(HOLLYWOOD) In a venue befitting of the theatrics that played out between two superb teams Monday night, a packed Avalon Theatre unveiled a show that had all the intensity of some of boxing's biggest fight nights.  The World Series of Boxing (WSB) was built specifically for nights like tonight, and in the end, with a playoff spot on the line, the Los Angeles Matadors would prove triumphant with a 4-1 win over the Mexico City Guerreros.

With the win, the Matadors have all but locked up a playoff spot with just one match remaining for all WSB teams having defeated Mexico City 3-1 in their four regular season matchups.  In dispatching the Guerreros Monday night, the Matadors also put an end to the five-game winning streak held by their Southern rivals.

Playoff matchups for the WSB's top four teams will be announced March 21.  Team finals will take place May 6-7.

Showcasing the team spirit that serves as one of the founding principles of the WSB, a victorious David Imoesiri (Long Beach, Calif.) had this to say:

'This is my family, period.  I love these guys. We are all brothers.  Bring on the playoffs and tonight we showed that we're fighters.  We're the LA Matadors."

The evening started with a bout in the lightweight division between Matador newcomer Eric Flores (Inglewood, Calif.) and Juan Pablo Romero of the Guerreros.  The bout would come to an early end in the second round after Romero suffered a cut during the fierce action. Going to the score cards, would prove favorable for Flores and the Matadors with Flores earning a victory, 20-18, 20-18,19-19. 

The Guerreros would regain the momentum when Kennedy Katende (Sundsvall, Sweden) pulled the minor upset over an undefeated Vyacheslav Shabranskyy (Kiev, Ukraine), 48-46, 48-46, 48-46.  Shabranskyy jumped out to a quick start against Katende according to the judges' score cards, but Katende would make up ground as the fight went along and would eventually win in a close decision.

Chris Pearson (Trotwood, Ohio) wasn't even a Matador the last time these two teams met but his win  over Yamaguchi Florentino tonight might serve as the showcase victory of the Matador season as he triumphed with a48-45, 45-48, 47-46 victory despite getting knocked down in the final round.  Pearson shook off the knockdown just as he shook off the veteran Florentino who had entered the ring with an impressive 4-1 record.

"No punch ever touched me, if you see the tape," said Pearson, referencing the knock down call in the fifth. "Everyone makes mistakes I guess. Florentino is a seasoned fighter with a lot of international experience. I knew it was going to be a tough, tough fight."

With the Matadors now up 2-1, the Matadors would turn to their two-time Olympian Rau'shee Warren (Cincinnati, Ohio) to ensure team victory. The featured bout of the evening came in the bantamweight division featuring the undefeated Warren and Guerrero Braulio Avila (Tlaxcala, Mexico), who came in with a 4-1 record.  The two had met once before at the 2007 World Championships and tonight's result was similar to that with Warren dominating Avila with a unanimous decision, 50-45, 50-45, 50-45.

"Mexico City came in tough; they're great fighters," said Warren, who will finish the season undefeated.  "I got a 'W' and we all want to keep going.  Braulio fought with a lot of heart and that's what it takes to be a fighter.  He never went down, he's all heart." 

Imoesiri capped off the evening with a convincing victory in the heavyweight division as he downed Mario Heredia, 50-45, 50-45, 50-45.

The WSB regular season wraps up Wednesday and Thursday night as the Guerreros try and rebound Wednesday against the Memphis Force while the Matadors try and build momentum for the playoffs while traveling to Miami to take on the Gallos Thursday night.