Abraham vs Miranda
The second fight began similar to its predecessor. Miranda seemed to be in control of the first three rounds by dominating the action with a very high work-rate. However, most of his punches were ineffective due to Abraham's turtle-like defense.
In the fourth, Abraham came out of his shell for a brief moment and unloaded a powerful straight right that met Miranda's jaw, knocking him to the canvas. Sensing that his opponent was hurt, Abraham unleashed a fury of looping punches and finally connected again, almost taking Miranda's head off.
After downing Miranda for a third time, Abraham was able to raise his hands in victory when the referee awarded him the TKO decision.
After one more title defense that was already scheduled before this fight, look for Abraham to step into the ring for a unifying title shot against Kelly Pavlik.
AndreBerto vs. Miguel Rodriguez
Andre Berto showed us once again why he is considered one of the top young talents in the welterweight division. Even with his somewhat undersized frame, he delivered fast, punishing blows in combinations to the head and body of his opponent.
After knocking Rodriguez down for the second time in the 7th with a blistering uppercut, the referee put a stop to the action.
Berto won what would have been the #1 eliminator, but with the recent retirement of Floyd jr., he found himself wearing the WBC welterweight championship belt.
Berto rose to championship status without fighting any of the major players in the welterweight division. Look for him to show that he belongs with names like Paul Williams, Miguel Cotto, Antonio Margarito, Floyd Mayweather, Zab Judah, and Shane Mosley.
Chris Arreola vs. Chazz Witherspoon
The tough Mexican heavyweight, Chris Arreola, came through with another outstanding showing. In the third round he pounded Witherspoon with his awkward right cross until it seemed he would not be able to go on.
In what was a very strange display, the fight ended in a DQ when Witherspoon's corner jumped into the ring at the end of the round while their fighter was still trying to make the count from a knockdown.
Arreola's record now displays a win by DQ, in a fight that should have been or would have been another KO for The Nightmare. Look for Arreola to continue his climb through the ranks and eventually challenge to become the first Mexican Heavyweight champion.
Amir Kahn vs. Michael Gomez
The 21 yr. old fast-handed phenom from across the Atlantic showed the toughness of a true champion on Saturday night.
After being knocked down in the second, Kahn, rose from the canvas to score a TKO victory in the fifth to defend his British lightweight Commonwealth title (
see highlights). Kahn displayed the poise in this fight that proves he is a serious contender for the top of the division.
His next step is to cross the ocean to test his skills against the top fighters at lightweight. As he has stated previously, look for Kahn to eventually challenge Nate Campbell or the winner of the Pacquiao-Diaz fight for the lightweight championship.
Mikkel Kessler vs. Dimitri Sartison
Kessler opted out of fighting the tougher opponent (Miranda), to take a shot at the vacant WBA super middleweight belt.
Sartison was overmatched in this bout and Kessler dominated the fight until it was called to a halt in the 12th round (
highlights). Kessler regained a super middleweight belt after relinquishing his title to Joe Calzaghe last year.
Kessler is still one of the best in the division, despite falling of the charts for a moment after his only loss, to Joe C.
Andre Ward vs. Jerson Ravelo
The olympic gold medalist continues to impress. Ward dominated the fight, winning every single round on his way to an monstrous 8th round TKO win.
Ward has developed nicely from an amateur to a pro and will soon hold world championships in both.
Once again Showtime and HBO have decided to hold two compelling boxing events on the same evening. And once again, it would be tough to pick one or the other.
