By Keith Idec & Rick Reeno
MORE LIVE RESULTS TO COME.............
Mandalay Bay,Las Vegas - Super middleweight prospect Junior Younan made quick work of Zoltan Sera on Saturday.
Younan scored to knockdowns in the first round and referee Russell Mora Jr. stopped their scheduled six-round bout 1:39 into it. Younan’s win was part of the Andre Ward-Sergey Kovalev undercard at Mandalay Bay Events Center.
Brooklyn’s Younan, 21, improved to 12-0 and recorded his ninth knockout. Hungary’s Sera slipped to 28-13 (19 KOs).
Vaughn Alexander’s comeback continued in impressive fashion Saturday.
The older brother of former two-division champion Devon Alexander beat Mexico’s Francisco Pena by technical knockout on the Andre Ward-Sergey Kovalev undercard at Mandalay Bay Events Center. Pena told his trainers following the fourth round that he had an injury and couldn’t continue in a middleweight match scheduled for eight rounds.
St. Louis’ Alexander (10-0, 7 KOs) was winning the fight convincingly when it was stopped. Pena (19-8-1, 15 KOs) lost by knockout or TKO for the third time in his past four fights.
Alexander, 31, is 5-0 and has recorded three knockouts since resuming his career in October after serving 10½ years in Missouri prisons on armed robbery and assault convictions.
Tramaine Williams was having his way with Christopher Martin before referee Kenny Bayless decided he had seen enough Saturday at Mandalay Bay Events Center.
Bayless stopped Martin’s one-sided junior featherweight fight with Williams at the 1:44 mark of the second, even though Martin was still standing. Williams wobbled San Diego’s Martin (30-9-3, 10 KOs) just before Bayless stepped in to call an end to the scheduled eight-round fight.
Martin demonstratively protested Bayless’ stoppage. He yelled, “No! No! No!,” and ran around the ring.
Williams (11-0, 4 KOs), of New Haven, Connecticut, also had buzzed Martin multiple times in the first round. Williams’ win took place on the non-televised portion of the Andre Ward-Sergey Kovalev undercard.
John Bauza dropped Brando Sanudo twice on his way to a second-round technical knockout win in a welterweight fight Saturday on the Andre Ward-Sergey Kovalev undercard at Mandalay Bay Events Center.
Bauza, of North Bergen, New Jersey, moved to 7-0 and produced his fourth knockout. Referee Kenny Bayless stopped their scheduled four-rounder at 1:14 of the second round at the urging of Sanudo’s trainer.
Bauza dropped Mexico’s Sanudo (5-5, 2 KOs) just before the 10-second warning to end the first round. Sanudo got up and the bell sounded soon thereafter.
Russian middleweight Bakhram Murtazaliev knocked down previously unbeaten Alex Duarte twice in the first round and scored a first-round technical knockout Saturday on the Andre Ward-Sergey Kovalev undercard at Mandalay Bay Events Center.
Referee Robert Byrd stopped their scheduled six-round fight 1:33 into it after a Murtazaliev right hand knocked down Duarte a second time.
Murtazaliev improved to 9-0 and scored his seventh knockout. Brazil’s Duarte dropped to 6-1.
In a battle of undefeated welterweight prospects, Eastern Euro Enriko Gogokhia (5-0, 2 KOs) of Georgia won a six round unanimous decision over Jonathan Steele (7-1, 5 KOs) of Dallas, Texas. The scores were 59-55, 59-55 and 60-54.
The fight ws competitive and both had their moments, but Gogokhia was just a step better than Steele, who was hurt a few times but rallied in the last three rounds.