By Rick Reeno

Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas - Jermell Charlo (20-0, 10KOs) stopped Harry Joe Yorgey (25-2-1, 12KOs) in the eight round to capture the vacant WBC Continental Americas light middleweight title

Charlo controlled the first round with his jab. In the second Charlo opened up with both hands. Yorgey got rocked and dropped in the middle of the round. He was dropped again a moment later. Yorgey took more punishment but managed to survive until the bell. Yorgey continued to survive as the rounds played out, but he got caught once again in the eight with a hard overhand right and went down in pain. He struggled to beat the count. Referee Kenny Bayless waved it off.

Super welterweight prospect Errol Spence Jr. (2-0, 2KOs) blasted out Nathan Butcher (0-2) in the first round. Spence pinned Butcher in the corner and leveled him with a big hook.

In a lightweight contest Francisco Vargas (14-0-1, 11KOs) knocked out Ira Terry (26-11, 16KOs) in the second round. Vargas caught Terry cold and sent him down and out.

In a junior middleweight contest, Julian Williams (11-0-1, 6KOs), managed by Al Haymon, stopped Jeremiah Wiggins (10-2-1, 5KOs) in the seventh round. There was a clash of heads in the third, opening up minor cuts on both boxers. Wiggins was hurt bad in the fourth round and received a standing eight count and when staggered back to the ropes, which prevented him from going down. In the seventh, Wiggins was hurt once againt and his corner threw in the towel as Williams was trying to finish him off.

Featherweight prospect Julian Ramirez (7-0, 5KOs) won a six round unanimous decision over a game Juan Sandoval (7-12-1, 4KOs). Sandoval was decked in the first round, but held his own until the final bell. The scores were 59-53, 60-52 and 60-52.

Junior middleweight prospect Jermall Charlo (11-0, 6KOs) punished Joshua Williams (8-6, 5KOs) for five rounds of action. The fight was stopped prior to the start of the sixth.

Chad Bennett (31-4-3, 22KOs) knocked out Ben Ankrah (17-12, 8KOs) in the third round of a junior middleweight bout. Ankrah was dropped in the second round of the fight from a counterhook. Ankrah went down again in the third from a serious of punches and this time he was unable to beat the count. Referee Kenny Bayless waved it off at :59 of the round.

In a middleweight fight, prospects Will Sands (3-0-2) and Herb Begay (0-0-2) fought to a four round split draw. The scores were 39-37 for Begay, 39-37 for Sands and 38-38 for the draw. It was a fight filled with twists and turns. Sands struggled in the first, but came on to have Begay in a lot of trouble in the third. Begay returned fire in the fourth and final round, with Sands nearly out on his feet from a flurry of shots. There was an odd weight difference. Sands weighed in at 150-pounds on Friday and Begay was 157.