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

Ji-Hoon Kim scored an explosive one punch knockout over Ameth Diaz in a scheduled twelve round Lightweight bout at The Laredo Energy Center in laredo, Texas.

It was actually Diaz who was winning the first frame as he landed a couple of nice rights and booming uppercut that got Kim’s attention early in the round. With just seconds remaining in the round, Kim landed a crunching right to the top of the head and Diaz went down on his stomach. Diaz got to his feet but referee Robert Gonzalez ended the fight with just one second remaining in the round.

Kim, 132 1/4 lbs of Goyang City, Korea has now won thirteen in a row with twelve by knockout and his record is now 21-5 with eighteen knockouts. Diaz, 135 lbs of Panama City, Panama is now 27-10.

Ruslan Provodnikov scored an impressive ninth round stoppage over late-sub Emanuel Augustus in a scheduled ten round Jr. Welterweight bout.

For the first four-plus rounds the fight was competitive as Provodnikov landing a series of rights while Augustus jabbed and moved well in spots. In the middle of round five, Provodnikov landed a booming right hand that sent Augustus to the seat of his pants. Provodnikov landed some vicious shots in an effort to end the fight but the grizzled vet Augustsus got in a right of his own that briefly sent Provodnikov back. Augustus was able to survive the round but things did not get any better.

Provodnikov won the subsequent rounds as he was effective with hard right hands and Augustus began to leak blood from his nose starting in the sixth round. In the ninth frame, Provodnikov landed two huge shots to the head and Augustus slumped in the corner. Augustus showed guts be getting to his feet but he would only endure a vicious assault that included a flush right-left-right combination that put Augustus down for a third and final time as the referee stopped the bout at 1:50 of the ninth frame.

Provodnikov, 141 1/2 lbs of Berzova, Russia is now 15-0 with ten knockouts. Augustus, who took the bout on four days notice after original opponent Francisco Figueroa dropped out is now 38-32-6.

Orlando Gomez scored a four round majority decision over Jose Martinez in a four round Jr. Middleweight bout.

Scores were 40-36, 39-37 and 38-38 for Gomez, 136 lbs of Houston, TX and is now 2-1. Martinez, 140 lbs of San Antonio, TX is now 5-1.

In a battle of Luna’s, Rafael Luna, 129 lbs of Corpus Christie, TX scored a four round unanimous decision over Rene Luna, 129 lbs of Laredo, Texas.

Rafael Luna scored a knockdown in the first round in the battle of pro debuter’s.

Vazquez – V- Marquez
Hometown Huntington Park, Ca Mexico City, Mexico
Record 44-4(32) 38-5(34)
Rounds Boxed 278 192
KO% 66.67 % 79.07%
Age 32 35
Height 5?4 5’5
Reach 66 68
Nickname Magnifico
Titles IBF Super Bantamweight IBF Bantamweight
WBC Super Bantamweight x2 WBC Super Bantamweight

World title Record 8-2(6) 9-2(7)

The odds with the Bookies have Marquez a slight favourite at -162 Vazquez while is +125.
Tickets are still available ranging from $250 down to $25.
Doors open at 3PM with Perez-V-Mares scheduled for 6PM

In the main event of the evening living legend Hector Macho Camacho 79-6 from Puerto Rico and NY came out to face Mexican Saul Duran 37-16-2 (30KO) in style setting the stage for a nostalgic war of Puerto Rico versus Mexico. In the first round Camacho came out jabbing but caught with a straight right hand flash knocking down Camacho who recovered to win the rest of the round with straight left hands. The second round was nothing of significance with both fighters not connecting with much more then jabs. The third round had no one fighter getting the better of the scrum with both fighters effectively working off the jab and not getting caught with anything much of substance. The 4th and 5th rounds showed the age of both the fighters some with Camacho getting a point deducted in the 5th for holding. The sixth round had Camacho coming out with more energy and landing some shots. The 7th round was a fairly even round with Camacho using the ring wisely and getting his jab off. The ninth round was a spirited round for Macho who made Duran spit his mouth piece. The 8th round was a seemingly even round as both fighters were able to land some jabs. The 9th round had Duran coming out the aggressor and he stayed the aggressor throughout the round hitting Macho man with body shots all throughout the round. Every round in the fight was marred with lots of holding often instigated on the part of Camacho to conserve energy. The final bell was met with chants of MACHO MACHO MACHO giving Hector a burst of energy in the first few seconds. The round was status quo with a lot of jabbing and hugging. In the end the judges had it 97-91, 97-91, 96-91 all for the winner Saul Duran. In the end there was only thing that could put an end to Camacho’s illustrious career and he goes by the name of Father Time….

In a Co-Main Event, former National amateur champion Patty “Boom Boom” Alcivar 2-0(2KO) and Laura Gomez 3-2 from Mexico stepped into the ring to battle and indeed they did just that. Alcivar hails from New York City’s Trinity gym and is trained by Martin Snow, also in her corner was Pete Kid Chocolate Quillin and Billy Padden. In the first round Patti Boom Boom came out with a tenacity not often seen in a fighter in only her second professional fight. Gomez the southpaw was befuddled by Alcivar‘s well executed game plan of moving left off the jab and setting up left hook to the body and head and occasionally throwing her big right hand. Round one was won by Alcivar but the game Gomez was a worthy opponent and she came to fight as well. The second round was more non-stop aggression on the part of Alcivar who started to work the right hand in the mix more and connect with it as well. She moved with the skill of much more seasoned fighter and slipped many of Gomez’s right hands and followed with a double left to the body and then the head and started connecting more and more as the round wore on. The third round we saw Alcivar’s overall talent level start to supersede Gomez’s and Boom Boom starting landing at will mixing in 4 and 5 punch combinations and taking the sap out of Gomez’s tree. The fight was stopped at -___ of the third round as Gomez’s corner had seen enough and threw in the towel. Alcivar moves to 2-0 and Gomez to 3-2. Alcivar credits her faith in god, great corner and hard work in her victorious effort.

In another Co-Main event Liliana Martinez 8-10(4KO) hailing from Dominican Republic got in with Jena “Cowboy” Shiver 11-4-1(2KO) hailing from St. Petersburg Florida for a 6 round bout. In the first round the “Cowgirl as Shiver is called got the best of Martinez using hard lead left hooks to set the pace. A minute in the second round the Cowgirl launched a solid right hand that momentarily staggered Martinez who recovered but that right followed by a couple more intermittently through the round. In the third round Martinez came out with a little more starch in her trunks and caught the Cowgirl with a few good punches probably winning her the round. It was another good busy round for both fighters as well. In the fourth and final round Shiver caught Martinez with a straight right hand putting Martinez on previously starched shorts from the last round. The fifth round started with both girls trying to set up a right hand but neither connected with anything of real substance and the Cowgirl got the better of the round landing more solid jabs and lead left hooks. The 6th was more of the same with the Cowgirl winning a unanimous decision over the very tough Martinez in a very entertaining match up.

For the undercard…..

In a very entertaining opening bout of the night lightweights Cesar Cisneros from Bradenton Florida and Jesus Lule from Ft Myers Florida brawled while they both made their professional debuts. Cisneros showed more technical skill while Lule showed an iron chin and huge heart. Cisneros won a very close majority decision with the cards reading 38-38 and 39-37 twice. The winner here.. the fans.

Paul Marfort made a successful debut with a dominating TKO1 over Nathon Oritz fighting out of Lakeland Florida. Marfort fighting out of Winter Haven FL had Cruiserweight contender Francisco Palacios took the first round over with a big right hand that put Ortiz into a shell and took many shots until downed at 1:47 of there first.

Former Cuban amateur standout Rances Barthelemy 5-0(3KO) won spirited unanimous decision over Milwaukee’s “Superstar” James Owens 4-1 (2KO). Barthelemy overwhelmed previously undefeated Owens early in the first. Owens survived the first and made the second round a bit more competitive but was clearly the less skilled fighter. The cards read all the cards read 40-35.

Danny Pastrana 2-1 fought hard with a unanimous decision win over Carmelo Almodovar 0-1. A bloodied Almodovar was knocked down in the second round and seemed to never regain his legs however showed amazing heart to finish the fight and fought hard to the final bell. The cards read 40-35.

Adrian Perez 5-2-1(1KO) hailing from Brazil went to work on Roger Rosa 1-2 hailing from Brazil. In a very competitive fight both fighters showed flashes of brilliance mixed with inexperience. Perez should the typical heart and valor of his Mexican brethren but ran into an equally tough Brazilian in Rosa. Rosa used straight left hand hands from his southpaw style to catch Perez and Perez was pretty effective with the lead right hand against the lefty. Both fighters put forth a very spirited effort with a very close decision going to the score cards. In the end the cards read 38-38, 38-36, and 39-37 for the winner by majority decision Adrian Perez. The crowd was both excited and equally upset with the outcome.

At the WaMu Theater in Madison Square Garden, the hotly contested war of words between Amir Khan (22-1, 16 KO’s) and Paulie Malignaggi (27-3, 5 KO’s) finally reached it’s pinnacle in this match-up for Khan’s WBA Super-Lightweight title. After weeks of verbal attacks from both camps and a full scale brawl that broke out at the weigh in, the atmosphere in the arena was nothing short of electric. Flags of England and Pakistan were seen in the crowd showing support for Khan, while American and Italian flags were being waved for Malignaggi. The world’s melting pot of New York City was the perfect setting for the fight.

The first round was a scrappy affair as each fighter was eager to show off their lightning-quick hand speed. The boisterous crowd was on their feet for every glancing blow. It was clear from the outset that Malignaggi hoped to disturb his opponent by getting low and clinching on the inside while landing short punches to Khan’s belt line, while the bigger Khan was keen on keeping the fight at a safe distance for his hard punches.

Throughout the first three rounds, neither fighter was able to land any hard punches, but each made their mark with crisp punches from a distance. The action picked up as the fight progressed, with Paulie throwing more combinations, while Khan threw the harder punches.

Midway through the fourth, Khan was able to land a left-right-left combination that seemed to annoy Malignaggi more than hurt him. Still, it showed the course that the fight could take. Thirty seconds later, a hard uppercut snapped Malignaggi’s head back and brought the crowd back to their feet. Ten seconds later, a hard left had Malignaggi against the ropes. He was not visibly shaken, but Malignaggi was getting a serious taste of Khan’s power, and Khan’s control of the fight was clear.

An abrasion over Malignaggi’s left eye that would eventually turn into a bad cut was visible to those at ringside.

Early into the fifth round, we saw Malignaggi on the canvas after a tangle on the inside. It was not a knockdown, but the crowd certainly showed that they were hungry for blood. Khan’s lead right hand output slowed, as Malignaggi was able to counter it with a short left hook. That led to Khan using a more proper right hand that followed a jab. The sixth round was a jab-fest with both fighters once again showcasing their amazing hand speed. Khan continued to follow his jabs with right hands with success and was maintaining control of the fight.

Entering the seventh round, it was Khan’s power advantage that was the deciding factor throughout. His output grew as the fight progressed, and Malignaggi had no answer. Two minutes into the eighth, Khan was able to snap Malignaggi’s head back with two very stiff jabs. Thirty seconds later, he landed a right hand followed by a left while Malignaggi was up against the ropes. The difficulty with the cut over Malignaggi’s left eye was beginning to show in his performance, as he was falling hopelessly behind.

Entering the ninth, a more confident Khan was in the ring against an opponent who was keen on re-establishing his jab in the hopes of putting together a more potent offense. The problem with Malignaggi is that he has never been a very feared fighter offensively. Khan walked through Malignaggi’s hard jabs and was able to land a right hand the knocked Malignaggi into the ropes.

While the action was not constant, Khan was consistantly landing hard shots throughout the fight. It was at this time that the damage became very visible as the cut grew to a dangerous level.

Most experts believed that this fight would go the distance, so as both fighters entered the championship rounds, the expectations in the crowd grew even more. Those expectations were delayed for a moment as the ringside physician took some extra time to examine a cut and some serious swelling that had been developing on Malignaggi. He seemed disappointed in himself, and while not having an ounce of quit in him, he was emotionally not in the fight at this point.

Khan saw this and decided to pounce. Malignaggi had no response. He was not hurt, but esteemed referee, Steve Smoger, immediatly jumped in and stopped the action at the 1:25 mark of the eleventh round giving Khan a TKO victory.

The co-feature of the evening featured a very interesting crossroads matchup between junior welterwights, Victor Ortiz (26-2-1, 21 KO’s) and Nate Campbell (33-5-1, 25 KO’s), scheduled for ten rounds. Ortiz, at 140lbs, plays the role of the emerging up and comer looking to prove himself against a savvy veteran in Campbell, at 139lbs. The first round opened up at a decent pace. Ortiz took no time in showing off his power, as he was able to land a right hook around Campbell’s high guard. In the final thirty seconds of the round, Campbell got into his groove and was able to get inside where he works best. That plan backfired, as Ortiz was able to land two uppercuts followed by a right hook that acted more like a push than a punch. Campbell’s gloves touched the canvas, and the referee ruled it a knockdown despite Campbell’s valid argument.

The second round opened up at a brisk pace, as Campbell was out to prove that he wasn’t hurt. He got right inside and was able to land some strong uppercuts. Ortiz, feeling better suited working from the outside, stepped back and brought the fight to the center of the ring, where he was able to land. A strong southpaw lead.

The battle of ring generalship continued into the third round, but for the moment, Ortiz seemed in control. When Campbell used his patented technique of using savvy smarts and footwork to force his opponent into the ropes, Ortiz would showcase his southpaw right hook to take advantage. When the fight went into the center of the ring, Ortiz would utilize his lead southpaw straight left. Early in the fight, Ortiz was showing the New York City fans that he was just as crafty as his veteran counterpart.

But would it last against a fighter that has no problem maintaining a grueling pace for twelve rounds?

By the fourth round, Ortiz was moving more than usual, but was able to prevent Campbell from planting his feet and throwing punches. Campbell did not seem concerned with this tactic, as he was able to land long straight right hands. Ortiz maintained control, but Campbell was slowly bringing the action to a pace he is more accustomed to.

In the sixth, Ortiz managed to work Campbell into the ropes and unleash a barrage of punches to the body and head. None of the punches did any serious physical damage to Campbell, but it definitely did some damage to his scorecard. Campbell managed to retaliate by landing a long right hand flush on Ortiz’ chin, but that might have proved that Campbell does not carry much power at the higher weight.

By the eighth round, Ortiz was very much in control of the pace of the fight, as Campbell was unable to pin him onto the ropes and get into a grueling type of affair that he normally excels in. The ninth stanza saw some exciting back and fourth anction. Ortiz unleasged multiple punch combinations on an opponent that could do nothing but cover up and weather the storm. Campbell was able to get in closer and land long hooks that sent Ortiz’ perspiration flying into the paying customers at ringside. Still, Campbell’s offensives were few and far between.

The last round of the fight saw Campbell chasing down the very mobile Ortiz to no avail. Ortiz decided to play it safe in a fight that he was comfortably leading in. As the final bell rang, the crowd gave both fighters a very appreciative applause for the style match-up that they displayed over ten rounds. The final scores read 100-89, 100-89, and 99-90 all in favor of Victor Ortiz.—Arben Paloka

Good looking Middleweight prospect Daniel Jacobs annihilated an over matched Juan Astorga in under two rounds in a scheduled ten round bout.

Jacobs scored two knockdowns in round one, first from a body shot than a right hand. It was only time before a vicious body shot sent Astorga down in round two. Jacobs closed the show with two hard shots that sent Astorga to his knees and the fight was waved off at fifty-one seconds of round two.

Jacobs, 160 lbs of Brooklyn is now 20-0 with seventten knockouts. Astorga, 164 1/2 lbs of Brownfield, TX is now 14-5-1.

In a six round battle of undefeated Heavyweights, Kelvin Price scored a split decision over Tor Hamer

Price landed a grazing left hook that sent Hamer into the ropes in round two for which referee Benji Esteves ruled a knockdown. After that it was mostly Hamer landing some solid over hand right and body punches. Price was mildly effective was jabs but the judges saw it in his favor

Price 243 lbs of Pensacola, FL won by scores of 58-55 on two cards while Hamer won a card 57-56.

Price is now 7-0. Hamer is 11-1.

Former Amir Khan conqueror Bredis Prescott stopped Jason Davis at 1:11 of round three of a scheduled eight round Welterweight bout.

Prescott dropped Davis twice in the third round with the second knockdown being a hard body shot that forced Davis to retire at the 1:11 mark.

Prescott, 140 1/2 lbs of Miami is now 22-2 with nineteen knockouts. Davis, 144 1/2 lbs of Vancouver, WA is now 11-7-1.

Jamie Kavanaugh made a successful pro debut as he stopped William Wade in round two of a scheduled four round Jr. Welterweight bout.

Kavanaugh dropped Wade with a right to the body and again with a left to the body in round two. Moments after that, Kavanaugh scored a third and final knockdown with a winging left to the head and referee Sparkle Lee stopped the contest at 1:39.

Kavanaugh, 139 1/2 lbs of Dublin, Ireland is now 1-0 with one knockout. Wade, 141 lbs of Augusta, GA is now 1-3.

In the opening bout Dennis Douglin took apart veteran Joshua Onyango at 1:10 of round two of a scheduled six round Middleweight bout.

Douglin dropped Onyango twice in round two from hard straight left hands and referee Sparkle Lee waved the contest off immediately after the second knockdown.

Douglan, 156 lbs of Morganville, NI is now 9-0 with five knockouts. Onyango, 157 lbs of Trenton, NJ is now 13-19-1.

It’s been a month since Sergio “Maravilla” Martinez won the WBC & WBO Middleweight titles to add to his WBC Light Middleweight crown. Since then Martinez has enjoyed the fruits of his labour. He has attended ceremonies in Puerto Rico when he was officially awarded the WBO crown and then in Mexico where he was also belted by the WBC. He also fitted in visit’s to Ontario, Ca where he attended the Arreola-Adamek fight. He was mobbed by fans and seemed to enjoy his new found fame. He followed that with a trip to Las Vegas with his advisor Sampson Lewkowicz to watch the much anticipated Mayweather-Mosley fight, which could ironically end up being a spying mission as he has been linked with fighting both since.

Tomorrow in Madrid he has another engagement this time it’s not for him it’s for former stablemate and friend Javier Castillejo the former WBC Light Middleweight champion, a title now held by Martinez. The award for Castillejo who retired last year is recognising him and his achievements as a great champion.

It was also revealed exclusively that Martinez has been invited and prompted accepted a trip to Canastota to attend the Boxing Hall of fame from the 10-13 June.

Boxing returned to The Paradise Theater in the Bronx, New York with a co-promotion between Golden Boy Promotions and Joe DeGuardia’s Star Boxing that was televised on Telefuture

The main event of the evening was a Lightweight bout scheduled for ten rounds that saw up and coming prospect, Adrien Broner, take on Rafael Lora in a lightweight bout. The fight initially began as a slow one, but it was immediately clear that Broner’s hand speed would make a huge difference. Halfway through the round, a strong and crisp left hook rattled Lora’s knees. He wasn’t badly hurt, but it showed how outmatched Lora was.

As soon as Lora refrained his bearings, Broner landed another left hook that had his opponent reeling into the ropes. Broner took his time and refused to get into a wild firefight. Eventually, another left hook had Lora hurt and backed into the corner, and Broner followed it up with a right hand that sent Lora down. The bell to end the round had rung, and Lora waited to the count of nine to clear the effects of getting his bell rung. Lora (11-3) stood up, but was not all there, and the referee called the bout, giving Broner (15-0, 10 KO’s) a TKO at three minutes into the first round.

The co-feature of the evening was a Lightweight bout scheduled for six rounds that saw Mike Perez, backed by about one hundred of his loyal fans, take on Francisco Reyes. Perez quickly took control behind a quick jab and strong right. Reyes did not seem fazed, but Perez was landing his punches first, and they were much harder. In the second, Perez picked up right where he left off; peppering Reyes with crisp punches, and now using a left hook to seal the deal. It wasn’t long before Reyes found himself on the canvas after a strong punch landed flush. He quickly beat the count and did not seem too shaken, but with blood streaming out of his nose and mouth, he was looking like a beaten fighter. He managed to finish the round on his feet, but took many hard punches in the process.

The third saw more of the same, but a hard right opened up a bad gash over the left eye of Reyes, forcing the doctor to take a look. Behind on the cards and on talent, Reyes began throwing desperate punches in the hopes of landing something big, and he surprisingly began to land; even staggering Perez briefly. The forth saw both fighters in an even back and forth brawl, as Perez began to show fatigue. The action remained that way into the sixth round, as both fighters began swinging for the fences. A short right hook on the inside from Perez sent Reyes (5-1) down. He was able to beat the count, but Perez laid on the pressure throughout. The final scores read 60-52, 59-53, and 59-53 giving Perez (8-0-1) a unanimous decision victory.

Popular female fighter, Maureen Shea, outclassed the game Norma Faris over three rounds in a scheduled six round Super Featherweight bout. Immediately, Shea came out and went blazing for Faris’ body. Faris had no response, and was effectively a heavybag for three rounds. Shea would occasionally shoot her punches upstairs, catching Faris off guard, as the referee closely watched. Occasionally, Faris (3-3) would land a blow, but they had no effect and they were few and far between. Shea continued to tear through her opponent, and the body blows were really beginning to take their toll. Finally, just as the bell to end the third round rang, the referee stepped in and stopped the fight. Shea (14-2, 8 KO’s) was credited with a third round TKO.

Ahmed Samir stepped into the ring against the very awkward John Douglas in a scheduled six round Cruiserweight bout.. How does someone look good against an opponent who wings his punches and flies wildly off balance each time? Ahmed certainly tried, but it was a very sloppy affair. Douglas flew off balance with every punch he threw, and they were so wild that when they landed, they were often borderline behind the head. One punch that wasn’t borderline landed square on the back of Samir’s head that sent him reeling towards the ropes. No warning from the ref. The disgusting display continued. A headbutt opened up a gash on Samir’s hairline. At the end of the round, in a frustrated manor, Samir shoved Douglas onto the canvas. A small cut opened up over the left eye of Samir (9-0) in the opening of the sixth round. This was mostly due to Douglas occasionally being able to land a looping left hook. The slop-fest continued until the fight finally ended. The scores read 59-55 on all the judges’ scorecards. This writer hopes he will never see Douglas (7-14-3) and his terrible style in the ring again.

The emerging super middleweight, Shqiprim Muriqi, took on Rondu Campbell. At two wins with four losses, Campbell’s record does not look like much, but he brings with him a reputation of being a tough gym fighter and highly touted by successful professionals.

The first round saw lots of action as Muriqi refused to stick his jab and worked behind a strong straight right hand. Campbell was able to respond with some strong right hands of his own, and by the end of the round, the crowd cheered the action. It wasn’t until the second that Muriqi began to throw his left hook, winning him the round. Campbell’s response was to clinch, which made Muriqi uncomfortable. The third continued the action, and Muriqi began landing combinations. The forth saw Campbell (2-5-1) being very aggressive, but that seemed to work in Muriqi’s favor as he was able to land powerful left and right hand counters. The ring announcer read the scores, and they all read 40-35 in favor of Muriqi (4-0).

The first fight of the evening saw two undefeated prospects against each other. Hometown hero, Raul Lopez took on Daniel Aquino in a Super Bantamweight scheduled for four rounds. The fight showcased some thrilling back and forth action with Lopez (3-1-1)winging hard punches, and Aquino utilizing technique to throw shorter and more precise punches. In the end, the scores of 38-38, 39-37, and 39-37 read in favor of Aquino (4-0), much to the dismay of Lopez and his fans.

Former two-time Lightweight champion, Julio “Kidd” Diaz scored a unanimous decision over former world title challenger Herman Ngoudjo in a ten round Jr. Welterweight bout at Buffalo Bill’s Star Arena in Primm, Nevada.

Diaz landed quick combinations throughout the fight. Despite swelling under his left eye, Diaz was very effective and had the quicker hands.

Diaz seemed to get stronger as the fight went on as in round six he took a couple of short shots to start the round but came back to land a nice four punch combination that was followed by a couple of hooks. Round nine saw a good exchange that was followed up by a good right hand from Diaz. The two fought hard down the stretch as they duked it out in the final moments with Diaz getting the better of the action.

Diaz, 140 lbs of Cochella, CA won by scores of 99-91, 97-93 and 97-93 to raise his record to 37-6. Ngoudo, 140 lbs of Montreal is now 18-4.

“Ngoudio could take a punch, his style was very difficult for me to adjust to because of his elbows, he comes forward with his head. But I was able to change things up and fight on the inside, it’s what my corner knew would work and we did just that.”

Dominic Salcido scored an eight round unanimous decision over previously undefeated Guillermo Sanchez in a Jr. Lightweight bout.

Salcido was the more steady fight as he was consistent with little combination’s and where Sanchez seemed to be more concerned with showboating rather than throw punches. That was ironic because it was Salcido who was known throughout his career as being a flashy fighter. The only sort of offense that Sanchez could muster was landing a hard left hand that briefly shook Salcido in round four.

Besides that, it was all Salcido as he pressed the action and won by scores of of 78-74, 77-75 and 77-75. Salcido, 129 lbs of Ralito, CA is now 18-2. Sanchez, 128 lbs of Buffalo, NY is now 11-1-1.

“I came and proved what I need to, I am back in the game and back to business” said Salcido.

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, world Middleweight champion Sergio Martinez is plotting his next move and two names have come to the forefront in Winky Wright and Shane Mosley.

“I have to pursue all possibilities for Sergio, and Richard and I have discussed both Winky Wright and Shane Mosley,” said Lou DiBella, Martinez Promoter, adding that Wright was the one they discussed more seriously.

“I like Martinez. He has very good skills, a very smart fighter. That’s the kind of fight I am looking forward to and to show why I was the undisputed junior middleweight champion,” Wright told ESPN.com on Thursday.

“It all depends on my management and promoter and what they can bring to the table,” Martinez said. “Whoever they bring, I will fight them. Either division would be OK.”

“Martinez is a guy I would get up for, a guy I would be motivated to train hard for,” Wright said. “I know I haven’t fought for a while, but every time I go to the fights people ask me, ‘When are you getting back into the ring?’ I tell them there really hasn’t been anyone to fight. I couldn’t get a fight with Pavlik. Who else was there to fight? Martinez is the fight we’re looking for. He really beat Paul and then he beat Pavlik.

“When I fought Paul Williams I was coming off an even longer layoff, more than two years. People gotta realize the position I was in. I didn’t come back and pick and choose an easy opponent. Of course, I could fight and get three or four easy wins, but I want to fight the people that people think I will lose to. Williams was so tall and awkward. He was hard to fight, especially coming off a two-year layoff.”

“I’ve been fighting almost 20 years and for me to really get up and fight on an undercard it ain’t no challenge,” Wright said. “The money is low and the stakes aren’t high, so I am not driven to do it. In boxing you have to feel it. If I can’t get a challenge there is no need to be in the sport. I need a good, tough opponent. Fighting just anyone ain’t me.

“I talked to Richard and we’re definitely going to do what we can do to get the Martinez fight. I don’t see myself fighting too much longer unless we can come up with a good opponent. If I can’t get a big fight, I will leave the game. I love boxing, but boxing is not all I want to do. I had a great career. I can say I ran from no one. There are not too many who can say that. I fought everyone. I hope I can get another good fight before I leave the game.”

Sources from South Africa indicate that Simphiwe Nongqayi 16-0-1(6) will look to make his second defence of his IBF Super Flyweight title against mandatory challenger Juan Alberto Rosas 31-5(25) in Rosas homeland of Mexico in late July on a date to be announced at a soon.

Though in his mid thirty’s Nongqayi didn’t turn pro till 2002 after a solid amateur career. “The Golden Master” won the first 10 fight before stopping Khulile
Makeba in eight to claim the WBF 115 crown. After three successful defence’s he stepped up in class to win an IBF eliminator against Francisco Arce in February 2009 before being matched with Francisco’s elder brother Jorge for the vacant title in September of the same year. Though a heavy underdog Nongqayi surprised Arce in Mexico winning a comfortable decision. Last time out on 9 April Nongqayi travelled to France where he drew with Malik Bouziane.

It will be Rosas 25 of Navojoa, Sonora, first World title fight having debuted back in 2001 winning the first 25 fights all in Mexico winning the Mexican & NABF Flyweight title’s along the way. Things tailspan from their for Rosas as he lost three on the bounce over a five month span to future World champion Jose Lopez, journeyman Sergio Espinoza and contender AJ Banal. He took time off and then regrouped winning three consecutive fights collecting the Mexican Super Flyweight title along the way. Rosas was then offered the chance to move up to Bantamweight division where he lost to teak tough Rodrigo Guerrero who later went on to go twelve with Vic Darchinyan. Then it he lost a non title fight to WBO Bantamweight holder Fernando Montiel. Since then he’s again regrouped and picked up three more wins including last time out when he won an IBF title eliminator leading to this challenge.

The first seeds were planted for a potential mega showdown between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather as Dan Rafael of espn.com reported that Pacquiao’s promoter Bob Arum is looking at a November 13th date for the newly elected congressman from the Philippines.

“Manny is definitely going to fight in November,” Arum said during a teleconference in which he addressed a handful of media members upon his return from the Philippines, where he had spent the past week supporting Pacquiao in the final days on the campaign trail and also talking a little business.

“The fight we want to do is the Mayweather fight,” Arum said. “There is no question that is the fight the public wants. I’m very optimistic once we start we will conclude this time [but] you never know.”

“My belief, based on my conversations with him, is that he will engage in probably three more fights,” said Arum, noting that if the Mayweather fight can’t be made Plan B is to match Pacquiao with former welterweight titlist Antonio Margarito.

“It’s amazing how many people came up to me as I was leaving the Philippines and asked me when is the Mayweather fight going to happen,” Arum said. “That’s the fight people want to see. That’s the fight and I will do my darnedest to make it happen.”

“The people are requesting that I fight Mayweather before I retire,” Pacquiao told The Associated Press. “If I ever fight again, I think I will give in to the request of the people.”

“People don’t realize that this victory over the candidate that he beat was a tremendous upset that nobody expected him to pull off,” Arum said. “The Chiongbian family holds all of the major businesses in his province. Every major elected official in the province, congressman, mayor, are related to the family or are associates of the family. Manny was running against the elder son in the family and they hadn’t been defeated. Manny Pacquiao is a fighter and with his grit and determination was not only able to win, but win by a landslide. … To me it is incredible.”

“I don’t want to discuss the issues involved in making the fight because we will be involved in negotiations. Our goal is to make that fight happen,” said Arum, who would not discuss Pacquiao’s stance on the drug testing. “We’re not going to negotiate in the press. If we do, given the egos of both camps, it will never happen.”

“Right now the lawsuit is still in play. The lawsuit is still being actively pursued,” Arum said. “All these issues are on the table and they’ll be negotiated. I assume in the negotiation the issue of the pending lawsuit will be discussed.

“Once you start negotiating through the media it becomes an ego contest. Then each side can’t wait to give its statement to the press and the flames just shoot up and there is no real opportunity for rational behavior to take over. Everybody is so interested in setting forth his position to the media that that becomes the contest, and that involved me as well as everybody else [last time].”

“Negotiations are negotiations and a lot of nice things happen if people negotiate in good faith and people want something to happen and negotiate without going through the media,” he said. “Let’s see what happens.”

“Is it the fight everyone would like to see? Yeah, it is,” Schaefer said. “But everyone would like to see as well LeBron James against Kobe Bryant in the NBA Finals, or [Roger] Federer against [Rafael] Nadal in the Wimbledon final, or now that World Cup soccer is coming up, the Brazilians against the Italians in the World Cup soccer final.

“Does it always happen? No, it doesn’t. But I don’t think the success of one event is really the beginning or the end of a sport.”

“Jerry [Jones] is certainly interested and so is the MGM,” Arum said. “It will be, if the fight happens, and I hope it will, in mid-November. It would be in one of those two places.”

“I’m not married to Dallas,” he said. “I love Jerry Jones. He’s a terrific guy but I am going to advocate putting any fight of Manny’s where it will do the best and make the most sense and that is not necessarily Dallas.”

“Obviously, there is a plan and we haven’t started negotiations yet,” Arum said. “There is a plan. I don’t want to go into what’s happening but there are things happening on the ground.”

“I have my marching orders and it will be sooner rather than later,” Arum said.

“There will be a [congressional] session during the month of July and then they are off for a few months,” Arum said. “When he is training he runs in the morning, then sleeps, then trains in the gym and then eats dinner and then he has all his free time. He sings, he’s around with his people. A lot of that free time will be devoted to his political responsibilities. He’ll have plenty of time to do his politics while he is in training and out of training.”

“The one activity I know it will affect is his time playing billiards,” Arum said jokingly. “He will have to slow down on that.”

Photo by Chris Farina / Top Rank

SAN ANTONIO – Whoever turns out to be the better prizefighter on June 26, one thing is already certain. Puerto Rican Eric Morel is a much better pool hustler than Mexican Jorge Arce.

That much was established on Tuesday afternoon at Dave & Buster’s restaurant where participants in Top Rank’s “La Furia de México 15” gathered for a rescheduled press conference in the northern part of the city. Morel and Arce posed for pictures, answered questions and expressed lots of mutual fondness both before and after their impromptu pool match, as part of the promotion for their co-main-event fight at the Alamodome in June.

The two rivals confessed to being good friends outside the ring and admiring one another’s accomplishments. Both assured local fans and members of the press, however, they would not fight that way when facing one another for the WBO’s interim bantamweight title.

“Very hittable,” is how Morel described Arce’s appearance in recent fights. He also called Arce a “great fighter who’s very, very tough.”

For his part, Arce emphasized Morel’s background as a Puerto Rican, saying, “All know that when a Mexican and a Puerto Rican fight, it is always a battle.”

Arce, who goes by the nickname “El Travieso” (Naughty One) also spoke of the recent birth of his son, Nazareth. Asked about the name, Arce explained, “It was a promise I made to God that if he gave me a son, I would name him after the birthplace of His son.”

More interesting still was Arce’s explanation for his poor showing against Vic Darchinyan last year in Anaheim, Calif. Arce held up the back of his right hand, which sports a noticeable bump at the attachment of his thumb, and explained, “I have to have my hand wrapped extra tight, with extra wraps of tape, or it hurts when I punch. The week before (the fight with Darchinyan), all those things happened in California with (Antonio) Margarito and the wrapping of his hands. So, before my fight, they’re all standing over me, as a Mexican fighter, and saying ‘no, no, no’ about the extra tape. . . . It hurt every time I hit Darchinyan.”

Whatever happens against Morel next month, Arce, one of prizefighting’s most colorful personalities, is certain to have a colorful explanation.

RAUL MARTINEZ & GABRIEL ELIZONDO
Also taking the stage at Tuesday’s press conference were local bantamweight standouts Raul Martinez and Gabriel Elizondo. Much like Arce and Morel before them, Martinez and Elizondo spoke of their close friendship, with Elizondo saying, “(Martinez) is a good friend of mine. We have been friends for a very long time.”

Martinez took the podium and agreed. He then thanked his team and assured the gathering he would be ready for a “very difficult fight.”

He had better be. Very often when two longtime friends make a match together, the fighting is clean but savage, with the lesser man giving more than expected and the better man having to transcend previous performances.

LATIN FURY 15
The Top Rank pay-per-view event will feature Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. vs. John Duddy as its headline fight and is expected to be the most successful event of the “Latin Fury” brand. The card takes place at Alamodome on June 26.

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, former world middleweight champion, Kelly Pavlik will forgo his proposed rematch with Sergio Martinez according to his manager Cameron Dunkin.

Pavlik, who lost a unanimous decision and his title belts to Sergio Martinez on April 17 in Atlantic City, N.J., declined his contractual option for an immediate rematch on Tuesday and will move up to the 168-pound super middleweight division or the 175-pound lightweight heavyweight division.

“My take is that Kelly has been struggling to make weight. He made a comment the other day that he wished he had told us this five fights ago,” Dunkin said.

The decision to abandon the middleweight division was reached Monday when Pavlik, trainer Jack Loew and father and co-manager Mike Pavlik met together in their hometown of Youngstown, Ohio, with Dunkin on the telephone from Las Vegas.

“We sat down and talked,” Loew said. “We don’t know where we’re going. Kelly was 178 pounds yesterday. It’s not 178 pounds of fat. It’s 178 pounds of muscle. We’ll look at what’s the most attractive offer and go from there, 168 or 175. I think we’ll be comfortable in either weight class.

“It will be nice to train for the fight instead of battling the weight the last couple of weeks of camp. For this last fight, we hit a wall and it was hard to budge,” Loew explained. “It was horrible what we had to do to make the weight, sweating it off. It was really hard to get off. We had to get on the treadmill and then get in the sauna. We had to do that repeatedly

“In my own mind, there are several places we could go,” Dunkin said. “I don’t think he’ll have a problem with 168 but he may go to 175. It’s wide open. We want to take the best opportunities. We know what we’ve seen from Kelly, he doesn’t have the same snap he had earlier at 160, before [the weight loss] finally drained him. You want a guy to fight at his best weight.

“When we got to weigh 166 for the rematch with Jermain, it started where Kelly had to go from working out two times a day to three times a day to maintain his weight,” Loew said. “Then when we got to weigh 170 for Bernard, after that it was four times a day. We were training more for the weight than the fight. We have no excuses.

“We were 110 percent ready for Martinez and we really thought the weight would come down easier,” Loew said. “We were battling the weight and it cost us. We kept food in him, but not much. There is no reason to go through that anymore.

“Nobody can ever take away that he was middleweight champ of the world,” Loew said. “He’s still healthy, he still has that drive. But not to work out four or five times a day. That caught up to us. He’s got to train like regular fighter — get up, go running and go to the gym to box. Let’s concentrate on fighting again, not losing the weight. He’ll enjoy it more. It wasn’t good what we had to do.”

“I think Chad Dawson and Kelly Pavlik would be a very interesting fight. Chad is a great kid and fighter,” Loew said. “I think that would be a great fight for him and Kelly. Maybe we’ll be sitting ringside for Pascal-Dawson.”

Photo By Chris Farina/ Top Rank

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, The May 1st mega bout between Floyd Mayweather and Shane Mosley drew an estimated 1.4 million Pay Per View buys making it the second largest grossing non-heavyweight bout of all-time.

The buy total ties the fight with the 1999 welterweight unification showdown between Oscar De La Hoya and Felix Trinidad. However, Mayweather-Mosley generated more money because pay-per-view costs more. Trinidad-De La Hoya grossed $70.6 million.

Mayweather’s 2007 decision win for the junior middleweight title against the now-retired De La Hoya, the reigning pay-per-view king in terms of total dollars, set the all-time pay-per-view record with 2.446 million buys and nearly $137 million in revenue.

CARSON, CALIFORNIA — After the most unusual of endings, Paul Williams was declared the technical decision victor over Kermit Cintron due to an injury before the end of four rounds in the HBO World Championship Boxing main event at the Home Depot Center.

Williams (39-1, 27 KOs) of Augusta, Georgia now has a win over Cintron (32-3-1, 28 KOs) of Houston, Texas on his record, but even he is not happy with how it got there. Both fighters got their licks in to end a round one that started out slow, as both looked to have some nervous energy. The action began to heat up in round two. Cintron, 154, caught Williams, 152 ½, with two good right hands in an exchange early in the round. Later in the round, Cintron caught Williams over swinging again with another solid counter.

Round three offered little action, as Williams refused to play into Cintron’s apparent plan of playing the counter puncher. Things changed in round four, as Cintron landed a clean right that woke up Williams and the crowd. Williams quickly responded with a head-snapping shot. For a brief moment, it looked as though the fight may turn from a boxing match to a slugfest. Shortly after a heated exchange, Williams lost his footing and grabbed onto Cintron a bit as he fell to the canvas. As Williams went down, the momentum toppled Cintron through the ropes, on to a table and eventually down to the hard floor.

In moments it was clear that Cintron was injured, but it was unclear how bad the injury might be. Cintron remained in the same position that he fell for some time, as a ringside physician watched over him. According to sources on the side of the ring that he fell, Cintron told the ringside physician Paul Wallace that he was able to fight on, but it was the decision of the doctor to not allow him to continue.

Most ringside in press row assumed the fight would be declared a no contest. However, in the state of California, the start of the fourth round makes the fight official and thus the scores were read. One judge had the fight a shutout for Cintron, 40-36. The other two scored the fight for Williams, 40-36 and 39-37 respectively. Ring announcer Michael Buffer read the scores as Cintron, protesting with his gloved fists, was carried out on a stretcher.

Not only did most ringside assume that fight would be ruled a no contest before the decision was announced, so did Cintron’s promoter. “That rule is ridiculous, it was three rounds,” said Lou DiBella. “That is not a fight. How do you call a fight after three rounds?” Cintron’s trainer Ronnie Shields told the press that he had objected to using the California rules instead of the generally used ABC rules prior to the fight.

“I don’t know what to say,” said Williams after the fight. “It’s a strange way to get a win and I’ll try to get a better one next time.” Just as there was before the fight started, there should be many options for both fighters, including the obvious one – a rematch. Cintron entered the ring as the WBO #2/IBF #3/WBC #3 ranked light middleweight, and his promoter seems to want the rematch. “That should have been a no contest, and it should happen again,” said DiBella at the post-fight press conference.

Williams, WBC #3 middleweight and the WBO #1/IBF #5 ranked 154-pounder, could go the rematch route, but there are other fights out there for him as well. Williams’ promoter Dan Goossen seemed less inclined to make a Cintron rematch right of the bat. “There was nothing that happened in that ring that was compelling enough that would lead me to believe that we want to see the fight again,” claimed Goossen. Lou DiBella vehemently disagreed with Goossen’s assessment of the potential rematch. While Goossen would go onto say Cintron is always a possibility for Williams, it looks as though he has his eyes set on bigger fish.

As he mentioned in the build-up to Saturday’s fight, Goossen made mention of plans to see if the Floyd Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao fight is made or not. “If a Pacquiao-Mayweather fight doesn’t get made, then obviously we will be standing there and hopefully we would be one of the fighters to take that place,” said Goossen, who added Williams will not sit and wait on the shelf as talks for that superfight do or do not resume.

Styles make fights, and sometimes styles make dull fights. In what looked to be an attractive super featherweight scrap on paper and turned out to be a lackluster bout, Argenis Mendez claimed the vacant USBA Super Featherweight title with a majority decision over Martin Honorio.

Mendez (16-1, 9 KOs) of Brooklyn, New York by way of San Juan de la Maguana, Dominican Republic proved to be an elusive target for the forward-moving Martin Honorio (28-4-1, 14 KOs) of Bell, California by way of Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico. Honorio, 130, took the fight to Mendez, 130, in the opening round and appeared to be ahead after two rounds.

Mendez, the WBA #10 ranked super featherweight, scored well with hard body shots in round three and the fight began to turn. As the fight went on, Mendez stood his ground less and less, picking his shots and moving out of range. Honorio, the WBO #3 ranked lightweight and IBF #6 ranked 130-pounder, did not display the same boxing skills that led him to a win over John Molina Jr. last year. Too often, Honorio found himself chasing Mendez instead of effectively cutting off the ring.

While he did not exact any sort of dominance in the bout, Mendez did enough to get the nod on two of the judges’ scorecards 116-112. The third official scorer had it even, 114-114. With the win, Mendez may have earned a better ranking, but it is unlikely he gained many fans ringside.

Former amateur standout Walter Sarnoi (6-0, 2 KOs) of Monterey Park, California boxed his way to a four-round majority decision win over Adrian Aleman (6-7-3, 4 KOs) of Cathedral City, California. Sarnoi, 123, was the naturally bigger man, but decided to box and move rather than put his size advantage to use. Aleman, 123, went rounds as usual, but was unable to get much done in the fight. One judge found two rounds to give to Aleman, to make the even score of 38-38. The other two judges scored the fight 40-36, 39-37.

Stan Martyniouk (9-0, 1 KO) of Sacramento, California rebounded from a flash knockdown in the first round to pull out a six-round split decision over Brian Ramirez (5-3, 3 KOs) of Los Angeles, California. Ramirez, 133, charged out of his corner to open the fight, backing Martyniouk, 133, to the ropes. As the round progressed, Martyniouk settled into a boxing rhythm. Just before the bell to end the round, Ramirez caught Martyniouk with a left uppercut to score the knockdown.

Martyniouk, who did not appear to be hurt from the knockdown, began round two with a sense of urgency, as he pressed the fight. As the fight progressed, the rounds were competitive, but it was Martyniouk that was able to maintain his punching power, while Ramirez’ pace slowed. Martyniouk took the fight after a decisive sixth round which the Sacramento resident swept on all three judges’ cards. Two judges scored the bout 57-56 for Martyniouk, with the lone dissenting judge scoring it 57-56 the other way. Martyniouk hopes to return to the ring June 19th at the Oracle Arena in Oakland, California.

Michael Ruiz Jr. (2-0, 1 KO) of Fresno, California blew away Jose Pacheco (2-13-6) of Cudahy, California in the second round of a scheduled four. Ruiz, 118, downed Pacheco, 122, with a straight right hand early in the second. Pacheco rose to his feet, but was clearly not the same. Moments later, a brutal right hook dropped Pacheco hard, prompting referee David Denkin to immediately call a halt to the bout without need for a count. Official time of the stoppage was 1:37 of the second. Ruiz is slated to return to the ring June 19th at the McDermont Field House in Lindsay, California.

Unbeaten Jeremiah Wiggins (8-0-1, 3 KOs) of Newport News, Virginia scored a unanimous decision win over game free-swinger Juan Carlos Diaz (0-3) of Ciudad Neza, Estada de Mexico, Mexico. Wiggins, 152 ½, showed his superior boxing skills in the first, but found himself slugging it out in some heated exchanges by the second round. Diaz, 153 ½, stood in and took some hard shots, but landed some of his own. The underpowered Diaz was simply out of his league with the more skilled Wiggins. In the end, two judges scored the bout 59-55 and the third 60-54 all for Wiggins.

After less than two one-sided rounds, Mike Dallas Jr. (14-0-1, 5 KOs) of Bakersfield, California was declared victorious over journeyman Daniel Gonzalez (9-28-2, 3 KOs) of Billings, Montana. Dallas, 149 ½, was just too much of everything, speed and power, for Gonzalez, 151. With no reason for the mismatch to continue, referee David Denkin saw fit to call halt to the bout at 2:03 of the second round before Gonzalez could absorb any more punishment.

Before the card, Goossen Tutor Promotions announced the signing of WBA Light Heavyweight Champion Beibut Shumenov, who is slated to defend his title sometime in July against mandatory challenger Vyacheslav Uzelkov.

Photos by Jan Sanders/Goossen Tutor Promotions

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

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA — Top ten pound-for-pounder Paul Williams takes on perennial contender Kermit Cintron in a non-title twelve-round light middleweight fight tonight at the Home Depot Center in nearby Carson. The fight will be broadcast live by HBO alongside the replay of the Floyd Mayweather Jr.-Shane Mosley fight from last week. Fighters for tonight’s event weighed in Friday afternoon at the Crowne Plaza Hotel Los Angeles – International Airport.

Williams (38-1, 27 KOs) of Augusta, Georgia is the heavy betting favorite Saturday according to most online sportsbooks, but the odds that the fight will be exciting would have to be listed just as strong. Cintron (32-2-1, 28 KOs) of Houston, Texas by way of Carolina, Puerto Rico may have displayed new found boxing skills in his decision win over Alfredo Angulo last year, but he knows he will need to revert back to the slugger of old in order to have a chance against a supreme boxer-puncher like Williams.

The event has been dubbed “Over the Weight,” because both Williams and Cintron have long campaigned as welterweights, and Williams especially has expressed his desire to get a big money fight at 147-pounds. Williams currently holds the WBC #3 middleweight ranking, and the WBO #1/IBF #5 rankings at 154-pounds. Considering Cintron is currently the WBO #2/IBF #3/WBC #3 ranked light middleweight, one would think this fight would have some interim title or alphabet eliminator sanctioning attached to it, but alas it is just a twelve-round scrub between two top fighters with no promises of championships to the winner.

Both Cintron and Williams know that winning eliminators or even titles are not always what they are cracked up to be. Cintron’s win over Angulo was a sanctioned WBC Light Middleweight eliminator, but he did not get a title shot since Sergio Martinez has been tied up with middleweight fights. Meanwhile, Angulo claimed the Interim WBO 154-title over Harry Joe Yorgey. Williams has held titles at welterweight and light middleweight, but his handlers have never been overrun with offers from top notch fighters.

In any event, the winner of Saturday’s fight should be in line for the big money fight they have desired. For Cintron, the upset would be by far the biggest win of his career and catapult himself into the upper echelon of the sport. For Williams, he must win impressively in order to have any bargaining power as he chases the money men of the welterweight division. Williams scaled 152 ½-pounds, while Cintron came in at the division limit of 154.

The off-television undercard is headed by an attractive and meaningful twelve-rounder. Resurgent contender Martin Honorio (28-4-1, 14 KOs) of Bell, California by way of Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico will take on 2004 Dominican Olympian Argenis Mendez (15-1, 9 KOs) of Brooklyn, New York by way of San Juan de la Maguana, Dominican Republic for the vacant USBA Super Featherweight title.

Honorio, the WBO #3 ranked lightweight and IBF #6 ranked 130-pounder, leaped back onto the national stage with an upset decision win over previously unbeaten prospect John Molina Jr. last November. Mendez, the WBA #10 ranked super featherweight, has revitalized his career since suffering his only defeat in October 2008, posting three consecutive victories. The winner would likely be in line for a world title or world title elimination bout. Honorio and Mendez both scaled 130-pounds.

In a six-round lightweight bout, Stan Martyniouk (8-0, 1 KO) of Sacramento, California will meet Brian Ramirez (5-2, 3 KOs) of Los Angeles, California. Martyniouk, who came in at 133-pounds, has not seen ring action since posting a four-round decision over Anthony Martinez in November. Ramirez, who weighed in at 133 as well, suffered his second defeat last time out after a point deduction cost him a draw.

Unbeaten light middleweight Jeremiah Wiggins (7-0-1, 3 KOs) of Newport News, Virginia will make his West Coast debut against Juan Carlos Diaz (0-2) of Ciudad Neza, Estada de Mexico, Mexico in a six-rounder. Wiggins, who scaled 152 ½, was a chiseled and imposing figure at the scales Friday. Diaz, who sports a far more slender build, weighed in at 153 ½-pounds. Diaz’ two defeats were by knockout to undefeated foes. Wiggins last fought on the Paul Williams-Sergio Martinez undercard in December, scoring a unanimous decision over Manuel Guzman in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

Well regarded bantamweight prospect Michael Ruiz Jr. (1-0) of Fresno, California will take on game trial horse Jose Pacheco (2-12-6) of Cudahy, California in a four-round bout. Ruiz, who weighed in at 118-pounds, turned pro last month with a comprehensive decision victory after a distinguished amateur run. Pacheco, who weighed in at 122-pounds on his initial try, fought on the same card last month and dropped a four-round decision. Pacheco was given more time to lose an additional pound.

Former amateur standout Walter Sarnoi (5-0, 2 KOs) of Monterey Park, California will tangle with the naturally smaller Adrian Aleman (6-6-3, 4 KOs) of Cathedral City, California in a four-round super bantamweight fight. Sarnoi, who scaled 123-pounds Friday afternoon, was a member of the U.S. National Team as an amateur before turning professional in 2008. Aleman scaled 123-pounds at the weigh-in, but has fought as a flyweight earlier in his career. Should Aleman, who has never been stopped, be able to handle Sarnoi’s power, he could provide a test for the young pro.

Light welterweight prospect Mike Dallas Jr. (13-0-1, 4 KOs) of Bakersfield, California was a late re-addition to the card and will now open the evening in a four-rounder against well traveled journeyman Daniel Gonzalez (9-27-2, 3 KOs) of Billings, Montana. Given the short notice these fighters will be fighting nearly as junior middleweights today. Gonzalez, weighing in at 151-pounds, is coming in off of twelve straight defeats, but with only two of those coming by way of the knockout. Dallas, who had been penciled in for a step-up fight against Josesito Lopez, scaled 149 ½-pounds Friday.

A last minute scratch from the card was an interesting ten-round heavyweight rematch between Jason Gavern (19-7-3, 8 KOs) of Kissimmee, Florida and Manuel Quezada (29-5, 18 KOs) of Wasco, California. Gavern scored a minor upset over the world ranked Quezada last month, claiming the regional WBC CABOFE Heavyweight title with the decision victory. According to Gavern, who was present at the weigh-in, Quezada pulled out just an hour prior.

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

Quick Weigh-in Results:

Light middleweights, 12 Rounds
Williams 152 ½
Cintron 154

USBA Super Featherweight Championship, 12 Rounds
Honorio 130
Mendez 130

Lightweights, 6 Rounds
Martyniouk 133
Ramirez 133

Light middleweights, 6 Rounds
Wiggins 152 ½
Diaz 153 ½

Super bantamweights, 4 Rounds
Ruiz Jr. 118
Pacheco 122*

Super bantamweights, 4 Rounds
Sarnoi 123
Aleman 123

Light Middleweights, 4 Rounds
Dallas Jr. 149 ½
Gonzalez 151

*attempting to lose one pound at press time

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

HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA — Former amateur star DonYil Livingston and former Contender series star Deon Elam each scored knockout wins to highlight a night of both boxing and mixed martial arts before an energetic crowd at the Circus Disco on Thursday night.

Taking on Lamar Horne in his professional debut, Livingston (1-0, 1 KO) of Palmdale, California started out the fight aggressively. Horne (2-6, 1 KO) of San Diego, California was competing for the first time in three years and seemed to be caught a little off guard by Livingston’s determined start. Livingston, 166 ¼, varied his attack to the head and body of Horne, 170, and landed in combinations.

Midway through the second round, Horne was stunned by a straight right, and began to hold on. Soon enough Livingston was able to break loose on the inside and landed four unanswered left hooks with Horne against the ropes, prompting referee Raul Caiz Jr. to call a halt to the bout. Official time of the stoppage was 2:57 of round two.

The most recognizable name on the card was that of cruiserweight Deon Elam (12-1, 6 KOs) of Van Nuys, California, a member of the season four cast of The Contender, who took on Vashon Daniels (6-5, 4 KOs) of San Antonio, Texas. Elam, 192, had a sizeable height and reach advantage over Daniels, 202, who had trouble finding his way to close quarters without getting caught with hard shots en route.

A stiff jab, right hand combination was successful early for Elam, but it would be a left to the body that would first drop Daniels to one knee. Daniels was able to reach his feet, however Elam soon found a home for a few more body shots to score a second knockdown. Referee Raul Caiz Jr. immediately waved off the fight without a count at 2:35 of the first round. For Elam, it was his second win in two weeks after ending a more than one year layoff following the taping of The Contender in Singapore.

In other action, Artur Bernetsyan (3-0, 2 KOs) of Glendale, California scored a second round stoppage over Nichoulas Brannies (1-5) of Bend, Oregon. Bernetsyan, 142, scored a knockdown in the first after hurting Brannies, 144, with a right hook and following up with a flurry. Bernetsyan focused on the body of Brannies early in the second round, eventually doubling him over with his attack. With Brannies in trouble, Bernetsyan again followed up with a flurry to score another knockdown and the fight was waved off at 1:09 of the second round.

In the fight of the night, debuting Richard Contreras (1-0, 1 KO) of Riverside, California scored a minor upset over former amateur standout Vachik Avagyan (2-1, 1 KO) of Glendale via third-round knockout. Avagyan, 117, got off to a solid start and outboxed the taller, lanky Contreras, 116, in the both first and second rounds. Avagyan, a former member of the Armenian National Team, displayed a hit-and-run style that suited him well as an amateur. Avagyan landed a hard left hand in the second that could have been scored a knockdown had he not fallen over on top of Contreras.

For two rounds Contreras could not pin the southpaw Avagyan down long enough to land more than one or two blows in succession. Finally in the third, Contreras countered Avagyan with a clean right hand to drop his opponent hard to the mat. Avagyan rose and quickly returned fire, rather than hold on or move away to completely clear the cobwebs. Both fighters went toe-to-toe for a stretch, before a vicious right uppercut dropped Avagyan again to end the fight. It was clear that Avagyan, who had gamely battled back toward the end of the round, was not going to get up and no count was needed. Time of the stoppage was 2:14 of the third round.

MMA

In the featured MMA attraction, Noad Lahat (4-0, 1 KO, 3 Submissions) of Glendale scored a quick submission victory over Richard Schiller (6-1, 5 Submissions) of Torrance, California. Lahat, 145, quickly gained control of the fight on the mat. Before Schiller, 144, could get acclimated to the ground game, Schiller cinched in with a rear naked choke. Schiller, displaying the will of an undefeated fighter, was able to get to one knee with Lahat locked in on his back. Unable to break free, Schiller had no choice but to tap out at 2:15 of round one.

In other mixed martial arts action, Andy Dermenjyan (4-1, 2 KOs, 2 Submissions) of Van Nuys scored a first-round stoppage over Jason Williams (1-6, 1 KO) of San Bernardino, California. Williams, 153, came out swinging, but was quickly taken to the mat by Dermenjyan, 150 ½, who immediately took control of the fight. Dermenjyan eventually worked his way to Williams’ back and locked in a choke hold for the tap out. Time of the stoppage was 2:50 of the first round.

In a competitive three-rounder, Jared Papazian (8-5-1, 3 KOs, 1 Submission) of Glendale took a hard-fought unanimous decision over Tyler Weathers (6-5, 4 Submissions) of Lakewood, California. The fight included some roughhousing, including an instance in the second round when Weathers, 144, ducked out of the ropes only to get hit by Papazian, 144, from a punch over the top rope. The fight was won in the third, as Papazian completely controlled the action. All three judges scored the bout 29-28 in favor of Papazian, who returns to the ring June 4th at the Chumash Casino Resort in Santa Ynez, California.

Local favorite Cooper Gibson (1-1, 1 Submission) of Hollywood scored a quick submission victory over Ulises Figueroa (1-2, 1 Submission) of Lakewood. Gibson, 145, forced Figueroa, 145, to the ground a quickly applied a guillotine choke to get the victory. Time of the stoppage was 1:22 of the first.

Haik Tsaturyan (1-0) of Glendale made a successful pro debut with a unanimous three-round decision win over Chris Wolf (0-4) of San Bernardino. Tsaturyan, 135, controlled most of the first round, outside of one shot that sent him down to the mat. Tsaturyan quickly got up continued his success over Wolf, 135. Rounds two and three were turned completely into wrestling matches, where Tsaturyan had a decided advantage over Wolf. In the end, two judges scored the fight a shutout for Tsaturyan, 30-27, with one judge finding a round to give to Wolf with the score of 29-28.

Thursday’s card was the first offering of upstart promoters King Of The West Promotions.

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