Fidel Maldonado Jr. (18-2, 15 KOs) scored a technical knockout victory over John Nater (13-5, 10 KOs) after Nater was unable to continue after four rounds. The bout was the main event of a card presented by Golden Boy Promotions and Fox Sports 1.
The fight began with a confident Maldonado stalking his opponent, using his head movement and his jab to properly time Nater in order begin his offense.
In the third round, Nater was knocked down after Maldonado landed a straight left to the body that was followed by quick hooks and another left hand to finally send him to the canvas.
Maldonado then made a sustained attack to the body in the fourth that once again knocked Nater down, who took a full nine-count before getting up. Nater was clearly not ready to deal with Maldonado’s incessant pressure, and his decision to take the fight on short notice may have been a factor.
In the co-main event, Errol Spence Jr. (11-0, 8 KOs) knocked out Peter Oluoch (12-7, 6 KOs) in the fourth round of a scheduled 8-round Welterweight bout.
Spence, a southpaw, only took a few seconds to adjust before letting his left hand go, hurting Olouch in the first round and landing several more left hands in the second.
Spence, whom many consider to be the most promising prospect of the 2012 Olympic team, made quick work of Olouch. His punches were sharp, concise, and accurate. In the fourth round, Olouch was knocked down twice before the referee had seen enough.
In the first televised bout, Terrell Gausha (13-2, 6 KOs) won a unanimous decision over George Sosa (13-6, 13 KOs) in an eight-round Middleweight fight.
From the very first round it was clear that Sosa was going to be outgunned. Besides taking the fight on short notice, Sosa’s less-than-stellar boxing skills were clearly going to be a factor in the fight.
Gausha, who boasts an Olympic credential, kept his hands up early in the fight–a smart thing to do with an inexperienced puncher such as Sosa. The first two rounds had Gausha controlling the fight with a stiff jab and landing an occasional right hand or hook.
By the third and fourth rounds, the clinic was in full effect with Sosa swinging for the fences in utter frustration. He was largely unsuccessful with his offense, often smothering his punches and looping widely in the pocket.
After a break in the fifth, when Sosa was forced to re-tie his glove because he claimed it was coming off, Gausha continued out-punching and out-boxing Gausha until the eighth and final round.
The judges scored the bout 80-72, 80-72, 79-73.
