Cruiserweight Jake Paul (12-1, 7 KOs) took advantage of Julio Cesar Chavez Jr’s reluctance to throw punches in the first half of their fight on Saturday night to build a wide lead and cruise to a 10-round unanimous decision at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. The judges’ scores were 99-91, 97-93, and 98-92.
WBA and WBO cruiserweight champion Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez (48-1, 30 KOs) won a 12-round unanimous decision over Yuniel Dorticos (27-3, 25 KOs) in a much harder-than-expected fight. The judges scored it 115-112, 115-112, and 117-111. This writer had it for Dorticos 7-5. Ramirez wasn’t throwing enough punches, and he appeared to be carrying a lot of excess weight on his frame. That hurt his ability to fight hard during the first six rounds when Dorticos dominated.
Welterweight Raul Curiel (16-0-1, 14 KOs) used his power punching to stop Victor Ezequiel Rodriguez (16-1-1, 9 KOs) in the fourth round. Curiel dropped Rodriguez with a big right-hand uppercut, which damaged his nose.
When Rodriguez got back up, Curiel drove him to the ropes with heavy fire. Rodriguez then bent over and shelled up, forcing the referee, Michael Margado, to stop the contest. The time was at 2:09 of round four. Rodriguez’s face swelled up immediately from his injured nose.
Welterweight Julian Rodriguez (24-1, 15 KOs) came on strong in round ten to knockout Avious Griffin (17-1, 16 KOs) with a hook. The fight had been a close one going into the final round. However, Griffin left himself open for a hard left hook counter and was dropped.
Floyd Schofield (19-0, 13 KOs) destroyed light heavyweight contender Tevin Farmer (33-9-1, 8 KOs) by a first-round knockout in a surprise result—Schofield, 22, poleaxed Farmer with a straight right to the chin. When Farmer got back up, he was badly hurt. The referee should have stopped it on the spot. He let it go on, and Schofield then dropped Farmer a second time. In a follow-up barrage, the fight was halted by the referee, Gerald White. The time was at 1:18 of the round.
Lightweight Holly Holm (34-2-3, 9 KOs) put on a boxing clinic in defeating Yolanda Guadalupe Vega Ochoa (10-1, 1 KOs) by a wide 10-round unanimous decision. Holm, 43, returned from a twelve-year break and looked just as good as she did in her past fight in boxing in 2013. She utilized her movement and sharp left-hand punching to dominate Ochoa. The scores were 100-90, 100-90, and 100-90.
Welterweight Joel Iriarte (8-0, 7 KOs) outworked veteran Kevin Johnson (12-7, 8 KOs), beating him by an eight-round unanimous decision in a phonebooth type of brawl. The two fighters spent the entire fight against the ropes, trading short punches, many of them uppercuts. Iriarte, 22, got the better of the action. The scores were 78-74, 80-72, and 79-73.
Bantamweight Alexander Gueche (8-0, 5 KOs) beat Vincent Avina (8-2-1, 7 KOs) by an eighth-round unanimous decision. The judges scored it 80-72, 80-72, and 79-74.
Heavyweight prospect Joshua Edwards (3-0, 3 KOs) obliterated Dominicc Hardy (6-4, 4 KOs), knocking him out with a straight right hand early in the first round. The 2024 U.S Olympian Edwards, 25, landed a clean right to the head of Hardy, putting him down flat on his back. Referee David Hartment waved it off after Hardy got to his feet. The official time of the stoppage was at 1:03 of round one.
Super featherweight veteran Rene Alvarado (35-16, 22 KOs) defeated Victor Morales (20-1-1, 10 KOs) by a 10-round unanimous decision. The judges’ scores were 96-94, 99-91, and 99-91.
Super flyweight John ‘Scrappy’ Ramirez (15-1, 9 KOs) dominated the tough journeyman Josue Jesus Morales (33-19-5, 14 KOs) in a one-sided eight-round unanimous decision. Ramirez was on the attack nonstop, landing big shots and taking some in return. The judges’ scores were 79-73, 80-72, and 80-72.
