Boxing

Lucas Matthysse's hype train is the real deal. The Argentinean slugger thrashed Lamont Peterson in just three rounds tonight, likely setting up a fight with Danny Garcia for September. Peterson (31-2-1, 16 KO) had a solid first round, boxing from the outside, but he didn't look entirely comfortable in that role. In the second round, Matthysse (34-2, 32 KO) threw caution to the wind a bit more, and Peterson fell into the trenches, where he proved outgunned. Matthysse put Peterson down on a left hook high on the head, with Peterson responding in a delayed manner, falling to the mat, after a little stumble, with referee Steve Smoger making the correct call. In the third, Peterson was down twice more on bomb shots -- it was Matthysse's left hook that did the big damage tonight, and Peterson just couldn't stand up to the power. Lamont made no excuses after the fight, either, other than briefly saying he felt he'd been hit behind the head at one point, which dizzied him. "I recovered from the first knockdown, and I was OK for a while, then eventually he hit me again and hurt me again -- I still thought I could have fought through it, but the ref did the right thing and stopped the fight," Peterson said to Showtime's Jim Gray. When Gray asked if Matthysse was the better man, Peterson replied, "Tonight, I guess he was." Matthysse, who was called by Golden Boy's Richard Schaefer "the new Manny Pacquiao" after the fight, was simply sensational in this one. Beating a guy like Peterson is a feat in itself. Tearing him up in three rounds is something else entirely. Right now, Lucas Matthysse is a true force. Can Danny Garcia handle him? Hopefully, we'll find out.

Devon Alexander had no trouble tonight with Lee Purdy, but did hurt his left hand en route to a seventh round stoppage, when Purdy's corner stopped the one-sided bout. Alexander (25-1, 14 KO) said he hurt the hand in the opening round, but he didn't show sure signs of the injury until the sixth, when he clearly had stopped throwing it at all. That continued on into the seventh, but after that round, Purdy's team, including middleweight contender Darren Barker, made the call to end the fight. Purdy (20-4-1, 13 KO) was showing no signs of making it competitive, and all he was doing was getting hit. The fight was never close. For Alexander, it's as decent a win as can be scored over an opponent of this level, and it's hardly as if we can say he avoided a tougher fight (or ever has), because this was supposed to be Kell Brook, but when that fight was called off for a third time, it became simple and plain that Devon needed to get back into the ring. That's what this fight was: A stay-busy bout. The worst thing would have been a shock upset. That never threatened to happen. The second-worst thing, really, was suffering an injury. That did happen, but Alexander wasn't exactly exhibiting horrible pain or anything, so it likely won't majorly interfere with where he goes next. The main event from AC is up next, so join our live coverage thread for Peterson vs Matthysse.

By: William Holmes Boardwalk Hall opened up their doors at 3:30 P.M. and Golden Boy Promotions wasted little time in getting the action started in Atlantic City. After three straight stoppages in the opening bouts, Washington DC’s Anthony Peterson (31-1) …

Shawn Porter disappointed last December when he faced Julio Diaz on Showtime Extreme, going to a draw with the veteran former lightweight titlist, but tonight, he got some of his momentum back, dominating fellow unbeaten prospect Phil Lo Greco, scoring a wide decision win. The official judges' scores were 99-89, 100-88, and 100-88. BLH had it 100-88 for Porter, who improves to 21-0-1 (14 KO) with what was arguably the best win of his pro career. Lo Greco falls to 25-1 (14 KO), outclassed against a better level of opposition than he'd faced in running up his record. Porter was clearly too fast and too skilled for Lo Greco early, but the Toronto native Lo Greco did keep coming forward, and didn't shy away from contact. Unfortunately for Lo Greco, he couldn't get his punches off, and wound up throwing significantly less than Porter, who dominated the fight statistically as well as to the naked eye. Lo Greco was ruled knocked down in the ninth round, but that was a debatable call at best. In the 10th, though, Porter scored a cleaner knockdown, which to Lo Greco's credit, came because the obviously trailing fighter was going for some kind of miracle, throwing himself at Porter as much as he could. Our live coverage for Peterson-Matthysse continues here. Join us!

25-year-old light heavyweight prospect Thomas Williams Jr stayed unbeaten tonight, easily beating veteran Otis Griffin over the eight-round distance. Scores were 80-72, 79-73, and 79-73. BLH had it 79-73, giving Griffin the first round, and then nothing else. Williams (14-0, 10 KO) was decent in the bout, but didn't overly impress, though some of that can be credited to Griffin (24-13-2, 10 KO) and his experience and ability to stay out of danger and go deep into just about any fight. The 35-year-old Griffin has lost three straight, but also went the distance with fringe contenders Cornelius White and Will Rosinsky in his previous two losses. Williams is still a work in progress, and will get plenty more opportunities to keep rising up the ladder, but there is certainly a lot he still needs to work on, and he's no blue chipper. Of course, blue chippers often flame out, and a lot of lesser-regarded prospects have made a lot of noise over the years. Our live coverage of Peterson-Matthysse continues here. Join us!

Favourite Wadi Camacho won the latest Prizefighter cruiserweights tournament with a second round stoppage of Hari Miles at the York Hall in Bethnal Green.

2012 Olympic bronze medalist Anthony Ogogo improved to 2-0 as a professional tonight, scoring a decisive and academic six-round shutout victory over Puerto Rican club fighter Edgar Perez in Atlantic City, on the Peterson vs Matthysse undercard. Ogogo (2-0, 1 KO) turned pro on April 27 in Sheffield, on the Khan-Diaz show, scoring a second round TKO that night. His second pro fight wasn't quite so inspiring, but there was nothing unimpressive about the victory, either. Ogogo, 24, was in firm control from the opening bell, and never seemed to simply settle into a holding pattern, knowing as he must have after the first three minutes that the fight was no challenge for him. Instead, we got to see him mix up his offense a little bit, taking various approaches to his attack. It may have been more a sparring contest than a fight -- most second pro bouts for hyped prospects are, of course -- but Ogogo was in there working, and not just reveling in his own superiority, which is good to see. Our live coverage of the Peterson-Matthysse card continues here. Join us!

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. -- Keep coming back here for updates on the undercard for Showtime's main event of Lucas Matthysse-Lamont Peterson (junior welterweight). It's a DEEP card, in terms of number of fights, which I previewed here. Highlights -- among the "names", anyway -- include Anthony Peterson, Shawn Porter and Devon Alexander, as well as other brothers of famous fighters or 2012 Olympians. Because the first fight was at 3:30 p.m., I opted to show up a little late and therefor missed the first three bouts, all TKOs for lightweights Robert Easter, Jr. and Jamel Herring and bantamweight Rau'Shee Warren. The live results will go in reverse chronological order. ****** One of the brothers on the card was Anthony Peterson, and the lightweight looked good for two rounds before the bout was farcically stopped. Peterson apparently brok Dominic Salcido's nose and the doctor waived it off, but Salcido told me he wanted to and was able to continue. His honker did look swollen and broken, but he wasn't bleeding at all and it was weird. It was good that Peterson got back in the ring after fighting so rarely lately, and he looked sharp and powerful and accurate, and rarely got hit in return. It's just unfortunate that it had to end in such a way as to upset the gathered 20 people who arrived early and wanted to see a bout end legimately.

48-year-old IBF light heavyweight champ Bernard Hopkins will be back in the ring on July 13, when he faces mandatory challenger Karo Murat at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Showtime will televise the fight. Tickets go on sale to the general public, but there is a pre-sale you can access if interested. Here's the info: Tickets priced at $200, $100, $50 and $25, plus applicable taxes and service charges, go on sale to the general public on Monday, May 20 at 10:00 a.m. ET., but as a subscriber to the Golden Boy Promotions VIP List, you will have access to an exclusive presale until Monday, May 20 at 9:59 a.m ET.To take advantage of this exclusive pre-sale offer, please click on the following link http://www.ticketmaster.com/event/00004AAA944C887D and enter the password HOPKINS13 (all upper case) and purchase your tickets before they go on sale to the general public. Obviously you are not a subscriber to the Golden Boy Promotions VIP list -- or you might be -- but since all it takes is actually clicking subscribe somewhere on their web site to be a VIP, which I did once, then you might as well know how to purchase a ticket slightly early. I mean, I'm sure they're looking to sell these tickets with their fingers crossed.

Gary Shaw Productions has announced the finalization of a fight between IBF champion Daniel Geale (29-1, 15 KOs) and highly regarded contender Darren Barker (25-1, 16 KOs). The 12-round championship bout will take place at Turning Stone Resort Casino in … Continue reading →