Terry Flanagan TKO2 Diego Magdaleno (retains a lightweight title) Records: Flanagan (29-0, 12 KOs); Magdaleno (28-2, 12 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Terry Flanagan authored a very impressive, three-knockdown, no-doubt-about-it stoppage of Magdaleno for the best win of his career. He made it look easy against Magdaleno, the mandatory challenger. Magdaleno was getting his second shot at a world title. After a very competitive split decision loss to Roman "Rocky" Martinez for a junior lightweight world title in Macau, China, in 2013, Magdaleno move up in weight and won five fights in a row to land the shot with Flanagan.
Flanagan won a somewhat spirited first round and then destroyed Magdaleno, who continually slipped to the canvas in the second round when he wasn't getting knocked down. Flanagan knocked him down three times in the round for the victory. The first one came a little less than a minute into the round on a clean right hand to the chin that put Magdaleno on his rear end.
A left uppercut and a right hand powerfully rocked Magdaleno's head back and sent him into the ropes moments later and then down to the canvas again as Flanagan kept firing punches.
Magdaleno beat the count but was in terrible trouble and went down again a few seconds later as Flanagan overwhelmed him with punches. Magdaleno tried to fight back but his legs were gone and Flanagan teed off on him. When he crushed him with a pair of left hands along the ropes, referee Terry O'Connor finally stepped in at 2 minutes,38 seconds and stopped the fight.
It was a sensational performance from Flanagan who certainly answered any of the lingering questions remaining from the aborted fight with Zepeda.
"Now people will start standing up and taking notice of me and know that I'm the real thing," Flanagan said. "Anyone who knows me knows that I'll fight anyone, anytime. I love boxing and I'm in to prove that I'm the best in the world. I want to defend my title again and then look at unification fights to show just how good I can really be."
Flanagan makes, I believe, his 6th WBO world title defense Saturday against Maurice Hooker. I haven't seen Flanagan fight and don't know much him. Let's hope he can drop Hooker like a bad habit and make his flight back to the US a long one. http://boxrec.com/en/event/768104/2244213