SAN ANTONIO, TX – At the home of the 5-time NBA championship team, the San Antonio Spurs, the Frost Bank Center, Premier Boxing Champions on Prime Video PPV put on an excellent card in front of a lively Texas crowd of 10,230 that filled the arena by the first fight of the PPV. Without question, San Antonio showed up to watch some boxing.
In the main event, Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz (28-3-2, 18 KOs) defended his interim WBC super lightweight title against. Lamont “The Reaper” Roach (25-1-3, 10 KOs). In what was an exciting fight, Cruz and Roach battled to a majority draw. Two of the three judges scored the fight 113-113 each, and the lone judge had it 115-111 for Cruz.
Cruz and Roach had the attention of every member of the audience, reacting to almost every punch thrown from the beginning to the end, even standing through most of the bout. If there was any question as to who nearly all of the fans in attendance were there to support, it was laid to rest when Cruz made his entrance. The Frost Bank Center roared with adulation for Cruz, who soaked up every bit of the crowd’s energy.
The first two rounds were tense with Cruz’s hooks coming too wide, allowing Roach to counter in between or utilize a clinch to halt the Mexican’s momentum. However, in the third round, Cruz’s relentless pressure paid off as a left hook landed, sending Roach spiraling with his glove touching the canvas for a knockdown. In the following rounds, Cruz continued to press his advantage, but showed he had picked up on mistakes made in previous fights by not getting sloppy and overeager. Instead, he used timing to continue to land blows on Roach.
The D.C. native at times looked frustrated at the direction of the fight, arguing with the referee James Green over fouls. Yet, by the seventh round, Roach looked more comfortable, still battling Cruz on the inside, getting hit less by Cruz’s left hook. In that same round, the referee took a point away from Cruz for hitting on the hip one too many times.
The eighth and ninth rounds were peculiar, as Cruz changed tactics and began taunting Roach while fighting on the back foot. In contrast, Roach looked more comfortable with the fight’s direction as Cruz got out of character, fighting in spurts. However, after 10 rounds, PBC’s resident judge, Larry Hazard, had the fight scored even at 94-94.
Before the start of the 12th and final round, the two men embraced before getting back to work. Roach’s mental lapse in executing his game plan led to dangerous exchanges, during which Cruz landed hard left hooks that would have sent most fighters to the canvas. Roach gambled whenever exchanging with Cruz and was fortunate to have the conditioning to withstand the blows landed. Overall, there wasn’t enough separation between the two fighters in the eyes of two of the three judges.
O’Shaquie Foster Dominates Stephen Fulton To Win The Interim WBC Lightweight Title
In the co-main event and possibly the most intriguing night of the fight, WBC super featherweight champion O’Shaquie Foster (24-3, 12 KOs) faced off against WBC featherweight champion Stephen Fulton (23-2, 8 KOs) for the interim WBC lightweight title. Foster dominated and outboxed Fulton for the majority of all twelve rounds to win a unanimous decision with scores of 117-111, 118-110, and 119-109.
Originally, Foster was to defend his super featherweight title; however, because Fulton missed the 130-pound weight limit by two pounds, the WBC pulled what can be described as malarkey by putting a version of their lightweight title on the line.
Fulton had one of the more theatrical entrances of the night, heading into the ring to the tune of Kenny Loggins’ Danger Zone and accompanied by fellow Philadelphia fighters Danny Garcia and Jaron “Boots” Ennis.
As expected, the fight was highly tactical, with both champions trading jabs. Foster, however, was the more focused fighter for the entirety of the fight, with sharper punches and a faster jab. In the fourth round, the Texas native switched to the southpaw stance, befuddling Fulton into mainly reacting rather than taking the lead in most exchanges. Foster’s jab and straight left hand were becoming more impactful as the rounds went on. By the eighth round, Foster was in complete control, neutralizing all of Fulton’s attacks.
The two-division champion’s body language told the story of the fight as nothing he did seemed to be working, while Foster only grew more confident, switching between stances more frequently. Although both fighters played a part in promoting the fight as necessary, only one proved to be a true professional in the ring and at the weigh-in. Foster turned what on paper looked like a 50-50 match into a one-sided affair.
San Antonio continues to be a city where Foster thrives, adding his performance over Fulton to his win over Rey Vargas in 2023 as two of the best showings of his career.
“The game plan was to stay smart, stay sharp, and get him out of there in the later rounds,” said Foster. “Having the crowd behind me felt great. I felt disrespected the whole time leading up to the fight, so to have the crowd behind me was really cool.”
Erislandy Lara Successfully Defends His WBA Middleweight Title Against Johan Gonzalez
In the middle of the card, Erislandy Lara (32-3-3, 19 KOs) defended his WBA middleweight championship against Venezuela’s Johan Gonzalez (36-5, 34 KOs). The Cuban stylist, known for his skill and experience, won a unanimous decision with wide scores of 118-108, 119-107, and 120-106. Initially, Lara was set to face the unified WBO and IBF champion Janibek Alimkhanuly; however, the Kazakhstani fighter failed a drug test for the banned substance meldonium. Thus, the fight was canceled with Gonzalez stepping in to take Alimkhanuly’s place.
Lara, who has avoided father time over the last few years, having scored stoppages in five of his previous six fights, seemed uninterested at times and had trouble getting out of first gear throughout the first half of the fight. The Cuban technician was satisfied with landing his patented straight left hand while Gonzlalez remained largely ineffective with his punches, drawing scattered boos from the attentive San Antonio crowd. However, to Gonzalez’s credit, he was the fighter pressing forward and pushing the action.
The styles of Lara and Gonzalez did not mesh, resulting in a lackluster, forgettable fight that served neither fighter. The 12th round, however, was the only one to get the crowd involved, as Gonzalez taunted Lara into engaging. Yet, Gonzalez’s bravado only served to get him on the canvas as Lara obliged him and sent him down with a left hand.
Ultimately, while the fight wasn’t the most entertaining, Lara proved that even at 42, it’s going to take someone near the elite level to dethrone him and take his title.
“I showed the world that I’m 42 years old and I’m still at the top of my game,” Lara said after the fight. “I can compete with the best.”
Jesus Ramos Jr. Wins A Unanimous Decision Over Shane Mosley Jr. For The Interim WBC Middleweight Title
Kicking off the festivities on the PPV in a night filled with interim world titles on the line, Jesus Ramos Jr.(24-1, 19 KOs) faced off against Shane Mosley Jr. (22-5, 12 KOs) for the interim WBC middleweight title. Ramos won a unanimous decision with scores of 116-112 and 117-111 twice.
For both fighters, this would be considered their first major world title opportunity. Mosley last fought in the summer of 2024 when he secured the most crucial victory of his career in winning a lopsided unanimous decision over former middleweight champion Daniel Jacobs.
Ramos, 24, the younger, more active fighter, found a home for his left hand all night to the body and head. The Arizona native landed consistently, whether it was a straight left or a hook followed by a right. Mosley, displaying a solid chin and conditioning, handled the shots well, no matter how clean they landed. Although Ramos’ left hand stood out as the most consistent attack of either fighter, Mosley kept the fight close by focusing on the body and landing straight right hands when Ramos pulled back after an attack.
In the 10th and 11th rounds, the fight changed course as Ramos’ body punches in the 10th took a visible effect on Mosley. The California native’s energy was draining, and he began to wobble after Ramos landed multiple left-hands up top in the 11th. In the final round, the two fighters battled back and forth to the crowd’s delight. When the final bell rang to end the fight, both fighters earned applause from the fans at the Frost Bank Center.
According to Compubox, Ramos landed almost half of his power punches. He landed 196 out of 405 power punches at a 48 percent connect rate. Ramos’ accuracy and more consistent attack over the second half of the fight led to him being awarded the unanimous decision. Now holding the interim title, a fight with the full WBC middleweight champion, Carlos Adames, should be next.
“I want Carlos Adames,” Ramos stated after the fight. “He’s the full champion. I don’t want the interim belt, I want the champion.”
Frank Martin Scores A Brutal Fourth-Round Knockout Over Rances Barthelemy
In the main event of the PBC pre-lims portion of the PPV broadcast on YouTube, making his long-awaited return to the ring was Frank “The Ghost’ Martin (19-1, 13 KOs). Martin would be taking on another fighter who has been out of the ring for over a year, in former two-division champion Rances Barthelemy (30-4-1,15 KOs) in a scheduled 10-round super lightweight bout.
The 30-year-old southpaw Martin has been out of the ring since losing to Gervonta Davis in the summer of 2024. Barthelemy’s nine-year age gap and ring rust from inactivity were evident from the start of the fight. Martin was always one or two steps ahead of the former champion, who never established a consistent offense.
In the fourth round, Martin ended the bout emphatically, scoring two knockdowns with a straight left hand, the second of which was particularly brutal, with the back of Barthelemy’s head crashing into the canvas. Barthelemy would not rise to beat the count.
The victory was Martin’s first knockout since 2022. With the knockout, he has possibly announced himself as a contender in the super lightweight division.
Discover more from Fights Around The World
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
