By Alexey Sukachev

Spain - Welterweight, one of the sport's most packed and star-studded weight classes, welcomes a new player - and a powerful one! - in Kerman "The Revolver" Lejarraga (25-0, 20 KOs), who made his name sound very loud with the second-round stoppage of world-ranked Brit Bradley Skeete in front of a roaring crowd in his native Bilbao, Pais Vasco, Spain.

Lanky (6'1'') Skeete, rated IBF #5 and WBC/WBO #11, was no match to the powerful Spaniard, who started to stalk his opponent right from the opening bell.

Skeete, 30, tried to answer Lejarraga's powerful right with his jab but Kerman just paid zero attention to in in the opening round.

In the second, the Spanish fighter started to deliver, and Skeete felt the outcome right from the very first punches that landed cleanly. One of them - an overhand right - put him down on a knee midst into the second.

Skeete got up but was soon down after several well-placed shots, with a finishing left hook to the body. Once again he tried to go on - with a grimace of pain this time - and once again down he went down from a big left hook.

The towel from his corner ended a one-sided massacre as Skeete wobbled to his corner.

At 26, Lejarraga, who was rated WBA #8 and WBC #14 coming in, is at the peak of his powers. He will be a very welcome figure to both fans and TV producers. Skeete, meanwhile, drops down to 27-2, 12 KOs, and needs another redeeming run.

In a battle that promised so much after three or four rounds but was reduced to a snoozer later on, Spanish light middleweight Jorge Fortea (16-1-1, 5 KOs) got a unanimous decision over well-travelled Panamanian veteran Azael Cosio (21-7-2, 18 KOs) over ten complete rounds.

After a feeling-out process has been finished in the first, Fortea thrusted and made a very huge statement in round two, hitting Cosio, supported by no other than Roberto Duran himself, with everything but a kitchen sink. Cosio survived barely though he needed assistance to find his corner during the break. Fortea continued assault to no effect in the third, punched himself out and ate much in the fourth, both fighters being excessively exhausted.

However, after an almost inevitable end Fortea regrouped and get back to moving, backpedaling his way out of trouble. Cosio tried to hunt him down but was mostly peppered by annoying jab of his opponent. Finding no target whatsoever he also found nothing to warrant him enough points to get a win. Final scores were: 98-91, 96-93, and 95-94 - all for Jorge Fortea.

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In a pitch battle for a vacant EBU European Union featherweight title, Spaniard Andoni Gago (19-3-3, 6 KOs) got the better of previously undefeated French champion Geoffrey Dos Santos (11-1) over twelve heard-fought rounds with a unanimous decision. Both fighters sustained some facial damage but more active and harder hitting Gago got an upper hand in a majority of the exchanges.

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In a minor stunner, Madrid-based Romanian Ionut Baluta (10-2, 2 KOs) upset previously undefeated Kazakh super bantamweight Yerzhan Zalilov (10-1-1, 4 KOs) over eight rounds with a single-point unanimous decision.

Zalilov, 25, prompted to a quick start in the first couple of rounds but Baluta came back strong in the third. Both fighters fought on even terms in round four, and then the Romanian had an upper hand in the fifth. The bout was almost secured for Zalilov in the sixth, when he had Baluta down after a perfect left counter hook at the center of the ring. However, Baluta, 24, came back with a strong finish. Zalilov literally ran off the last minute of the fight, and it could probably cost his a win. FInal scores were announced as 77-76 and (presumable) 76-75, 76-75 - for Baluta.