LAS VEGAS –It’s always been what Terence Crawford said it was.

It’s his era.

This Bud is forever.

Terence “Bud” Crawford delivered the proof – definitively – Saturday with a devastating ninth-round stoppage of Errol Spence Jr. in front of a T-Mobile Arena crowd that roared, first in disbelief and then in just plan admiration.

At his best, Crawford has been The Sweetest Scientist of his generation. But the proof was always elusive for the welterweight from Omaha, a midwestern city in a state known more for college football, wheat and Warren Buffett than boxing.

“Nobody believed me,’’ Crawford said in a ring crowded with his fans, officials and cops.

They do, now.

Crawford (40-0, 31 KOs) was at his scientific best, breaking down fighters in a way nobody ever has. Spence (28-1, 22 KOs) had never been knocked down. Crawford floored him three times, once in the second and twice in the seventh.

Crawford’s many – now former – critics often complained about his resume. The question was always:

Who have you fought?

Spence and his trainer, Derrick James, asked exactly that question just a few days before opening bell.

But he dominated Spence as much as he has everyone else in his era. Perhaps, more so.

To wit: Crawford found himself in tougher fights against Shawn Porter and Jose Benavidez Jr. Porter’s dad threw in the towel after 10 rounds. Benavidez didn’t fall until the 12^th and final round.

Dominance defines Crawford, explains his era. He’s been so dominant that it’s almost hard to believe. Until now.

“It means everything because of who I took the belts from,’’ said Crawford, who added Spence’s three belts, giving him an undisputed four for the second time in his career. “They tried to blackball me. They kept me out. They talked bad about me. They said I wasn’t good enough and I couldn’t beat these welterweights.

“I just kept my head to the sky and kept praying to God that I would get the opportunity to show the world how great Terence Crawford is. Tonight, I believe I showed how great I am.”

There was no argument from Spence, who fought for only the third time since his scary auto accident.

“My timing was a little bit off,’’ Spence said.  “He was just the better man tonight.

“He was just throwing the hard jab. He was timing with his jab. His timing was just on point. I wasn’t surprised by his speed or his accuracy. It was everything I thought.

“We gotta do it again. I’m going to be a lot better. It’ll be a lot closer. It’ll probably be in December and the end of the year. I say we gotta do it again. Hopefully, it will happen 154 (pounds).”

Their contract includes a rematch clause. But Crawford’s dominance might erode the public demand for a sequel.

It was apparent in the second round. Crawford threw a left hand. Then a jab. Then a precise combination. Spence was down, down for the first time in his career. He looked confused. Defeat was on his horizon for the first time.

Seven rounds later, defeat was reality.

In the seventh, Crawford dropped Spence with a counter. He dropped him again with a right hook set up by an uppercut to the body.

It was just a matter of time. That time arrived in the ninth. Referee Harvey Dock looked at Spence, bloodied in the face and standing unsteady legs. Dock ended at 2:32 of the ninth.

“It was a good stoppage,’’ Crawford said.

It’s been an even better era..

Isaac Cruz wins split decision

Isaac Cruz is built like a boulder. He moves like one.too. He tirelessly pursues, picking up momentum from round to round like a stone moving down a slight incline. Don’t get on his way. Giovanni Cabrera did. Punishment was the price.

Somehow, Cabrera stayed upright. Somehow, he survived.

But he lost anyway, losing a debatable split-decision to the stronger, more aggressive Cruz Saturday night in the last fight before the long-awaited Crawford-Spence main event.

Two judges scored it for Cruz, 114-113 and 115-112. A third judge, Glenn Feldman had it 114-113 for Cabrera. Fledman’s score was announced first. The crowd groaned. But there was no outrage this time. Just questions.

“I thought I dominated the first,” Cruz (25-2-1, 17 KOs), of Mexico City, said through an  interpreter.

So did the crowd. But Cruz, who put himself in line for a shot at lightweight champion Tank Davis, hurt himself by holding in the eighth round. He was penalized a point. He also could never knock down the game Cabrera (21-1, 7 KOs, who is trained by Hall of Famer Freddie Roach.  

Repeatedly, Cruz fired menacing shots from a crouch. Lefts and rights from all angles were launched as Cruz seemed to spring up and forward at the taller Cabrera. A couple of the shots, successive left, landed and echoed throughout an arena that was beginning to fill up with restless anxious for the Crawford-Spence showdown.

40-year-old Nonito Donaire loses bid for another title

It was a Filipino hello. And a Filipino goodbye

A T-Mobile Arena crowd welcomed back Filipino legend Manny Pacquiao as a fan at about the same time it prepared to say goodbye to Nonito Donaire as a fighter.

It was a moment, a slice of Filipino history, that transpired late in a  Donaire loss to Mexican Alexandndro Santiago for the World Boxing Council’s bantamweight title in a pay-per-view bout Saturday on the Spence-Crawford card.

Doniare, certain to be a Hall of Famer, didn’t say he would retire in the immediate aftermath of a unanimous-decision defeat.

“I love the sport tso much,” said Donaire, a 116-112, 115-113, 116-112 loser.  “But I’ll have to go back, talk to wife and see what’s next.”

A long twelve rounds was evidence that very little is left. Donaire (42-7, 28 KOs) looked every bit his age. He’s 40. He had hoped to become the oldest bantamweight champion ever. But Santiago proved repeatedly that it’s a younger man’s sport. Santiago (28-35, 14 KOs) displayed more energy and quicker feet.  

He made Donaire look almost stationary. The middle-aged Filipino no longer had the energy in his legs or feet to set up the Donaire power that still echoes over his many many years in the ring.

Yoenis Telez wins third-round stoppage

He was the stand-in. He also was the last one standing.

Yoenis Tellez, a substitute for injured junior-middleweight prospect Jesus Ramos of Casa Grande AZ, delivered power that surprised Sergio Garcia and then beat him Saturday in the Showtime pay-per-view opener on the Errol Spence-Terence Crawford card at T-Mobile Arena.

Tellez (6-0, 5 KOs), a Cuban, rocked Garcia (34-3, 14 KOs) with a right hand set up by a glancing left. Garcia’s knees buckled. It looked as if he might go down. But he caught himself and quickly sprung back up. This time, Telez was there to meet the Spaniard with anotherleft tnat  put him down.

Again, Gracia jumped up .But he had an uncertain look in his eyes as referee Robert Hoyle counted. Then, Garcia stumbled  as he tried to walk to his corner. That’s when Hoyle ended it, a TKO at 2:02 of the third round.

Steven Nelson remained undefeated with a 10-round unanimous decision over Rowdy Legend Montgomery in a super middleweight fight.

Nelson, 167.8 lbs of Omaha, NE won by scores 100-90 and 99-91 twice and is now 19-0. Montgomery, 166.8 lbs of Victorville, CA is 10-5-1.

Jose Salas stopped Aston Palicte in round four of their 10-round super bantamweight.

Salas dropped Palicte to a knee in round four. Palicte got to his feet, but the fight was stopped at 1:30.

Salas is now 13-0 with 10 knockouts. Palicte is 28-8-1.

Jabin Chollet wins second-round TKO

Jabin Chollet probably broke more of a sweat after the fight than he did during it.

Chollet (8-0, 7 KOs) headed out,  back into Vegas”s meltdown heat, after some quick work, a second-round stoppage  of Michael Portales (3-2-1, 1 KO) in a lightweight bout on the non-televised portion of the Spence-Crawford card Saturday at T-Mobile.

The overmatched Portales, of Hayward CA, was simply too small for Chollet, of San Diego. 

Demier Zamora wins easily, scores a scorecard shutout of Buzolin

He calls himself The War Machine. But there was no war Saturday. More like maneuvers.

Las Vegas lightweight Demier Zamora (12-0, 9 KOs) had all of the right ones, out-maneuvering Nikolai Buzolin (9-5-1, 5 KOs), of Brooklyn NY,  throughout eight rounds for a shutout decision in the third fight on the Crawford-Spence card. 

DeShawn Prather scores knockdown, wins narrow decision

Only a knockdown separated DeShawn Prather from Kevin Ventura .

A fifth round knockdown of Ventura allowed Prather to escape with a narrow victory in a welterweight fight Saturday afternoon about six hours before the Spence-Crawford showdown for the undisputed welterweight title at T-Mobile..

Prather (16-1, 2 KOs), of Kansas City, got a unanimous decision, 57-56 on all three cards against Ventura (11-1, 8 KOs), of Omaha.

First Bell: Spence-Crawford card off to a hot start

On the streets, there was no way to avoid the 112-degree heat. Inside T-Mobile Arena, there was no avoiding Justin Viloria.

Viloria (3-0, 3 KOs) got the Errol Spence-Terence Crawford show off to a hot start in a Saturday matinee, scoring a fourth-round stoppage of Pedro Borgaro (4-1, 2 KOs) in a junior-lightweight bout.

The aggressive Viloria, of Whittier CA, went on to land successive shots. By the fourth, a tiring Borgaro, of Mexico, looked defenseless. At 41 seconds of the round, referee Robert Hoyle ended it.

LAS VEGAS, NV (March 27, 2023) – The boxing world was in awe on Saturday, March 25th as 19-year-old super featherweight, Demler “The War Machine” Zamora III (11-0. 9 KOs), added another victory to his undefeated record, defeating Jesus Abel Ibarra (15-1, 7 KOs) by third-round knockout. The scheduled eight-round bout took place as the final fight of the night on the Benavidez vs. Plant card at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

From the opening bell, it was clear that Zamora, a southpaw, meant business. He came out strong and aggressive, setting up his attack with an educated jab. At the end of the first round, Zamora caught Ibarra with a devastating straight left off the one-two combo, sending the undefeated fighter to the canvas. Although Ibarra managed to get back to his feet, it was clear that he was in trouble.

The second round saw Ibarra trying to regain his composure, but Zamora continued to apply pressure and landed several hard shots to the body and head. In the third round, Zamora again caught Ibarra with a sweeping left hook, off another one-two combination that sent him down for the second time. This time, Ibarra was unable to get back to his feet, and the referee called a halt to the fight early in round three.

Zamora’s victory was a testament to his skill, power, and determination. Despite his young age, he has shown that he has what it takes to compete at the highest level in the sport. With his impressive record and destructive knockout power, Zamora who spars elite talent in Vegas, is rapidly becoming a force to be reckoned with in the super featherweight division.

“I took this fight on two weeks’ notice because I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to fight on this card.” said Zamora, who was born and raised in Las Vegas. “In addition, I’m always in great shape and I believe in myself. Knocking out an undefeated fighter of this caliber, is a testament of my hard work and the team behind me. I feel with a few more fights, I’ll move from prospect to contender.”

But it wasn’t just the fans who were impressed with Zamora’s performance. Sitting ringside to watch the fight were boxing legends Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Gervonta “Tank” Davis. Mayweather, who has been known to spot rising stars early in their careers, has known Zamora since he was 8-years-old, when he started training at the Mayweather Boxing Club with his uncle Roger Mayweather.

“Seeing Floyd and Tank sitting ringside for my fight was a great feeling.” Zamora concluded. “I had step up my game, turn up and show out. My confidence has skyrocketed, and I know I can hang with the best of them.”

Overall, DJ “The War Machine” Zamora’s victory over Jesus Abel Ibarra was a highlight of the Benavidez vs. Plant undercard. His impressive display of power and skill caught the attention of not only the fans but also some of the biggest names in the sport. With his unblemished record and growing reputation, Zamora is sure to be a fighter to watch in the coming years.

LAS VEGAS, NV (April 28, 2021) – 18-year-old undefeated featherweight sensation, Demler “War Machine” Zamora III (4-0, 3 KOs), better known as “DJ”, has signed a management agreement with renowned boxing manager, Bob Santos.

Zamora, who is a native of Las Vegas, NV, trains out of the Pound-4-Pound Boxing gym with his father Demler Sr. Last night, family and close friends gathered for the signing that took place at an elegant restaurant in Las Vegas.

“It feels good to know I’ll be represented by an experienced manager like Bob Santos, who has been in the boxing business for over 25 years,” said Zamora, who signed the multi-year deal yesterday on his birthday. “I feel I have the best team in boxing with my dad guiding the corner as my trainer, and Santos doing all the negotiating.”

“We sought out the best managers in the sport and Bob Santos proved to be the most loyal and credible person to unite with,” said Demler Sr. “He’s been involved with some of the most notable world champions in boxing, and we are extremely happy that he’ll be managing the career of my son.”

Santos, who guided Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero to a multi-million-dollar fight with Floyd “Money” Mayweather, is ecstatic about signing the exceptionally talented young lion, Zamora.

“Talented fighters like DJ, are very rare, and only come around once in a lifetime,” said Bob Santos, who led Guerrero to the pinnacle of the boxing world. “I have big plans for this kid, and I believe with hard work, he will become one of the greats. He comes from a great family and possesses all the elements to become a world champion. Zamora has great speed, power, work ethic, and tenacity, all the features I look for when I sign a fighter.”

Santos, who works closely with Premier Boxing Champions (PBC), will be looking to showcase Zamora on the televised platform in the coming months. Zamora, a southpaw who stands at 5’10, is excited that he’ll be making his PBC debut soon.

“I’m so grateful that I’ll be able to showcase my talent on a global stage,” continued Zamora. “I bring excitement to the ring with my style, and I like to throw a lot of power shots, that makes for great action on television. The PBC is the number one boxing organization in the world, and I can’t wait to show everyone what I’m made of.”

Back in 2019, Zamora made his professional debut in Tijuana, MX, when he was just 16 years old. He trained with Roger Mayweather as an amateur and won numerous tournaments, both nationally, and internationally. He’s known by the Mayweather’s as the Blackapino, because of his Filipino and African American decent.

LAS VEGAS, NV (August 3, 2020) – 17-year old twin boxing sensations, coming fresh off a sparring tour in the United States, Angel “AK-47” (3-0, 3 KOs) and Chavez “The Beast” Barrientes (3-0, 3 KOs), and their highly touted teammate, Demler “DJ” Zamora lll (4-0, 3 KOs), all scored impressive knockouts on Saturday, August 1, 2020, at Papas and Beer in Rosarito, MX.

The three highly regarded fighters, who hail from the Pound-4-Pound boxing gym in Las Vegas, Nevada, all lived up to their billing.

Super bantamweight Chavez Barrientes stopped Gilberto Valenzuela in the first round, furthering his impressive performances.

“I had a very good camp, and worked hard for this bout,” said Chavez Barrientes. “We spent a lot of time working with fighters we’d never sparred before and it helped a lot for this fight. I hit my opponent with powerful body blow and that was the punch that hurt him most. He couldn’t recover after that.”

Twin brother, Angel Barrientes saw a similar result as he stopped Brayan Martinez in the first round of their super bantamweight bout.

“I was able to land a couple of nice straight right hands to my opponents head that put him down early,” said Angel Barrientes. “I am lucky to return the ring this soon and hope to stay active as I want to achieve so much in this sport. I knew I had to make a statement and I did.”

Featherweight Demler “DJ” Zamora III stopped Sergio Vidal in the second round with a check right hook.

“We’ve been working on a lot of different things in the gym and one of them was throwing a hard right hook,” said Zamora “That was the punch that landed flush and hurt my opponent. Once I saw him hurt, I wanted to end the fight and I did so with a flurry of punches. These camps keep getting better and better and felt as sharp as ever going into this fight.”

Other Pound-4-Pound stablemates scoring victories in Mexico were Lightweight Nino Delgado (6-0-1, 3 KOs), Super Flyweight Jesse Rosales (4-0, 3 KOs), and Featherweight Joseph Macedo (2-0, 2 KOs).

LAS VEGAS, NV (July 31, 2020) – 17-year old boxing prodigies, twin sensations, Angel “AK-47” (2-0, 2 KOs) and Chavez “The Beast” Barrientes (2-0, 2 KOs), and their stablemate, Demler “DJ” Zamora lll (3-0, 2 KOs), are scheduled to fight this Saturday, August 1, 2020, at Papas and Beer in Rosarito, MX. All three blue chip prospects fight out of the Pound-4-Pound boxing gym in Las Vegas and will compete in separate 4-round bouts.

Angel Barrientes will face Gilberto Valenzuela at super bantamweight, Chavez Barrientes will square off against Brayan Martinez at super bantamweight, and DJ Zamora III will fight Sergio Vidal at featherweight.

Chavez Barrientes won by first round knockout in his last outing, a bout that took place in Tijuana, MX back in February of 2020. He’ll be looking to score another knockout against Martinez.

“It’s go time now,” said Chavez Barrientes. “I’m ready to throw down and make another statement in this fight. These last few months have been frustrating and now its time to let loose. I don’t want this fight going the distance.”

In his last fight, Angel Barrientes forced his opponent to quit on the stool, winning by way of third-round knockout. Angel dropped his opponent before the action was halted and promises to give another spectacular performance in this upcoming fight.

“I’m thrilled to be fighting once again after a long layoff due to COVID-19,” said Angel Barrientes. “I feel real confident going into this fight because I was sparring world champions in camp and holding my own. I’m ready to do some damage and I can’t wait to let my hands go.”

Featherweight sensation DJ Zamora lll (3-0, 2 KOs) won a four-round unanimous decision in his last fight. After getting world class sparring, Zamora III is geared up for a great performance.

“I put in a tremendous amount of hard work going into this fight,” said Zamora III. “I’m in premier shape and excited to drop some bombs. Fighting in Mexico is never an easy challenge these days, so I’m taking this fight very seriously.

Other Pound-4-Pound stablemates fighting in Mexico are Lightweight Nino Delgado (5-0-1, 3 KOs) vs. Cosme Rivera (42-29-3, 29 KOs), Super Flyweight Jesse Rosales (3-0, 2 KOs) vs. Jesus Francisco Ochoa and Featherweight Joseph Macedo vs. Javier Cruz Alvarez, all fighting in 4-round bouts.

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LAS VEGAS, NV (June 16, 2020) – The Pound-For-Pound Boxing Gym in Las Vegas, who has three elite boxers making waves in the professional ranks, twin sensations Angel “AK-47” Barrientes (2-0, 2 KOs) and Chavez “The Beast” Barrientes (2-0, 2 KOs), as well as their stablemate Demler “DJ War Machine” Zamora III (3-0, 2 KOs), have traveled to the Bay Area to get elite level sparring with top tier fighters in Eros Correa (10-0, 8 KOs), Oscar Escandon (26-5, 18 KOs), and Justin Cardona (4-0, 2 KOs), as well as many other top fighters.

“This is needed to see where we are at,” said super bantamweight Angel Barrientes. “We’re all trying our hardest to become the best fighters we can be, and going to different places to spar the best, is a great way to find out where you sit amongst the best in the world. I’m looking forward to sparring new guys.”

Amongst one of their many stops, the three young fighters will be visiting Ruben “Mad Dog” Guerrero’s boxing gym in Gilroy, California, as the legendary trainer will open his doors to the young fighters and their team.

“I am excited to work with such high-level people,” said super bantamweight Chavez Barrientes. “We have been working hard in Vegas, and now to get new looks along with seeing how others train will be a great change in our training camp.”

Zamora, the youngest of the three fighters who just turned 17-years-old is very excited about this summer sparring trip.

“We all want to be the best and in order to be the best you have to travel to learn,” said the dynamic featherweight Zamora III. “I am eager to be in a new climate, be in gyms I am unfamiliar with, and find out where I am at as a fighter.”

These three fighters are just 17-years-old, and will be sparring the very best the Bay Area has to offer this week.

LAS VEGAS, NV (March 16, 2020) – Angel and Chavez Barrientes, as well as their stablemate Demler “DJ” Zamora lll, all won this past Saturday night at the Big Punch Arena in Tijuana, Mexico.

Chavez Barrientes (2-0, 2 KOs) picked up the second win of his professional career knocking out his opponent in the first round. Chavez, who campaigns at super bantamweight, has won every fight by way of knockout in his career.

“It feels great to get the knockout,” said Chavez Barrientes. “To fight on the same card as my brother, and for both of us to get knockout wins, was awesome. I am going to stay active and look to fight again soon.”

Super bantamweight Angel Barrientes (2-0, 2 KO) won via a third-round knockout after dropping his opponent once in the first round, and again in the second. His opponent’s corner threw in the towel in round three after taking to much punishment.

“I am really happy with the performance, my opponent was tough,” said Barrientes, the 17-year-old boxing prospect. “I am confident in my ability and I know when I make my USA debut it will be special. I’m hoping to fight in America in my next fight.”

Also featured on the card, super featherweight DJ Zamora lll (3-0, 2 KOs) won a four-round unanimous decision. Zamora dominated the fight for the entire four rounds.

“It was a great fight to get me to where I need to go,” said the 16-year-old Las Vegas standout. “I am improving with each fight and this was a fight that will make me better.”