Photo: Esther Lin / SHOWTIME

Paul "The Punisher" Williams scored a one-sided unanimous decision over Nobuhiro Ishida in a 12-round super welterweight battle in Corpus  Christi, TX Saturday night. Williams (41-2, 27 KO's) showed his usual high-volume punching output throughout the fight and, though he couldn't hurt Ishida, he piled up enough points to win 120-108 on all three scorecards.

These scorecards, unlike those read after the Tavoris Cloud - Gabriel Campillo fight earlier, were accurate. More on that later.

Williams came out fast and Ishida (24-7-2, 9 KO's) was game. When it became apparent that Williams' power wasn't enough to rock his opponent significantly, Ishida stood in there and came back with some effective counter punches.

Round after round, Williams piled up points and neither man was in any serious danger. It was a good but not great performance for the two-time world champion.

In the first televised bout, Gabriel Campillo survived two knockdowns in the first round to come back and outbox IBF light heavyweight champion Tavoris Cloud over the rest of the fight. Cloud (24-0, 19 KO's) had heavy Thunder in his punches in round one but when the bell rang for round two, everything was different.

After several rounds of effective counter-punching and mixing shots with both hands to the body and head, Campillo was clearly in control. Eventually, Cloud was cut over both eyes and got the worst of the exchanges most of the way.

But, guess what?

Believe it or not, the judges in Texas came back with a riduculous decision. 115-111 Campillo (about right), 114-112 Cloud (bad, very bad) and 116-110 Cloud (criminal).

So, Campillo got jacked for the second time as he challenged for a world title (Shumenov in 2010) and the cries of outrage over judging in Texas continue.

The best part was Cloud claiming after the fight that Campillo couldn't take a punch. If that's the case, then Cloud should remove the word Thunder as his nickname. Despite the two early knockdowns, it was Cloud whose face looked battleworn while Campillo ended the night, as his monker reads, El Chico Guapo.

The faces of the ringside judges, however, were covered in egg, a familiar dish for them.

Photo: Sumio Yamada / Goosen Tutor Promotions

Official weights for Saturday night's Triple Threat fight card on Showtime:

PAUL WILLIAMS 153.5, NOBUHIRO ISHIDA: 155

TAVORIS CLOUD 175, GABRIEL CAMPILLO 173.5

CRISTOBAL ARREOLA 245, ERIC MOLINA 228

The event takes place in Corpus Christi, TX and the Showtime telecast starts at 10PM ET.

By Steve Cummings

WBO #9 junior middleweight Demetrius Andrade scored a dominating TKO2 over Angel Hernandez on Friday night in Uncasville, CT. Andrade (16-0, 11 KO's) was slated to face Derek Ennis in the ESPN2 Friday Night Fights main event but when Ennis pulled out he got the 36-year old Hernandez instead.

It was no contest from the opening bell with Andrade's height, reach and power advantages apparent. Shortly after the start of the second round Hernandez (30-11, 17 KO's) was hurt by a right hand that sent him to the canvas. He got up, but not for long. A powerful combination from Andrade sealed the deal with another knockdown that prompted referee Steve Smoger to stop the fight at the 1:39 mark of round two. 

By Steve Cummings

WBC middleweight champ Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. retained his title with 12 workmanlike rounds against challenger Marc Antonio Rubio in San Antonio, TX Saturday night. The fight didn't feature the back-and-forth action that many fans expected, but Chavez Jr. landed consistently with his trademark body shots and held a strenghth advantage throughout the fight.

Official scores were 118-110, 116-112 and 115-113. The last score wasn't realistic, and 116-112 was a bit of a reach.

Chavez Jr. (45-0-1, 31 KO's) started slowly and the challenger may have taken the first round. From then on, it was the heavy-handed Chavez in control, dictating the action and landing the much heavier blows. Rubio (53-6-1, 46 KO's) threw punches in high volume, landing consistently throughout the fight. But nearly every exchange saw Chavez Jr. get the better of it and the champion consistently came forward.

For all the heavy punching done by Chavez Jr., Rubio didn't seem to be bothered by any of it. He wasn't able to retaliate on equal terms, but the thudding blows to the body and the head didn't appear to slow the challenger at all.

After the fight, Chavez Jr. claimed that he wanted to fight Sergio Martinez and other top fighters in and around the middleweight division. However, he also spoke of having trouble making the 160-pound weight and conceded that Maravilla would have beaten him if they had fought tonight. It looks like another move up in weight is in store for the 6'-1" Chavez Jr. who looks to be an exceptionally big middleweight.

By Steve Cummings

Light heavyweight Isaac Chilemba, fighting in the U.S. for just the third time, notched his biggest win to date with a hard-fought unanimous decision over Edison Miranda on Friday night in Las Vegas. Chilemba (19-1-1, 9 KO's) weathered an early attack from the veteran Miranda and then took control after a third-round accidental headbutt opened a cut that hampered Miranda the rest of the way.

The 31-year old Miranda came out aggressively and scored well, while looking to win consecutive fights for the first time since 2009. Chilemba, the IBF's #6 ranked light heavyweight, made it past the early onslaught and then came the headbutt in round three.

A bad cut was opened over Miranda's left eye and it seemed to rock the Colombian, as he began to throw desperate punches, rather than the consistent, pressuring attack he began the fight with. Chilemba responded by countering effectively and took control until the end of the 10th and final round.

Miranda (35-7, 30 KO's) didn't get any relief in between rounds as the cut bled profusely for most of the remaining rounds. The best he could get was about 30 seconds at the beginning of a round with clear vision. After some shots from Chilemba, the blood would beging to pour down, causing Miranda to swipe at it repeatedly.

Official scores were 97-91, 96-92 and 96-92. The oddball totals are a result of a double point deduction that came in the fifth round due to mutual rabbit punching. Why take a point from both guys, if it comes out a wash on the scorecards? Well, if the fouling continues for either fighter, the path of discipline has been laid and may ultimately lead to a DQ.

It didn't happen in this case, but the cut could have prompted a stoppage at any time from the seventh round on. Chilemba had blood all over his torso at times and he wasn't cut at all. It was all Miranda's blood and it apparently couldn't be stopped by his cutman. 

By Steve Cummings

After seemingly endless wrangling over a Mayweather-Pacquaio superfight,Floyd has opted to face Miguel Cotto on May 5 in Las Vegas. Boxing fans have long grown tired of the back-and-forth between the Mayweather and Pacquaio camps and no longer care whether the holdup is over money, drug testing or jail time.

Enter Miguel Cotto (37-2, 30 KO's), the WBA Super Welterweight champion. A perennial mega-fight participant with a huge fan following will be a more-than-worthy PPV draw and with Floyd stepping back up in weight there will be plenty of storylines.

What lies ahead for Pacquiao is unclear. Mayweather will serve a 90-day jail sentence beginning in June. The money split will remain an issue. Unless....

Miguel Cotto and whomever Pacquaio chooses to fight in May or June, if anybody, can change everything.

But if both remain undefeated until Floyd gets out of jail, the nauseating process of putting a Money-Pac fight together will most likely resume.

By Steve Cummings

Legendary trainer Angelo Dundee has passed away at the age of 90 in Tampa, FL. Dundee, who was best-known for working the corners of Muhammad Ali and Sugar Ray Leonard in some of the biggest fights in history, was a wonderful man of exceptional character, which made him stand out in the world of boxing.

He had every bit of the boxing savvy of the character "Mickey" in the  Rocky movies, but he was also polished enough to be an excellent analyst on boxing telecasts.

Angelo Dundee, a 1992 Hall of Fame inductee and one of the bigger-than-life participants in the history of the sport, will be greatly missed.

KEVIN IOLE REMEMBRANCE

INDIO, Calif. (Jan. 6, 2012) – During a weekend when SHOWTIME® is available in more than 60 million homes as a part of the premium network’s Free Preview Weekend, a pair of lightweights took full advantage by capturing minor titles – and the adoration of fight fans – with impressive, entertaining performances from Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, Calif. Luis Ramos Jr. won a close, 10-round unanimous decision over veteran Raymundo Beltran to take home the World Boxing Association (WBA) Fedelatin Lightweight title. In the opening bout of ShoBox: The New Generation, Omar Figueroa Jr. scored a knockout at the end of six to win the World Boxing Organization (WBO) Intercontinental Youth Lightweight title when Michael Perez told the doctor that he couldn’t continue before the start of the seventh.

Heading into the evening – after being on the losing side of many tight distance fights – Beltran declared, “The judges are my enemies.” Coming out of this evening’s fight, it’s doubtful that his position has changed.

Ramos (21-0, 9 KOs), of Santa Ana, Calif. and Beltran (25-6, 17 KOs), of North Hollywood, Calif. engaged in a crowd-pleasing, 10-round rumble that exemplified aggression and fortitude. The fight included swings in momentum where both fighters landed solid power shots – and demonstrated equally solid chins. But as the scores were announced, Beltran listened with disgust as Fritz Werner awarded the bout to Ramos 96-94 while James Jen Kin and Daniel Sandoval scored the contest 97-93 to make the decision unanimous.

“I was a little nervous about the decision because I knew it was a tough fight,” said Ramos. “[Beltran] was a tough fighter with a great record but I proved that I could hang in there and take punches.”

Nevertheless, the victory was an important step and promising glimpse into Ramos’ future. The 23-year-old showed his mettle and maintained his composure against the rugged Beltran. Ramos sustained a cut above his right eye after a clash of heads in the third session. The younger Ramos fought through adversity, even seeming to fight with more fervor and urgency following the cut.

Said Ramos: “He got me with a few head butts, but the blood didn’t really bother me.”

The two men engaged in many exchanges full of hooks and headshots with Beltran staying busier but Ramos punching more accurately. The SHO Stats compiled by CompuBox listed Beltran as landing 156 of 522 punches to Ramos’ 190 of 418.

As SHOWTIME boxing analyst Steve Farhood said of the fight, “If I had to pick one word: intensity.”

In the night’s opening bout, the first punches thrown on SHOWTIME in 2012 arrived quickly as Perez (15-1-1, 9 KOs), of Newark, N.J. and Figueroa (14-0-1, 11 KOs), of Weslaco, Texas came out swinging at a quick pace. What seemed to be a competitive action fight for the first two rounds turned into a dominant performance for Figueroa as Perez struggled to deal with his constant pressure.

“It was my legs,” said Perez. “I had no power since round two. I’m disappointed.”

Figueroa moved forward throughout the bout, landing combinations and winging power shots to the body. In the end, body blows proved to be the difference as Figueroa outlanded Perez 78 to 48. Before the bell in round six, Figueroa sent a worn Perez back to his corner after connecting with a shot to the midsection that doubled over the Garden State native.  Perez stayed on his feet but never made it back out of his corner.

“I was a little disappointed. I hit him with all my best shots but he didn’t go down,” said Figueroa. “But I was confident. I never thought I was going to lose. I’ve been asking for tough opponents. I wanted to fight the best and I proved I can deal with this and much more.

“[Perez] was a tough opponent but that’s what I’ve been asking for.”

Tonight’s telecast will re-air on Thursday, Jan. 12 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on SHOWTIME EXTREME and be available on SHOWTIME On Demand from Jan. 11 through Jan. 20.

Ramos vs. Beltran and Perez vs. Figueroa was promoted by Golden Boy Promotions, sponsored by Corona, DeWalt Tools and AT&T.

Curt Menefee called the action from ringside with Farhood and Antonio Tarver serving as expert analysts. The executive producer of ShoBox is Gordon Hall with Richard Gaughanproducing and Rick Phillips directing.

ShoBox returns with a championship edition on Friday, Jan. 20 at 11 p.m. on SHOWTIME when Rico Ramos (20-0, 11 KOs) makes the first defense of his WBA Super Bantamweight title against former amateur standout Guillermo Rigondeaux (8-0, 6 KOs). 

SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING kicks off 2012 with the most anticipated rematch of the year. On Saturday, Feb. 11 (9 p.m. ET/PT), former world champions “Vicious” Victor Ortiz (29-3-2, 22 KOs), of Ventura, Calif., and Andre Berto (28-1, 22 KOs), of Winter Haven, Fla., will slug it out one more time after their 2011 bout earned Fight of the Year honors fromUSA Today and The Ring Magazine. 

Announced in tonight’s telecast, Paul “The Punisher” Williams will take on Nobuhiro Ishida on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING on Saturday, Feb. 18 (10 p.m. ET/PT).

Photo: Tom Casino \ SHOWTIME

CABAZON, Calif. (Dec. 31, 2011) – Jermain Taylor and Andre Dirrell made triumphant returns to the ring Friday, both winning by knockout during a special edition of ShoBox: The New Generation on SHOWTIME®.

Taylor (29-4-1, 18 KOs), of Little Rock, Ark., registered an eighth-round knockout over game but outclassed Jessie Nicklow (22-3-3, 8 KOs), of Baltimore, Md., in the main event at Morongo Casino Resort & Spa.

Dirrell (20-1, 14 KOs), of Flint, Mich., scored two knockdowns en route a second-round knockout over Darryl Cunningham (24-3, 10 KOs), of Detroit, in the co-feature.

Taylor was making his first start in 26 months; Dirrell his first in 21.

In the opening bout of the telecast, former Cuban amateur standout Luis “El Leon” Garcia (12-0, 9 KOs) of Cork, Ireland, won his United States debut and dealt southpaw Alexander “The Great” Johnson (12-1, 5 KOs, 1 NC) of Oxon Hill, Md., his first defeat on a lopsided eight-round decision.

Taylor, a former undisputed world middleweight champion, did not drop the much smaller Nicklow and he had a point deducted for a late hit after the bell sounded in the sixth.

But Taylor, making his first start since Oct. 17, 2009, was in total command and well ahead on points (69-63 on all three scorecards after seven completed rounds) when the referee stopped the match 36 seconds into the eighth. Nicklow was adamant that he could have continued but the outcome had long been decided and he had taken a beating.

“I felt a little rusty but as the rounds went by I got more comfortable,’’ Taylor said. “I wanted to try and go in there and have some fun. We’ll see where I go from here. There is no timetable. But I’m not going to walk from it. I’ll fight anybody.’’

Regarding the late hit, Taylor said, “I got a little frustrated with him leading with his head so much, but it is something that will never happen again. I apologize to all my fans. It was very unprofessional of me.’’

Dirrell floored Cunningham two times in the second round before the bout was stopped at 2:05. Dirrell’s first knockdown came from a long left hand, the second from a short right hook.

“I am just so happy to be back,’’ said Dirrell after this first fight since March 27, 2010. “I wanted it to go further, but I felt really good. My hands felt lighter, my feet felt fast. I’d say I fought at about 99.5 percent, which was more than I could ask for.

“Time will tell what I do next, but I’m going to continue to work hard. There is such a small window. I’m 28 years old. I’m just going to continue to push forward.

“But I can finally see the big picture again.’’

Garcia, who recently turned 24, is a boxer you may want to keep an eye on in 2012. Performing with poise, he thoroughly dismantled Johnson, winning every round, even though he, like Taylor and Dirrell, was coming off a lengthy layoff.

“This was my first fight in over 13 months and I was a little rusty but I am happy to get the win and looking forward to fighting again very soon in the states,’’ said Garcia after triumphing by the scores of 80-71 and 80-72 twice. “I promise that I’ll give the fans a much better show next time.’’

Friday’s fights will be available ON DEMAND beginning Monday, Jan. 2.

Curt Menefee called the action from ringside with Steve Farhood and Antonio Tarver serving as expert analysts. The executive producer of ShoBox is Gordon Hall with Richard Gaughan producing and Rick Phillips directing.

Andre Ward came away with the Super Six title in what looked like an easy outing against Carl Froch, but the Olympic gold medalist had to deal with an injured right hand that he eventually broke during the fight.

Dan Rafael of ESPN is reporting that Ward first hurt the hand about a week before the fight and had X-rays done, but no break was revealed. In the sixth round vs. Froch, Ward hurt the hand again and an MRI done on Thursday showed two breaks.

All the details can be read in Rafael's story here.

Photo: Tom Casino/Showtime

NEW YORK (Dec. 13, 2011) – With four days remaining untilthe dramatic conclusion to the Super SixWorld Boxing Classic, finalists and world champions Andre Ward and Carl Froch assembled with their camps at the Edison Ballroom in New York City for the promotion’sfinal press conference before the teams head 100-plus miles down the road toAtlantic City. The Final will air LIVE this Saturday,Dec. 17 on SHOWTIME®(9 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast) from Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J. 

Press traveled from around the country and across the pondto attend today’s press conference, filling the midtown Manhattan venue with writers, photographersand cameramen. Froch arrived more than fashionably late but Ward stayed poisedas usual. Once on stage, the two men agreed that Saturday’s fight isunequivocally the battle for the super middleweight supremacy – but onlittle else.  

Here’s what the principal participants had to sayduring today’s media gathering: 

Andre Ward, WBA Super Middleweight Champion

“This fight should be dubbed, ‘NoExcuses.’ If Carl Froch beats me, there won’t be [any] excuses. Ibeat Carl Froch, there shouldn’t be any excuses. No judges, no referees,no nothing. May the best man win.

“There’s been a lot of talk, too much talk in myopinion. This is my favorite time, when it’s time to get down andshowdown. The fight is a few days away; I love to speak the loudest on thenight of the fight. I love big moments like this. I love big fights like this.Carl Froch is the self-proclaimed best fighter in England. I love it. I want to fightthe best and I want to beat the best. 

“A lot of people keep talking to me about being thefavorite. We’re not the favorite. I still have that chip on my shoulder,but that’s how we prepare. For some reason, there seems to be questionsfrom Froch’s camp and the media about toughness, physicality, things likethat. There’s a sense that I’m looking to squeak by in this fight.You don’t squeak by fights at this level. You take them and that’swhat I plan to do.

“I’m the way that I always am. I’m alwayslike this: firm. It is a few days away from a big fight. But again, just likemy fighting style, people will throw things out there – like I’m a‘nice guy,’ which I am. ‘He’s a family guy,’which I am. And people will get caught up in the press what they read ratherthan looking at me for who I am. I’m a warrior. But people only give thewarrior tag if you get cut every other fight or you’re in a Fight of theYear candidate every other fight. But I’m a warrior and I’m comingto win something and take something. I’ve been away from my family. Thisis the purpose of training camp, to get you in this mode. 

“Lucian Bute needs to fight the winner of this fightto be the best. That’s just the bottom line. No disrespect to Lucian Butebut he’s fought B- and C level competition. He’s done what he wassupposed to; he got them out of there. But it’s like he’spreserving himself, just trying to wait for the winner of this tournament while[Carl and I] have been putting in a lot of hard work. He has to come to us. Wewon’t have to go to him.” 

Carl Froch, WBC Super Middleweight Champion

‘I guarantee you that you will not be disappointedwith what you see on Saturday night. I am in the best shape of my life.It’s as simple as that. I’ve been on the weight now for a couple ofweeks. I feel sharp, strong, confident. Physically and mentally, I could not bein better shape. I know I’m ready and I know that Saturday night is goingto be my night. 

‘I’ll be trying to hit Andre Ward in the face– very hard and very often. Will I be targeting the right eye or left eyeor wherever his cut was? To be totally honest, no. It’s too difficult totarget a square inch on somebody’s cranium. 

‘The delay in the fight did me a favor. My trainer,Robert McCracken, also has a great responsibility with the Great Britain amateur boxing teampreparing for the 2012 Olympics. He would have had to leave camp for a bit butnow it’s a non-issue. 

“Lucian Bute isn’t even in the discussion. Iknow he’s the IBF champion but the two names on his record are BrianMagee and Glen Johnson, that’s it. He lost to a guy named LibradoAndrade. He actually got KO’d. The referee picked him up off the floor,washed his windshield 40 seconds later and the bell was rung and he won onpoints. But in my opinion, he was knocked out. Lucian Bute needs to fight someof the top level people before he can call himself the best or in the top threein the world.”  

Dan Goossen, Goossen Tutor Promotions

“Every fight is a different level for Andre Ward. TheAmerican public will recognize his face, his faith, his clean life, his familylife, loyalty and a viciousness inside the ring that I believe is second tonone. It’s been an honor to see him get the gold medal for America.On Saturday night, it will be an honor to see him lift that cup above his head.We have a lot of respect for Carl Froch but the best is yet to come for Andre Ward. 

“Thanks to SHOWTIME. I felt this tournament has been awhole different direction for boxing, one that can’t be accomplished thatoften because I don’t believe it’s an easy task to get six of thebest fighters in any one division to pre-agree to fight one another in acontinual tournament – win, lose or draw.” 

Eddie Hearn, Matchroom Sport

“I want to thank SHOWTIME for, without a doubt, themost groundbreaking boxing experience of all time. I wish we could have this inevery division. Eliminate the politics and just let the best fight the bestevery time. These two guys, you can’t take your hat off to them enough.They’re the last two standing from a world class field and you have togive respect to both guys. When you take off your vests and you take off yourhead guards from the amateurs, you dream of nights like this Saturday.It’s what boxing is all about: two of the most prestigious belts inboxing on the line, the Super Six Cup and the RING magazine belt.  

“There are not many places I’d less like to bethan in the ring with Carl Froch this Saturday night. He’s hungry.He’s stubborn. He’s motivated. He’s got the backing of ourteam. He’s got the backing of his family. He’s got the backing ofthe whole of Britainbehind him. He’s Britain’sNo. 1 fighter, without a doubt. And now we’re looking to do a job. Thisis chance to go out and dominate boxing, not just in Britain but in the world. This is afight between two of the best super middleweights to become the best supermiddleweight in the world. And it’s not often in sport you have anopportunity like that.” 

Virgil Hunter, Ward’s Trainer

“This is a fabulous event going on between two great gladiators.We’re definitely proud to be a part of it. I never doubted that CarlFroch would be that type of opponent [who won’t quit]. We’ve gotour bags packed for the ride Carl’s going to take us on. He’s gothis bag packed. He’s got his camera. He’s got all of hissightseeing things in his suitcase and he’s prepared to go along on thatride – and go places that he’s never been before. And, I think,that as he goes along on the ride, he’ll recognize that the terrain isvery familiar to him. Andre has been there before. So I look for a great fightand anything that arises within it.” 

Robert McCracken, Froch’s Trainer

“Carl’s got a great résumé. He’s foughtthe best fighters on the planet. He’s a real winner. Obviously, he’sgot another big fight with Andre Ward, who is a real good fighter. Youcan’t get to The Final of this tournament without being a really goodfighter. But Carl Froch is a different kind of fighter; he’s a realprizefighter. A couple of the other fighters [Ward’s] fought recentlystopped fighting halfway through the fight when they realized theyweren’t going to win. They went into survival mode. I can guarantee youthat Carl will fight the fight and he will fight until the bitter end.”  

Chris DeBlasio, Vice President of SportsCommunications, Showtime Networks Inc.

“The Super Six World Boxing Classic has delivered themost important divisional matchups at 168 pounds. It has accelerated the paceat which these fighters would face the top opposition. It’s dispelled thenotion that one loss on a fighter’s résumé could sidetrack his career.And it’s allowed you all in the press, and fans around the world, tosustain conversation about these boxers – both inside and outside thering, when they were fighting and when they weren’t – as theyprogressed through the gauntlet that is the Super Six. It’s provided asteady diet of compelling matchups for fans and it has led to arguably the mostsignificant fight in the history of the division, a fight between the No. 1 rankedand the No. 2 rank super middleweights in the world.”  

The event is promoted by Goossen Tutor Promotions, MatchroomSport and Antonio Leonard Promotions, in association with Caesars AtlanticCity and sponsored by Corona.

By Steve Cummings

Miguel Cotto defended his WBA junior middleweight title while avenging a brutal loss with a TKO10 over Antonio Margarito Saturday night. Cotto (37-2, 30 KO's) thrilled the Madison Square Garden crowd and blew up Margarito's right eye, which forced the ring doctor to stop the fight at :03 of the 10th round.

Margarito (38-8, 27 KO's) handed Cotto his first career loss back in 2008 with a vicious 11th round TKO but was caught in a cloud of suspicion in his next fight when Shane Mosely's camp caught him with plaster in his wraps. The revelation cast doubt on Margarito's punishing win over Cotto, which set the stage for Saturday's rematch.

The right eye of Margarito was badly damaged in his last fight against Manny Pacquaio, a unanimous decision loss for the Tijuana fighter. Cotto went to work on that eye and had it closed by the seventh round.

At the time of the stoppage Cotto held and advantage of 89-82 on all three judges' scorecards.

Cotto continues his impressive career with his only two losses coming at the hands of Margarito and Pacquaio, the first loss now avenged. Margarito, with suspicions still lingering over his wins prior to the Mosely fight, has now lost three of his last four outings.

By Steve Cummings

Saul "Canelo" Alvarez succesfully defended his WBC junior middleweight title with a fifth-round stoppage of Kermit Cintron in Mexico City Saturday night. Alvarez (39-0-1, 29 KO's) predictably landed the heavier shots as he overpowered the veteran Cintron.

Official time of the stoppage was 2:53 of round five.

The bout started slowly but Alvarez turned up the heat in the fourth when he landed a right hand to the jaw that sent the challenger to a kneeling position in the corner. Cintron (33-5-1, 28 KO's) beat the count but never seemed to regain his balance after that. The round ended with Cintron badly dazed and bleeding from the nose as he was held up by the ropes. It was all the former IBF welterweight champion could do to get back to his corner.

Surprisingly, Cintron got off some powerful shots in the fifth but they didn't do any damage to the 21-year old prodigy. Alvarez let  his hands go and hurt Cintron badly against the ropes near the end of the round. Referee Hector Afu waved off the bout.

The Canelo Alvarez magic was on display, whether or not Cintron was much of a live opponent. Cintron is definitely on the down side of his career and has now lost three of his last four fights, but the speed and power of the youngster were very impressive. Alvarez has fight-changing power in both hands and he carries himself very calmly while looking for an opening to unload.

Alvarez is young in age, but very experienced with 40 pro fights under his belt at 21. His thick frame hints at a future above 154. A dream match with WBC middleweight champ Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. is one of many interesting possibilities.

By Steve Cummings

Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. made the first defense of his WBC middleweight title a succesful one with a fifth-round TKO over Peter Manfredo Jr. Saturday night. Chavez (44-0-1, 31 KO's) was weathering an uprising from Manfredo when he landed a solid right hand that hurt the challenger to set up the end.

Official time of the stoppage was 1:52 of round five.

The fight started slow but Chavez came out pressing the action in round two. The champion's punches were heavier, though Manfredo (37-7, 20 KO's) wasn't in any trouble.

The third round followed the same pattern with Manfredo seemingly not able to get an offense going.

Round four saw Manfredo step up his attack and get Chavez on the defensive. The challenger let his hands go and got things going in his favor while Chavez fought defensively.

Round five started off as a continuation of Manfredo's succesful charge, but the heavy-handed Chavez landed a right to the head that changed things instantly. Manfredo staggered back to the ropes and Chavez went to work like a true finisher. A flurry of punches went unanswered and referee Laurence Cole stepped in to wave off the fight.

Manny Pacquaio struggled and went the distance with Juan Manuel Marquez for the third time and emerged with a majority decision victory Saturday night. Pacquiao got hit cleanly often and struggled to get his offense going against the 38-year old Marquez, who fought a brilliant fight based on his impeccable counter-punching skills.

If you watched the fight live or followed along on the internet, everybody but the HBO announcing crew had it a very close fight with the edge to Marquez. One judge inexplicably gave Pacquaio eight rounds while another game him seven. The third judge had it a draw. Thus, Pacquaio took home the majority decision victory.

Marquez didn't run Pacquaio out of the ring. Many rounds were very close. This wasn't the worst robbery that this colorful sport has perpetrated.

But it was pretty bad.

What in the hell does Juan Manuel Marquez have to do to get a decision over Manny Pacquaio? Not fight him with a Pac-Mayweather fight in the balance?

This fight was different than their first two. The buzzsaw offense of Pacquaio was stalled. He didn't know quite what to do for long stretches of this fight. Marquez countered him effectively with clean shots.

Yes, Manny came forward throughout. But judges are supposed to ....well...judge. The more effective shots should carry the day. They didn't. The prospective Pacquaio-Mayweather superfight did, instead.Manny finished on his feet, so he got the nod.

Sad.

Check out some other observations of this decision:

Dan Wetzel of Yahoo! Sports

Pedro Fernandez of Ringtalk.com

Gabriel Montoya of MaxBoxing.com