By Michael Campbell

AT & T Center in San Antonio, TX - Junior Welterweights Armando Cardenas, Jr., 140 ½ lbs (2-0, 2 KO) from San Antonio, TX vs Stephen Salazar, 138 ½ lbs (0-1) from Laredo, TX.  Local prospect Cardenas receives a nice welcome from the stadium crowd that is now well over half full.  Salazar in his pro debut receives a terrible welcome from Cardenas getting dropped only a minute into the bout and then stopped after a flurry of punches while trapped in the corner.  Cardenas wins via TKO stoppage by referee Wilfredo Esperon at 1:21 of the 1st round.

Light Heavyweights Anthony “The Dog” Dirrell, 172 lbs (26-0, 22 KOs) from Flint, MI over Anthony “Tony the Tiger” Hanshaw, 171 ½ lbs (23-4-2, 14 KOs) from Warren, OH.  Dirrell sporting  “RIP Trayvon” & “Cancer Free” on his trunks.  Hanshaw dropped a TKO loss to Anthony’s brother Andre Dirrell in 2008.  Anthony Dirrell is working his way back after an inactive 2012 and Hanshaw is trying to revitalize his career after a 4 year hiatus.  Dirrell toyed with Hanshaw using far superior speed and talent to land both traditional and creative punches.  He begins to land devastating shots at will bloodying Hanshaw’s face and dropping him to the canvas.  He rises but referee Mark Calo-oy doesn’t like what he sees and calls off the bout awarding a TKO win to Dirrell coming at 2:36 of the 3rd round.

Lightweights Joseph “Mongoose” Rodriguez, 132 ¼ lbs (4-0, 2 KOs) from San Antonio, TX defeated Jesse “Outlaw Jesse James” Anguiano, 130 ¾ lbs (1-3-2) from San Antonio, TX.  Local prospect Joseph Rodriguez gets the opportunity to shine on a stadium show card in his hometown.  Both guys want this fight to be held within each other’s range with mostly short hooks and inside punches.  Rodriguez shows better pedigree and some nice power punches, but the Outlaw Jesse James proves he’s a game foe.  The judges award the bout to Rodriguez by Unanimous Decision with scores of 39-37, 40-36 & 40-36.

Junior Lightweights Andrew Cancio, 129 ½ lbs (15-2-2, 11 KOs) from Blythe, CA over Jerry Belmontes, 129 ¾ lbs (18-2, 5 KOs) from Corpus Christi, TX.  This is a matchup of slick boxer versus methodical heavy handed puncher.  Belmontes from nearby Corpus Christi and Cancio from California both have sizable support among the early arrivers.  After some feeling out early, Belmontes begins finding his range in the 2nd round scoring by boxing and moving.  By the 4th round, Cancio turns around the momentum by pressing the fight and landing the more damaging blows.  The two foes decide to stand toe to toe in the 5th round with Cancio getting the better of the action but Belmontes mocks him with smiles to imply the punches lack effect.  They continue to make it an inside fight with Belmontes giving angles and making it an effort to finish the exchanges.  Both land their fair share of punches but Cancio’s are more dramatic.  The judges award a Unanimous Decision victory to Cancio by scores of 98-92, 98-92 & 97-93.