Omar Figueroa fended off a brave stand from visiting challenger Ricky Burns to take a unanimous decision in their CBS-televised headliner Saturday afternoon at State Farm Arena in Hidalgo, Texas. Scores were 116-110 (twice) and 117-109, indicative that judges Don Griffin, Cathy Leonard and Nelson Vazquez all missed a hell of a fight. Burns was penalized for holding, losing one point each in rounds eight and eleven.
State Farm Arena, Hidalgo, Texas - In a high paced contest, Jamie McDonnell (26-2-1, 12KOs) won a very close, razor-thin twelve round unanimous decision over previously undefeated Tomoki Kameda (31-1, 19KOs). All three judges had it 114-113. Kameda started strong in the early round, including a big overhand right that sent McDonnell down for the first time in his career. McDonnell was able to make many adjustment as the fight went along and the action became very close, round after round, with each fighter having their moments. McDonnell closed very strong in the twelfth round to seal his victory.
Austin Trout picked up his third straight win, having little difficulty in dispatching late sub Luis Galarza in the seventh round of their over-the-limit junior middleweight contest.
Friday's weigh-in wasn't exactly the best introduction for Omar Figueroa's venture into the junior welterweight division. The unbeaten local favorite from nearby Weslaco showed up more than a pound over the contracted limit for his showdown with Ricky Burns in a battle of former lightweight titlists Saturday afternoon at State Farm Arena in Hidalgo, Texas. The bout airs live on CBS in the United States and Sky Sports in the United Kingdom. The event marks the second CBS-televised airing of Al Haymon's Premier Boxing Champions series, which has also previously played twice each on NBC and Spike TV.
Omar Figueroa showed up heavy for his scheduled 12-round junior welterweight battle with Ricky Burns, which takes place Saturday afternoon at State Farm Arena in Hidalgo, Texas. The unbeaten slugger from nearby Weslaco weighed in at 141.5 lbs. - more than a pound above the 140 lb. contracted weight - and has two hours to shed the excess poundage. His team didn't seem particularly concerned about the repercussions, insisting the fight will go on as planned and that everything was taken care of, whether or not he makes weight.
Erislandy Lara will headline the June 12 edition of Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) on Spike TV. The top-rated junior middleweight will face Delvin Rodriguez in the 12-round main event at UIC Pavillion in Chicago, Illinois. The headlining attraction was confirmed by Warriors Boxing, who will serve as lead promoter for the show. Lara's place on the show was confirmed last month by BoxingScene.com, although the opponent remained in question until Friday's announcement.
HIDALGO, TEXAS - A full day of exciting undercard fights come to State Farm Arena in Hidalgo, Texas on Saturday afternoon, May 9 as local fan favorites and top prospects will look to make their marks on the boxing world. This includes former world champion Austin "No Doubt" Trout (28-2, 15 KOs), who battles Luis Galarza (21-3, 15 KOs) in super welterweight action . A former world champion who defeated Miguel Cotto in 2012, the 29-year-old Trout looks to make it three victories in a row on May 9. He also owns victories over Delvin Rodriguez, Daniel Dawson and Rigoberto Alvarez, in addition to his 2004 U.S. Championships gold medal. Fighting out of Las Cruces, New Mexico, he takes on the 33-year-old Galarza out of Bayamon, Puerto Rico.
The April 24 installment of Premier Boxing Champions on Spike TV played to 569,000 homes, including a 0.2 ratings among the coveted adults 18-49 market, according to data obtained from Nielsen Media Research. The show was a considerable drop from the series premiere on Spike TV, with its March 13 edition drawing nearly 1 million viewers. Acknowledgment of a potential drop in ratings was expressed by PBC brass during fight week, though never to the point of concern. Heading into the show at UIC Pavilion in Chicago, there existed the realization of competing with a pair of NBA Playoff games on ESPN, both of which were the highest rated sporting events on the night. The biggest televised story of the night, however, existed far beyond the world of sports, although involving a former athlete.
There has been a shake-up in the proposed lineup for the June 12 edition of Al Haymon’s Premier Boxing Champions series, which airs live on Spike TV from Chicago, IL. The show will now be headlined by top-rated junior middleweight Erislandy Lara against an opponent to be determined. The show will also feature Artur Szpilka, a local heavyweight slugger who thrilled the Chicago crowd with his two-round destruction of Ty Cobb this past Friday at the UIC Pavilion. His bout came moments after the cameras stopped rolling following the live tripleheader topped by Badou Jack’s upset win over Anthony Dirrell.
CHICAGO—In the end, Anthony Dirrell’s bark turned out to be worse than his fight night bite. Badou Jack offered perhaps the most disciplined performance of his career, enjoying a strong second half surge to edge Dirrell by majority decision Friday evening at UIC Pavilion in Chicago, Illinois.