SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP)—James Kirkland remained unbeaten when his brutal 154-pound fight with Joel Julio was stopped after the sixth round Saturday night due to a cut near Julio’s right eye.
Victor Ortiz also stopped Mike Arnaoutis midway through the second round of their 140-pound bout, but the raucous San Jose crowd didn’t get to see much of hometown favorite Robert Guerrero. His bout with Daud Yordan was declared a no-decision midway through the second round when an accidental head-butt opened a serious cut over Guerrero’s right eye, limiting his vision.
“I’m so disappointed,” said Guerrero, the former featherweight champ who hadn’t fought this close to his Gilroy, Calif., home since 2006. “I was cut, and I couldn’t see anything. I was doing good, and felt I was getting a lot of body shots in. I was here in front of my hometown fans. This feels (terrible). I came to fight and train hard.”
In the main event, Kirkland (25-0, 22 KOs) and Julio provided the action expected from two hard punchers with little regard for defense, peppering each other in several back-and-forth sequences. Although Julio (34-3) was more accurate early, Kirkland showed the perseverance that makes him one of the sport’s top prospects.
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