By Miquel Maravilla at ringside
Photos: Mikey Williams/Top Rank
The heavyweights were in action as IBF #1 contender Kubrat Pulev (27-1, 14 KOs) of Bulgaria scored a dramatic seventh round KO over WBA #14 Bogdan Dinu (18-2, 14 KOs) of Romania on Saturday night in the ESPN main event at The Hangar in Costa Mesa, California.
It was a slow start for the big guys but Pulev backed up Dinu with a one-two in the final seconds of the opening round. Working behind the jab in round two, Pulev pushed forward and controlled the round. Pulev began to throw and land the overhand right in round three as he continued to back up Dinu. The Romanian let his hands go in round four and he landed a solid right hand cutting Pulev badly over the left eye.
The blood flowed from Pulev’s left eye in the fifth as Dinu kept his distance boxing. It appeared that the cut was contained at the beginning of the sixth as Pulev came out more confident landing the right hand and backing Dinu but the cut was opened again late in the round. The Bulgarian came out firing in the seventh as he landed the one-two sending Dinu to the canvas. However, Pulev was deducted one point as he hit Dinu while down on a knee. After a delay, Dinu continued to fight and was battered down a second time from a Pulev right. Another Pulev right hand finished the job as Dinu was floored a third time and done. Referee Raul Caiz stopped the fight at 2:40 of the seventh round.
With the win, Pulev remains at the top of the IBF list to challenge WBA/IBF/WBO heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua.
* * *
In a fight between former world champions, Jessie Magdaleno (26-1, 18 KOs) of Las Vegas won a unanimous decision over Los Angeles’s Rico Ramos (30-6, 14 KOs) in the co-feature bout. Magdaleno came out aggressive from the opening bell as he backed Ramos to the ropes in the opening round. In round two Magdaleno turned away momentarily as it appeared he and Ramos clashed heads but nothing was ruled. Ramos and Magdaleno traded jabs in the third as the fight began to pick up the pace. The southpaw Magdaleno outworked Ramos in the fourth as it appeared that Ramos took the foot off the gas. Much more busier Magdanelo connected Ramos with a solid straight left in round five as the former world champion Ramos was not letting his hands go.
Halfway through in the sixth Magdaelno began to go downstairs to the body as Ramos was limited in his activity. In control in the seventh, Magdaleno continued to box but Ramos landed a solid right hand however that was not enough as he continued to be outworked. Circling the ring in the eighth Magdanelo was smooth boxing away as Ramos chased. Magdaleno was well on his way to victory late in the fight as he stuck to plan and out boxed the very sluggish Ramos in route to a decision win.
Scores were 99-91, 98-92, and 97-93.
* * *
Kazakh welterweight Bobirzhan Mominov (10-0, 8 KOs) won a unanimous decision over Jonathan Steele (9-3-1, 6 KOs.) in a six round bout. Mominov was deducted a point in round three for a low blow. Steele complicated things for Mominov as his flashiness and fast hands gave Mominov fits. The referee warned Mominov in the fourth for a low blow as he was now flirting with disqualification. Mominov connected with hard right hands throughout the fight as Steele took them and showed his toughness. All three judges scored the fight 59-54.
* * *
Vista, California’s Eric Puente (2-0) won a unanimous decision over Alejandro Lopez (1-4) of Wilmington, California in a four round lightweight bout. Puente and Lopez mixed it up in what was a competitive bout. However Puente’s boxing ability was far more superior to Lopez’s toughness. Scores were 40-36, 40-36, and 39-37.
* * *
Former amateur standout David Kaminsky (4-0, 2 KOs) won a unanimous decision over Estevan Payan (1-7-1, 1 KO) in a four-round middleweight bout. Kaminsky was in control and dominated the fight in route to the decision win as all three judges scored the bout 40-36.
* * *
WBC/IBF #7 super lightweight Maxim “Mad Max” Dadashev (13-0, 11KOs) of Oxnard scored a fourth round knockout over Japanese veteran Ricky Sismidio (35-13-3, 17 KOs) in a wild one. Dadashev stayed tight and close guard popping the jab as Sismidio pressed in the opening round. Sismidio scored a knockdown in the second as he connected Dadashev with a solid straight left. A left hook followed by a right hand by Dadasheve did it sending Sismidio to the canvas as the referee stopped the fight at 2:30 of the fourth.
* * *
Bulgarian heavyweight Tervel Pulev (13-0, 11 KOs), the younger brother heavyweight Kubrat Pulev, wins a unanimous decision over Mitch Williams (16-8-3, 11 KOs). Off to a slow start the two big guys measured and pawed one another in round one. Pulev connected with a left hand followed by a right in round two as he got Williams’s attention. In round three Pulev was on the receiving end of a head butt causing a mouse underneath his left eye as the southpaw Williams made it complicated on the inside but in the final seconds of the round Pulev landed a hard right hand.
Things got messy in the fourth as Pulev hit Williams with a left hook after the referee told the fighters to break as a result referee Jerry Cantu warned Pulev. Shortly after Pulev hit Williams a second time after the break as the referee did not hesitate and deducted a point. The sixth and final round saw Pulev stalking the southpaw Williams, the Bulgarian seemed to be a bit frustrated as the American was slippery and elusive making it difficult for Pulev to land solidly but Pulev finished strong.
Scores were 59-54, 58-55, and 57-56.
* * *
2008 U.S. Olympian Javier Molina (19-2, 8 KOs) of Norwalk, California and Abdiel Ramirez (24-4-1, 22 KOs) of Mexico in a super lightweight bout went the distance in a scheduled for eight rounder. Molina boxed as he landed some heavy punches on Ramirez in the opening round. Ramirez pressed in the second backing Molina to the ropes but Molina fought well off the ropes unloading solid combinations. Fighting off his back foot in the third, Molina kept Ramirez away with the jab. Later in the round, Molina mixed it up fighting on the inside but Ramirez kept pressing. Keeping his distance in round four, Molina continued to box and worked off the jab as Ramirez kept coming making the 2008 Olympian work.
Ramirez had a good round as he continued to stay busy stalking in the fifth, forcing Molina to circle the ring and landed a solid uppercut. Halfway through in the sixth Ramirez kept busy as he continued to stay on top of Molina. The tough Mexican did let Molina set his feet in the seventh as Ramirez pressed and kept him on the ropes. With the fight hanging close, Molina kept his distance and boxing away and countering the aggressive Ramirez who continued to charge searching for the big punch.
After eight rounds the judges scored it 79-73 78-74, and 78-74 as Molina pulls away with a hard fought unanimous decision.
* * *
South African welterweight Chris “The Heat” van Heerden (26-2-1, 12 KOs) won a technical decision over Mexican veteran Mahonry Montes (35-8-1, 24 KOs). The South African, van Heerden and Montes started slow feeling each other out with the jab in the opening round. Fighting from the southpaw stance, van Heerden kept his distance working off the jab in round two as Montes stalked and was on the receiving end of solid straight lefts. Montes did not see the straight lefts coming in round three as van Heerden continued to tag him with it and box from the outside. Coming out strong in the fourth, van Heerden unloaded a combination that rocked Gallegos, despite getting hit the Mexican continued to go forward.
The fifth round saw van Heerden land a low blow as referee Thomas Taylor issued a warning. Popping the jab, Van Heerden kept Gallegos away and mixed it up. A clash of heads in the sixth caused a cut on the right eye of van Heerden as he could not continue the referee stopped the fight at 1:44. After completing four rounds they went to the scorecards as all three judges scored the bout 60-54.
* * *
In the opening bout from the Hangar in Costa Mesa, California super featherweight contender Erick De Leon (19-0-1, 11 KOs) of Detroit stopped Jose Luis Gallegos (16-6, 12 KOs) in the seventh round of a scheduled eight round bout. De Leon was patient in the opening round picking his spots and connecting Gallegos with the straight left up top and to the mid section. On the attack in round two, De Leon continued to target the body as he had Gallegos backing up and cornered. The straight left continued to find its mark for De Leon in the third as he tagged Gallegos and dissecting him in the process. De Leon worked patiently in the fourth round backing Gallegos as he continued to control the fight.
Gallegos had his best moment in the fifth as he dropped De Leon with a short counter right hand. Working inside the second half of the fight in the sixth, De Leon snapped Gallegos head with an uppercut and worked the body. It was all De Leon as he outworked, overwhelm, and broke down Gallegos. After an accumulation of punches referee stepped in to stop the fight at 1:55 of the seventh.
–
