CARSON, Calif. – In a Fight of The Year candidate Marcos “El Chino” Maidana (34-3, 31 KO’s), of Margarita, Argentina, capped a spectacular night of fights with a sixth-round technical knockout win over “The Riverside Rocky’’ Josesito Lopez (30-6, 18 KO’s) of Riverside, Calif., before a loud and raucous record sell-out crowd of 8,629 at the Home Depot Center Saturday in the SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING main event live on SHOWTIME®.

 

In a tremendous all-action slugfest in the semi-main that preceded Maidana-Lopez, Cuban Erislandy Lara (18-1-2, 12 KO’s) of Houston, Texas, overcame two knockdowns to capture the vacant WBA Interim Super Welterweight World Championship with an exciting 10th-round technical knockout of Alfredo “El Perro” Angulo (22-3, 18 KO’s) of Los Angeles. In the opening bout of the telecast, undefeated Jermell Charlo (21-0, 10 KO’s), of Houston, registered a close, unanimous 12-round decision win over Demetrius Hopkins (33-3-1, 13 KO’s) of Philadelphia, Pa. The tactical match was scored 115-13 on all three judges’ scorecards.

 

“What we saw tonight is what the people want to see,” Richard Schaefer, CEO of Golden Boy Promotions said afterward. “What do you want to see next? The Broner-Malignaggi winner (they fight June 22 on SHOWTIME from Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.) vs. Maidana? Oh my God, now that would be exciting. That would be an amazing matchup.

 

“This was an incredible night of boxing. People want to see exciting fighters like Angulo, Lopez and Maidana.”

 

The sold-out record attendance number eclipsed the old mark of 8,226 fans who witnessed Israel Vazquez-Raul Marquez III in March of 2008.

 

While the SHOWTIME unofficial scorers (Steve Farhood, Al Bernstein and Paulie Malignaggi) had Maidana up 48-47 at the time of the main event stoppage, Lopez actually was ahead on two of the official scorecards, 48-47, and behind on the other, 48-47, when the fight was called by the referee following a devastating Maidana overhand right that staggered Lopez.