Lamont Peterson successfully defended his IBF light welterweight title against Edgar Santana via 10th round technical stoppage at the co-featured bout of the Garcia-Salka event at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York on Saturday night.

One Dimensional

Peterson (33-2-1 with 17 knockouts ) outclassed the one-dimensional Santana (29-5 with 20 knockouts) by using a relentless body attack which weakened his opponent as the bout went on. Peterson also landed laser sharp jabs that kept the forward moving Santana at bay.

In the middle rounds, Peterson began to mix his body shots with head punches and hit the weakened Santana like a punching bag. The beating continue until the 10th round when referee Pete Santiago finally stepped in at the advice of ring doctor Barry Jordan and ended Santana’s nightmare at the 2:48 mark of round ten.

Like a Sparring Session

Despite the win, Peterson got booed by the crowd who weren’t impressed with the fight. Santana was only ranked 13th by the IBF and really did nothing to earn a title shot. He showed that in the ring with his lack of footwork and hand speed.

Santana also threw one punch at a time, and although he landed some power shots on Peterson, he wasn’t able to get the champion’s attention, much more hurt him in the fight. Peterson’s game was too diverse for the gritty but limited 35 year old New Yorker.

The win was Peterson’s third defense of the IBF title which he won by upsetting Briton superstar Amir Khan in 2011. After knocking out Kendall Holt in his first title defense, Peterson fought and lost via third round knockout to Argentinian slugger Lucas Matthysse in a non-title welterweight bout in 2013.

Miracle Story

Earlier in the card, Middleweight Daniel Jacobs ( 28-1 with 25 knockouts) captured the vacant WBA middleweight title by knocking out Australian Jarrod Fletcher ( 18-2 with 10 knockouts) in the 5th round of the best fight of the evening.

Jacobs victory was a miracle story after the hometown kid made a successful recovery from osteosarcoma, a form of bone cancer, which left him bed ridden three years ago. Jacobs came off the gates fast, dropping his opponent with a left hook in the first round. Fletcher survived the round, but got battered the more in the next rounds.

Then in the fifth stanza, Jacobs dropped him twice and the ring doctor ordered the stoppage at the time of 2:58 of round number five. After the bout, Jacobs called out undefeated WBO middleweight champion Peter “Kid Chocolate” Quillin for a unification bout. Incidentally, Quillin is a friend of Jacobs and is also from New York.

After two consecutive losses and a shoulder injury that needed a long rehab, the Haitian born Berto had the toughest of roads last year. But after a successful surgery, the 30 year old former WBC and IBF welterweight champion says that he has “learned a lot about himself and the sport” while he was injured and that the “hard injury” that he suffered has “strengthened the different elements of his game.” Berto added that “he can’t wait to put all of that into play on September 6th.”

Triple Header

September 6th is the date when Golden Boy Promotions is setting up a Boxing triple header event that will be headlined by former lightweight champion Adrien Broner. Also fighting in that card is the hard hitting Argentinian junior welterweight Lucas Matthysse. Andre Berto will complete the triple header which will be held at Broner’s hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio. While the opponents of Broner and Matthysse have been already named as Emmanuel Taylor and Roberto Otriz, respectively; Berto is still awaiting the finalization of his foe.

True Warrior

Andre Berto is one of boxing’s true warriors and most exciting fighters. In his last fight against Jesus Soto Karas, Berto tore a tendon in his right shoulder during the second round. But instead of quitting, Berto fought on and aggravated the injury in the action packed bout which saw him getting knocked out in the 12th and final round. That loss was the second consecutive for Berto who was coming off a loss to Robert Guerrero. The 2004 Olympian punched his way to stardom by winning the WBC title in 2008. He captured a second belt when he beat Zan Zaveck in 2011for the IBF title.

Ripped and Ready

Berto has begun training in full force with the legendary trainer Virgil Hunter in Oakland. Berto says that he “has been consistently working” with Hunter since he was cleared for boxing activities early this year. He adds that he has been very happy working with Hunter and that training with Hunter is like “being in a classroom.”

This fight will be his second with Hunter, who is also the trainer of Andre Ward, Amir Khan, Abner Mares and Alfredo Angulo among others. A rejuvenated and strengthened Andre Berto hopes to show everything that he’s learned from his trainer on September 6 and shine once again in the bright lights.

Shortly after Kevin Durant withdrew from Team USA on Thursday, Rudy Gay made himself available to play for the country once again.

Valuable Addition

The 6-8 forward has been a member of USA Basketball’s program since 2005. As a member of Team USA in the 2010 World Championships, Gay averaged 7.3 points and 2.2 rebounds off the bench while playing all 12 games for the team. The 27 year old Sacramento Kings forward was also one of the last cuts from the 2012 USA Basketball squad that played in the London Olympics.

USA Basketball managing director Jerry Colangelo said that Gay isn’t only “a valuable addition because of his outstanding skills”, but he is also “very familiar with USA basketball and its national program”. Colangelo notes his contributions in 2010 and that he has “a lot of equity in the USA basketball national team.”

Good Fit

Gay averaged 20.0 points 5.8 rebounds 2.1 assists and 1.4 steals per game last season while playing for Toronto and Sacramento. The former #8 overall pick in the 2006 draft is a good fit for this team, not only because of his familiarity but because he plays the small forward position which was left with  huge void after Paul George’s injury and Kevin Durant’s withdrawal.

Gay is a much more complete player than Gordon Hayward and DeMar De Rozan and has more experience than Chandler Parsons. Those three are the only legitimate small forwards left in the team after the depletions that have happened in the past week.

Loosing Players

Last Thursday, USA basketball suffered its biggest blow when the NBA’s 2014 MVP and scoring champion Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder withdrew from competing in the 2014 FIBA World Championships. In his official statement, Durant cited physical and mental exhaustion from the NBA and his “attention to other responsibilities.”

Durant’s withdrawal came less than a week after Indiana Pacers’ star Paul George broke his tibula-fibia during an exhibition game. The team also lost Kevin Love, Blake Griffin and LaMarcus Aldridge to various personal reasons, leaving Colangelo and Coach Mike Krzyzewski with a tough job ahead.

Crucial Three Weeks

Team USA is now officially back to its 16 remaining hopefuls and the next three weeks are going to be crucial for USA basketball as the organizers will cut 4 more players from this pool to arrive at the final 12. Coach Krzyzewski has to solve the riddle at the power forward position now that Durant is out. Team USA’s roster problems lie mostly in the four spot. While Rudy Gay can play as stretch four, he does not have Durant’s length which would’ve made Coach K’s job much easier.

UFC and Strikeforce veteran Roger Gracie has signed a multi-fight deal with the Asian MMA outfit One FC and is expected to return to the cage later this year.

On Thursday, the 33 year old grandson of Jiu Jitsu creator Carlos Gracie announced his return to MMA and revealed that he plans to compete for three to five more years before retiring. Although no contract for his first fight has been signed, Gracie was “happy with the new deal he got.” He said that he had he had already “given up fighting in MMA and had returned to Jiu Jitsu” but added that the One FC offer came along and “changed his mind.”

Fall From Gracie

Roger Gracie was one of the holdovers from the Strikeforce promotion who were absorbed by the UFC when Zuffa bought Strikeforce in 2011. He was the fourth member of the Gracie family to fight in the UFC’s Octagon. However, after a disappointing UFC 162 loss to Tim Kennedy in July of 2013, Gracie did not re-sign with the UFC and instead returned to his root in Jiu Jitsu.

According to Gracie, he did not sign with Zuffa because they wanted him to take a paycut. He went on to say that the UFC is a “monopoly” that controls the sport of MMA and that it “dictates fighter pay however it pleases.”  Gracie’s sentiments were previously refuted by the Federal Trade Commission which ruled that the UFC is not a monopoly during a 2012 investigation.

Return to MMA

Gracie said that he will be fighting in light heavyweight division this time around. He admitted that the drop to middleweight in his lone UFC appearance cost him the fight against Tim Kennedy. Gracie has a 6-2 MMA record, 5 of those victories were by submission.

Gracie adds that his return to MMA won’t hinder him from competing in grappling and Jiu Jitsu competitions. Roger is a ten-time Jiu-Jitsu world champion and a former ADCC  winner. He owns an impressive 65-7-1 record in Brazilian Jiu-Jistsu and submission grappling competition.

One FC

When rumors of Gracie’s MMA return surfaced, he was thought to be signing with Bellator where his former boss Scott Coker is at right now. But Gracie is now with the One FC, Asia’s premier MMA promotion. One FC was recently in the news when it was reported that Filipino boxing icon Manny Pacquiao bought an undisclosed number of shares in the upstart corporation. The sport of MMA has drawn a lot of interest in Asia in the recent years, and the addition of a “Gracie” will add to that.

After missing most of the NBA’s 2013-14 season, All-Star Center Brook Lopez of the Brooklyn Nets has been cleared to play. The 7 foot Lopez, who recently visited Russia together with his twin brother Robin, told a reporter from RBC, that he has been “fully cleared to play and everything a week and a half ago”. Lopez added that “it’s time to get in shape.”

The Lopez siblings spent a weekend in Moscow by having lunch with Nets’ principal owner Mikhail Prokhorov and giving a basketball clinic to children at the US Embassy.

Season Ending Injury

The 26 year old Stanford standout suffered a season-ending foot injury last December 20. Lopez underwent reconstructive foot surgery last January 4th to repair the fifth metatarsal of his right foot. Then on March 3rd, Lopez had a torn tendon in his left knee repaired and “tightened.”

Early in his recovery, Lopez said that he had to “learn to re-walk using customized shoes and sneakers. But his rehab has been so far successful, and Nets’ officials are “cautiously optimistic” about his return. Nets GM Billy King last week told media that Lopez is “doing great”, confirming earlier reports that Lopez is ahead of schedule. Lopez had started doing shooting drills and workouts prior to his medical clearance.

All-star Form

Lopez was in All-Star shape last season before suffering the injury. In the 17 games which he played, he averaged 20.7 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game. Lopez also shot 56.3% from the field and 81.7% from the foul line. Lopez played in his first ever NBA All Star game during the 2012-13 season when he was named as Rajon Rondo’s replacement after the Celtics guard suffered a season-ending ACL injury.

Lopez did not miss a single regular season game during the first three years of his NBA career. But during the lockout shortened 2011-12 season, he played just 5 games due to a similar injury in his right foot. After signing a four year $61M extension in the 2012 offseason, Lopez returned to play 74 games for the Nets in the 2012-13.

Looking Ahead

It would be interesting to find out how new coach Lionel Hollins would play Lopez in the Nets offense considering the success the team had last season playing “small ball” when he was injured. The Nets were just 7-10 with Lopez in the line-up and 37-28 without him, as the Nets finished the season strong to land the 5^th playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. The Nets were eliminated by the Miami Heat in 6 games during the second round of the Playoffs.

The Nevada State Athletic Commission has warned former UFC fighter Chael Sonnen of possible legal action should the former UFC contended push thru with his appearance on Saturday’s Metamoris 4 grappling competition in Los Angeles.

Written Warning

According to Commissioner Francisco Aguilar, Sonnen was informed via a written letter of the actions which the NSAC will take if he continues to take part in the said grappling competition which is scheduled for August 9. According to the letter, the NSAC “views Sonnen’s participation in Metamoris 4 as a breach of the commission’s order” and that they will subject Sonnen to “further proceedings.”

Last month, the NSAC suspended Sonnen for two years after failing two drug tests earlier this year. During the hearing, Sonnen accepted full responsibility of his actions and agreed not to fight in any jurisdiction during the length of the suspension. However, Las Vegas lawyer Ross Goodman wrote to the NSAC earlier this month claiming that the suspension should not apply to grappling competitions which are not under the jurisdiction of the state athletic commissions.

But the NSAC stood firm on its decision to warn Sonnen and said that they would not “alter their stand on the matter.” Commissioner Aguilar says that their letter “speaks for itself.” He refused further comment, citing the potential for future litigation.

What is Metamoris?

Metamoris is a grappling-centric event where combatants take to themselves to the mat in a submission-only competition. Its 4th installment, called Metamoris 4 was advertised to headline Sonnen and another UFC star Josh Barnett. Barnett is set to fight former MMA fighter Dean Lister while Sonnen is slated to face two time jiu-jitsu world champion Andre Galvao.

Metamoris has generated the interest of some UFC stars. Sonnen and Barnett aren’t the first UFC fighters who have previously participated in Metamoris. Roger Gracie, Brendan Schaub and Shinya Aoki are among popular MMA artists and UFC fighters who have tried their luck in the grappling event. Only Gracie was able to salvage a draw, while the rest of the MMA fighters lost in their appearance at Metamoris.

Retirement from MMA

Chael Sonnen was set to fight in UFC 175 but was removed from the event after testing positive for a total of five banned substances in two separate drug tests. The former three time challenger retired from MMA shortly after the second failed drug test and was the subject of the NSAC’s hearings last month prior to his current suspension. He later signed up to participate in Metamoris 4.

In the aftermath of the gruesome leg injury suffered by their superstar Paul George during last week’s USA Basketball exhibition games, the Indiana Pacers will apply for the Disabled Player Exception, as per report of nba.com’s David Aldridge.

One Year Deal

Under NBA rules, the Disabled Player Exception allows a team who loses a player to injury for one season, to sign a free agent to a one-year contract equivalent to the non-taxpayer’s mid-level exception or 50% of the injured player’s salary, whichever is lower. In the case of the Pacers’ Paul George, that amount is the mid-level exception of $5.3M.

Chasing the Matrix

The Pacers are reportedly in hot pursuit of Dallas Mavericks’ forward Shawn Marion, who is still a free agent late in the summer. Marion is also being eyed by LeBron James’ Cleveland Cavaliers but hasn’t finalized a deal yet. Once granted, the Indiana Pacers can use the Exception to sign free agents like Marion. However, with management’s known stand against the NBA’s luxury tax, it remains to be seen how much of the $5.3M would they will be willing to use, especially since they are $1.6M away from the luxury tax borderline.

Irreplaceable Loss

The injury to Paul George has left this Pacers’ squad without their two best players as Lance Stephenson already walked his way to the Charlotte Hornets after being “low-balled” by the Pacers. Stephenson was the Pacers’ team leader in assists at 4.6 dimes per game. He also averaged 13.8 points and 7.2 rebounds per game last season.

On the other hand, George is irreplaceable for the Pacers. The 24 year old forward was having the best season of his NBA career during the 2013-14 season. George averaged 21.7 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.9 steals per game for the Pacers. George wasn’t just an offensive threat, he was one of the best on-ball defenders in the NBA and was undoubtedly the leader of the young Indiana squad.

Replacing George would be impossible, and using the Disabled Player Exception only gives them a little more flexibility. George and Lance Stephenson had a combined 18.2 win shares last season. And despite adding Rodney Stuckey, C.J. Miles and another free agent using the disabled player exception, it’s unlikely that the Pacers will be near the 56 win mark of last season.

WBC and Ring light heavyweight champion Adonis Stevenson is eyeing a September 27th ring return at the Bell Center in Montreal, Canada according to promoter Yvon Michel.

Odd Man Out

Stevenson has become the odd man out in the three way tale with Bernard Hopkins and Sergey Kovalev. The 37 year old Canadian signed with Showtime last March upon the advice of power broker Al Haymon with the goal of forging a unification bout with IBF and WBA light heavyweight titlist Bernard Hopkins.

The move spawned a court case last April, when Main Events promotions contended that Stevenson and his camp had already made a “temporary agreement” to fight WBO titleholder Sergey Kovalev before signing with Showtime. But on Monday, that lawsuit has been dropped by Main Events following the contracting of a Hopkins-Kovalev fight in November and now Stevenson is left searching for an opponent.

Five Man Pool

Michel informed ringtv.com that they have narrowed down the list of Stevenson’s next foe to a five man pool. Although Michel did not name all of them, he cited former WBC light heavyweight champion Gabriel Campillo as one notable prospect.

The 35 year old Campillo had lost three of his last five bouts prior to his August 1st victory over the previously unbeaten Thomas Williams Jr to win the WBO NABO light heavyweight title. However, those three losses have come from top tier boxers Tarvoris Cloud, Andrjez Fonfara and Sergey Kovalev. Against Clooud which was for the IBF belt, Campillo recovered from two first round knockdowns and made an impressive comeback yet lost by a highly controversial split decision to the champion.

Campillo is also one of the opponents which Stevenson asked for after his plan of fighting Kovalev and Hopkins did not materialize.

All Mapped Out

According to Stevenson’s Facebook page, his next three fights have already been “mapped out.” After fighting Campillo on September 27th, the Canadian Superman wants to unify his WBC and Ring belts against the WBA’s “regular” world champion Jurgen Brahmer. The WBA currently has two champions: Brahmer’s regular belt and Bernard Hopkins’  WBA “Super” edition. Stevenson then wants to fight the winner of the November showdown between Hopkins and Kovalev to become undisputed light heavyweight champion.

That third bout is a big possibility, especially if Hopkins wins because Bernard has said in the past that he wants to become undisputed light heavyweight champion before retiring.

If Stevenson can pick up Brahmer’s piece after Hopkins unifies his titles with Kovalev’s, then that undisputed crown is a close reality. After all, the biggest names in this division are Hopkins and Stevenson and it would be poetic if the road to the undisputed light heavyweight championship will end up with the two of them squaring off against each other. Boxing hasn’t seen an undisputed light heavyweight champion since Roy Jones Jr relinquished his titles in 2002 to move to the heavyweight division.

After securing the contract for the Bernard Hopkins-Sergei Kovalev bout this coming November, Main Events promotions has dropped a lawsuit which it filed last April against Golden Boy Promotions and its “accomplices.”

Alleged Interference

The lawsuit stemmed from the alleged interference of GBP in a supposed unification bout between Kovalev and WBC light heavyweight champion Adonis Stevenson. The lawsuit accuses Golden Boy Promotions of conniving with Showtime, Al Haymon, Yvon Michel of abandoning the temporary contract in order to make a Hopkins versus Stevenson match up instead. Included as respondents to the lawsuit were Showtime, Haymon, Michel and Adonis Stevenson himself.

Got What They Wanted

In a statement by Main Events CEO Kathy Duva to ringtv.com, the promoter said that they “are dropping the charges” because they “got what they wanted.”  Kovalev and Main Events were looking for a big fight, and they figured that unifying the belts against Adonis Stevenson would be a big step up in opposition for Kovalev. Instead, they now have signed a deal last to pit the “Krusher” against the 49 freak of nature and current IBF and WBA champion Bernard Hopkins.

Compared to Stevenson, Hopkins is indeed the bigger fight for Kovalev as he’s not only a high quality opposition with two alphabet belts, but he represents a long running PPV machine who can easily give Kovalev the best payday of his career.

Without Prejudice

Main Events lawyer Pat English told ESPN that his client has decided that “there are no damages.” He said that the unification bout between Hopkins and Kovalev “eliminated any damages that they may have had”. He added that Main Events has decided “drop the case without prejudice, meaning if the bout between Hopkins and Kovalev does not materialize, they can reinstate the case.” However, Main Events does not expect any more problems at this point in time.

Looking From the Outside

It is now Adonis Stevenson who is left “looking from the outside” as he recently signed a deal with Showtime upon the advice of new mentor Al Haymon. The contract began with the Canadian “Superman” defeating Andrezj Fonfara via unanimous decision last May 24. Stevenson was rumored to have signed with Showtime in anticipation of a big bout with Hopkins in the fall. It was also at this point when Stevenson denied any “temporary agreement” to fight Kovalev.

The discussion for Hopkins-Stevenson pushed thru, but it never gathered steam. And once the IBF gave Hopkins the 5pm ET deadline last Friday to make a deal or face a mandatory challenger, Golden Boy turned to Kovalev who was more than willing to make the fight happen, contingent to his victory against Blake Caparello last Saturday night.

According to both sides, the fight is likely to be held at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey or at the Barclays Center, New York. It is tentatively set for November 8.

What Shannon Briggs is doing to World Heavyweight boxing champion Wladimir Klitschko makes a good storyline for the WWE.

Mamma Mia Meal

A week after interrupting Klistschko’s training camp and almost causing an impromptu fight in the gym, Shannon Briggs is at it again. On Friday, the #14th WBA ranked heavyweight showed up at the “Mamma Mia” restaurant in Hollywood, Florida where the IBF/IBO/WBA and WBO heavyweight champion was having a meal.

Briggs sat across Wladimir, grabbed his food and started to eat from it. Briggs was then talking to Klitschko while he was eating the food. An irked Wladimir then poured a glass of water on Brigg’s head, causing Briggs to react by knocking the glass off Klitschko’s hand and shattering it on the floor. As the commotion started, Briggs slipped to the floor after he had also knocked the food completely off the table.It was at that point when a man separated the two and escorted Shannon Briggs outside the restaurant.

Later on, it was revealed that Briggs suffered a hand and foot cut presumably from the shattered glass. He was taken to a local hospital for wound stitches.

Fourth Time’s the Charm?                                                  

This is the fourth time this year and the second time in two weeks that Briggs has surprised Klitchsko by showing up unexpectedly and causing a commotion. Last week, Briggs barged into the Klitschko camp in South Florida in complete boxing attire asking for a fight. Last April, Briggs also created a scene when he interrupted a  press conference for Klitschko’s fight against Alex Lepai. A couple of weeks before that incident, Briggs showed up at Wladimir’s gym and threw a shoe at the champ.

It’s been these disturbing incidents that have highlighted the Wladimir Klitschko-Shannon Briggs story. And it’s not that they are scheduled to fight each other. Klitschko is slated to face mandatory challenger Kubrat Pulev on September 6 while the 42 year old Briggs has nothing in his schedule yet. But Briggs has been insisting to fight Klitschko to the point that he wants to do it anywhere. But Wladimir isn’t biting Shannon’s bait, as he remains focused on defending his belts on September 6.

Fighting Briggs

While Shannon Briggs is a former two time World Heavyweight champion, he hasn’t been fighting quality opponents as of late. After losing to Wladimir’s twin brother Vitali in 2010 for the WBC belt, Briggs has fought a list of unknowns to continue his boxing career. But he is hoping that his antics off the ring will get the ire of Wladimir who has an option for a non-mandatory challenger.

Unless Wladimir grants him that, Briggs needs start fighting top caliber heavyweights to barge into the Top 5 and become the mandatory challenger. At 42, his time is running up and that may be the reason why he’s doing everything and anything to get a shot at Wladimir Klitschko.