by Francisco Salazar

Unbeaten Michael Dutchover won a six round unanimous decision Saturday night over Ricardo Lopez at the Doubletree Hotel in Orange, California.

It was a clash of unbeaten lightweights, but Dutchover (8-0, 5 KOs) was the more polished fighter of the two. Dutchover initiated exchanges, putting Lopez (7-1-2, 6 KOs) on the defensive.

"I felt like I controlled the entire fight from beginning to end," remarked Dutchover, who is co-promoted by Thompson Boxing and Banner Promotions. "He tried to come on late in the fight, but it was too late for him. I had already figured him out."

Sensing he was down in the fight, Lopez pressed the action during the last two rounds, but Dutchover had already built a substantial lead on the scorecards.

All three judges scored the bout 59-55 in favor of Dutchover, who is originally from Midland, Texas and now resides in the Los Angeles suburb of Santa Fe Springs.

"I wanted to be smart out there," said Dutchover after the fight. "You can't overwhelm everyone with natural ability. At some point you're going to have to think your way out of a tough situation. I think I showed off my ring IQ tonight [Saturday]."

Heavyweight Scott Alexander (14-2-2, 8 KOs) stopped Pedro Rodriguez at the end of the fourth round. Rodriguez did not answer the bell for the fifth round, citing an injury to his hand. Rodriguez (23-4, 19 KOs) has lost three of his last four bouts.

Lightweight Luis Zarazua dropped Edgar Garcia (6-16-1, 2 KOs) in round one en route to a six round unanimous decision. Scores were 60-53, 60-53, and 59-54 for Zarazua, who goes to 8-0-1, 4 KOs.

In a clash of unbeaten junior middleweights, Anthony Franco (2-0) won a four round majority decision over 18-year-old Derrick Clayton (1-1, 1 KO). One judge scored the bout 38-38, while the other two judges scored the bout 39-37 for Franco.

Thompson Boxing Promotions promoted its annual private ‘Night of Champions’ card. Prior to the card, Thompson Boxing livestreamed Danny Roman’s WBA junior featherweight title defense against Ryo Matsumoto on its website and Facebook page.

Francisco A. Salazar has written for BoxingScene.com since September of 2012 and has covered boxing in Southern California and abroad since 2000. He can be reached by email at santio89@yahoo.com or on Twitter at FSalazarBoxing