Filipino veteran Jonas Sultan (18-5, 11 KOs) did not read the script. The former world title challenger spoiled the New York debut of Carlos Caraballo.
Sultan knocked Caraballo (14-1, 14 KOs) down four times en route to a 10-round unanimous decision in the bantamweight co-feature.
All three judges scored 94-93 for Sultan, who knocked down Caraballo in the second, sixth, and ninth rounds. The two traded knockdowns in the third, with Caraballo landing a glancing blow as the bell sounded.
Sultan said, “This is boxing. This is war. And I came to win tonight. Caraballo is a tough man, but I wanted this one.”
In other action:
Carlos Jackson (18-1, 11 KOs) upset former junior featherweight world champion Jonathan Guzman (24-2, 23 KOs) by an eight-round split decision.
In a tactical affair, the judges preferred the steady pressure of Jackson (scores: 78-74 Jackson, 77-75 Jackson, and 77-75 Guzman).
Jackson had a 48-39 advantage in power punches landed.
Junior welterweights Dakota Linger (12-5-3, 8 KOs) and Mathew Gonzalez (12-0-1, 8 KOs) threw down for six rounds.
The judges could not split the two, and after a firefight for the ages, New York City native Gonzalez held on to his unbeaten record with a majority draw (scores: 58-56 Gonzalez and 57-57 2x).
Gonzalez controlled the early rounds, but the free-swinging Linger had success with his looping punches and dedicated body attack.
New York City welterweight attraction Pablo Valdez (5-0, 4 KOs) scraped past East Los Angeles native Alejandro Martinez (2-2-1, 2 KOs) by a six-round majority decision (scores: 59-55 2x and 57-57).
There was drama in the fourth round when Martinez was wrestled to the canvas and injured his ankle.
Had he elected not to continue, the fight would’ve been called a no-contest. Martinez kept going, and Valdez summoned a second wind in the sixth round to pull away.
TUCKER
Rising welterweight Jahi Tucker (5-0, 3 KOs) wanted to show in front of his home region fans. In the third round, the Long Island native overwhelmed Jorge Rodrigo Sosa (3-3, 3 KOs) and stopped the Paraguayan veteran with a lethal combination.
Sosa, who dropped his third fight in a row, had never been knocked out as a pro.
Local favorite Ray “The Scientist” Cuadrado (2-0, 1 KO) did not precisely dissect Michael Land (1-4-1, 1 KO). But the junior lightweight prospect prevailed via a four-round unanimous decision.
He had some success in the fourth round, but that was not enough for him to draw even on the judges’ cards, who scored it 40-36 and 39-37 2x.
Junior welterweight prospect Kasir “Mazzi” Goldston (4-0, 1 KO) overcame the rough-and-tumble Marc Misiura (2-2, 1 KO) to win a four-round unanimous decision by identical scores of 40-35.
In the fourth round, Misiura had a point deducted for an intentional headbutt.
