By Mark Vester
California - In the Cumash Casino in Santa Ynez, California, Former WBA 140-pound champion Vivian Harris (27-2-1, 18KOs) pounded his way to a seven round stoppage over former lightweight champion Stevie Johnston (39-4-1, 18 KOs).
Harris showed off his physical advantages from the start by dropping Johnson twice in the first round. Johnson was able to get himself together and battle back in second and third rounds, before Harris once again sent Johnson to the canvas in the fourth.
During the fifth and sixth rounds, Harris began to connect with vicious punches that caused swelling and cuts on both of Johnston's eyes. After sending Johnston down to the mat for the fourth time in contest, Harris jumped on his hurt opponent with big punches to the head which prompted the ref Raul Caiz Jr. to step in and call a halt to the bout in the seventh round.
In the co-feature, Joshua Clottey (29-1, 20KOs) won a hard fought twelve round majority decision over undefeated Richard Gutierrez (21-1, 13KOs).
The two men often fought at close range, resulting head clashes, low blows and other fouls between bothe men. Gutierrez lost a point in the fourth round for landing a low blow, and Clottey lost a point for low blows in the fifth.
Clottey was able to stop the late charges of Gutierrez with defensive manuevers to hold on to his hefty lead on the scorecards. The scores were 116-110, 115-111 and 113-113.
