Ward stops Williams!

Mark Ortega

Andre Ward took his biggest step up Thursday night and was successful, stopping veteran Rubin Williams in the seventh round at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California, in front of 4,588 fans. This was the 2004 sole Olympic gold medal winning fighter’s biggest test to date, and he dominated every second of the fight from the opening bell. Ward [15-0] did what Allan Green could not do, stopping Williams for the first time since his TKO loss to Jeff Lacy, in a fight he was winning up until that point, back in 2005. Williams [29-4] has lost his second straight fight and has not picked up a win since August of 2006.

Ward worked behind his jab for the duration of the fight, and even turned southpaw in the third round, something he said he never worked on in camp. Ward pressed the action, while Williams was content in sitting back and looking for one big punch. A cut was opened up in the second round near Williams’ left eye, which helped slow Williams down. Ward’s best punch of the night was the uppercut, which stunned Williams numerous times throughout the contest.

Ward doesn’t know what is next for him, but when asked about a potential fight with Allan Green, he said it was inevitable for them to meet sometime in the future. Ward’s promoter, Dan Goosen, has said they are looking at June for his next fight. Goosen also mentioned that they tried getting fights with Contender champion Sakio Bika, former Contender contestant Peter Manfredo, Jr., and Canadian prospect Jean Pascal. Ward’s team also believes they will go after a regional title in his next affair.

In the co-main event, Karim Mayfield [6-0-1] won a contested six-round split decision over Francisco Santana [8-1]. The fight started off slowly, with both fighters having success in the opening rounds. But it was in the fourth round that the fight changed, when Santana landed a flurry that had Mayfield noticeably hurt against the ropes. Mayfield looked in bad shape but was able to stay on his feet, nearly being knocked down at the end of the round when he crashed to the canvas in what the referee ultimately ruled was a slip. In the fifth, Mayfield was still on weak legs and did his best to survive, while Santana continued throwing everything he had. In the final round, Mayfield had his legs back and was the one going for the kill, hurting Santana numerous times and nearly knocking him down. When the decision was announced, two judges had it 58-56 for Mayfield with one judge having it 58-56 for Santana. The decision was loudly booed by the crowd, who seemed to be in Santana’s corner throughout the bout.

After the fight, Santana said he wished he had two more rounds, because he thinks he could have finished Mayfield if the fight went on longer. “I would love a rematch with him, maybe take a few fights in between, but definitely meet up again somewhere down the line, but make it eight rounds this time. Maybe we could headline here, because I know we could pack the place.”

WBC Minimumweight title-holder Carina Moreno [17-1] continued her march towards a date with Eileen Olszewski in June on a female pay-per-view card by winning a unanimous decision over the game Mayela Perez [7-6-1]. Both fighters were willing to trade and never seemed to tire, and this was a good stay busy fight for Moreno while she waits for a title defense against Dan-Bi Kim and her fight with Olszewski. All three judges scored the bout, 40-36. The victory also won Moreno the AM&I Cup and a $500 bonus for winning the “You Be the Judge” contest, which was given to the best performance of all the four round preliminary fights.

Rico Ramos [1-0] won a unanimous decision in his professional debut against Sammy Yniguez [2-2-1]. Ramos dominated the fight, hurting and nearly stopping Yniguez multiple times. Ramos landed some uppercuts that would have put most fighters down, but Yniguez seemed to have a chin made of granite, and would get his legs back soon after being stunned. All three judges scored the bout 40-36, and Ramos said he will next be fighting on the Antonio Tarver-Danny Green/Chad Dawson-Glen Johnson double header on April 12th against a yet to be determined opponent.

Eric Garcia [0-0-1] fought to a majority draw in his professional debut with Marlo Cortez [2-4-2]. Garcia seemingly won the first two rounds with ease, but in the third round, Cortez was backing Garcia straight backwards and was landing some good combinations in the process. Cortez controlled the first two minutes of the round, while Garcia was the aggressor over the final minute. In the fourth round, both fighters went to war, with Cortez getting the best of it to start the round. When the referee stopped the action to examine a cut under the left eye of Cortez, Garcia got his second wind and swarmed his opponent to close the final minute of the fight. Unfortunately for Garcia, it was only enough to win on one judge’s scorecard 39-37, while the other two judges scored it even at 38-38. Garcia’s camp could not believe the outcome. “I went in and I got robbed. It hurts. I feel bad for the next opponent.”

In the opening fight, Mike Dallas, Jr. [1-0] emerged victorious against Alejandro Balladares [0-1] in a fight between guys making their professional debuts. Dallas, Jr. earned a unanimous decision by using his noticeably quicker hands and superior skills. Dallas had Balladares hurt a few times, but was unable to put his opponent down. The judges all scored the bouth 40-36 in favor of Dallas. Dallas will next be fighting on April 26th in Porterville, California.

The card was promoted by Goosen Tutor Promotions. Both the headlining and co-headlining bouts will appear on Fox Sports Net’s “Best Damn Sports Show Period” on March 27th. All of the preliminary fights are also said to be broadcast on Fox Sports Net. The next Fight Night at the Tank is scheduled for June 19th.