Still undefeated, Keith Thurman needed to brace himself up to survive a crucial Round 7 to be able to hear the final bell and get the decision against a formidable opponent in Josesito Lopez.

It was a scary Round 7 for Thurman (29-0, 22 KOs) who was doing well in the first six rounds; outboxing, outmaneuvering, tagging Lopez with hard counters, and he eventually won those rounds.

Thurman has been out of the ring for the entire 2018. 22 months out of the ring to be exact. This is due to an injury he suffered from his last fight. His last fight was in March 2017. A split decision victory over Danny Garcia.

Although, you will not be able to notice significant ring rust on Thurman's performance as he looks sharp and precise. However, I noticed a defensive flaw. Thurman chose to use his legs and tried to fire back while he got hurt. The best possible defense is to slow the pace of the fight, hold and regain footing.

Lopez, (36-8, 19 KOs) to his credit, fought well and did what is expected of him. I expected that he would be outmaneuvered, out-boxed, and outfoxed by a technically superior opponent. But I also expect that at any point in time, he will land a solid shot that would hurt Thurman. Lopez landed the supposed to be game-changing shot, but he was short to capitalize it. He was not able to close it. Thurman was able to survive the round and pull off the decision victory.

After the successful return from a long layoff, Thurman showed interest in fighting Manny Pacquiao next. Pacquiao recently won a unanimous decision over Adrien Broner.

"I would most likely definitely take the Manny Pacquiao fight this year," Thurman said. "I feel good. That was a beautiful fight. I'm ready to fight wherever Pacquiao wants it," says Thurman.

Judges Tim Cheatham and Glenn Feldman had it 116-112 and Dave Moretti 117-111 in favor of the Pacman.

Pacquiao, (61-7-2, 39 KOs) doesn't have much of a problem handling the man who calls himself "The Problem." He was able to land the cleaner shots and hurt Broner on two occasions. The fighting senator hurt Broner in the 7th and 9th Rounds.

Broner, (33-4-1, 24 KOs) on the other hand doesn't want to risk so much as he contended to focus more on defense. He tried to fend off Pacquiao's attacks and threw less output landing very few of them.

The funny thing is that Broner was so confident that he won the fight.

"I beat him," Broner said with full confidence. "Everybody out there knows I beat him. I controlled the fight. He was missing. I hit him clean more times. I beat him."

Pacquiao, with the win, could be in a potential rematch with rival Floyd Mayweather Jr. although there's no immediate word coming from Floyd who was present at ringside during the fight indicating a rematch.

Well, it's not the right time I believe to say such things though. Of course, they have to listen and feel if there's boxing fans' interest in a rematch at this point.

Broner (33-3-1, 24 KOs) stepped on the scale first and registered at 146.5 pounds, he looked strong, in good shape, and ready to go tonight at the MGM Grand, Las Vegas.

Pacquiao (60-7-2, 39 KOs) stepped on the scale and registered, (as always below the welterweight limit) 146 pounds. He looked in tip-top shape and ready to rumble.

So guys enjoy the fight!

Cano, (32-7-1, 22 KOs) was all over Linares from the beginning of the fight. It is obvious that Cano was the bigger fighter and so he imposed his advantage early on resulting in three knockdowns and thereafter the referee stopped the fight.

The official time of the stoppage was 2:48 seconds of the opening round.

The first knockdown was a result of a clean right that landed on the neck of Linares as Cano was swinging hard at Linares.

Linares (45-5, 28 KOs) managed to beat the count and went on to fight. Cano was determined to finish the fight early sensing the vulnerability of Linares at that point.

Cano then landed a two-punch combo with the last one landed on Linares' jaw that sent him hard to the floor. The second knockdown really raises the alarm for Linares.

Linares got back up and traded punches with the very determined challenger and then boom! A loaded big right hand landed on Linares' ear that sent him back again to the floor for the third time.

Since the three-knockdown rule isn't in effect the referee let the fight continue as Linares was able to bet the count.

Cano yet again landed a clean shot that staggered Linares to the ropes prompting the referee to step in and stopped the contest.

“He surprised me with the big right hand. He had power in his punch.
It was so different. Five pounds is so different. But before at 135, I was feeling better but I moved to 140 because it was too hard to make. The weight is hard. His body is bigger. He has an amazing punch.”

“I’ve got to think about it. I have to take some time and talk to my team to see if I should go back down to 135 lbs. or stay at 140 lbs. But most important is my health so I will take time and decide where to go next.”

Cano was happy and contended about his upset victory over Linares.

“I am happy, I am very content. All of my career I have wanted a victory of this magnitude against a fighter of this caliber like Jorge Linares. And what better way to win it than in this fashion. Today in the best moment of my life and career, it was an honor to fight a three-time champion in Jorge Linares.”

Co-promoted by Roy Jones Jr. (RJJ) Boxing Promotions and Miguel Cotto Promotions, Palicte vs. Martinez will headline a card that will stream live on UFC FIGHT PASS on Thursday, January 31, 2019, live from Viejas Casino & Resort in Alpine, California, starting at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT. The show is the first under a new agreement between Palicte's promoter, RJJ Boxing, and FIGHT PASS, to live stream up to 72 professional boxing events over the next three years.

The event will be held on the Thursday night of Super Bowl week, in the Oak Ballroom at Viejas Casino & Resort, which is located 35 miles outside of San Diego.

On the line is the mandatory challenger status for the winner of the Palicte vs. Martinez 12-round main event for reigning WBO junior bantamweight title holder and four-division world champion, Donnie Nietes (42-1-5, 24 KO), one of the all-time greatest Filipino fighters.

Palicte (WBO No. 2) is coming off a controversial 12-round split draw with Nietes last September in Inglewood, California, for the then vacant WBO Junior bantamweight championship. Many at ringside felt that Palicte should have won the Filipino showdown, based on his relentless pressure and considerably higher activity rate.

"I felt like I won the fight," Palicte said, "but a draw is better than a loss. I expected to win that fight. I got him good in the early round, his face was all swollen, but I respect the judges' decision. I can't do anything about that now, but we will have a rematch if I defeat Martinez.

"I was disappointed to learn we were not going to have an immediate rematch like I had thought, but this fight will be good preparation for me to fight Nietes again for the world title. Of course, I need to win this fight and it's very important, because a win will draw me closer to my dream of being world champion. Martinez (WBO #4) is a good fighter, but I'm confident I can win this fight. I'm still very hungry. I missed the first time but, this time, I'm not letting it go. A win and I will be challenging Nietes and this time around I will strip him of the world title belt."

Palicite, who is ranked No. 9 in independent world ratings by The Ring magazine, has been training at the famed Wild Card Gym in Hollywood, California, along with superstar Manny Pacquiao, who is training there for his Jan. 19th showdown with Adrien Broner.

"It's good to be back in the U.S. to fight again," Palicte commented. "It's a bit sad because I'm away from my whole family, but I still get to talk to them every day. I'm a husband and father of my year-old boy. They are my reason for striving harder in my boxing career for the future of my family. They're my inspiration and reason why I'm here now."

Palicte's native Philippines has produced great boxers for the past century, dating back to Pancho Villa, continuing with Flash Elorde, and now peaking with Pacquiao, Nonito Donaire and Nietes. The 27-year-old Palicte is the undisputed leader of the contemporary wave of young world-class Filipino fighters, which brings honor, pride and, of course, added pressure.

Although he isn't looking past Martinez, far from it, Palcite is confident of defeating Martinez and then Nietes for the coveted crown. "There is pressure to be the next great Filipino fighter," Palcite admitted. "I've been waiting for this my whole life. I nearly did it (win world title) the last time and I'm not stopping until I get that world title belt. I had hoped to get it the first time, but I think it's going to be sweeter the second time around."

Additional details for the event, including venue and ticket information, will be announced shortly.

Canelo is a 28-year-old native of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico who became the top man in the sport by facing the best competition and making the best fights for the fans. At 154 pounds, Canelo captured several world titles and defeated the likes of Austin "No Doubt" Trout, Sugar Shane Mosley, Alfredo "El Perro" Angulo, Erislandy "The American Dream" Lara and Liam "Beefy" Smith. However, Canelo scored his most significant victory yet at 160 pounds, where he defeated Gennady "GGG" Golovkin in their highly anticipated rematch in September 2018 and established himself as the WBC, WBA, Lineal and Ring Magazine Middleweight World Champion. Canelo then made history by signing the most lucrative sports contract for an athlete in history to begin a groundbreaking, exclusive partnership with global sports streaming platform DAZN that saw the last king of pay-per-view boxing step into a new era as the new king of sports streaming.

In his debut performance, Canelo became a three-division world champion by knocking out Rocky Fielding in three rounds to capture the WBA Super Middleweight World Title in December 2018. Canelo will return to middleweight for this fight as he continues to clean out the 160-pound division.

"I'm happy to announce my next fight during the festive weekend of Cinco de Mayo," said Canelo Alvarez. "I will unify my middleweight titles against Daniel Jacobs on one of the two most important dates that belong to me. I have no doubt that I will be victorious and that I'll be one step away from becoming the undisputed middleweight world champion. And what better way to watch it than on as tremendous a platform as DAZN."

Jacobs is a 31-year-old native of Brooklyn, New York who is widely considered as one of the best middleweights of this era. Despite being away from the sport for 19 months, due to a form of bone cancer that he courageously overcame, Jacobs rose up the middleweight rankings to win the WBA Middleweight World Title against Jarrod Fletcher in 2014. Jacobs made several successful defenses, including a thunderous first-round knockout of Peter Quillin the following year. Despite losing to Gennady Golovkin in a very close fight in 2017, Jacobs has remained undefeated since his return, defeating former amateur champion and middleweight contender Sergiy Derevyanchenko to capture the IBF Middleweight World Championship. Jacobs will look to capture more middleweight hardware in the biggest fight of his career.

"This is the opportunity I have been waiting for. The opportunity to achieve greatness inside the ring," said Daniel Jacobs. "I have always believed I can beat Canelo, and on May 4 live on DAZN, I will get my chance to play it out. It's been nearly four years since Canelo has faced an American challenger. It's going to be a huge event where I believe I will cement myself as the best middleweight in the division."

"Canelo Alvarez wants the best fights and the biggest challenges," said Oscar De La Hoya, Chairman and CEO of Golden Boy Promotions. "That's what he did as the 154-pound champion, and that's what he's doing now as the king of the middleweight division. We are also proud to demonstrate to boxing fans that this new partnership with DAZN means that fans will get pay-per-view level fights without the cost of pay-per-view. Golden Boy Promotions is continuing its promise to make the sport as accessible as possible by putting this champion-vs.-champion fight on the platform."

"What a fight! I can't tell you how happy I am that Danny Jacobs gets this opportunity to fight Canelo on Cinco de Mayo in a massive unification fight," said Eddie Hearn, Managing Director of Matchroom Sport. "Victory would cap one of the most incredible, inspirational boxing stories of our generation, and Danny and the team will be putting everything in place to lead him to victory. Respect to Canelo and Golden Boy for accepting this challenge, and congratulations to DAZN and their subscribers for getting this incredible fight with no extra cost. Let's go May 4! Let's go Daniel Jacobs!"

"On any other network or platform, Canelo vs. Jacobs would be an expensive pay-per-view," said Joseph Markowski, DAZN EVP of North America. "At DAZN, we believe the best fights should be available to our subscribers at no extra charge."

Nietes joined fellow Filipino champions Manny Pacquiao and Nonito Donaire in the list of 4-division champions or more.

Nietes (42-1-5, 23 KOs), became champion at the minimum weight (105 pounds limit), light flyweight (108 pounds limit), flyweight (112 pounds limit and at super flyweight (115 pounds limit).

“I’m really happy that I got my four-division world championship this New Year. I showcased the fans a great fight and I am so thankful that they liked my performance,” said Nietes.

It was a tough fight that no one seemed to back up. But it looks to me that no one also would like to press hard out of respect with each other.

Nietes was there in the pocket the entire fight waiting for Ioka to press harder. He was able to avoid Ioka's body shots and came back with a counter uppercut.

“His punches were not solid and it seemed he’s afraid to attack me. I was able to evade his body shots and hit him with uppercuts as he got closer so he changed his style,” he said.