Boxing returned to Brooklyn in triumphant fashion with four world title fights capped off by Danny Garcia’s (25-0, 16 KO’s) fourth round knockout of Erik Morales (52-9, 36 KO’s) to defend his Unified Super Lightweight World Championship in front of more than 11,000 fans at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. on Saturday night.
Garcia was in command from the first round as he pounded Morales with punishing body shots. The bout was stopped at the 1:23 mark of the fourth round when the 24-year-old Garcia sent the veteran Morales crashing into the ropes with a perfectly timed left hook.
Garcia vs. Morales II Photos
Fight Recap Video
“That left hook, I got that from my mom,” said a jubilant Garcia after the fight. “Her side of the family is all left handed.”
The 36 year old Morales was dejected and humble after the fight. He graciously accepted the loss and said (through a translator), “Time goes by. This is a sign that the end is near.”
“He’s a crafty veteran,” said Garcia of his opponent, a virtual lock for the Hall of Fame. “I really thought we’d go 12 rounds. He hit me with a couple of good shots, but I came back strong.
“In our first fight, I laid back a little too much. In this fight, I was more confident and I knew I could set up my punches and land some big shots.
“You know I’ll fight anyone. I never duck anyone and I know those guys want all these belts. They have to come get them from me.”
In a co-feature, Paulie Malignaggi’s WBA Welterweight World Title was not on the line as Pablo Cesar Cano (26-2-1, 20 KO’s) failed to make the 147-pound limit on Friday. Malignaggi, a Brooklyn native (32-4, 7 KO’s), won a close split decision over Cano in the 12-round bout. The final marks from the judges came in at 114-113 twice (Malignaggi) and 118-109 (Cano), which produced mixed reactions from the crowd.
In a battle of undefeated middleweights, rising star Peter Quillin (28-0, 20 KO’s) of Manhattan outdueled France’s Hassan N’Dam (27-1, 17 KO’s) to capture his first world title. Quillin knocked N’Dam down six times en route to a unanimous decision victory which captured him the WBO 160-pound world title. All three judges scored the fight 115-107.
In the first world title fight of the night, Devon Alexander (24-1, 13 KO’s) defeated Randall Bailey (43-8, 37 KO’s) to become the IBF Welterweight world champion. The judges were all in agreement as they scored the fight 115-111, 116-110 and 117-109.
Earlier in the night on the SHOWTIME EXTREME televised undercard, Danny Jacobs (23-1, 19 KO’s) defeated Josh Luternan (13-2, 9 KO’s) with an impressive first round knockout. This victory was even more special for Jacobs as he made his return to boxing after undergoing surgery and rehab for a debilitating spinal cancer in 2011.
