By: William Holmes
The MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada was the host site for tonight’s pay per view offering by Golden Boy Promotions and Showtime network. There was some pre-fight drama last night after the weigh ins, as Floyd Mayweather Jr. objected to the gloves that Marcos Maidana was supposed to wear inside the ring, but that issue was resolved.
As usual for Las Vegas, the MGM Grand appeared empty at the start of the first televised bout between Mayweather Promotions boxer J’Leon Love (17-0) and Marco Antonio Periban (20-1-1).
Periban looked at least a few inches taller than Love at the start of the first round and he was controlling the distance with his jab at the first half of the first round. He started to slow down at the end of the first, and Love’s hand speed began to take over.
Photos: USA Today
Periban’s nose was leaking blood at the start of the second round, and both fighters were exchanging jabs for most of the round. But Love was doing a better job at sticking and moving. Periban was able to catch Love off guard in the third round with a combination by the corner, but Love was able to slip most of Periban’s punches. Love was countering Periban well by the end of a close third round.
The fourth round was also close, with Periban trying to press the pace and Love keeping Periban at a distance with his jab. In the fifth round Periban caught Love with a straight right hand that hurt Love badly. He chased Love around the ring landing several hard shots while Love was trying to hold on. Love finally took a knee and Periban may have landed a few punches behind the head and while Love was taking a knee. Love was able to get back to his feet and survive the round, but the referee was close to stopping the bout.
Love got his wits back by the start of the sixth round and stuck to his jab. He began to control the fight and Periban looked like he emptied his gas tank in the fifth round. Love completely turned the tide of the fight in a dominating sixth round.
By the seventh round it was clear that Love was completely recovered from a scary fifth round and had his full confidence back. Periban had nothing left and was tagged by Love’s jab repeatedly from the seventh round on. Love’s jab was sharp, crisp, and accurate.
In the tenth round Periban needed a knockout to win, but Love was never placed in real danger by Love. The judges scored it 95-93, 97-92, and 96-93 for Love.
Adrien Broner (27-1) and Carlos Molina (17-1-1) met next in the junior welterweight division. Broner of course, came out as confident as ever while Rick Ross sung his entrance music.
Broner looked to have a slight height advantage but he clearly had the speed advantage. He established it with two quick check left hooks early inn the first round. Molina attacked to the body of Broner, but Broner was connecting first.
Molina had a look of determination on his face and continued his body attack in the second round. Broner’s was surprised by Molina with an overhand right that was set up by a solid body attack. Molina could have been awarded the second round.
Broner began the third round by throwing Molina to the ground and receiving a hard warning from the referee. By this point it looked like Broner did not have the power to stop Molina, but his speed would keep him in clear control.
Broner landed punishing combinations in the fourth round, and by the fifth round the bout was turning into the mismatch that everybody thought it was going to be. His combinations were tagging Molina and he ended the fifth round with another mock hump attack.
The MGM grand was starting to fill in by the sixth round and the crowd was breaking out in song. Adrien Broner toyed with Molina for the remainder of the fight and pop shotted Molina at will.
The judges scored it 99-91, 98-92 and 100-90 for Broner.
The final fight on the undercard was between Luis Collazo (35-5) and Amir Khan (28-3) in the welterweight division. Collazo wouldn’t even face Khan during the referee introductions.
Collazo was coming off the biggest win of his career against Victor Ortiz, but Khan is a much better boxer than a brawler like Ortiz.
Khan connected with a straight right hand in the first round that knocked the southpaw Collazo off balance. He moved forward with two more straight right hands and pressed the action in the first round. He ended the first round strong, and it was clear that he was the much faster boxer.
Khan landed a rising straight right hand in the second round that sent Collazo standing straight up from a crouched position. Collazo was chasing Khan around the ring, but Khan’s straight right hands were landing. A hard right hook from Khan bounced off the jaw of Collazo in the second.
Khan continued to dominate Collazo in the third round and was able to tag Collazo whenever he got in Khan’s range. Khan scored a knockdown in the fourth round with a straight right to the chin of Collazo. Collazo was able to get back up, but he was met with lightning quick combinations from Khan. Collazo, unexplainably moved forward with his hands down.
Khan appeared to be in complete control by the fifth round but had a small cut by his left eye. Collazo connected with straight left hands in the fifth round, but he continued to walk forward with his hands down and got hit with enough punches to have possibly lost the round.
Khan showed good movement in the sixth, and connected with a looping left hook followed by a combination in the middle of the ring in the sixth. Collazo was able to land with a few hooks and Khan had blood trickling from his face, but Khan once again closed out the round strong.
Khan remained in control in the seventh, but the action and drama picked up in the eighth round.
Collazo was deducted a point in the eighth for a low blow. Collazo bounced back from the deduction by landing a left hook that stunned Amir Khan. Khan was able to survive by pushing the head of Collazo down, but Collazo answered with more hard left hands. Khan holds onto Collazo, but gets deducted a point for holding on.
Khan re-established control in the ninth round by sticking and moving away from Collazo. Collazo had blood coming out of both his mouth and near his right eye.
Khan hurt Collazo with a left hook to the body, and connected with more body shots that sent Collazo down to the mat. Collazo took to the count of nine before getting up, but he was only knocked back down by another body combination from Khan. Collazo played rope a dope by the ropes as the tenth round came to an end, but he far behind on the scorecards.
Collazo clearly needed a knockout to win in the championship rounds, but Khan was able to effectively hold and stay out of the way of danger. Collazo struck Khan with a low blow in the twelfth round and Khan was given a few minutes to record, but he was also warned by the referee to stop holding to the back of Collazo’s head.
The final scores were 117-106, 119-104, 119-104 for Amir Khan.