By: William Holmes
Diego Magdaleno vs. Fernando Beltran Jr., 10 rounds, junior lightweights; Yordenis Ugas vs. Johnny Garcia, 8 rounds, welterweights;
Tonight’s ShowBox card featured some of boxing’s most exciting prospects that currently fight under the banner of Top Rank. The night’s opening bout featured Cuban sensation Yordenis Ugas against fellow undefeated prospect Johnny Garcia. Ugas landed the cleaner and harder shots, and was able to knock Garcia down once in the fifth round, but the Judges favored the aggression and volume punching of Garcia over the counter punching of Ugas. Boxinginsider.com had Ugas ahead by one point, but it was a close bout and several rounds could have been scored either way. It will be interesting to see how Ugas responds to this loss, as he was a high ceiling prospect who was expected to win this bout.
The main event featured undefeated junior lightweight Diego Magdaleno against former title holder Fernando Beltran, who was jumping up two weight classes to be a last minute replacement. Diego Magdaleno was clearly the bigger, stronger, and faster fighter as he mixed up his combinations with attacks to the body and head. Magdaleno got knocked down in round four, but came roaring back for the rest of the fight and clearly hurt Beltran in round seven. When Beltran got back to his feet after the knockdown in round seven, Magdaleno continued to pummel Beltran forcing Beltran’s corner to throw in the towel, which made Magdaleno the first opponent to ever stop Beltran. Diego Magdaleno should take a step up in competition in his next fight, and maybe a fight with Adrien Broner should be considered for the future.
Round by round results follows below:
Yordenis Ugas (11-0) vs. Johnny Garcia (11-0); Junior Welterweight
Round 1:
Garcia comes out early and lands an early jab, and Ugas answers with a jab to the stomach. Ugas catches Garcia with a short left uppercut as he come sin. Garcia lands a jab, but then gets tagged with a counter cross. Garcia connects with a right uppercut to the body of Ugas, and he lands a decent right hook to the body. Garcia lands another right hook to the body. Garcia misses with a left hook and Ugas lands a shot behind the head and gets warned by the referee. Garcia throws several hooks to the body of Ugas. Ugas connects with a solid straight right hand. Garcia comes forward with a two punch combination, and Ugas connects with a decent body shot. Ugas connects with two short left hooks to the body. Garcia stabs a jab in the body of Ugas, and Ugas responds with some shapr straight right hands. Garcia lands a few more hooks to the body near the end of the round. More action by Garcia, 10-9 round.
Round 2:
Garcia comes out the aggressor and lands several short right hooks to the body of Ugas. Ugas comes forward with a double jab to the body. Garcia ducks under a cross from Ugas and lands some more solid body shots. Ugas connects with a good right cross to the body of Garcia. Ugas sneaks in a short left uppercut and covers up to the punches Garcia throws in reply. Ugas sticks some solid jabs in the face of Garcia. Garcia sticks a few more jabs through the guard of Ugas. Ugas flicks out another quick jab in the face of Garcia and lands a good right uppercut. Garcia bangs some hooks at the guard of Ugas, and Ugas replies by splitting some punches through the guard of Garcia. Ugas connects with another two punch combination as Garcia comes in. Garcia continues to stay active, but Garcia is landing the crisper punches this round. Ugas sticks another solid right cross to the body of Garcia. 10-9 round for Ugas.
Round 3:
Garcia comes out to start round three by getting tagged by Ugas with a two punch combination. Ugas lands a decent right hook to the body of Garcia. Ugas sticks another jab straight in the face of Garcia. Ugas partially lands a right cross, and Garcia lands three short right hooks to the body of Ugas. Ugas lands a good combination and follows it with two uppercuts while in close. Ugas lands another good right cross to the chin of Garcia. Garcia though is staying active and thuds some uppercuts at the guard of Ugas. Ugas lands a solid left hook right hook combination upstairs. Garcia connects with a decent right uppercut, and Ugas answers with a combo that lands cleanly. Garcia lands two hooks to the body, and the fighters exchange in close and both land some decent punches. 10-9 round for Ugas and he thuds a hard right hand near the end of the round.
Round 4:
Garcia lands an early jab, and Ugas answers with a jab to the body of Garcia. Garcia bangs a right hook at the guard of Ugas, and Ugas stays patient and picks Garcia apart on the outside. Garcia aneaks in a good right uppercut and lands another combination. Garcia connects with another jab uppercut combination, but Ugas sneaks in a hard straight hand that visibly hurts Garcia. Garcia slams a left hook at the guard of Ugas. Garcia sneaks in another short right uppercut at the chin of Ugas. Ugas is the more active fight this round, but Ugas is landing the crisper punches. Ugas lands a nice two punch combination but Garcia connects with a hard right uppercut. Garcia mixes up his combination with a right hook to the body right uppercut. Ugas chops a right hand on Garcia’ chin as he’s leaning forward. Garcia gets tagged with a straight right hand and short left hook as the round ends. 10-9 for Ugas.
Round 5:
Ugas starts off round five cautiously with his jab, and stays on the outside allowing Garcia to be the aggressor. Ugas lands a hard right cross, and connects with another one as Garcia stands in the center of the ring. Ugas connects with two jabs, and Garcia thuds another hook at the guard of Ugas. Ugas lands a right cross to the body of Garcia and blitzes a right hand downward that lands. Garcia lunges forward with a left hook to the body of Ugas. Ugas lands a good right hand at the chin of Garcia. Garcia touches the face of Ugas twice, and Garcia lands a hard right cross that knocks Garcia down. Garcia gets a standing eight counter, and Ugas comes right at Garcia when he gets up. Garcia is able to fight off Ugas with good hooks and lands a hard left hand as the round ends. 10-8 round for Ugas.
Round 6:
Garcia starts off round six the aggressor as he clearly needs to win some rounds after the previous knockdown. Garcia bangs a loud right cross at the guard of Ugas. Garcia sneaks in two jabs, but gets caught with a two punch combination as he comes in. Garcia is showing decent head movement, and fires off several unanswered punches in the middle of the right. Garcia gets tagged with a straight right hand. Garcia barely misses with a jab, and as he comes forward Ugas winds up sitting through the ropes but it is not ruled a knockdown. Garcia gets tagged with a straight right hand, and Garcia answers with a two punch combination. Garcia bangs a few more hooks at the body of Garcia, and may have done enough to win the round. 10-9 round for Garcia.
Round 7:
Garcia lands an early right hook to the body of Ugas, and Ugas answers with a cross and a jab to the body of Garcia. Ugas lands a straight right hand to the body of Garcia. They exchange some short shots in the middle of the ring. Garcia again is the more active fighter, but is unable to land anything clean or hard. Garcia rushes forward and ties up with Ugas. Garcia bangs a left hook at the guard of Ugas, and thuds a good right hand at the chin of Ugas. Garcia is chasing Ugas around the ring, and they eventually tie up. Garcia lands a few short uppercut, and Ugas clearly pushes Garcia to the ground. Garcia connects with a left hook upstairs. Garcia lands a few more short shots in the center of the ring, and is clearly outworking Ugas this round. 10-9 round for Garcia.
Round 8:
Garcia comes out the aggressor to start round eight, and applies the pressure on Ugas and connects with a decent right cross. Garcia lands a good right hook, but Ugas connects with a harder right cross. Garcia continues to throw and lands some short hooks to the body. Garcia however is not landing much at the head of Ugas. Ugas lands a decent two punch combination, and Garcia throws uppercuts and more hooks at the guard of Ugas that is partially blocked. Garcia barely misses with a straight right hand. Garcia lands a good right hand oon Ugas and a right hook to the body. Ugas connects with a good three punch combination, but Garcia lands a few decent left hooks upstairs. Garcia has a welt forming underneath his left eye and it also appears to be cut. Garcia continues to apply the pressure near the end of round eight, and this will be a very tough fight to score. 10-9 round for Garcia.
The official scores are 76-75 for Garcia, 76-75 for Ugas, and 76-75 for Garcia in an upset and very close decision. Boxinginsider.com had it 76-75 for Ugas.
Diego Magdaleno (21-0) vs. Fernando Beltran J (35-7-1); Junior Lightweight
Round 1:
Magdaleno and Beltra come out to the center of the ring, and Beltran immediately fires off a series of jabs, and Magdaleno lands a left hook at the shoulder of Beltran. Beltran lands a soft jab. Magdaleno slips a jab from Beltran, and connects with a short right uppercut. Magdaleno bangs two punches at the body of Beltran. Magdaleno is showing good head movement, and flicks two jabs at the nose of Beltran. Magdaleno slips a combination from Beltran, and lands a good body head combination on Beltra. Magdaleno connects with another three punch combination. Magdaleno lands a jab at the body of Beltran, and Beltran answers with a jab of his own at the body of Magdaleno. Magdaleno doubles up with his hooks again as he goes to the body and the head. Magdaleno sticks two more jabs at the chin of Beltran. Magdaleno lands two good right hooks and a three punch combination. Magdaleno unleashes another combination by mixing up shots downstairs and upstairs. 10-9 round for Magdaleno.
Round 2:
Magdaleno and Beltran come back out to the center of the ring, and Magdaleno lands the early hard shots with hooks to the body. Beltran lands a right cross and Magdaleno answers with a power combination that connects. Magdaleno catches Beltran with a right hook as he comes forward, and Beltran answers with a combination that finishes with a right cross to the body. Magdaleno lands another counter right hand, and a jab uppcut. Magdaleno tags Beltran with a solid straight left hand right uppercut combination. Beltran lands a jab, and follows it with a combination. Magdaleno connects with two more solid shots on the body of Beltran. Magdaleno starts a combination by firing at the body, and finishes it upstairs on Beltran. Magdaleno lands a good overhand left that sends Beltran stumbling backwards. Magdaleno is in clear control, 10-9 round for Magdaleno.
Round 3:
They touch gloves in the center of the ring, and Beltran lands an early combination and is able to slip in a right uppercut. Magdaleno touches the face of Beltran with a combination, and Beltran answers with a good straight right hand. Magdaleno answers with a three punch combination. Magdaleno fires off a four punch combination by starting at the body and finishing at the head. Magdaleno fires off a double jab. Magdaleno lands a good left hook to the chin of Beltran. Beltran doubles up his right jab, and Magdaleno tags him with a short right hook as he comes in. Magdaleno doubles up his right hook again by going to the body first and finishing at the head. Magdaleno lands another two punch combination by starting at the body and finshing at the head. Better round for Beltran, but not enough to win it. 10-9 round for Magdaleno.
Round 4:
Beltran lands an early left hand that knocks Magdaleno down. Magdaleno gets a standing eight counter but comes out firing and lands several hard shots on Beltran that gets the crowd to it’s feet. Magdaleno continues his assault on Beltran and is clearly angry. Magdaleno lands another solid right hand. Magdaleno does not appear to be hurt from that knockdown. Magdaleno connects with another jab and a right hook upstairs. Magdaleno lands a good right uppercut on Beltran and a stiff jab in the face. Magdaleno was able to come back furiously from the early knockdown, and landed several hard combinations when he rose to his feet. 10-9 round for Beltran.
Round 5:
They touch gloves again to start round five, and Magdaleno easily dodges the jabs of Beltran. Magdaleno lands a solid right jab on Beltran, and another good two punch combination. Magdaleno comes forward with a two punch combination before Beltran grabs a hold of Magdaleno. They separate and Beltran looks to be highly tentative. Magdaleno misses with a wild left hand. Magdaleno assaults the body of Beltran with a combination of short hooks. Magdaleno doubles up his right uppercuts to the body and head of Beltran. Magdaleno sticks another solid jab and two punch combination on Beltran. Magdaleno lands a solid straight left hand on Beltran. Magdaleno sticks another jab and a three punch combination on Beltran. The referee warns Magdaleno for a low blow, and Beltran is given time to recuperate. Magdaleno comes right back when Beltran comes back out and assaults the body of Beltran again. 10-9 round for Magdaleno.
Round 6:
Magdaleno lands an early combination to the body of Beltran and finishes it with a reaching uppercut. Magdaleno lands a two punch combination on Beltran and a reaching right hook. Magdaleno thuds another combination at the body of Beltran. Magdaleno lands a two punch combination to the body and then they clinch. Magdaleno lands a jab uppercut on Beltran. Magdaleno two lead right hooks to the body of Beltran. Magdaleno stuns Beltran with a straight left hand to his chin near the ropes. Magdaleno lands a good right hook to the body of Beltran. 10-9 round for Magdaleno.
Round 7:
Magdaleno is in clear control of this fight so far. Magdaleno lands a looping left hand on Beltran. Beltran connects with a two punch combination on the body of Magdaleno. Magdaleno connects with a left hook to the chin of Beltran. Magdaleno lands a solid three punch combination on Beltran and Beltran tries to hold on. Magdaleno continues to assault Beltran near the ropes and Beltran looks to be in trouble. Magdaleno lands a hard right hand and a short hook stuns Beltran and the referee rules it a knockdown. Beltran is given the eight counter, and Magdaleno pounces on Beltran as soon as he gets to his feet and lands several short shots. The corner of Beltran throws in the towel and the referee stops the fight. Nice stoppage victory for Magdaleno.
Diego Magdaleno wins by TKO at 2:28 of round seven.
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