SAN RAFAEL, CALIFORNIA — In the ring for the fourth time since ending a nine-year sabbatical from boxing last year, Paul Nave scored a third-round stoppage over journeyman Daniel Schlienz in a return bout at the Marin Center Exhibit Hall, capping a four-fight card on Friday night.

Nave (19-8-2, 8 KOs) of San Anselmo, California had been out of the ring since scoring a six-round decision over Schlienz (7-20-1, 4 KOs) of Duluth, Minnesota last November. Nave, 146 ½, began the rematch a bit more aggressively than he had in their first meeting. Nave knocked Schlienz, 145, off balance once in the opening stanza and seemed to take the round by simply outworking his well traveled opponent.

The second round was more of the same, as Schlienz remained in a defensive posture until pressured by Nave, who had to force the fight at times. Late in the round Nave began to open up, flurrying as Schlienz looked to cover and counter. The fight turned early in the third as Nave wobbled Schlienz with a jab, right hand combination. Nave moved in to follow up, but Schlienz was already on his way to the mat when he attempted to land a hook. The punch missed over the falling Schlienz’ head and the Minnesota native made it to his feet on unsteady legs.

With referee Marty Sammon watching close, and the ringside physician already on his feet on the arena floor, Nave leaped in with an overhand right that landed flush and dropped Schlienz for a second time. Schlienz hit the mat hard and the fight was immediately called off as the doctor rushed in to check on the fallen fighter. Official time of the stoppage was 2:35 of the third round.

There was some controversy earlier in the week, as the California State Athletic Commission had reservations about approving Schlienz for the fight. Since losing to Nave in a fairly competitive bout last year, Schlienz had been stopped inside the distance in both of his next two fights. In retrospect, the concerns the Commission had regarding Schlienz proved to be warranted. Schlienz, who is 40-years-old, did appear less coordinated than he had in November, and his response to punches were not what one would hope for from a professional prizefighter.

Nave, who turns 50-years-old in September, had a differing opinion after the fight. “I think I hit him harder,” explained Nave. “I came out a little out more aggressive and eight ounce gloves and I caught him. I don’t think there ever should have been a controversy. We had gone six good rounds, I just happened to catch him.”

Nave last scored a knockout in March of 1997, putting away Jose Luis Madrid in eleventh round of a rematch in San Rafael. Nave fought six more times before stepping away from the sport, and had fought three times in his return prior to Friday’s rematch with Schlienz. “At the older age, I try to box more instead of just trading,” explained Nave. “I used to go out with a reckless abandon and I had a lot of early knockouts years ago. The idea is now, why take those punches if you don’t have to? I have a lot of experience now, so I might as well use my experience and try to outbox him. Outbox him, get the points win and go on to the next fight.”

Nave hopes to get back into the ring within the next few months. “I just need to fight more consistently before I jump up the proverbial ladder,” said Nave. “I need to fight more consistently and then go for it. Fight the best guy for the most money and I want to fight for a title if I get the opportunity.”

In addition to preparing for the fight, Nave was also the promoter of the event and he has been co-producing a documentary series about himself that airs on Sunday nights on Comcast SportsNet Bay Area. As one might expect, Nave admits the workload was challenging. “I trained real hard for this fight, and I have been doing this reality show for two-and-one-half months and it has been a lot of work,” said Nave. “I wore a lot of hats, and the last hat really did me.” Local fight fans can expect Nave to return to San Rafael for his next fight. “I love fighting in Marin. It’s a professional venue and there are great people here so I love fighting here.”

In the other rematch on the card, Jose Alfredo Lugo (10-13-1, 5 KOs) of Richmond, California by way of Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico evened up the score with a six-round split decision victory over Jaime Rodriguez (5-7-3, 2 KOs) of Reno, Nevada. The two- way action started right off the bat with a back-and-forth opening round. The forward-moving Lugo, 133, landed a few clean hooks that may have earned him the nod in the second round.

The taller and more fleet of foot Rodriguez, 132 ½, began to box in the third, which would be his best and worst round. It was a solid round for Rodriguez since he was clearly frustrating Lugo by keeping his distance and landing from the outside. However the fight began to turn against him in the very same round, as he seriously injured his right hand sometime during the three minutes. Even with the injury, Rodriguez had a strong fourth round as he caught Lugo with several one-two combinations as the Mexican made his way inside.

With an injured hand, Rodriguez nearly shut his offense down in the fifth, which allowed Lugo to get in range and land his shots. Lugo would rock Rodriguez with two hooks late in the round, prompting an apparently tired Rodriguez to hang on until the ring of the bell. Both fighters summoned the strength to let loose with their punches to close out the sixth and final round which brought the crowd to their feet. In the end, Rodriguez had a wide lead on one card, 59-55, but that score was overruled by the other two judges who both had the fight 58-56 for Lugo.

Both Lugo and Rodriguez have spent most of their careers giving touted prospects tough fights. The most noteworthy result on Lugo’s resume is a six-round draw against well regarded light welterweight Mike Dallas Jr. in 2008. Likewise, Rodriguez earned a four-round draw against unbeaten former amateur star Mel Crossty in May of last year. While they may not be elite fighters, Lugo-Rodriguez III would be a welcomed bout to a future undercard. Their first fight, a decision win for Rodriguez which took place on the first Nave-Schlienz undercard last November, was an exciting toe-to-toe battle that could have gone either way.

Jason Montgomery (2-0-1) of Hayward, California spoiled the ring return of previously undefeated Ulysses Caballero (4-1-1, 3 KOs) of San Pablo, California by taking a four-round unanimous decision. Montgomery, 153, was the busier boxer and more accurate puncher throughout. Early on Montgomery found a home for his uppercut and he would go on to land it almost at will for much of the fight. After outboxing Caballero, 150, for two rounds, Montgomery landed an overhand right in the third to score a knockdown. The determined Caballero returned to his feet but had a badly swollen left eye by round’s end.

In a nearly dramatic turn of events, Caballero turned the tide in the fourth, landing a double left hook that stunned Montgomery early in the round. With his corner imploring him to throw hooks and uppercuts, Caballero chased after Montgomery for much of the round hoping to score a fight-saving knockout. Montgomery, holding an insurmountable lead on the cards, boxed and moved as Caballero continued to apply pressure. Time eventually ran out for Caballero, who had a throng of supporters cheering him on and Montgomery was declared the victor unanimously by the scores of 40-35 and 39-36 twice.

John Dunham (1-5-1) of Stockton, California got himself into the win column for the first time with a four-round split decision over Herman Bacho (0-1) of Santa Rosa, California. Dunham, 144, caused the left eye of Bacho, 144, to swell badly by the second round. The injury may have been the result of a headbutt, as Dunham came rushing in ram style at times in the bout. By the third round it looked as though Dunham was just about out of gas, but the previously winless fighter outlasted the fatigued Bacho, downing him with less than thirty seconds to go in the fight. A left hand, followed by a looping right officially caused the knockdown, but it looked as though Bacho’s conditioning may have failed him. In the end, two judges scored the fight for Dunham, 39-36, with one lone dissenting judge having it 38-37 the other way.

Promising super bantamweight Jonathan Alcantara (4-1-1) of Novato, California was originally tabbed for the card, but after originally scheduled opponent Eder Peralta and then his replacement, Danny Pantoja, fell out, his fight was cancelled.

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

Miami, FL (June 5, 2010)–Yudel Jhonson (7-0, 5 KO’s) wins with an eighth round TKO over Brazilian Juliano Ramos (16-4, 13 KO’s).

Yudell Jhonson, a Cuban Defector who won the silver medal in the Olympics in Athens, Greece looked much bigger than Ramos and was noticeably faster and more skilled. Ramos was reaching for the big shot early while getting countered often by Jhonson who often landed big straight left hands. Jhonson a southpaw controlled the fight with smart boxing and hard punches on Ramos who took the fight on short notice and was game in his attempt to outbox the puncher Jhonson. Ramos has been in with World Champions Kermit Cintron and up and coming superstar Mike Jones, however knocked out by both fighters. In the end Ramos was taking punishment from Jhonson and Telas Assimenios stepped in at of 2:39 the eighth round.

In the co-main event previously undefeated Puerto Rican amateur star Kenny Galarza (13-1, 13 KO’s) was beaten by sharp and impressive Brad Solomon (12-0, 4 KO’s).

Solomon controlled the entire fight by keeping Galarza away with great outside boxing and angles. Galarza, who has over 300 amateur fighters and a ton of power seemed to be waiting for his power shot while Solomon used his legs and size to keep the smaller Galarza away from him. Throughout the fight Solomon fought smart with long fast punches while frustrating Galarza who was deducted a point for a low blow in the sixth. Galarza never committed to an attack while leaving him short of his homerun punch. Solomon proved to be a contender and elevated his value in the welterweight division with this impressive victory. The cards read 99-90 and 100-89 twice.

In the first bout of the night Cleveland’s “Moneyshot” Yuardale Evans 8-0 (5KO) scored a nice unanimous decision over Chris “Smooth Operator” Green 3-2 fighting out of New Jersey. Evans controlled the fight with excellent jabs and strong punches knocking Green down in the fourth round. Green seemed not to have the punching power to keep Evans off of him and was often put back on his heels by Evans great jabs. A late fight cut over the right eye did not slow down the Cleveland fighter. The cards read 60-53 and 59-54 twice.

In the second d fight of the night, Cruiserweight Cuban Pedro Julio Rodriguez improved to 2-0 (2 KO) with a gift of an early stoppage over game Chris Boykins. Rodriguez commanded the fight early and landed a few heavy shots before Sam Burgos stepped in at 1:06 to spare Boykins, a premature stoppage in my opinion.

Former Cuban Amateur Star Jr. Middleweight Inocente Fiz Cuba 2-0 (2 KO) stopped Mario Ramos with the third punch of the fight. The early end came at 35 seconds of the first round with a perfectly placed body shot.

Welterweight Olympian Jonathan Gonzalez from San Juan, P.R. 8-0 (8 KO) looked sharp with a dominating TKO over Yoryi Estralla Santiago De Los Caballeros from Dominican Republic 10-3 (7 KO). The end came at 2:28 of round three when Sam Burgos stepped in to stop the action.

In attendance Yurkois Gamboa Randall Bailey Henry Fuentes Glen Johnson, Lara, Despanigne, Demetrius Andrade, Guillermo Rigondeaux, Joel Casamayor, Patricia Alcivar among other great boxing stars.

Yuri Foreman 154 – Miguel Cotto 153.5
Joe Greene 151.5 – Vanes Martirosyan 153 1/4

SAN RAFAEL, CALIFORNIA — Competing for the fourth time since ending a nine-year absence from the sport, Paul Nave will take on Daniel Schlienz for the second time in a row in the welterweight main event of a four-bout card at the Marin Center Exhibit Hall in San Rafael tonight. Fighters weighed in on Thursday afternoon at the Embassy Suites San Rafael – Marin County.

Earlier this week, it appeared as though Nave would be taking on local journeyman Dario Castillo instead of entering into a rematch against Schlienz, over whom he had scored a six-round unanimous decision last November. In his two bouts since meeting Nave, Schlienz (7-19-1, 4 KOs) of Duluth, Minnesota has gone 0-2, with both losses coming inside the distance. After first approving Schlienz, the California State Athletic Commission asked Nave to find a new opponent. At the eleventh hour, the Commission relented and approved Schlienz, who arrived yesterday morning.

Nave (18-8-2, 7 KOs) of San Anselmo, California has been out of the ring since the November bout, but hopes that tonight’s fight marks the beginning of a busier schedule. Nave, who is also the promoter of tonight’s event, is the co-producer and subject of the reality television series Paul Nave: Goin’ The Distance which is currently airing on Comcast SportsNet Bay Area. Tonight’s main event will be filmed and portions will air as part of a later broadcast of the show. Nave scaled 146 ½-pounds, while Schlienz weighed in at 145.

In the co-feature Friday night, Jaime Rodriguez (5-6-3, 2 KOs) of Reno, Nevada will fight Jose Alfredo Lugo (9-13-1, 5 KOs) of Richmond, California by way of Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico in a six-round lightweight rematch. Their first encounter, which took place on the Nave-Schlienz undercard, was an exciting toe-to-toe battle that could have gone either way. Rodriguez weighed in at 132 ½, while Lugo scaled 133-pounds.

Ulyses Caballero (4-0-1, 3 KOs) of San Pablo, California will end an eight-year layoff and take on Jason Montgomery (1-0-1) of San Leandro, California in a four-round light middleweight fight. In an interesting side note, Caballero is trained by Robert Salinas, who trained Montgomery for a time as an amateur. Montgomery, who currently trains out of the Kennel Boxing Gym in San Leandro, weighed in at 153-pounds. Caballero, whose last fight was a decision over then 10-1 Jesse Gonzalez in May of 2002, scaled 150.

Also slated for the card is debuting Herman Bacho of Santa Rosa, California who will take on John Dunham (0-5-1) of Stockton, California in a four-round welterweight fight. Bacho and Dunham both weighed in at 144-pounds.

Promising local super bantamweight Jonathan Alcantara (4-1-1) of Novato, California was slated to take on Danny Pantoja (0-3-2) of Fairfield, California in a four-round bout. However Pantoja was a late scratch from the card and a new opponent was not found in time.

Tickets for the event, promoted by Liberty Boxing Enterprises, are available online at Ticketmaster.com.

Quick Weigh-in Results:

Welterweights, 6 Rounds
Nave 146 ½
Schlienz 145

Lightweights, 6 Rounds
Rodriguez 132 ½
Lugo 133

Light Middleweights, 4 Rounds
Montgomery 153
Caballero 150

Welterweights, 4 Rounds
Bacho 144
Dunham 144

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

At tonight’s Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA) Dinner at the Roosevelt Hotel in New York City, 15rounds.com writers Norm Frauenheim, Bart Barry and Adam Berlin will be cited for their excellence as they will take home Barney Awards.

The following awards for 15rounds.com

Best Column honorable mention for Bart Barry, Norm Frauenheim and Adam Berlin

Best News Story: Norm Frauenheim took home 1st place honors

Best Feature under 1750 words: Norm Frauenheim-Honorable Mention

Moments after Amir Khan dominated Paulie Malignaggi in his American debut in mid May he declared he wanted to fight again and soon. He even went as far as to say his preference would be at the end of July or early August before he begins his religious fasting for Ramadan begins.

On the same day as Khan’s beatdown of Malignaggi two possible future foe’s collided when Michael Katsidis and Britain’s Kevin Mitchell clashed. Katsidis proved to strong and to good stopping Mitchell in the third round thus very much putting himself in the box seat for a fight with Amir Khan.

However as time has passed in the ensuing weeks word was the Katsidis had turned down the fight. Not so according to Katsidis manager/trainer Brendon Smith who would say.

“Michael Katsidis has never pulled out of a fight with Amir Khan. I don’t believe a fight can be made because Michael is too much of a risk for Amir Khan”

Before continuing “I am confident in saying team Khan has viewed the tape of Michael with Kevin Mitchell and a cross would of went through Michael’s name immediately as an opponent as it did before when Malignaggi was selected for Amir’s US debut and therefore Joel Casamayor has now become a much safer choice”

British newspaper The Sun is reporting that Golden Boy have offered Casamayor in the region of £400,000 (Just short of $600,000) to face Khan on 31 July at London’s 02 Arena.

A disappointed Smith added that “I have never received an offer to fight Amir Khan with Michael, but I did have a discussion with Richard Schaefer who would love to put this fight on and knows we are available on the proviso that Michael is paid accordingly and trust me on this, only paid fairly and not over priced”

It’s not only Khan who isn’t safe from Smith’s broadside, European champion John Murray was also brought up.

“I am also sad to say that i am right on this one too. I have never heard back from his camp with any offer whatsoever. But this is not the first time this has happened as well. I have on a couple of occasion’s in the past (pre Mitchell fight) been contacted by team Murray but that is as far as it goes!”

The shame as Smith puts it is that neither British fighter will step up and fight Katsidis who is also popular in Britain having fought there twice previously when he KO’d both Graham Earl & recently Kevin Mitchell. Though he believes Katsidis must be doing something right if both are using Katsidis name to promote there own. He ended with this message for British fight fans.

“England your two great fighters have temporarily lost their balls and unless they find them quickly, you won’t be seeing Michael Katsidis in the opposite corner and that is the truth!!”

Just encase you missed it Michael Katsidis is available for a fight and he’d love it to be in Britain so he can attempt to complete his hatrick of victories over British fighters.

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, the June 12 IBF Jr. Middleweight title fight between Cory Sprinks and Cornelius Bundrage has been postponed due to event conflicts in the city of St. Louis.

The most notable, according to Don King, was that St. Louis radio station, Hot 104.1 FM, which has helped him promote past fight cards, recently announced its “Super Jam 3” concert for the same day as the fight.

King said he preferred to not compete with a radio station that already has a commitment to be somewhere else on June 12, especially when both events draw from the same urban community and the boxing event was reliant on ticket sales because there was no television outlet.

“Cory told me he has been receiving messages from his fans saying they were disappointed that they could not attend both events,” King said. “On top of that, I have now confirmed that I will be coming back to St. Louis with a world championship card in August, so it’s really not best to have two boxing events competing with each other in the same market.

World ranked welterweight contender Jesus Soto Karass was the headliner, but two fighters with just seven combined pro fights stole the spotlight Saturday night on the latest installment of the “Top Rank Live” series from the UIC Pavilion in Chicago, Illinois.

WBC #15/IBF #13 ranked welterweight Soto Karass had hoped to get back in the win column after a disappointing finish to his bout against Alfonso Gomez on the Manny Pacquiao-Joshua Clottey undercard in March. Instead, Soto Karass again went home disappointed Saturday in Chicago after his fight with completely unheralded Gabriel Martinez was ruled a no contest after a single solitary round.

Nothing of note occurred in the three minutes of action, other than an accidental head clash that opened a terrible gash underneath Martinez’ left eye. As Martinez (24-1-1, 13 KOs) of Empalme, Sonora, Mexico took a step forward, Soto Karass (24-4-3, 16 KOs) of Los Angeles, California by way of Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico leaped in with a looping right hand. The end result was the headbutt, which caused the stoppage in between rounds one and two.

For Soto Karass, 149, Saturday’s no contest was just another speed bump in a long career that has come a bit off track. Two point deductions cost him a draw against Gomez in their abbreviated six-round encounter. Prior to that bout, Soto Karass had gone on a solid win streak, picking up wins over some noteworthy names since his last defeat in 2005. For the unknown Martinez, 149, a precious opportunity was dashed and his cut will likely keep him out of the ring for some time. Martinez previous credentials included a draw against then unbeaten prospect Euri Gonzalez in 2007 and a kayo by ten against praised Mexican welterweight prospect Saul Alvarez in 2008.

The ticket-seller, as well as most locally and nationally publicized fighter on the card Mike Lee (1-0) of Chicago launched his pro career with a four-round unanimous decision over Emmit Woods (0-4-1) of Saint Joseph, Missouri in the night’s special attraction. Lee, reportedly singled-handedly responsible for $110,000 in ticket sales, pleased his large contingent of supporters as he won every round against the perfectly-matched Woods. Lee, 174, played up his Notre Dame graduate status by wearing the colors of the “Fighting Irish,” before taking the fight to the defensive-minded Woods, 171.

Woods presented little resistance, which was by the matchmaker’s design obviously, but Lee did prove to have the basic fundamentals of at least an ordinary fighter. Whether or not Lee, who has been under the tutelage of renowned trainer Ronnie Shields for the past two months, can turn into a true prospect remains to be seen. Lee does have the promoter in Top Rank that a fighter in his situation would want. Those who thought the career of Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. was moved painfully slow may need to hold on for the path that Lee’s career will tread.

Even with the action coming from one direction, the Lee crowd found reasons to chant his name, hoot and holler. After four rounds of arm-punching flurries with Woods covering up against the ropes, a visibly winded Lee was declared the winner on all three judges’ scorecards. Scores read 40-36 across the board for the former Chicago Golden Gloves Champion Lee.

With all the attention heaped on Lee, many fight fans at the UIC Pavilion on Saturday may end up recalling their presence at the event one day as the night they saw a young Jose Benavidez Jr. knockout Ronnie Peterson in one round. That is exactly what happened in the first fight of the night, which was held back to be the final fight on the Fox Spots en Espanol telecast.

Benavidez Jr. (6-0, 6 KOs) of Los Angeles, California by way of Phoenix, Arizona grabbed headlines earlier in the week when his scheduled July 17th Arizona homecoming was cancelled. The event was called off when sponsors threatened to pull out if it were held in Arizona, due to the controversial legislative measure SB 1070 that was signed into Arizona law. In public protest, Benavidez wore a shirt with the characters SB 1070 written across it with a circle and slash through it.

Peterson (3-2, 3 KOs) of Mounds View, Minnesota was in over his head with the classy Benavidez, 139, from the start. It would eventually be a body shot that would down Peterson, 138 ½, and end the fight. Time of the stoppage was 2:45 of the first. The July 17th event is reportedly moving to border city Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico, but Benavidez will first return to the ring on June 24th on the Latin Fury card emanating from the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas.

Light welterweight prospect Ivan Popoca (14-0-1, 10 KOs) of Chicago, Illinois by way of Chilpancingo, Guerrero, Mexico survived a brief scare to pass the toughest test of his career thus far and score a fifth-round stoppage over Jose Luis Soto Karass (20-15-1, 18 KOs) of Los Angeles by way of Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico.

Popoca, 138, quickly found Soto Karass, 138, to be a determined and willing adversary, as the two combatants got right to work from the start. After flip-flopping the opening two rounds, Popoca briefly looked to be taking control before a sudden turn in the fourth. About thirty seconds into the round, Soto Karass landed a perfect right hand counter to surprise and drop the crowd favorite Popoca. Popoca got back to his feet, but was still on unsteady legs as he tried to hold on to Soto Karass. By midway through the round, Popoca, who had not yet completely regained his footing, was out landing a tired Soto Karass.

Soto Karass seemed to hurt Popoca early in the fifth, but the Chicago resident would not stop coming forward. As Soto Karass again began to slow his output, Popoca landed a crisp right hand to wobble and eventually drop his opponent. With a little help from one of the middle ropes, Soto Karass got to his feet before the count of ten. However, referee Gerald Scott waved of the bout at 2:07 of the round

Antonio Avila (3-1, 1 KO) of Chicago scored a four-round unanimous decision over David Laque (2-5-1, 2 KOs) of Bloomington, Minnesota. Avila, 134, had trouble with the southpaw stance of Laque, 138, in the first round. By the opening of the second round, Avila settled into his boxing stance and began to time the awkward Laque. A wide left hook for Avila excited the crowd and removed Laque’s mouthpiece late in the round. Avila proved to have the better conditioning, as Laque never gave up, but seemed to run out of gas. Some heated back-and-forth action closed the fight which was scored unanimously for Avila, 40-36.

Wendel Boyd Henley (5-0-1, 5 KOs) of Kansas City, Missouri and Marcus Thompkins (5-0-1, 2 KOs) of Michigan City, Indiana both remained undefeated after fighting to a six-round majority draw. Henley, 147, was the aggressor, but Thompkins, 145, was at times an effective counter puncher. In the end, the scores were 59-55 for Henley and 57-57 twice.

Krzysztof Zimnoch (3-0-1, 3 KOs) of Bialystok, Podlaskie Voivodeship, Poland remained perfect with a third-round knockout of Michael Moncrief (3-7-1, 1 KO) of Cleveland, Ohio. Zimnoch, 230, landed a right uppercut that stunned Moncrief, 245, in the third. Zimnoch quickly followed up with a hellacious series of unanswered shots that prompted referee Gerald Scott to stop the contest at 2:12 of the round.

Photo by Chris Farina/Top Rank

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

Roman “Rocky” Martinez retained his WBO Super Featherweight title with an explosive fourth round stoppage over Gonzalo Mungia in an entertaining bout.

The two engaged in wild exchange in the third round with Martinez landing some hard blows. In round four, Martinez drove Mungia back with a right and sent him down for good with a crushing uppercut.

Martinez, 130 lbs of Puerto Rico is now 24-0-1 with fifteen knockouts. Mungia, 129 1/2 lbs of Leon, Nicaragua is now 17-7-3.

McWilliams Arroyo scored a second round stoppage over Samuel Gutierrez in a scheduled four round Super Flyweight bout.

Arroyo dropped Gutierrez with a hard right midway through round two and referee Ramon Pena stopped the bout at 1:36 of round two.

Arroyo of Puerto Rico is now 3-0 with three knockouts. Gutierrez, 113 1/2 lbs of Mexico is now 5-7-1.

Jose Gonzalez scored three knockdowns in the second round and scored the sroppage victory in that round over Keivy Arce in a sscheduled six round Lightweight bout.

The first two knockdowns came from big lefts and the capper was a big right and the fight was stopped at 2:26 of round two.

Gonzalez, 135 lbs of Toja Bora, PR is now 10-0 with seven knockouts. Arce, 138 lbs of Moca, PR is now 4-3-1.

Hanna Gabriel won the WBO Ladies Jr. Middleweight title with a first round stoppage over Gardy Alvarez.

Gabriel landed several power punches until she landed two hard shots to the body and the fight was stopped.

Gabriel, 152 lbs of Costa Rica is now 10-0-1 with six knockouts. Alvarez, 152 lbs of the Dominican Republic is now 9-2-2.

McJoe Arroyo scored a four round unanimous decision over Jairo Delgado in a Bantamweight bout.

Scores were 40-36 on all cards for Arroyo who is now 3-0. Delagado is now 3-7.

Vitali Klitshcko retained the WBC Heavyweight title with a tenth round stoppage over forty-plus to one underdog Albert Sosnowski before close to 60,000 fans at Veltins Arena in Gelsinkerchin, Germany

Over the first few rounds, Klitshcko kept Sosnowski at bay with little jabs and right hands. Sosnowski was at least keeping Klitshcko honest as he would occasionally land a jab and take a chance with some wild left hooks. In round five, Klitschko landed a pair of lefts that sent Sosnowski back t words the ropes. In round six, Klitshcko landed his best combination over the first half of the fight as he landed alittle combination that briefly shook the challenger. Sosnowski was that fazed by it as he continued to look for spots t get in a big and even landed a couple nice jabs in the round.

For a moment in round eight, the longshot looked like he was making a fight of it as he landed a long overhand right that got the champ’s attention. Despite taking three hard rights at different stages of round nine, Sosnowski bravely came forward. Right at the bell, Klitschko began to feel his oats and showboat a little bit before landing a hard right to culminate the round.

In round ten, Klitschko landed a hard over hand right that double over Sosnowski and drove him back to the corner. A mini flurry followed by a booming over hand right put Sosnowski down right in front of the turnbuckle and the bout was immediately waved off by referee Jay Nady.

Klitschko is now 40-2 with thirty-eight knockouts. Sosnowski is now 45-3-1.

In a twelve round Heavyweight bout, Jonathon Banks and Jason Gavern battled to an ugly draw.

Banks and Gavern were each docked a point and neither man seized control as Banks was holding for a good portion of the fight.

The bout was ruled a majority draw as Banks, 226 lbs of Detroit is now 24-1-1. Gavern is now 19-7-4

Former two-time world title challenger Sebastian Lujan scored a fifth round stoppage over Jailer Berrio in a scheduled ten round Welterweight bout at Estadio U.T.N in Santa Fe, Argentina

Lujan dropped Berrio two times in round four and the fight was stopped forty seconds into round five.

Lujan, who challenged then welterweight champion and currant Jr. Middleweight champion Sergiy Dzinzurak in losing efforts, is now 34-5-2 with twenty-one knockouts. Berrio is now 19-7.

Marcelino Lopez remained undefeated by scoring a ten round majority decision over Alberto Santillian.

Scores were 97-94, 96-94 and 95-95 for Lopez who is now 18-0. Santillian is now 16-5

Librado Andrade stopped former Super Middleweight champion Eric Lucas on cuts after round eight of a scheduled ten round Super Middleweight bout at the Pepsi Coliseum in Quebec City, Quebec.

The fight was entertaining as Andrade would come forward and Lucas countered nicely early on. Lucas was cut over the right eye as early as round three as Andrade’s shots were getting through. Andrade a little more successful as each round went on. In round five a nice right hand cut Lucas over the left eye and after that it was basically all Andrade as he began to target the eye. In round seven, the eye became a bloddy mess and even had the ringside doctor examine it in the last minute of the round after Andrade ripped it open. Another big right made the cut almost unworkable and after Lucas sat on his stool between round’s eight and nine the ringside doctor stopped the fight.

Andrade, 169 lbs of Fontana, CA is now 29-3 with twenty-two knockouts. Lucas, 169 lbs of Mogag, Quebec will celebrate his thirty-ninth birthday tomorrow was making his second start after a four year retirement. After the fight, Lucas announced his retirement for a second time and if that stands up he will finish his career with a record of 39-8-3.

Marcus Upshaw used a fourth round knockout to help catapult him to a split decision victory over Renen St. Juste in a ten round Middleweight bout.

St. Juste did well with little combinations over the first two rounds. Upshaw got into the fight with nice combos in round three. In round four, Upshaw landed a leaping left the spun St. Juste around into the ropes and the referee ruled a knockdown. In round six, Upshaw rocked St. Juste with another left hand. The two fought evenly down the stretch with neither man coming close to taking charge.

Upshaw, 159 1/2 lbs of Miami won by scores of 96-93 and 95-94 while a third judge gave St. Juste a 95-94 verdict.

Upshaw is now 13-4-1. St.Juste 159 1/2 lbs of Montreal is now 21-2-1.

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, former 140 lb world champion, Paulie Malignaggi will continue his career as he will move up in weight to welterweight and campaign in his original native country of Italy.

Malignaggi who on May 15th dropped an eleventh round knockout to Amir Khan briefly considered retirement after that bout.

“Now that I need a fight for my comeback, why not do it in Italy? I know a lot of people want to see me fight in Italy,” Malignaggi said. “This would be a chance for people there to see me live. Maybe I can get the Italian welterweight title, make it interesting.

“Financially, I don’t have to fight again. I’ve done well for myself. I don’t have to fight, but you wonder what will you do with yourself? I’m a fighter. That’s what I do. I am a fighter to the core. It’s something you miss if you stay away from it, so while I still have the option, let’s see what I can do. It might be fun to go the European route.”

“He’s not ready to hang ’em up and he’s never fought in Italy and he always wanted to fight there,” Malignaggi’s promoter Lou DiBella said. “There is interest in him fighting in his hometown, Siracusa. He said, ‘I don’t want to end on that note.’ He would like to go out better than he did in the Khan fight. Paulie wouldn’t mind spending a little bit of time fighting over in Italy, going for the Italian title, maybe the European title.”

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, former welterweight and Jr. Welterweight champion, Zab Judah has re-signed with the company that started his career in 1996, that being Main Events.

“I like to finish how I started so we teamed up with Main Events, we crossed the water to team up with Prudential Center, and I’m back,” said Judah, a Brooklyn, N.Y., native.

“We at Main Events are thrilled to welcome Zab back home,” Main Events CEO Kathy Duva said. “We were fortunate to have been involved with Zab throughout much of his early boxing career, so we know firsthand what a compelling personality and exciting fighter Zab is. Zab brings with him the kind of fan base necessary to fill a big arena and we look forward to packing Prudential Center when he makes his debut there in July.”

Say what you want about Peter Manfredo Jr., but even his staunchest detractors have to admit he makes a good fight. Manfredo Jr. comes to fight every time out and though he may never be upper echelon, he certainly will always be fun to watch. His fight tonight at the Mohegan Sun Casino with fellow middleweight Angel Hernandez was perhaps Manfredo Jr.’s best pure action performance ever. Hernandez didn’t come to lay down and the result was 10 rounds of back and forth action.

The first round of the fight did not go well for Manfredo Jr. as he was pushed into the ropes by the onrushing Hernandez and ate a number of good shots as he struggled to take the fight to the center of the ring. This would be a constant struggle for him over the course of the fight as Hernan

After going toe to toe in an eagerly awaited fight where neither guy lost anything and both guys helped there cause for future paydays. Both Perez & Mares former amateur rivals and good friends squared off for the first time as pro’s though not likely the last time. Over twelve fast paced rounds 2 of the 3 judges couldn’t separate them.

Proceedings started with Gary Shaw talking about Yonnhy Perez saying how fond he was of him “Yonnhy truly is one of the sweetest people i’ve ever met, he’s very loyal”

He continued with a story about Perez. “When Yonnhy won his last fight we (Shaw & Alex Camponovo who is Thompson’s general manager) said we’d come and visit him in Colombia. We flew over and stayed in a nice hotel and then drove to Yonnhy’s house. On the way the neighbourhoods got worse the streets weren’t paved. We arrived at Yonnhy’s house it was made from Cinderblock and there were curtains hanging in the door ways inside acting as doors there were openings for windows but no windows. I said we need to give him some money. If he wins his next fight he can move to a nicer neighbourhood”

To which Perez answered “I will never leave, this is my home, these are my people, this is where i live”

If that’s not enough to show how humble Perez is then Shaw added that Perez stays at trainer Danny Zamora’s home when he’s in America training and sends all his money home each month to his family except $400 which is what he uses for his rent and food.

“Danny is one of the best trainers around” Shaw added when talking about Perez long-time trainer.

Shaw continued saying he’d speak to Richard Schaefer about a rematch but also added he will also speak to Fernando Beltran who was on hand about a possible fight with newly minted WBC/WBO champion Fernando Montiel. It also came to light that Perez had hurt his hand in the fourth or fifth round the extent of the injury wasn’t divulged.

At this time it was Perez turn to take the podium “Thank you guys, you saw a great fight, Abner’s a great fighter and friend”

“Abner will become a world champion. He has four ways WBC, WBA & WBO but not by winning the IBF title”

“You guys are on about a rematch but where going to sit down and see. Darchinyan called me out and that’s a fight i want”

Next to the dais was Oscar De La Hoya turned the assembled pressroom’s attention to his guy “Yonnhy gave a great fight, but we witnessed a star in Abner, we feel we have a great fighter”

Mares next took his time to speak “You guys saw a great fight, i showed i’m a warrior but i won the fight”

“I fight for the people and the people saw i won the fight”

“Lets do a rematch”

“Yonny didn’t close like a champion in the twelfth i did”

Quick to speak up for his man Gary Shaw countered “Abner your good looking, you speak two languages. But Yonnhy came in with the belt and left with it. You need to remain humble”

At this point Rafeal Marquez & Israel Vazquez entered the press room.

It was announced the live gate was 9,200 generating gate receipts of 549,000.

LOS ANGELES – In the end, a fourth time meant most of the punches and all of the momentum were there for Rafael Marquez.

For Israel Vazquez, there was only blood, which flowed like tears from deep wounds near both eyes.
For their memorable series, it was the fourth and probably the final time. A fifth isn’t necessary, although both said they would agree to another chapter if the fans asked for one.

If the fans don’t demand another encore, however, the end came Saturday night at Staples Center with two victories for each. The fourth, this time at featherweight, belonged to Marquez (38-6, 35 KOs) for nearly three full rounds of one-sided violence for which Vazquez (44-5, 33 KOs) simply had no counter.

Before opening bell, the theory was that Marquez would win, outlast, Vazquez because he had endured less damage in the first three fights. Only the outlast part was wrong, horribly wrong. Long-term damage to Vazquez erupted quickly.

A sharply-thrown right, laser-like in accuracy and effect, from Marquez opened up a huge cut above Vazquez’ left eye at the end of the first. Throughout the second, Vazquez struggled to see through the flood of blood that collected like a pool in an already scarred eye that had been damaged in his prior fights with Marquez.

“That was the plan,’’ Marquez said. “Go directly to the eyes.’’

Only the sight of blood, his own, told Vazquez that he was in trouble

“He hit me with a good shot and my eye just opened,’’ said Vazquez, whose cut-man, Miguel Diaz,said the cut was so deep that he could see bone.

After the second, Marquez knew he was close to finishing the fight and probably the rivalry with his own kind punctuation. Before heading to his corner before the start of the third, he stopped along the ropes and said something to his management team, Gary Shaw and Fernando Beltran. But Shaw and Beltran didn’t have to look in Marquez’ eyes to know what was about to happen. They could see it in Vazquez’s eye.

In the third round, a clash of heads, a butt, wounded Vazquez above his right eye. More blood flowed He went down to one knee, as if to forestall the inevitable. Moments later, referee Raul Caiz, Jr. stepped in, ending it and perhaps the series with a stoppage at 1:33 of the third.

Before Marquez’ quick stoppage of his old rival, Yhonny Perez and Abner Mares put together a performance that would have been worth a rematch regardless of the scores on the judges’ cards. Their brilliance through 12 rounds screamed for an encore. So did the fans. As it turned out, a rematch was – is – in the cards. The judges virtually guaranteed with a majority draw.

Gwen Adair of Beverly Hills, Calif., and Regina Williams of Atlantic City, N.J., each scored it 114-114. Marty Denkin of of West Covina, Calif., gave it to Mares, 115-113.

“I’m really sad,’’ said Mares (20-0-1, 13 KOs), who grew up in Southern California and was the crowd favorite. “I thought I won the fight and I’m not the only who thought that.’’

In the twelfth and final round, It looked as if Mares was close to knocking out Perez (20-0-1, 14 KOs), a Colombian and the International Boxing Federation’s bantamweight champion. Mares rocked Perez with a beautifully-executed, left-right combination.

During the middle rounds, however, Mares backpedaled as though he was wary of Perez’s power, which was displayed with an uppercut that hurt Mares in the third. Mares on the run angered fans, who booed him. But he quickly won them back over in the later rounds when the two fighters switched styles. Mares moved forward and Perez began to back away.

“I won this fight,’’ said Perez, who waved a Colombian flag at the predominantly Mexican and Mexican-American crowd after the final bell. “It was not a draw. I’m willing to fight a rematch. But it’s up to my promoters.”

There’s not much to decide. Promoters do more than count. They can read too. They know what’s in the cards.

Off TV, but on the undercard:
The best came from Los Angeles junior-middleweight Rodrigo Garcia (7-0, 5 KOs), whose hands were as heavy as they were unstoppable for the second third and fourth rounds in a stubborn assault that left Taronze Washington (14-13, 7 KOS) of Dallas with a bloody nose and a loss by unanimous decision.

The rest: Unbeaten junior-lightweight Ronny Rios (11-, 5 KOs) of Santa Ana, Calif., got the show started with unanimous decision over Guadalupe De Leon (8-11, 4 KOs) of Weslaco, Tex., hours before Vazquez and Marquez turned their trilogy into a four-peat. Rios scored in the early moments with sharp combinations, then sustained his pace and advantage.

And in a junior welterweight bout, Carlos Molina (12-0, 6 KOs) of Los Angeles threw the sharper punches for a unanimous decision over Mexican Humberto Tapia (15-13-1, 8 KOs).

Sharif Bogerie dominated and stopped Ilido Julio in round five of a scheduled ten round Super Lightweight bout at Sundance Square in Fort Worth, Texas.

Bogerie was all over Julio and dropped Julio through the ropes at the end of the first round but referee Laurence Cole ruled it a slip. Bogerie was the naturally bigger man as the he used that to his advantage and this bout was never competitive. Cole stopped the bout ten seconds into the fifth round.

Bogerie, 138 1/2 lbs of Kampala, Uganda is now 16-0 with ten knockouts. Julio, 139 lbs of Carepa, Colombia is now 41-17-1.

In a terrific back and forth brawl, Eddie Ramirez scored a unanimous decision over Arthur Trevino in a four round Super Featherweight bout.

Both guys were rocked throughout the bout with Ramirez landing more consistent.

Scores were 39-37 on all cards for Ramirez, 130 lbs of Laredo, TX and is now 5-2-1. Trevino, 130 lbs of Fort Worth, TX is now 5-5-3.

In a battle of Fort Worth based Featherweights, Steve Gutierrez scored a four round unanimous decision over Jose Ortiz.

Scores were 40-36, 40-36 and 39-37 for Gutierrez, 126 lbs and he is now 3-1-1. Ortiz, 126 lbs is now 0-2.

At the Capitale New York ballroom in the SoHo district of Manhattan a night of rugged boxing was expected in a luxurious venue. Shannon Briggs (49-5-1, 29 KO’s; 268lbs) headlined the event as he expected to take another step towards regaining the heavyweight crown he once held.

His opponent, Dominique Alexander (19-8-1, 9 KO’s; 228), was terribly outweighed and totally outclassed. The opening bell rang and Briggs came out and immediatly tested his opponents will…with a very light flurry that hit nothing but arms. Alexander responded by hitting the deck and refused to get up. It was an absolutely pathetic showing that will likely bring about an investigation. Briggs scored a first round TKO in one of the most uneventful fights ever.

The co-feature of the evening featured prospect Mike Faragon (10-0, 4 KO’s; 136 1/4lbs against Francisco Palacios (4-10-5, 1 KO; 137lbs). Faragon controlled the bout from the onset. His nickname is “Baby Face” and he really does have the face of a child, but his ring smarts coupled with a variety of offensive weapons shows why he is a man amongst men in the early goings of his career.

Faragon was able to land hooks to the body and upstairs around Palacios’ weak guard all night. Despite and occasional flurry, Palacios did not have much to offer in response. After the third round, Palacios voiced to his corner that he felt discomfort in his right arm. The ringside physicians took their time in assessing the matter and eventually allowed him one more round to see if the discomfort would subside.

In the fourth round, Faragon pounced on his hurt opponent and tried to take advantage. Despite the beating, Palacios made it out of the round only to see the fight waved off as his discomfort continued. Faragon was credited with a TKO victory at 3:00 of the fourth round.

Hot prospect and former Olympian, Saddam Ali (6-0, 3 KO’s; 151lbs) was set to face the very experienced, Martinus Clay (13-25-4, 5 KO’s; 154lbs) over a scheduled four round bout. You read it right… This is Ali vs. Clay. The bout started out with both fighters establishing their rhythm. Ali worked a strong jab to the body, while Clay utilized the journeyman technique of ducking low, rolling his shoulder, and exposing his back so as to take punches easily and hopefully surprise his opponent when he tires. Ali has fought many styles as an amateur and during sparring sessions with world champions.

Midway through the round, Ali was able to land a right uppercut that put Clay on the defensive. The second and third rounds were all about Ali’s right hand, as he was landing them at will. Clay had nothing in response.

In the fourth round, Ali worked his left hook; hurting Clay and putting him in an even more defensive posture than before. He survived the round but lost it, and every other round. All three judges ruled it 40-36 in favor of Ali.

As if a professional debut is not pressure enough, Sean Monaghan (173 1/2lbs) made his professional debut in front of hundreds of his loud hometown. He was set to face Simeon Trigueno (0-3; 167lbs). Both fighters started the fight hoping to lure the other into making a mistake by feinting often. It did not take long before what appeared to be a body shot sent Trigueno down to a knee for an eight count. He was back up and seemed fine as the round continued. As the round neared to an end, a crushing right hand from Monaghan sent Trigueno down and flat on his back.

He beat the count, and the bell to end the round, but the ringside doctor put an end to the bout citing an injury. Monaghan was credited with a first round TKO.

An exciting back and forth brawl took place between Hastings Bwalya(2-0, 2KO’s; 149 1/4lbs) and Ashante Hendrickson (2-6; 148lbs). The fight started out as a very physical one. Both fighters wrestled often and butted heads often. Bwalya took the early lead, as he was able to land his right hand more frequently than Hendrickson. It was a scrappy affair throughout the six rounds. Bwalya maintained control with his more precise shots and better defense, but be had some tough moments in the third and fifth rounds. After the bout ended, the judges ruled it 59-55, 58-56, and 58-56 for Hastings Bwalya.

In a heavyweight bout, Alexis Mejias (10-4, 4 KO’s; 238lbs) took on Bowie Tupou (18-1, 4 KO’s; 254lbs). The fight started out in thrilling fashion. Both fighters took turns landing hard hooks in combination. Out of nowhere, Mejias was able to land a right hook that was near the back of Tupou’s head, and score a flash knockdown. Tupou was no phased, but it was quite a surprise. In the second round, both fighters continued their fast paced fight, and Tupou was landing hard hooks to the side of Mejias’ head. Late in the round, Meijas landed a flurry that hit nothing but Tupou’s arms. As the round ended, Meijas was showing discomfort.

As it turns out, he was injured and a discussion took place as to how to rule the bout. Eventually, Tupou was credited with a second round TKO due to a stoppage by the ringside physician.

In the first bout if the evening, cruiserweights, Angel Concepcion (179lbs) made his professional debut against Charles Wade (1-5, 1KO). Wade began the fight looking confident. His physique was especially good for a fighter with such a dismal record. Not long into the first did we find out why Wade holds the record that he does. His defense is non-existant. Over the course of four rounds, Concepcion was able to land right hand after right hand. His connect rate was amazing. The action remained one sided over the course of four rounds and all three judges 40-35 for Concepcion.

PHOTOS BY CLAUDIA BOCANEGRA