12-13-2019, 08:23 AM
CARSON, Calif. -- Keith Thurman had an unenviable act to follow when Lucas Matthysse and John Molina Jr. put on a bloody 11-round slugfest right before he stepped in the same ring with Julio Diaz. Although Thurman couldnt match Matthysses pyrotechnics, the rising welterweight still managed a big finish. Thurman remained unbeaten Saturday night, stopping Diaz after three rounds when Diazs corner threw in the towel due to an injured rib. Thurman (23-0, 21 KOs), nicknamed "One-Time" for his one-punch knockout power, retained his WBA interim welterweight title. He floored Diaz in the second round before delivering the body shot that led Diaz to quit on his stool on a chilly night before the usual energized crowd at the outdoor ring south of Los Angeles. Although he had a short night, Thurman still demonstrated his formidable skill and power in his seventh fight in less than two years. "Hes a warrior, but he just couldnt take the punishment," Thurman said about Diaz. "No one knows the power of One-Time until they step in the ring with One-Time. We did the work in the gym. How did you think I was able to look this good?" A left to the temple dropped Diaz, although he stayed on his unsteady feet for a moment before taking a knee and getting up to beat the count. Thurman remembered the punch that evidently injured Diazs rib, but thought Diaz (40-10-1) had partially blocked it. "We were able to put that pain and that hurt on him like were supposed to," Thurman said. The main event was an anticlimax after a tenacious performance by Matthysse (35-3, 33 KOs), who overcame two early knockdowns and stopped Molina early in the 11th round of the Argentine 140-pound stars dynamite return to the ring. Matthysse knocked down the bleeding Molina in each of the final three rounds, culminating in a decisive combination. Matthysse hadnt fought since injuring his eye and losing a decision to 140-pound champion Danny Garcia last September, but he was right back in destructive form. "It did take me a few rounds to get going, but I was able to take control of the fight," Matthysse said. "The knockdowns threw me off a little, but I was able to get my punches in." That defeat interrupted the rapid rise of the hard-punching Argentine known as "The Machine," and he returned with what many expected to be a simple fight against Molina (27-4), a Los Angeles-area fighter who infamously got knocked out in the first round of a title shot in 2012. But Molina showed he was no pushover from the opening round, knocking back Matthysse with a big right hand. Another chopping right out of a clinch in the second round sent Matthysse to his knees on just his second career knockdown. Although Matthysse controlled long stretches of the bout with his jab and power, he went down again late in the fifth after winning much of the round, dropping to his knees on a punch to the top of his head. Matthysse immediately indicated the punch was illegal in the back of his head, but referee Pat Russell ruled it a knockdown. "I thought I was going to get him out of there early, but he got it together," Molina said. "Theres a reason hes the No. 1 guy in the division. I took his shot all the way through, and I didnt feel it until the end." Despite a cut near his left eye, Matthysse kept using his jab and power against Molina, who had a large cut on the left side of his head. Matthysse then knocked down Molina late in the eighth round with a left hand and a possible push before punishing him throughout the ninth. Matthysse dropped Molina again in the 10th round with a combination on the ropes. Molina crumpled into the corner on a relentless barrage of punches early in the 11th, and Matthysse leaped on the ropes to celebrate. Omar Figueroa Jr. (23-0-1) also retained his WBC lightweight title with a dull split-decision victory over Jerry Belmontes. U.S. Olympians Joseph Diaz Jr. and Terrell Gausha both remained unbeaten on the undercard. Yeezy 350 Clearance . Jeter doubled high off the left-field wall and scored on Jacoby Ellsburys first hit in pinstripes in the fifth. Hiroki Kuroda (1-1) pitched 6 1-3 sharp innings in the Yankees 112th opener in New York. In what manager Joe Girardi said would be a season-long lovefest for Jeter, the shortstop was cheered every step of the way by an adoring crowd of 48, 142 -- even when his double-play grounder back to Orioles starter Ubaldo Jimenez (0-2) scored Solarte in the third inning for the first run. Yeezy 350 China . Fognini won 7-5, 6-2, 6-2 after Argentinas Carlos Berlocq had beaten Andreas Seppi 4-6, 6-0, 6-2, 6-1 on the outdoor clay surface. Doubles are set for Saturday with reverse singles on Sunday to decide which team reaches the quarterfinals. https://www.cheapyeezy350outlet.com/ . - Pierre-Maxime Poudrier scored twice and added an assist, and Antoine Bibeau made 43 saves as the Val-dOr Foreur downed the Baie-Comeau Drakkar 6-3 on Sunday to force Game 7 in their Quebec Major Junior Hockey League final series. Yeezy 350 Sale . Louis, MO (SportsNetwork. Yeezy 350 For Sale .com) - Brad Stuart has yet to play a regular-season game for the Colorado Avalanche, but that didnt deter the club from signing the veteran defenseman to a two-year contract extension on Monday.CHARLOTTE, N.C. - General manager Dave Gettleman says the Panthers are finally emerging from two years of being strapped under the NFL salary cap, and could be bigger players in free agency this off-season.Gettleman says last year we were shopping at the Dollar Store. This year we might be able to move up in class a little.Just how that affects quarterback Cam Newtons long-term future with the team remains unclear.Gettleman reiteratedd at a press conference Tuesday he believes Newton to be Carolinas franchise quarterback, but declined to address if he plans to sign him to a long-term contract extension.ddddddddddddNewton has one year remaining on his contract and is set to make $14.6 million next season.The Panthers currently stand about $14 million under the projected 2015 salary cap.___AP NFL website: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP_NFL ' ' '