Quatavious Cash couldn’t keep Calvin Metcalf off of him Tuesday night, but Cash did enough to beat him.

Cash won their all-action middleweight match by unanimous technical decision at MGM Grand Conference Center in Las Vegas. Their bout was stopped early in the sixth round due to a nasty gash above Metcalf’s left eye, which was caused by an accidental head-butt in the second round.

Judges Max De Luca (60-55), Patricia Morse-Jarman (60-54) and Steve Weisfeld (59-55) each scored the fight for Cash, who improved to 12-2 (7 KOs). Metcalf, of Kansas City, Missouri, slipped to 10-4-1.

Cash’s victory occurred in the second bout televised by ESPN as part of a five-fight telecast, the first live boxing broadcast in the United States since the COVID-19 pandemic caused countless postponements in mid-March. Shakur Stevenson, the WBO featherweight champion, will oppose Puerto Rico’s Felix Caraballo in the main event, a 10-round, non-title fight.

A ringside physician determined after taking a close look at Metcalf’s cut 35 seconds into the sixth round that he shouldn’t continue.

Referee Jay Nady warned Metcalf 15 seconds into the fifth round for leading with his head. Cash tried to tie up Metcalf twice in the first half of the fifth round, but they eventually resumed their slugfest in the middle of the ring.

Cash clipped Metcalf with a hard left hook just before the fifth round ended, but Metcalf took it well.

Metcalf and Cash continuously threw punches throughout the fourth round. Neither fighter could hurt his opponent, but they fought at a hectic pace.

Cash continued to throw a lot of punches in the third round, but a determined Metcalf kept pressuring him.

Cash and Metcalf traded short shots from inside throughout the first half of the second round. Cash connected with hard head and body blows in the second half of the second round, yet he couldn’t keep Metcalf from moving forward.

A cut also opened over Metcalf’s left eye during the second round. An accidental clash of heads caused that cut.

An active Cash got off to a strong start, but Metcalf connected with a hard left to Cash’s body in the final minute of the opening round. 

Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.