WBC rated #3 contender, Julio Cesar Ceja (29-1, 26KO), got up off the canvas and scored a spectacular come from behind fifth round knockout victory over WBC rated #1 contender, Hugo Ruiz (35-3, 30KO). Ruiz floored Ceja in the third round with a left hook counter and had started to take
control of the bout but then may have gotten too comfortable and was late in trading hooks with the heavy handed Ceja. The result was Ruiz getting dropped hard, getting up on unsteady legs and Ceja taking full advantage and never letting up until the referee stopped the bout at 2:34 of the fifth round. With the victory, Ceja wins the interim WBC super bantamweight championship. Should the regular champion, Leo Santa Cruz elect to stay at featherweight, Ceja would be promoted from interim to regular champion. Should Santa Cruz elect to return to super bantamweight, Ceja would become the mandatory challenger to Santa Cruz.
In the televised swing bout, Alejandro Luna (19-0, 14KO) kept his record perfect with a dominant fourth round knockout victory over Sergio Lopez (18-10-1, 12KO) in a scheduled eight round lightweight bout. Although there were no knockdowns, Lopez was getting hammered and the timing of the stoppage was most appropriate. At 0:34 of the fourth round, the referee stops the bout with Luna taking a barrage of punches in a neutral corner.
Alfredo “El Perro” Angulo (24-5, 19KO) delighted the fans in attendance with a five round beat down of one time contender, but loser of four of his last five bouts, Hector Munoz (22-16-1, 14KO). What Angulo lacked in speed, he more than compensated for with precise timing and power. Munoz suffered a bad cut in the fourth round from an accidental headbutt and that helped expedite the end. From an accumulation of power punches, Munoz went down late in the fifth round, got up but then retired on his stool and did not come out for the sixth round and nobody come blame him after the assault he endured from Angulo.
In an eight round welterweight bout, Jessie Roman (20-2, 9KO) won a workmanlike unanimous decision over Hector Serrano (17-5, 5KO). Serrano was knocked down in the seventh round but Roman seemed all too content at settling for a decision victory and boxed safely for the remainder of the bout. All three judges scored it the same, 79-72 for Roman.
Brian Castano (13-0, 9KO) won a foul filled contest over poor sport Jonathan Batista (14-7, 7KO) by way of a Disqualification at 1:15 in the fifth round. Batista was down in the second round from a left hook and then seemed uninterested in throwing anything other than low blows for the duration of the bout. Batista was deducted a point on three different occasions in the third and fourth rounds before the referee disqualified him in the fifth round for yet another low blow.
Alan Castano (9-0, 6KO) battered overmatched but willing Thomas Howard (8-5, 4KO) for 11 minutes before the referee saw enough and waved off the bout making Castano the winner by knockout at 2:11 of the fourth round. There were no knockdowns in the bout but Castano could not miss with his thudding right cross. Castano, hailing from Buenos Aires, Argentina, made his U.S. Debut a successful one.
Anthony Flores (9-0, 5KO) won a close cut majority decision victory over Curtis Morton (3-5-3, 0KO) in a 6 round middleweight bout. There were no knockdowns in the bout but there was good back and forth action. Judges scored it 58-56, 57-57 and 58-56 in favor of the hometown fighter Flores over the visiting Morton hailing from Harlem, NY.
Paul Mendez (20-2-2, 10KO) made short work of Andrik Saralegui (19-3, 15KO), making him quit on his stool between the second and third round of a scheduled 10 round middleweight bout. Although the fighters looked evenly matched on paper, Mendez appeared to be the far dominant fighter from the opening bell and dropped Saralegui in the second round with a sweeping right hook. By way of KO at 3:00 of the third round, Mendez wins the bout.
In a scheduled four round junior bantamweight bout, the famous Santa Cruz name was of little help as Isaiah Najera (1-1) won a majority decision over debuting Antonio Santa Cruz (0-1), a first cousin of headliner, Leo Santa Cruz. There were no knockdowns in the bout but Najera seemed to push the action a little more to earn the victory. Judges scored the bout 39-37, 38-38 and 39-37 in favor of Najera.
In opening bout action at The Staples Center, Jose Gomez (3-0, 0KO) won a workmanlike unanimous decision over hapless Manuel Rubalcava (2-14, 0KO). There were no knockdowns in the four round bantamweight bout and all three judges scored it 40-36 in favor of Gomez.
Article Courtesy of Fightnews