A stellar night of boxing took center stage at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas, under the banner of Golden Boy Promotions. The marquee event witnessed unbeaten WBA International Lightweight champion Floyd Schofield (16-0, 11 KOs) showcasing his prowess against Haskell “Hackman” Rhodes (28-6-1, 13 KOs). In the co-main event was a significant unification bout featuring WBA and WBC World Flyweight champion Marlen Esparza (15-1-1, 1 KO) and WBO World Flyweight champion Gabriela “La Chucky” Celeste Alaniz (14-2, 6 KOs).
Schofield clearly dominated the fight, exhibiting his dominance from the initial rounds itself. His potent jabs left Rhodes staggered, setting the pace for the subsequent rounds. The seventh round witnessed a spectacular display from Schofield as he floored Rhodes thrice. Despite enduring a cut under his left eye due to a head clash in the tenth round, Schofield successfully navigated his way to a unanimous victory with scores reading 100-87.
The unification fight featuring Esparza and Alaniz turned out to be an evenly-matched, grueling encounter. Esparza came out on the front foot, landing heavy right jabs that put Alaniz on the back foot early on. Alaniz, however, did not give in and posed a stiff challenge in the later rounds, ensuring the bout remained competitive till the end. The judges' decision eventually fell in favor of Esparza, with scores of 95-95, 99-91, and 97-93.
In other bouts, former WBC Interim World Light and former IBF World Super Feather champ Joseph “Jo Jo” Diaz (34-4-1, 15 KOs) scored a victory over Jerry “The Joker” Perez (14-4-1, 11 KOs) over ten rounds. Diaz's consistent body attack through the mid-rounds proved too much for Perez. The fight concluded with Diaz earning scores of 97-93 twice and 98-92.
Moreover, Super Welter Eric Tudor (10-0, 6 KOs) triumphed over Reggie “Rampage” Harris (7-5, 3 KOs) over eight rounds with a knockdown, and Light Heavy Darius “DFG” Fulghum (7-0, 6 KOs) stopped Jeremiah Curtright (2-3, 2 KOs) in the third round. In the heavyweight category, Tristan “Sweet T” Kalkreuth (12-1, 9 KOs) knocked out Joe Jones (13-10, 10 KOs) in the second round of a scheduled six rounds.
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Image Credit: Golden Boy Promotions