Davis vs Barrios results and highlights: Erickson Lubin knocks out Jeison Rosario, Carlos Adames and Batyr Akhmedov win

Erickson Lubin is back in the title mix at 154 lbs, but not without some controversy to his sixth round knockout win over former titlist Jeison Rosario in their WBC eliminator tonight.

Live coverage for Davis-Barrios continues here with the main event next!

Lubin (24-1, 17 KO) and Rosario (20-3-1, 14 KO) started a little tentative, both flashing part of their game plan in the first couple of rounds, but things heated up in the third, where Lubin had a big round and hurt Rosario, then Lubin getting rocked a bit in the fourth.

Early in the sixth, Lubin attacked to the body, and dropped Rosario. Rosario did get up, but Lubin went right at him, and put him down a second time. A late shot did land when Rosario was down, but Rosario was down sort of awkwardly in the ropes, and Lubin was already throwing. It was not a shot thrown on purpose, though it will cause some anger, and the Rosario corner were screaming at referee Jerry Cantu about the late shot.

But Cantu counted Rosario out, and Lubin got the KO win. At the time of the stoppage, judges had it 48-47 (twice) and 49-46 for Lubin. Bad Left Hook had it 48-47 for Lubin.

“I followed the game plan,” Lubin said. “My team told me to stick to the jab, stay consistent. I was way faster than him, but I knew he had good power. I started to hurt him to the body. I knew I was able to hurt him to the body. I just wanted to distract him to the jab and go downstairs, and I got him out.”

“I know I’m a great finisher, and I knew I was gonna get him out of there, as soon as I seen him drop,” he added. He did admit that he threw a late shot, but said he did not mean to do that, not knowing that Rosario was down.

Lubin also said he definitely wants the winner of the July 17 Jermell Charlo vs Brian Castano undisputed title fight next. “I want the title fight. I want everybody at 154 lbs. I don’t duck nobody.”

Carlos Adames TKO-3 Alexis Salazar

A late addition to the card, and an ugly fight while it lasted. Adames (20-1, 16 KO) can crack, and eventually showed that, finishing Salazar (23-4, 9 KO) with a one-hitter left hook that put the Mexican on the canvas. Salazar did get up, but was clearly in no condition to continue, and the referee stopped it there, rightly so.

The referee (Jim Korb) also had just had a real situation on his hands with Salazar constantly turning his back and dipping and slipping around in awkward ways, leading to a lot of wrestling and nonsense. Adames eventually started throwing haymakers from the side and behind and all over, until Korb ran in and seemed to take two points from Adames for fouls, though he didn’t do the thing where you parade it around so you know the judges heard you.

Didn’t matter, as moments later Adames drilled Salazar and ended the fight. Adames isn’t a great contender at 154, but he can punch and at 27, he’s probably about as ready as he’ll get. PBC is a good place for him, 154 is deep and they have a lot of talent. He might flame out, but he should get the opportunities.

Batyr Akhmedov RTD-8 Argenis Mendez

A good fight to kick off the pay-per-view, with Akhmedov (9-1, 8 KO) winning a WBA eliminator at 140, and now in theory in line to face the Davis-Barrios winner next.

Akhmedov slowly broke Mendez (25-7-3, 12 KO) down, but the end came after the eighth, when Mendez was complaining in the corner of a right hand injury leaving him unable to continue. The corner told the referee, and the fight was stopped there.

Judges had it 77-75, 79-73, and 79-73 for Akhmedov at the time of the stoppage. Bad Left Hook had it 77-75 for Akhmedov, but he was clearly in control at the time the fight was halted.

Mendez gave this a good go, and remains a crafty veteran fighter, but the relentless attack of Akhmedov was a lot to handle in and of itself, let alone any injury making a difference. We also saw that no matter how sharp a shot Mendez landed, he couldn’t deter Akhmedov, who just kept bulling forward and battering the body.