With the undercard finished, it's time for tonight's main even between middleweights Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and Marco Antonio Rubio.  Chavez's middle weight title and undefeated record (44-0-1) are on the line.  Rubio's record is 53-5-1.  

The first fight just finished up and the two fighters should be on their way out shortly.  

Here they come.  Rubio is in the ring and here comes Chaves Jr.  

The intros are finished.  Here we go.

Round 1:
They square off in the center.  Rubio gets his jab going.  He fires off a cross.  Chavez defense looks solid, but Rubio is getting punches through the gloves.  Chaves throughs a right hook to the body.  Now a jab from Chavez.  Rubio has Chavez against the ropes.  Chavez gets out.  Not much landed from either fighter in the first round.  It's been a feeling out round.  Rubio lands a nice left hand at the end of the round.

Parker: 10-9 Rubio 

Round 2:
Chavez lands a jab to the body.  Rubio a jab in.  Chavez answers back with one.  Chavez lands a nice left hook to the body.  Chavez is more active in this round.  He lands another left to the body.  They trade jabs.  Now a straight upstairs.  Rubio is in the corner and they trade power shots.  Rubio gets out.  Rubio is still the more active fighter through two rounds, but Chavez has landed batter shots in 2.  

Parker: 10-9 Chavez Jr.  

Round 3:
Chavez lands a nice left hook upstairs.  Now another.  Now one to the body.  Rubio is against the ropes.  Rubio stays active and landing clean punches to the body and head.  I don't think his punches are doing any damage to Chavez, while Chavez punches look stronger.  Chavez lands a right hook to the body.  Chavez lands a huge right hook, his best punch of the night and Rubio steps back.  Rubio lands two clean shots of his own.  

Parker: 10-9 Chavez Jr.  

Round 4:
Chavez Jr. is backing up Rubio now.  He just looks bigger in there and his punches look stronger.  Rubio is against the ropes again.  Chavez Jr. is looking for openings.  He lands a jab and forces Rubio into the ropes again.  Chavez is just muscling Rubio in there.  Rubio continues to stay active though.  There's a left hook from Rubio.  Lots of silence from the HBO crew in that round.

Parker: 10-9 Chaves Jr.  

Round 5:
They two trade shots while Rubio is in the corner to start round 5.  They both focus on the body.  Rubio lands a punch below the belt and Chavez takes time to recover.  Rubio lunges and lands a left and a right.  Chavez seems to be taking this round off a bit.  He's using good defense, but Rubio is keeps throwing.  

Parker: 10-9 Rubio 

Round 6:
They are throwing bombs in the most exciting round of the fight so far.  They body shots.  Chavez goes to work and lands a big right hand while Rubio is against the ropes.  Rubio lands a right hand.  Chavez circles the outside of the ring.  Rubio lands a left hook.  Rubio bangs a straight right.  Rubio is using solid defense in there.  

Parker: 10-9 Rubio 

Round 7:
This fight has open scoring, but those scores aren't being announced in the broadcast.  Chavez continues to land the stronger punches, and they're piling up in round 7.  Rubio has been warned twice for low blows.  If he lands another, he will lost a point.  This was a good round for Chavez.  He should get Rubio down the stretch.

Parker: 10-9 Chavez Jr. 

Round 8:
The crowd is getting psyched, Chavez's offensive onslaught.  He's pushing Rubio around the ring in there.  He lands a big left hook and a right.  Rubio is against the ropes again.  He should really stay off of them.  He lands a big shot to the body.  He lands a double hook upstairs.  Probably his best round of the fight.

Parker: 10-9 Chavez Jr. 

Round 9:
Round 9 is more of the same.  Chavez is landing bombs, but Rubio doesn't look like he's going anywhere.  His punches aren't doing any damage to Chavez.  Chavez stalks Rubio around the ring, looking for openings to land power shots.  He's landed 11 in this round according to compubox.  Rubio is against the ropes yet again.  He lands a nice combo to end the round.

Parker: 10-9 Chavez Jr.  

Round 10:
Chavez has Rubio in the corner and is landing power shots again.  Chavez lands a nice double left.  Rubio is probably out landing Chavez Jr. in this round, but like earlier his punches aren't doing any damage.  They exchange down the stretch.  Chavez wins another.

Parker: 10-9 Chavez Jr. 

Round 11:
Chavez is trying to close the show.  Rubio comes back and throws a flurry.  Rubio lands a big combo.  Chavez stumbles.  He comes right back and lands a big combo of his own.  There're two big right hands from Chavez.  Now a big left.  Chavez works the body.  Still a minute left in the round.  He's still trying to get Rubio out of there.  Rubio is against the ropes.  They trade bombs.  Chavez lands three monster hooks before the bell.

Parker: 10-9 Chavez Jr.  

Round 12:
Chavez Jr. has some swelling over the right eye, so Rubio's punches have been doing something.  Rubio is having a good start to the last round.  Rubio keeps firing the jab.  Chavez lands a hook to the body followed by one upstairs.  Chavez lands another bomb upstairs.  Rubio is staying in there and continues to fight.  There's a flurry form him to the head.  Chavez lands a left uppercut.  Rubio is out working Chavez in the last round.  

Parker: 10-9 Rubio 

Parker: 116-112 Chavez Jr.  

The judges score the bout 118-110,, 116-112, and 115-113 all for the winner by unanimous decision and still WBC Middleweight Champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. 

The first World Championship Boxing broadcast of 2012 is finally upon us. The Alamodome in San Antonio is the setting for a doubleheader that will be capped off by Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. taking on Marco Antonio Rubio. First up, though, we'll see the Filipino Flash, Nonito Donaire, in a super bantamweight title fight against Wilfredo Vazquez Jr.

Jim Lampley and Emanuel Steward discuss the contrast between Donaire, who is a proven champion attempting to become a household name, and Chavez Jr., who has big name recognition and is still trying to prove himself at the top level. They also bring in Larry Merchant to talk about how much talent Vazquez Jr. may have inherited from his father (and trainer), who was a world champion in three different divisions.

Donaire is already on his way to the ring, sporting a metallic red robe with white lightning bolts to maintain his "Flash" motif. A short video interview shows Donaire talking about the altercation he got into with Vazquez at one of the press conferences leading up to tonight's fight. Vazquez comes out second as we go back and see some highlights of his loss to Jorge Arce.

Michael Buffer is on hand to do the official fighter introductions. Donaire is 27-1 with 18 KOs, while Vazquez is 21-1-1, also with 18 KOs. The referee tonight is Rafael Ramos.

Looks like we're all set for a scheduled 12 rounds of boxing for the vacant WBO super bantamweight belt.


Round 1

Donaire comes out testing his jab and left hook. Vazquez looks to counter with his jab. They circle while jabbing, and left hooks land both ways. Donaire's first big right hand is blocked. Nice left uppercut by Nonito. Donaire flurries, maybe landing one punch. Vazquez is trying to time him with counters. There's a right for Donaire, followed by a left which just misses. Now Donaire uses the left hook as a counter.

Tylwalk: 10-9 Donaire


Round 2

Vazquez jabs; Donaire answers and tries a right over the top. Donaire pops Vazquez with a flush right and a body shot, and Vazquez comes back at him with something of a shove. Nonito goes down, but it's a slip. There's another Donaire combo with a right upstairs and a left to the gut. That same combo is really working for him repeatedly. Despite that, it's Donaire who shows some damage by his right eye. Vazquez hasn't had much success with anything but his jab so far.

Tylwalk: 10-9 Donaire


Round 3

Donaire backs up his opponent with power shots that are barely blocked. Vazquez is moving back but doing a good job not to get trapped. Lots of dancing as both men jockey for position. A wild left hook lead smashes into Vazquez, who is holding on in the corner. Wilfredo tries to swng for the fences, and he misses and falls down. Donaire stalks a la Sergio Martinez with his hands down. He lands a body shot in the closing seconds.

Tylwalk: 10-9 Donaire


Round 4

Vazquez misses and eats a right hand. Donaire backpedals, trying to avoid a steady stream of jabs. Donaire mizes lead left hooks with jabs. He lands an uppercut and a shirt right to the body. There's a rare right hook from Vazquez. He can't afford to swing and miss, because Donaire is right on top of him every time. Double jab and right cross from the Flash. Vazquez rushes with a right and gets smacked with a left right at the bell.

Tylwalk: 10-9 Donaire


Round 5

Harold Lederman has Donaire up 40-35, giving him a 10-8 round in the third. Steward also likes what he is seeing from Nonito. The uppercut strikes again, and Donaire hops around to try to get Vazquez to open up. Wilfredo finally gets his right hand untracked before returning to his jab. Donaire is still busier, sniping with both hands. Both men connect in a brief exchange. The round peters out without fireworks, and it was much closer than the previous four.

Tylwalk: 10-9 Donaire


Round 6

Eric Raskin just Tweeted that the swelling around Donaire's eye may be bothering him now. Vazquez certainly seems a bit more confident. He gets inside but is driven back by an uppercut and a cross. Vazquez is picking off more shots, and he's coming forward more too. Donaire switches southpaw for a moment, and Vazquez has some blood near his nose. Vazquez jabs away and throws some right hands with them. Donaire has to scramble away from a big right hand.

Tylwalk: 10-9 Vazquez


Round 7

Things heat up right off the bat with both men throwing. Double jab and right hand by Donaire. Vazquez throws the counter right and scores. He ducks inside and leans on Donaire. The crowd likes it as they fight at super close range. Donaire throws a combo that includes a low body shot, and Vazquez gets a few seconds to recover. Uppercuts from both hands by Donaire. Vazquez keeps sticking him with very stiff jabs. Donaire responds with a hard left hook.

Tylwalk: 10-9 Donaire


Round 8

Robert Garcia wants more pressure from Donaire, telling him to stop giving Vazquez so many breaks. Vazquez opens up aggressively, walking through some shots to land his own. The ref warns both fighters to keep their body shots up. Vazquez lands about four jabs in a row. Donaire crashes home a right hand and a body shot. Vazquez lands with a body shot but eats a flush right hand to the head. Donaire keeps throwing the uppercut as they circle. The crowd jeers a bit as Donaire mocks Vazquez by putting both gloves on his knees.

Tylwalk: 10-9 Donaire


Round 9

Vazquez has really picked it up since the early rounds, but Donaire is stil landing the harder shots. Both boxers land, but Vazquez gets the better of it with jabs and left hooks. He just misses a huge right. Vazquez jabs and throws the right behind it. Donaire answers with a counter right. Nasty left uppercut and a left hook from Donaire, and Vazquez goes down for the first time in his pro career. He's back up and seems to have fairly steady legs. I think he was winning the round before those two shots.

Tylwalk: 10-8 Donaire


Round 10

Perhaps sensing he needs a KO to win, Vazquez quickly closes the distance. In-between rounds, he told his trainer he just got caught and is okay. He's landing some punches, and he forces Donaire back to the ropes. They try to trade uppercuts and hooks with Vazquez doing pretty well. Donaire fires a left hook and finally gets off the ropes. One-two by Vazquez and both men are bleeding. Counter left by Donaire lands clean. Nice right hand by Vazquez. Donaire lands a right-left-right combination and really closes strong. Vazquez throws a punch after the bell and gets a stern warning from the ref.

Tylwalk: 10-9 Donaire


Round 11

You get the feeling that Vazquez gave away a few rounds he could have won in this one and will regret it when he watches the tape. Give him credit for continuing to take the fight to Donaire and press the issue. Left hook by Vazquez. Donaire now turns the jabber for a moment. Uppercut and a right by Donaire. They clash heads while leaning in. Counter right by Vazquez amidst many jabs both ways. Double jab and right ahnd by Donaire, then another quick flurry. He makes Vazquez miss twice leading up to the bell.

Tylwalk: 10-9 Donaire


Round 12

Donaire throws the triple jab while dancing around. Vazquez does some chasing; Merchant says he isn't super impressed by Donaire. Steward thinks he should fight Yuriorkis Gamboa. Vazquez lands a left and gets Donaire in a headlock. Supposedly Donaire has hurt his right hand. Vazquez lands a right hand and keeps forcing Donaire back. Donaire tries to flurry with his back against the ropes. Both men land some solid shots as the fight reaches the final bell.

Tylwalk: 10-9 Vazquez

Tylwalk: 118-109 Donaire

The judges score it 115-112 Vazquez, and 117-110 Donaire twice. The winner by split decision... and new WBO super bantamweight titleholder... "The Filipino Flash" Nonito Donaire.

Speaking to Merchant, Donaire laughs off the scorecard for Vazquez and says he feels he won the majority of the rounds. He doesn't know if his hand is broken but says there is definitely something wrong with it.

Asked about his debut at super bantamweight, Donaire admits Vazquez was simply stronger and tougher than he expected. The Flash isn't too keen on moving up in weight again, suggesting that he needs to work on more things with Garcia to get to where he wants to be.

To paraphrase one Dwayne Johnson, finally, boxing has come back to HBO.

We always say around here that boxing has no offseason, but it sometimes feels like it does. That's been especially true this year, when the drought in big fights broadcast in the U.S. lasted the whole way through January.

But never fear, because a doubleheader tonight on HBO should help kick the sport in the pants. The main event will see Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. take another in a seemingly endless set of steps toward becoming his own man, as he defends his WBC middleweight belt against Marco Antonio Rubio - who once had a chance like this before but came up short against Kelly Pavlik in 2009.

The co-feature shouldn't be slept on either, since Nonito Donaire has been and surely will again be the headliner himself. The former flyweight and bantamweight titleholder will try to add more gold to his collection by winning his first super bantamweight bout against Wilfredo Vazquez Jr., a Puerto Rican fighter who has been in some exciting fights.

If you're like us, you're probably itching to watch some world class boxing again. If, however, you find yourself unable to see the fights tonight, you can still get live updates by rejoining us here. Hit the home page for round by round posts for each fight starting shortly after 10 pm Eastern time tonight.

See you tonight - can't wait!

 

As you've no doubt heard by now if you've been anywhere near a computer, smartphone or internet-enabled refrigerator, Floyd Mayweather has been granted a license to fight Miguel Cotto on May 5. Kind of like the Republican primaries, the frontrunner to face Money has shifted several times, but Cotto always appeared to have a good shot at either Mayweather or a rematch against Manny Pacquiao.

There will be plenty of time to break down Mayweather-Cotto over the next three months, of course, so I'm not going to go in depth on it right now. My gut tells me that while Cotto is certainly a warrior and will come prepared and in tremendous shape, I can't see him having much of a chance to pull off the upset. no comments

There was boxing during the past month, but not much of it, if any, involved anyone in the top 10 of any weight class. The year in the sweet science is off to a slow start indeed, and news of Andre Berto's arm injury postponing his rematch with Victor Ortiz doesn't help.

No fights equals very little movement in our patented (not really) Power Rankings, but we're rolling out the monthly list anyway. Why? Because we care, darn it.

Our number two guy Nonito Donaire will look to shake the sport out of its doldrums this very Saturday. Several other members of the list will be in action by mid-March, so things will look up soon enough.

Oh, and in case you're new around here, this isn't a pound-for-pound list. Here's our last one of those, and here's an explanation of sorts about the Power Rankings.

The list awaits!

Undoubtedly Mike Tyson was both pleased and honored to be inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame last year. Soon, though, he'll be granted a rare privilege by getting enshrined in a second sport's Hall of Fame.

To be fair, that first paragraph comes with several disclaimers, because I'm talking about the recent announcement that Iron Mike will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame on March 31 in Miami, the night before WrestleMania XXVIII. The first qualifier is whether or not you consider pro wrestling to be a sport. I do (and not just because I also cover it), though it happens to be one with predetermined outcomes. The men and women who perform it are certainly athletes. no comments

Well, here's some bad news: Less than two weeks away from the highly anticipated rematch between Andre Berto and Victor Ortiz, the fight is in jeopardy after Berto suffered an arm injury. ESPN's Dan Rafael quotes sources saying that the full diagnosis awaits the results on am MRI but it "didn't sound good."

Whether you are a fan of either individual boxer or not, it's definitely a bummer if the fight gets pushed back or shelved. We picked the first Berto-Ortiz meeting as the 2011 Fight of the Year, and while we all know about the difficulty that rematches often have living up to fantastic first bouts, there was little reason to think that these guys weren't going to slug it out again.

Of course, that's not because it's going to be a non-stop slugfest or anything. But in the spirit of putting a positive spin on things since the year in boxing is so young, the April 28 rematch between Bernard Hopkins and Chad Dawson is almost certain to be better than their first meeting last October.

Yeah, it's hard to see Hopkins-Dawson II having a crazier ending than the first go-round, which saw Dawson score a dubious knockout after what looked to this observer like a shove. That shove caused a partial dislocation of Hopkins' shoulder, leaving him unable to continue and Dawson the owner of perhaps the least violent stoppage in the history of the sport.

It took a while, but that injustice was finally undone and the bout declared a no contest. That leaves us here, roughly three months away from a second shot at a fight that only the most hardcore fans were anticipating the first time. Yet besides the obvious fact that the original bout didn't even go two full rounds, here are three reasons this should be a boxing rarity: A rematch that outshines the original in every way:

That's how it looks right now, anyway. Lem Satterfield of RingTV.com had a chance to speak to Cotto advisor Gaby Penagaricano, who said that he has spoken to the handlers for both Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather, and that the 154-pound titleholder remains a potential opponent for either of the world's two top pound-for-pound boxers.

For Cotto, that's great news. He's at the point in his career where he's only interested in the biggest fights out there. They don't get any bigger than Manny and Floyd, so it's all good in that respect.

I've been saying all along (and I'm far from the only one) that the only way we'd see a Manny Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather fight happen in the first half of 2011 is if Pacquiao told promoter Bob Arum that he wants that fight, and only that fight. But maybe there's another way after all. Maybe the two best boxers in the world could simply talk to each other on the phone and work things out between themselves.

It sounds crazy, but we now know that it happened yesterday: Mayweather called Pacquiao in the Philippines, and it was apparently about the fight and splitting the purse 50-50. Other than that, we don't know much else.