By Francisco Salazar & Ryan Maquiñana

Barker Hangar, Santa Monica, California - In an IBF middleweight final eliminator, former WBO king Hassan N'Dam (31-1, 18KOs) won a twelve round unanimous decision over Curtis Stevens (27-5, 20KOs). The scores were 116-111, 116-111, 119-108. N'Dam is now in line to face the winner of next week's fight between IBF champion Sam Soliman and challenger Jermain Taylor.

So a small ring was supposed to benefit Stevens against N'Dam, right?

That was the thought going into Wednesday IBF eliminator.

Apparently, someone forgot to tell that to N'Dam, who put on a boxing clinic throughout most of the twelve round bout.

Despite the disadvantage of fighting in a small ring, N'Dam boxed effectively, winning a convincing twelve round unanimous decision over Stevens.

Stevens had won his last two bouts in a row since the loss to Gennady Golovkin in November, while N'Dam had won his previous three bouts since the loss to Peter Quillin in October of 2012.

The bout created a lot of buzz amongst fight fans as it was competitive on paper matching N'Dam's boxing ability with Stevens' explosive power. Some thought Stevens would have the power to not only hurt, but to also drop N'Dam, considering N'Dam was dropped six times in the Quillin fight.

The consensus at ringside on Wednesday night leaned more to Stevens, as a mishap at ringside solidified those thoughts.

With less than an hour before the fight card started, inspectors with the California State Athletic Commission deemed the ring too small, reportedly measuring it at 16 by 16 feet. The ropes were taken off and reconfigured for an 18 by 18 foot ring, the minimum required by the commission. There were reports the ring actually measured 17 by 17 feet.

From the opening bell, Stevens came right at N'Dam, aggressively charging across the ring. A left hook midway through the first round seemed to shake N'Dam, but he was able to withstand the assault from Stevens.

As the bout progressed, N'Dam was able to get on track, finding a rhythm and beating Stevens to the punch with overhand rights and repeated jabs to the head.

As the fight progressed, N'Dam gained more confidence, even standing in the pocket momentarily to land an overhand right or shots to the body. Despite the small ring, N'Dam was effective in keeping Stevens at bay.

"I was surprised how small the ring was," N'Dam told a group of reporters after the fight. "I had to remain focused because there was a lot of work I had to do."

Stevens did not do himself any favors during most of the action. He would walk N'Dam down, but did not cut off the ring or attack the body in an attempt to slow N'Dam down. He did rally in the seventh, uncorking left hooks and overhand rights that landed with more regularity than in previous rounds.

N'Dam swung momentum down in his favor in the eighth round, when he dropped Stevens with a well-timed counter straight right hand to the head. Stevens got up, and with seconds left in the round, seemed to shake N'Dam with a barrage of punches to the head.

N'Dam continued to control the action through the championship rounds. He was fighting with so much confidence in the 11th round, that he shuffled his feet, mimicking the great Muhammad Ali.

"I did that for the pleasure of the fans," quipped N'Dam.

Stevens mounted one final rally in the last minute of the 12 round. He stunned N'Dam with a barge of punches with 30 seconds left in the round, but N'Dam was able to hold on.

All three judge scored the bout in favor of N'Dam, 116-111, 116-111, and 119-108.

With the win, N'Dam will have his eyes set on next week's fight, when Soliman will defend the title against Taylor.

"This is what I've been working for. My next fight will be for the IBF title. I will be watching the fight and I will fight the winner. I don't care who it is."

"It was a long road back (from the Quillin fight). It was a long journey. Today was a good day and I showed I'm a contender in the middleweight division."

FREDRICK LAWSON UD10 RAY NARH

In a battle of Ghana-born welterweights, Fredrick Lawson (23-0, 20 KOs) outworked Ray Narh (26-6, 21 KOs) by unanimous decision.

Lawson put Narh on the canvas twice and dominated the 10-round bout, but was not able to put away the seasoned veteran before the distance. Jack Reiss and Barry Druxman both had it 99-89 for Lawson, with a questionable 95-93 tally from Gwen Adair that did not reflect the true margin.

Lawson, who resides in Chicago, and Narh, who calls New York home, traded shots from the opening bell, matching left jabs and right hands upstairs. But the action was measured and neither established himself as the true victor of the three minutes.

However, in the second round, a right hand from Lawson followed by a short left hand put an off-balance Narh on the canvas. Narh beat the count and Lawson attempted to test his foe’s chin immediately. The steady Narh showed no ill effects from being floored and made it to the bell with ease.

After two rounds of seesaw action that Lawson appeared to edge on the cards by virtue of making more impact with his shots, a delay ensued in the fifth round due to part of the ring detaching in front of the timekeeper.

When the ring was repaired and the fight resumed, Lawson jumped on Narh, chasing him by feinting forward, swiftly pivoting to his left and then trying to pick him off with left hooks. But Narh would keep him at bay with his left jab, and though he controlled the pace for the rest of the stanza, he did not score with something substantial enough to steal the round.

Lawson picked up his activity in the sixth and landed the more telling blows, including a lead right hand just before the bell. Narh couldn’t be faulted for not trying his best; he was just having a hard time landing the type of punches that would hurt Lawson and change the complexion of the bout.

Finally, in the eighth, a combination from Lawson punctuated by a left hook had Narh staggering. Lawson rushed in and whiffed on a right hand up top but connected with a right hand to the body that grazed him Narh but was enough to put him down. Narh would get up on shaky ground, and only the bell saved Narh from what could have been the end.

Lawson smelled blood, and he hoped the ninth frame would bring a conclusion to Narh’s evening. The Chicago-based pug stalked Narh into the ropes and looked to set up his heavy right hand. The New Yorker, to his credit, refused to quit and stopped every so often to launch a counter left hook and right uppercut inside. While Narh was winging his shots, they were enough to keep him afloat for the final round.

With the outcome no longer in doubt, the question was whether Lawson would win by knockout or on points. Aiming for the former, Lawson lunged in with left hooks to start the 10th, but when that strategy proved ineffective, he was content to keep his guard up and accept the clear decision victory.

MIGUEL MARRIAGA TKO6 CHRIS MARTIN

Colombian featherweight Miguel Marriaga (19-0, 17 KOs) remained unbeaten with a sixth-round stoppage of Chris Martin (28-4, 9 KOs) to open Wednesday night's action at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, California.

Martin, from San Diego, California, got the best of the exchanges early on, but in the third round, Marriaga went on the attack, unleashing a left hook to the body that scored several times.

The action ramped up in the fourth frame, with Martin’s looping right hands finding home but being compensated for with Marriaga’s aggression and combination punching. A Marriaga right hand would open a cut over Martin’s left eye during the stanza and signal the beginning of the Colombian taking control.

Though he snapped Martin’s head back a few times with straight right hands, the Californian was withstanding the man from Medellin’s assaults. But Marriaga’s reputation as a power puncher would eventually emerge in the sixth round. A barrage of left uppercuts and straight right hands doubled Martin over. Martin would get to his feet, but another series of left hooks, left uppercuts and right hands over the top would cause referee Raul Caiz Sr. to halt the bout at 2:30.

ESPN2 televised the card.

Ryan Maquiñana is the Boxing Insider at Comcast SportsNet Bay Area and the Editor-in-Chief of Norcalboxing.com. He is a full member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Follow him on Twitter @RMaq28 or email him at rmaquinana@gmail.com .