Verdejo stops Dos Santos; Donaire defeats Juarez

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After dominating the first six rounds of the contest tonight, former four division world champion Nonito Donaire (36-3, 23 KOs) was forced to struggle hard to beat a game but limited #1 WBO Cesar Juarez (17-4, 13 KOs) by a 12 round unanimous decision on Friday night to win the vacant WBO super bantamweight title at the Coliseo Roberto Clemente in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

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Verdejo and Donaire Fight Week Quotes

Verdejo and Donaire Fight Week Quotes

It’s fight week for the boxing gem of Puerto Rico, undefeated Top-Five world-rated lightweight contender, FELIX “El Diamante” VERDEJO, and former five-division world champion and 2012 Fighter of the Year, NONITO “The Filipino Flash” DONAIRE!. Both will headline, in separate title bouts, the year-end finale of MetroPCS Friday Night Knockout on truTV, which will be televised LIVE from Roberto Clemente Coliseum This Friday! December 11, on truTV, beginning at 10 p.m. ET/PT . The live boxing series is presented by truTV and Top Rank® and produced in association with HBO Sports®. Find truTV at: http://trutvishere.com/.

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Walters vs. Marriaga & Verdejo vs. Najera: Saturday, June 13 Live on HBO

Walters vs. Marriaga & Verdejo vs. Najera: Saturday, June 13 Live on HBO

NEW YORK (May 12, 2015) — Undefeated World Boxing Association (WBA) featherweight world champion NICHOLAS “Axe Man” WALTERS of Jamaica, and the boxing gem of Puerto Rico, undefeated No. 3 world-rated lightweight contender FELIX “El Diamante” VERDEJO will headline, in separate bouts, a world championship card in New York during Puerto Rican Day Parade weekend. With 34 knockout victories between them, fireworks are all but assured for this event which will take place Saturday, June 13, in The Theater at Madison Square Garden. Both will be facing undefeated opponents. Walters, who is in the third year of his championship reign, will defend his world title against Top-10 contender MIGUEL “The Scorpion” MARRIAGA of Colombia. Verdejo, in his live HBO debut, will make the first defense of his newly-won World Boxing Organization (WBO) Latino lightweight title against IVAN “Bam Bam” NAJERA, of San Antonio, TX. Both fights will be televised live on HBO Boxing After Dark®, beginning at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT.

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Boxing’s Best of 2014

In what turned out to be a somewhat lackluster year for the sport, there were some bright spots for boxing fans in 2014. The validation of stars like Sergey Kovalev, Terence Crawford and Nicholas Walters. The rejuvenation of Miguel Cotto and Manny Pacquiao. The continued rise of Gennady “GGG” Golovkin. This writer decided to share some of his favorites from the past twelve months below (check out the videos to see more). Let’s take a look at the pugilistic best of the year that was.

Montero’s “Rising Star”: Nicholas Walters

The “Axe Man” is one boxer who truly lives up to this nickname. He kicked off his year by chopping down former titlist Vic Darchinyan in Macau, then chopped down former pound for pound star Nonito Donaire in Los Angeles. The bilingual bomber can also box, as he showed a top-notch jab in his dismantling of Donaire. Fighting in a loaded featherweight division, the Jamaican native built most of his career in Panama and is fluent in Spanish. A consummate professional with a humble attitude and plenty of charisma, the sky is the limit for Nicholas Walters.

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Left-Hook Lounge: Miguel Cotto, Wladimir Klitschko, Felix Verdejo, & More!!!

cotto67666Jesus Q. (Brooklyn, NYC): Last Saturday night was a great night of action for Puerto Rico in the world of Boxing. How did you rate the performances of Miguel Cotto and Felix Verdejo?

Vivek W. (ESB): I watched Cotto’s domination with a very strong enthusiasm for what I felt was a solid performance. I thought he showed aggression on a level some didn’t know still existed, and I thought his dedication to the double jab and body work were a thing of beauty. That being said, I’d quickly caution anyone out there who even thinks for a second that this was even a remote indication of what we can expect from him on a higher level. If you want to rate his opponent with any accuracy, ask yourself how many “benchmark” fights take place on the elite level with men who enter the ring with more than 3 career losses? It happens, but very rarely at the elite level, and practically none in fighters under the age of 33.

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