By Peter Lim

Upsets and near upsets were the theme of the night at the latest Savarese Boxing Promotions fight card at The Zone in Houston.

In the main event, welterweight Arturo Marquez (9-0, 5 KOs) overcame a flash knockdown a swollen left eye and bloody nose to escape with a six-round points decision over Rick Graham (4-19-2, 1 KO) and keep his undefeated record in tact. Graham  caught Marquez coming in with a stiff jab that dropped Marquez just before the bell ending the first round. Graham's stiff jab would prove problematic for Marquez throughout the fight.

Fighting from his back foot, Graham stabbed Marquez all night with his sharp jab. He sporadically followed with a straight right that landed flush resulting in swelling around Marquez's left eye.

While Graham was more accurate to the head, Marquez was the busier fighter and did the better body work, zeroing in to the ribcage with vicious left hooks. Spurred by his hometown crowd, Marquez pressed the action aggressively throwing combinations upstairs and down. But Graham proved an infuriatingly difficult target and often killed Marquez's momentum by tying him up in a clinch.

At the end of the night, the judges favored Marquez's greater punch output over Graham's accuracy. Scores were 58-55 and 57-56 twice, all for Marquez. Boxingscene.com scored the fight 57-57 even, three rounds for Marquez, one even and two for Graham, including the 10-8 first round.

Marquez, 20, is the middle son of former US Olympian and junior middleweight titleholder Raul Marquez.

In a heavyweight bout, Dominique Jenkins (15-11-2, 7 KOs) scored a jaw-dropping upset, twice knocking down previously undefeated Darlington Agha (10-1-1, 7 KOs) for a first round TKO. Jenkins dropped Agha heavily with an haymaker right towards the end of the round. Almost as soon as Agha got to his feet, he was clubbed image1.JPG

to the canvass again with another right. Agha barely beat the count again but the referee waved the fight over at the 2:47 mark.

Kenneth Allen scored (4-0 3 KOs) scored a spectacular one-punch KO in the third round over Dominique  Smith (2-3-2, 2 KOs) in a heavyweight bout. Allen landed an overhand right that sent Smith crashing face first to the canvass where he remained for the full count and then some.

Lightweight James Herrera (4-3, 3 KOs) scored a minor upset over previously undefeated Cristobal Morales (5-1, 1 KO) with a four round unanimous decision. Setting a torrid pace, Herrera took the fight to the switch-hitting Morales from start to finish with frenetic combinations upstairs and down.

Super middleweight southpaw Raphael Igbokwe (7-0, 3 KOs) outpointed Rudy Lozano (3-9-2) over six rounds.

Long, rangy welterweight Marquis Taylor (8-1) outclassed and dominated Hector Mercado (2-10) en route to a six round shutout decision.

Christian Edwards (8-2, 3 KOs) outboxed and out-slugged Yasmani Pedroza (1-3, 1 KO) en route to a four-round unanimous decision in a welterweight bout.