After early rounds that were punctuated by a headbutt that caused Thurman to develop a hematoma over his right eye, Thurman amped up the intensity with a ninth-round knockdown that looked, momentarily, like it might put Guerrero down for good.
But the Gilroy, California, native showed tremendous heart in getting up off the mat and surviving a vicious flurry from Thurman to end the round. It seemed to switch something on in Guerrero, who came out with heavy lefts as he tried to return the favor.
It wasn’t to be, though. Thurman absorbed plenty of punishment on his own, but managed to stay on his feet and earn the unanimous decision 120-107, 118-109, 118-108 on the cards.
Adrien Broner completely dominated John Molina Jr. for 12 rounds, winning a unanimous decision and only losing two rounds total on all three judges’ combined scorecards.
Broner out-boxed Molina Jr. to earn his third consecutive victory Saturday at the MGM Grand Garden Arena while Molina dropped his third in a row. Using superior footwork, Broner dictated the pace of the fight, largely eluding Molina’s attempts to engage.
Molina threw wild overhand rights that frequently failed to land, while Broner was content to pick his spots, fight in spurts, and largely stay out of harms way. It was enough for Broner to earn a unanimous decision win 120-108 [twice] and 118-110 on the three judges’ scorecards.
In a grueling, all-action battle, Abner Mares and Arturo Santos Reyes went toe-to-toe in a bruising slugfest that Mares eventually won by unanimous decision.
Even though he lost, Reyes surely won the hearts of boxing fans with his gutsy performance.
Mares built momentum for himself early with a second-round knockdown following a left hook-right hand combination.
But Reyes stormed back, hammering Mares relentlessly throughout the fight, resulting in a particularly scintillating eighth round. Mares, who was feeling under the weather in the days leading up to the fight, landed the crisper shots, though, and as the fight wore on, his combination punching and body work began to take its toll on Reyes.
Then, in round nine, Mares walloped Reyes with a massive right hand that was among the decisive blows of the fight. Still, whenever Mares really started to get a roll, Reyes found a way to punch his back into the fray.
When it was all said and done, the crowd roared in approval, raising their voices in unison with Mares’ elevated fist.
