In the evening's opening bout, Armenia's Vic "Raging Bull" Darchinyan (32-2-1 with 26 KOs) turned back the challenge of Mexican Tomas Rojas (32-11-1 with 22 KOs) with a second round stoppage of the Veracruz native.   

The confident challenger controlled the opening round with his excellent jab and side-to-side movement that kept the champion at a distance.  However, with the champion applying constant pressure, Rojas found himself on the ring apron in the second round courtesy of a devastating straight left from the champion just seconds from round’s end.   With the challenger's body laying below the bottom rope, referee Raul Caiz Jr. reached the count of ten with Rojas unable to rise.  With the unexpectedly quick victory,  Darchinyan not only retained his title but also bounced back after suffering a one sided loss when he challenged Bantamweight world champion Joseph Agbeko only months before. 

In the post fight interview, Darchinyan stated he hopes to avenge his only losses,  to Nanito Donaire and Joseph Agbeko, in rematches early next year.

Due to his devastating knockout power, “The Raging Bull” has once again established himself as a force in the Flyweight division.  

In the card’s main event, Palm Springs, California’s Timothy “Desert Storm” Bradley cemented his place as one of the world’s best 140-pounders when he successfully defended his WBO Junior Welterweight title with a clear and deserving 12-round decision over Lamont Peterson.  The unbeaten champion Bradley (24-0 with 11 KOs and 1 No Contest) turned back the challenge of the similarly undefeated Peterson (27-0 with 13 KOs) while making the second defense of the WBO title he won from Kendall Holt in April of this year. 

Although the challenger enjoyed a 3-inch height and reach advantage over Bradley, he was unable to match the champion’s superior boxing skill, speed and combination punching.  Bradley also enjoyed an edge in experience, having beaten England’s Junior Witter, Kendall Holt, Edner Cherry and Nate Campbell (although the Campbell fight was later changed to a No Contest).   

In the early rounds, Peterson tried to establish control of the fight by landing terrific body punches, but each time was met by Bradley’s non-stop combinations as he refused to let the challenger set the fight’s pace. 

Half way through the third round, a hard right hand by Bradley dropped Peterson for the mandatory eight count, although he did not appear seriously hurt.  Displaying his fighting spirit and will to win, Peterson met Bradley’s attempt to end the fight by landing some ferocious body punches of his own that had the champion momentarily backing up.  The round’s terrific action was acknowledged by the enthusiastic crowd at round’s end with a well deserved ovation for both fighters. 

The remainder of the fight followed the same pattern, with Peterson trying to mix his attack from the body to the head with mixed results, and the champion answering every attack with his superior boxing and combination punching.  While the challenger certainly was determined to wrestle the title from Bradley, the champion seemingly was controlling the action in most of the action packed, exciting rounds.  

Although Lamont Peterson certainly proved to be a serious and deserving challenger to Bradley’s title, the unanimous decision in favor of the champion was unquestioned. Although the judges’ scores of  118-110, 119-108 and 120-107 all favoring Bradley made it appear one-sided,  the fight was very competitive, with Peterson holding his own in the mostly  close, competitive rounds.   

In the post fight interview, Bradley acknowledged that the fight was the hardest he’d ever had, and that Peterson had been a tough talented fighter.   With the victory, Timothy Bradley not only retained his title but also reaffirmed his belief as being one of the best 140-pounders in the world. With his excellent all-around boxing skills, hand speed and combination punching,  Bradley has positioned himself for future fights in the talent rich Junior Welterweight division.