Jared Anderson went the distance for the first time and won a 10-round unanimous decision over former IBF Heavyweight champion Charles Martin at The Huntington Center in Anderson’s hometown of Toledo, Ohio.

At the end of round three, Anderson dropped Martin by flinging a left from the southpaw stance that hit the top of Martin’s head. Anderson continued to pound away and rock Martin. In round five, Martin hurt Anderson with some hard left hands.

In round nine, the mouth of Martin began to bleed. Anderson was able to dominate the second half of the fight alternating from orthodox to southpaw, landing jabs and some solid punches to the jaw. Martin tried to make a last second stand as he landed a perfect left to the jaw that sent Anderson back, but time ran out.

Anderson landed 157 of 369 punches; Martin was 85 of 324.

Anderson, 243.4 lbs of Toledo, OH won by scores of 98-91 and 99-90 twice and is now 15-0. Martin, 259.5 lbs of St. Louis, MO is 29-4-1.

Anderson said, “It felt great. I had my team with me. I got my family with me. I got Toledo with me. They showed up and they’re in the building. They were with me the entire 10 rounds. I heard them all the way through. I’m grateful for my opponent. He took the fight on short notice. He came and performed really good. I think we put on a hell of a show for Toledo.

“I wanted to go the distance. It was my first time. I just wanted to make sure that I could go the distance and especially be able to withstand power the whole 10 rounds. He had power until the last round, and I was happy to get the rounds in.

“I think I took his best shots very well. I don’t think there was a time in the fight where I looked unsteady or where I couldn’t hold my own. Did feel like he got me with a good shot and stunned me? No. But do I feel like he got me with a good shot and made me aware? Yes, so I had to readjust and get back to the game plan.”

Martin said, “I took the fight on 11 days’ notice. I did the best I could. He’s a real champion. He’ll be making his way to the top soon. I’m proud of him.

“He’s really good. He’s a crafty boxer. Usually, when I catch somebody and hurt them, I can finish them. If they don’t fall, usually I can follow up and put them away. But he is like a little middleweight. He is crafty. He was able to get out even when he was rocked. He was able to maneuver and get out the way. He’s going to be a champion.

Makhmudov Stops Akepejiori in 2

In a battle of heavyweight sluggers, Arslenbek Makhmudov stopped Raphael Akepejiori in round two of their 10-round bout.

In round one, Makhmudov came out fast and dropped Akepejiori with a perfect right uppercut. At the end of the round, Makhmudov dropped Akepejiori again with a left hook while Akepejiori’s right hand was caught in the ropes. In round two, Makhmudov landed several devastating uppercuts that wobbled Akepejiori and then sent up down with a hard right. Akepejiori got to his feet, but the fight was waved of at 1:43.

Makhmudov, 263.4 lbs of Montreal, CAN is now 17-0 with 16 knockouts. Akepejiori, 255.5 lbs of Lagos, NIG is 15-1.

Abdullah Mason stopped Alex de Oliveira in round two of their six-round lightweight bout.

In round two, Mason landed three fast and hard left hands that put de Oliveira down and the fight was stopped at 2:18.

Mason, 135.2 lbs of Cleveland is 9-0 with eight knockouts. de Oliveira, 135.8 lbs of Sao Paulo, BRA is now 20-5.

Mason said, “It was amazing. I felt amazing. I felt great in this camp. Right now, there is no cap on my ceiling. I’m just focused, and I’m going hard.”

2020 United State Olympian Tiger Johnson remained undefeated with a eight-round unanimous decision over Jonathan Montrel in a junior welterweight bout.

In round three, the left eye of Montrel began to swell.

The eye continued to worsen as the doctor checked on it before round seven commenced. The right side of Montrel’s forehead became a bloody mess in round seven.

Johnson, 141.2 lbs of Cleveland, OH won by scores of 80-72 on all cards and is now 9-0. Montrel, 140.6 lbs of New Orleans is now 15-2.

Dante Benjamin Jr. remained undefeated by stopping Mirandy Zola in round one of their six-round light heavyweight bout.

In round one, Benjamin landed a big left hand that was followed by a right to the chin that put Zola on his back. Benjamin came forward and landed a big right that snapped Zola’s head back and the bout was stopped at 1:56.

Benjamin, 173.3 lbs of Cleveland is 7-0 with six knockouts. Zola, 173.9 lbs of Columbus, OH is 4-3.

DeAndre Ware won a six-round unanimous decision over DeCarlo Perez in a super middleweight bout.

Ware, 167.9 lbs of Toledo, OH won by scores of 59-55 twice and 58-56 and is now 16-4-2. Perez, 167.5 lbs of Atlantic City, NJ is 19-9-1,

Rance Ward scored a six-round majority decision over previously undefeated Husan Al Mashhadi in a junior middleweight bout.

Ward, 153.6 lbs of Houma, LA won by scores of 59-55, 58-56 and 57-57 and is now 8-5-1. Al Mashhadi, 151.2 lbs od Dearborn Heights, MI is 6-1.

Tyler McCreary came back after a two-year layoff with a six-round unanimous decision over Deivi Julio in a junior lightweight bout.

In round two, Julio was docked a point for holding.

McCreary, 131 lbs of Toledo, OH won by scores of 59-54 and 57-56 twice and is now 18-2-1. Julio, 130.9 lbs of Monteria, COL is 26-14.

Nicklaus Flaz upset previously undefeated Jahi Tucker via eight-round majority decision in a junior middleweight bout,

Flaz was cut on his right eyebrow in the final round.

Flaz, 151.2 lbs of Bayamon, PR won by scores of 78-74, 77-75 and 76-76 and is now 11-2. Tucker, 151.8 lbs of Deer Park, NY is 10-1.

NEW YORK (August 31, 2020)–Touted middleweight prospect Javier Martinez made it two wins in a row to begin his career, as he won a six-round unanimous decision over Rance Ward at the MGM Grand Conference Center in Las Vegas.

Martinez, 25 years-old of Milwaukee, Wisconsin is managed by Tim VanNewhouse of Split-T Management, and is promoted by Top Rank.

Martinez boxed very well as he worked behind a nice southpaw jab, and focused on some solid body shots.

Martinez won by 60-54 scores on all three judges scorecards.

“I feel like I dictated the whole fight,” Said Martinez. “At the last minute they moved it to a six-round fight. I feel that I made better adjustments from my 1st fight. I learned from my pro debut, and I made the adjustments that I needed to. I was more relaxed for this fight, and I feel that I did well for my 1st six-round fight, but I am not satisfied, and I am only going to get better with every fight. Hopefully, I can get back in there in October.”

“I went in there to box. I am good at what I do, and that is boxing.”

Martinez was the 2020 Olympic Trial Champion at middleweight. He was also a five-time National Champion, and the number-one ranked fighter at 165 pounds in the USA Boxing Rankings, Martinez’s selection as an Olympic alternate despite his victory at the trials and various international experience caused shock-waves through the amateur system.

Martinez is trained by Robert Garcia

Photos by Mikey Williams / Top Rank

Jose Ramirez won a 12-round majority decision over mandatory challenger Viktor Postol via majority decision to retain the WBC/WBO Junior Welterweight World Titles at The MGM Grand Conference Center in Las Vegas.

Postol had success early on as he worked behind his long jab. Ramirez pushed the action and hurt Postol. Ramirez continued to push the action and landed some hard power shots in a battle that was nip and tuck for much of the fight. Ramirez outlanded Postol 156 to 147, and won by scores of 116-112, 115-113 and 114-114.

Ramirez, 139.8 lbs of Avenal, CA is 26-0. Postol, 139.7 lbs of Ukraine is 31-3.

Said Ramirez, “I went in there a little too cold, you know? I impressed myself. I’m much stronger than most guys think. I just gotta not lose confidence in myself and stick to what I do best and box, let my hands go and not hesitate too much. I think there was a little bit of hesitation throughout the fight.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve been in the ring. There have been a lot of things that have happened in my personal life. It’s been such a long training camp. I think {I went} through the routine instead of, ‘Let’s fight.’
 
“I felt like I was just in a sparring session. I think I could’ve made the fight a lot easier in my favor, but we live and we learn. This was an amazing experience. I’m just happy I got the win.”

Said Top Rank chairman Bob Arum, “It was a good fight, but both men were impacted by going through three training camps and the whole situation with COVID-19. That being said, I thought Jose clearly won the fight.”

Barboza Decisions Luis

Arnold Barboza Jr. won a 10-round unanimous decision over Tony Luis in a junior welterweight bout.

In round six, Barboza was deducted a point. Other than that, it was all Barboza.

Barboza landed 225 of 69 punches; Luis was 135 of 577.

Barboza, 139.2 lbs of South El Monte, CA won by scores of 99-90 on all cards and is now 24-0. Luis, 139.4 lbs of Cornwall, CAN is 29-3.

Said Barboza, “To be honest, I haven’t fought since last November. I haven’t gone 10 rounds in a while. He was a tough guy. I needed the rounds. I showed a little bit of what I’ve been working on in the corner, going southpaw and all that. I give my performance a ‘B.’ I wasn’t really satisfied because I didn’t get the stoppage. It happens.
 
“I want {Alex} Saucedo. I think me and him would be a great fight. I know he wants it. I want it, so we could probably get it on soon. If he’s ready, I’ll be ready.”

Rodriguez stops Wilson in 3

Elvis Rodriguez kept his perfect knockout streak in-tact as he stopped Cody Wilson in round three of their scheduled six-round welterweight bout.

In round one, Rodriguez dropped Wilson with a straight left to the chin. In round three, Rodriguez sized Wilson wit a jab and landed a booming left to the head that made Wilson plummet in the corner and the fight was stopped at 1:03.

Rodriguez, 143.9 lbs of Santo Domingo, DR is 9-0 with nine knockouts. Wilson, 142.9 lbs of Farimony, NY is 9-3.

Said Rodriguez, “We knew it was going to be a tough fight because I’m a 140-pound fighter, but this fight took place at 144 pounds. I knew I had to be patient, but I knew that I could set up that knockout.

“When someone like Freddie Roach, a Hall of Famer, a legendary trainer, says that about someone like me, wow, that’s amazing. It’s also bringing some pressure because I have to perform. I know that under him, I’m going to continue to develop my skills, my talent, and I’m not going to let anyone down.”

Raymond Muratalla remained undefeated as he stopped Cesar Valenzuela in round seven of a scheduled eight-round lightweight bout,

In round one, Muratalla dropped Valenzuela with a straight right to the head. In round two, Valenzuela got even as he dropped Muratalla with a right to the head.

After that, Muratalla started to and continued to beat up Valenzuela until the fight was stopped at 2:24 of round seven.

Muratalla, 135.4 lbs of Fontana, CA is 10-0 with eight knockouts. Valenzuela is 134.9 lbs of Phoenix, AZ is 15-7-1.

In a battle of undefeated bantamweights, Gabriel Muratalla won a four-round unanimous decision over Justice Bland.

In round one, Bland seemed to have dropped Muratalla, but he hit him while he was down, and then docked a point.

Muratalla, 119.6 lbs of Fontana, CA won by scores of 38-36 on all cards, and is now 5-0. Bland, 118.7 lbs of Brooklyn, NY is 2-1.

Javier Martinez remained undefeated by pounding out a six-round unanimous decision over Rance Ward in a middleweight bout.

Martinez, 159.5 lbs of Milwaukee, WI won by scores of 60-54 on all cards and is now 2-0. Ward, 162.9 lbs of Houma, LA is 4-2-1.

NEW YORK (August 29, 2020) -Tonight at the MGM Grand Conference Center, middleweight prospect Javier Martinez goes for his 2nd win as a professional as he takes on Rance Ward

Martinez, 25 years-old of Milwaukee, Wisconsin is managed by Tim VanNewhouse of Split-T Management, and is promoted by Top Rank.

The bout can be seen LIVE on ESPN + beginning at 7:30 ET.

Martinez was impressive in his pro debut when he won a four-round unanimous decision over Ryan Burrs on July 15th.

Ward (4-1-1, 2 KOs) of Houma, Louisiana won his first four bouts, and has a win over previously undefeated Scott Perhach.

Martinez was the 2020 Olympic Trial Champion at middleweight. He was also a five-time National Champion, and the number-one ranked fighter at 165 pounds in the USA Boxing Rankings, Martinez’s selection as an Olympic alternate despite his victory at the trials and various international experience caused shock-waves through the amateur system.

At Friday’s weigh-in, Martinez was 159.5 lbs. Ward was 162.9 lbs.

Martinez is trained by Robert Garcia