The Polish heavyweight dropped Ruiz heavily in the seventh round after hurting him with a right hook and following with a barrage. Referee David Franciosi administered the count and allowed Ruiz to continue, with the bell arriving before Knyba could launch another sustained attack.
Ruiz fought with greater urgency in the eighth and ninth, finding some success with body punches and right hands. Knyba regained command over the final three rounds by returning to his jab and maintaining distance.
The judges scored the fight 117-110 and 114-113 twice for Knyba. The two narrow cards did not reflect his overall control or the seventh-round knockdown.
Mielnicki Outboxes Williams
Vito “White Magic” Mielnicki Jr. (24-1, 13 KOs) retained his WBO Global and WBC Continental Americas middleweight titles with a clear unanimous decision over Austin “Ammo” Williams (20-3, 13 KOs). All three judges scored the 10-round fight 98-91.
Mielnicki dropped Williams with a hard right hand during the opening round. Williams rose quickly and survived Mielnicki’s attempt to finish him before the bell.
The New Jersey fighter continued landing the cleaner punches, rocking Williams late in the third and fourth rounds. A right hand from Mielnicki bloodied Williams’ mouth in the fifth.
Williams produced his best sequence in the eighth, landing a counter left that bloodied Mielnicki’s nose and briefly hurt him. Mielnicki recovered, returned to his jab and movement, and finished the fight with the sharper work. David Fields served as the referee.
Garcia Drops Chaves Four Times
Eridson Garcia (24-2, 14 KOs) captured the WBO Latino lightweight title by defeating Alan “Veneno” Chaves (22-1, 19 KOs) over 10 rounds. The scores were 99-87, 99-88, and 98-88.
Garcia scored the first knockdown with a combination during the opening minute of round two. He floored Chaves twice more with body shots in the fifth, leaving the heavily favored Argentinian far behind on the cards.
Garcia slipped while avoiding a punch in the sixth. The referee initially ruled it a knockdown for Chaves, but the commission corrected the call.
A right hook sent Chaves down for the fourth time midway through the ninth. Chaves pursued a stoppage in the final round but never came close to overcoming Garcia’s lead. Earl Brown served as the referee.
Moses Stops Contreras After Five
Newark lightweight Zaquin Moses (8-0, 4 KOs) stopped Angel “Cachorro” Contreras (18-11-2, 12 KOs) after five rounds of their scheduled eight-round fight.
Moses controlled the action with his jab, hand speed, and southpaw pressure. Contreras remained on his stool after the fifth, giving Moses the stoppage victory at the official time of 3:00. Harvey Dock served as the referee.
