In the main event of the evening, super middleweights Dyah Ali Davis and Francisco Sierra fought to a controversial majority decision draw. Both fighters looked unsettled in the first, missing more than landing and falling off balance. Things didn’t improve much in the second as neither fighter got into a rhythm. Davis’s strategy finally paid dividends in the third.

Working from the outside, Davis (18-2-1) jumped in and fired hooks when he saw an opening. Sierra (23-3-1) tried to time the rush; sometimes successfully and sometimes not. Sierra’s long, slow right hand left its mark on Davis in the fourth, bruising his left eye and causing it to swell. Sierra flurried to start the fifth but did little damage in the round. The crowd got on the fighters in the sixth, encouraging them to engage. Davis landed a check hook in the seventh that knocked Sierra off balance.

Davis’ second check hook in the round was the best punch of the fight. A welt developed under Davis’ right eye as the eighth came to a conclusion. In the tenth, Davis landed a straight right flush to the face but Sierra didn’t budge. Sierra landed a stiff right a moment later that backed Davis into the ropes.

Two judges scored the bout 95-95. The third saw a different fight and scored it 98-92 for Davis. Both the crowd and press row agreed with the third judge.
 

Oscar Meza defeated Leo Martinez by unanimous decision in a gritty, eight round lightweight battle. Meza (21-4) committed to the body early, sinking left hooks deep into Martinez’ ribs. When Martinez (15-15) lowered his hands to protect his side Meza raked him with right hands across the chops. Behind in the fight, Martinez picked up the pace to start the third.

Martinez pressed Meza and fired uppercuts and looping right hands over the top. Martinez kept up the pressure in the fourth and blooded Meza’s nose in an action packed round. Both fighters were bleeding from the nose in the fifth but pressed ahead in a give and take round. Meza momentarily slowed Martinez with a hook to the body early in the sixth and backed him up late with a pretty uppercut-right hand combination.

Moments after the bell to start the seventh, a Meza left hook sent Martinez crashing to the canvas. Martinez beat the count and battled his way through the seventh and eighth rounds. The final score cards read 80-72, 78-73, 79-72.


Off Air Bouts
 

Mexican heavyweight Andy Ruiz stopped Kelsey Arnold with a body shot at 2:19 of the third to win his eighth straight contest. Ruiz (8-0) jabbed to the body and fired the right hand upstairs to great effect in the opener, staggering Arnold on more than one occasion.

Arnold (4-7-2) made it through the second but bled throughout the round. Arnold was dead tired by the third; slowed by the punishment he absorbed in the first and second. A kidney shot in the third froze Arnold and prompted referee David Mendoza to save the fighter from further punishment.
 

Brazilian Patrick Teixeira defeated Indiana’s Dave Lopez by split decision in the opening contest of the evening. Throughout the bout Teixeira walked Lopez down behind a steady stream of right hand, left hand. Teixeira (9-0) was most effective when he added a sweeping right hook behind the 1-2. Lopez (3-4-3) caught Teixeira with lead lefts in every round but was outworked over the early rounds. Lopez finally got in gear in the fourth and the action ramped up when Lopez lowered his hands and baited Teixeira to engage.

The action really heated up in the sixth when the combatants stood toe to toe and traded hooks. Two judges scored the bout 59-55 for Teixeira and the third favored Lopez 58-56.
 

Jose Roman nearly pitched a six round shut-out in defeating fellow super featherweight Johnny Frazier. Roman (9-0) fired a right cross and followed it with a short left that dropped Frazier mid way through the first. Frazier rose by eight and battled to the bell. Frazier (3-5-2) suffered a small cut in his right brow early in the second. Roman targeted the cut with the jab but not nearly enough. Frazier found pay dirt in the third when he landed an overhand right. Roman wobbled but fired back before regaining his footing. The pace grinded to a halt following the Frazier right hand as both fighters became weary of the other. Roman picked up the pace with a minute to go in the fifth but did little more than follow Frazier around the ring. The crowed rallied to bring the show to a close in an uneventful final round.
 

Raymond Chacon had a successful professional debut besting fellow super bantamweight Manuel Machorro by unanimous scores of 40-36.

Chacon (1-0) was the aggressor throughout and consistently beat Machorro to the punch. Machorro (0-3) was wide with his punches when he let his hands go.