:boxing: Boxing Bits ::06.07.08:: Champion Pavlik Stands Alone on Upset Night...

A champion-studded night turned disastrous for all holding a belt--except one...

:Sat.06.07.08:
[C] WBC, WBO Middleweight Champion Kelly Pavlik KO3 Gary Lockett [HBO]
--Pavlik successfully defended his middleweight hardware against mandatory challenger Lockett in top fashion. "The Ghost" looked composed and fought a smart fight, treating the Welshman like any other opponent of his and completely controlled the bout in the process. Lockett went down three times to hard straight punches before his corner threw the towel in. A match-up with Arthur Abraham seems to be on a number of peoples' minds, as well as Edison Miranda and Joe Calzaghe, though the champ is open to anyone.

[C] Juan Manuel Lopez KO1 WBO Junior Featherweight Champion Daniel Ponce De Leon [HBO]
--Perhaps the biggest surprise of the night, Lopez annihilated top-ranked De Leon in the first round, capturing the title on the champion's second, and last, trip to the mat on some vicious shots to the head.

[C] Sergio Mora MD WBC Super Welterweight Champion Vernon Forrest [Showtime]
--The upstart squeaked by in a tight bout to become the first Contender fighter to win a major belt. The roughly first half of the fight was a low-key affair as both sides were reluctant to really go at it. That definently changed as some of the aminosity stemming from the pre-fight period seeped in to the match. It got dirty and nasty at times with Mora's rabbit-punching and Forrest's old-school shenanigans, but was still exciting with instances of sharp punch exchanging. "The Latin Snake" got the best of these and delivered more of the damage as the fight drew to a close, ending it as the new titleholder and with greater credibility. Forrest still looked formidable, however, and vowed to keep fighting.

[C] Paul Williams KO1 WBO Welterweight Champion Carlos Quintana [Showtime]
--Williams seemingly shut the skeptics up with a crushing KO of former conquer Quintana in the first round, both regaining his belts in style and relaunching his name in the welterweight division.