On the eve of one of the biggest nights in boxing for 2013, Showtime Boxing and Mayweather Promotions presented four of their rising stars in separate bouts.
In the main event, J’Leon Love (16-0, 10 KOs) made his return against Lajuan Simon (23-5, 12 KOs) in a Super Middleweight bout.
It was his first fight since what was then a controversial win over Gabriel Rosado. Love’s win was later ruled a no contest because of a failed drug test.
Simon, who fought only once within the last three years, looked too slow to do anything to Love. His punches lacked speed and crispness, and the virtual uncompetitiveness of the bout characterized the entire evening.
The fight was stopped in the sixth round after Love spent five rounds easily outboxing him. We didn’t learn too much about Love’s place in the Middleweight and Super Middleweight divisions, but he managed to get the job done in a decisive fashion.
The night started with a Junior Middleweight bout between Christopher Pearson (10-0, 9 KOs) and Acacio Ferreira (14-1, 12 KOs).
In a quick and easy fight, Pearson knocked out Ferreira in the first round. Pearson landed solid shots that forced Ferreira into the ropes and sent him tumbling to the ground with his eyes rolling back.
For the night’s second bout, Mickey Bey (19-1, 10 KOs) returned after suffering the first loss of his career. Bey took on Carlos Cardenas (20-7-1, 13 KOs) in a lightweight bout.
Bey controlled the fight easily with his jab and showed he learned an important lesson from his last bout: don’t take any unnecessary risks.
It was Bey’s first fight since his lost to John Molina. Bey spent most of his last fight avoiding punches and outboxing Molina, only to get knocked out in the final round.
In this bout, Bey did the same, but his boxing skill eventually made the difference. By the third and final round, he began to land shots easily.
Bey closed the show with a spectacular left hook to the body followed to the head. It is a lethal combination that distracts the opponent with the body punch, only to knock him out with the shot to the chin.
Cardenas was visibly hurt and, although he tried to get up, his appearance was enough for the referee to call the fight.
Bey finished the fight by stating, “I didn’t get a chance to warm up at all.”
Badou Jack (16-0-1, 11 KOs), who is trained by former Light Heavyweight champion Eddie Mustafa Muhammad, fought in the penultimate bout against a very tough fighter in Rogelio Medina (31-5, 25 KOs).
Medina tried to work on the inside with Jack, and was able to stay busy enough to keep Jack off of him. However, by the fifth round, Medina slowed down enough for Jack to take advantage.
Jack started the knockout with a strong right hand that knocked Cardenas down. This began a barrage that knocked Medina two more times before the referee stopped the fight.
Jack proved that he, along with the other Mayweather Promotions fighters that night, needs to step up in competition so fans can see what they’re made of.
