When Adrien Broner (29-1, 22 KO's) lost to Marcos Maidana in December last year, most boxing experts has the same opinion. Broner needed to go back down at 140 pound division.

But Broner's initial decision was to pursue a rematch with Maidana. But the rematch did not materialize because Floyd Mayweather Jr. chose Maidana as his opponent last May 2013.

Broner heeded to the popular opinion and moved back down to the light welterweight division. It was a wise decision.

He fought Carlos Molina in the undercard of Mayweather-Maidana I. And he won.

Broner first fight at welterweight was in June 2013, against light-fisted Paulie Malignaggi. It is a fight many believed Malignaggi won.

When Broner fought Maidana, a legit welter, he got no power to hang in there without visiting the canvas.

Maidana floored Broner twice. Broner was not able to carry his own power too, at the welterweight division. Broner do not belong yet, in the welterweight division.

On Saturday night, the 25 year old Broner fought for the second time as a light welter at his hometown in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Although I'm not that impressed with his showing, it was a convincing victory for Broner since moving up from lightweights.

He punctuated the somewhat close fight, when he scored a knockdown, few seconds left in the fight. I've got the fight a draw, if Broner didn't score the late knockdown. Broner won via scores of 116-111 twice and 115-112.

Before the fight, many believed Broner will win against Taylor easily. But the massive underdog from Maryland gave everything to win the fight.

Inspired by Maidana's game plan, Taylor (18-3, 12 KO's) started strong in the early rounds. He was able to pin Broner towards the ropes and unloads overhand right upstairs and left hand to the body.

But later in the fight, as Taylor energy tapered, Broner was able to tag Taylor with hooks behind the gloves. In Round 12, Broner ultimately scored that defining knockdown that sealed his victory.

After the fight, Broner called out Lucas Matthysse.

Matthysse won a controversial second round stoppage against formerly unbeaten Roberto Ortiz.

I came from the bottom so I know what it feels like to be there. We're still pushing to get back to the top. I said my next fight should be Matthysse and he can get it. If it was up to me I'd fight him with this cut on my head tonight."

But Lucas Mathysse has another fighter in mind. After his fight he called out Danny Garcia.

Who do you want Broner fight next if Matthysse is not available?

Roman Gonzalez not just picked up his third world championship by knocking out Akira; he also knocked down referee Michael Griffin.

Although it appeared to be a slipped, but it seemed Gonzalez has thrown a punch before Griffin went down.

That's how action packed, the fight between Nicaragua's Roman Gonzalez and Japan's Akira Yaegashi that even the referee went down.

Boxing fans at the Yoyogi #2 Gymnasium in Tokyo, Japan were at the edge of their seats most of the time. But the excitement was not culminated by a victory from their countryman. Yaegashi was dethroned in Round 9.

The fight

In the Round 1, the fighters underwent the so-called feeling out round. Akira used his footwork and hand speed, which is his advantage, to move around, box Gonzalez. But in Round 2, the action immediately picked up and Gonzalez got the better.

Although the 31 year old champion Akira was quick on his feet, he was not doubling up to defend counters. He was tagged often with Gonzalez's counters. He tends to put his guard too low.

In Round 3, Gonzalez landed a short left hook to Akira's unfortified face. Akira went down butt-first! There were 32 seconds left. Akiras's right eye swollen and almost shot, he got up and beat the count. He fought back strong in the remaining seconds but it was a clear cut 10-8 round for Gonzalez.

In round 4, Akira came out smoking and put Gonzalez on his heels. But it is obvious that Gonzalez punches were heavier than that of Akira. Akira would immediately stop on his track when Roman retaliates.

In round 8, the 27 year old Gonzalez pummeled Akira to the corner. Akira was able to move to his left, backpedaling. Gonzalez was stalking him. Gonzalez threw a punch that put down the referee. I'm not sure if Griffin got hit with that punch. But Griffin did hit the canvas.

In Round 9, Akira's both eyes swollen shot. Sensing he's way behind on the scorecards, Akira mounted the final push that was short lived. Gonzalez retaliated with powerful combinations that sent down Yaegashi to the corner of the ring. Badly beaten, the spirit broken, Akira did not resist as the referee stopped the contest. The official time: 2:24 in Round 9.

With the win, Gonzalez maintained an undefeated record of 40 wins, that's 13 more wins compared to Andre Ward's 27. Ward is currently number 2, on most pound-for-pound lists. Gonzalez's victories include 34 by way of knockouts -- a stunning 85 percent knockout ratio.

Now, where do you think "Chocolatito" stand in your pound-for-pound ranking?

When I first read the press release saying that Peter Quillin relinquished his WBO title, I thought it was a random let-go-the-belt, move-up-in-weight decision.

A move we used to hear, when a fighter moved up in weight. But he is not moving away from middleweight division. My confusion started...

Quillin relinquished the title for no reason? That makes no sense.

Why the hell he let go of that title? Well I know that the some boxing media, that including me, if you consider, not happy with these alphabet gangs.

And you know the obvious reason why. But boxers do appreciate alphabet belts. It's more of a hardware they can hold feel and see after a hard won battle.

I just don’t understand why he let go of that title and yet he stayed in the same division. I see something strange about it. I made a couple of digging in the biggest library in the world -- the World Wide Web.

I found Kevin Iole's post. It gives enlightenment to my confusion.

According to Iole "It's most likely that Quillin dropping the title was a move orchestrated by Haymon to keep Jay Z out of his business. That, more than ducking any fighter, is almost certainly what this is about."

Although Iole put it like more of a theory but it makes a lot of sense why Quillin relinquish the title.

So, if Iole's theory is correct. So Haymon don't want to get involve with Jay Z. He's a rapper right? What is he doing in boxing? Ah! Because Haymon has issues with Jay Z.

But let us not stop from there. Let us look at Quillin statement.

I'd like to thank WBO president Paco Valcarcel and his organization for their support throughout the years," said Quillin. "Winning the WBO world championship was a highlight in my career and something I'll never forget, this is a difficult decision, but in order to make the fights the fans and I want against my fellow middleweights at the top of the division, I needed to relinquish the title. This is an exciting new chapter in my life, and I'm looking forward to cementing my spot as the best middleweight in the world."

So, Quillin believed that Matt Korobov is not at the top of the middleweight division. And I agree with Quillin.

Korovov is not rated in the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board middleweight rankings. The ranking body that I believed. Because it has one champion in each division, unlike the alphabet gangs.

So, Korobov, as not "a fellow middleweight a top of the division".

What about the money?

Quillin will receive 1.4 million dollars for Korobov fight. The biggest purse so far in his career. Is this still small for him? Okay.

But who he will fight next'? It is a lot bigger money? Then who?

If Quillin wants the biggest, then that’s Gennady Golovkin as what Iole suggested. But Golovkin engaged with Rubio.

So another Haymon fighter? Maybe Danny Jacobs. At least he ranked as top ten on the Transnational Rankings. But this could be lesser money than Korovob. Then how he could considered this as a big fight.

Then, it boils down that Quillin's move is to suffice the wants of his adviser -- the great Al Haymon.

Few weeks ago, social media and some various boxing websites has been talking about Floyd Mayweather Jr's. literacy issue. 50 Cent, Floyd's former buddy, brought up the issue. He posted a video on Instagram challenging Floyd to read "Harry Potter" book.

At first, the best boxer on the planet has been so quiet about it. Later on Floyd went to social media and posted two pay checks. The post has a caption that said: “Read this $72,276,000.00. God bless,” Floyd's reply bragging his money, was not the reply most people wanted.

"You guys don't know when you're dealing with pay-per-view you have to read at least 60 to 70 teleprompters, and I don't think they could choose a better person for the job than myself. I go out there and I do it with no problem."

Floyd said that intelligence and education are two different things.

"I just feel like basically I'm not judged by a person, I'm judged by God. Reading does not define my place in boxing history. Will God not let me in heaven because I didn't read like a news anchor? Me, myself, I would be perfect at reading if it was how I made my living and fed my family. Once again, intelligence and education are two different things."

Floyd draws a clear line between intelligence and education. Floyd has great ability in boxing and he understands boxing inside out -- that's intelligence at one focus. But I believed that intelligence can be limited without education.

Floyd added that "making fun of person who can't read is not funny. It's tragic".

Mayweather fired back also back at 50 hinting that he don't understood what craft 50 is doing. "I don't know if 50 Cent is a boxing promoter, I don't know if he's making music; I really don't know."

Former world champion Andre Berto returns to the ring on September 6. He will open the three-fight Showtime Championship Boxing in US Bank Arena, Cincinnati, Ohio. Former undefeated Adrien Broner will headline the triple header.

Andre Berto (28-3, 23 KO's) will return to the ring and will be up against unknown Steve Upsher Chambers (24-3-1, 6 KO's) of Philadelphia for a 10-round welterweight bout.

This will be Berto's comeback fight since losing to Jesus Soto Karass in July 2013. Berto lost to Karass in a very entertaining fight. Berto chose to stand his ground taking power shot after power shot from the heavy handed Mexican. He was hurt several times. But landed also his own power uppercuts that hurt Karass. He even dropped Karass with a left uppercut to the body in the 11th round.

However, in the final round, Karass landed a beautiful counter left hook that sent Berto down. Berto was able to got up and beat the count. But the referee had seen enough and stopped the fight.

After that, Berto didn't fight the remainder of 2013. He will return on September 6 after more than one year in the sideline. And after recovering also from a shoulder surgery. Berto's comeback fight will determine how much he has in the tank. Berto is always an entertaining fighter and one of my favorite.

In a press released from Golden Boy Promotions, Hopkins vs Kovalev will takes place at the Boardwalk Hall in Altlantic City on Saturday, 8th Nov. 2014.

Since the August 4th official announcement of the Bernard "The Alien" Hopkins vs. Sergey "Krusher" Kovalev light heavyweight title unification fight, the boxing world has been waiting and wondering when and where the two will meet and put their respective titles on the line. The wait is over as Golden Boy Promotions and Main Events announced today that the fall's most anticipated boxing event will take place Saturday, Nov. 8 at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, NJ live on HBO World Championship Boxing.

I believed that this is the first time wherein a Golden Boy exclusively promoted fighter in Bernard Hopkins to air fight back on HBO. Earlier, Golden Boy Promotion top man Oscar De La Hoya told that the so called "cold war" in boxing has ended.

Is Trout back? Austin Trout gets back to the winning tab after back-to-back losses in 2013, against Saul Alvarez and Erislandy Lara.

Former junior middleweight titlist and Transnational Boxing Rankings Board ranked number 4 in the same division Austin Trout (27-2, 14 KO's) got up from two knockdowns in Round 3 and took control of the fight. He got the judges nod and won a unanimous decision against live underdog Daniel Dawson. The scorecards were 97-90 in all three judges.

The 36 years old Dawson (40-4-1, 26 KO's) surprised the highly favorite Trout halfway in Round 3. He tagged Trout with hard counter right hand that almost sent Trout out of the ring. Trout got up; although not severely hurt, but it’s obvious he felt the shot. Trout tried to come back and mount his attack in the last ten seconds of Round 3. But Dawson caught Trout again with a counter right hand that sent Trout down again. Dawson right hand did tremendous success in Round 3. He throws it down the middle as a counter to Trout’s lefty stance.

In Round 7, Trout (accidentally) stepped on Dawson’s left lead foot. Dawson was limping going back to his corner. In Round 8, it is obvious that Dawson hurt his left foot as he is not able to move the way he moved in the earlier rounds. Trout sensing the adversity of his opponent stepped up his offense and threw hard shots that sent down Dawson.

To Dawson's credit, he was there not just to fight. He came to win. Obviously hurt from the knockdown and with hurting left foot, Dawson got up and continued to fight.

But Trout never look back and became more aggressive in the remaining rounds. He’s looking for a knockout and had Dawson in trouble several times. But the underdog fought with his heart out and refused to go down for good.

With the win, Trout is looking to get back to big fights and hopefully fights again before the year ends.

New trainer confident, a New Mike Jones will show up, Saturday at Bally’s Atlantic City

Las Vegas, NV—Former world-title challenger Mike Jones wrapped up his preparations yesterday at the Top Rank Gym here for Saturday’s 10-round comeback fight against Jaime Herrera, of Franklin Park, IL, at Bally’s Atlantic City.

It has been more than two years since Jones last fought. He was stopped in the 11th round of his IBF world welterweight title fight with Randall Bailey, of Miami, FL, at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas. That was June 9, 2012.

Since then, Jones, 31, moved from Philadelphia, PA, to Las Vegas, was idle for two years while working out daily in Las Vegas gyms, and now is trained by Ismael Salas and Miguel Diaz.

“Boxing is a mental game just as much as a physical one,” said Salas, pictured above with Jones, Diaz and Richie Sandoval. When we first worked with Mike for this fight, we talked for a long time and worked on renewing his fighting spirit. He is a great fighter and he needs to think that when he walks into the ring he will be a powerful force.

“Mike is very strong and hits hard. He is in top condition; just look at him. After two years off, you will see what hard work and mental toughness did for Mike. He’s ready to fight.”

Salas has worked with 10 world champions, the most recent being Jessie Vargas, of Las Vegas, the current WBA junior welterweight champion.

Jones, who has won 26 of 27 pro fights, 19 by knockout, makes his fourth appearance at Bally’s, where he has defeated Lenin Arroyo, Raul Pinzon and Henry Bruseles.

Herrera, 25, is 11-2-1, 6 K0s. He comes into Saturday’s fight off the biggest win of his career, a fifth-round knockout over previously unbeaten Michael Finney, of Pahrump, NV, last March 29 in Las Vegas. Herrera’s management has been asking for this fight ever since word got out in May that Jones was fighting again.

The scheduled eight-round middleweight semifinal features Thomas LaManna, of Millville, NJ, against Jamaal Davis, of Philadelphia, in a prospect- vs.-veteran crossroads match. LaManna is 14-0, 7 K0s; Davis 14-11-1, 6 K0s. Ismael Garcia, of Vineland, NJ, and Gilbert Alex Sanchez, of Camden, NJ, collide over six rounds to determine the best junior middleweight prospect in South Jersey. Garcia is 6-0, 3 K0s; Sanchez 4-4-1, 2 K0s.

Photo Credit: Esther Lin/SHOWTIME and GBP/Hogan photos

SHAWN PORTER, IBF Welterweight World Champion

Broadcast live streaming video on Ustream
The most anticipated match-up between two top welterweight star, Shawn Porter and Kell Brook will hold official weigh in on Friday at 1 PM PT at the StubHub Center in Carson, California.

The rematch between boxing pound-for-pound kingpin Floyd Mayweather Jr. and hard-hitting Argentinean fighter Marcos Maidana has revealed the undercards.

The main event of Mayhem is already a guaranteed entertaining fight this September on Showtime PPV. I could say this based on their previous encounter, as Maidana gave everything the boxer that calls himself "the best ever" can handle.

Maidana gave trouble, roughhousing Mayweather towards the ropes and winning the early rounds that seldom you can find on all Mayweather previous opponents. Yet, the undercards seemed promise the same level of fireworks, adding in Mexican stars in keeping with the Mexican Independence Day tradition.

Here are the Mayweather vs Maidana II undercards:

Fast rising young star Leo Santa Cruz puts his lightweight crown on the line against Manuel Roman as the co-featured main event. While Miguel Vazquez faces Mayweather Promotions' star Mickey Bee.

The all out aggressor Alfredo Angulo will also be seen back in action, takes on James De La Rosa. John Molina Jr. fights the hard-hitting Humberto Soto in a 10-round Jr, welterweight bout.

[caption id="attachment_3818" align="alignnone" width="1800"] Photo Credit: Amanda Kwok / SHOWTIME Golden Boy Promotions/Hoganphotos[/caption]

Danny Garcia (29-0, 17 KO) took good care of business. And destroyed Rod Salka in Round 2 of their junior welterweight bout, (actually a catch-weight at 142 lbs.) at the Barclays Center in New York, on Showtime’s triple header.

There’s nothing to say about this fight. The moment this fight announced, boxing writers already drafted their recap for this fight. They thought, Salka is overkilled in this match-up. That was the case tonight.

I hate when boxing writers are writing off an underdog. I inclined to favor underdogs, at some level. But this one is an exception.

I look at every angle, but I can’t see any angle Rod Salka can pull an upset. So, I drafted my recap too.

There is not so much of resistance from Salka (19-4, 3 KO). Garcia overpowered Salka. no answer to Garcia’s power and skill. In Round 1, it’s obvious that Salka would like to pull a Mauricio Herrera type of game plan. He tried to move around and he heard the bell that signaled Round 1 has ended. But in the second round, Salka didn’t hear the bell.

In the second round, Garcia dropped Salka and then followed up with intensity that forced Salka on his knee. Salka was able to continue but it was obvious that it’s just a matter of seconds — he’ll visit again the floor. Salka stood his limited ground, banged his chest, inviting Garcia to come in. He got what he wanted. Garcia threw a decoy punch to body and followed up with his signature left hook in full force that sent Salka flat on his back.

The referee didn’t bother to count and waved it off at 2:31 in Round 2. I saw also the white towel float in the air. But that was not needed. The referee stopped already the fight.

When, I saw the left hook landed clean on Salka’s chin. I whispered “God please keep him safe”. The power and impact behind that punch is tremendous because Salka didn't even saw it. And Garcia is way too heavy that night compared to the unknown lightweight underdog. Weight limit in each weight class are there for a reason. That’s why, I pray for Salka’s safety after that punch landed.

Well, I hope we will not see this kind of stay busy match-up more often because it sucks. And it doesn't make any sense even to the favorite fighter. Just for the sake of staying busy? Or they just wanted a paid sparring?

IBF, WBA and WBO Championships all on the line as The Alien vs. Krusher comes to the East Coast in November on live on HBO World Championship Boxing

(August 4, 2014) -- Speed, savvy and defense will come face-to-face with explosive power and force this November when Bernard "The Alien" Hopkins takes on Sergey "Krusher" Kovalev in a Light Heavyweight Unification title fight, Golden Boy Promotions and Main Events announced today.

Hopkins, incredibly just two months short of his 50^th birthday, is seeking to add the WBO Light Heavyweight Championship to his collection of IBF and WBA belts. Kovalev, who burst on the scene just a year ago, has never lost a fight and has won 23 of his 25 victories by knockout.

"Everything I do at this point in my career affects my legacy," Hopkins (55-6-2, 32 KOs) said. "I've set and broken many records, but becoming the oldest undisputed light heavyweight world champion is the goal and Kovalev stands in the way of that goal. He's another young, hungry fighter and just like the ones that came before him, he will leave the ring beltless."

"I respect Bernard Hopkins for taking this fight," said the 31-year-old Kovalev (25-0-1, 23 KOs). "When I came to America, it was dream to fight the best and now I am fighting, I have my chance. He says he is alien. He punch, I punch, then we see who is gonna go to Mars."

In April, Hopkins defeated Beibut Shumenov to win the WBA Light Heavyweight World Championship, breaking his own record as the oldest fighter in history to win a world title, which he set in May of 2011 after defeating Jean Pascal at age 46. Kovalev comes off of the third defense of his WBO Light Heavyweight Title on HBO, defeating Blake Caparello by TKO on Saturday night. Hopkins vs. Kovalev is set to take place in the first half of November and will be held on the East Coast at a venue still to be determined.

"Golden Boy Promotions has been crystal clear that we will make the best fights for our fans no matter who else is promoting it, where it takes place or what network broadcasts it; this is Exhibit 'A' of our keeping that commitment," said Oscar De La Hoya, President of Golden Boy Promotions. "At 49 years of age, Bernard continues to electrify crowds with lightening quickness and impregnable defense; Sergey hits with thunderous force and is an early-round knockout threat every time he steps in the ring. With those two forces coming together, fans are in for a real treat."

 "Throughout boxing's history, great champions have always been motivated by fighting the best," said Main Events' CEO, Kathy Duva. "Bernard Hopkins and Oscar De La Hoya are both living legends who never back down from a challenge. Sergey Kovalev made it clear that all he wants to do is test his skills against the finest in the world. Main Events has always been able to deliver the biggest fights for its fighters and their fans. Since George Foreman defeated Joe Frazier in 1973, HBO has been synonymous with boxing at its highest level. It shouldn't be any surprise that when you combine those elements, you get the most anticipated fight of the year."

"Sports capture our imagination when elite athletes seek superlative challenges of the highest stakes, which is precisely the caliber of fight these two intrepid champions have given their fans by choosing to face-off against one another," Peter Nelson, Vice President of Programming, HBO Sports said. "Hopkins vs. Kovalev is a destination event, and HBO is delighted to present this light heavyweight unification championship to our subscribers."

For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com, www.mainevents.com or www.hbo.com/boxing

Follow on Twitter at www.twitter.com/GoldenBoyBoxing, www.twitter.com/main_events, www.twitter.com/hboboxing,www.twitter.com/THEREALBHOP, www.twitter.com/krusherkovalev

Become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing, www.facebook.com/maineventsboxing and www.facebook.com/hboboxing.

Two fighters with come-forward style will clash tonight, as Brandon Rios boxing Diego Gabriel Chaves at the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, in Las Vegas, Nevada.

To make it straightforward and without beating around the bush, I can say that: this is an entertaining fight without any significant outcome to the current welterweight landscape. Just pure entertainment. If you love watching two people punching in the head -- this is the fight you are looking for. This is a match-up of two people willing to trade punches without taking a step back.

Brandon Rios (31-2-1, 23 KO) has develop his brand of boxing. He's known for his all out aggression, hit-me-I'll-hit-you-back-with-a-smile style. But in his last two bouts wherein he lost to Mike Alvarado in a rematch and to Manny Pacquiao via wide margin unanimous decision, Rios was not able to show his brand of Rios boxing. Alvarado and Pacquiao implemented a game plan that exposed how "one-dimensional" Rios is. Okay fine. Rios might be one-dimensional but I'll forget about that because this time he will face another fighter that is more than willing to stay in the pocket and trade bombs after bombs. We will see both men walking each other in the ring. We will see blood! We will see war!

Argentinean Diego Chaves, (23-1, 19 KO) despite the visa issues and all was able to touch down on US soil with Arum's influence and Sen Reid. Everyone is not certain if Chaves is on or will be replaced until Wednesday. And he eventually arrived on Thursday morning, making him skip the final press conference in the afternoon.

Chaves, is former undefeated in 22 fights with 18 KO's prior to the Kieth Thurman bout. He was able to hung around with heavier arsenal Thurman for 10 rounds. He gave Thurman everything he could handle -- perhaps the toughest fight of Thurman. And I think, Chaves can hang around even more rounds against Rios who doesn't have exactly that one-punch-lights-out power. Rios breaks down an opponent with volume punching. He will break you down with his will to win. His best punch: the left hook to the body and right upper cut upstairs, once you will get tag with those punch in succession that will bring you down. And besides Rios has a remarkable chin and was not stop in his career.

Well, I will not get surprise if this bout will go to the distance. This will depend on who's willing to put more defense. Even if both men can handle each others' power, there's always threshold on how much a boxer can absorbed and still upright. I'm certain that if both men feel that they can absorb each other's best punch -- they will forget defense. If they do that, there might be a stoppage, but that would be not earlier than round 9.

On Saturday night, let's forget about those PPV fights that we all know whose gonna win and those same-card-different-opponent bullshit cards. Tonight we will see a boxing fight. And I believe Rios and Chaves will deliver.