By Ryan Burton
SAM'S TOWN, LAS VEGAS, NV - Ladarius "Memphis" Miller (17-1) took another step towards contention with a unanimous decision over Dennis Galarza (16-4) in their PBC on Bounce TV main event.
The lightweight has now won 8 in a row since his loss to Rolando Chinea. The fight started off slow as neither man was able to sustain much offense through the first few rounds. By the mid rounds Miller’s advantage in speed started to trouble Galarza and he began to take control of the fight. He landed a huge left in the 6th round to rock Galarza.
Both fighters started to really let their hands go in the 7th with Miller getting the better of the exchanges. The 8th round was fought more tactically. Galarza had a lot of trouble getting around Miller’s jab. Miller hit the canvas as a result of a trip in the 9th round and was rocked by Galarza moments after getting back up to his feet.
Galarza was more effective closing the distance in the 10th round but it was too little too late. The final scores were 99-91, 97-93 and 96-94.
Sharif "The Lion" Bogere (32-1) took another step towards a title shot, winning a unanimous decision over a game Oscar Bravo (23-8) in their super lightweight showdown. The final tallies read 100-90 twice and 99-91.
Bogere’s quickness was on display early on as he stunned Bravo with a punch he didn’t see coming. Bogere really began to pour it on in the third round while Bravo’s face began to swell. The Chilean has a little more success as he started to come forward more but he still had difficulty with Bogere’s speed. By the 6th round a small cut that had opened over Bravo’s left eye began to bleed more profusely but his cut man did a good job stopping the blood flow.
Bravo was very game though and started to come on strong in the 7th, ending the round with a combination of his own. Bogere went down in the 8th but the referee correctly ruled it a push as Bravo continued to gain momentum.
Bogere had a much better 9th as he went back to using his jab until the end of the round when the fight moved into the ropes and a furious exchange ensued. The 10th round ended in an exchange as well although most of the punches by both fighters missed.
In the televised opener, Juan Heraldez (14-0) brought his local fans to their feet with his unanimous decision victory over Kevin Watts (11-3) in their super lightweight fight. Heraldez floored Watts a minute into the first round with a two punch combination that ended with a left uppercut right on the button. Watts rose to his feet on unsteady legs but was able to get out of the round. Watts recovered in the second round but was still getting beaten to the punch.
Heraldez stayed patient and made Watts pay for his mistakes when he tried to leap in. Watts was a able to land an occasional counter right but for the most part was ineffective.
Heraldez lit up Watts with a series of punches to end the 9th round as Watts was in full retreat mode. Knowing he had the fight in the bag, Heraldez fought the 10th round conservatively and cruised to the win. The final scores were 100-89 and 98-91 twice.
Mayweather Promotions’ welterweight prospect Sanjarbek Rakhiminov (10-1-1) was shocked in his attempt to pick up the NABF title losing to Marquis Taylor (10-1) in a competitive fight.
The final scores of 78-73, 77-74 and 79-72 didn’t reflect the competitiveness of the fight. The Dewey Cooper trained fighter stunned Taylor in the first round with a body shot.
Rakhiminov continued to effectively work the body throughout the fight against his much taller opponent but Taylor also had a lot of success using his reach to pick off Rakhiminov from the outside.
Rakhiminov was continuously caught trying to get inside Taylor’s reach. Both fighters exchanged power punches throughout the 8th and final round, sensing the fight was close with Taylor getting the better of the exchanges.
Local product Angelo Leo (13-0) dazzled in front of his hometown fans, winning a wide decision over Sharone Carter (9-3) in their featherweight bout. The final scores were 80-72 and 79-73 twice. Leo used his jab to control the distance and Carter wasn’t able to put his punches together on a consistent basis.
Super featherweight prospect Andres Cortes (8-0) had another successful ring appearance by defeating Jarret Jeter (7-3-1) via unanimous decision. Cortes was he more accurate puncher and outboxed Jeter to cruise to the victory. The final tallies were 60-54 on all three scorecards.
Efren Lopez (3-0) opened up the card with a unanimous decision victory over Daniel Constantino (2-2-1) in their featherweight battle. Lopez, who is trained by Ruben Guerrero, was tested by the game Constantino but Lopez landed the better punches overall in route to the victory.
Hard hitting lightweight prospect Rolando "Rolly" Romero (5-0) went the distance for the first time in a unanimous decision victory over Javier Martinez (4-5) in their lightweight scrap.
The Mayweather Promotions fighter was way to fast and strong for the gritty Martinez who had his best moments in the 4th round when he landed several flush shots on Romero. Rolly came back strong in the 5th, landing a big shot that caused blood to trickle from Martinez's nose. Both men exchanged big punches throughout the 6th and final round. The final scores were 60-53 twice and 60-54.
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