By Mark Vester
At the Pepsi Coliseum in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada, super middleweight contender Librado Andrade (29-3, 22KOs) stopped former champion Eric Lucas (39-8-3, 15KOs) after eight rounds of action.
The fight began at a very fast pace. Lucas, older and not the biggest puncher, stood inside and banged away with Andrade in war-like fashion. The veteran was red-faced and cut above his right eye by the fourth round. Andrade was busier and landing the harder punches. Lucas was putting together some very good combinations to the head but Andrade's chin is hard as a rock. In the fifth a cut opened up above the left eye of Lucas.
In rounds six and seven, Lucas was taking a pounding from Andrade but he tried stealing the rounds with hard combinations in the final twenty seconds. In the eight, Lucas continued to get pounded by Andrade. Lucas' cuts were streaming blood as Andrade continued to come forward with punches. The ringside doctor stopped the fight before the start of the ninth round.
Super featherweight contender Benoit Gaudet (22-2 9KO) stopped Pipino Cuevas Jr. (13-5 11KO) in the eight of a ten round contest. Gaudet was too strong for Cuevas. Gaudet battered his opponent during several rounds before the fight was halted in the eight as Cuevas was being punished against the ropes.
In a heavyweight contest, prospect Eric Martel (4-0, 3KOs) stopped Chad Thrun (0-2) in the first round. Martel dropped him twice before the fight was called. The 28-year-old Martel started boxing late and his promoters want to push him fast due to his age.
Marcus Upshaw (13-4-1, 6KOs) won a ten round split decision over Renen St-Juste (24-2-1, 14 KOs) in a middleweight contest.
Welterweight prospect Mikael Zewski (4-0 3KO) stopped John Hoffman (11-25) in the first round after dropping Hoffman three times. Zewski lost a point during the action for hitting Hoffman while he was down.
