As he peered around the ring, Errol Spence Jr. was in a daze.
After Yordenis Ugas connected with a brutal right hand in the 6th round, the referee walked over to stop the fight and allow Spence to get the mouthpiece. Ugas connected with a left hand followed by a right that sent the distracted Spence careening into the ropes for what could have been called a knockdown.
The series of events seemed to have rejuvenated Spence, who was fighting in front of his hometown fans at AT&T Stadium for the third time. He took control of the bout after the second round. The systematic beating he inflicted on Ugas slowly but surely completely closed the Cuban's right eye before the ringside doctor advised Cole to stop the fight at 1:44 of Round 10.
The full fight recap can be found here.
As he tries to get Ugas out of there, Spence is in total control. Ugas can't see well from the right eye and it's affecting him. 10, Spence. 87-87, Spence.
Another big round for Spence, who had Ugas in trouble. Cole gave the reprieve to Ugas, but the ref stopped the fight to allow the doctor to examine the swollen right eye. The doctor allowed the bout to continue. 10, Spence. 77-75, Spence.
What a fight! A huge bounce-back round by Spence. He hurt Ugas with a left uppercut. The Ugas rallied late in the round with left hooks. The right eye of Ugas was badly swollen shut. 10, Spence. The score was 67-66, Spence.
Round 6 was wild! Ugas hammers Spence with a right hand. The referee didn't step in until after Spence was hurt. He was crushed by two more punches that sent him crashing into the ropes. It should have been called a knockdown because the ropes held him up. Ugas, 10-9. 55-54.
Spence is more aggressive now. He backed Ugas up and landed punishing shots on the inside, particularly a right uppercut. Ugas came back in the final minute of the round. 10, Spence. The score was 48-47, Spence.
There was not a lot of clean punching in that round. Ugas continues to fire right hands and dig to the body. 10, Spence. 38.
Both Ugas and Spence threw heavy shots in the third round. Ugas connects with two tremendous right hands late in the round to take a close frame. Ugas, 10-9. 29-28, Ugas.
In round 2, Spence connected on a powerful overhand late in the round. He jabbed the body and head with his left jab. 10, Spence. 19-19.
The home for the left hook that Ugas found in the first round should be a key to this fight. The opening round was a feeling-out round. 10, Ugas.
The old champion needed a sturdy chin or younger legs to stay competitive.
The four knockdowns were proof that Gamboa had neither. The ex-featherweight champ tried to hang with Cruz but eventually succumbed to Cruz's intensity and was forced to retire in the fifth round.
Cruz forced referee Mark Calo-oy to save Gamboa from further punishment after he was hit with a looping right hook, scoring the fourth and final knockdown. A towel from Gamboa's corner flew into the ring in case the need for a stop wasn't clear enough.
The second round showed why the fight would end in one way. Gamboa was 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 Gamboa has had a storied career for nearly three minutes.
Cruz knocked Gamboa down in the final 10 seconds of the round. It was clear from that moment that Gamboa didn't have the resources to beat Cruz.
I don't know what to say Isaac cruz other then I'm ready now we have a big fight at hand, I guess all Bark no bite??
— RYAN GARCIA (@RyanGarcia) April 17, 2022
The reception Cruz received inside AT&T Stadium was proof of a stock he gained despite a close decision loss to Gervonta. Gamboa suffered his third straight loss, a defeat that might have most fighters wondering if they should be in the ring anymore.
The undercard of Saturday night's Spence-Ugas was in desperate need of a big moment to inject some electricity into AT&T Stadium.
The televised portion of tonight's card saw Jose Valenzuela deliver with one punch, a roundhouse left hook that dropped Francisco Vargas in the first round.
At the beginning of the first round, Valenzuela looked ready for a big finish. It seemed as if Valenzuela was going to connect with something dangerous after narrowly missing on a big hook.
Valenzuela nearly cleared the turnbuckle when he tried to leap the ropes in the corner after the referee let him off the hook. After Valenzuela got up, a smile appeared to acknowledge his skill in a verbal exchange with the fighters.
One of boxing's most durable veterans was taken care of byCodyCrowley.
The Canadian kept his record perfect with a unanimous-decision victory over Josesito Lopez. A right hook sent Lopez to the canvas in the seventh round.
The most interesting moment in the postfight ring interview was when Crowley said that he fought despite a tooth infection and a chest infection. In revealing that information, Crowley also took his time with the microphone to speak for better competition as he hopes to crack the top 10.
Lopez has a lot of credit. TheRiverside Rocky, who has given elite fighters good competition even in losses, did his best to contend withCrowley. But the man couldn't keep up in the 10 round fight.
Eimantas Stanionis closed his eyes and waited for the scorecards to be announced so he could take a big step in his career.
The fast-risingLithuanian got the result he needed. He defeated Butaev in a split decision to win the title. He showed that he is a legitimate contender in a strong division.
Stanionis was supposed to be the mandatory challenger for Ugas, but he agreed to step aside so that Ugas could fight for the title.
Stanionis was 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 Stanionis appeared to slow down as the bout went on.
Stanionis showed why he could be a future champion in the 11th and 12th rounds. He connected on several scoring hooks that caught the crowd's attention. Stanionis gained some cushion when Butaev was docked a point for pushing Stanionis in the 11th round. The final scorecards ended up being unneeded insurance.
Stanionis was likely to play a key role in the win. He connected on nearly 37% of his punches. Butaev only landed 6.2% of his jabs.
With the win, Stanionis positioned himself as the No.1 challenger, and depending on how the rest of the 147-pound class shakes out in the coming months, he could be fighting for other titles as well.
Brandun Lee was the heavy favorite. Lee was a -3000 favorite at one point Saturday night, but he should have had a short night against him. Lee had to earn a full paycheck because of the unanimous decision win.
Lee was the superior fighter. But Lee was able to find Ochoa in the ring. The Brooklyn, New York, fighter was willing to stay outside, but Lee was unable to corral him when he had him on the ropes.
Lee had a style that was designed to be entertaining. Lee was able to take unnecessary risks because of the game played by Ochoa.
The junior middleweight prospect won an easy unanimous decision over his opponent. Mielnicki was one of the high-profile young prospects that headline a boxing card last Christmas.
After an upset loss to James Martin last April, Mielnicki was looking to get back on track. The Roseland, New Jersey, fighter from the outside could not do anything with the evasiveness that Karpency did. Mielnicki did his best work on the inside.
It will be interesting to see where Mielnicki goes. The Adah, Pennsylvania, fighter has lost three straight, including a wipeout loss to a top prospect last October. Any win is good for the 19-year-old Mielnicki.
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