Sources have informed 15rounds.com that unbeaten contender James “Mandingo Warrior” Kirkland of Austin, TX will face Nobuhiro Ishida April 9 as part of a pay per view card at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, NV. Kirkland, 27-0 (24 KO’s), will fight for the third time since leaving prison. Ishida, of Osaka, Japan, owns a respectable 22-6-2 ledger with 7 wins by way of knockout. This is his first bout since losing to Rigoberto Alvarez last October in Mexico.

Marc Abrams contributed to this report

Dan Rafael of espn.com is reporting that former Jr, Welterweight champion Paulie Malignaggi will face Jose Cotto on April 9 as part of the Marcos Maidana – Erik Morales Pay Per View in Las Vegas.

“I think it’s a good opportunity. It’s a logical next step up in level of opponent for me at welterweight,” Malignaggi told ESPN.com on Monday night. “It’s a great opportunity to be showcased on a card like this. It’ll give me some good TV exposure. I’m very happy with the progress I’m making and this is the next step to get back up the ladder. It’s a good fight for me. Las Vegas, MGM Grand, HBO PPV. I’m excited. How could I not be?”

“Cotto is an action fighter. He comes to fight, he comes forward,” Golden Boy promoter Richard Schaefer said. “This is a big opportunity for him to be in Las Vegas and on pay-per-view again against Paulie Malignaggi. He feels it is a very winnable fight and he is convinced he will win. For Malignaggi, he’s been a champion at 140 pounds. Now he wants to make a name for himself at 147.”

“I really don’t think about that too much, but I guess when you do think about it, that factors into it,” Malignaggi said. “I fought Miguel Cotto, now I’m fighting Jose Miguel Cotto. They’re brothers, but I fought the better Cotto back in 2006. But having fought a Cotto, I know you have to come prepared. Jose Miguel Cotto may not have the resume of his brother, but he’s a good fighter. Both of his losses (to Alvarez and a lightweight title bout to Juan Diaz in 2006) came to name fighters. Both of our records have losses that have come only to name fighters. He’s always solid, always gives his best. But he’s a guy, if I am going to make my way back up the boxing ladder, he’s a guy I’m supposed to beat. He’s a guy I should beat pretty handily. I shouldn’t have a competitive fight with Jose Miguel Cotto in my eyes.”

“Following his loss to Khan, Paulie wanted to move up to welterweight. He felt it was time to see what he can do at 147 pounds,” Schaefer said. “He’s a very talented fighter. He’s a very good boxer, but not known as a knockout puncher. But to move up to 147 and the first guy he fights, he not only wins, he knocks him out. I have to say I was pretty impressed. It was a great first impression at 147 and first impressions count. I was impressed with that performance. So here he goes again at 147 against Cotto, a fighter who [Alvarez] had a little bit of trouble with.”

Roman Gonzalez made the first defense of the WBA Light Flyweight title with a twelve round unanimous decision over Manuel Vargas in Puebla, Mexico

Gonzalez controlled the action as he pressed the action and back Vargas up. Gonzalez fought the last three rounds with a cut around his left eye that was caused by a Vargas headbutt.

Gonzalez, 108 lbs of Managua, Nicaragua won by scores of 119-109; 116-112; 116-112 to stay perfect at 28-0.

Vargas, 108 lbs of Lagos De Moreno, Mexico and a former minimumweight champion is now 29-8-1.

Former two-time world title challenger Ricardo Dominguez scored a ten round split decision over tough Luis Arceo in a Lightweight bout.

Dominguez dropped Arceo in round three and Arceo was bloodied throughout but kept coming forward and thats what made the fight close.

Dominguez of Culican, Mexico is now 33-7-2. Arceo is now 23-11-3

Lucian Bute made the seventh defense of the IBF Super Middleweight crown with a body punch assault tenth round stoppage over gritty Brian Magee in front of over 13, 000 rabid fans at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Canada.

Bute came out and over the first few rounds was very effective with the right hook but Magee was competitive as he featured some body work. Magee was doing well at the beginning of rounds but Bute would box well enough to take most of the first five frames. In round six, Bute landed a vicious right hook to the that sent Magee down to a knee. Magee got up but Bute was dominant the rest of the round as he landed some more right hooks and straight lefts.

Just seconds after being sent to the canvas via a low blow, Magee was dropped with another right hook to the body in round seven. Replays later showed that the low blow was indeed a solid and legal punch. Magee came out in round eight looking like a tired fighter from the effects of the body work.

Magee would not go away as he was tough as nails in taking some shots and not giving up in an effort to pull off the big upset.

In round ten, Bute landed yet another crushing uppercut but this time landing flush on the chin that sent Magee to his knees and referee Pete Patgorski waved off the bout immediately at 2:04 of round ten.

Bute, 167 1/2 lbs of Montreal is now 28-0 with twenty-three knockouts. Magee, 167 3/4 lbs of Northern Island is now 34-4-1.

The fifth consecutive stoppage by Bute begged the obvious question: Who is next? Ready to answer that question was Mikkel Kessler, who flew from Denmark to attend the fight and provide commentary with the SHOWTIME broadcasting team. Asked if he would fight Bute in front of the Lucian-loving Montreal crowd, Kessler responded, “Yea, why not?” He later continued, “[Bute] can have his hometown. I’ll kick his [butt] anywhere.”

When questioned if he would be interested in a match with the former WBA and WBC Super Middleweight Champion, Bute commented, “If he’s well enough to fight, I’ll fight anyone.”

COSTA MESA, CALIFORNIA — Both prospect Luis Ramos Jr. and recently returned contender James Kirkland notched victories as expected on Friday night at the Orange County Fair & Event Center, but neither appear ready for the names they have been linked to in recent weeks just yet.

On paper, Ramos (18-0, 8 KOs) of Santa Ana, California seemed to be meeting his toughest challenge to date in the rugged Jose Hernandez (10-5-1, 4 KOs) of Fort Worth, Texas. That belief proved to be true, as Ramos, 139.4, earned a hard-fought eight-round majority decision in the Telefutura Solo Boxeo main event.

Hernandez, 135.2, has upset some prospects in his career, and taken others to the limit. He did the latter Friday night, but ultimately Ramos’ superior boxing and well-timed counter-punching won out over Hernandez’ pressure and solid inside game.

Ramos boxed well in the first and seemed to score a knockdown in the second round with a short right counter. Hernandez’ fall was ruled a slip by referee Lou Moret, but a replay on the large screen in between rounds indicated that a knockdown was perhaps the right call. There was some contact between Hernandez’ left foot and the right foot of Ramos, but the punch seemed to be the cause of the fall. Hernandez was undeterred either way and landed two good right uppercuts moments later. Ramos, as was the case often in the bout, was a little quicker on the draw and caught Hernandez with a right as the Texan looked to fire one of his own.

Round four was a good one for the out-of-towner, but the most memorable blow was one from Ramos that dislodged the mouthpiece from Hernandez’ mouth. The fifth featured solid two-way action before Hernandez had another good round in the sixth. Against conventional wisdom, it was the taller Hernandez doing better on the inside. The shorter Ramos was more effective boxing from the outside and countering the aggressive Hernandez.

Ramos boxed smart for much of the seventh by keeping Hernandez at the end of his one-two and tying up or moving out of range when his opponent moved in close. Hernandez did manage to get inside in the last thirty seconds, landing a solid left hook and stiff right uppercut. Ramos answered back, landing two clean, short punches before the bell.

Again Ramos boxed well for much of the eighth, as his subtle defensive movements made it difficult for Hernandez to land anything clean. That changed again in the last thirty seconds, when Ramos, likely a bit winded, stayed on the inside. Hernandez landed two solid hooks in the last seconds that may have hurt Ramos, but it could have also been the Santa Ana resident’s fatigue showing through.

In the end, one judge had the fight even, 76-76, but was overruled by tallies of 79-73 and 77-75 for Ramos. “I’m happy with the performance,” Ramos said after the fight. “I got hit, but that is a part of boxing.”

Ramos’ manager Frank Espinoza had mentioned possibly matching Ramos against another prospect, such as Mercito Gesta, but it would appear to be wise if a fight like that was put on hold for a bit. Ramos is ready for a move up to ten rounds, and probably would already have had one or two set for that distance by now if it were not for the 90 minute timeslot of the Solo Boxeo program which has aired his last few fights.

James Kirkland (27-0, 24 KOs) of Austin, Texas shook off a little more rust as he disposed of journeyman Jhon Berrio (15-9, 11 KOs) of Monteria, Cordoba, Columbia inside of two rounds in the co-feature.

Berrio, 161.6, opted to trade with Kirkland, 163.4, early, not usually a great idea, but the journeyman did surprisingly find some success in the opening frame. Kirkland did show his strength as he pressed Berrio around the ring for much of the round. However, the Columbian landed a straight right that seemed to clearly hurt the “Mandingo Warrior.” Kirkland would later claim it was the headbutts that hurt him in the first, but when Berrio landed that right it forced his left leg to shiver.

Kirkland held briefly after Berrio’s solid right, but quickly regained his footing and controlled the rest of the round while fighting mostly on the inside. Berrio did employ some rough tactics, such as headbutts and forearms, which Kirkland complained of in the second round.

About a minute in to the second, Kirkland dropped Berrio, lastly landing a glancing jab. Berrio began to rise on all fours, but plopped back down to the mat, prompting referee Zack Young to wave off the contest. The crowd ringside was not convinced Berrio could not continue, which was something the California State Athletic Commission would debate themselves after the bout.

While the glancing jab was the last punch landed, if the knockout was legitimate, it was either a straight left to the body or an overhand left that landed high on Berrio’s head that really did the damage. Those blows were thrown and landed with Berrio in a corner, just before he moved to the ropes and took the jab.

While kneeling over to be inspected by the physician, Berrio pointed to his head, seemingly indicating the overhand left was the reason he did not get up. Later Berrio told a member of the Commission he was coughing up blood, which would indicate the body shot stopped him. There was talk of withholding Berrio’s check due to his non-effort in the bout. No word on how that shook out as of press time. Officially the stoppage came at 1:05 of round two, and now Kirkland can look ahead to bigger and better things.

Immediately ahead, Kirkland is slated to appear on the pay-per-view undercard of the April 9th clash between Erik Morales and Marcos Maidana at the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. Kirkland’s manager Cameron Dunkin, who admittedly wanted a softer touch for tonight’s fight, said he and Golden Boy Promotions’ matchmaker Eric Gomez are still discussing potential opponents for that date.

Looking further down the road, at the end of last week’s HBO telecast of recognized middleweight king Sergio Martinez’ victory over Serhiy Dzinziruk, commentator Max Kellerman anointed Kirkland as the potentially intriguing contender to the middleweight throne. “That’s right down the street,” said Kirkland Friday of a potential Martinez clash. “That’s right in the area where I need to be at. Sergio Martinez is a great fighter, but he is not one of the best fighters and I want to expose him and put him out there, because that is a fight I do want.”

While Kirkland would like to get a fight with Martinez, the top 160-pounder, he does not plan to campaign at middleweight at this time. “As far as middleweight, this is just me coming back and taking it real nice and slow,” said Kirkland, who has fought just twice since March 2009. “I am dropping weight and I will be back at 154, junior middleweight.”

Considering Kirkland was incarcerated for 17 months and has fought under five minutes since regaining his freedom, it is fairly incredible that he is already being mentioned in the same breath as Sergio Martinez or even getting ready to fight on pay-per-view. These developments are not lost on Kirkland. “It is more than overwhelming to get back into this position,” said Kirkland. “To show my talent amongst people who really care, and amongst fans and around people who really supported me and helped get me back to this position.”

Light welterweight prospect Antonio Orozco (9-0, 6 KOs) of San Diego, California by way of Tecate, Baja California, Mexico made short work of Manuel Aguilar (6-2, 4 KOs) of Agua Prieta, Sonora, Mexico thanks to a concentrated body attack.

Orozco, 140.8, landed two well placed lefts to the body set up a right upstairs and yet another left to the ribs that ended the night for Aguilar, 140.4, early. Referee Zack Young counted to ten with Aguilar hunched over on one knee for a stoppage at the 1:42 mark of the first round.

Unbeaten lightweight prospect Francisco Contreras (16-0, 13 KOs) of Irvington, New Jersey by way of La Romana, Dominican Republic failed to impress ringside observers as he cruised to a six-round unanimous verdict over journeyman Adolfo Landeros (20-18-1, 9 KOs) of Hidalgo, Nuevo Leon, Mexico.

After a methodical round-and-a-half, Contreras, 133.8, sprang to life in the second and began to put his punches together. Contreras’ fighting style can be more sizzle than steak, as he throws quick, showy combinations and moves around the ring on his toes. However, the number of punches he threw with real conviction probably could have been counted on two hands through the first four rounds. The limited but game Landeros, 133, continuously came forward, but could not land anything of real significance.

By the fifth round, Contreras must have realized that Landeros could not hurt him, as the New Jersey transplant really began to toy with his Mexican counterpart. Contreras offered up everything from long range uppercuts to bolo punches, but never really pressed for the knockout that was there for the taking. When the final bell rang, all three scorers handed in identical 60-54 scorecards for Contreras.

Making his professional debut, Humberto Zatarain (1-0) of Whittier, California did what few fighters manage to do in their entire careers: get off the canvas and win a unanimous four-round decision. Jose Manuel Sanchez (3-2, 1 KO) of Santa Ana dropped Zatarain with a straight left in close midway through the first round, but was unable to follow up to any great effect, and it ended up costing him.

Zatarain, 127.6, came out in round two looking to change the course of the fight, which he did as he rocked and bloodied Sanchez, 127.2, with a flurry in the early moments of the round. Each fighter had their moments in an all-action third and fourth rounds to close out the solid scrap, but ultimately it was Zatarain that impressed the judges en route to a 38-37 victory on all three cards.

Steffan Lugo (1-0, 1 KO) of Newport Beach, California spoiled the professional boxing debut of veteran mixed martial artist J.J. Ambrose (0-1) of San Jose, California via third-round stoppage. The action was a bit frantic early, but it was Ambrose, 166.6, that landed the most telling blow of the first, a left hook which forced Lugo to hold on momentarily. Lugo, 165.2, recovered quickly and got in the last shot of the round just before the bell.

The local favorite Lugo began to take control in the second, as his right uppercut began to find a home regularly. Lugo kept up the pressure, landing a straight right midway through the third round. The end came when Lugo landed a hard right hook which sent Ambrose towards the mat. As Ambrose took his ascent, Lugo landed another left just to make sure he would not be allowed to continue. Referee Lou Moret called a halt to the contest at 1:49 mark of round three.

In the final bout of the evening, Bobby Chavez (1-2) of Santa Ana got into the win column with a third-round stoppage of Stephen Rubalcava (0-3) of Lindsay, California. Chavez, 152.2, pressed the action from the outset with constant punching. Rubalcava, 151, weathered the onrush early, but never landed anything of note in retort.

Chavez continued his into the third with mostly arm punches, though a right uppercut had Rubalcava holding on in the second round. In the third, a straight right forced a delayed reaction knockdown as Rubalcava took a knee. When the action resumed, Rubalcava was left taking shots against the ropes before his cornerman Repo Ric threw in the towel to signal referee to stop the fight. Official time was 1:14 of the third round.

Friday’s event was a special edition of the “Fight Club OC” series at the Orange Country Fair & Event Center promoted by Roy Englebrecht Promotions. Fights take place in the building known as The Hangar. The next fight card, which will feature both boxing and mixed martial arts, takes place on April 21st.

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

It didint last long and was far from dramatic but Vitali Klitschko made the sixth defense of the WBC Heavyweight title when Odlanier Solis could not continue at the end of round one in Cologne, Germany.

Solis was doing decent in the first round as he landed a couple of shots with his quick hands. Klitschko was forcing Solis but landed nothing of note. At the end of the first frame, Solis jumped forward and then fell to the canvas after his leg gave out. The action was ruled a knockdown by referee Guadlupe Garcia. Solis got to his feet and was limping badly and the fight was waved off.

Klitschko, 249 lbs of Kiev, Ukraine is now 42-2 with thirty-nine knockouts. Solis, 245 lbs of Miami is now 17-1.

PHOENIX – Familiar echoes filled the building. Jesus Gonzales was back.

Back at work.

Gonzales returned Friday to his hometown in an attempt to restart a career that began with him tagged as a big-time prospect. The tag is gone. Some of the skills are rusty. But the second chapter is underway with a victory. Little else mattered to a near-capacity in the 2,600-seat Celebrity Theatre.

Gonzales (26-1, 14 KOs) could do no wrong for a lively crowd that chanted his nickname and cheered his unanimous decision over Dhafir Smith (24-20-7, 4 KOs) for the International Boxing Federation’s North American super-middleweight title.

“I got work to do,’’ said Gonzales, who is called El Martillo, Spanish for The Hammer. “I know that. But, man, it just feels good to be back in the ring.’’

For most of 12 rounds, Gonzales’ powerful left hand hammered Dhafir of Philadelphia. Gonzales was credited with a knockdown in the third. But Dhafir called it a slip. Whatever it was, it would not have mattered. Gonzales, who collected $3,500, won all but two rounds on the 15rounds scorecard, although he also suffered a cut over his right eye in the 10th by a left hand from Dhafir, who beat former and faded champion Jeff Lacy in his last bout.

“Just a bad night,’’ said Dhafir, who earned $7,500. “But, man, that was not a knockdown in the 10th.’’

“My jab wasn’t the way it needs to be,’’ said Gonzales, who needed six-to-10 stitches for the cut. “I’ll go back into the gym and work on that for sure.’’

On the undercard there was confusion and controversy. Canadian junior-middleweight Janks Trotter (4-0-1) fought to a technical draw with Arturo Crespin (6-1-1) of New Mexico The six-round fight was stopped after the second because Crespin suffered a cut caused by a head butt, although Trotter argued that a pitch, a left hand, cut Crespin.

Trotter went into the ring with a shuffled corner. Michael Carbajal had been training him at the Ninth Street Gym in Phoenix, but did not work the corner because the Phoenix Hall of Famer had been drinking. The Arizona State Boxing Commission was notified of the change by Fanbase Promotions before the card began. Carbajal, 43, has been struggling with drinking problems since he retired from the ring in 1999.

Carbajal, who was honored for his career at intermission, sat a table near ringside. During the fight, he was agitated by what he saw. It looked as if he was about to leave his ringside seat for a seat in Trotter’s corner. But he stayed put at the urging of friends who were with him.

Rest of the card: California welterweight Ricky Duenas (8-1) won a majority decision over Eddie Brooks (9-3) of Phoenix; Phoenix light-heavyweight Roberto Yong (1-2) scored a unanimous decision over Nelson Lopez of Reno; and cruiserweights Carlos Reyes (4-3-1) of Superior, Ariz., and Billy Schmidt (1-0-2) fought to a draw.

Dan Rafael of espn.com is reporting that former 140 lb world champion Devon Alexander will take on hard punching Lucas Matthysse on June 25th most likely in St. Louis

“I made a deal with (Alexander’s promoter Don)King and I made one also with my fighter, so we are in,” said Matthysse’s promoter Richard Schaefer.

“This is one of those crossroads fights,” Schaefer said. “The winner is right back in the mix at 140 pounds, which is one of the most exciting weight classes in boxing. Lucas Matthysse is always in exciting fights.”

“I think it will be a great fight,” Cunningham said. “Matthysse is one of the most dangerous 140 pounders and these are the type of fights Devon wants. He knows he has to bounce back from the Bradley fight. He can’t take some no-name opponent. He has to fight one of the top guys in the division and Matthysse is one of the most dangerous opponents we could have possibly chosen.

“If you want to be considered one of the best in your division, you have to fight the best guys in your division. That’s what you have to do. Devon feels like he blew a great opportunity by not performing up to his potential against Tim Bradley. He feels like Matthysse is a more dangerous fighter than Bradley. Bradley is no puncher and Matthysse is big puncher. Matthysse has punching ability and some skill.”

“Devon Alexander is a great young fighter, but things didn’t really work out for him the Bradley fight,” Schaefer said. “He’s coming back against Matthysse, who many believe won the fight with Judah. For Devon Alexander to do a tune-up fight, that won’t get him anywhere, and for Lucas Matthysse to do another tune-up fight, that won’t get him anywhere either. He could have stayed in Argentina and had another tune-up fight, but he didn’t want that. “He wanted a fight like this because he knows a win will increase his potential to be back in an even bigger fight.”

Former Unified lightweight champion of the world Nate “The Galaxxy Warrior” Campbell has confirmed that he has singed a contract to face tough Philly fighter Danny Garcia 20-0(14KO) on April 9th on the great undercard of the Marcos Maidana vs Erik Morales card. This card is shaping up to be one of the best undercards of the year so far with Paul Malignaggi facing Jose Miguel Cotto, Robert Guerrero vs Michael Katsidis and top middleweight prospect James Kirkland making his post prison return.

In the main even on ESPN, WBA #1-ranked welterweight Brad “King” Solomon (17-0, 7 KOs) successfully defended his WBA International belt with tactful unanimous decision victory over Demetrius Hopkins 30-2(11KO) from Philadelphia.

This fight started of slow with a definite feeling out process between these two skillful fighters. Solomon’s speed was a factor as he beat Hopkins to the punch early but not without being caught with counter punches by the skilled Philly fighter Hopkins. As the fight wore on Solomon was much busier and rocked Hopkins on occasion, not without taking a few nice shots back from the hard fighting Hopkins, who is the nephew of future Hall of Famer Bernard Hopkins. Solomon gained national attention on Friday Night Fights in front of a nationally-televised audience with a domination of formerly undefeated prospect Kenny Galarza (14-1, 14 KOs) last June. The cards read 97-93 99-91.

Cedric “The Bos” Boswell (34-1, 26 KOs) is the new NABA Heavyweight champion with a unanimous decision victory over former World Champion Oliver “The Atomic Bomb” McCall 55-11(37KO). From the opening bell Boswell did not show much respect for McCall’s power and looked sharp and much faster while firing off sharp jabs and big handed combos on McCall’s iron chin. Throughout the fight Boswell was far busier, while the hesitant McCall, who turns 46 next month, landed occasional huge bombs and hurt Boswell a couple times in the fight. The two exchanged plenty of un-pleasantries throughout the 10 round fight, but proved to be competitive jaw jacking more than anything. The official score cards read 99-91 98-92 and 99-92.

Dieuly “The Untamed Beast” Aristilde 8-4(1KO) won a slow paced fight by unanimous decision over Lujan Henderson 2-5(KO). Aristilde was off of a tough loss in which he showed the ill effects of his war with Elijah McCall showed some spryness in his step this go The cards read 39-37 and 40-36 twice unanimous decision.

2004 Cuban Olympic gold medalist Super Bantamweight Yan Barthelemy (11-2, 4 KOs) won a hard fought battle over tough Francis Ruiz 9-5(4KO). As the fight remained competitive there was a noticeable skill difference level in Barthelemy who knocked Ruiz down with a sweet left lead hand, right hook in 3nd round. The Cuban southpaw pressed the action with a high volume of punches while Ruiz put up a good fight and exchanged often with the sharp punching Barthelemy. The cards read 98-91, 97-92, 100-89.

Palm Beach-based bruiser Erik “The Viking” Leander (10-1, 7 KOs) brought his berserker attack to bear against Puerto Rican giant Albert “El Caballo” Jimenez (5-4, 5 KOs). Leander crushed Jimenez with a brutal right hook and dropped the Giant down and out at 1:20 of the first round. Official scored a KO for the Viking.

CEDRIC BOSWELL (226-1/4 LBS) VS OLIVER MCCALL (259 LBS)
YAN BARTHELEMY (119-3/4 LBS) VS. FRANCIS RUIZ (120-1/4 LBS)
DEMETRIUS HOPKINS (149 LBS) VS BRAD “KING” SOLOMON (145-1/2 LBS)
YASNAY CONSUEGRA (241-1/2 LBS) VS DAVID WILLIAMS (228-3/4 LBS)
DOMINIQUE DOLTON (156-3/4 LBS)
LUJAN HENDERSON (274-1/4 LBS) VS. DIEULY ARISTILDE (216-1/4 LBS)

Rising lightweight prospect Luis Ramos Jr. faces perhaps his stiffest test to date in rugged Jose Hernandez in the main event of tonight’s edition of Telefutura Solo Boxeo at the Orange County Fair & Event Center in Costa Mesa, California. In the co-feature, James Kirkland attempts to continue the rebuilding of his career following a self-inflicted layoff against journeyman Jhon Berrio. It is imperative for both Ramos and Kirkland to look impressive in order to keep proposed money fights on the table for later this year. Fighters weighed in Thursday at the fight venue.

Ramos (17-0, 8 KOs) of Santa Ana, California could be a win or two away from a meaningful fight against a ranked contender or fellow prospect, which is exactly the type a fight a boxer with his record should be moving towards, but first comes tonight’s eight-rounder against Hernandez. Ramos, who has yet to step up to ten round bouts in his career, will be making his 2011 debut after two straight Telefutura-televised eight-round decision wins closed out his 2010 campaign. Ramos weighed in at 139.4-pounds Thursday.

Hernandez (10-4-1, 4 KOs) of Fort Worth, Texas provides an interesting test for the young Ramos, considering he has upset the plans of a couple other prospects and come close to doing the same on two recent occasions. Just last month, Hernandez fought undefeated Mickey Bey Jr. to an eight-round majority draw. Two judges had the fight even, while the third had Hernadnez up by four points. Hernandez, a former WBC Youth Super Featherweight title holder, scaled 135.2-pounds.

Though he fights in the co-feature, the most noteworthy name on the card tonight is James Kirkland (26-0, 23 KOs) of Austin, Texas. Kirkland will fight for the second time in two weeks, as he needed just 34 seconds to dispose of Ahsandi Gibbs on March 5th in Anaheim, California. That recent victory ended a two-year layoff due to Kirkland’s much publicized 17-month incarceration for a probation violation.

Prior to his legal troubles, Kirkland was one of the fast-rising stars of the sport, perhaps on the verge of challenging for a light middleweight title. Kirkland had punctuated a six-fight knockout streak with a sixth-round stoppage over Joel Julio in the main event of an HBO telecast in March of 2009. Though he has had just the one fight since, Kirkland has already been anointed by some in the press as an intriguing challenger to the middleweight throne of Sergio Martinez. Should Kirkland, who scaled 163.4, win without trouble as expected tonight, a slot awaits him on the Erik Morales-Marcos Maidana pay-per-view telecast on April 9th.

Berrio (15-8, 11 KOs) of Monteria, Cordoba, Colombia is 0-2 when competing in the United States. Two fights ago, Berrio lost a ten-round majority decision to light middleweight prospect Sherzod Husanov in Washington, which preceded a sixth-round stoppage defeat against Peter Manfredo Jr. in Rhode Island this past November. Berrio weighed in for the scheduled eight-round bout at 161.6-pounds Thursday.

In a swing bout likely to make television, undefeated Antonio Orozco (8-0, 5 KOs) of San Diego, California by way of Tecate, Baja California, Mexico will take on Manuel Aguilar (6-1, 4 KOs) of Agua Prieta, Sonora, Mexico in a light welterweight contest slated for either six or four-rounds, depending on the length of the two featured bouts. Orozco, an Espinoza Boxing Club stablemate of Luis Ramos, weighed in at 140.8-pounds, while Aguilar weighed in at 140.4.

Unbeaten lightweight prospect Francisco Contreras (15-0, 13 KOs) of Irvington, New Jersey by way of La Romana, Dominican Republic will get his year started against journeyman Adolfo Landeros (20-17-1, 9 KOs) of Hidalgo, Nuevo Leon, Mexico in a six-round tilt. Contreras, who shares his manager Cameron Dunkin with James Kirkland, weighed in at 133.8-pounds. Landeros, a favorite of Golden Boy Promotions’ matchmakers, scaled an even 133.

Somebody’s ‘O’ must go, as Bobby Chavez (0-2) of Santa Ana takes on Stephen Rubalcava (0-2) of Lindsay, California in a four-round pairing of light middleweights. Chavez scaled 152.2-pounds, while Rubalcava came in at 151.

Jose Manuel Sanchez (3-1, 1 KO) of Santa Ana will meet debuting Humberto Zatarain of Whittier, California in a four-round featherweight contest. Sanchez, fighting for the second time in two weeks, weighed in at 127.2-pounds. Zatarain weighed in 127.6-pounds Thursday.

In the curtain raiser, veteran mixed martial artist J.J. Ambrose of San Jose, California will make his pro boxing debut against Steffan Lugo of Newport Beach, California in a four-round super middleweight bout. Ambrose, who appeared on the UFC’s reality series The Ultimate Fighter last year, is a veteran of over twenty pro MMA contests. Lugo, who is also making his debut, scaled 165.2-pounds, while Ambrose came in at 166.6.

For the second straight time in his career, lightweight prospect Fidel Maldonado Jr. (8-0, 7 KOs) of Albuquerque, New Mexico stepped on the scales, but did not have an opponent with whom to take any traditional weigh-in photos. Maldonado, who weighed in 136.6-pounds, can only hope it turns out as well as it did last month, when his opponent arrived late and was stopped early the next day. Maldonado was to have taken on Juan Montiel (5-3-2, 3 KOs) of Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico in a six-round bout. As of press time a replacement opponent was being sought.

Tickets for tonight’s event, promoted by Golden Boy Promotions and Roy Englebrecht Promotions, are available online at FightClubOC.com.

Quick Weigh-in Results:

Light Welterweights, 8 Rounds
Ramos Jr. 139.4
Hernandez 135.2

Middleweights, 8 Rounds
Kirkland 163.4
Berrio 161.6

Light Welterweights, 4 or 6 Rounds
Orozco 140.8
Aguilar 140.4

Lightweights, 6 Rounds
Contreras 133.8
Landeros 133

Light Middleweights, 4 Rounds
Chavez 152.2
Rubalcava 151

Featherweights, 4 Rounds
Sanchez 127.2
Zatarain 127.6

Super Middleweights, 4 Rounds
Ambrose 166.6
Lugo 165.2

Lightweights, 6 Rounds
Maldonado Jr. 136.6*

*Maldonado without an opponent as of press time

Photos by Eric Gomez/Golden Boy Promotions

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

Sergio Martinez continued his domination of the middleweight division by scoring an impressive 8th round KO over Sergiy Dzinziruk. Martinez dominated from the outset as he scored well from the outside and easily moved away from the jab of Dzinziruk. By the fourth Martinez began to open up and score more easily. Mid round, a left hand in the midst of a 4 punch combo caused Dzinziruk to take a knee. Martinez continued his dominance and scored a knockdown on a jab left hand at the end of round 5. Dzinziruk had perhaps his best round in the 7th when he finally opened up and landed some good jabs and left hands, but Martinez stormed back in the 8th and scored an early knockdown on a counter left hand. Dzinziruk rose on shaky legs only to be knocked down by a second counter left hand. He gamely fought on but one more flurry from Martinez dumped Dzinziruk on the seat of his pants and referee Arthur Mercante Jr. called the fight at 1:43 of round 8. Martinez notches another big win and improves to 47-2-2 with 26KOs while Dzinziruk loses his 0 and drops to 37-1 23KOs.

Middleweight’s Andy Lee and Craig McEwan fought an exciting ten round scrap that ultimately saw Lee come from behind to score an impressive KO. Lee started well and landed some strong right hooks over the first two rounds, a few of which visibly bucked the legs of McEwan. But McEwan began to find his rhythm in round 3 and started timing Lee with straight left hands and right hooks. Rounds 4-6 saw McEwan land some good shots which appeared to sap Lee’s strength and put him in retreat. Lee rebounded in round 7 though and began to turn the tables, landing some good right hooks that helped close the gap in the scorecards. A jab right hand combo at the end of round 9 dropped McEwan hard and Lee did all he could to finish him off. He had to wait till round ten when he landed a sweeping overhand left to the McEwan’s chin who dropped hard to the canvas. Referee Steve Smoger called off the fight without a count at 56 seconds of round ten. Lee showed heart in his come from behind victory and runs his record to 25-1 with 19KOs. McEwan loses for the first time as a pro and falls to 19-1 10KOs.

Featheweight Javier Fotuna of LaRomana, Dominican Republic scored a highlight reel KO in the first of HBO’s televised fights, knocking out a truly game Derrick Wilson (Miami, FL) in the eighth round. Wilson came to win and threw punches with reckless abandon from the start of the fight. Fortuna had the superior skills though and was able to time Wilson and land a perfect counter right that dropped him in the 3rd. Wilson rose and continued to fight hard which allowed him to survive the round. He arguably won the fourth round as he tagged Fortuna repeatedly with right hands but was again knocked down in the 6th via a left hand, right hook, left hand combo. Wilson had a good round 7 but was dropped for the third time mid-way through the 8th on a straight left hand. Again he rose and fought back gamely but ultimately paid the price for his bravery as Fortuna landed a perfect straight left counter that put Wilson out cold. Referee John Callas called the fight without a count at 2:27 of round 8. Fortuna is now 14-0 with 11KOs while Wilson slips to 8-2 2KOs.

Welterweight Thomas Durlorme of Carolina, Puerto Rico needed only two rounds to dispatch his over matched opponent Guillermo Valdes of Miami, FL. It was obvious from the opening bell that Durlorme was going to earn himself a stoppage; the only intrigue in the fight was how long it would last. Valdes was knocked around the ring for all of the first round and continued to take a beating in round 2 until referee Dick Flaherty intervened 2 minutes and 30 seconds into the round and saved Valdes from further punishment. The stoppage was premature but Valdes (now 12-3 3KOs) clearly had no chance and should be thankful he didn’t have to fight on.. The win keeps Durlorme unbeaten at 10-0 9KOs.

In the lone female bout of the card, heavyweight’s Sonya Lamanokis of Turner Falls, MA earned a unanimous decision over the formerly unbeaten Tanzee Daniel of Brooklyn, NY. From the opening bell both fighters stood toe to toe and fired shots to the body and head. This trend continued for each of the six rounds and seemingly made for a difficult fight to score. When the scores were announced though, the judges were in agreement and gave the fight to Lamanokis by scores of 58-56 and 59-55 (twice.) Lamanokis keeps her 0 and runs her record to 4-0 2KOs while Daniel slips to 4-1 1KO.

Light heavyweight Seanie Monaghan of Long Beach, NY battered Jackson, Missippi’s Billy Cunningham over 4 one-sided rounds to earn himself a unanimous decision. Monaghan pressed the action throughout the fight and consistently landed good left hooks to the body. Despite his best efforts, Monaghan never had Cunningham in trouble but did more than enough to earn scores of 40-36 across the board. He improves to 6-0 4KOs while Cunningham drops to 5-9 4KOs.

In the opening bout of the evening, junior middleweight Abraham Lopez (2-1-1) of Oxnard, CA outworked his opponent Andrew Jones (0-4) of Buffalo, NY over 4 rounds to claim a unanimous decision. Lopez battered Jones all fight with strong lead right hands and almost put him away in rounds 3 and 4. Scores were 40-36 and 39-37 (twice.)

POST FIGHT PRESS CONFERENCE QUOTES

Sergio Martinez: “I want no easy fights. They (Paul Williams and Dzinziruk) are two different fighters. Paul Williams and Dzinziruk have different tactics. Dzinziruk is a very smart fighter but I beat him at his own game – the jab. It was supposed to be a technical fight.”

“(He wasn’t hit with) nothing special. I wasn’t hurt. I felt one punch, behind my head, but that happens in fights.”

“There was no emergency (after he was cut). It was just the moment to finish.”

“(How low can he go to make a Manny Pacquiao fight) Probably 154.”

“(Head trainer filling in for his brother Gabriel) Pablo (Sarmiento) did a perfect job.”

“Cotto would be a good fight. I just want to fight the best. If Cotto is man enough, he will ask to fight Sergio Martinez.”

“I will not stop until I am recognized as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world.”

Lou DiBella, promoter of Martinez and Lee: “McEwan put on one of the gutsiest performances. He was leading after eight rounds and Lee had to do something dramatic.”

“I’m proud of Andy Lee’s performance. I’ll talk next week with Manny (Stewart, Lee’s manager/trainer). It won’t be Sergio (for Andy) the next fight. This made Andy an HBO fighter – the best thing he can do.”

“It was a terrific show. It turns out Dzinziruk was the right fight. This proved that he (Sergio) is a Hall of Fame fighter. Dzinziruk is an excellent fighter but Sergio may be the best fighter in the world.”

“Pound-for-pound, (Sergio) he is the best fighter in the world. Tonight you saw why he’s going to the Hall of Fame. He is the best middleweight from Argentina since Carlos Monzon.”

“We want the biggest fight out there.”

“That’s not up to me (making a Martinez-Miguel Cotto fight). It’s up to Bob (Arum). Maybe Cotto will be man enough to ask Bob to fight Sergio? Arum’s been lining up bum after bum after bum to fight Manny Pacquiao and Cotto. People should be lining up to fight him (Sergio), the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world.”

Gary Shaw, co-promoter of Dzinziruk: “Sergio Martinez not only is the best 160 pound fighter in the world but he may be the best fighter in the world. I’ve been in this business since 1961 and I’ve never seen anybody with more hand speed than Sergio Martinez. We still have the best 154-pound fighter in the world. There isn’t a 154-pound fighter in the world we wouldn’t fight.”

Artie Pellulo, co-promoter of Dzinziruk: “We have the best junior middleweight in the world; Lou has the best middleweight in the world and one of the best, if not the best fighter in the world. Dzinziruk got up and knew he was fighting the best in the world. The better man won tonight; he fought the best middleweight in the world.”

Andy Lee: “Overall, I wasn’t happy with my performance. I hurt him early in the fight and I think that worked against me. I loaded up too much. I got into that habit and it was tough to get out. In the middle rounds I thought I was losing the fight. It was a big opportunity so I said to myself if I’m going to lose he’s going to have to kill me.”

“Basically I was flat-footed until I switched it up. Eventually I caught him at the end. I was fortunate but I deserved it. I don’t know what round it was but something inside me said I was going to take it.”

“He boxed very good. It was hard; we’re friends. I respected him before the fight and more now.”

“Sergio has great speed. He’d be a tough challenge for me.”

“I won the ninth, 10-8, but knew I needed a big finish and not leave it to the judges. One, two – he was on the ground. It wasn’t my best performance but it was a great victory. It was a hard fought fight. I showed courage and heart. I will get better.”

Follow all the action LIVE from the MGM Grand as Miguel Cotto defends the WBA Super Welterweight championship and Ricardo Mayorga. There will be a three fight undercard beginning at 9pm est/6pm pac time featuring Yuri Foreman battling Pawel Wolak; IBF Lightweight champion Miguel Vazquez defending against Mandatory challenger Lenny Zappavigna as well as NFL Safety Tommy Zbikowski taking on Rich Bryant

REFRESH BROWSER FOR MINUTE BY MINUTE UPDATES

12 ROUNDS–WBA SUPER WELTERWEIGHT TITLE–MIGUEL COTTO (35-2, 28 KO’S) VS RICARDO MAYORGA (29-7-1, 23 KO’S)

Round 1: Counter left from Cotto…Mayorga chops a right to the head…Big body shot by Cotto…Chopping right from Mayorga…tradong left hooks…good left hook from Cotto…10-9 Cotto

Round 2: Brawl on the ropes huge shots and an uppercut from Mayorga…Good right from Cotto…Jab…Uppercut from Mayorga…Flurry…19-19

Round 3 Cotto lands a left hook..Mayorga lands a right and BEGS COTTO TO FIGHT…Cotto lands 2 body shots…Good right to the chin…29-28 Cotto

Round 4 Mayorga lands a nice right…good body shot…combination…38-38

Round 5 Mayorga showboats and gets caught with body punches and uppercuts…Head shots…2 rights from Mayorga…Wicked exchange that is highlighted by a Cotto left hook..Mayorga lands a chopping right…left hook to the chin by Cotto…48-47 Cotto

Round 6 Cotto left uppercut…Mayorga combo to the body…Cotto lands a jab…counter left and right uppercut…58-56 Cotto

Round 7 Mayorga lands 2 rights…uppercut on inside..right uppercut…Right buckled Cotto….67-66 Cotto

Round 8 Cotto lands a left hook…Cotto counters with the left…Hard jab..Swelling around the right eye of Mayorga…Good combination..Mayorga lands a straight right…77-75 Cotto

Round 9 Left from Mayorga…Cotto jabbing..Mayorga lands a head combo..another combo…Cotto lands a jab…and another…Big uppercut from Mayorga…86-85 Cotto

Round 10 Good jab from Cotto…Great triple jab…another jab…96-94 Cotto

Round 11 Mayorga showboating and mocking Cotto…Good defense from Cotto at the end of the round…106-103 Cotto

ROUND 12 HUGE SHOT AND DOWN GOES MAYORGA…HE TAKES A HUGE JAB AND ASKS REFEREE ROBERT BYRD TO STOP THE FIGHT…MAYORGA MAY HAVE HURT HIS HAND WHEN HE GOT KNOCKDOWN…IT WAS A BIG LEFT HOOK FROM COTTO TO THE HEAD

10 ROUNDS–JR. MIDDLEWEIGHTS–YURI FOREMAN (28-1, 8 KO’S) VS PAWEL WOLAK (28-1, 18 KO’S)

ROUND 1 Wolak stalking…Big right to the head..combination…10-9 Wolak

Round 2 Foreman lands a jab…Wolak lands a right on the ropes…20-18 Wolak

Round 3 Uppercut on inside by Foreman…Good counter..counter right..combination to the head..Wolak gets in a chopping right..good body punches and head from Wolak and another right…30-28 Wolak

Round 4: Wolak landing right..right inside..Foreman 2 body shots…Good right…Right from Wolak..Right hurts Foreman…3 more big rights at the bell…40-37 Wolak

Round 5: Wolak lands a right…Hard rights on the ropes…Foreman lands a right and left uppercut…hard right from Wolak…Left…Foreman lands an uppercut…50-46 Wolak

Round 6: Wolak lands a combinations…Swelling around left eye of Wolak..Big finish from Wolak…60-55 Wolak—FOREMAN QUITS ON THE STOOL

Round 7

4 ROUNDS HEAVYWEIGHTS–TOMMY ZBIKOWSKI (1-0, 1 KO) VS RICH BRYANT (1-2, 1 KO)

ROUND 1 Tommy Z lands a right…Big right…LEFT HOOK DOWN GOES BRYANT AND REFEREE RUSSELL MORA STOPS THE BOUT

12 ROUNDS–IBF LIGHTWEIGHT TITLE–MIGUEL VAZQUEZ (27-3, 12 KO’S) VS LENNY ZAPPAVIGNA (25-0, 17KO’s)

Round 1 Vazquez Jabs…Vazquez lands a right..comb from Vazquez at the bell 10-9 Vazquez

Round 2:Vazquez lands a left hook..Left hook counter..Good jab 20-18 Vazquez

Round 3: Zappavigna lands a big overhand right and left hook…Zappavigna bleeding from left eye..29-28 Vazquez

Round 4: Zappavigna grazing right…38-38

Round 5 Vazquez 1-2; Counter shots…Zappavigna lands a body shot…jab…Zappa lands an overhand right…Zappa starting to bleed bad from right eye….48-47 Vazquez

Round 6 Zappa lands a combination…57-57

Round 7: Trading rights…Vazquez lands a couple jabs…Zappa lands a left…67-66 Vazquez

Round 8: Good jabs and 1-2 from Vazquez..Zappa lands a body punch…good 1-2…combination…body shot at end of round…77-75 Vazquez

Round 9Zappa gets through with a wide left...86-85 Vazquez

Round 10 Blood streaming down the face of Zappa..Zappa lands some uppsercuts on the inside…95-95

Round 11

Photo By Claudia Bocanegra

Ricardo Mayorga did not get the memo as the 10-1 underdog who by most experts opinons was supposed to be fodder, made Miguel Cotto work very hard to earn a twelfth round round knockout to retain the WBA Super Welterweight title in an entertaining scrap at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

Cotto was very proficient with his jab and boxing skills as the he was easy to land on the bar brawling Mayorga. Mayorga made it dificult at times for Cotto as some of wild but hard swing got through and even looked like he wobbled Cotto on one occasion. The two engaged in wild exchanges throughout the affair with the challenger giving as good as he received and begged Cotto to fight him in the corner a couple times during the fight.

Cotto was very consistent but had a tough round seven as it seemed like Mayorga was making his last stand and drilled Cotto with a big right in the corner. Cotto got back to jabbing and landing effective body punches over the next few round and it seemed that Mayorga was falling behind on the cards.

In the final round, Cotto and Mayorga both threw huge left hooks with Cotto catching Mayorga flush on the jaw that caused a delayed reaction knockdown scored for Cotto. Mayorga went down holding his hand but got up. Cotto landed a couple of shots and Mayorga just spread his arms out in the corner and summoned referee Robert Byrd fifty-three seconds into round twelve.

Cotto, 154 lbs of Caguas, PR will now look for a summer showdown rematch with Antonio Margarito as Cotto now sports a record of 36-2 with twenty-nine knockouts. Mayorga, 154 lbs of Managua, Nicaragua is now 29-8-1.

“I tried to finish the final round but the pain in my hand was too much,” said Mayorga. “I don’t care about my thumb; I didn’t want it to end like that.”

After the fight, the humble Pride of Puerto Rico complemented his opponent, “[Mayorga] has pretty strong hands and he could beat anyone.”

Mayorga showed a rare bit of respect in return, “As a man, I have to admit when I do well and when I do not. Give Cotto credit,” said Mayorga. “He hits hard and is a great champion.”

Jr. Middleweight Pawel Wolak scored the most significant win of his career by scoring a stoppage victory over former world champion Yuri Foreman after Foreman quit on his stool after round six of their scheduled ten round bout.

Wolak was relentless with his pressure as he continuously drilled Foreman with right hands. Foreman did not handle the all out pressure of Wolak as he landed shots at will. Foreman was not able to box and move like is his nature as Wolak would not let Foreman feel comfortable at all during the eighteen minutes of action.

Wolak, 154 lbs of Mt. Arlington, NJ is now 29-1 with nineteen knockouts. Foreman lost his second in a row and is now 28-2.

“I didn’t feel like myself tonight,” said Foreman. “From the long layoff, I didn’t feel sharp. I felt mushy.”

Baltimore Ravens safety Tommy Zbikowski scored a body punch knockout over Rich Bryant in round one of a scheduled four round Heavyweight bout.

Zbikowski landed a left hook to the chest that sent Bryant down after a delayed reaction. After he got to his feet, referee Russell Mora stopped the fight at 1:45.

Zbikowski, 193 lbs of Chicago is 2-0 with two knockouts. Bryant is 1-3.

Miguel Vazquez retained the IBF Lightweight championship with a twelve round unanimous decision over mandatory contender Lenny Zappavigna.

Vazquez boxed well using an effective jab and occasional right hand. Vazquez opened up cuts over both eyes of the challanger. Zappavigna had a little success when he tried to push the action. Vazquez closed the show by boxing as he did in the early rounds.

Scores were 118-110; 118-110; and 117-111 for Vazquez, 135 lbs of Guadalajara, Mexico and is now 28-3. Zappavigna, 135 lbs of Sydney, AUS is now 25-1.

Middleweight prospect Matt Korobov scored a first round knockout over Michael Walker in a scheduled eight bout.

Korobov landed a perfect straight left that sent Walker down and out.

Korobov of St. Petersburg, FL is 14-0 with nine knockouts. Walker of Chicago is now 19-7-2.

In a competitive Super Bantamweight bout, Jesus Rojas scored a six round unanimous decision over Isaac Hidalgo.

Rojas, 122 lbs of Caguas, PR is now 17-1 after winning by scores of 59-55; 59-55 and 58-56. Hidalgo, 122 lbs of Tuscon, AZ is now 8-7-2.

Heavyweight Eric Molina scored a sixth round knockout over Joseph Rabotte in a scheduled round bout.

Molina dropped Rabotte from a big right in round two and once again in the fifth. Clearly beaten, Rabotte was saved by referee Kenny Bayless in round six after a series of punches.

Molina, 227 lbs of Lifort, TX is now 17-1 with thirteen knockouts. Rabotte, 255 lbs of Myrtle Beach, SC is now 9-16-1.

Lightweight Juan Gonzalez remained undefeated by stopping Jeremy McLaurin in round one in a scheduled eight round bout.

Gonzlaez of Caguas, Puerto Rico is 11-0 with ten knockouts. McLaurin of Coon Rapids, MN is now 8-2.

Photo by Chris Farina/ Top Rank

WBC Welterweight champion Andre Berto will defend his title against Victor Ortiz in April 16 at the MGM at Foxwoods according to Dan Rafael of espn.com

“It’s a great facility and we’re having great success with [Saturday’s] show and Berto has fought the bulk of his fights on the East Coast, so it’s a natural,” Said Lou DiBella, who promotes Berto. “This is one of the best rooms for boxing on the East Coast. About 4,000 seats, not a bad one in there. We’re having a great experience working with the property on this [Martinez-Dzinziruk] event and we’re happy we’re coming back.”

“I think styles make fights and you can’t beat it. These are two guys that throw,” DiBella said. “They both have power. For any critic who says it’s a 140-pounder versus a 147-pounder, that’s bull—- because Ortiz is actually bigger than Berto. It’s the kind of fight I like to see. You know both chins are going to get tested. There’s a lot of speed in the ring and also a lot of power. People know I like aggression and blood and guys getting knocked out, so this is my kind of fight.”

HBO will televise Berto-Ortiz on “World Championship Boxing,” along with same-day taped coverage of junior welterweight titleholder Amir Khan’s defense in his native England against Paul McCloskey of Northern Ireland.

Miguel Cotto 154 – Ricardo Mayorga 154
(WBA Super Welterweight championship)
Yuri Foreman 155 – Pawel Wolak 154
Tommy Zbikowski 193 – Ricard Bryant 225
Miguel Vazquez 135 – Lenny Zappavigna 135
(IBF Lightweight Championship)

PHOTO BY CLAUDIA BOCANEGRA

One of the top trainers in boxing, Gabriel Sarmiento will not be in the corner with his man, World Middleweight champion Sergio Martinez when he takes on Sergiy Dzinzurak this Saturday night at The Foxwoods Casino in Connecticut according to Dan Rafael of espn.com

“Gabriel won’t be in the corner because of some personal issues,” promoter Lou DiBella said, although he would not say what the particular reasons were. “It’s private, so there’s not much I can say about it. But Gabriel was with Sergio in training camp all the way, so they have worked on everything together.”

Taking over as the head of Martinez’s corner is Pablo Sarmiento, Gabriel’s brother. Pablo Sarmiento is a regular member of Martinez’s training staff and has worked in his corner for several past fights, DiBella said.

“Gabriel was with Sergio through the close of camp [last] Friday,” DiBella said. “We knew about this, but we didn’t feel the need to announce it until we had to. We are comfortable with Pablo. This is not an excuse no matter happens in the fight, and we know this is a very tough fight. Sergio said it will make no difference and that he had the best training camp he has ever had. Both of the Sarmientos were there in camp.”

Said Martinez, the consensus fighter of the year for 2010: “Pablo is from the same school [as Gabriel], so this will be OK. It’s nothing that is a surprise. I am well-trained and ready

Newly crowned WBC Super Welterweight champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez will return to the ring on June 18th according to Dan Rafael of espn.com

“Canelo wants to be back in June and we have to see what we’re going to do, but we are holding that date,”Said Richard Schaefer of Golden Boy Promotions. “He’s only 20 and he’s ready to go again. He’s looking forward to staying active.”

No opponent has been selected. Schaefer said he has a list of potential opponents he has discussed with Alvarez and his team, but he did not want to make it public. He said he plans to go to New York to discuss the pay-per-view and possible opponents with HBO.

“Last Saturday night was one I’ll never forget and I thank all my fans for their support,” Alvarez said. “I promise that I will always give them the fights they want to see and that I will proudly represent them and Mexico every time I step in the ring.”

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, former Light heavyweight champion Chad Dawson will make his first appearance since his first defeat when he takes on Adrian Diaconu on May 21st as part of a Light Heavyweight doubleheader that will be coupled with the anticipated rematch between Bernard Hopkins and JeanPascal that will most likely land in Quebec City and be televised on HBO.

“This is no walkover fight for Chad,” Said Dawson’s promoter Gary Shaw. “Diaconu is a tough fighter, a good fighter. But Chad is with a new trainer now in Emanuel Steward and I think that will make a big difference in Chad’s fight game and his strategy. I think you’ll see a whole new Chad, a guy that can finish off his opponent.”

15rounds.com is giving away two tickets to this Saturday’s World Middleweight title bout at Foxwoods and Connecticut. Fans should email mabrams@15rounds.com and write a brief summary of what fight you are most looking forward to in 2011 (besides Pacquiao – Mayweather)

Please list name and town you live in and in Subject line type the word Diamond Contest

Note–The contest is only for tickets. Not for Travel or Accommodation

Photo by Claudia Bocanegra

Joshua Clottey who was supposed to be part of the Miguel Cotto – Ricardo Mayorga undercard this Saturday in Las Vegas will not make his ring return since his loss to Manny Pacquiao according to Dan Rafael of espn.com

Former welterweight titlist Joshua Clottey suffered ankle and wrist injuries when he fell while doing roadwork, forcing him to withdraw from a fight scheduled for Saturday night at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

“He’s got a fracture or just a real bad sprain of the ankle and the wrist,” manager Vinny Scolpino said. “It says on the report that a fracture is possible to both.”

He was running and then it started to rain and that was it. He tripped in the pothole,” Scolpino said. “As he was falling he put his hands down to catch his fall and whacked his wrist. Unbelievable. What are you gonna do? He was by himself. He called up and we went to pick him up and brought him to the hospital.

“He’s upset. I’m upset. He wants to fight. Now he’s on the couch with crutches and splints.”

“He wants to fight, but he can’t go in there if he’s hurt,” Scolpino said.

Clottey (35-4, 20 KO’s) was scheduled to fight Calvin Green (21-5-1, 13 KO’s)

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, the much anticipate Heavyweight championship between recognized world champion Wladimir Klitschko and David Haye appears to have been finalized.

More than two years in the making — thanks to Haye’s constant verbal trashing of Klitschko and his older brother, fellow titlist Vitali Klitschko — the fight will take place either June 25 or July 2, both sides said.

However, it is not signed yet.

“It’s 99 percent,” Bernd Boente, Klitschko’s manager, told ESPN.com Sunday. “This week it will be finally signed and also announced. But it is not signed.

“We will sign it very soon. There are no question marks anymore,” Boente said. “The fighters have to sign. [Haye manager/trainer] Adam Booth has to sign. I have to sign. Wladimir [has to sign]. As long as it’s not signed, it’s 99 percent.”

“I am really pleased that we have closed a deal on this fight,” Klitschko told the Welt am Sonntag newspaper.

“The terms were right, it’s a fair deal — it’s a 50-50 split. That’s what they wanted and that’s what I wanted,” Haye told the BBC. “Here it is — end of June, beginning of July. Let’s get ready to rumble.”

“It will be in a European time zone, but England is out,” Boente said. “It could be one of three different stadiums in Germany. We also have three options outside of Germany. All these things will be discussed A to Z between Adam and myself.

“In the contract we have a paragraph that we do all of these things together because that is what is best,” he added. “Adam will be involved in the stadium deal. We will also talk to American TV stations HBO and Showtime. It could also be on pay-per-view in the U.S. if we can’t find an agreement.”

“The points are agreed to, and I think both sides are happy,” Boente said. “No options, no rematches. One fight. If we want to do another one and sit down afterward and see if it makes sense, we will do that. But this is a straight one-fight deal. It’s obvious that if there is public interest in another fight, it will probably come.”

“Our contract with Chisora says if someone is injured — Wladimir still is — there is no fight,” Boente said. “It is the same injury from December, and it has not healed properly. So the April fight is off, but June or July, that is different. I can only tell you the truth. That is what the doctor said.

“The doctor checked Wladimir and said it is not possible to fight April 30. Why should anybody question it? However it looks, I can only tell you this is the truth and he is one of the top doctors in Germany.”

“Knock on wood, nothing happens. Vitali has to win his fight in two weeks against Solis, which is a very tough fight,” Boente said. “If he comes out of that fight, he is also a possibility. In the contract it says Vitali or Wladimir.”

“Haye is now willing to fight Vitali,” Boente said. “I think it will be Wladimir to face Haye, but it’s not a precondition from Adam Booth or David Haye. In these negotiations they were very flexible. David said he was also willing to fight Vitali, which is different than last time. I think all sides acted as real gentlemen. That is why we reached the goal this time.”

“We had this door open all the time,” Boente said. “Haye walked away last time because Wladimir was going to fight Chisora. But Wladimir was always willing to fight Haye in July if they came back to talk again. They did that.”

Dan Rafael of espn.com is reporting that World Heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko has canceled a fight with Derek Chisora for a second time citing lingering affects of the a rib injury that halted their scheduled bout in December.

This turn of a events can open the door for a much anticipated unification bout between Klitschko and David Haye

“Considering the current clinical picture, it is difficult to predict a precise time of rehabilitation,” Hans-Wilhelm Müller-Wohlfahrt, Klitschko’s doctor, said in a statement released by Klitschko’s K2 Promotions. “The start of a training camp at this time for a fight in April would be too much of a high risk.”

Shelly Finkel, Klitschko’s adviser, told ESPN.com that Klitschko recently began to train and the injury still was giving him a problem.

“I don’t know if he was shadowboxing or what, but Wladimir said he felt something within the last week. He had it checked out,” Finkel said.

“Canceling the Chisora fight was no condition of any deal,” Finkel said.

Exciting and popular Saul Alvarez won his first world title by capturing the WBC Super Welterweight champions with an exciting drubbing over Matthew Hatton at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California.

It was apparent early that it was going to be a Alvarez night as he loaded and landed thudding power punches with both hands. Hatton tried very hard and got through but simply didnt have the thunder behind his punches that Alvarez had.

It almost seemed that at least once per round that Alvarez would land a plethora of ripping power shots that Hatton not only took well but would come back with a flurry of his own. Alvarez just continued to pour on the offense for which Hatton had very little answers for.

Alvarez was docked a point in round seven for hitting on the break which proved to be the only blemish on what was an impressive performance for the young twenty year old sensation from Mexico.

Alvarez showed that in typical Mexican fashion that he could land gut wrenching left hooks to the body and had Hatton reeling several times including in the final minute. Hatton even came back and tried to the bitter end.

It wasnt enough as Alvarez, 151 3/4 lbs of Guadalajara, MX is now 36-0-1. Hatton 149 lbs of Manchester, ENG is now 41-5-2.

In his first step up fight, Adrien Broner took a closer then the scorecards read unanimous decision over former Jr. Featherweight champion Daniel Ponce De Leon in a ten round Jr. Lightweight bout.

De Leon forced the action all night as he came forward and landed some good body shots over the first three rounds. Broner was effective but not active as he landed some nice counter rights off the back foot. De Leon tested Broner with volume as Broner slowly started mixing some combinations by using his superior hand speed.

The second half of the fight picked up as Broner started to engage a little more and that may have been the difference as eked out the decision by tallies of a ridiculous 99-91 score and two others that were more in line at 96-95.

Broner 129 3/4 lbs of Cincinnati, OH is now 20-0. De Leon, 128 1/4 lbs of Mexico is now 41-3.

WBC Lightweight champion Humberto Soto cruised to a ten round unanimous decision win over Fidel Monterrosa in a ten round Jr. Welterweight bout in Tepic, Mexico.

Soto scored a knockdown in round one with a big left hook and dominated the action the rest of the way and won by scores of 100-88; 100-90 and 98-92.

This was a rematch of a bout that Soto won last September 18th that was contested for his world championship.

Soto, 139 1/2 lbs of Los Mochis, MX is now 55-7-2 and will now face Urbano Antillon on the May 7th Manny Pacquiao – Shane Mosley undercard. That fight is also a rematch of a fight that many thought could have been the 2010 fight of the year that was won by Soto on December 4th.

Monterrosa, 139 1/2 lbs of Monteria, Colombia is now 25-3

Juan Carlos Vargas scored a second round stoppage over Alexis Gonzalez in round two of a scheduled six round bantamweight bout.

Vargas dropped Gonzalez with a vicious uppercut-left hook combination and The time of the stoppage was 2:59 of round two for Vargas, 118 lbs of Lagos De Moreno, MX and is now 7-3-1 with six knockouts. Gonzalez 118 lbs of Tepic, MX is now 1-8

Manuel Beltran Jr. scored a fourth round stoppage over Roberto Tamayo in a scheduled eight round Super Featherweight bout

Beltran landed a huge right that dropped Tamayo with a big right hand for that sent him down fir the ten count at 1:50 of round four.

Beltran 135 lbs of Los Mochis, MX is now 24-1 with seventeen knockouts. Tamayo, 135 lbs of Ciudad, MX is now 11-8-1.

Rodolfo Quantanilla scored a four round unanimous decision over Fidel Lopez in a Jr. Welterweight bout.

Scores were 40-36 on all cards for Quananilla, who is now 9-1-2. Lopez of Novajoa, MX is now 0-3

Vicente Escobedo scored a seventh round knockdown en route to a ten round unanimous decision over veteran Walter Estrada in a Lightweight bout in Indio, California.

Escobedo caught Estrada with a perfect right hand that cracked Estrada on the chin and sent him to the canvas in round seven. Escobedo was very workmanlike throughout the rest of the bout

Escobedo of Pasadena, CA is now 23-3. Estrada of Monteria, Colombia is now 38-14-1.

Randy Caballero scored a six round unanimous decision over Hugo Ramos in a Super Bantamweight bout

Caballero, 120 1/4 lbs of Cochella, CA is now 8-0. Perez, 121 1/2 lbs of Palm Springs, CA is now 3-8-2.

The first six round didint go so well, but Zab Judah scored a emphatic seventh round stoppage over Kaizer Mabuza to win the vacant IBF jr. Welterweight championship an the AmeraHealth Center inside the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey

The fight started with both jabbing and by the simple fact that Judah was able to score with left hand, he took round one. Round two started off well for Judah as he landed two good body punches that sandwiched a straight left. Mabuza could have stolen the round as he landed five solid body punches over two flurries. Mabuza did well over the first two plus minutes of round three as he continued to pressure Judah and flurry. Judah landed a good straight left at the bell. In round four, Mabuza landed a couple nice right and and a third bucked Judah to the point where his glove scraped the canvas and referee Sammy Viruet ruled a knockdown that was protested outwardly by Judah. That may have awoken Judah as he came out in round five and landed some good shots with both hands and didint get backed up as much as he did in the previous four frames. Mabuza had a big round six that was highlighted by a big right that rocked and hurt Judah on the ropes.

In round seven, Judah landed a deviating straight left that slumped Mabuza between the second and third rop and was ruled a knockdown. Mabuza was severely hurt and Judah jumped on him and landed five drilling punches and the was correctly stopped by Viruet at fifty-nine seconds of round seven

Judah, 138 lbs of Brooklyn is now a four-time world champion with a record of 41-6 with twenty-eight knockouts. Mabuza, 138 lbs of Johannesburg, South Africa is now 23-7-3

In a battle of southpaws, Tarvis Simms scored an eight round unanimous decision in a middleweight tussle.

It was a workmanlike effort for Simms, who did well with all of his punches as he evenly divided up head and body shots. Mackey was tough as he he got in some good body work of his own and the two even exchanged at various times in the bout. Simms looked like he rocked Mackey on several occasions but never had him in serious trouble. Simms’ work showed as in round six Macket began to bleed from the mouth.

Simms, 158 lbs of Norwalk, CT won by scores of 80-72;79-73 and 78-74 to raise his mark to 27-1-1. Mackey, 158 lbs of Washington, DC is now 13-6-2.

Jose Peralta scored a first round stoppage over Clifford McPherson in a scheduled six round Welterweight bout.

McPherson wasnt hit when he dropped to the canvas with a injured right hand. The pain was sever that McPherson was riding in pain on the pain and the bout was stopped.

Peralta, 146 lbs of Jersey City, NJ is now 5-1 with three knockouts. McPherson, 147 1/2 lbs of Cleveland is now 2-4-1.

Shemuel Pegan made short work of Marcos Garcia by scoring a first round stoppage in their four round Jr. Welterweight bout.

Pegan trapped Garcia in the corner and landed twenty unanswered blows until the bout was stopped 1:33 into the bout.

Pegan, 137 lbs of Brooklyn is now 2-0 with one knockout. Garcia, 133 lbs of Camden, NJ is 0-4

Popular Welterweight Vinny O’Brien made a successful pro debut as David Navarro was unable to continue at the end of round three of a scheduled four round bout.

O’Brien, 147 lbs of East Hanover, NJ is 1-0 with one knockout. Navarro, 150 lbs of Philadelphia is 0-2

Zab Judah’s brother, Chris Crosby scored a four round split decision over Greg Hackett in a Jr. Middleweight bout.

Scores were 40-36; 39-37 for Crosby, 150 lbs of Brooklyn who is now 6-1. Hackett, 156 lbs of Philadelphia is 2-6.

In the main event of an entertaining 8-bout card promoted by Diane Lee Fischer, Cuban-born Giorbis Barthelemi (who now resides in Hialeah, FL) upset Derek “Pooh” Ennis of Philadelphia by second round TKO. Barthelemi scored a knock down with seconds to go in the opening round, and Ennis never recovered. After stagging to his corner, Ennis came out for the second with his legs still not under him. Barthelemi finished Ennis off after he pinned him in a corner and landed multiple unanswered power punches.

Barthelemi improves to 5-8-2, 10 KO, as Ennis drops to 22-3-1, 13 KO.

Atlantic City’s own Isiah Seldon (4-0 , 2 KO) pleased his local fans in attendance by scoring a third round TKO over Juan Zapata (1-5, 1KO) of Honduras. After sending Zapata to the canvas early in the round with an over hand right, Seldon forced Eddie Cotton to waive the bout off at 2:36 of the third.

Todd “Viking” Eriksson (3-5-2, 1KO), a middleweight out of Dover, NJ, won his bout against Lawrence Jones(3-5-2, 1KO) of Washington, DC by split decision in four rounds. Fighting through a cut he suffered in the first round, the hard-nosed Eriksson got the better of Jones in the second half of the fight.

Camden native Louis Cream(1-0), the grandson of the legendary Jersey Joe Walcott, won his pro debut against Yehudy Vargas (1-1) of Trenton. Cream carried the welterweight bout 40-34, with all three judges in agreement.

In what was perhaps the most entertaining and technical match of the evening, Atlantic City’s Althea “Lady Thunder” Saunders (2-0) fought Melissa St. Vil (1-1-2) of Brooklyn, NY to a four round majority draw. After the bout, it was announced by promoter Dee Lee Fisher that the two would rematch on her next card in the coming months.

Ali Santos of Camden (1-0) out-boxed Philadelphia’s Eric Newell en route to a four round split decision in their heavyweight bout. The judges scores were 40-36 and 39-37 for Santos against 39-37

for Newell.

Newark, DE lightweight and member of the fighting Tiberi family, Joey Tiberi (3-1, 3KO), rebounded from his first career loss with an easy TKO1 over Shawn Hodson (1-6, 1KO) of Franklin, IN. Tiberi floored his over-matched opponent twice before Hodson’s trainer asked for the bout to be stopped.

In the opening bout of the evening, Edgardo “El Molle Ja” Torres of Vineland needed only 43 seconds stop to Glassboro’s Marcus Smith (1-4, 1KO). A crushing right cross put Smith down, and gave Torres his first professional victory.

Ismayl Sillakh gave boxing enthusiasts reason to believe that he’s an elite rising star following an impressive beatdown of highly regarded Yordanis Despaigne in the main event of ESPN’s Friday Night Fights from the Jostens Center in Lake Buena Vista, FL.

Sillakh violently decked Despaigne with a huge right hand shortly before the bell to end the second and was mostly in control from that point forward. The California based Ukrainian displayed excellent punching power, good ring smarts, precise timing and solid footwork, making it difficult for Despaigne to develop a rhythm.

Bloodied, bruised and battered over both eyes midway through the contest, Despaigne had a few moments of success however he was unable to surmount a consistent attack. Perhaps looking to end the show early, Sillakh finished the bout by landing hard shots in the final two rounds, but the knockout never came.

Scores were 98-91 twice and 99-90. 15rounds also scored the bout 99-90.

Sillakh improves to 15-0 with 12 KO’s and is clearly a fighter to keep an eye on. Despaigne, of Coral Gables, FL by way of Cuba, slips to 8-1 (4 KO’s).

In a bout between two fighters that appeared many weight classes apart, junior welterweight contender Ray “The Emperor” Narh shutout former featherweight titlist Freddie Norwood over ten one-sided rounds. The tall and lanky Narh dominated the bout from start to finish and was the only fighter that landed meaningful punches. Outgunned, out of shape, over the hill, and looking to survive, Norwood reverted to dirty tactics and lost two points in the ninth for hitting behind the head.

Scores were 100-88 twice and 99-89.

Narh, of Pittsburgh, PA via the fighting city of Accra, Ghana, improves to 25-1 (21 KO’s). Norwood, a St. Louis, MO native who defeated future great Juan Manuel Marquez in 1999, falls to 43-4 (23 KO’s) and would be wise to call it quits.