By David P. Greisman

Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City - Shawn Porter made a successful return after a 14-month layoff from the ring, scoring a sixth-round technical knockout over measuring stick Patrick Thompson in an eight-round junior middleweight bout.

The time of the stoppage was 1:39.

Porter hadn’t fought since February 2011 due to reported promotional issues. Thompson is a foe who seemingly every 154- and 160-pound prospect has faced in recent years, including Giovanni Lorenzo, Alfonso Gomez, Matt Vanda, Sechew Powell, John Duddy, Ishe Smith, Pawel Wolak, Vanes Martirosyan, Joe Greene, Edwin Rodriguez and Ronald Hearns.

Porter, squat and compact, chose to remain at a distance from the taller Thompson, then would jump in closer and put together combinations of loaded-up punches. Porter hurt Thompson in the sixth with a lunching left hook, then flurried away at Thompson, who tried to hold on, dodging some punches but getting caught with a few.

Referee David Fields saw Thompson’s wobbly legs, however, and jumped in for what appeared to be a premature halting of the action.

Porter, 24, of Akron, Ohio, improves to 19-0 (14 KOs). Thompson, 39, of Chicago, falls to 18-18-1 (8 KOs).

Undefeated prospect Mikey Faragon topped Sergio Rivera in an eight-round junior welterweight bout that had more body shots than your average Spring Break college bar.

The scorecards were 79-73 (twice) and 78-74.

Faragon seemed to have found the solution to Rivera early, landing right hand after right hand against his southpaw opponent in the opening stanza. Yet the solution — and the win itself — wouldn’t come that easily. Rivera made Faragon work for it, and Faragon was willing to oblige.

Faragon-Rivera turned into a battle of intermittent trench warfare, both men working in close, digging into the other’s body repeatedly and coming back up top with head shots. Rivera landed the occasional punches when the fighters were farther apart, yet it was Faragon who was doing more and landing more, particularly with left hooks or jabs followed by right hands.

Faragon, 24, of Syracuse, N.Y., is now 18-0 (8 KOs). Rivera, 30, of Huatabampo, Mexico, either falls to 16-10-2 (10 KOs) or 25-10-2 (16 KOs), depending on whether you go by what was announced in the arena or what is listed on BoxRec.com.

Not only was Lavarn Harvell too good for Tony Pietrantonio, but both Pietrantonio and his corner were too brave for the Pennsylvania light heavyweight’s own good.

Harvell, an undefeated prospect out of Atlantic City, knocked Pietrantonio out cold in the third round of a four-round bout — a bout that frankly could’ve been stopped after the first round.

The time of the stoppage was 31 seconds into the round.

Harvell showed his superiority within the opening moments of the opening stanza, throwing a perfectly timed right hand counter at the same time Pietrantonio threw a right hand of his own. Harvell’s landed crisply and cleanly and sent Pietrantonio down in a heap. Pietrantonio rose quickly, and Harvell proceed to pummel him around the ring. Fortunately for Pietrantonio, his mouthpiece came out, buying him a brief break.

Harvell patiently picked Pietrantonio apart in the second round, then closed the show in the third. Two jabs and a right hand sent Pietrantonio reeling, and then a jab and right cross sent Pietrantonio falling straight back. His head bounced off the canvas with a sick thud, and the referee immediately waved the bout off.

Harvell, 23, of Atlantic City, N.J., improves to 10-0 (5 KOs).  Pietrantonio, 34, of Sharon, Pa., 7-9 with 6 KOs and 1 no contest.

Class proved to be the difference for undefeated prospect Julian Williams in his fight with Hector Rosario, an eight-round over-the-limit junior middleweight bout that Williams won by unanimous decision.

The scorecards were 79-73 (twice) and 78-74.

This was a largely tactical affair between one man with superior speed and skills against a game but outgunned opponent.

Williams worked patiently, often behind a one-two combination of a jab and right hand, setting up shots while Rosario searched for the right opportunity to throw, coming forward with a pair of punches or timing Williams with a single counter shot. Williams momentarily hurt Rosario in the seventh round with a one-two. Rosario recovered and lasted the remainder of the round and the bout.

Williams, 22, of Philadelphia, is now 9-0-1 (4 KOs). Rosario, 26, of Guanabo, Puerto Rico, is now 7-2-2 (5 KOs).

The opening bout in Atlantic City pitted an “Italian Stallion” against a “Fighting Chihuahua.” In this case, it was the stallion, Phil Lo Greco, defeating the Chihuahua, Hector Orozco, by unanimous decision, though this dog was didn’t go down without a fight.

The scorecards were 58-55 (twice) and 59-54 in this bout between a pair of 149-pounders.

Lo Greco came out aggressively, befitting an undefeated fighter going up against a boxer who had a losing record and who’d never even scored a knockout. But suddenly Lo Greco found himself down on the canvas; he’d thrown a right hand to Orozco’s body and left himself open for a left hook from Orozco that landed flush.

Lo Greco rose and returned to the same mentality, pressuring Orozco around the ring and landing left hooks upstairs. Orozco sought to land and move and had some success in the center of the ring, but he just didn’t have enough pop to keep Lo Greco off and sometimes found himself backed against the ropes.

The duration of the bout saw good trading between the two, with Lo Greco’s aggression, activity and clear advantage in power earning him the win.

Lo Greco, 27, of Toronto, improves to 23-0 (12 KOs). Orozco, 24, of Minneapolis, falls to 5-11 (0 KOs).