In a non-title fight, interim WBA super middleweight champion David Morrell Jr. (4-0, 3 KOs) knocked out WBA No.11 Mike Gavronski (26-4-1, 16 KOs) in the third round in the main event at Saturday in Shrine Auditorium of Los Angeles. Morrell was considered a clear favorite before the fight, 50:1, he immediately went on Gavronski and sent him to the floor at the end of the first round. After falls repeated in the second and third rounds, referee Jack Reiss decided to stop the meeting at 2:45 of the third round.
Just before the start, the fight changed its status from the defense of the world title to a 10-round non title fight in 170 pounds.
Also on the card middleweight Juan Macias "Juanito" Montiel (22-4-2, 22 KOs) stopped crowd favorite James "Mandingo Warrior" Kirkland (34-3, 30 KOs) in the first round. Kirkland started the fight aggressively, but ran into a counter blow and ended up on the floor. Montiel then knocked down the 36-year-old Kirkland two more times, who was no longer holding a punch, before the fight was stopped at 1:56.
A good win for Montiel's record, who was considered a minor favorite before the meeting. Juanito is the nephew of former world champion Fernando Montiel.
