by Francisco Salazar

Madison Square Garden, New York City - Cruiserweight contender Ola Afolabi stopped Anthony Caputo Smith after the third round of a scheduled 10 round bout. Afolabi (21-3-4, 10 KOs) could not miss as he repeatedly landed vicious hooks and right uppercuts to Smith's head and body. By the midway point of the second round, Smith's (15-4, 10 KOs) face was reddened by the number of punches that landed and he had a cut over his left eye. It got worse for Smith as midway through the third round, he was dropped by a left hook to the head. To his credit, Smith fought back, but the rally was short-lived as he was knocked down again, courtesy of a left-right combination to the head. After the bell sounded, the ringside physician told referee Steve Smoger to stop the bout to prevent Smith from receiving further punishment.

Welterweight Dusty Hernandez-Harrison won a one-sided eight round unanimous decision over Wilfredo Acuna. Hernandez-Harrison (23-0, 12 KOs) was in control throughout most of the fight. Hernandez-Harrison attempted to bait Acuna (15-15, 12 KOs) to move in and open up in an attempt to counter. It would work at times, as Hernandez-Harrison was able to land a right cross to the head or body. There were lulls during the fight where Hernandez-Harrison could have pressed the fight, especially to initiate with repeated jabs. Sensing he was down in the final round, Acuna went on the attack against Hernandez-Harrison. Undaunted, Hernandez-Harrison  was able to effective counter with right hands and left hooks to the body. All three judges scored the bout 80-72 in favor of Hernandez-Harrison.

Junior welterweight prospect Julian Rodriguez overwhelmed opponent Yankton Southern in the first round of a scheduled four round bout. Rodriguez (5-0, 4 KOs) landed a left hook to the body that forced Southern to take a knee. Southern (4-6, 4 KOs) was counted out at 43 seconds by referee Gary Rosato.

Francisco A. Salazar has written for Boxingscene.com since September of 2012 and has covered boxing in Southern California and abroad since 2000. He also covers boxing for the Ventura County (CA) Star newspaper, RingTV, and Knockout Nation. He can be reached by email at santio89@yahoo.com or on Twitter at FSalazarBoxing