Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Amir Khan (24-1, 17 KOs) Marcos Maidana (29-2, 27 KOs)
Recap– Khan came into the ring the better, more polished athlete; Maidana was the rock-throwing brawler. Both fighters lived up to their reputations. Khan dominated early with his hand and foot speed, picking Maidana apart from the outside. Maidana would get dropped in the first round by a vicious Khan left hook to the body and a point was deducted from Maidana in the fifth for throwing an elbow. The fight momentum turned around big time in the later rounds as Maidana connected with some monster shots that badly rocked Khan and forced the reigning WBA 140. lb. titlist to literally run for his life. The late surge proved to be too little, too late as Khan would go on to win the contest by scores of 114-111, 114-111, and 113-112. The Boxing Tribune scored the fight 115-111, also for Amir Khan.
What this means to boxing– Hopefully, Khan moves on to the winner of Bradley-Alexander, but Khan has mentioned a desire to avenge his loss to Breidis Prescott. Maidana, in a noble, losing effort still remains very relevant in the 140 lb. division, but may find it hard to get the fights he needs to move back into the championship picture.
Victor Ortiz (28-2-2, 22 KOs) MD 10 Lamont Peterson (28-1-1, 14 KOs)
Recap– This fight seemed to be Ortiz’s to take. He was the quicker, stronger, and bigger of the two, but allowed Peterson to get back into the contest in the second half of the bout. Despite building a solid lead by dropping Peterson twice in the third round, Ortiz would let Peterson back into the contest and make it a tight affair right up until the very end. The judges’ scorecards were divided: 94-94, 94-94, and 95-93 for Peterson. The Boxing Tribune scored the fight 95-93 in favor of Ortiz.
What this means to boxing– It’s hard to tell how this fight will affect either fighter’s placement in the deep jr. welterweight division. A rematch would be ideal, but Golden Boy may want to move Ortiz elsewhere and consider Peterson a dodged bullet.
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Emerald Queen Casino, Tacoma, Washington, United States
Joseph Agbeko (28-2, 22 KOs) UD 12 Yonnhy Perez (20-1-1, 14 KOs)
Recap– Agbeko flipped the switch in this bout, coming out as a quick, sharp counter-puncher, and cruising to a solid unanimous decision. Perez had his moments, including a scintillating sixth round, but Agbeko controlled the great majority of the contest and put on an outstanding performance. The judges’ scorecards were all in favor of “King kong” Agbeko: 116-112, 117-111, 115-113 . The Boxing Tribune also scored the bout 117-111 for Agbeko.
What this means to boxing– Agbeko moves on to face Abner Mares in the bantamweight tourney finals; Perez will take on Vic Darchinyan in the tournament’s consolation bout.
Abner Mares (21-0-1, 13 KOs) SD 12 Vic Darchinyan (35-3-1, 27 KOs)
Recap– Mares’ solid fundamentals and athleticism carried him through this entertaining clash in Showtime’s bantamweight tournament. Darchinyan’s aggression never seemed to get on-track as Mares countered well and, despite suffering a deep, bloody gash in his hairline caused by a headbutt in the first, never lost his head in dealing with his awkward rival. Darchinyan would drop Mares with a sharp counter in the second round, and a point would be taken from Mares in the fourth for low blows. On the other side, Darchinyan would be ruled down in the seventh despite it being more of a slip than a legit knockdown. The judges’ scorecards were divided: 115-112 and 115-111 for Mares, 115-111 for Darchinyan. The Boxing Tribune scored the fight 115-111 in favor of Abner Mares.
What this means to boxing– Mares moves on to face Joseph Agbeko in the 118 lb. tournament finals . Darchinyan moves on to Yonnhy Perez in the tourney’s consolation bout.
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Other Noteworthy Fights— (IBF Super Flyweight Title) Cristian Mijares UD Jose Alberto Rosas; (Welterweight) Joan Guzman TKO 2 Jason Davis; (Super Middleweight) James Degale TKO 9 Paul Smith; (Light Heavyweight) Nathan Cleverly UD 12 Nadjib Mohammedi; (Welterweight) Kell Brook TKO 2 Philip Kotey; (Middleweight) Matthew Macklin UD 12 Ruben Varon: (Light Heavyweight) Tony Bellew TKO 8 Orvil McKenzie; (Middleweight) Billy Joe Saunders TKO 2 Tony Randell; (Heavyweight) Seth Mitchell KO 5 Taurus Sykes; (Jr. Welterweight) Sharif Bogere UD 8 Christopher Fernandez; (Super Middleweight) Dhafir Smith UD 12 Jeff Lacy; (Jr. Featherweight) Eric Morel UD 8 Juan Jose Beltran; (Jr. Featherweight) Chris Avalos RTD 4 Cecilio Santos; (Super Flyweight) Cesar Seda TKO 1 Ernie Marquez
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