Fonfara will challenge Stevenson for the WBC crown in the main event of SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING, this Saturday, May 24, live on SHOWTIME® (9 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast) from Bell Centre in Montreal, Canada.
“This is not my first time as an underdog,” Fonfara said. “I’ve proved people wrong before and I’ll do it again.”
MASHANTUCKET, Conn. (May 16, 2014) – Undefeated super featherweight prospect Joel Diaz Jr. extended his unblemished record with a unanimous decision victory in a tough fight with Tyler Asselstine in the main event of ShoBox: The New Generation on SHOWTIME® from Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Conn.
Diaz (16-0, 12 KOs) controlled the tempo of the fight and pocketed rounds in the beginning, landing and throwing more power shots. But the rugged and previously once-beaten Asselstine (14-2, 7 KOs) pushed Diaz past the seventh for the first time of his career and turned up the heat in the latter rounds. But it was too little, too late for the Canadian, who didn’t have the power or tools to overcome Diaz’s activity in the 10-rounder, which all three judges scored 97-92.
For a moment, it seemed like Marcos “El Chino” Maidana could do the unthinkable – hand pound-for-pound champion Floyd “Money” Mayweather the first loss of his brilliant career. Only for a moment.
Mayweather, who is now the WBC and WBA Welterweight World Champion, prevailed with a hard-fought majority decision victory over Maidana in the main event on Saturday on SHOWTIME PPV in front of 16,268 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
Judge Michael Pernick scored the fight a draw (114-114) while Burt Clemens scored 117-111 and Dave Moretti 116-112.
Mayweather vs. Maidana and Khan vs. Collazo will premiere on SHOWTIME next Saturday, May 10, at 9:30 p.m. ET/PT. In addition, ALL ACCESS: Mayweather vs. Maidana will premiere “Epilogue” at 11:45 p.m. ET/PT following the special SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecast of the pay-per-view bouts.
British star Amir Khan floored Luis Collazo three times en route to a 12-round unanimous decision 117-106, 119-104, 119-104.
Khan (29-3, 19 KOs), in his first bout at 147 pounds, showcased his speed, footwork and precision from the opening bell. Khan landed 50 percent of his power punches and mixed in a dose of roughhouse tactics, which added up to a frustrating night for Collazo.
Both fighters were fined a point in the eighth at separate times by referee Vic Drakulich. With Khan holding Collazo’s head down, Collazo was fined for a low blow. Just seconds later, Khan was penalized one point for holding.
In his debut in the 140-pound division, three-division world champion Adrien “The Problem” Broner bounced back from the first loss of his career with a unanimous decision win (99-91, 98-92, 100-90) over Carlos Molina.
Broner (28-1, 22 KO), who was fighting for the first time since his surprising loss to Maidana last December, started slow and was hit by a crushing overhand right from the confident Molina in the second round. While locked up in the third, Broner wrestled and tossed Molina (17-2-1, 13 KOs) to the ground, earning a hard warning by referee Kenny Bayless.
Broner picked up the pace in the middle rounds and took control of the bout with an impressive inside fight game.
Said Thurman, “I felt the body shot (to Diaz). I felt he was going to go down. I wondered if I hadn’t landed it clean enough. He’s a tough guy. He showed up to fight. You saw what he was doing in the ring. His rib… he had eight more rounds to go so he did what he had to do.
On an exciting night when unbeaten WBA Interim Welterweight Champion Keith “One Time” Thurman retained his title with a third-round TKO over former world champion Julio “The Kidd” Diaz and undefeated Omar “Panterita” Figueroa successfully defended his WBC lightweight crown with a 12-round split decision over Jerry Belmontes, Lucas “The Machine” Matthysse stole the show with a spectacular, brutal 11th-round knockout over John Molina in the leading Fight of the Year candidate Saturday on SHOWTIME®.
The Argentine, ranked No. 1 in the world at 140 pounds, was hurt in the first and dropped in the second and fifth rounds. But the former interim WBC 140-pound world champion came back with knockdowns in the eighth, 10th and 11th to turn back a determined bid by Molina and capture the WBC Continental Americas Super Lightweight Championship.
After losing all five of his amateur fights against Belmontes, Figueroa (23-0-1, 17 KOs), of Weslaco, Texas, got his revenge in his first world title defense, outpointing Belmontes (19-4, 5 KOs), of Corpus Christi, Texas, by the scores of 118-110, 116-112 and 113-115.
“He gave me more than trouble,’’ Figueroa said. “He wouldn’t make a fight out of it. I’m sorry to the fans. It was more of a sparring match than a fight. I prepared so much and this was the outcome.
“He almost made me cry again but of laughter saying he was going to beat me. I prepared well. I came 100 percent. I knew he was going to run. My hands are a little sore but nothing bad, nothing crazy. Now take my time off. I have been training since January. But it is up to Al Haymon.”
FLOYD MAYWEATHER, 10-Time World Champion
“In 18 years I haven’t brought my best out yet. Being around the sport for so long, I have a lot of experience. I’ve boxed my whole life. I’ve never worked a job.
“As I get older I want to settle down and be with my family. I’ve had enough fun.
“It feels good to be in camp. Everyone on the team is ready to go out and do what we do best.
“This is a give and take type of sport. Al Haymon has done a good job. Leonard Ellerbe has done a good job. Now it’s time for me to go out and do what I do.
The EMMY nominated series takes you beyond the ropes, behind the scenes, and into the lives of world champions Floyd Mayweather and Marcos Maidana as they prepare for the marquee prizefight of the year, THE MOMENT: Saturday, May 3 – live on PPV.
ALL ACCESS: MAYWEATHER vs. MAIDANA, a four-part series from SHOWTIME Sports®, premiered this Saturday, April 19 at 9 p.m. ET/PT, preceding the live SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING tripleheader headlined by Bernard Hopkins vs. Beibut Shumenov. ALL ACCESS LIVE, a new 30-minute program featuring a live sit-down interview with Mayweather and Maidana, will debut on SHOWTIME on Friday, May 2 at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT.