Maurice Hooker draws with Darleys Perez in unsatisfying Ward-Kovalev co-feature

Maurice Hooker draws with Darleys Perez in unsatisfying Ward-Kovalev co-feature
Mark E. Ortega
USA TODAY
November 19, 2016


LAS VEGAS — Fringe contender Maurice Hooker fought former beltholder Darleys Perez in the pay-per-view co-feature of the most important boxing match of the year.

That fact serves as a perfect indictment of what boxing has become in 2016. The result of the fight was as poetically unsatisfying as the undercard that it topped.

It’s not that Hooker (21-0-3, 16 knockouts) isn’t a solid if not unspectacular fighter or Perez (33-2-2, 21 KOs) a solid step up for him. But this fight is more in line with a ShoBox main event than the main appetizer for such an important event.

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Olympic bronze medalist Oleksandr Gvozdyk passes test against Issac Chilemba

Olympic bronze medalist Oleksandr Gvozdyk passes test against Issac Chilemba
Mark E. Ortega
USA TODAY
November 19, 2016

LAS VEGAS — Olympic bronze medalist Oleksandr Gvozdyk passed his stiffest test to date.

The light heavyweight prospect took a big step up with the Isaac Chilemba assignment, a well-traveled veteran gatekeeper. Chilemba’s trainer, legendary trainer Roy Jones Jr., halted the bout after eight rounds when Chilemba suffered an injury to his right arm.

Chilemba is known for giving guys fits, almost as much as he’s known for participating in uninteresting fights. Though Gvozdyk’s decision victory followed a similar script to most Chilemba fights, he won in convincing fashion.

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Curtis Stevens sleepwalks to decision victory over James De La Rosa after hand injury

Curtis Stevens sleepwalks to decision victory over James De La Rosa after hand injury
Mark E. Ortega
USA TODAY
November 19, 2016

LAS VEGAS — A hand injury for Curtis Stevens may have robbed us of what was shaping up to be an excellent fight between two gatekeepers.

Stevens, squaring off with James De La Rosa in the opening fight of the pay-per-view portion of the Sergey Kovalev-Andre Ward mega fight, hurt his left hand in the third round. It brought what was a solid action fight to a slowed pace as Stevens’ activity level dropped.

That didn’t keep Stevens (29-5, 21 KOs) from winning a lopsided decision, though the activity through the second half of the fight would have led you to believe it to be closer than the cards indicated. Stevens prevailed by scores of 98-90 and a more realistic 96-92 twice.

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Andre Berto earns redemption, knocks out Victor Ortiz in rematch

Andre Berto earns redemption, knocks out Victor Ortiz in rematch
Mark E. Ortega
USA TODAY
April 30, 2016

CARSON, Calif. — It may have come many years later than he hoped, but Andre Berto finally got sweet redemption against Victor Ortiz.

Climbing off the canvas in the second round, Berto fought his way back and stopped Ortiz in the fourth round of their PBC on FOX main event at the StubHub Center in front of 7,760 fans. He avenged the first defeat of his professional career, a decision loss to Ortiz back in April of 2011 that was many people’s Fight of the Year.

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Thomas Williams Jr. passes audition with second-round KO of Edwin Rodriguez; is Adonis Stevenson next?

Thomas Williams Jr. passes audition with second-round KO of Edwin Rodriguez; is Adonis Stevenson next?
Mark E. Ortega
USA TODAY
April 30, 2016

CARSON, Calif. – Two fights ago, Thomas Williams Jr. had his top prospect status revoked when he was stopped by former champion Gabriel Campillo. Williams has now emerged as a legitimate contender at 175 pounds after stopping Edwin Rodriguez in the second round of their slugfest.

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Leo Santa Cruz stops Kiko Martinez in 5th round in early fight of year candidate

Leo Santa Cruz stops Kiko Martinez in 5th round in early fight of year candidate
Mark E. Ortega
USA TODAY
February 27, 2016

ANAHEIM, Calif. — There were many in the boxing community expecting a Fight of the Year candidate to come out of Saturday night. Most didn’t expect it to come from the Showtime main event between Leo Santa Cruz and Kiko Martinez, but Santa Cruz’s fifth-round TKO victory against Martinez is an early sleeper pick two months into 2016.

Santa Cruz was expected to handle veteran Martinez with relative ease, and through the first few rounds, it looked to follow the script. Santa Cruz put Martinez down twice in the first as he bludgeoned Martinez from the outset. Martinez launched a miniature comeback that was brought to an end in the fifth round when referee Raul Caiz Sr. stopped the bout at the 2:09 mark after Martinez was battered in the corner. Santa Cruz retained the WBA featherweight belt he earned against Abner Mares last August.

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Hugo Ruiz stops Julio Ceja in first round to take 122-pound title; Ceja injures ankle

Hugo Ruiz stops Julio Ceja in first round to take 122-pound title; Ceja injures ankle
Mark E. Ortega
USA TODAY
February 27, 2016

ANAHEIM, Calif. — If Hugo Ruiz was hoping to redeem himself from last August’s fifth-round TKO loss at the hands of Julio Ceja, he did so in emphatic fashion.

Ruiz dropped Ceja with pretty much the first right hand he landed in the fight’s opening seconds. Ceja got back up but was clearly in trouble, and appeared to injure his ankle. This allowed Ruiz to finish him with a volley of punches on the ropes. Referee Tom Taylor halted the bout 51 seconds into the first round, setting up a potential rubber match between the two.

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First round of Boxcino tournament delivers excitement

First round of Boxcino tournament delivers excitement
Mark E. Ortega
RingTV.com
February 21, 2014


LAUGHLIN, Nev.–Friday night at the Edgewater Casino, ESPN2 kicked off their eight-man single elimination tournament, Boxcino. Though no big names are involved, the tournament produced four entertaining first round bouts, getting things off to a pretty good start.

The first fight fed right into what makes a tournament so special, that win or go home mentality. Chris Rudd and Yakubu Amidu went six back and forth rounds, with the fight ending in a draw.

Because it is a tournament, that resulted in an additional round being fought, and it was Rudd (13-1, 8 KOs) who emerged victorious after out working Amidu (19-5-2, 17 KOs) . The scores were officially 59-55 for Amidu, 57-57 twice. Rudd won the seventh on all three scorecards.

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Super Magdaleno Bros. victorious in SoCal

Super Magdaleno Bros. victorious in SoCal
Mark E. Ortega
BehindTheGloves.com
February 16, 2014


HAWAIIAN GARDENS, Calif.–Saturday night at the C. Robert Lee Center, boxing brothers Diego Magdaleno and Jessie Magdaleno notched a pair of knockouts over solid if not unspectacular foes in front of a raucous and supportive crowd. The older brother and former 130-pound title challenger Diego tried one-upping his brother’s effort by stopping Mexican veteran Jorge Pazos in the fourth round of their UniMas SoloBoxeo televised main event in a card promoted by Top Rank.

Magdaleno (25-1, 10 knockouts) continued his rebound from an unsuccessful effort in capturing an alphabet trinket last April by dominated the action with combinations and body shots. Magdaleno was more aggressive as top trainer Joel Diaz continues to work with the two Las Vegas natives.

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Anthony Mundine outjabs Mosley but ending leaves fans unsatisfied

Anthony Mundine outjabs Mosley but ending leaves fans unsatisfied
Mark E. Ortega
Aus-boxing.com
November 27, 2013



Anthony Mundine became the first to officially stop Shane Mosley in Sydney on Wednesday, but it’s unclear whether or not the win should be credited to the Australian fighter or to Father Time after the fight came to an end after six rounds.

Mundine (45-5, 27 KOs) was no doubt in control of the bout at the time of the stoppage, due mostly to a simple jab. The best action took place in the fourth as both guys were rocked, but Mundine dominated nearly every minute of the fight simply because he could move. Mosley (47-9-1, 39 KOs) was in obvious pain almost from the outset, and at 42 years old, the first stoppage defeat of his career could, and hopefully will spell the end of an illustrious Hall of Fame career.

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Ward dominates Rodriguez in return

Ward dominates Rodriguez in return
Mark E. Ortega
Martinez News-Gazette
November 19, 2013


ONTARIO, Calif. – Despite more than a year away from the ring, Oakland super middleweight champion Andre Ward returned to his dominant self, nearly shutting out the previously unbeaten Edwin Rodriguez over twelve lopsided rounds on Saturday night at the Citizens Business Bank Arena.

The bout was televised live by HBO and saw Ward (27-0, 14 knockouts) prove yet again why he is one of the two or three best fighters in the world.

When the first bell rang, Rodriguez (24-1, 16 KOs) charged hard at Ward in an attempt to catch him off guard. Rodriguez was aggressive throughout the contest, but Ward was always able to use that aggression against him as he landed clean counter punches on a regular basis.

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Provodnikov wears down Alvarado to stoppage

Provodnikov wears down Alvarado to stoppage
Mark E. Ortega
RingTV.com
October 19, 2013


BROOMFIELD, Colo. – When Mike Alvarado tasted the canvas twice in the eighth round Saturday night, a weight must have lifted from Artie Pelullo’s shoulders. Challenger Ruslan Provodnikov, whom Pelullo promotes, had opened up what was to that point a close fight on the scorecards.

Twice this year, Pelullo fighters wound up on the losing end of close decisions against fighters promoted by Top Rank. First, in March, Provodnikov lost a close decision to Timothy Bradley in a Fight of the Year candidate. Last month, Bryan Vera lost a highly disputed decision to Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., in a fight that was unfair before the bell even rang.

Though all the officials for Saturday’s main event were from outside the state of Colorado, where Alvarado resides, each of the first seven rounds were extremely close and could have gone either way.

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Diaz rust-free in win over Santiago

Diaz rust-free in win over Santiago
Mark E. Ortega
RingTV.com
October 19, 2013


BROOMFIELD, Colo. – Former unified lightweight champion Juan Diaz has fully shaken off the rust from a two-and-a-half year layoff that came to an end earlier this year.

In the third fight of his comeback in the co-feature to Mike Alvarado-Ruslan Provodnikov on Saturday night, Diaz met unheralded Juan Santiago (14-11-1, 8 KOs) of Del Norte, Colo., in a ten-round bout that took place at 136 pounds, just one pound north of where he achieved his greatest success, and came away with a clear unanimous-decision win.

From the opening bell, Diaz jumped on the much taller Santiago, utilizing the pressure style that made him a fan-friendly fighter during the peak of his powers.

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Vargas outpoints Narh, Magdaleno stops Hidalgo in three

Vargas outpoints Narh, Magdaleno stops Hidalgo in three
Mark E. Ortega
RingTV.com
October 12, 2013


On the eve of tonight’s highly anticipated welterweight showdown between Timothy Bradley and Juan Manuel Marquez, a free show was held at the same venue that fight will take place at Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.

Earning a stay busy victory in the night's main event was welterweight Jessie Vargas, who won a hard fought ten round unanimous decision over Ray Narh.

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Porter wins rematch with Diaz; Jack and Periban fight to draw

Porter wins rematch with Diaz; Jack and Periban fight to draw
Mark E. Ortega
RingTV.com
September 12, 2013


LAS VEGAS – Former lightweight titleholder Julio Diaz will fight his slip into gatekeeper status kicking and screaming as evidenced by the effort he put up in losing a unanimous decision to undefeated Shawn Porter on Thursday night in a ballroom of the MGM Grand.

The 10-round fight, which was televised on Fox Sports 2, was a rematch. In December, Porter and Diaz fought to a draw that most felt was edged by the veteran fighter. Perhaps people leaned Diaz's way because they were shocked at the tremendous effort he put forth as well as taking into consideration the fact that most had written him off following a bad knockout loss to Kendall Holt the year before.

Diaz gave his career new life in the draw with Porter and subsequent close loss to Amir Khan in March. In the meantime, Porter easily decisioned unbeaten but lightly regarded Phil Lo Greco earlier in May.

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Arreola KOs Mitchell in one

Arreola KOs Mitchell in one
Mark E. Ortega
RingTV.com
September 7, 2013

All throughout the buildup to their fight, Chris Arreola disparaged Seth Mitchell as not being in his league.

Saturday night in their Showtime headlining bout in Indio, Calif., Arreola followed through on those statements, serving up his most impressive victory to date with a first-round knockout.

Arreola (35-3, 31 knockouts), of Riverside, Calif., had Mitchell badly hurt in the first 30 seconds, but the former Michigan State linebacker used his old tackling skills to stay in it as the two hit the mat. Mitchell didn't have the benefit of a timeout, though, and Arreola took advantage, scoring an official knockdown soon after.

Referee Jack Reiss took a close look at Washington, D.C.'s Mitchell (26-2-1, 19 KOs) before letting the fight continue. Arreola jumped on Mitchell and battered him with an assortment of power shots, giving Reiss no choice but to stop it.

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Collazo re-emerges with victory over Sanchez

Collazo re-emerges with victory over Sanchez
Mark E. Ortega
RingTV.com
September 2, 2013


When Luis Collazo was fighting championship fights on HBO, Alan Sanchez was barely old enough to drive a car and hadn’t fought as a professional yet.

That experience helped guide the battle-tested Collazo (34-5, 17 knockouts) to a unanimous-decision victory over the ten-year younger Sanchez (12-3-1, 6 KOs) in their ten-round main event on Fox Sports 1’s second Monday night broadcast.

The two felt each other out in the opening round, but Collazo showed his sharpness early, landing straight lefts regularly. Sanchez didn’t open up until a few rounds later, and began landing straight right hands, though Collazo would occasionally land a pretty counter.

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Santa Cruz blitzes Terrazas to take WBC title

Santa Cruz blitzes Terrazas to take WBC title
Mark E. Ortega
RingTV.com
August 24, 2013


It took less than three rounds for Leo Santa Cruz to add a second title in as many divisions to his résumé on Saturday night as he demolished WBC junior featherweight beltholder Victor Terrazas at the Stub Hub Center in the evening's co-feature.

Terrazas (37-3-1, 21 KOs), of Guadalajara, was expected to give the 25-year old Santa Cruz some trouble, but Santa Cruz walked through his punches in order to batter his more experienced opponent.

The two traded uppercuts and body punches like they were baseball cards, but Santa Cruz proved the harder puncher. By the end of the second round, Terrazas' face was a grotesque and swollen mess, particularly his right eye.

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Undercard report: Orozco, Breazeale win by KOs

Undercard report: Orozco, Breazeale win by KOs
Mark E. Ortega
RingTV.com
August 24, 2013


CARSON, Calif. – San Diego-based junior welterweight Antonio Orozco (18-0, 14 KOs) had few issues getting rid of Colombia's Ivan Hernandez (29-4, 22 KOs), putting him down three times before stopping him in the third round. Orozco's ruthless body work helped get the job done. He is now being targeted for a future date on ShoBox, according to series producer Gordon Hall. Hernandez had previously campaigned at 130 pounds and has been largely inactive the past five years.

2012 Olympic heavyweight Dominic Breazeale (6-0, 6 KOs) scored a fourth-round knockout of the experienced Lenroy Thomas (16-3, 8 KOs). Breazeale took some shots in the process of grinding down his opponent. He then buckled Thomas in the fourth, and a follow-up barrage ending with a body shot put him down. The end came at 2:29 when Thomas was counted out.

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Pulev outworks Thompson to unanimous decision

Pulev outworks Thompson to unanimous decision
Mark E. Ortega
RingTV.com
August 24, 2013


In the last decade, American heavyweight Tony Thompson had lost just twice, both in failed world title opportunities against Wladimir Klitschko.

Thompson, THE RING’s No. 9-rated heavyweight, was denied his chance to get a third try at Klitschko on Saturday night when he was soundly outpointed by unbeaten Bulgarian contender Kubrat Pulev in Germany in an IBF eliminator.

Fighting for the second time in less than 50 days, the 41-year-old Thompson got off to a great start, clearly winning the first two rounds while also likely winning the third, giving him an early cushion to work with. Thompson's right jab set him up for some solid left hands that had Pulev looking a little out of his depths.

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