Marcos Maidana ripped a right hand into Victor Cayo that left him sprawling on the canvas in defense of his WBA interim super lightweight title before partisan crowd inside The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas. Maidana v. Cayo and the rematch of Guzman v. Funeka headlined the Golden Boy / Universum Promotions fight card shown live on HBO’s Boxing After Dark.

For five rounds Victor Cayo (24-1) fired and moved his way around knock out artist Marcos Maidana. But in the sixth Cayo lingered against the ropes and felt the full brunt of the champion from Santa Fe, Argentina. Maidana (28-1) trapped Cayo against the ropes and ripped the challenger with right hand power shots. Cayo escaped the ropes but not the pressure and absorbed a paralyzing right to the body that ended the fight.

Referee Joe Cortez stood over the fallen fighter from Santo Domingo, DR and counted to ten at 1:38 of the sixth. “I wanted to knock him out with head shots but my corner told me to go to the body and it worked,” said Maidana through an interpreter following the fight.

Cayo started strong, confounding Maidana with quick combinations and constant movement. His work rate remained high in the 2nd and he was on his way to winning the round when he got dropped by a Maidana left that landed at or immediately after the bell. Cayo came out fast in round three but slowed near the bell and absorbed punishment against the ropes.

Maidana caught Cayo more consistently in the fourth as Cayo appeared to tire. In the fifth the fighters fought toe to toe though Cayo’s corner pleaded with him to move. The decision to trade with Maidana took its toll as Cayo entered the sixth flat footed.
 

Joan Guzman lost the battle but won the war with a split decision victory over Ali Funeka by scores of 114-113, 113-114 & 116-111. After weighing in nine pounds over the lightweight limit of 135 lbs., Guzman was rightly denied the opportunity to win the vacant IBF lightweight title. “In training camp I had a game plan and it didn’t work”, offered Guzman for his failure to make weight. Funeka, on the other hand, weighed in at the limit and entered the ring fighting for the belt. “I came a long way to fight. I understood the risk and took a calculated gamble” said Funeka through an interpreter. “He {Guzman} felt like a punching bag full of sand; very hard.”

When the pair fought to a draw in their November 2009 fight most observers felt the former two time champion from Santo Domingo, DR received a gift. This time, Guzman was determined to prove himself. “I needed this fight to feel better about myself. I needed to beat Funeka to know I could beat bigger fighters”, explained Guzman. In the first round Guzman (30-0-1) darted in and out and controlled distance with movement. It was apparent his game plan was to dig hooks to the body and shoot uppercuts inside against the 6’ 1” South African. Funeka (33-3-3) closed the distance in the second behind a rangy jab but still found the elusive Guzman hard to hit.

In the middle rounds Guzman stuck to his game plan and attacked the body with both hands. Funeka’s plan was to pressure Guzman which he did with limited success. When able to pin Guzman against the ropes Funeka planted his feet and fired damaging right hands. When following Guzman around the ring Funeka pushed his jab or kept it by his side. When the two exchanged in center ring Guzman’s hand speed carried the day.

In the sixth Guzman started loading up on shots. Waiting for an opening Guzman ran into a Funeka jab that bloodied his nose. Undeterred, Guzman loaded up on an overhand right that sent Funeka to the deck. When the action resumed Guzman jumped on Funeka who managed to make it to the bell. Funeka started the seventh determined to take control of the fight. Winning the seventh, eighth and ninth with stinging 1-2s, Funeka edged ahead on two of the three scorecards. Guzman’s corner instructed their fighter stay on his toes and move. Guzman’s movement frustrated Funeka who resorted to following him around the ring. By winning the championship rounds, Guzman captured the fight but not the title.
 

Daniel Jacobs ran over and through Jose Rodriguez in a super middleweight mismatch that was called off after one round by referee Jay Nady. Jacobs (19-0) walked Rodriguez down while looking for an opening that came when Rodriguez threw a jab that Jacobs countered with a staggering right. Jacobs dropped the visibly wobbly Rodriguez with a glancing left.

Rodriguez (12-5-1) went down a second time as the round came to a conclusion but was able to get to his feet before the count of ten. The ringside physician checked on Rodriguez and decided he should not go on. Jacob won his 19th fight by TKO at the end of round one.
 

Jermell Charlo rolled to his 11th straight victory with a unanimous decision victory over Gerardo Prieto. Charlo (11-0) dominated the early action with hard right hands that staggered Prieto in rounds one and three. Prieto (6-9-1) landed an occasional right of his own and smiled at Charlo when he did.

In the sixth Charlo fired a left uppercut/hook to the body that resulted in the first and only knockdown of the fight. For the remainder of the round Prieto did everything he could to avoid body blows. Prieto survived the round and the two that ensued to make it through all eight junior middleweight rounds. Charlo won by scores of 79-72, 79-72 & 80-71.
 

Lightweight prospect Omar Figueroa was pushed to the distance for the first time in his professional career but emerged victorious in his junior welterweight battle against fellow Texan Edgar Portillo. Figueroa (9-0) was accurate with both hands and switched effortlessly between the orthodox and southpaw stances. He pummeled Portillo with combinations in the 2nd and 3rd and had his lone star state opponent in early trouble.

Portillo (6-4-1) countered the two fisted assault with a left jab and an occasional counter right over Figueroa’s pawing jab. Figueroa appeared to hurt his left hand in the middle rounds and stopped shooting the left over the 2nd half of the fight. Portillo took advantage and closed the gap late. The judges scored the fight 60-54 and 58-56 twice for Figueroa.
 

Argentina’s undefeated junior middleweight Diego Chavez soundly defeated Edvan Dos Santos to capture his 14th victory without a defeat. Chavez out-worked Dos Santos (10-9-1) over six rounds while landing the crisper, more telling blows.

Dos Santo applied pressure but was effective only when he let his hands go. Chavez (14-0) ripped Dos Santos with a right hand in the third causing a deep cut that flowed blood the remainder of the fight. The final scorecards unanimously favored Chavez 59-55, 60-54 & 58-56.