By Bill Emes at ringside

Unbeaten featherweight prospect Gary Russell Jr. (19-0, 11KO) scored a sensational first round knockout of late replacement Heriberto Ruiz (47-12-2, 29KO). Official time was 2:12 of the opening round, just one minute longer than that of his 2008 U.S. Olympic boxing teammate Deontay Wilder earlier in the evening. Ruiz replaced Dat Nguyen, who claimed an injury in pulling out of the fight last week.

Highly touted amateur Chris Pearson enjoyed a successful pro debut in front of his hometown crowd with a first round knockout of Jacksonville-based Stephen Chadwick. Pearson scored an early knocked down and followed up with a swarm of punches to force the stoppage at 1:42 of the opening round. 

Deontay Wilder (20-0, 20KO) entered his name into the Knockout of the Year sweepstakes with a crushing first round blitzing of local heavyweight David Long (11-2-2, 7KO), who was out upon impact. Wilder was the lone member of the 2008 U.S. Olympic boxing squad to win a medal, capturing a bronze in the Beijing Games. So far, he has knocked out every opponent he’s faced as a pro.

Juan Garcia (10-0, 7KO) scored a minor upset with a unanimous decision over local welterweight William Jackson (10-1-1, 5KO) in a six-round battle of unbeaten prospects. Scores were 59-55 (twice) and 58-56 in favor of Garcia, who fights out of Holland, Michigan.