Results from the weekend

Saturday, February 6

Edwin Valero TKO9 Antonio Demarco...This past weekend in Monterrey, Mexico, undefeated WBC lightweight champion Edwin Valero overcame deep lacerations on his cheek and forehead, product of an unintentional blow from an elbow in the second round, to stop challenger Antonio Demarco in the ninth round.  Valero improved his record to 27-0 with 27 KOs.  Is there anyone out there who can last the full distance with Mr. Valero??  I must say, nine rounds is pretty far and beyond the average distance of a typical Valero fight thus far.  This commentator thinks it might be time for Valero to step up the competition.

Carlos Abregu W10 Richard Gutierrez...Welterweight Carlso Abregu kept his undefeated record in tact on the undercard, winning a unanimous decision over Richard Gutierrez.  Abregu was floored in the second round, but came back to knock Gutierrez down in the third round, rallying from that point on to win a decision by scores of 98-90 and 97-91 (twice).

television: Showtime Championship Boxing

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Lopez, Gamboa win big over the weekend, but they won't be fighting each other just yet!

This past Saturday night at Madison Square Garden in New York, undefeated featherweights Yuriorkis Gamboa and Juan Manuel Lopez scored big wins in separate showcases. 

Gamboa stopped Rogers Mtagwa, best known for giving Lopez all he could handle in a 122lb title challenge last fall, in two rounds to retain his WBA featherweight championship.  In the main event, Lopez stopped defending champion Steve Luevano in seven rounds to win the WBO featherweight title in impressive fashion.  One would believe that the two rising stars are on a collision course to meet one another very soon, but promoter Bob Arum says, not so fast. 

In an interview conducted by Greg Leon at Boxingtalk earlier this week, when asked about HBO's interest in a Lopez vs. Gamboa showdown, Arum was quoted as saying, "Put them against all of the tough featherweights, have them beat all of the tough featherweights, and then make a big event, maybe at the Meadowlands, in the spring of next year. Where I can put 30,000 people in the place, that's doing my job as a promoter of these two fighters. That's what, as a promoter, I have to do. It's not necessarily pleasing the sports writers, or pleasing HBO, or pleasing the fans, who want instant gratification, it's about positioning the fight so that it makes the most money for two wonderful young fighters, for when they finally fight each other."

Aside from Chris John, who is universally recognized as the featherweight champion of the world, who else is there to fight in the featherweight division?  Most of the big name talent and competition is campaigning in either the junior featherweight, junior lightweight, or lightweight divisions respectively.  Many fans and experts longed to see Lopez fight Celestino Caballero, the unified IBF and WBA junior featherweight champion, prior to moving up to 126lbs.  That fight never happened at 122lbs, so perhaps Caballero would be obliged to chase Lopez up to featherweight and make things more interesting in that weight class. 

Other than John or Caballero, Lopez and Gamboa would appear to have nobody else to fight but one another.  This commentator understands the promoter's desire to make as much money as possible as well as his vested interest in his fighter's monetary compensation, but it is we the fans who pay to see the fighters perform.  As a result we the fans deserve gratification, period, whether it is instant or not.

A fight between Lopez and Gamboa would likely produce an exciting knockdown, drag out type of affair.  I still have vivid memories of the hurt and staggered Lopez who was trying to survived heart and guts alone in rounds 11 and 12 against Mtagwa. Replace Mtagwa with Gamboa, and Lopez could potentially find himself in serious trouble. Gamboa has talent as well as a gradually improving skill set, but Lopez is no pushover as he showed against Mtagwa.  He can also punch, as was illustrated against Luevano.

photo courtesy: Examiner.com

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Pavlik's impressive stoppage of Espino, and other weekend results!

Kelly Pavlik TKO5 Miguel Espino...You'll have to forgive me boxing fans, I've been a little bit behind due to the holidays.  Over the weekend at the Beeghly Center in his hometown of Youngstown, OH, middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik successfully returned to the ring from a ten month hiatus to score a 5th round TKO of Miguel Espino.  Espino was docked a point at the end of the first round for punching after the bell.  One would think a point deduction that early in the contest was a bit premature.  Nonethless, the two fighters traded punches throughout, but it was Pavlik who dropped Espino twice in round four and once in the fifth round.  Espino's corner advised referee Steve Smoger to call a halt to the carnage.  Pavlik was making the the third defense of his title. 

With intentions of staying at middleweight, Pavlik may finally be ready to face Paul Williams.  Pavlik's promoter, Bob Arum of Top Rank, believes the fight could be made in March or April of next year.  At this time, Pavlik vs. Williams is the only fight that matters in the middleweight division.  It would be crowdpleaser in which the two best middleweights in the world would be squaring off against one another.

Samuel Peter TKO4 Gabe Brown...Former WBC heavyweight champion Samuel Peter scored an entertaining fourth round TKO over Gabe Brown, who came into the ring at a woefully high 360-plus lbs.  Brown appeared to do more taunting than fighting, as he stuck his chin out repeatedly signaling the former champion to hit him and Peter was happy to oblige.  Following a bolo punch by Brown, Peter clobbered Brown prompting referee Randy Jarvis to stop the contest.  Not much of a fight here, folks.  One man was entertaining with his taunting tactics and overweight physique, but really did not put up much of a fight.  The other is a former champion who was simply trying to get back into the win column.  He did so, more or less.

Humberto Soto W10 Jesus Chavez...At the Arena Itson, in Ciudad Obregon, Sonora, Mexico, WBC super featherweight champion Humberto Soto won a 10 round decision over the past-prime former two-time world champion Jesus Chavez in a non-title ten round affair.  Soto dropped Chavez in the first round, but Chavez was game throughout and managed to go the full ten round distance with Soto which really surprised this commentator.  Chavez lost points in the fifth and sixth rounds for unncessarily roughness and low blows respectively.  In the end, Soto won a unanimous decision.  Official scores were 100-87 across the board.

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Other results from Saturday night

Vitali Klitschko W12 Kevin Johnson...The WBC heavyweight title fight that took place in Berne, Switzerland between defending champion Vitali Klitschko and previously undefeated American challenger Kevin Johnson was pretty much one man show.  Klitschko grounded out a unanimous decision, in a fight in which Johnson spent much of his time lying on the ropes, not punching, and focusing primarily on making Dr. Ironfist miss his punches.  Johnson may have thrown a few jabs here and there, as he was pretty much the one-handed fighter he appears to have been throughout his entire career. Pathetic showing for Johnson, as he was all bark beforehand and no bite during the fight.  Official judges scores were 120-108 (twice) and 119-109.  Certainly Boxingchronicles.come endorses the 120-108 scorecard.  Shoving Vitali's brother Wladimir (the universally recognized heavyweight champion of the world) immediately following the contest was about as classless as Johnson could get.

television: HBO Boxing After Dark

Timothy Bradley W12 Lamont Peterson... In a battle of undefeated junior welterweights at the Agua Caliente Casino Resort & Spa in Rancho Mirage, CA, WBO champion Timothy Bradley won a 12 round decision over Lamont Peterson to retain his title.  Bradley decked Peterson with a right hand to the side of the head in round three, but Peterson was not hurt and proceeded to battle his way into the fight as the middle rounds ensued.  Both combatants got into some heated exchanges in the championship rounds, but it was Bradley who emerged victorious with a unanimous decision.  Official scores were 118-110, 119-108, and 120-107.  This was a tremendous win for Bradley.  Hopefully we will see him in a junior welterweight tournament at some point next year, along with Paulie Malignaggi, WBA champion Amir Khan, WBA interim titlist Marcos Maidana, WBC kingpin Devon Alexander, and IBF champion Juan Urango.

Vic Darchinyan TKO2 Tomas Rojas... Super flyweight champion Vic Darchinyan successfully returned from his loss to IBF flyweight champion Joseph Agbeko last July, by retaining his championship via second round stoppage of challenger Tomas Rojas.  Rojas had success in the first round, as he was able to beat Darchinyan to the punch with some good counterpunching, but at the end of round two a left hand put Rojas down for the ten count.

television: Showtime Championship Boxing

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Malignaggi avenges loss to Juan Diaz; Ortiz stops Antonio Diaz on cuts!

Paulie Malignaggi W12 Juan Diaz... In a fight that took place on neutral ground at the UIC Pavillion in Chicago, in a larger-sized ring at a more reasonable weight of 139lbs, the second time was a charm for Brooklyn's Paulie Malignaggi as he won a unanimous decision over Juan Diaz on Saturday night.  Malignaggi controlled fight fight with beautiful ring generalship behind his up jab and combinations.  In round five, Diaz got more aggressive and some of the middle rounds were relatively close. 

Malignaggi increased his points lead in the fight in round 10, when he scored a questionable knockdown of Diaz.  As the replay showed between rounds, Diaz was knocked off balance with shot behind the head but no part of Diaz actually touched the canvas, but referee Gino Rodriguez proceeded to issue Diaz an eight count.  Out of desparation, Diaz won rounds 11 and 12 and by going on the attack and firing left hands at Malignaggi, but it was too little too late for the Baby Bull.  All three official ringside judges scored the bout 116-111 in favor of Malignaggi.  Boxingchronicles.com also scored the contest 116-111 for the Magic Man, giving Diaz rounds 5, 8, 11, and 12.  Malignaggi avenges his loss to Diaz, a loss that came by way of a controversial unanimous decision in Diaz's hometown of Houston back in August.

Victor Ortiz TKO6 Antonio Diaz...Ortiz successfully returned from his dissapointing TKO loss to Marcos Maidana this past summer by stopping veteran Antonio Diaz on a bad cut over his left eye.  Ortiz dropped Diaz in the third round and the dominated the contest up until the point in which Diaz's corner stopped the fight between the 6th and 7th round.  The fight was fought at the 140lb weight limit.

television: HBO Boxing After Dark

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Williams edges Martinez; Arreola stops Minto!

Paul Williams W12 Sergio Martinez...In what can be perceived as a last minute candidate for Fight of the Year honors, Paul Williams won  a hard-fought majority decision over WBC super welterweight champion Sergio Martinez on Saturday night at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, NJ.  Both fighters scored knockdowns of each other in the opening stanza.  Williams' knockdown of Martinez was a grazing left hand to the back of the head that knocked Martinez off balance.  Martinez, on the other hand, hurt Williams with the right hook that produced his knockdown at the end of the round.

Martinez controlled the first three rounds and opened a cut over Williams' left eye, largely based on his right jab, right hook, and straight left hands.  Williams hurt Martinez at the end of the fourth round, at which point Williams momentarily seized control. In the fifth round, both fighters stood toe to toe and exchanged blows, landing clean hard shots on each other. A right left combo really caught Williams pretty cleanly, but Williams came back with a crisp combination of his own. Winning rounds five through seven, Williams began to target Martinez, who seemed to be tiring, with his long right jab.  In the eighth round Martinez appeared to be getting his second wind, as he found success with straight left hands to the body that created openings upstairs.  Martinez continued to box well behind his right jab and straight left hand. 

Williams stepped up the pressure in the closing rounds, but from my view it was Martinez who landed the bigger and cleaner shots throughout the contest.  After twelve completed rounds, the three official ringside judges scored the contest 114-114, 115-113, and an incredibly ridiculous 119-110 in favor of Williams.  HBO's unofficial ringside judge Harold Lederman scored the fight 115-113 for Williams, whereas Boxingchronicles.com had the fight scored the same way  for Martinez. 

While this commentator thought Martinez won the fight on the basis of clean punching. I am not going to argue the decision. There were some very close rounds that were difficult to judge. Heated exchanges. The first round with the two knockdowns could have gone a number of ways as well.  Round one could  very well have been scored even, but I never score even rounds unless a point is deducted from a fighter who won a given round [eg.: 9-9].


Martinez proved his worth as a world class player  in the junior middleweight and middleweight ranks, showing the viewers that he belongs on stage with an elite level top 10 pound for pound entrant. Great fight with tremendous exchanges between both of these warriors.  Williams still beats Kelly Pavlik in my estimation. Last night he was in the ring with a guy in Martinez whose style was a nightmare for him, yet he still dug down deep and managed to pulled out the victory. Pavlik probably hits harder than Martinez, and would have the proverbial puncher's chance, but his hands are not nearly as fast and his defense is nowhere near the level of Martinez.

Chris Arreola TKO4 Brian Minto...Chris Arreola successfully returned to the ring, following his TKO loss to WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko 71 days ago, to stop Brian Minto.  For the first three rounds, both guys were nailing each other with some serious leather.  By the end of the 2nd round, an ugly mouse was forming under Minto's left eye.  In the fourth round, Arreola sent Minto to his knees with a right hand.  Minto rose from the knockdown, only to engage in another fierce exchange with Arreola, but the iron-chinned heavyweight underdog was bombarded with a series of rights and lefts, which called the referee to stop the fight.  Incredible heart displayed on the part of Brian Minto.

television: HBO World Championship Boxing

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Khan destroys Salita in one round!

Amir Khan TKO1 Dimitriy Salita... WBA super lightweight champion Amir Khan only needed 76 seconds to dispose of previously undefeated Dimitriy Salita.  Both men started behind their jabs, but it was Khan who immediately dropped Salita with a right hand.  Salita rose from the canvas on wobbly legs.  Khan attacked with a barrage of punches, prompting the referee Luis Pabon to stop the fight.  With the impressive win, Khan has successfully made his first title defense. Khan's technical improvements, under the tutilage of trainer Freddie Roach, has been noticable. The fight took place at Metro Radio Arena in Newcastle, England. Should HBO go through with their lightweight tournament next year, Khan would certainly be a fine fixture in that tournament.

On the undercard:

Kevin Mitchell W12 Breidis Prescott
WBO lightweight title eliminator

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Hopkins outpoints Ornelas

Bernard Hopkins W12 Enrique Ornelas...Former middleweight and light light heavyweight champion Bernard Hopkins, who hadn't fought in his hometown of Philadelphia in over six years, made his return to the ring a successful one on Wednesday night, winning a lopsided twelve round decision over the game but outclassed Enrique Ornelas. 

The fight pretty much went as many had anticipated, as it was a typical Hopkins performance that consisted of in fighting, brawling, mauling, and a couple bolo punches.  In the early rounds, Ornelas was able to catch Hopkins with a few clean right hands and uppercuts, but they did not seem to phase the future hall-of-famer.  Ornelas put forth a spirited effort, taking three of the first five rounds on the Boxingchronicles.com scorecard, but Hopkins settled into a groove as the fight progressed, even trying to go for the knockout in the twelfth of final round.  The light heavyweight fight went to the scorecards.  Official scores were 118-110, 120-109, and 119-109, all in favor of The Excecutioner.  Boxingchronicles.com scored the bout 117-111 for Hopkins.

Give Ornelas the ton of credit that he deserves. In all due respect, he did keep the fight kind of close in the first four or five rounds; he exhibited a tremendous amount of spirit. Tough cookie. Having said that, I do not believe that Hopkins took him quite as seriously as he's taken his last few high-profile opponents.  How on Earth could he?  From Tarver, Wright, Calzaghe and Pavlik, to a 13 month hiatus that ends with a guy named Ornelas...I'm sure one is going to distinguish the difference.

television: versus

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Jones vs. Green result

IBO cruiserweight champion Danny Green faced former pound for pound king Roy Jones Jr moments ago at the Acer Arena, Homebush, Sydney, NSW, Australia. Green was a substantial betting underdog going into this fight. Jones has already agreed to face fellow ring legend Bernard Hopkins in their long-awaited showdown this spring.


Danny Green TKO1 Roy Jones Jr...Green shockingly spoiled those plans in just 122 seconds, as he upset the established order by scoring a first round knockout. Green came out aggressively at the sound of the bell, pinning Jones on the ropes and landing a right hand to the temple that put Jones on the canvas. Jones was noticeably hurt, but still managed to rise to this feet. Green pursued Jones immediately, once again trapping the former champion on the ropes, nailing him with combinations of unanswered punches that prompted referee Howard Foster to stop the contest. Hopefully this is the last we have seen of Jones competing inside the squared circle.

With demand for a Jones vs. Hopkins rematch shot down completely due to this stunning result, perhaps we will now see a match between Green and Hopkins this spring provided that Hopkins can win his fight against Enrique Ornelas tonight at the Liacouras Center in Philadelphia, PA.

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Ward dominates Kessler to win WBA super middleweight title

Press Release: OAKLAND, Calif. (Nov. 21, 2009) — The United States is alive and well in the Super Six World Boxing Classic.
In a scintillating performance, undefeated hometown favorite Andre Ward (21-0, 13 KOs) captured the World Boxing Association (WBA) super middleweight title with a dominant 11th-round technical decision over Denmark’s Mikkel Kessler (42-2, 32 KOs) in the Group Stage 1 Super Six World Boxing Classic bout for both boxers Saturday on SHOWTIME®.

An exciting, one-sided match was stopped at 1:42 of the 11th round by the ringside physician, Dr. Smith Ketchum, due to cuts around both of Kessler’s eyes. After 10 completed rounds, Ward was ahead by the scores of 98-92 on two of the scorecards and 97-93 on the other.

A raucous, pro-Ward crowd of 10,277, which included Heisman Trophy winner and NFL Hall of Famer Herschel Walker, Metallica drummer and Kessler fan, fellow Dane Lars Ulrich, Super Six fighter Andre Dirrell and Strikeforce Mixed Martial Arts stars Scott Smith, Josh Thompson and Gilbert Melendez, turned out at the Oracle Arena for what became a virtuoso performance by Ward..

Kessler entered the scheduled 12-round fight as a co-favorites to win the tournament and a 3:1 favorite to beat Ward, but after a career-best performance, Ward has perhaps stamped himself as the one to beat.
“This was my dream come true and right now I’m dreaming,’’ said an ecstatic Ward, who won an Olympic Games gold medal for the United States in 2004. “It may take a while for all of this to sink it, but I am enjoying it all. This is a moment I’ll never forget.’’

Heading into Saturday, the tournament had been an all European affair with Arthur Abraham and Carl Froch defeating Americans Jermain Taylor and Andre Dirrell in Germany and England, respectively, in their Group Stage 1 fights last Oct. 17 on SHOWTIME.

But the U.S. is now on the board, thanks to Ward, who made it three consecutive hometown favorites to win in the Super Six.

Standings after one round of the six-fighter, round-robin tournament: Abraham (three points), Ward and Froch (two points apiece) and Kessler, Taylor and Dirrell (zero points). Scoring in the first three Group Stages of the tournament are as follows: Win – 2 points (with a 1-point KO/TKO bonus); Draw – 1 point; Loss – 0 points.

Upcoming Group Stage 2 matchups (dates to be announced): Abraham vs. Dirrell; Froch vs. Kessler; and Ward vs. Taylor.

At the post-fight press conference, representatives from the city of San Francisco, speaking on behalf of San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom officially presented a letter of proclamation that Saturday, Nov. 21, was officially Andre Ward day.

But this was Ward’s night, too, as he effectively switched from orthodox to southpaw, consistently beat Kessler to the punch, never gave the Dane a moment to relax and bloodied the defending champion around both eyes to the delight of the fans who chanted “USA, USA’’ on several occasions.
“He never hurt me,’’ Ward said. “I was a little surprised that they stopped it when they did. I had just connected with a big right hand and would like to have seen what would have happened if the round had continued.

“I felt like it was my time. We were not intimidated by Kessler's record. Everyone felt that we got the bad draw in the first round. We never believed that. We beat the top guy.

“This win is as much for me as it is for Virgil Hunter. He has an Olympic gold medal with me and now he has a world championship.
“There were two accidental butts. I am not a dirty fighter. Everyone knows that. I’m ready to go and take the next step.

Kessler, who’s only pro loss was to Joe Calzaghe, said, “He was the better man tonight, but I wish the fight could have gone on. I wanted to continue. The cuts were not dangerous.

“He was going in with his head all the time. He was punching in the clinch. I am not used to this and I got off my rhythm. I don’t know why he never received a warning.

“After the butt (in the eighth round) I could not see anymore. If I fight Andre Ward again, I cannot go straight forward or stay in the middle. I have to go side-to-side.’’

Regarding his next tournament fight, Kessler said, “I have to go back and see what I can improve and see if I still have it.’’

Gus Johnson (blow-by-blow), Al Bernstein and Antonio Tarver (analysts) called the action from ringside with Jim Gray and Jenn Brown serving as roving reports. The executive producer is David Dinkins, Jr., with Bob Dunphy directing.

Saturday’s bout will re-air:

DAY CHANNEL

Wednesday, Nov. 25, 11 p.m. ET/PT SHOWTIME 2

The fight will be available On Demand beginning Tuesday, Nov. 24.

SHOWTIME Boxing Schedule: In seven days, promising undefeated lightweight John Molina (18-0, 14 KOs) will face Martin Honorio (26-4-1, 14 KOs) in the 10-round main event on a special Saturday edition of ShoBox: The New Generation on Nov. 28 (11 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast). In the co-feature at Pechanga Resort and Casino in Temecula, Calif., Rico Ramos (13-0, 8 KOs) will be opposed by Alejandro Perez (14-1-1, 9 KOs) in an eight-round super bantamweight bout.

On Friday, Dec. 4, at Chumash Resort Casino in Santa Ynez, Calif., hard-hitting, unbeaten junior middleweight Tyrone Brunson (20-0-1, 19 KO) will be opposed by Carson Jones (23-7-1 14 KOs) in the ShoBox 10-round main event. In the eight-round co-feature, undefeated Mauricio Herrera (13-0, 6 KOs) faces Mike Anchondo (29-2, 19 KOs) in a super lightweight bout.

In a terrific battle of unbeatens in the Saturday, Dec. 12 main event at Aqua Caliente Resort Spa in Rancho Mirage, Calif., on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING (9 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast), World Boxing Organization (WBO) junior welterweight champion Timothy “Desert Storm’’ Bradley (24-0, 11 KOs) of Palm Springs, Calif., will defend against Lamont “Havoc’’ Peterson (27-0, 13 KOs) of Washington, D.C. In the co-feature, Vic Darchinyan (32-2-1, 26 KOs) will risk his WBC and WBA 115-pound belts against Tomas Rojas (31-11-1, 22 KOs).

For information on all SHOWTIME Sports telecasts, including exclusive behind-the-scenes video and photo galleries from its events and complete information on the Super Six World Boxing Classic, please visit the website at http://www.sports.sho.com/

photo courtesy: betus.com

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Pacquiao sensational in 12th round stoppage of Cotto!

Last Saturday night Boxingchronicles.com was once again on hand at Miami Mike's Sports Zone in East Hanover, NJ, when pound for pound king Manny Pacquiao scored a 12th round TKO over defending champion Miguel Cotto at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, NV to claim the WBO welterweight title. Pacquiao's triumph could best be described as historic, as the pride of the Philippines has risen from 110lbs, and has now become a volatile force to be reckoned with in the welterweight division.

Criticism that Pacquiao is a little lightweight who can not take a powerful welterweight punch has been dispelled. In the first round, Cotto was able to keep Pacquiao at bay with his jab and land a number of telling blows that had the Pacquiao contingent concerned. From the second round on, Pacquiao turned up the tempo and began to find his punching range as he settled into a rhythm.

Pacquiao scored a flash knockdown of Cotto with a right hand in round three, but Cotto was not seriously hurt. In fact, Cotto seemed to be winning the fourth round, when Pacquiao stunned him with a left uppercut with only ten seconds remaining in the round. From that point forward, Pacquiao proceeded to gradually wear the Puerto Rican down with brutal power shots, particularly when he had Cotto on the ropes.

By the eighth round, it was apparent that the bloodied and battered Cotto had put forth a courageous effort, but at that time he was in complete retreat and trying his best to play out the clock and survive until the final bell. Pacquiao reigned a series of explosive flurries on his beaten foe in the twelfth and final round, prompting referee Jay Nady to call a hault to the contest 0:55 seconds into the round. With the monumental win, Pacquiao picks up his seventh world title.

The attention of the boxing world now turns to the long awaited clash between Pacquiao and undefeated Floyd Mayweather, Jr.

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Salgado stops Linares in first round; scores upset to win title!

Juan Carlos Salgado TKO1 Jorge Linares...Over the weekend in Tokyo, Japan, Juan Carlos Salgado won the WBA super featherweight championship, upsetting the previously unbeaten Jorge Linares by way of a first round technical knockout. Salgado dropped Linares with a quick left-right combination less than a minute into the round. Linares seemed to hit his head as he fell to the canvas from the first knockdown, which discombobulated him when he rose to his feet and beat the initial eight count. As the action resumed, Salgado wasted no time as he sprinted across the ring and fiercely attacked Linares, prompting the referee to stop the contest 1:13 into the first round.

Such a loss spells devastation early in the career of Linares, who joins Amir Khan and Victor Ortiz in the latest of young fighters who have suffered disappointing upset losses by way of stoppage. Perhaps what is most unfortunate about this defeat is the fact that this was Linares' Golden Boy Promotions debut, as the 24 year old was recently the latest of a series of prize fighters to sign with the promotional power house.

Linares had been showing promise as a young titlist and rising young star in the game, ever since his 10th round TKO of Oscar Larios in July of 2007. Where Linares goes from here, and how well he is able to rebound, remains to be seen. Possibly with careful matchmaking and an ability to learn from this set back, Linares will be able to fight his way back into contention and garner another title shot down the road. Others have lost fights in a similar fashion and have been able to climb back into contention to win world titles.

Khan, the current WBA super lightweight champion who was stopped in 52 seconds by the power punching Columbian Breidis Prescott in September of 2008, has since been able to sustain a successful return to prominence under the tutelage of trainer Freddie Roach. Khan scored a five round technical decision over Marco Antonio Barrera last March, further adding to the foundation of that win by securing his first world title with an impressive unanimous decision over Andriy Kotelnik this past July in Manchester.

Years ago super bantamweight Oscar Larios was hurt and stopped in similar fashion when he fought Israel Vasquez, who is currently one of the best pound for pound fighters in the sport of boxing. A few years later, Larios and Vasquez would have a rematch in which Larios exacted revenge by beating up Vasquez and stopping him in the 12th and final round of a sensational fight that was televised on ESPN Friday Night Fights. Therefore anything is possible in rematches, should a rematch between Salgado and Linares materialize in the future. After all, it was not as if Salgado issued an extended beating to Linares or even knocked him out in brutal fashion.

This was a case of Linares being caught cold and stopped early. What remains to be seen is how well Linares is able to recover from such a loss, moreso mentally than physically.

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Klitschko stops Arreola in 10 rounds!

Vitali Klitschko TKO10 Cristobal Arreola...WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko turned in a crafty and methodical performance,  retaining  his title with a tenth round TKO of previously undefeated Cristobal Arreola on Saturday night at Staples Center.  Klitschko was tactically in control of the fight from the sound of the opening bell, using lateral movement, left jabs, and right hands to keep the shorter Arreola at bay. 

As the rounds progressed, Klitschko's right hand was beginning to find its mark more and more frequently as he had bloodied Arreola's nose by the seventh round.  Throughout the fight, HBO ring side analyst Larry Merchant commented that the 38 year old Klitschko was performing much like a 34 year old fighter, as a result of the four years he was inactive from the ring product of the chronic injuries he had previously suffered in training. Klitschko's height and reach advantage really caused young Arreola quite a predicament, just as was the case for previous Klitschko victims.

At the end of round ten, a round in which Dr. Iron Fist painted Arreola's face and body with heavy right hand punishment, referee Jon Schorle advised Arreola's corner that he was stopping the contest. Arreola immediately responded with an emotional teary-eyed break down, feeling embarrassed not only by the fact that he believes he disappointed his Mexican California fans, but that he had lost via stoppage. The heart, courage, and relentless effort that Arreola displayed in the fight was quite impressive, given his limited experience and lack of sufficient physical attributes in the professional heavyweight ranks, as that is all that Arreola was able to bring into this fight with him.

Throughout the fight, this reporter recalls himself thinking, "I have much more respect for this guy now than I ever did before." He was able to last a few rounds longer than I expected [Boxingchronicles.com predicted a 7th round knockout for Klitschko]. Afterwards, Arreola's emotions had gotten the better of him, as he broke down into tears during the post-fight interview with Merchant and apologized to his Mexican fans who were in attendance. Arreola stated, through the sobbing, "He ran when he had to. He knew how to win. I knew he was f***ing me up, but f*** that, I'll be back."

Such a sad and pitiful display was coming from a man who has previously portrayed himself as a foul mouthed gangster before and after his fights prior to his defeat at the hands of Klitschko. One would not expect such a tough guy to have any business balling his eyes out on national television following a defeat. Nonetheless, young Arreola will be back and possibly even better than before as a result of this learning experience. Not every body Arreola faces is going to be as skilled or physically gifted as the Klitschko brothers.

When analyzing the talent, ability, and current status of the Klitschko brothers, Vitali and Wladimir, the younger Wladimir appears to be the more accomplished of the two champions. Wladimir is the Klitschko brother who has beaten all of the top contenders at heavyweight, regardless of the quality of the era it happened in. Wladimir gave Samuel Peter his first loss back in September of 2005 when he was perceived as a threat as well as the heavyweight division's greatest hope.

Wladimir also defeated defending IBF champion Chris Byrd [who at the time was considered the best American heavyweight, as well as arguably the best heavyweight in the world), gave contender Calvin Brock his first loss, gave undefeated WBO titlist Sultan Ibragimov is first loss in January of 2008, and handed Ruslan Chagaev his first defeat earlier this year. Just about all of those titlists and contenders were top five, maybe top ten, contenders in the heavyweight division. Such victories have propelled Wladmir into the status of universally recognized heavyweight champion of the world, particularly in the eyes of those at Ring Magazine.

The fighting styles of the Klitschko brothers are some what similar. Wladimir has the stiffer left jab and he is a bit more stationary, whereas Vitali is a little looser and moves around the ring more than his younger brother. Vitali has the more evasive style, but there is no question that he is more durable than Wladimir. Both brothers are pretty good.

Who exactly can beat Vitali Klitschko, and what style would it take to defeat the gifted giant? Logic says it is going to take someone who is comparable to Vitali in size, or at least pretty close, and has fundamental boxing skills with the stiff jab to set Vitali up for the big shots. Arreola kept trying to jab his way in but could never find the range to drop the right hand in behind. Left hand, left hand, that's all Arreola was capable of.

television: HBO World Championship Boxing
photo courtesy: chippewa.com

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Mayweather's size and skill set too much for Marquez. Who is next?

Boxingchronicles.com goes into depth about Money May's next potential opponent and the politics that are involved!

Floyd Mayweather Jr W12 Juan Manuel Marquez...  Greetings boxing fans.  As we all know by now, undefeated Floyd Mayweather Jr. made a successful return to the ring from his 21 month retirement, unanimously outpointing lightweight champion Juan Manuel Marquez at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas last Saturday night. The three officially judges scored the contest 120-107, 119-108, and 118-109 all in favor of Mayweather.  Boxingchronicles.com also scored the fight a shut out, 120-107. Late last week, I said I would be posting a prediction and I did not do so.  My apologies for not giving you my prediction on that fight. 

For the record, my final prediction was Mayweather by a 10th round TKO.  Credit to Marquez for being a game competitor who rose from a second round knockdown to fight hard and hang on until the final bell rang.  If there were any signs of ring rust with Mayweather, this reporter certainly did not see them.  Mayweather was as sharp and elusive as ever, ducking and dodging any offensive attacks that the great Mexican boxer had to offer, even though he did end up having to pay Marquez $600,000 for weighing in two pounds over the contracted fighting weight of 144lbs.  Final punch stat numbers showed that Marquez was reduced to a total of 69 connected punches over the course of 12 rounds, product of Mayweather's slippery defense. 

What is next for Mayweather?  The Pacquiao vs. Cotto welterweight fight is scheduled to take place of November 14 in Las Vegas, so perhaps Mayweather will take a rest and see who emerges victorious in that fight.  Manny Pacquiao is the best fighter and by far the biggest PPV attraction currently active that Mayweather could potentially face.  The biggest obstacle, of course, is the ongoing feud between Mayweather and Pacquiao's promoter Bob Arum of Top Rank.  Arum and Mayweather do not see eye to eye in the world of business.  Mayweather claims that Arum kept him in the dark, back when Oscar De la hoya was his bread and butter super star in the mid to late 90's, and failed to transcend him into the super star that he always felt he deserved to be when he was fighting for Top Rank. 

Arum, on the other hand, is reluctant to stage an event that features any of his fighters against the flashy, brash talking former pound for pound king.  According to Arum, Mayweather is a great defensive fighter who chooses not to engage his opponents.  Arum was quoted as saying, "Mayweather vs. Pacquiao would resemble that of a hunter going after a deer."  As long as Arum maintains those feelings about Mayweather, a fight with Pacquiao is going to be a challenge to put together anytime soon.

Welterweight champion Sugar Shane Mosley is eager to face Mayweather, to the point of getting up into the ring to call out Mayweather during his post fight interview with Max Kellerman immediately after the fight.  Kellerman's interview, at the point at which Mosley intervened became entertaining. Yours truly does agree with Mayweather that Kellerman does have a tendency to talk too much and his interviews are often longer than they need to be. Mayweather's not the only fighter who thinks Kellerman talks too much. Others, such as Victor Ortiz, have also gotten fed up over Kellerman's extended interviews.

On the other hand, Mosley was impressively bold in approaching Mayweather as he did and calling him out to his face. Let's be real here, boxing fans.  BoxingChronicles is all about real boxing discussion and legitimate boxing views based on factual information.  Mayweather has often said in interviews with journalists and broadcasters such as ESPN's Brian Kenny, Boxingtalk's Greg Leon, and HBO boxing analyst Larry Merchant that he doesn't need to call anyone out; he's the one that gets called out. Mayweather has claimed that fighters need to chase him because he's the face of boxing, that is where the money is at, all roads lead to Floyd Mayweather, and he is the Pound for Pound the best fighter in the sport. 

Ricky Hatton called Mayweather out in June of 2007 following his win over Jose Luis Castillo; Mayweather fought him in December of 2007. Marquez called Mayweather out in February of this year; Mayweather just fought him this past weekend. Mosley has now called Mayweather out.  How exactly did Mayweather respond?  A slighted and noticably irritated Mayweather replied to Mosley, "I don't come up here and interrupt you when you're doing your interview. Don't disrespect me.  Respect me as a man."  Mayweather's claim of an interruption would be credible, if Mayweather hadn't flagged Mosley over to him in the first place as the telecast clearly shows. 

In an interview conducted by Ben Thompson published today on Fighthype, Mosley accurately explained what happened during the post fight interview.

"Well, first of all, I heard my name being mentioned. Max Kellerman called my name and started walking towards him and I see Mayweather flagging me over.  I said, alright, maybe he wants to fight."

Fact of the matter is, Mosley has challenged Mayweather and it remains to be seen if Mayweather will be consistent in his response to that same tactic that was taken on the part of his previous foes.

Common sense clearly dictates that Money May's next fight should either be against Shane Mosley or the Pacquiao vs. Cotto winner. Any other fight for Mayweather would not make sense, monetarily or competitively, for the self proclaimed best pound for pound fighter in the sport and also the biggest money maker.  This reporter is inclined to believe that Mayweather's next opponent could potentially be the Pacquiao vs. Cotto winner, ONLY if Mayweather decides to wait on the winner of that fight [preferably if it's Pacquiao] rather than to fight Mosley in the interim. The Mosley fight should be pretty easy for Team Mayweather to put together, due to the fact that Mosley would have limited leverage at the negotiating table and he's with Golden Boy Promotions, just as Mayweather's last three victims have been.

Pacquiao is more of a problem in terms of negotiations because he, too, believes that he is entitled to the greater half of the pot, plus he fights for Bob Arum. Regardless, Mayweather knows he can make the most money with Pacquiao, it's the biggest event that the sport could offer right now due to the fact that people are split on who they think is the best in the world between the two.

At the end of the day, Floyd Mayweather did himself some good by looking sharp in the ring and performing as well as he did in his shut out unanimous decision victory over Marquez, dismissing the argument in the pound for pound race between the two best fighters in the world that Pacquiao, who twice struggled with Marquez, did a more impressive job against Mayweather's previous opponents Oscar De la hoya and Ricky Hatton. 

Easiest fight to make for Mayweather would appear to be Mosley.  The only fight that matters or that anybody really cares about is Mayweather vs. Pacquiao.  Let's wait and see what happens on November 14 between Pacquiao and Cotto.  At this point, I would love to see Mayweather against either one of them.  No more blown up lightweights.

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Diaz outpoints Malignaggi in Houston

Debatable decision, of course. Controversy surrounding Gale Van Hoy's scorecard, but this reporter does not see any controversy in the verdict.

Juan Diaz W12 Paulie Malignaggi... As I was lounging in my Fairfield Inn hotel room at the after party of a wedding that took place on Saturday, I still managed to catch the fight between Juan Diaz and Paulie Malignaggi in its entirety on HBO. Juan Diaz won a debatable unanimous decision over Paulie Malignaggi, in a fight that took place in Diaz's hometown of Houston, TX.

Visibly infuriated with the decision, Malignaggi launched off into a tirade against the politics of boxing, Golden Boy Promotions (company that promotes Diaz), and the judges in his post fight interview with Max Kellerman.

The three official ringside judges were Raul Caiz, Gale Van Hoy, and David Sutherland. Caiz and Sutherland scored the bout 115-113 and 116-112 respectively. HBO's unofficial ringside judge Harold Lederman finished with a final tally of 115-113 in favor of Malignaggi. BoxingChronicles.com scored the fight 114-114; there was no clear winner from this reporter's judgement. Perhaps what drummed up the most controversy was not necessarily the verdict itself, but Van Hoy's inexplicable score of 118-110 in favor of Diaz. Anybody who scored this fight in the neighborhood of 115-113 for either fighter was within the correct ball park. Those who are crying robbery are acting as though Malignaggi practically pitched a shut out over Diaz and unjustifiably lost the decision.

Did the outcome of this fight truly rank amongst some of the greatest robberies of all time such as Lennox Lewis's draw against Evander Holyfield, Pernell Whitaker's draw against Julio Cesar Chavez, Shannon Brigg's decision win over George Foreman, and going back even further in history, Joe Louis's ridiculously corrupt split decision over Jersey Joe Walcott in 1947? No - not even close!

While there were certain rounds in which Malignaggi wisely used his reach advantage and ring generalship to outbox Diaz from the outside, there were also rounds in which Diaz engaged Malignaggi at close quarters and did more damage on the inside than many observers gave him credit for. There were about six rounds in which Malignaggi boxed really well, and six rounds in which Diaz punished him inside. This was really a case of Malignaggi performing much better than he has over the past three years and Diaz not looking as sharp or impressive as one might have initially predicted. The result was in fact debatable, but this observer still finds it difficult to label it a robbery.

At the end of the day both combatants will come away from this experience with their stocks elevated, as they battled hard and fought their hearts out which made for a crowd pleasing affair. Whenever there is a fight in which both pugilists are giving such tremendous accounts of themselves in a fiercely contested match, networks are going to want to bring them back for future shows and fans are going to want to pay to see them fight again.

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Pacquiao destroys Hatton!

Manny Pacquiao KO2 Ricky Hatton... Last night I made my usual trip to Miami Mike's Sports Zone, where I watch all of the big PPV boxing matches. Attendance at the Sports Zone last night was great, which illustrates just how many people in a given county of a specific state enjoy the sport of boxing.

At the MGM Grand in Las Vegas NV, pound for pound king Manny Pacquiao stopped Ricky Hatton in 2nd round to win the junior welterweight championship of the world. Pacquiao scored two knockdowns in the first round, but Hatton wasn't seriously hurt and survived the first round. The knockdown in the second round, product of a left hook by Pacquiao, instantly froze Hatton and sent him sprawling to the canvas for the ten count. The ringside physician, along with a number of Hatton's handlers, were tending to Hatton who remained on the canvas for several minutes. In what was classified as the most significant fight of the year, with boxing media and experts almost split down the middle as to who they believed would emerge victorious, Pacquiao made it look effortless.

With such an electrifying victory, Pacquiao may have set himself up for a fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr, who announced his return to sport as well as his July 18 fight against lightweight champion Juan Manuel Marquez at a catch weight of 144lbs. Mayweather must first defeat Marquez before a Pacquiao vs. Mayweather fight can even become reality. Pacquiao's promoter Bob Arum suggested to the media that he would not wait around for Mayweather. “We’re not going to wait around for Mayweather,” said Arum. “If Cotto wants to come down a few pounds, we can make that happen. Or we can go with Shane Mosley.”

At the end of the evening, I took a few moments to speak to observers at the Sports Zone about the prospects of a Pacquiao vs. Mayweather fight as well as the upcoming Mayweather vs. Marquez fight. A cute waitress of Philippino descent approached me and professed her love for Pacquiao, raising her forearm and showing me the name "Pacquiao" tattooed to her forearm. That is the kind of love and following that Pacquiao brings into the ring with him for each and every fight.

Undercard results

Humberto Soto TKO9 Benoit Gaudet
Daniel Jacobs W8 Michael Walker
Matvey Korobov TKO2 Anthony Bartinelli
Erislandy Lara W4 Chris Gray

television: HBO Pay Per View

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The Punisher punishes Wright the Wright way!

Paul Williams W12 Winky Wright... They say defense wins championships in Superbowls, but it was the offense and overwhelming work rate of Paul Williams that caused former super welterweight champion Winky Wright so much trouble on Saturday night at the Mandalay Bay Event Center in Las Vegas, NV. Williams threw practically every punch in the book over the course of twelve rounds, winning a lopsided unanimous decision over the former champion. Official scores were 119-109 (2X) and 120-108 all in favor of Williams. Boxingchronicles.com scored the fight 118-110 for Williams, giving Wright rounds 5 and 6. Williams has an unbelievable work rate; he never even showed signs of slowing down at any point in the fight. Gunshy does not go in the same sentence as the name Paul Williams. Williams would love to go back down 147lbs and fight welterweight champion Shane Mosley, but if that doesn't happen middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik should be mandated to face Williams, but I highly doubt Pavlik's promoter Bob Arum would ever allow that to happen. Last night's performance by Williams could not have possibly done anything to change Arum's mind.

Chris Arreola KO4 Jameel McCline... Undefeated heavyweight contender Chris Arreola may have delivered one of the best performances of his young career to date, as he dominated Jameel McCline for the most part with good body work and right hands in the first three rounds and stopped him with a right hand in the fourth round. Arreola blasted McCline with a beautiful left uppercut, followed by two right hands that put McCline down for the count. Nice showing by Arreola, who maintains that he is ready for the Klitschko brothers. I liked the body work, the right hands, and the left uppercut that set up the knockout. Hopefully Arreola can lose some of that excess weight.

television: HBO World Championship Boxing

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Jones stops Sheika in five!

Roy Jones Jr TKO5 Omar Sheika... On Saturday night, at the Pensacola Civic Center in Pensacola, FL, former Pound for Pound king Roy Jones Jr was too fast and had too many tools in his arsenal for Omar Sheika, as he outboxed him for four one sided rounds. In the fifth round, the referee saw fit to end the contest [I felt prematurely] awarding Jones the TKO victory in the fifth round. I'm going to go out on a limb and call that the worst stoppage I've seen in recent memory. Sheika was clearly losing each and every round, but it's not like he was taking punishment from Jones that could cause him serious bodily harm. Sheika was still trying to compete, and it was only the fifth round, so the referee probably should've given the man a serious fighting chance to win the bout and allowed the fans to see the fight that they had paid good money attend live as well as watch on PPV.

Although Jones appeared to be well on his way to winning a lopsided decision, anything could've happened in the remaining five and a half rounds had the referee not jumped the gun so quickly. My guess is that the fight was in Jones's hometown of Pensacola, this was a Roy Jones show both from a promotional and geographic standpoint, and the referee did a little hometown cooking by sparing Jones from being taken the full distance by a fighter of Sheika's calliber. Furthermore, it's fortunate that nobody was seriously injured and Jones performed well in front of his adoring hometown crowd.

BJ Flores W10 Jose Luis Herrera... In the co-feature, top cruiserweight contender BJ Flores thoroughly outboxed Jose Luis Herrera, who I had last seen stopping previously undefeated Aaron Williams on ESPN2 Friday Night Fights, and won an easy 10 round unanimous decision. Official scores of the contest were 98-92 and 99-91 (twice) all in favor of Flores. Flores is a really good technically sound boxer; if he had more punching power he could probably do even more damage. According to Flores in an interview he did with Boxingtalk's Greg Leon, he broke his left knuckle in the third round and couldn't really use his left hand as much as he would've liked. Although the fight was deprived of any type of excitement, Flores still put on a boxing clinic even with the broken knuckle and showed why he's one of the best cruiserweights in the world today.

television: Square Ring PPV

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Klitschko stops Gomez in ninth round!

Vitali Klitschko TKO9 Juan Carlos Gomez... On Saturday night, at the Hanns-Martin-Schleyer Halle in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany, Vitali Klitschko retained his title with a sloppy by effective ninth round TKO of former cruiserweight champion Juan Carlos Gomez. The opening stanza, which I actually gave to Gomez, was pretty close. From the second round on, Klitschko assumed command as he began to find his range with the left jab and nailed Gomez with straight right hands and jarring left hooks.

After four rounds, Gomez's right eye was beginning to swell shut and was also bleeding. Klitschko dropped Gomez in the seventh round, but Gomez got up and was able to survive the round. Klitschko suffered a cut above his hairline, product of accidental clash of heads. In the ninth round, Klitschko once again dropped Gomez, but Gomez made it to his feet again. Klitschko continued to punish Gomez, as Gomez turned his back to him and the referee mercifully stopped the contest.

Overall, I felt that this was a sloppy performance on Vitali's part, but he was still effective enough to lay a beating on a skilled and experienced former champion. Klitschko has a pretty good straight right hand, but he paws way too much with his jab. His size is by far his greatest asset as well as the fact that he lets his hands go. Other than that he looks too loose and wide open for counter punches. If he was to face somebody the caliber of his brother, with that kind of height, reach, and boxing ability, I think he would be at serious risk of being exposed. However, somebody the likes of WBA heavyweight champion Ruslan Chagaev might be able to pose a spirited challenge to Klitschko.

television: ESPN Classic

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Khan wins technical decision over Barrera!

Ladies and gentlemen, I have been busy eating crow for what was a completely inaccurate prediction last week. I picked Marco Antonio Barrera to defeat Amir Khan based on experience and class. I could not have been more wrong.

Amir Khan W5 Marco Antonio Barrera... Amir Khan, 2004 Olympic Silver Medalist, defeated Marco Antonio Barrera by technical decision, in what was a WBO lightweight title eliminator, at the M.E.N. Arena in Manchester, UK last Saturday night. From the opening bell, Khan's hand and foot speed bothered the aged former champion, but perhaps the most telling blow was an accidental headbutt that opened a deep gash on Barrera's hairline. The cut continued to bleed into Barrera's left eye as the rounds progressed, but the doctor and the referee allowed the fight to continue for four rounds before ending the contest in the fifth round. According the rules of the WBO, if a fight is stopped after four rounds due to an accidental clash of heads, the result is determined by the official scores. At the time of the stoppage, the three official judges scored the fight 50-45 (twice) and 50-44, all in favor of Khan.

I had said that Khan would have to fight an almost perfect fight to defeat a boxer the likes of Barrera. Unfortunately for Barrera, he didn't even fight a perfect fight for as long as it lasted and he still won every minute of every round. Surely, the blood pouring down into the left eye did not help Barrera's cause, but he just wasn't letting his hands go and he could not find Khan. After the first round, I could already see the difference between the two combatants. I actually scored the first round 10-8 for Khan, as did one of the three judges. Khan did get a little help from the referee and the doctor for letting it go on until four rounds were completed. That was the difference in a No Contest vs. a technical decision win for the hometown hero.

Having said all of that, I believe that a rematch with Breidis Prescott is a fight that should happen for Khan. As long as Prescott remains undefeated and is on the rise himself in the lightweight division, nobody is going to take Khan seriously if he fails to avenge that loss or even fails to make an attempt. Surely the 55 second knockout loss that Khan suffered at the hands of Prescott back in September remains a demon that Khan is still going to have to exercise if he hopes to compete against the bigger and more technically sound punchers of the 135lb and 140lb weight classes.

Ola Afolabi TKO 9 Enzo Maccarinelli... Enzo Maccarinelli was on the comeback trail from what had been a devastating 2nd round TKO loss to David Haye, in what was a fight for the undisputed cruiserweight championship back in March of 2008. Maccarinelli had every intention of returning to prominence and gaining the interim WBO cruiserweight title, but Ola “Kryptonite” Afolabi had other plans as he shocked the world and derailed the plans of Maccarinelli by stopping him in the 9th round with a big right hand. Throughout the first eight rounds, Maccarinelli was in control of the fight for the most part as he outworked Afolabi but Afolabi was able to stun Maccarinelli on numerous occasions. Time of the stoppage was 1:50 of round 9. Afolabi is now the interim WBO cruiserweight champion of the world.

Roman Martinez TKO4 Nicky Cook... There's a fresh new face in the super featherweight landscape, and he is undefeated Roman "Rocky" Martinez. Martinez dethroned defending WBO champion Nicky Cook by means of a TKO in impressive fashion. After controlling the first three rounds, Martinez dropped Cook with two left uppercuts, but Cook rose to his feet and beat the count. Shortly thereafter, Martinez dropped Cook again with huge left hook. Cook once again rose to his feet, but on shaky legs this time around, at which point the referee stopped the contest.

television: Integrated Sports PPV

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