01:52:29
MAESTRE COMING ON STRONG
We’re into the championship rounds here in Las Vegas. Eimantas Stanionis is still grinding away. Maestre touching the body frequently.
Maestre is running out of rounds to cash in those cheques as a left hook lands between Stanionis’ punches. A possible late twist in the tale?
Stanionis vs. Maestre (Getty Images)
01:39:41
WHO WILL LAST THE PACE BETTER?
It’s a battle of will versus will as we hit the middle portion of the bout. Stanionis promised to bring a Mexican style, and so far, he’s delivering.
A few questions need to be answered as the bout goes on. Stanionis has been out of action for around two years, while Maestre is 37 years old. Stamina and energy will be tested.
01:30:26
TWO PUNCHERS LOOKING TO LAND HEAVY
Stanionis started strong, but Maestre’s uppercut is working well. Two very evenly matched boxers.
Our referee, Robert Hoyle, said, “Don’t make this about me” while giving his pre-fight instructions.
MC Jimmy Lennon Jr announced the judges as Chris Migliore, Don Trella and Steve Weisfeld which differs from our list. We’ll keep an eye on that as this one progresses.
Stanionis vs. Maestre (Getty Images)
01:19:20
STANIONIS VS. MAESTRE BEGINS
Eimantas Stanionis is back in the ring for the first time in forever. His former amateur opponent, Gabriel Maestre, is in the opposite corner.
Two head-down bangers who like to slug it out. Should be tasty.
00:53:05
RAMOS IS BACK, SCORES BIG KO
The finish time is recorded at 2-56 of round nine. Ramos wins by TKO. Good work from Harvey Dock, who jumped in at the right time.
No post-fight comments from Ramos. Perhaps they took him away to stitch up the cut.
Shout out to Las Vegas-based Gonzalez, who was super tough and knocked out for the time in his career.
Max DeLuca, Glenn Feldman, and David Hudson were the unused judges. With the prelims over, the pay-per-view portion is next.
00:46:52
THE BEATDOWN IS OVER IN ROUND 9
When there’s a long smear of blood across the camera, you know someone is having a rough time of it.
While it’s Ramos’ blood, Gonzalez is finally stopped. The ubiquitous Ismael Salas offered him a strenuous pep talk in the corner before the ninth.
However, even the legendary Cuban could only watch as his man was dropped, marginally beat the count, and suffered a follow-up battering.
While the ending flurry was impressive, the initial left hand that dropped him was a cracker.
00:36:32
RAMOS SUFFERS A CUT
An accidental headbutt leads to a steady stream of blood down the side of Ramos’ left eye. It’s a bad one.
Gonzalez is tough, but he’s taking a tanking right now. The corner no doubt having a scan over him.
00:30:20
‘IT’S A MUGGING RIGHT NOW!”
Mauro Ranallo is enjoying the all-action approach of Jesus Ramos, who comes out throwing early-round bombs.
Can Gonzalez do anything more than just stay within touching distance? That’s the question.
00:21:27
BOTH MEN BANGING AWAY IN RD4
Both men are tattooing the body. Ramos has always been a scything body puncher and this fight is no different.
Gonzalez arrives off the back of a good win over Guido Emmanuel Schramm and has gone the distance with Magomed Kurbanov. Ramos, meanwhile, controversially lost to Erickson Lubin.
00:10:18
JESUS RAMOS IN ACTION
Big southpaw Jesus Ramos is in the ring against Johan Gonzalez, who is billed as a knockout artist. The Venezuelan’s record suggests he can certainly bang.
Body hunter Ramos is looking to put his first career loss behind him. Third-man Harvey Dock was the ref for Haney-Garcia, and he might be looking to put that performance behind him as well.
23:53:53
VITO MIELNICKI JR DEFEATS RONALD CRUZ OVER 10 ROUNDS
It’s all over and Vito Mielnicki Jr wins the fight by scores of 99-89 (Chris Migliore), 96-92 (Don Trella Sr) and 98-90 (David Sutherland).
That was a good test for Mielnicki Jr. Even though Ronald Cruz wasn’t in danger of winning many rounds, or even many minutes of individual rounds, he punched hard and never stopped pitching.
Onward and upwards for 21-year-old Mielnicki Jr from New Jersey, who described the win as a great learning experience.
“This is my first time getting cut. I was getting a little hyped up, a little pumped. I’m still young, still growing,” said the victor.
23:34:28
MIELNICKI JR SHUTOUT?
Cruz is putting it on ‘White Magic’ who is dealing well with the cut. Mielnicki’s body shots are landing sweetly in the seventh round.
Veteran trainer Ronnie Shields is urging Vito forward and encouraging the body attacks. PBC ringside scorer Larry Hazzard has awarded Mielnicki every round, including a couple of knockdowns.
23:25:16
CRUZ DOWN FOR A SECOND TIME
It’s going from bad to worse for Cruz. He’s down at the end of the fourth from another left hook, this one high on the head.
Mielnicki turned pro young and has a loss on the slate, but he’s punching hard. Especially at the end of the rounds. Cruz needs to switch on.
23:21:38
CRUZ CONTROLLED
This is Cruz’s first time fighting in Las Vegas and he’s been dropped at the end of the third by a left hook. Referee Robert Hoyle counted is as a legitimate knockdown even though the actual punch landed after the bell. Mielnicki the boss but he’s cut over the left eye.
23:11:29
A VERY WARM WELCOME!
Good evening/night/morning. Thank you for joining me on this live update blog. We’ll be following all the punches until Canelo and Munguia go at it later on in the main event.
Vito Mielnicki Jr is in the ring now against Ronald Cruz. It’s scheduled for 10 rounds or less in the super-welterweight division. Good solid jab from Mielnicki so far.
Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez faces Jaime Munguia in a huge all-Mexican battle for Canelo’s four belts and undisputed super-middleweight status at the T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas.
Undercard action begins on the PBC YouTube channel from 11pm UK, 6pm ET and 3pm PT.
Canelo vs Munguia Weights and Running Order
10 x 3 mins super-welterweight
Vito Mielnicki Jr (153.6) vs. Ronald Cruz (152.2)
10 x 3 mins super-welterweight
Jesus Ramos (154.6) vs. Johan Gonzalez (153.6)
12 x 3 mins WBA welterweight title
Eimantas Stanionis (146.6) vs. Gabriel Maestre (146.8)
Referee: Robert Hoyle
Judges: Max De Luca, Glenn Feldman & David Hudson
12 x 3 mins WBC Interim featherweight title
Brandon Figueroa (125.4) vs. Jessie Magdaleno (128.6)
Referee: Allen Huggins
Judges: Eric Cheek, Patricia Morse Jarman & Dave Moretti
12 x 3 mins WBC Interim welterweight title
Mario Barrios (146.6) vs. Fabian Maidana (146.2)
Referee: Harvey Dock
Judges: Max De Luca, Glenn Feldman & David Hudson
12 x 3 mins WBC, WBA, IBF & WBO super-middleweight titles
Canelo Alvarez (166.8) vs. Jaime Munguia (167.4)
Referee: Tom Taylor
Judges: Tim Cheatham, David Sutherland & Steve Weisfeld