Pavlik Brutalizes Sigmon & Magdaleno Wows Crowd At Hard Rock Hotel

LAS VEGAS-Former middleweight champion Kelly “The Ghost” Pavlik pounded his way to a technical knockout victory over Virginia's very resilient Scott “Cujo” Sigmon in a super middleweight bout on Friday.

Pavlik had little to worry about in return from Sigmon at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. That added with his superior firepower made the contest a very one-sided affair that was not intended for the squeamish.

Firing from the start Pavlik pounded the head and body of Sigmon who did very little in the first two rounds. In round three the Virginian began to fire back but was met with some vicious combinations and began to bleed profusely by round five. It could have been stopped in round six as very little was being fired from Sigmon.

Two more rounds of Pavlik pounding Sigmon didn't convince anyone the fight should have been stopped. Finally, at the end of round seven, referee Jay Nady stopped the battering.

“I want anyone big,” said Pavlik after the victory.

Other bouts

Youth beat experience as Las Vegas junior feathwerweight Jesse Magdaleno (10-0 7 KOs) crashed a left hand to the chin of former Puerto Rican Olympian Carlos Valcarcel (12-5-4, 5 KOs) for a knockdown in the first round. The southpaw followed that up with a seven-punch barrage prompting referee Tony Weeks to end the fight at 2:25 of round one. “I thought he was going to be a durable fighter,” said Magdaleno, 20, who was surprised at the early knockout win over 30-year-old Valcarcel.

Notre Dame's Mike Lee (9-0, 5 KOs) out-boxed Mexico's rugged Eliseo Durazo (3-3) and won a unanimous decision after six rounds of a light heavyweight contest. Durazo had some moments especially when attacking the body. He was deducted one point for going to low and Lee was more effective to the head and body.

In an entertaining short war Salina's super middleweight Rudy Pugas Jr. (3-0, 3 KOs) out-slugged Idaho's Tommy Turner (2-2). After exchanging some bombs a left uppercut-right hand combination clubbed Turner to the floor who managed to beat the count. In round two Puga fired a left to the body and sent Turner down in sections but he beat the count. When the fight resumed Turner tried to slug it out and was met with a left uppercut and knocked out at 2:19 of round two.

Riverside's Saul “Dinamita” Rodriguez (5-0, 4 KOs) out-worked a sturdy Kevin Davila (1-1) over four rounds of a junior lightweight match. Rodriguez worked the body well and when the fight went inside used the uppercut mixed with left hooks to win the fight by unanimous decision. Washington's Davila took some good shots to hang in there against the hard-punching Rodriguez.

Kansas City's Gerardo Robles (18-10, 9 KOs) dropped Roger “Speedy” Gonzalez (27-6, 18 KOs) twice in the first two rounds but was forced to hang on and win by majority decision after eight rounds. Robles beat Gonzalez to the punch with a right hand and sent the Southern Californian to the floor. In round two a left hook floored Gonzalez again in what seemed like a rout. Then Gonzalez began to box and counter and hurt Robles with a left hook but couldn't finish the job. One judge scored it 75-75 and the other two 76-74 for Robles.

Omaha's Terence Crawford (17-0, 13 KOs) stopped Oxnard's David Rodela (16-6-4, 7 KOs) with a left to the body to end the fight in round two of a lightweight bout. A left behind Rodela's head dropped Rodela who complained. He was never the same after that blow. Another blow behind the ear sent Rodela down again but he tried his best to rally. A right uppercut snapped Crawford's head back but he replied with the left to the body and Rodela could not beat the count at 2:30 of round two.

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