by David P. Greisman

MORE LIVE RESULTS TO COME........................

Atlantic City, Boardwalk Hall - - Deontay Wilder’s knockout string continues, with Nicolai Firtha the latest victim of the 28-year-old heavyweight prospect from Tuscaloosa, Ala.

Wilder knocked Firtha down twice in the first. The fight didn’t end until the fourth, however, when Wilder landed a right hand that knocked Firtha down hard. The referee began to count, saw Firtha struggling to rise, and then waved the bout off.

The time of the stoppage was 1 mnute and 26 seconds into the round.

Firtha came out aggressively with a one-two, trying to catch Wilder off guard. Shortly thereafter, he sent an off-balance Wilder backward with a jab, and soon bullied Wilder to the ropes. Later in the round, Wilder landed a lead left hook followed by a right hand. That brought a delayed reaction from Firtha, who went down as Wilder came forward with another shot. Firtha rose and then went to the canvas once again from another left hook and right hand. Firtha got up, got hurt again but survived the round.

Wilder worked behind his jab at the start of the second. Blood soon began to come from Firtha’s mouth. Toward the end of the third, Wilder landed a combination of punches and then pushed Firtha through the ropes. The referee rightly ruled that it was not a knockdown. That didn’t matter. The end would come soon.

In the fourth, Wilder landed a right hand that sent Firtha toppling down backward with a thud.

Wilder’s now scored 30 knockouts in his 30 victories. This was only the third of those bouts to make it past three rounds, which speaks as much to the low quality of Wilder’s opposition as it does to the performance put forth by the 2008 bronze medalist.

Firtha, 34, of Akron, Ohio, falls to 21-11-1 (8 KOs).

- Junior welterweight Wellington Romero had a successful pro debut, defeating Victor Galindo by four-round unanimous decision.

All three judges had the bout 40-36.

Romero punched in combinations, leading either with a southpaw jab or right hook, following up with a left cross and then sending out another hook, mixing up his shots to the head and body. His best round was the third. Galindo, meanwhile, found occasions when he wasn’t taking punches to try to bull Romero, though he wasn’t effective with these attempts.

Romero, who’s originally from the Dominican Republic but now fights out of Newburgh, N.Y., is now 1-0 (zero KOs). Galindo, of Sabana Grande, Puerto Rico, is now 1-3 (zero KOs).

- Junior welterweight prospect Zachary Ochoa took a four-round unanimous decision over Michael Doyle in a bout that brought out the boo-birds at times.

The scores were 39-37 (twice) and 40-36.

Ochoa, of Brooklyn, improves to 5-0 (3 KOs). Doyle, 31, of Prichard, Ala., falls to 2-6 (1 KO).

Featherweight prospect Braulio Santos got a first-round technical knockout of David Clark shortly after scoring a knockdown on Clark with a left hook. Clark rose, but he didn’t last much longer afterward. The referee soon stepped in and halted the action 1 minute and 49 seconds into the round.

Santos, 23, of Carolina, Puerto Rico, improves to 11-1 with 10 KOs and gets his first win back since a June decision loss to Derrick Wilson. Clark, 29, of Los Angeles, is now 6-3 (4 KOs).

- In the show’s opener, Dominic Wade blitzed Roberto Ventura, knocking him down three times en route to a first round stoppage.

The time of the stoppage was 2 minutes and 8 seconds into the round. Wade found quick success with a left hook followed by a right hand.

Wade, a 23-year-old from Largo, Md., who weighed 161.5 pounds, is now 13-0 (10 KOs). Ventura, a 34-year-old from Villahermosa, Tabasco, Mexico, who weighed in at 166.5, is now 12-8 (12 KOs).

Pick up a copy of David’s new book, “Fighting Words: The Heart and Heartbreak of Boxing,” at . Send questions/comments via email at fightingwords1@gmail.com