Erickson “Hammer” Lubin (15-0, 11 KOs) earned a third-round stoppage of Mexico’s Daniel Sandoval (38-4, 34 KOs) in their super welterweight contest.
The Orlando-born fighter looked to cement his status as a contender as he picked apart Sandoval over most of the first three rounds before delivering a fantastic flurry that ended the fight. It was a combination of hooks and a strong straight right hand that staggered Sandoval.
Referee Danny Nelson quickly jumped in and called a halt to the bout at 2:36 into the third round. The punch stats told a similar tale as Lubin connected on 80 of his 161 punches thrown while Sandoval only landed 43 of 203 punches.
In the final televised bout on NBC, Polish middleweight Maciej Sulecki (23-0, 8 KOs) defeated Hugo Centeno Jr. (24-1, 12 KOs) by 10th round stoppage in their battle of previously unbeaten fighters.
Sulecki controlled much of the action throughout the fight, using a strong jab that eventually opened up a cut over Centeno’s right eye in the ninth round. Sulecki was the better conditioned fighter, as he consistently beat Centeno to the punch, following up on his jab with strong power punches. His biggest advantage came in the power punching department as he landed 127 to Centeno’s 47.
In the final round, Sulecki connected with a powerful straight right hand that dropped Centeno to the canvas. While Centeno was able to get to his feet, he was deemed unable to continue by referee Danny Nelson, who halted the bout 1:06 into the final round.
In live action on NBCSN, Chicago prospect Alex Martin (13-0, 5 KOs) remained undefeated with a split decision victory over Juan Carlos Abreu (19-3-1, 18 KOs) in their eight-round welterweight bout. Martin controlled much of the action with his jab and clean punching, but it was Abreu who scored a late knockdown in the final round with a straight right hand.
Abreu’s aggressive style made it a competitive fight as one judge scored it 76-75 for Abreu, but he was overruled by scores of 78-74 and 77-74 for Martin.
ERICKSON LUBIN
“I felt great. He’s a veteran so I wanted to take my time and get him out of there by chipping away. I saw that he was hurt with a hook. I saw that it cut him and I wanted to rush him. A flurry of punches and the ref stopped it.
“I’m looking at going higher in the rankings. My team knows I’ll fight everybody. They have to stop me from fighting people cause I’ll say yes to anyone. I just want a title and I’ll do anything to get there.
“I’m still working. I feel great right now. I’m excited to get back in the gym. I didn’t hurt anything. I just want to keep going from here.
“I will fight anybody. I’m not a ‘turkey,’ I’m a ‘pilgrim.’ Everybody is on my radar.”
DANIEL SANDOVAL
“He threw a good combination and I stopped throwing punches, so the referee did what he had to do.
“The referee had the best vantage point and I agree with his decision. Lubin was the better fighter tonight.”
MACIEJ SULECKI
“It was a milestone fight for me. This could give me a chance to fight for the middleweight world title.
“I’ve always thought of myself as a technical fighter. I just needed a small adjustment to move the technique to power. That is exactly what happened when I moved to America.
“This is unbelievable. It’s hard to put into words. Fighting on the biggest stage in American television is amazing.
“I knew from the beginning that I was going to dominate. I needed a couple of rounds to get my timing. Once I got my timing, I knew that I was physically and mentally better than this guy.
“I want to fight Daniel Jacobs. I think that would be a great fight.”
HUGO CENTENO JR.
“I had trouble making weight. I don’t want to make excuses. He did what he had to do, but I felt like I couldn’t do what I wanted to do.
“I felt sluggish by the fourth round. The fatigue set in hard. I wanted to finish the fight. I work hard for it. It is what it is, but I can’t wait to get back in the ring again.”
