To some, it might sound like the wrong decision. Why would Kovalev agree to go to Cleverly’s home country of Wales on Aug. 17 to face a titleholder in his prime rather than stay in the United States, where the Russian Kovalev is now based, and face the 48-year-old Hopkins, who can’t defy Father Time forever and who is a much bigger name than Cleverly ever will be?

It was a calculated move, to be sure. Most significantly, Kovalev wanted a title shot as soon as possible, no waiting. He will get Cleverly on Aug. 17 and it will come on HBO, which is infatuated with Kovalev and wanted him on the air ASAP.

Also, had Kovalev pressed for the mandatory with Hopkins, there was no guarantee he would get the fight, because Hopkins’ promoter (Golden Boy) was also eyeing Cleverly. If Kovalev turned down the deal for Cleverly, Golden Boy was ready to swoop in and make a deal for Hopkins to face him in a fight that Showtime surely would have bought.

It would mean Hopkins forfeiting his version of the title, but that wouldn’t be so bad because he would be fighting for Cleverly’s belt — meaning as long as Hopkins won, he would still have a title.

If that scenario unfolded, Kovalev would still have fought for the vacant belt that Hopkins dumped, but he wanted to win a title against a reigning titleholder. Besides, there’s no telling who he would end up facing or how long it would have taken for the vacant title fight to be scheduled given the purse bid process that might have unfolded.

Not insignificantly, for whatever reason, neither HBO nor Showtime wanted to buy Hopkins-Kovalev, which would have made it hard to place the fight for the kind of money each side would expect. HBO won’t do business with Golden Boy, and I believe that Showtime had no interest in putting on Kovalev just to build him up and then watch him go to rival HBO in the event he won.

Therefore, Kovalev and promoter Main Events took the sure and immediate title shot with Cleverly.

Here’s how Main Events promoter Kathy Duva explained it to me:

“[Kovalev] accepted the challenge to go to Wales and fight Cleverly in his hometown because that simply was his shortest route to a world title. Kudos to him for that. I realize that there are those who believe that Sergey is passing up an opportunity to fight Bernard Hopkins. But I was well aware that Golden Boy was also pursuing a Cleverly fight. While Bernard made statements earlier in the week about respecting his mandatory, he always couched those statements with qualifiers.

“If you listen carefully, what he was saying was that he would respect his mandatory obligation and fight Kovalev if he had no other alternative. But if Sergey had passed on Cleverly, Hopkins would have had an alternative — which was to fight Cleverly for the WBO title. Again, Sergey did not want to wait around for months, only to end up fighting for a vacant title. And if Bernard really wants to fight Sergey, he can still do it. We will be very happy to accommodate him later this year when they are both champions and Hopkins-Kovalev will be a much, much bigger fight.”

Article source: http://espn.go.com/blog/dan-rafael/post/_/id/4464/what-was-kovalevs-rationale

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• Broner Wins Welterweight Title
  

  Broner Wins Welterweight Title

• Mitchell Avenges Loss To Banks
  

  Mitchell Avenges Loss To Banks

• Malignaggi: ‘I Feel I Won The Fight’
  

  Malignaggi: ‘I Feel I Won The Fight’

• Broner Wins On The Road
  

  Broner Wins On The Road

NEW YORK — Adrien Broner was the bigger talker and the bigger puncher Saturday night, scoring enough hard blows to beat hometown hero Paulie Malignaggi in a 12-round split decision and take Malignaggi’s welterweight title.

Fighting for the first time at 147 pounds after moving up from lightweight, Broner had enough power to overcome a gritty fight by Malignaggi and remain unbeaten in 27 fights. He won his third title in as many weight classes while cementing his reputation as one of the rising stars in boxing.

With Floyd Mayweather Jr. watching from ringside, Broner talked throughout the fight to Malignaggi, who was plenty game but wasn’t able to keep Broner off of him. Broner was unable to knock Malignaggi down, but won round after round to take the decision in the fight at Barclays Center.

Rafael: Broner’s Got The Power

Things got ugly between Adrien Broner and Paulie Malignaggi before and after the fight, but the bout itself was a treat, Dan Rafael writes. Story

Broner had talked plenty before the fight, too, promising to knock Malignaggi out. He wasn’t able to do that, but scored enough with lead right hands and left hooks to dominate the fight from the middle rounds on.

Despite that, one ringside judge had Malignaggi winning 115-113 while Broner was favored 115-113 by a second judge and 117-111 by a third. The Associated Press had Broner winning 117-111.

“He’s a world class fighter,” Broner said. “To come to somebody’s hometown and beat them on a split decision, that’s saying something.”

Malignaggi did plenty of trash talking before the fight himself, and taunted Broner several times during the fight. But while he landed a lot of punches, none of them seemed to have much effect on Broner, who kept pressing the attack throughout the bout.

“He couldn’t hit me. He couldn’t hit me,” Broner said. “He was shadowboxing.”

Malignaggi fought bravely and he fought hard, trying desperately to find a way to win before his hometown fans. But even though Broner was moving up two weight classes he was bigger than Malignaggi and, more importantly much stronger.

After allowing Malignaggi to take the first few rounds with his speed and precision, Broner began walking him down and landing some thudding punches. By the middle rounds he was hurting Malignaggi to the body, though after taking a body punch in the sixth round Malignaggi stuck his tongue out at Broner to taunt him.

“He worked for about 30 seconds every round,” Malignaggi said. “This was a close fight. I don’t mind if you had him winning close or me winning close, it was that kind of a fight.”

Malignaggi, who works as a commentator for Showtime network fights, complained afterward that the loss was due to boxing politics.

“I’m not saying it was fixed, but it’s always the more connected fighter who gets the decision,” Malignaggi said.

Ringside punch stats showed Broner landing 246 of 524 punches while Malignaggi landed 214 of 843. But while Malignaggi was the busier fighter, Broner landed punches that seemed to score a lot more heavily.

Broner improved to 27-0 with 22 knockouts while Malignaggi fell to 32-5.

In another fight, heavyweight Seth Mitchell avenged his knockout defeat to Johnathon Banks, though he was far from impressive in doing so.

Mitchell, a former linebacker at Michigan State, knocked Banks down in the second round and did enough to win rounds after that. He ended up taking a unanimous 12-round decision in a fight that was heartily booed by the crowd at Barclays Center for a lack of action.

“I used patience and distance,” Mitchell said. “I was ready to go the 12 rounds and use my stamina.”

Banks stopped Mitchell in the second round of their first fight last November, but didn’t seem interested in pushing the action in the rematch. Though he hurt Mitchell with a flurry of punches in the third round and scored well in the fourth, he threw only occasional punches in a cautious effort the rest of the way.

“I gave it all I could,” Banks said. “I did as much as I could but I wasn’t able to take advantage this time.”

Mitchell was fighting just two weeks after his wife gave birth to a stillborn son.

Copyright 2013 by The Associated Press

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Article source: http://espn.go.com/boxing/story/_/id/9414235/adrien-broner-wins-welterweight-title-paulie-malignaggi-split-decision

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That he did. But the WBA welterweight champ has to be content with a moral victory, because the judges at Barclays Center gave Broner a split-decision win.

Malignaggi boxed super smart and out-threw the Cincy boxer 843 to 524. But Broner had a power edge, 418-376, and Broner’s right hand and left hook, which snapped Malignaggi’s head back and sprayed his sweat into the lights, delighted two of the three judges.

Judge Tom Miller saw it for the Brooklyner 115-113, while judge Glenn Feldman saw it 115-113 for Broner and judge Tom Schreck saw it 117-111 for Broner.

Broner said after that Malignaggi ran, but that wasn’t my perception. The first part of the night, Paulie moved a bunch, but later he stayed in tight and did work in close. He worked to the body, to the chest, and his defense I think was tougher for Broner than he had envisioned.

Paulie ranted that he thinks this was the usual political B.S. that infects boxing and that Broner got the nod because he is with influential adviser Al Haymon.

There were 11,461 fans in attendance.

Promoter Richard Schaefer said after that he’d consider putting Broner in with Marcos Maidana. How about a rematch? Schaefer indicated maybe at least an interim fight for each first.

“If Paulie had some power, it could have been a difficult fight for Adrien,” he said.

Article source: http://espn.go.com/blog/new-york/boxing/post/_/id/4177/broner-beats-malignaggi-via-split-decision

By far the biggest problem David Tua faces in his heavyweight fight against Russian Alexander Ustinov on August 31 is the size of his 2.03m, 136kg adversary.

It might have been his second biggest problem had he not retained the services of crack trainer Lee Parore. Tua is, from all accounts, on the way back to a fitness level needed to take on such an opponent.

If Tua (even at 40) can get back somewhere near the fitness of that halcyon day when he quickly and demonstrably demolished Shane Cameron, the dimensions of his opponent mean less.

Cameron is at the smaller end of the heavyweight scale. Ustinov isn’t. He is enormous – ranked seventh in the world by the IBF and 10th by the WBA.

He is from K2, the boxing company owned by Klitschko brothers Wladimir and Vitali, the two heavyweights who have stood astride the division for many years, almost rendering it lifeless as they have seen off all comers, credible and otherwise. Their rule has meant heavyweight boxing at the top level has often become predictable.

There lies Tua’s strength. He would be a challenger from off the charts. All he has to do to have the possibility of a title shot is beat Ustinov.

That’s all?

Ustinov has had 28 fights (21 knock-outs) to one loss – to well-performed Bulgarian fighter Kubrat Pulev who is the No1 IBF challenger and highly rated by the WBC and WBO.

Ustinov has also beaten Tua’s latter-day nemesis, the lanky US heavyweight Monte Barrett – against whom Tua has a no-win record with a draw and a loss. Ustinov is a man-mountain and Tua has often had problems with taller heavyweights.

Some may scoff at the idea of another Tua comeback. He is 40 and his last appearances in the ring saw him knocked down for the first time in his career in his first fight with Barrett in 2010; a bout he was lucky to draw.

Then, at the rematch, a sluggish and clearly unfit Tua failed to knock Barrett out as he slipped to a points defeat in 2011.

It looked like the end. Pictures were published of a Tua who had ballooned in weight. He didn’t commit to the R word (retirement) but others consigned him there.

Barrett was of a type who had given Tua problems before – tall, with a long reach and the ability to move and slip punches. Barrett was also nearing the end of his career. Now 41, his last fight was a year ago when he lost to Shane Cameron. Tua has lost to other boxers of similar style – notably his one world title fight against Lennox Lewis in 2000.
However, David Higgins, of fight promoters Duco, said: “I think a lot of people will make the mistake of thinking that Ustinov is tall, like Lennox Lewis and look what Lewis [1.96m] did to Tua. But just because he is tall doesn’t mean Ustinov has the skills of a Lennox Lewis. Tua went 12 rounds with Lewis – he didn’t knock him out and David gave him one or two frights.”

Having said that, Higgins made it clear that Ustinov is no Nikolay Valuev – the 2.11m, 150kg giant who became the biggest champion in boxing history when he won the WBA title in 2007. However, the massive but slow Valuev was no artist in the ring; he retired in 2009 after being outpointed by Britain’s David Haye – a much smaller (1.91m, 95kg) fighter who gave him a bit of a boxing lesson. Haye then lost the title to Wladimir Klitschko (who also has the IBF and WBO crowns; the WBC title belongs to Vitali).

“Ustinov is also a kickboxer and mixed martial arts fighter,” says Higgins. “You need some snap and some flexibility to be a kickboxer. He’s not a lumbering oaf or anything like that. He has good co-ordination and both these guys have real knockout power.”

However, Ustinov was widely panned for his loss to Pulev, with the much sharper Bulgarian winning all rounds before an 11th-round knockout against a fighter reckoned not to have Pulev’s movement or ringcraft. Ustinov, however, wobbled Pulev in the seventh round with a big punch.

It should also not be forgotten that Tua has lost only four times in a 58-fight career – to Barrett, Lewis, the highly skilful fast-hands fighter Chris Byrd (who beat Evander Holyfield, Vitali Klitschko and went 12 rounds with Wladimir), and that legendary all-in 1997 brawl with Nigerian Ike Ibeabuchi, who could have gone much further had mental and personal problems not derailed his career.

That is a record any boxer would be proud of and the key to Tua’s comeback this time will be whether he is in the right mental and physical shape to do some damage. Against Barrett, Tua seemed to have lost some firepower. That raging left hook seemed to have faded.

Higgins said: “Don’t worry, David’s last act in the ring was to break Barrett’s jaw. Barrett told us later that it one of the hardest punches he’d ever had to wear – and it fractured his face in several places. Have a look at some of the champions David has knocked over when he has been fit and focused: Michael Moorer, John Ruiz, Oleg Maskaev. Tua storms out there and pulls the trigger.”

By Paul Lewis Email Paul

Article source: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=10892309

By Thomas Gerbasi

Barclays Center, Brooklyn – The fourth time was the charm for veteran Sakio Bika, as he outlasted Marco Antonio Periban for the vacant WBC super middleweight title, winning a 12 round majority decision to become a world champion after three failed tries against Joe Calzaghe, Lucian Bute, and Andre Ward.

“It means a lot,” said Bika. “He was a very tough guy. I respect him.”

Scores were 116-112, 115-113, and 114-114 for Bika, now 32-5-2 with 21 KOs; Periban suffers his first pro defeat, falling to 20-1 with 13 KOs.

Periban was a true ring general in the first round, with a stiff jab, effective movement, and solid defense keeping Bika from getting into any sort of rhythm. The Cameroon native began to get closer in the second round though, and the fact that Periban’s punches were apparently not hurting him didn’t bode well for the Mexican’s future success.

A couple thudding rights from Bika drew a reaction from the crowd in the third, but it didn’t nullify the seemingly endless array of jabs coming back at him from Periban.

An apparent knockdown by Periban in the fourth was wisely waved off by referee Harvey Dock as a slip, but the sequence seemed to light a fire under both men, as the exchanges heated up, with Bika holding a slight edge in the firefights.

Bika saw a knockdown of his own fall by the wayside himself in round five after the two got their feet tangled, but it didn’t deter the Australian, as his workrate increased while Periban’s sagged slightly. Periban got back on track in the sixth though, and he had seemed to find an answer to the riddle of Bika’s wild swinging style, setting the stage for a heated second half to the fight.

A third slip to the mat, this one Periban’s, punctuated a seventh round in which Bika’s late pressure and wild haymakers looked to be bothering the Mexican after he dominated much of the stanza.

The latter part of round eight got the fans roaring, with the aftermath of a stoppage to check a headbutt-induced cut on Periban’s head producing some vicious exchanges that saw Bika land flush repeatedly, only to see Periban still standing and firing back.

In the ninth, the two picked up where they left off in round eight, leaving defense at the door as they swung for the fences. And while Periban’s iron chin was impressive, he was also letting Bika tee off on it too much, allowing the Aussie to make an impression on the judges.

The tenth was a close one, with a late surge by Periban perhaps allowing him to get the nod for it on the scorecards.

Headbutts continued to be an issue in the fight as it wound down, with Bika emerging from a clash of heads in round 11 with a cut over his left eye. It didn’t alter his brawling game plan, but it was Periban’s more disciplined boxing that kept him ahead of his opponent.

With the bout still close, Bika and Periban decided that winning a world title was more important than defense, and both teed off on each other in the final round. With a minute left, the crowd got on their feet, and just when Bika seemed to be surging ahead, Periban would fire back, and then the pattern would repeat in reverse, putting an exclamation mark on a true championship fight.

Tags: Sakio Bika , Marco Antonio Periban , Bika vs. Periban , Bika-Periban

Article source: http://www.boxingscene.com/sakio-bika-decisions-periban-capture-wbc-title--66916

By Thomas Gerbasi

BROOKLYN – Paulie Malignaggi was a “Problem” for Adrien Broner, that much was made clear over the course of their WBA welterweight championship bout Saturday night at Barclays Center. Not enough of a problem to beat the Cincinnati phenom, but enough that Broner’s 12 round unanimous decision wasn’t as dazzling as the gold shorts he wore in the ring.

But a win’s a win, and Broner’s was a clear one, despite the split verdict of 117-111, 115-113, and 113-115, as he added the 147-pound title to his championships at 130 and 135 pounds, making it another big night for the 23-year-old, despite the fact that the underrated Malignaggi was a prohibitive underdog heading into the fight.

Malignaggi wasn’t going to lose big in his hometown of Brooklyn though, and he may have silenced a few critics in the process, presenting a style Broner had yet to see in the ring.

The “Paulie” chants started as soon as the bell rang, but Broner met them stone-faced as Malignaggi tried to work his jab. Content to stand in the pocket and potshot, it was Broner who was on target first with two stiff lefts that reddened the champion’s face. Malignaggi stayed busy to the bell, even though most of his shots landed on his foe’s arms.

Broner began to stalk in the second round, leaving him open for incoming fire, but the fire coming in wasn’t bothering him. Malignaggi wasn’t shying away from exchanges, sending in overhand rights with abandon while also digging to the body. Broner’s response came in the form of some trash talking and a couple rights of his own, but his frustration with Malignaggi became evident when the two tied up and Broner kneed the Brooklynite, drawing a stern warning from referee Benjy Esteves.

Keeping his offensive output to his fists, Broner tagged Malignaggi hard in the opening minute of the third round, but the champion shook the shots off and showboated before getting off the ropes and back to his busy body attack. Broner’s harder and more accurate shots were starting to add up as the round progressed though, giving him the frame.

Malignaggi continued to set a fast pace in the fourth, throwing punches in bunches that were point scorers, even if not intended to end the fight. Broner, on the other hand, was looking for a finisher. Malignaggi just wasn’t giving it to him.

In round five, Broner was on target with both hands, sending sweat flying from Malignaggi’s head as the crowd tried to rally their hero. And it worked, as Malignaggi fired back in the final minute and again made Broner lose his cool, as the Cincinnati native teed off with an elbow. It was “The Problem” with the last word though, thanks to a big right hand just before the bell.

Midway through the sixth, Broner scored with a thudding shot to the body, but Malignaggi shook it off. The series of right hands that followed weren’t as easy to dismiss, making it the challenger’s biggest round of the fight thus far.

The seventh round featured some crowd-pleasing back and forth exchanges between the two combatants, with Broner’s harder shots giving him the edge, but Malignaggi unwilling to give ground.

Starting busier than he had previously, Broner stepped on the gas in the eighth and ninth, seemingly looking to close the show. And though the Ohio native won the rounds, again it was Malignaggi staying in the fight and continuing to fire back, even though his lack of power was keeping victory at arm’s length.

Malignaggi outworked Broner in the 10th round, bringing the crowd back into the fight, and he stayed busy in the championship rounds, even though the harder, flush blows were delivered by Broner, who picked up another title belt for his collection, but not without getting a fight in the process.

With the win, Broner improves to 27-0 with 22 KOs and 1 NC; Malignaggi falls to 32-5 with 7 KOs.

Seth Mitchell may have gotten even with Johnathan Banks in their heavyweight rematch, avenging his November 2012 defeat to the Detroiter, but this was probably not the way he wanted to win, taking a less than scintillating unanimous decision in a 12 rounder that was met with boos from start to finish.

Scores were 115-112, 117-109, and 114-112 in the NABO and WBC International heavyweight title fight.

After the wild-swinging intensity of the previous bout between Sakio Bika and Marco Antonio Periban, the fans at Barclays Center booed the tentative start to the heavyweight bout almost immediately, but neither fighter was willing to take too many chances in that first round no matter what anyone thought.

There was little change to the pace for most of the second round, drawing boos again, but with less than a minute left, Mitchell scored a questionable knockdown from what appeared to be a right to the back of the head. Banks, unhurt, protested and rose quickly, but there would be no change of the call from referee Mike Ortega.

Mitchell got off some good shots in the third, but it was Banks that went back to the corner with the better outlook on the fight after rocking his foe repeatedly in the final minute, with only the bell apparently keeping Mitchell from a trip to the canvas.

Maryland’s Mitchell got himself back in the fight in round four, even taking a couple hard shots well without flinching, but his punch output was doing nothing to deter Banks from moving forward throughout. That changed in the fifth, as Mitchell was able to corner Banks and tee off with a few power shots, drawing oohs from the crowd with each swing. By now, Mitchell seemed to have his legs and his swagger back, even as Banks looked to lower the boom once more.

What was expected to be a war had ultimately turned into a war of nerves in round six, with neither fighter willing to let their hands go, and round seven was no better outside of two right hands landed by Mitchell.

A fight briefly (very briefly) broke out in the eighth, with Banks getting the better of the exchanges as he showed signs of life for the first time in a few rounds. At this point, you had to wonder what Banks’ late great trainer Emanuel Steward would have been telling his charge. Most likely it wouldn’t have been fit for mixed company, but it might have done the trick to get Banks to unleash his shots on Mitchell’s shaky beard.

In round nine, Mitchell pressed the action at close range, and while he wasn’t hurting Banks, he was doing something, likely earning him the round.

Nothing of note occurred in round ten, a sadly recurring theme throughout the bout, and even the boo birds took the frame off before returning in force late in the 11th and 12th rounds. As for the fighters, Mitchell marched forward and jabbed as Banks periodically fired back, landing few meaningful shots, making that the story of one of the most disappointing heavyweight fights of recent years. And that’s saying a lot.

With the win, Mitchell moves to 26-1-1 with 19 KOs; Banks, who knocked Mitchell out in two rounds in their first bout, falls to 29-2-1 with 19 KOs.

The fourth time was the charm for veteran Sakio Bika, as he outlasted Marco Antonio Periban for the vacant WBC super middleweight title, winning a 12 round majority decision to become a world champion after three failed tries against Joe Calzaghe, Lucian Bute, and Andre Ward.

“It means a lot,” said Bika. “He was a very tough guy. I respect him.”

Scores were 116-112, 115-113, and 114-114 for Bika, now 32-5-2 with 21 KOs; Periban suffers his first pro defeat, falling to 20-1 with 13 KOs.

Periban was a true ring general in the first round, with a stiff jab, effective movement, and solid defense keeping Bika from getting into any sort of rhythm. The Cameroon native began to get closer in the second round though, and the fact that Periban’s punches were apparently not hurting him didn’t bode well for the Mexican’s future success.

A couple thudding rights from Bika drew a reaction from the crowd in the third, but it didn’t nullify the seemingly endless array of jabs coming back at him from Periban.

An apparent knockdown by Periban in the fourth was wisely waved off by referee Harvey Dock as a slip, but the sequence seemed to light a fire under both men, as the exchanges heated up, with Bika holding a slight edge in the firefights.

Bika saw a knockdown of his own fall by the wayside himself in round five after the two got their feet tangled, but it didn’t deter the Australian, as his workrate increased while Periban’s sagged slightly. Periban got back on track in the sixth though, and he had seemed to find an answer to the riddle of Bika’s wild swinging style, setting the stage for a heated second half to the fight.

A third slip to the mat, this one Periban’s, punctuated a seventh round in which Bika’s late pressure and wild haymakers looked to be bothering the Mexican after he dominated much of the stanza.

The latter part of round eight got the fans roaring, with the aftermath of a stoppage to check a headbutt-induced cut on Periban’s head producing some vicious exchanges that saw Bika land flush repeatedly, only to see Periban still standing and firing back.

In the ninth, the two picked up where they left off in round eight, leaving defense at the door as they swung for the fences. And while Periban’s iron chin was impressive, he was also letting Bika tee off on it too much, allowing the Aussie to make an impression on the judges.

The tenth was a close one, with a late surge by Periban perhaps allowing him to get the nod for it on the scorecards.

Headbutts continued to be an issue in the fight as it wound down, with Bika emerging from a clash of heads in round 11 with a cut over his left eye. It didn’t alter his brawling game plan, but it was Periban’s more disciplined boxing that kept him ahead of his opponent.

With the bout still close, Bika and Periban decided that winning a world title was more important than defense, and both teed off on each other in the final round. With a minute left, the crowd got on their feet, and just when Bika seemed to be surging ahead, Periban would fire back, and then the pattern would repeat in reverse, putting an exclamation mark on a true championship fight.

Three-time United States Olympian Rau’Shee Warren kept his unbeaten slate intact in bantamweight action with an impressive second round TKO of Puerto Rico’s Jovany Fuentes.

What looked to be a competitive bout on paper quickly unraveled when it was revealed that Fuentes couldn’t get out of the way of Warren’s fast and accurate straight left. Two first round knockdowns for Warren resulted, but Fuentes was able to make it to the bell. A third left hand-induced knockdown followed early in round two though, and Fuentes’ corner had seen enough, calling for a stoppage 1:04 into the frame.

Warren ups his record to 13-0 with 3 KOs; Fuentes drops to 5-2 with 4 KOs.

Early on in their junior middleweight bout, former world champion Joachim Alcine looked to be no match for unbeaten young gun Julian Williams. But despite suffering three knockdowns, Alcine gave Williams a tough go before losing an eight round unanimous decision.

Scores were 77-72 across the board for Williams, now 13-0-1 with 7 KOs. Alcine, who has now lost four of his last six, falls to 33-5-1 with 19 KOs.

Dropped in the opening minute by an unrelenting barrage of power shots, Alcine seemed destined not to make it out of the first round, but the veteran survived and even showed signs of life in the second and third stanzas with some good work at close range as Williams took his foot off the gas and fought at a pace that favored the 37-year-old Haiti native.

A left hook on the break with a minute left in the fourth round changed the complexion of the fight, as Alcine hit the deck and then looked dazed as the bout resumed after a short break. A series of shots that began with another left hook – this time a legal one – put Alcine on the canvas again, but he made it through the round.

A single left hook sent Alcine to the canvas hard early in the fifth, and though the veteran rose, there were calls from the crowd for the fight to be stopped. Alcine would fight back, showing that he still wanted to be there, and he even outworked Williams throughout the rest of the round.

Round six was fought primarily on the inside, with Williams pulling ahead late in the frame after several heated exchanges at close quarters, and the same could be said for the seventh, with a strong Alcine round nullified by some flush power punching by Williams just before the bell.

Based on his performance in the final frame, Alcine probably wished he had another two rounds, as he rocked Williams with a flush shot to the face and again outworked the 23-year-old, garnering a well-earned positive reaction from the crowd as the fight concluded.

Staten Island’s Marcus Browne, a member of the 2012 United States Olympic team, remained unbeaten with a one-sided second round TKO of Mexico’s Ricardo Campillo.

Browne toyed with Campillo from the opening bell, with a straight left sending the Obregon native to the canvas a little over a minute into the first round. In the second, Browne lowered the boom, first hurting Campillo with a body shot and then putting him down with a three punch combination. Campillo gamely rose, but his corner had seen enough, with the fight being called at the 1:00 mark of round two.

Browne ups his record to 5-0 with 5 KOs; Campillo falls to 7-7-1 with 5 KOs.

Brooklynite Juan Dominguez made short work of Brad Patraw in their junior featherweight bout, knocking the Minnesotan out in just 96 seconds.

Patraw came out with an awkward style reminiscent of one of his cornerman, former contender Jason Litzau, but it only too Dominguez around a minute to figure it out, and after hurting Patraw with a left hook to the head, he finished the job moments later with a left hook to the body that produced a ten count from referee Ricky Gonzalez at the 1:36 mark.

With the win, Dominguez improves to 15-0 with 11 KOs; Patraw falls to 9-6 with 5 KOs.

Popular Brooklyn junior middleweight Frank Galarza remained unbeaten, upping his record to 10-0-2 (6 KOs) with a fourth round stoppage of Romon Barber.

Barber (4-5, 3 KOs) gave as good as he got in the first round, and often better than the favored Galarza, and the Kansas product’s success continued into the early part of round two. Yet by the second half of the round, Barber’s conditioning began to betray him and Galarza took advantage with accurate shots to the body and head.

A low blow by Galarza at the midway point of the third brought a brief halt to the action, and when the fight resumed, Barber got a brief second wind. It was Galarza finishing strong though and putting the round in the bank.

Galarza’s patient body attack paid off in the fourth stanza, with a steady barrage of shots downstairs finally forcing Barber to take a knee. Once he did, referee Earl Brown called the fight off, with the end coming at 1:54 of round four.

Toledo, Ohio lightweight Robert Easter Jr. upped his perfect record to 5-0 with five knockouts after a one-sided thrashing of game, but overmatched Antoine Knight.

Easter made every effort to get Knight (2-4, 1 KO) out of there in the first round, and he almost did, sending the Indiana native to the deck with a right hand in the final 40 seconds. Knight made it to his feet, but he only prolonged the inevitable, as the body attack and laser-like right hand of Easter brought on a third round visit to the doctor, who recommended the stoppage of the fight at 1:46 of the round.

2012 United States Olympian Jamel Herring got the night of action at Barclays Center started with a workmanlike four round unanimous decision win over Calvin Smith.

Scores in the lightweight bout were 40-35 and 40-36 twice.

Coram, New York’s Herring took much of the first round to get acclimated to his foe, but by the end of the opening frame he began tagging and rocking Smith with straight lefts. In the second, Herring moved his focus to the body, visibly hurting Smith, but the Pritchard, Alabama product hung tough. In the third, Smith emptied his tank trying to make something happen, but two near knockdowns by Herring continued to add to his lead, and while Smith wasn’t able to turn things around, making it to the final bell was a moral victory of sorts.

With the win, Herring improves to 4-0 with 2 KOs; Smith falls to 2-4.

Tags: Adrien Broner , Paulie Malignaggi , Broner-Malignaggi , Broner vs. Malignaggi

Article source: http://www.boxingscene.com/broner-lacks-dazzle-winning-third-divisional-crown--66927

The event unfolded at Brooklyn Borough Hall Outdoor Plaza. Welterweight titlist Paulie Malignaggi and up-from-lightweight Adrien Broner talked trash and glared at each other, but held it together and no melee occurred.

Schaefer’s ace in the hole is fighter Bernard Hopkins, who works for Golden Boy and was right there, in between the main-event boxers as they did a staredown after making weight. “I can take a step back and I don’t have to worry about it and I know Bernard will have it under control,” Schaefer said. “He’s my secret weapon.”

Schaefer said he thinks some last-minute smart money will go toward Malignaggi, and the 11-to-1 odds in favor of Cincinnati boxer Broner set by the smarts might be too high.

If Broner beats Malignaggi, a scrap with Marcos Maidana could be in the works, Schaefer said. “Who wouldn’t want to see that?” he asked.

Other possibilities for Broner, if he prevails, include the Andre Berto-Jesus Soto Karass winner; Devon Alexander; Amir Khan; or veteran Shane Mosley, who won in his comeback fight against Pablo Cano last month.

Schaefer also said that the winner of a Danny Garcia-Lucas Matthysse fight, which Schaefer is working on, would be a good fit against Broner.

Asked about the rumor that 140-pound standout Garcia is more likely to first have a rematch with Zab Judah than meet Matthysse, his mandatory, Schaefer said, “I don’t know where those rumors came from about Zab.”

He said both teams indicated to him that they want to get it on. Judah will be in the mix again soon, the promoter said, but the people are demanding Garcia-Matthysse. “I don’t believe in marinating too much,” he said.

Article source: http://espn.go.com/blog/new-york/boxing/post/_/id/4143/schaefer-exhales-after-weigh-in-goes-smoothly

Article source: http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=9411810