Taylor Nabs Split Decision,
Upsets Hopkins for Undisputed Middleweight title!

Ringside reports by Trinidad Guzman and Mike Sloan
Photography by Chris Cozzone

by Mike Sloan

Las Vegas, NV: Like all good things in life, it must come to an end sometime. Tonight inside the MGM Grand Garden Arena, promising prospect-turned-contender Jermain Taylor pulled off one of the year's biggest upsets by scoring a split decision victory over defending champion Bernard Hopkins. What started off as a tactical feint fest for the first several rounds slowly mutated into a gripping affair of drama, theatrics and high stakes action.

Taylor was masterful early on as he smothered Hopkins on the inside and kept him at bay with pesky jabs on the outside. Hopkins was content to stay back and counter Taylor, but he couldn't truly get inside of Taylor to do damage to the young lion. Round after round, Taylor gradually increased his lead, leaving most in attendance to ponder whether Hopkins had turned old.

Hopkins didn't turn old, though, as the crafty future Hall of Famer seized control of the action by avoiding Taylor's jabs and sneaking crisp counter right crosses onto his nemesis' jaw. Hopkins took over the fight in roughly the eighth round and from there he never relented. Hopkins blasted Taylor with a beautiful right cross in the sixth, but it was in the eighth when Hopkins took over. Rounds eight through twelve belonged to "The Executioner" and there were a few occasions during that span when Taylor almost was taken off his feet. Hopkins was never able to score the knockdown and he couldn't do enough damage to warrant a stoppage, but as the fight drew to an end, it seemed that even though Taylor was the more busted up fighter of the two, it seemed as though Hopkins allowed too many of the earlier rounds to slip away.

After the fight ended, Hopkins, a native of Philadelphia, raised his arms and began celebrating while Little Rock, AR's Taylor hung his head in his own corner seeming as though he felt he lost. However, the three judges saw it differently as the fight was deemed a split decision in favor of Taylor. Judge Jerry Roth favored Hopkins 116-112, but that scoring was overruled by judges Duane Ford and Paul Smith, who both saw it 115-113 for Taylor. Fightnews.com also favored Taylor 115-113, who improved to 24-0 with 17 KOs. Taylor also became the new undisputed middleweight champion of the world, snapping Hopkins' record of consecutive defenses of the title. Hopkins, who fell to 46-3-1 with 32 KOs, was visibly upset by the decision and vowed that the rematch clause in their contract would be exercised.

Most of the 11,992 in attendance agreed with the decision but it was obvious by the fight's conclusion that there is unfinished business between the two warriors. A rematch is tentatively set for October 1 in Las Vegas, but that is certainly not written in stone. Hopkins was irritated at the scoring but vowed that he wasn't mad at Taylor. Hopkins felt as though he won the contest but refused to cry over spilled milk and make excuses.

LARIOS STOPS MCCULLOUGH!

By Trinidad Guzman

In undercard action on the Bernard Hopkins vs. Jermain Taylor bout at the packed MGM Grand in Las Vegas, super bantamweight champion Oscar Larios, 56-3, (36), became the first man to ever stop the "Pocket Rocket" Wayne McCullough 27-6, (18).

Larios and McCullough previously engaged in toe-to-toe combat just five short months ago, with Larios coming away with an extremely tough unanimous decision win. Although the scoring in the bout was severely lopsided, the action inside the ring was competitive for the entire twelve rounds, in fact, the bout was so highly entertaining they decided to lace up the gloves and go at it one more time.

McCullough opened the bout by focusing most of his punches to the lanky midsection of Larios. He had success banging away at the body of the champion, but did not appear to have much steam behind his shots. Larios did his own fair share of bodywork, but had greater success landing hard jab-right hand combinations to the grille of McCullough. During the course of the non-stop assault, Larios came away with a cut over his left eye that appeared to be from a headbutt.

In the second frame of the bout, McCullough continued to focus on the body of Larios. McCullough's punch output was extremely high, but Larios was not only able to match his unbelievable work rate, but also landed the much harder shots in the bout.

McCullough's best rounds came in the third and fourth frames of the contest when he was able to step up his offensive pressure, forcing Larios to retreat. The "Pocket Rocket" pressed forward after Larios, landing crushing body shots, followed by crisp, clean, hooks to the head. Larios did not just sit back and absorb the attack, trying desperately to land his own powershots as McCullough marched forward. With the huge amount of flush punches landed by McCullough, it was no surprise when Larios came away with a cut over his right eye.

After the heated warfare of rounds three and four, Larios quickly regained control in the fifth round, snapping his long left jab into the face of McCullough. The "Pocket Rocket" was still advancing forward, but his punch output was beginning to slow.

Over the next couple rounds Larios began to land harder and cleaner powershots on McCullough. His bombs bounced of the head of the "Pocket Rocket" and McCullough was having a tougher time answering back with his own combination shots. As Larios began to assert his offensive assault, McCullough found himself standing on the end of his foes shots, absorbing an increasing amount of punishment.

In the eighth round, things only got worse for McCullough, when a vicious bodyshot from Larios double him over in pain. Larios quickly went on the attack, ripping more and more bodyshots on the fading former champion.

Rounds nine and ten were much more of the same, with Larios landing everything but the kitchen sink on the Irishman. Larios had great success all night long with his jab-right hand combination shot, but as the rounds progressed, he began to rip left hooks and wicked uppercuts that snapped back the head of McCullough.

After the tenth round ended, McCullough was visited by the ringside physician Margaret Goodman who advised referee Richard Steele to stop the bout, due to the excessive amount of punishment that he had taken.

Initially after the bout was stopped, McCullough appeared to be vehemently protesting the stoppage. It was later revealed that although McCullough stated he was never hurt in the fight, he felt the doctor's stoppage was correct. The "Pocket Rocket" stated that he felt "sluggish" throughout the entire affair. McCullough did not appear at the post-fight press conference, and there was no immediate word if he plans to continue his boxing career.

Montiel Coasts Past Briceno

by Mike Sloan

Sometimes when two very seasoned boxers square against one another, the fight isn't exactly filled with a plethora of action. Such was the case with the junior bantamweight showdown between Fernando Montiel and Everth Briceno. While the fight itself was an intriguing matchup of classic boxer versus stylish counter puncher, the action was non-existent from start to finish.

On a few occasions within the tussle both Montiel and Briceno were wobbled, but neither fighter was ever in enough peril to be dropped. With that said, neither man was ever close to being stopped. Both Montiel and Briceno took their time trying to pick apart their opponent, but without punches being thrown in combos for the majority of the contest, it left the thousands in attendance irritated and/or sleepy.

As the rounds slowly wore away, it was obvious that Montiel was just a step quicker than his foe and unless he walked into a loopy shot he didn't see, the fight was his to win. Montiel seized control of the fight early and aside from a few rounds here and there, he coasted for the full twelve rounds, winning a lopsided unanimous decision. The official scores heavily favored Montiel via tallies of 118-110 and 117-111 (twice), allowing him to improve to 31-1-1 with 24 KOs. Montiel, from Los Mochis, Mexico, expressed after the fight that his focus was solely on Eric Morel and since he was not allowed to fight due to the Nevada State Athletic Commission's decision, his gameplan was skewed.

"I was focused on Eric Morel and didn't really have time to prepare for this guy who had a totally different style," Montiel revealed. "I am disappointed in my performance but I do think I won the fight. I will do much better next time and I hope I will be on the September show."

As for Briceno, he falls to 21-3 with 17 KOs. He fought well, but was just a step behind Montiel for much of the contest.

Forrest bombards Rios

by Mike Sloan

It seemed like an eternity since the last time Vernon Forrest last appeared within the confines of the squared circle. Two years to be exact. Forrest fell victim to a series of injuries ever since his last outing - a decision loss at the hands of Ricardo Mayorga - but he still remained dangerous and highly-touted figure within the boxing world. But as the months passed him by and as proposed fights with Teddy Reid and Cory Spinks fell through the cracks due to his injury string, the Sweet Science almost passed him up completely.

Forrest, from Augusta, GA, finally was able to clear his bill of health and on Saturday night made his long-awaited return to action. His opponent was the little-known Sergio Rios, a tough fighter from Ocotlan, Mexico with much to prove against the former undisputed welterweight champion. Forrest insisted in the days leading up to the contest that he'd be able to shake off the rust score the victory over Rios and eventually work his way back up the ladder. However, Rios was determined to score the unthinkable upset and with his vicious punching power, that wasn't out of the question.

As it turned out, what was out of the question was Rios surviving Forrest's patient attacks and thunderous right hands. Forrest dominated Rios from the start of the contest, utilizing his stiff jabs and counter rights. Rios took the punches well, but his offensive tactics were fully neutralized thanks to Forrest's elusive style and penetrant counters. It seemed as though Rios would be able to hang in against the former champ for at least a few rounds, but Forrest turned up the heat in the second round, a stanza that Rios would not escape.

Forrest floored Rios midway through the round after he popped a loopy right hand to the side of Rios' head. Rios was able to beat the count rather easily, but from that point forward it was crystal clear that the tough kid from Mexico wasn't going to last much longer. As expected, Forrest quickly closed the gap and seized the golden opportunity to score the knockout. Forrest trapped Rios in the blue corner and crashed a left/right and then followed that up with a sinister straight right hand. Said punch deposited Rios onto the canvas almost face first and once referee Kenny Bayless realized that Rios (17-2 with 15 KOs) wouldn't come close to beating the count, he waived off the contest. The official time of the stoppage came at just 2:43 of the second round, awarding Forrest with his first victory since 2002.

Exactly how much the win means for Forrest remains to be seen. Sure, it was a pretty knockout and it came quickly in the contest, but it wasn't against someone who is particularly one of the best in the junior middleweight division, the weight class Forrest will now be campaigning at. Forrest stated before the fight that he had to take it slow against lesser competition in order to shake off the ring rust and to allow his injuries to heal 100%. Forrest insists that he needs about two or three more fights like this until he'll be ready for the cream of the 154 pound crop and when that time happens, look out. The possible matchups involving Forrest are seemingly endless. Guys like Ike Quartey, Kassim Ouma, Roman Karmazin, Verno Phillips, Juan Carlos Rubio, Fernando Vargas and Winky Wright all are equally intriguing showdowns for Forrest, now 36-2 with 27 KOs. Only time will tell when Forrest can square off with any of them.

ESCOBEDO BLASTS OUT VARGAS!

by Trinidad Guzman

In other action, junior lightweight Vincent Escobedo, 5-0, (5) made quick work of his opponent Edgar Vargas, 9-2, (1) knocking him down three times, enroute to the first round technical knockout win.

Vargas actually took control of the bout from the opening bell. He was able to land his right hand on his undefeated foe, often making Escobedo miss with wild shots.

However, the success Vargas was having against Escobedo would not last long, after a crushing right hand found its mark, knocking Vargas to the floor. Vargas quickly reached his feet at referee Joe Cortez's count of four, but after another hook-right hand cracked his chin, he would once again find himself on the canvas. Vargas once again jumped up at the count of four, but seconds later another right hand from Escobedo would drop Vargas for the third time. This time when Vargas hit the deck, referee Joe Cortez waved the contest off.

Official time of the stoppage: 2:57 seconds of round number one.

MARES STOPS MARTINEZ!

by Trinidad Guzman

Junior featherweight Abner Mares, 4-0, (3), wasted little time in defeating Elvis Martinez, 10-11-2, (4), via third round technical knout win.

Mares controlled the first two rounds of the contest, snapping combination shots to both the head and body of Martinez. Martinez offered up little offensive production during the bout, occasionally landing a right hand of his own.

Mares came out for the third frame and immediately landed a booming right hand that quickly caught the attention of Martinez. The game Martinez tried to fire back, but was severely outgunned in the match. Sensing that Martinez was beginning to break down Mares went on the attack, launching another crushing right hand that seriously hurt Martinez. The right hand shot from Mares was just the beginning, as he went in for the kill with a thunderous bodyattack, crippling Martinez, doubling him over with his back to the ring ropes. Referee Kenny Bayless quickly jumped in and called a halt to the bout, saving Martinez from any unnecessary punishment.

Official time of the stoppage: 2:45 seconds of round number three.

OQUENDO HALTS CARRIZALES!

by Trinidad Guzman

Junior featherweight Jonathan Oquendo, 5-0, (3) required less then two full rounds to destroy his opponent Timothy Carrizales, 4-5-1, (3) via technical knockout.

Oquendo pressed the action for the entire three minutes of the opening round. Carrizales was in the ring, but offered up no offense what so ever. In the second frame of the bout, Oquendo went to work, dropping Carrizales with a combination to the head and body. Carrizales reached his feet at referee Joe Cortez's count of eight, but then decided he had enough, forcing Cortez to call a halt to the bout at 37 seconds of round number two.

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