Jackson fell to the ground. The incident was not ruled a knockdown. In round four, Ramos drilled Jackson with two right hands that sent Jackson into the ropes which was correctly ruled a knockdown. The impact of Jackson careening into the ropes caused the second rope to snap which caused a ten minute delay.

Ramos, 133 lbs of Austin, TX won all three cards by a 79-70 tally and is now 13-0. Jackson, 133 lbs of Miami, FL is now 16-3-1.

LOS ANGELES – An accidental collision of heads happened as Vic “Raging Bull” Darchinyan charged Yonnhy Perez in the fifth round of their consolation-cum-main-event bout. A cut opened over Perez’s eyes, and the match was stopped and sent to the scorecards. Those were academic, though. Perez hadn’t been in the fight for one minute of its opening 13.

Saturday night at Nokia Theatre in the downtown area, Armenia’s Darchinyan (36-3-1, 27 KOs) blitzed, bullied and blasted Colombia’s Perez (20-2-1, 14 KOs), beating him by three scores of 50-44 in a fight that saw only four rounds completed and none competitive.

Darchinyan, a southpaw and former world champion originally scheduled for the consolation match of Showtime’s Bantamweight Tournament but elevated to the main event when Joseph Agbeko withdrew from his championship fight with Abner Mares, dropped Perez in the second round then measured him for left uppercuts and crosses that didn’t miss.

When an accidental collision of heads came in the fifth round, referee Jerry Cantu acknowledged the cut and motioned the fighters together. Perez, though, shook his head and walked to his corner, where ringside doctor Paul Wallace eventually stopped the match, citing “arterial bleeding.”

“The ref said, ‘Do you want to fight?’” reported Darchinyan of his opponent’s comportment, after the match. “He said, ‘No.’ He quit.”

Asked about future opponents, Darchinyan first named the man who beat him by split decision in December.

“I’d like to fight (Abner) Mares, if he’ll fight me,” said Darchinyan. “Otherwise, I’ll fight Nonito Donaire.”

Donaire remains the only man to knock Darchinyan out in his prizefighting career.

UNDERCARD
Having a name that ends in a phonetic “?-?n” may win you a following in Glendale, Calif., but it ensures nothing else in boxing, as junior lightweight Armenian Azat Hovenensian (0-1) learned in his professional debut against Mexican Juan Reyes (1-1) in the final fight of Saturday’s undercard. Hovenensian engaged throughout the match’s four rounds and absorbed a rain of blows from Reyes, who won by unanimous-decision scores of 38-37, 40-36 and 40-36.

“Figueroa versus Figueroa along Figueroa” went the theme for a junior welterweight fight between Texan Omar Figueroa (11-0-1, 8 KOs) and Puerto Rican John Figueroa (7-10-3, 3 KOs) midway through the evening’s scheduled undercard. A Figueroa won of course – in this case Omar – by second-round knockout at 2:05.

Saturday’s third bout featured two Californians and the first of what would be four fighters of Armenian background, as Glendale’s Art Hovhannisyan (13-0-1, 7 KOs) swapped blows with Richmond’s Jose Alfredo Lugo (11-16-1, 5 KOs) in an entertaining six-round junior welterweight fight. Hovhannisyan, often moving like fellow Armenian Vic Darchinyan but generally showing better balance when attacking, grinded-down Lugo for four rounds before stopping him with a right cross at 1:57 of round 5.

Before that, an inspired four-round flyweight bout between Pennsylvania’s Miguel Diaz (5-0, 3 KOs) and Californian Alejandro Solorio (4-4, 3 KOs) saw Diaz remain undefeated by dropping Solorio in round 3 and cruising to a unanimous decision all three judges scored 39-36. But Solorio, a local fighter, made things interesting in each of the bout’s 12 minutes.

Saturday’s seven-fight card began with a slow-to-develop heavyweight match between Washington, D.C.’s DaVarryl Williamson (27-6, 23 KOs) and Floridian Michael Marrone (19-3, 14 KOs). The match temporarily came alive in round 3, when Williamson landed a counter right hand that knocked Marrone to the blue mat just before the bell. Four rounds later – at 2:30 of the seventh – the fight ended in similar fashion, with Williamson prevailing by technical knockout.

Opening bell rang on a silent Nokia Theatre at 5:06 PM local time. At 7:25, a venue security guard confirmed the door’s ticket count was 2,000.

Photo by Tom Casino / Showtime

LOS ANGELES – Friday afternoon on the second floor of the never-ending JW Marriott Hotel in the middle of downtown, last-minute main-event bantamweights Armenian Vic Darchinyan and Colombian Yonnhy Perez made weight for their Saturday consolation fight. But in an existential twist, the room was filled with the absence of Agbeko.

Ghana’s Joseph Agbeko, scheduled to fight Mexico’s Abner Mares in the finals of Showtime’s Bantamweight Tournament at Nokia Theatre, was not there and will not be in action Saturday. Citing sciatica – a nerve condition of the lower back and legs – and a pain so extreme that it caused him to collapse on Tuesday, Agbeko officially withdrew from his fight with Mares, at Thursday’s final fight-week press conference.

Friday’s weigh-in sagged somewhat from the deflation caused by that announcement. Like its host edifice, the weigh-in for what is now Darchinyan-Perez was resplendent but empty. There was ring announcer Jimmy Lennon Jr. There was a pair of lasses scantily accoutered like ring-card girls. And there were Darchinyan, who weighed 117.8 pounds, and Perez, who made 117.6. But there was no Agbeko and no Mares, no Don King and no Oscar De La Hoya – who, along with Gary Shaw, co-promote the event – and those were not good omens for Saturday’s gate.

“We may have to give refunds,” said Golden Boy Promotions matchmaker Eric Gomez, Friday. “It’s up to the venue, but it’s tough when you lose a main event. Tough on the fighters, too.”

Asked how close he came to finding a replacement for Agbeko on short notice, Gomez confirmed there were hopes on Wednesday. “Very close,” said Gomez. “We tried to find an opponent that resembled Agbeko’s style. But ultimately, Abner said, ‘What if something happens?’”

While Saturday’s new main event – which features two fighters who lost in the Bantamweight Tournament semifinals in December – should nevertheless be a very entertaining spectacle, much of the enthusiasm that accompanied the start of fight-week was gone by Friday afternoon.

The weigh-in could have used the robust charisma and cackle of co-promoter Don King, but he was not in attendance.

“Don was getting on a flight on Thursday morning, and this was Wednesday night,” said publicist Alan Hopper. “And I told him, ‘No, it’s OK, you don’t have to be here.’”

The show will go on just the same. Doors are scheduled to open on Nokia Theatre at 4:00 PM local time, with the opening bell set to ring at 5:00. 15rounds.com will have full ringside coverage.

Breidis Prescott’s new nickname “The Khanqueror,” ensures that every time he’s announced, fight fans are reminded that he was the man who beat Amir Khan. While Khan has recovered from the loss and gone on to bigger and better things, Prescott seems to have faded into the background and furthered the claim that he simply got lucky and caught Khan cold. Prescott’s fight tonight against the unheralded junior welterweight Bayan Jargal did little to convince anyone otherwise. If Prescott was looking make a case for a rematch with Khan based on this fight, perhaps those viewing it should only watch rounds one through five.

The bout took place at the Mohegan Sun Hotel and Resort in Ledyard, Connecticut

Admittedly Prescott did look good for the first half of the fight. He came out wild in round one, clearly trying to take Jargal’s head off. Although a bit sloppy, many of Prescott’s punches landed hard and a left hook near the end of round one wobbled Jargal a bit. Prescott settled down in round two and began to put his punches together; stringing left hooks and uppercuts in with straight right hands. Rounds 3 and 4 were more of the same as Prescott upped the intensity and landed some beautiful combos on the charging Jargal. Prescott also let loose a great jab that disrupted Jargal’s forward momentum time and again.

Perhaps frustrated he couldn’t take Jargal out Prescott went all out in a wild round 5, unleashing nearly 50 punches in a row in the center of the ring. Jargal ate a surprising number of the punches in the exchange but refused to go down. If one thing can be said of Jargal in this fight, it’s that his chin must be cast of pure granite. Had the fight stopped at the end of the 5th, perhaps Prescott could have generated some buzz about a potential Khan rematch. Instead, a tired Prescott set himself on cruise control and did little over the final 5 rounds. Although Prescott was clearly winning the rounds, he allowed himself to be trapped on the ropes far too often and looked exhausted over the final two rounds.
Jargal, for his part never stopped fighting and managed to win a few cheers from the crowd as he threw punches with reckless abandon. But heart is often not enough in boxing and scores at the end of the fight were 99-91, 99-90 and 100-90 all for Prescott (now 24-2 19KOs.) Jargal drops to 15-2-3 9KOs. Perhaps one day Prescott will get his rematch with Khan. But showings like tonight’s won’t make it a must on any fight fan’s list.

Junior Middleweight prospect Demetrius Andrade notched another easy win as he dispatched under-whelming opponent Omar Bell in less than two rounds. Andrade calmly worked his southpaw 1-2 throughout much of round one and landed easily on the 32 year old Bell; whose previous fight was over a year ago. A little over a minute into round two, as Bell ducked down and forward in anticipation of a punch, Andrade slipped in a chopping left hand that landed on Bell’s chin and put him on the canvas. Though the punch didn’t seem particularly powerful, it was enough to ensure that Bell stayed on one knee as referee Dick Flaherty tolled the ten count above him. The bout was over at 1:31 of round two. For all Andrade’s Olympic pedigree, it seems he’s being moved quite slowly and it’s questionable how much he can be learning from wins such as these. Regardless, he runs his unblemished record to 13-0 9KOs. Bell records his second loss and is now 8-2 5KOs.

In a 4 round junior middleweight bout, Kevin Rooney Jr. (son of famed trainer Kevin Rooney) made a successful pro debut by battering fellow newcomer David Navarro en-route to a wide unanimous decision victory. It looked as if Rooney would make an early night of things as he came out and dropped Navarro early with a sweeping left hook along the ropes; but Navarro rose and was able to survive the follow up from Rooney by covering up and retreating. In round two Navarro continued to cover up behind a high guard and a slightly frustrated Rooney began to look for counter punches instead of creating the openings. It paid off as Rooney dropped Navarro hard with a counter left hook along the ropes midway though the round. It looked like a fight ending shot but Navarro (who was also making his pro debut as well) acquitted himself well and rose to absorb more punishment. Navarro made it though round two but was easily out-punched over the final two rounds. Scores at the end of 4 read a unsurprising 40-34 on all three judges scorecards, giving Rooney his first pro win and Navarro his first pro loss.

Undefeated heavyweight Joe Hanks battered journeyman Terrell Nelson into submission over 4 one-sided rounds, forcing Nelson’s corner to stop the fight between rounds. Hanks bludgeoned the listless Nelson around the ring with left hooks and right hands, dodging what little Nelson threw in return. After seeing enough, Nelson’s corner pulled the plug before round 5 started, giving Hanks the TKO victory. Hanks improves to 16-0 11KOs while Nelson slips to 8-12 5KOs.

Making his professional debut, light heavyweight Kevin Cobbs destroyed the previously unbeaten Nicholas Lavin in under a round. Cobbs wobbled Lavin with a hard right hand in the corner and put him down with a follow up barrage of punches. Lavin managed to make it to his feet but was put down under another assault from Cobbs and referee Steve Smoger called off the fight at 1:30 of round one. Cobbs is now 1-0 1KO while Lavin drops to 2-1 2KOs.

SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA — Promoter Nasser Niavaroni brings professional boxing and mixed martial arts back to the Red Lion Hotel for the first time in over a year-and-a-half tonight. In the featured attraction, heavyweights Yohan Banks and Hector Martinez will look to pick up where they left off in March of last year as they engage in a six-round rematch. Also, rising local lightweight prospect Maximilliano Becerra will take on unknown Christian Gonzalez in the co-feature. Fighters weighed in Thursday afternoon at JB’s Lounge inside the hotel.

Banks (4-4-3, 2 KOs) of Redwood City, California met Martinez (5-5, 4 KOs) of Broderick, California at the Feather Falls Casino & Lodge in Oroville, California in a short-notice match-up just over a year ago. That night, Martinez took a little while to warm up and was dropped in the second round. Once Martinez regrouped, the fight quickly turned into a heavyweight shootout. As the fight progressed, it was Martinez that was getting the better of the exchanges. However the point Martinez lost for the knockdown proved to be the difference in the scoring, as Banks won over two of the judges, 38-37.

Since their initial meeting, Banks has gone 1-1, getting stopped by unbeaten Adam Kownacki and upsetting overhyped Quadtrine Hill via fourth-round knockout. Martinez has fought just once since the Banks loss, dropping another split decision heartbreaker to Lamont Williams this past January. Banks weighed in at 277 ½-pounds Thursday. Martinez, who launched into a Muhammad Ali-inspired rant while still on the scale, weighed in at 225.

Becerra (4-0-1, 2 KOs) of Vacaville, California returns to the site of his first three pro bouts against the unknown Gonzalez (2-0, 1 KO) of Bakersfield, California by way of Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico in the four-round co-feature. Becerra, who has grown into a solid ticket seller in the area, pleased his local following with a dominant four-round unanimous decision over Omar Sanchez at the Fairfield Sports Center in nearby Fairfield, California this past January. Gonzalez, who has been out of the ring since 2009, weighed in at 136-pounds, as did Becerra.

The fighter most responsible for the popularity of the Badge VS. Badge series of events in Northern California, Larry Ward of Sacramento, will make his pro debut against former amateur standout Joshua Landers of the Bronx, New York. Landers, who currently trains out of the Wild Card Boxing Club in Hollywood, California, is also making his professional debut. Ward, who is known for his colorful personality, was unusually subdued at the weigh-in while scaling 223-pounds. Landers, a former novice division New York Golden Gloves champion, weighed in at 230-pounds.

Perhaps looking for a fresh start, Andrey Kim (2-3) of Sacramento fights for the first time almost two-and-a-half years in a four-round lightweight bout against Matt Mahler (0-2) of Stockton, California. Mahler himself has been out of action since a January 2009 knockout suffered at the hands of the aforementioned Maximilliano Becerra. Kim’s last bout ended via second-round stoppage to prospect Gabriel Tolmajyan in December of 2008. Kim and Mahler both weighed-in at 137-pounds Thursday.

Juan Luna of Sacramento will make his professional debut against Lee Reyes of San Jose, California in a four-round middleweight fight. Reyes, the son of well known martial artist Ernie Reyes Sr, is also making his professional boxing debut. Luna weighed in at 159-pounds. Reyes, who trains out of the Wild Card, originally came in one pound over at 161, but made 160-pounds after taking the scale in the nude.

In another pairing of pro debutants, Brett De La Torre of Vacaville will take on Sacramento’s Will Walters in a four-round light welterweight fight. The baby-faced De La Torre, who trains alongside Maximilliano Becerra at the Vacaville PAL, weighed in at 142 ½-pounds. Walters, who impressed ringside observers during the California Golden Gloves last year, also weighed in at 142 ½-pounds.

Mixed Martial Arts

Derrick Burnsed (6-1, 2 KOs, 4 Submissions) of Citrus Heights, California will take on Moses Baca (3-4) of Pleasant Hill, California in a three-round welterweight fight. Burnsed, who trains alongside Urijah Faber in Sacramento, weighed in at 154-pounds. Baca, who trains out of the Cesar Gracie Sports Center in Pleasant Hill, had trouble finding the hotel and weighed in at a later time.

Former California Golden Gloves Champion boxer Michael Ortega (1-1, 1 KO) had hoped to continue his MMA career in a scheduled three-round welterweight bout against Chris Quitiquit (4-0, 1 KO, 1 Submission). However their fight was a late scratch. Ortega fights for Urijah Faber’s Team Alpha Male and Quitiquit is part of the Nick Diaz camp. Reportedly the two camps have a gentlemen’s agreement to not match-up their fighters.

Amateur Boxing

Six amateur boxing exhibitions will open up the card. Drew Heneffe, who fights out of Overcome Training in Cameron Park, California, will take on Arnulfo Rizo out of the Cal Street Fight Club in Stockton, California in three-round heavyweight bout. Heneffe weighed in at 199-pounds, while Rizo scaled 192.

Joshua Green, fighting out of California Total Fitness in Manteca, California, will take on Koran Richardson of the Cal Street Fight Club in a three-round light heavyweight fight. Green weighed in at 161 ½-pounds. Richardson weighed in at 172 ½-pounds, which infuriated Green’s trainer and former pro heavyweight Gilbert Martinez. However, the weight difference is within the allowance for an amateur exhibition, and the fight will go on as scheduled.

Ukrainian import Aleksander Muza will take on Jesus Sandoval of the Cal Street Fight Club in a three-round bantamweight fight. Muza, who trains out of fight promoter Nasser Niavaroni’s gym, Niavaroni Kickboxing in Roseville, California, weighed in at 116-pounds. Sandoval, yet another fighter out of the Cal Street Fight Club in Stockton, weighed in at 123-pounds.

Jared Moore of Anaheim, California will take on James Davis out of Smash Time Boxing in Sacramento in a three-round light heavyweight fight. Moore weighed in at 175-pounds, while Davis came in at 178.

Fighters for the last amateur exhibition, Jason Williams and Albert Avina, will weigh in tomorrow.

Tickets for the event, promoted by Uppercut Promotions, are available by calling the Red Lion Hotel at 916-782-4757.

Quick Weigh-in Results:

Heavyweights, 6 Rounds
Banks 277 ½
Martinez 225

Lightweights, 4 Rounds
Becerra 136
Gonzalez 136

Heavyweights, 4 Rounds
Ward 223
Landers 230

Lightweights, 4 Rounds
Kim 137
Mahler 137

Middleweights, 4 Rounds
Luna 159
Reyes 160

Welterweights, 4 Rounds
Walters 142 ½
De La Torre 142 ½

Mixed Martial Arts Weigh-in Result:

Welterweights, 3 Rounds
Burnsed 154
Baca*

Amateur Boxing Exhibition Weigh-in Results:

Heavyweights, 3 Rounds
Heneffe 199
Rizo 192

Light Heavyweights, 3 Rounds
Green 161 ½
Richardson 172 ½

Bantamweights, 3 Rounds
Muza 116
Sandoval 123

Light Heavyweights, 3 Rounds
Moore 175
Davis 178

*weighed in late Thursday

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

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, IBF Bantamweight champion Joseph Agbeko collapsed earlier this week and is not cleared to fight this Saturday against Abner Mares in the finals of the Showtime Bantamweight tournament scheduled for Los Angeles.

Showtime boxing chief Ken Hershman was on a family vacation in Italy and had not yet made a decision on what would happen with Saturday’s card.

“Ken is aware of the situation and will come to a decision soon,” Showtime spokesman Chris DeBlasio told ESPN.com.

“I was picking him up at baggage claim and we walked outside to the car and he literally collapsed in the roadway right next to the car,” said Don King’s PR maven Alan Hopper. “He could barely move. He literally was face down on the pavement until the police and ambulance arrived.”

“He’s very disappointed. Despondent would be the word,” Hopper said. “He said when he was laying on the pavement and when I was checking on him, all he was saying was, ‘This can’t be happening, I have to fight on Saturday night. This can’t be happening.’ This is the biggest fight of his life and he is very, very upset and disappointed. He has worked really hard for this fight.”

Gary Shaw, who promotes Perez and Darchinyan, said he was hopeful Showtime would still go through with the card by bumping the consolation fight up to the main event. Both fighters have been on Showtime several times and usually have produced action-packed fights.

“Here is my guess — the fact that Showtime has everything in place and has their crew here, I think they will go through with it,” Shaw said.

Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer, who promotes Mares, also said he hoped the card would go on. Schaefer said although he had not yet heard from Hershman, he had his matchmakers looking for a substitute opponent for Mares to fight.

“Gary feels, and I agree with him, that the show should go on and we are currently trying to secure a replacement for Agbeko, but I don’t know how Showtime is going to react to that,” Schaefer said. “I think it’s unfair to the other fights to call of the show just because Agbeko is out. We’ll see.”

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, IBF/WBO Heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko and WBA Champion David Haye will finally meet on July 2nd in Hamburg, Germany.

“We are very glad that this mega-fight will finally come true,” Bernd Boente, Klitschko’s manager, said Wednesday. “We expect more than 150 TV stations worldwide to show the fight live or on a delay. Klitschko vs. Haye is definitely one of the top highlights in sport.”

“Also, Hamburg is the second-biggest city in Germany after Berlin, so you have a huge potential fan base and the stadium is one a new stadium built just a few years ago,” Boente said. “We are sure that because of the city and the stadium that we will have a sellout crowd.”

“I am very happy that Haye finally dares to step into the ring with me,” Klitschko, 35, said. “He already ducked out of two fights with me and Vitali and is only trash-talking and producing stupid shirts. Now he has to prove in the ring what he has got. I have been waiting for this fight for over two years.”

Said the 30-year-old Haye: “I always said I would knock out Wladimir, get his belts and will then finish up his brother Vitali to end my career on the peak. Wladimir has only fought wimps and cowards so far. I will show him his limitations and what it is like to fight a real champion. That is a promise.”

“I’m very excited about it because it’s eventually time to make it happen. Finally. But it’s not matter of fact that David Haye will show up on July 2,” Klitschko said. “But I hope he will. We will face each other a couple of times at press conferences and I am a little bit worried about it because he is putting so much pressure on himself. He’s consistently putting himself in a corner and now the action has to follow. Now he has to follow through with all the promises.”

“I am completely recovered and I have been cleared by the doctor, so I am ready to go,” Klitschko said. “I can train now, but it’s early. I do will do the same preparation I always do. I’m, of course, taking this fight like any other fight –seriously. I know exactly what to expect from him and what to do with him. My game plan has not changed since I was preparing to fight him in June 2009. To me nothing has changed.”

Then Klitschko unveiled his dry wit: “To make it more clear, I am going to fight David Haye. After the clearance from the doctor, David Haye will get his wish to fight the younger, weaker Klitschko, as he says. It is his dream come true.”

“This will be the second heavyweight unification fight that we have promoted. The first was between Wladimir and Ibragimov at a sold out Madison Square Garden, but this fight between Wladimir and Haye is on a totally different level,” said Tom Loeffler, the managing director of Klitschko’s K2 Promotions. “It has been talked about for the last two years and now is the premiere event in boxing. The Klitschkos are the only boxers that can regularly fill the large soccer stadiums in Europe and the Imtech Arena in Hamburg is a great venue

World ranked 175-pound contender Otis Griffin has just informed 15rounds.com that he has signed to meet once-beaten Karo Murat in an elimination bout with the IBF #2 light heavyweight ranking at stake on May 7th at the Jahnsportforum in Neubrandenburg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany.

Griffin (23-7-2, 9 KOs) of Sacramento, California rode a four-fight win streak into an IBF title elimination bout against Yusaf Mack this past March. Griffin had received a lowball offer to fight reigning IBF kingpin Tavoris Cloud, but opted to take the Mack bout instead in order to optimize his earning potential for the title bout. However, Griffin’s strategy backfired a bit, as Mack took a twelve-round split decision after several postponements of the bout. Now Griffin, currently the IBF #7 ranked light heavyweight contender, gets a second chance at making the Cloud bout a reality.

Murat (23-1, 13 KOs) of Kitzingen, Bayern, Germany is coming off of an eight-round unanimous decision over Griffin acquaintance and fellow Sacramento resident Christian Cruz which took place this past February in Germany. Murat’s only defeat came at the hands of current WBO Interim Light Heavyweight title holder Nathan Cleverly via tenth-round stoppage at the ringside physician’s request last September. Murat is currently the IBF #9/WBO #10/WBA #13 ranked 175-pound fighter.

Their light heavyweight elimination bout serves as one of main undercard attractions to the IBF Middleweight title bout between champion Sebastian Sylvester and mandatory challenger Daniel Geale.

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

Before his technical decision victory over Paul McCloskey this past Saturday, WBA Super Lightweight champion Amir Khan re-signed with promoters Golden Boy Promotions and television network HBO to four year extensions according to Dan Rafael of espn.com

“We’ve been negotiating the extension and last week we signed it,” said Richard Schaefer, CEO of Golden Boy Promotions. “We agreed awhile ago that we would want to continue to work together. It took time while we were negotiating the best possible deal for everyone.”

“Amir’s future is so bright,” said Golden Boy president Oscar De La Hoya, who was ringside for the fight against McCloskey. “Amir wants to unify titles. He would also want to move up to 147 pounds eventually. There are many possibilities. He wants to fight the best and we want to make those fights for him. It’s very exciting for us. We will have a great champion for many years to come.”

Said HBO’s Kery Davis, “We believe Amir has a bright future in the sport and is an emerging star. We look forward to his next fight on HBO.”

Khan’s next fight is tentatively supposed to be a July 23 unification bout with American Timothy Bradley Jr. (27-0, 11 KOs), who owns two 140-pound belts. He unified two titles with a 10th-round technical decision victory against Devon Alexander on Jan. 29.

“We are trying to finalize that fight,” Schaefer said. “[Bradley promoter] Gary Shaw is going to be in Los Angeles this week, so we can talk about it some more. There’s been some talk that maybe the Bradley side isn’t going to take the fight or this and that, so I talked to Gary on Monday and wanted to know if we have a fight. He confirmed we have a fight, so we are working on the paperwork.”

“We are excited to continue to work with Amir,” Schaefer said. “He and his team see we have done a good job for Amir, taking his fights to New York and then to Las Vegas, and we know there are huge opportunities for Amir. I can see huge paydays for him. We want to start in July with Amir’s run with the fight against Bradley to get him in position where he can eventually fight for that No. 1 position on the pound-for-pound list.”

Orlando Salido won the WBO featherweight title with a stunning upset by scoring an eighth round stoppage over previously undefeated Superstar Juan Manuel Lopez at the Ruben Rodriguez Coliseum in Bayamon, Puerto Rico.

Salido was consistently getting through with the right hand over the course of the fight and was definatly in the contest throughout. There were many solid exchanges with the fight really starting to heat up in the third. The first sign of Salido being a tough out for Lopez as the challenger landed a hard staright right that backed up the champion. Lopez quickly answered that by backing up Salido with a combination. In round five, Salido landed a booming right to the jaw the sent Lopez to the canvas and the champ was in a heap of trouble. Lopez was lucky that the knockdown came at the end of the round or he may have been stopped right then and there.

Salido continued to find a home for the right hand but Lopez showed a champions heart by continuing to fire back and get through with solid straight lefts.

In round eight, Salido landed another right hand that sent Lopez reeling all over the ring but this time there was enough time for Salido to stalk and throw some shots that connected and continued to hurt Lopez. Lopez was throwing to the very end but his shots were mostly missing in between battering shots from Salido when the bout was halted at 1:37 of round eight.

Salido, 126 lbs of Ciudad, Mexico is champion with a record of 35-11-2-1 with twenty-three knockouts. Lopez, 125 lbs of Caguas, PR is now 30-1.

Admitting to the severity of the knockdown, Lopez simply stated after the fight, “The punch in the fifth round hurt.”

The stoppage surprised – and angered – many in attendance, as the boos were following by flying beer and water bottles from the pro-Lopez crowd. Lopez echoed the crowd’s displeasure with the ref’s ruling. “[Salido] was hitting me but [Ramirez Jr.] shouldn’t have stopped the fight,” said Lopez. “I was still conscious.”

Proudly hoisting up his belt after the fight, the new champion said, “I came very prepared to fight the No. 1 featherweight in the world. I think the fight was going pretty evenly through the first five rounds but I knew I had to pressure [Lopez] because we were in his hometown.”

Luis Cruz had a couple of anxious moments but he fought well and scored a ten round unanimous decision over late replacement and former world title challenger Martin Honorio in a Jr. Lightweight bout.

Cruz built up a nice lead early as Cruz featured precise counter left hooks. Round six saw many wild exchanges that pleased the crowd with the exception of a moment when Cruz was buckled from a pair of right hands from Honorio.

Cruz steadied himself and boxed well for round’s seven through nine. Honorio buckled Cruz early in the final frame from a right to the body but Cruz once again regained his composure and finished up the fight by landing some solid uppercuts and left hands.

Cruz, 129 3/4 lbs of Las Piedras, PR won by scores of 100-90; 98-92; and 96-94 to remain undefeated at 18-0. Honorio, 131 lbs of Mexico City is now 29-6-1.

Photo by Chris Farina / Top Rank

MASHANTUCKET, CT (April 16, 2011) Forget what you know about Victor Ortiz. Forget what you know about Andre Berto. Nothing in either fighters past meant a damn thing tonight. The heart both men displayed and the way they fought has washed away any negative perceptions anyone could possibly hold about either fighter. Berto slugged instead of boxed, Ortiz over-came knockdowns and gutted out 12 hard rounds. Both fighters entertained and neither backed down. It’s what both needed and what they delivered.

Now the particulars. Round one set the tone for the entire fight, both men came out jabbing quickly, berto snaping off a few right hands. The felt each other out for a minute before Ortiz unleashed a left hand that glanced off of Berto’s should and head and put Berto down. Referee Michael Ortega did not rule it a knockdown but a few seconds later Betro was trapped in a corner went down amidst a barrage of Ortiz’s punches. Betro rose and the round ended but he was clearly shaken. Ortiz tried to exploit Betro’s shaky legs and charged him, swinging and landing. Betro survived and then leveled a perfect right hand counter that dropped Ortiz. Oritz rose and though not badly hurt, did mange to survive Berto’s follow up barrage. Rounds 3 and 4 had furious back and forth action between both fighters, with each giving as well as they were taking. Round 6 was the sure round of the year as Bertro dropped Ortiz hard with a counter right, only to be put down himself moments later from a perfectly time Ortiz left hand.

The fighters slowed a bit in rounds 7, 8 and 9 but there was still great two way action. The difference being that through those rounds, Ortiz appeared to be the slightly fresher, busier fighter. Ortiz was docked a point in round 10 for hitting behind the head but shook it off and closed out rounds 11 and 12 strong. It was truly a fight beyond words and both fighters gave it their all. When the scorecards were announced, Ortiz led on all three: 115-110, 115-112 and 114-111. Ortiz (29-2-2 22KOs) is now the WBC champ and appears to have handily overcome Maidana fight. Berto (27-1 21KOs) takes his first loss but will now hopefully be viewed as the truly exciting fighter he is.

Up and coming welterweight prospect Thomas Dulorme made a serious statement by notching a brutal 2nd round knockout over late replacement Harrison Cuello. Dulorme started quickly and had Cuello backpedaling for most of the first round, using hooks and straight right hands to keep Cuello off balance. Early in round 2, Cuello went down on an overhand right but was more off balance than hurt. Not long after he rose, Dulorme leveled a viscous right hand that instantly separated Cuello from his consciousness and dropped him straight backwards. Referee Johnny Callas didn’t bother to count and stretchers were immediately brought into the ring. Cuello (now 20-16-3 15KOs) was thankfully OK but there were a few tense minutes as medical staff attended to him. Dulorme, who improves to 11-0 10KOs with the knockout, has now certainly become a prospect to keep an eye on.

“Thomas Dulorme is one of the most devastating young punchers,” promoter Lou DiBella said. “He is the entire package. Within a year he will be challenging for a world title.”

Overcoming a 62 pound weight difference, the 223 pound female heavyweight Sonya Lamonakis claimed a hard fought unanimous decision over the 285 pound Gigi Jackson. Lamonakis initially looked a bit apprehensive as Jackson came forward and used her weight to push her around the ring, but by the second round, Lamonakis began to open up and score well with right hands. Through the next 2 rounds, Lamonakis was the busier fighter and pushed Jackson back behind strong right hands and left hooks. Ultimately it was work rate that caused the judges to give it to Lamonakis by scores of 40-36 and 39-37 (twice.) With the win, Lamonakis remains unbeaten at 5-0 1KO while Jackson falls to 2-2.

Deandre Latimore cruised to an unimpressive 8 round unanimous decision over Bayonne NJ’s Dennis Sharpe. Latimore was dominant in the early rounds and landed a number of good right uppercuts but seemed reluctant to follow up on any of his big punches. Each of the 8 rounds progressed in the same manner, with Latimore darting in and out and landing but refusing to open up and try for the stoppage. Sharpe did well to take Latimore’s hard shots but did little else throughout the 8 rounds. When the scorecards were announced, it was no surprise that all three read 80-72 in favor of the now 22-3 (17KOs) Latimore. Sharpe dropped is seventh in a row and stands at 17-7-3 4KOs

In an entertaining scrap between unbeaten bantamweights, New Haven, CT native Luis Rosa Jr. (6-0 5KOs) overcame the hard charging Joseliz Cepeda (4-1) of Neward, NJ and managed to pull out an impressive 5th round KO. The first three rounds of the fight were evenly contested as both fighters tee’d off on each other with near reckless abandon. The fight shifted in round 4 when Cepeda began to visibly slow. Rosa took advantage and pressed the action, putting in good work to the body. When the fifth began, Rosa began right where he left off and wisely went right back to Cepeda’s body. Less than a minute into the round, a left hook from Rosa dropped Cepeda to a knee and spelled the beginning of the end. Cepeda backpedaled to the ropes but was caught with another left hook to the liver and again took a knee; grimacing in pain as referee Dick Flaherty counted him out. Time of the stoppage was 1:12 of round 5.

Welterweight Joseph Elegele of Winter Haven, FL needed less than 2 rounds to blow out his out gunned opponent Angel Hernandez of Gary, IN. The talent disparity was quickly evident as Elegele dropped Hernandez early in round 1 with a counter right hook and proceed to tag him easily thoughout the rest of the round. Round 2 progressed in much the same fashion until Elegele landed a perfect left uppercut to Hernandez’s mid-section, causing him to crumple to the canvas. Referee Johnny Callas began a count but realized it wasn’t necessary and called the fight at 2:54 of round 2. Elegele remains undefeated and runs his record to 12-0 10KOs. Hernandez notches his tenth loss and is now 14-10 11KOs.

In the opening bout of the night, middleweight J’Leon Love of Dearborn MI, wiped out overmatched J.C. Peterson of Fort Myers, FL in less less than two rounds. Love dominated from the outset and rained punches on Peterson for the entirety of the fight. The end came as Peterson, trapped on the ropes, was stunned by a left hook and ate around 10 follow up punches en route to the canvas where referee Dick Flaherty waved it off. Time of the stoppage was 2:13 of round 2. Love is now 6-0 5KOs while Peterson stands at 1-11.

Post Fight Quotes

New World Boxing Council (“WBC”) Welterweight Champion “Vicious” Victor Ortiz addressed the media following his thrilling twelve round unanimous decision victory over Andre Berto on Saturday night.

Berto, who hurt his right hand in round and required medical attention, did not attend the press conference.

Here are post fight quotes from the participants:

Victor Ortiz, WBC Welterweight Champion: “Andre Berto – I know he’s not here – we both went through a great war; nothing but respect. It was a very exciting fight. He hits very hard. I have a head harder than a rock. I wonder what the headline will read: Victor doesn’t have….fill in the blank. It wasn’t a walk in the park but I got the goods.”

“I want to thank Manny Pacquiao for his words. We talked today and he said to stick to my plan, that I’m a very good fighter, and don’t take anybody’s negativity.”

“I saw Andre Berto as a champion. There’s no stopping Berto. I didn’t prepare to knockout Berto. I knew it would go the full distance. I pictured myself with two black eyes, but I would have the green belt.”

“There are a lot of great fighters at 147’; I’m completely done with 140. I’m going to take a vacation and then shoot for the big names. I don’t make a helluva lot. Why not shoot for the big ones?”

“Stuff happens. That was the past. Maidana still doesn’t have anything on me. That wasn’t my night. I fought with a broken wrist and the fight was stopped. They said I gave up, I didn’t give up. I didn’t fight Morales. He’s a great guy but past his time and I strongly believe he beat Maidana. He wouldn’t give me a rematch but I’m the guy with no courage, no heart, no balls. But I’m the guy with the belt.”

“I didn’t see it as close. I knew I pulled off a victory. You see the new WBC Welterweight Champion.”

“I wasn’t expecting an easy fight. I expected a war. I studied him and he’s no joke. He knocked out some good guys but I saw the Luis Collazo fight. He (Collazo) was the first to beat him (Berto). I tip my hat to you.”

“It goes back to when I was young. I didn’t have anything when I was young. I raised my brother. I thought this was my dream. I wasn’t going to stand for anything less. I was moving up to 147 but knew I carried my power. For three months, every day at the gym, I would say the new champ.”

Lou DiBella, promoter of the show and Berto: “Berto can’t attend the press conference. Dr. Schwartz said he has a possible break of his right hand and possible concussion. He went to the hospital. We have no issues. Very, very close. No problems from our team. Victor Ortiz answered all of the questions about his heart. You know Victor Ortiz is a welterweight.”

“There were no losers when you out on a fight like this. I’m very proud to promote this fight.”

“Yesterday would have been the 39th birthday of Arturo Gatti. Arturo Gatti would have been very pleased of the fight tonight.”

Richard Schaeffer, CEO of Golden Boy Promotions and Ortiz’s promoter: “We’ve been waiting for a guy to bring excitement back to boxing and Victor Ortiz did that tonight.”

“We’re very proud of Victor Ortiz. He was attacked by some in the media. They questioned his heart and the will to go to war. He proved he has heart and the will to win, against an undefeated guy like Berto and gave him no chance.”

“You saw one of the best welterweight fights in years. Definitely all fight fans would to see it again. There are a lot of opportunities for Victor at 147 bit we’ll sit down and get this fight made again.”

Photo by Claudia Bocanegra

Follow all the action live as undefeated WBC Welterweight champion Andre Berto takes on what many are calling his toughest test in Victor Ortiz. The action begins approx. 10pm eastern/7 pm Pacifiic

12 Rounds–WBC Welterweight Championship–Andre Berto (27-0, 21 KO’s) vs. Victor Ortiz (28-2-2, 22 KO’s)

Round 1 Both Guys throwing hard, crisp punches…LEFT TO TO OF HEAD…DOWN GOES BERTO BUT RULED A SLIDP…BIG FLURRY IN THE CORNER …DOWN GOES BERTO AND HE IS HURT…Berto lands a big right…10-8 Ortiz

Round 2: Good uppercut by Berto…BIG RIGHT AND ORTIZ GLOVE HITS THE CANVAS…KNOCKDOWN…18-18

Round 3: Both guys slugging…Ortiz lands a uppercut…berto holds on…Left..Berto wobbling…Berto lands a left…Berto lands a hard right…Hook from Ortiz..Straight left..28-27 Ortiz

Round 4: Ortiz lands combinations on the ropes…Big left from Ortiz…Berto’s legs look tired…38-36 Ortiz

Round 5 Berto lands some jabs…Berto lands a right..Right hook from Ortiz..47-46 Ortiz

Round 6: HUGE COUNTER RIGHT AND DOWN GOES ORTIZ….Ortiz is hurt…Big right…BIG LEFT AND DOWN GOES ORTIZ…57-56 Ortiz

Round 7 Lots of mauling,,,Berto stumbling a bit…67-75 Ortiz

Round 8 Berto lands a right…76-75 Ortiz

Round 9: Ortiz tries to work the body…86-84 Ortiz

Round 10 Ortiz hits Berto behind the head and referee Michael Ortega docks a point from Ortiz…Ortiz lands a good left…95-93 Ortiz

Round 11 Ortiz lands a hard left and Berto looks very tired…105-102 Ortiz

Round 12 Berto lands a big right and left…Big left from Ortiz…114-112 Ortiz

115-110; 114-112; 114-111 FOR THE WINNER AND NEW WBC WELTERWEIGHT VICTOR ORTIZ

Photo by Claudia Bocanegra

The much anticipated Amir Khan coming ended up successful when he scored a six round technical decision over Northern Irelands Paul McCloskey. Khan won a unanimous decision 60-54 on all 3 judges cards to retain his WBA Light Welterweight title for the fourth time. Though that only told half the tail. To his credit McCloskey had his moments during the fight.

Both fighters entered the MEN arena in Manchester to a raucous crowd thought to be around 17,000. Firstly McCloskey entered the arena cheered on by thousands of his fans who had travelled over from Ireland. It was then the turn of the champion Khan who also entered to a thunderous reception.

After the formalities the action got underway Khan’s impressive speed allowed him to win the round against McCloskey’s southpaw. It looked early as though McCloskey may be in trouble as he fought with his right hand low and this would allow Khan to pick him off but as the fight went on McCloskey who is no slouch in the speed department himself was able to get out of the way of many of Khan’s combinations.

The second was similar again with Khan’s speed being the key though to his credit McCloskey landed a few of his own shots and wasn’t troubled when Khan landed.

McCloskey has his best round of the fight in the third landing an impressive hook on a retreating Khan against the ropes which Khan acknowledges.

It prompted Khan to start fast in the fourth landing several combinations. Though McCloskey covered up well, by the end of the round both fighters engage each other to loud cheers.

Khan’s speed continues to be the deciding factor in the fifth though McCloskey keeps coming forward looking to land his own shots.

In the sixth both fighters clash heads, though it is McCloskey who comes off worse with a straight cut down towards his left eye brow. The referee Luis Pabon instructs the doctor to look at the cut surprisingly the doctor enters the ring, he then tells the referee to stop the fight. Under WBA rules the fight having gone passed the fourth round goes to the scorecards.

While it was no surprise that Khan won the decision the manner in which the fight was stopped was perplexing to many in attendance. The cut while nasty wasn’t bleeding in the eye so it was surprising the fight was stopped.

Afterwards at a rather ill tempered press conference things continued to simmer. First Oscar De La Hoya thanked everyone and was extremely happy to have such a great atmosphere and praised the fans in attendance. However things descended into chaos when he was repeatedly asked if he thought the fight should have been stopped and what he would of done as a former fighter. He repeated his answer “I don’t know I’m not a doctor” several times much to many peoples chagrin.

He continued and said he hoped to make a fight with Tim Bradley which would be a unification fight and is mooted for 23 July in America.

Khan took his turn to speak and answer questions and with tempers still flaring said “He should be happy this was stopped cos you were getting knocked out”. When asked if he would give McCloskey a rematch he continued “No point giving him a rematch”

While Khan was winning the fight he didn’t come off well in the press conference most likely due to frustration from the past week which has been rather frantic with the late announcement that the card wouldn’t be on Sky PPV and then cancelled from Sky Sports altogether only to be picked up by Primetime a channel with only several thousand viewers. It felt some what apt that after a week of shenanigans that this unsavoury end was preordained.

Stay tuned for the undercard report to follow.

Jr. Welterweight Ruslan Provodnikov scored an impressive eighth round stoppage over previously undefeated Ivan Popoca in a scheduled ten round bout at the Pechanga Resort in Temecula, California.

Provodnikov was very effective with the body work that he was digging especially with the left hand. In round five, Provodnikov battered Popoca against the ropes and had him in trouble but Popoca swithced up southpaw and was able to hold on enough to get out of the round.

Popoca rebounded well to have a good round six with some nice right hands and uppercuts. Provodnikov came out guns ablazing in the eighth by landed a big right that dropped Popoca. Popoca was able to continue only to eat some vicious shots before referee Pat Russell stopped the bout at 2:16 of round eight.

Provodnikov, 140 1/2 of Siberia is now 19-1 with thirteen knockouts. Popoca, 138 1/2 lbs of Taxia, Mexico is now 15-1-1.

Marvin Quintero stopped Juan Santiago in round three of a scheduled eight round Lightweight bout.

Quintero was very active in an action filled first two rounds which saw some good exchanges with Quintero getting the best of the action. Quintero opened up round three and landed nine straight shots to the head and referee Tom Taylor stopped the bout just twelve seconds into the round.

Quintero, 136 1/2 lbs of Tijuana, Mexico is now 22-3 with eighteen knockouts. Santiago, 137 lbs of Denver, CO is now 13-7-1.

In an exciting four round Light Heavyweight bout, Tyrell Hendrix and Mike Gavronski pounded each other for four rounds that resulted in a majority draw.

The two traded knockdowns in the opening frame with each scoring with punishing right hands. Gavronski was bleeding all over his face. The two traded hard shots with with little to separate from the action filled rounds.

Hendrix won a card 40-36 while the other two read 38-38.

Hendrix, 173 1/2 lbs of Los Angeles is now 5-1-2. Gavronski, 172 1/2 lbs of Bellevue, WA is now 2-0-1