Yoenli Hernandez Beats Francisco Veron Despite Bizarre Draw Card

One judge somehow scored the fight even, but Yoenli Hernandez did enough clean work to secure a majority decision over Francisco Daniel Veron in the 10-round middleweight co-feature. The official scores were 99-91, 98-92 and 95-95 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Veron supplied constant pressure and threw punches in bunches, although his low connect rate prevented him from turning that activity into sustained success. Hernandez remained composed behind his guard, countered with the harder shots and repeatedly found openings to the head and body.

A check hook from Veron shook Hernandez during the fifth round and produced the biggest surprise of the fight. The Cuban responded by reestablishing control and hurt Veron with a right hand in the eighth. Veron continued advancing through the final bell, but his toughness could not overcome Hernandez’s advantages in accuracy, defense and punching power.

Russell Drops Santillan, Takes Interim WBA Title

A knockdown in the final round capped a dominant performance as Gary Antonio Russell defeated Victor Santillan to win the interim WBA super bantamweight belt at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The judges scored the 12-round fight 119-108, 119-108 and 118-109.

The 33-year-old Russell used his hand speed and jab to keep Santillan from establishing an attack. His combinations repeatedly caught the Dominican southpaw, who struggled to close the distance or find an answer for Russell’s movement.

A knockdown in the 12th round completed the performance. Russell pressed for the finish after Santillan returned to his feet, but the defending interim champion survived to the final bell.

Carlos Utria Escapes With Split Decision Over Israel Mercado

An upset nearly opened the pay-per-view card as Israel Mercado pushed Carlos Utria through 10 difficult light welterweight rounds. Mercado refused to give the heavy favorite an easy night, pressing forward and using an awkward style to break up Utria’s offense.

The 22-year-old Colombian had his best moments when he attacked the body and followed with combinations. Those bursts allowed him to collect enough rounds, although he never separated himself decisively from Mercado. One judge scored the fight 96-94 for Mercado. The other cards favored Utria by 96-94 and 97-93.

Saturday was Utria’s United States debut and his first bout since signing with Premier Boxing Champions. He came to Las Vegas after winning the WBC Grand Prix light welterweight tournament in Riyadh late last year.

Marco Romero Overwhelms Kahlil Mitchell

Less than three minutes were needed for Marco Romero to stop Kahlil Mitchell in their scheduled eight-round middleweight bout. The 20-year-old attacked from the opening bell and quickly found the target with hard combinations. Mitchell could not slow the pressure or create enough space to recover. The referee stepped in at 2:33 of the first round, giving Romero the TKO.

Benjamin Johnson Goes Distance in Decision Win

After seven consecutive stoppages, Benjamin Johnson completed six rounds for the first time and defeated Jose Gabriel Rodriguez by unanimous decision. The 21-year-old welterweight relied on his height and long reach to control the action against the smaller Rodriguez. Although Johnson did not produce his usual knockout, he remained in command.

Joseph Brown Shuts Out Alton Wiggins

Every judge gave all six rounds to Joseph Brown in his unanimous decision over Alton Wiggins. The 19-year-old kept the fight at a comfortable distance, using his height and reach to land clean punches while Wiggins struggled to get close enough to answer. No knockdowns were needed for Brown to establish complete control. Scores were 60-54 across the board.

Aldo Blancas Defeats Ricky Mamone

A second-round knockdown helped Aldo Blancas secure a unanimous decision over Ricky Mamone in their four-round light welterweight fight. Blancas hurt the shorter Mamone with a left to the liver and continued landing his left hand throughout the contest. Mamone stayed on his feet for the remaining two rounds but struggled to get inside the 6-foot-1 prospect’s reach. Scores were 39-36 twice and 40-35.