Justin Pauldo didn’t stroll into Fresno expecting a quiet night, and he didn’t get one. Nike Theran came out like a lad trying to make a point in the first five seconds, slinging big shots with that Colombian spite behind them. And fair play, he clipped Pauldo clean in round two with a counter left hook that would’ve folded plenty of lightweights. Had him dipping to his boots for a split second. Proper “uh oh” moment.
But Pauldo didn’t panic. Didn’t flinch. Didn’t blink twice. He just reset, tightened the jab, and started digging to the body with that old-school “let’s see how much you really want this” intent. That’s when the fight changed. You could hear those shots echo, mate. Theran’s face said everything.
Pauldo Slowly Breaks Him Down, Round Seven Turns Nasty
By the middle rounds, Theran’s aggression was gone. Jab snapping his head back. Body shots stealing the wind out of him bit by bit. You know that look fighters get when the rib shots start stacking up? That “don’t fancy it anymore” blink? Yeah. That.
Round seven was the beating that settles arguments. Pauldo walked him down like a man collecting debt. Ripping him to the body. Taking his legs. Theran looked like he wanted to be anywhere but in that ring. Three minutes of steady destruction, and the corner knew the truth. He stayed sat on the stool. Officially a KO at 3:00 of round seven, but really, it was done long before that.
“I never thought it would go like this,” Pauldo said after. “I thought I would blaze him out. That may have been the problem. He caught me early, but I was in good shape, so I bounced right back and got the job done. That was good adversity for me to face early in my career. He was a strong guy. I’ve fought harder punchers, but he was also very awkward. I saw the jab was taking the confidence away from him, so I stayed behind the jab and beat him to the punch. I want all the big names. Anyone who wants to give me a shot. I want to show the world I belong at the top.”
Yaqubov And Cruz Go To War And Judges Shrug
Yaqubov and Cristian “Lacandonsito” Cruz had one of those southpaw scraps where nobody’s trying to be cute. Cruz came out busy, leaping in with combinations, forcing Yaqubov to think twice early. Yaqubov didn’t waste energy. He sat back, picked moments, and landed single sharp shots just to remind Cruz he wasn’t there to play.
Midway through, Yaqubov found his timing and cracked Cruz with classy left hands. Cruz came roaring back, nicked round seven, then landed a heavy overhand left in round eight. Proper back-and-forth stuff.
Last round, Yaqubov boxed smart, jabbed, and stuck him with uppercuts every time Cruz tried to march in tired. Judges couldn’t split them: 96-94 Yaqubov, 97-93 Cruz, 95-95. Call it what it was: a tight scrap where neither man backed down.
Badillo Mares Outworks Soto In A Ten-Round Tear-Up
Erik Badillo Mares and Elwin “La Pulga” Soto didn’t even pretend they wanted a tactical fight. They traded combinations like they were getting paid per exchange. Southpaw Badillo nicked the opener, Soto fired back in rounds two and three.
Then round four came, and Badillo bullied him. Head shots, body shots, all of it heavy. Hurt Soto late. From there, Badillo’s engine took over. Work rate. Power. Conditioning. It all tipped the scrap his way.
Soto tried to rally in round nine and actually had a decent go, but Badillo cracked him late and shoved him back into reality. Closed strong in ten. Scores wide: 98-92, 99-91, 99-91.
Ruiz Drops Kubicki And Claims The WBC Strap
Adelaida “La Cobra” Ruiz and Alexas “Iron Lady” Kubicki went straight into a gritty women’s title fight. Kubicki boxed sharp early, darting in and out, landing straight rights and banking early rounds.
Then round five happened. Ruiz smashed her with a hard combination and dropped her big. Everything changed. Ruiz battered her for the next three rounds, pushing her all over the place. Kubicki, who moved up a division, tried rallying late but she couldn’t undo the damage.
Judges were clear: 97-92, 97-92, 99-90 Ruiz. Body language told the same story.
Balderas And Quiroz Trade Mexican Pride, Judges Side With Balderas
Carlos “King” Balderas edged Ricardo “El Cornejo” Quiroz in a proper all-Mexican scrap. Quiroz came out behind a tall jab, even cracked Balderas with a big right uppercut in round one. Balderas did the better inside work though, straighter punches, sharper combinations.
Both had their moments. Quiroz rocked him in round seven. Balderas fired back in nine with heavy rights. Judges went 97-93, 97-93 Balderas, with one 96-94 for Quiroz.
Could argue either way, but Balderas closed better.
Sheehy Smashes Keyes In Sixth, Shows Levels
Charlie Sheehy handled D’Angelo “King D-Lo” Keyes with class and cruelty. The jab? Lightning. Combinations? Blinding. Keyes couldn’t solve any of it.
A filthy left uppercut dropped Keyes late in round two. Sheehy chased the finish in round three but Keyes survived on pride alone. A cut opened over Sheehy’s right eye in round four, but it barely slowed him.
Round six, Sheehy cracked him with clean right hands, dropped him twice, and referee Cameron Frizzell stepped in at 2:29. Right call. Keyes had taken enough.