[GForce]

Hagler Simply Marvelous
Arcari, McGirt solid on undercard

In a stellar display, WBA #1 seeded Middleweight 'Marvelous' Marvin Hagler dominated 16th-seeded Dennis Milton, knocking out the underdog in the 6th round with his third knockdown of the round and fourth of the fight.

Hagler was the aggressor from the opening bell, getting right in Milton's face and pushing him around the ring. Midway through the opening round, Hagler landed a devastating hook that sent Milton tumbling into the ropes. Milton tried to come right at Hagler after that, presumably trying to show he was not hurt. But Hagler cast aside his attacks dismissively, landing a combination to punctuate the round.

Milton started the second a bit better, though the pace slowed. The round was even until an exchange in which Hagler landed an short, punishing uppercut that opened a gash over Milton's right eye. Though his corner would get the bleeding under control after the round, the eye became a target and the resulting swelling would make Milton's ability to defend even weaker.

Hagler continued to dominate the next two rounds, including a fourth round knockdown with about 30 seconds left. Milton's corner wavered on stopping it, but Milton was determined to continue and in the fifth, had his one solid round of the fight. But it was obvious Milton had nothing left once the round was completed and, though Hagler knew he had lost the round, he also knew Milton was on his last legs, smiling as he returned to his corner.

"It ends now," Hagler said on his stool. "He's empty."

A half-minute in, Hagler landed a pinpoint cross that dropped Milton who, rather than waiting and regrouping, was back up at 3. Hagler pounced again and, following multiple combinations, dug a hook under the ribs to drop Milton again a minute later. Referee Vincent Rainone was watching, and Milton waited until 9 to rise to his feet.

Milton responded to Rainone's questions and was allowed to continue, but Hagler would end it for good at 2:15 of the sixth, dropping Milton for the count and earning a dominating first-round tournament victory.

In a surprising matchup, LeRoy Haley gave Meldrick Taylor all he could handle in an IBF Jr. Welterweight contest. Taylor moved and fired combinations en route to a solid first round. But Taylor slowed in the second for unknown reasons, and Haley scored enough with jabs and a single cross in particular that rattled Taylor's cage, to at least get out of the round even.

The bout seemed on its way to an upset in the next few rounds, as Haley bullied Taylor and did an exceptional job of cutting off the ring, pinning the speedy Taylor in corners and on the ropes and working him with combination after combination.

Taylor was chastised in his corner for not throwing enough punches, and for allowing himself to be pinned by a much slower fighter.

"Why are you pissing away this fight?" trainer Lou Duva said in the corner after the fifth, the third straight round in which Taylor looked sluggish. "He's not in your league and you're doing nothing." After 5, on our card, Haley led 49-47.

After letting Haley get his confidence, Taylor now had to try and break it down. In the sixth, Taylor began to throw more punches and be more of an aggressor, yet his defense was shaky. In a close round, we gave Haley another, giving him a three-point lead with four rounds remaining, but it was obvious Taylor had begun to turn the tide.

Haley was breathing heavy after the round, and his right eye was beginning to swell considerably. About 20 seconds into round 7, Haley tied up Taylor in a clinch and it was as if a switch turned on in Taylor. Out of a clinch, a devastating combination sent Haley sprawling to the canvas. Haley stayed on a knee until 9, and spent the rest of the round covering up, limiting but not halting Taylor's attack.

Taylor dominated the eighth as well, and on our cards had tied the fight. But now, Taylor was the aggressor and the fresher fighter. After an uneventful round 9, Taylor peppered Haley with jabs and straights throughout the tenth, as Haley mounted little offense. At the end of the night, Taylor won a unanimous, but uninspiring decision, 97-93, 95-94, 96-93.

Elsewhere on the card, Bruno Arcari was dominant as the top seed in his WBC Jr. Welterweight tournament matchup with Morris East. Arcari was the aggressor throughout, throwing two hundred more punches than East, who looked sluggish at best. Arcari emerged with a unanimous decision, 99-91, 98-92, 99-91.

Equally impressive was WBC Welterweight James "Buddy" McGirt (#3), who won an 8th round technical knockout victory over Santos Cardona (#14). Though McGirt was staggered in the first round, Cardona was outclassed for most of the remainder of the fight, as McGirt got inside in short spurts to attack the body before backing away and working outside. Cardona was dropped in the third and, after a final effort to stand toe-to-toe with McGirt, was unable to answer the bell for the 8th round due to swelling over his left eye.

The card did feature an upset in the Heavyweight ranks, as IBF #11 seed Michael Dokes knocked out #6 seed Tim Witherspoon in the second round. Witherspoon came in out of shape, but dominated Dokes in the opening round. However, a flurry from Dokes opened a gash over the left eye of Witherspoon early in the second, and Witherspoon really seemed to be pawing at it for most of the round. Dokes was on the attack and Witherspoon's defenses were nonexistent, before Dokes landed consecutive uppercuts that leveled Witherspoon, the 10 count being reached at 2:58 of the second.

In the opener, #4 seed Howard Davis won a close but clear unanimous decision victory over Takanori Hatakeyama (#13) in IBF Lightweight action.



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