On Friday night from the Ontario, CA, Citizens Business Bank Arena, Cerveza Tecate presented “Friday Night Fights.” In the 10-round main event, WBC USNBC welterweight champion Demetruis the “Gladiator” Hopkins (30-1-1, 11KO), defeated “Mighty” Mike Arnaoutis (22-6-1, 10KO).
In the early rounds Hopkins was fighting tall and keeping his distance letting Arnaoutis inch forward while he pumped a jab and right-hands to the head. His southpaw opponent tried to get on the inside by reaching and lunging with jabs and lefts to the body. Hopkins was connecting with a
stiff jab then following up with hard lefts to keep “Mighty” Mike at range. Going against Arnaoutis’ forte, he pressed forward unleashing punches but finding little success. Hopkins won a few early rounds simply with his one-two jab-right. Arnaoutis was working very hard for everything he got, throwing lots of punches and getting little in return while Hopkins was breezing through on the outside, not working half as hard and having all the success.
In the mid-rounds Arnaoutis really started pressing and lunging hard, winging wild shots trying to get to Hopkins. Hopkins began opening up throwing left-hooks and upper-cuts to the head and body following the left-jab. The story of the fight was Hopkins’ jab followed by the straight right landing time and time again. Arnaoutis just couldn’t find Hopkins and followed him around the ring and was nice and bruised up by the 7th. Hopkins came out fast in the 8th pressing forward landing lots of punches to the head and body with both fist.
In round nine Hopkins stepped up the action and was throwing hard combinations while they began to trade with both fighters landing hard punches up top. With a minute and a half left in the round, Hopkins’ left-hand was at his waist and Arnaoutis clocked him on the chin with his best punch of the fight but Hopkins handled it well and came right back. In the 10th round Arnaoutis was way behind and he did not come out like a fighter trying to get after it and win the fight. Hopkins kept up his jab and right-hand and cruised to a unanimous decision victory retaining his title. It was a good one-sided victory for Hopkins with a little more action than you might expect from these two defensive fighters.
Hopkins has now won back to back fights since losing a split decision to Kendall Holt while Arnaoutis has lost four of five.
In an eight-round lightweight co-main event, undefeated prospect Francisco Contreras (15-0, 13KO) defeated Erick Cruz (7-4-3, 7KO).
Contreras came out strong and exciting in the beginning, landing hard right and lefts up top and good left-hooks to the body while on the move. Cruz was coming forward pressing but was being easily out-boxed. In the 4th, Cruz landed a huge right-hand to the jaw that had Contreras on his bike from round five through seven making for some boring rounds. In the final round, Contreras came forward landing big right-hands and left-hooks to finish the fight well winning a unanimous decision.
In a four-round welterweight contest Joseph Elegele (9-0, 7KO) beat William Walton (4-2, 3KO).
Elegele, a southpaw, came out circling from right to left popping a long jab, one-twos, right-hooks, and a straight left to the body. Walton, also southpaw and the smaller fighter, was staying on the outside making it easy for Elegele to pick him off. At the end of the 1st with Elegele’s hands low, Walton threw a straight left that landed on Elegele’s chin and had him on queer-street. Elegele came back strong in the 2nd keeping his distance and boxing. Every now and then when Elegele was close enough, Walton would land big lefts to his chin. At the moment the bell rang in the 2nd Elelgele landed a left-hand to the side and back of Waltons head that was half forearm half punch and it dropped him for a 10-8 Elelgele round.
Elegele came out strong in the 3rd throwing punches in bunches and digging into the body with rights and lefts backing Walton up. Elegele seemed to be hurting Walton then he pressed him up against the ropes and threw eighteen to twenty unanswered punches prompting the referee to call off the fight giving Joseph Elegele a 3rd round TKO victory.