Undefeated welterweight contender Mykquan Williams (19-0-2, 8 KOs) of Hartford, CT, may have gotten a break to stave off an upset loss and remain undefeated in his eight-round battle with Sao Paulo, Brazil’s surprisingly capable Paulo Cesar Galdino (12-7-2, 8 KOs).
 
Headlining the untelevised undercard of the Boxing Hall of Fame induction weekend SHOBOX: The New Generation tripleheader broadcast from the Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, NY, Williams was shockingly held to an eight-round majority draw against the tough Brazilian journeyman Galdino, who appeared to most to land more often and control a majority of rounds.
 
Williams seemed to be stifled by the combination punching of Galdino, who marked up the American’s face with steady output and the occasional power shot. Appearing significantly smaller than Galindo, Williams tried to time the Brazilian and landed some decent counter hooks, but never showed the potential he’s shown in other, seemingly tougher matchups.
 
A myopic score of 77-75 was overruled by two slightly better scores of 76-76.
 
Local favorite super lightweight Bryce Mills (11-1, 4 KOs) of Liverpool, NY, took an impressive six-round unanimous decision over a game but under-weaponized Jonathan De Pina (12-1, 5 KOs) of Boston.
 
Seemingly unaware of even the possibility of taking a backward step, Mills’ fast combination punching and highly pressurized attack to the head and body had De Pina playing defense and loading up on attempted potshots to little effect the entire fight. Mills seemed to have De Pina hurt a few times, but his “Mayweatheresque” defensive technique allowed him time to recover in time.
 
The scores reflected the mostly one-sided nature of the affair at 59-55 and 60-54 x 2.
 
Middleweight/super middleweight contender Maciej Sulecki of Warsaw, Poland, moved to 31-2, 12 KOs with a stay-busy second-round knockout over veteran Angel Hernandez (19-22-1, 14 KOs) of Gary Indiana. Sulecki stunned Hernandez with a right at the end of round one and finished the job just 16 seconds into round two. Referee Benjy Esteves reached the count of 10 with Hernandez trying to rise.  
 
In a minor upset, Detroit heavyweight Walter “Fourth Degree” Burns moved to 7-0, 5 KOs with a first-round knockout over formerly undefeated New Yorker Moses “Thunder Hands” Johnson (now 9-1-2, 7 KOs). The free-swinging Motown native caught Johnson cold with a series of power shots, dropping him three times. Upon the third knockdown, a left hook that felled Johnson nearly face-first, referee Mark Nelson waved it off at 1:57. Solid win for Burns, who came out blazing and hit paydirt.
 
In as entertaining a scrap to start the night as a fan could ever hope for, heavyweight double debuters Fabio Rodriguez of The Bronx and Robert Hernandez of Rochester, NY, traded power shots to the brink of mutual exhaustion through four action-packed rounds. There were no knockdowns in the evenly matched affair, but both men appeared to be headed toward being stopped at times, only to bounce back with an equally effective return barrage. The judges favored Rodriguez’s work in the end, scoring his unanimous decision victory 39-37 x 3.