Staples Center, Los Angeles - In his first defense of the WBO super middleweight title, Billy Joe Saunders (29-0, 14 KOs) stopped previously undefeated Marcelo Coceres (28-1-1, 15 KOs) in the eleventh round. (photos by Ed Mulholland)
From the start, Saunders was quicker and landing the better punches. Coceres was game and performed better than what many had expected.
In some rounds, neither boxer was landing anything to make a dent and missing much of the counters. The fight became much closer than expected because Saunders was not putting his foot on the gas in the second half.
In the eleventh round, Saunders dropped Coceres with a big right hook. He then landed an uppercut to send Coceres down for a second time, and then dropped him for a third time to force the stoppage.
