Lacy outpoints Manfredo
LAS VEGAS -- Jeff Lacy fought through a cut and a difficult matchup to win a narrow unanimous decision over Peter Manfredo Jr. on Saturday night on the undercard of Floyd Mayweather's welterweight title fight with Ricky Hatton.
Daniel Ponce De Leon also kept his WBO 122-pound title with a lackluster unanimous decision over Eduardo Escobedo, and lightweight Edner Cherry stopped Wes Ferguson in the sixth round as the MGM Grand Garden Arena gradually filled with thousands of singing, flag-waving Englishmen anticipating the main event.
Lacy (23-1), the former super middleweight champion who tore his rotator cuff in his last fight, earned a win in a fight that was nearly even in every respect.
Manfredo (28-5) was more active and effective than his opponent for much of the night, but an early knockdown turned all three judges' scorecards in favor of "Left Hook" Lacy and his powerful flurries.
Both fighters recently had arm surgery, and both needed several minutes to warm up before Lacy sent Manfredo stumbling into the ropes in the fourth round. Nearly every round was essentially even, and neither fighter seemed particularly optimistic of a win.
Joe Calzaghe claimed Lacy's WBO and IBF super middleweight titles last year along with Lacy's mystique as a fearsome puncher. Manfredo, who gained fame on "The Contender," also took a beating in April from Calzaghe, who traveled to Las Vegas to support Hatton.
Ponce De Leon won his eighth fight in 22 months, but the normally impressive junior featherweight plodded through one of his least impressive efforts on a big stage.
Ponce De Leon, a Mexican who fights out of California, was reduced to a slow tactical game against the resourceful Escobedo, who won seven consecutive fights to earn the title shot. Escobedo repeatedly ducked all of Ponce De Leon's biggest punches, and the challenger hurt Ponce De Leon's left eye with a nasty cut.
"I tried to knock him out, but he was so physical, and he has great boxing skills," Ponce De Leon said. "He connected good shots, but I won the fight easily. I look forward to a big fight next year."
Cherry beat Ferguson for the second time, knocking out the Mayweather family protege with a devastating left to the jaw in the sixth round.
Cherry (23-5-2, 11 KOs) knocked down Ferguson early in the final round, then finished it off with a perfect punch that left Ferguson staggering around the mat. The so-called Cherry Bomb had three disappointing losses over the last three years, but the Bahamas native could be back on track for bigger fights.
Before the pay-per-view portion of the card, Hatton's welterweight younger brother, Matthew, improved to 33-3-1 with a unanimous decision over Frankie Santos, who stormed out of the ring in anger while the early arriving English fans cheered.