Carl Froch (left) withstood several big shots to the chin from Mikkel Kessler to win a unanimous decision. (Sang Tan/AP)

Three thoughts on Carl Froch’s unanimous decision win over Mikkel Kessler:

Froch continues to impress
In 2011, Froch lost a lopsided decision to Andre Ward in the finals of Showtime’s Super Six tournament, and at 34, it was fair to question if Froch had blown his best opportunity to prove he was among the top fighters in the world. But Froch followed up the loss with a dramatic knockout win over Lucian Bute—an undefeated, legitimate titleholder considered the best 168-pounder not in the Super Six—and on Saturday, Froch became a unified super middleweight champion with a decisive decision win over Mikkel Kessler, avenging a 2010 defeat. Froch, fighting for the third straight time in his home country of England, was as relentless against Kessler as he was against Bute, piling up points in the early rounds behind a stiff jab and an overwhelming work rate. Kessler rallied in the later rounds, even stunning Froch in the 11th, but Froch closed the show with a strong 12th, pummeling Kessler into a corner. The three judges scored the fight 118-110, 116-112 and 115-133, while SI.com had it 116-112. Everyone got it right.

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Jon Jones retained his light heavyweight title at AFC 159 in April via a first roudn TKO. (Gregory Payan/AP)

LAS VEGAS — Apparently word got around that Daniel Cormier was going to be taking questions from fans on Friday afternoon at MGM Grand Garden Arena prior to the weigh-ins for UFC 160.

The news reached all the way to Moscow, where Jon Jones is presenting a mixed martial arts seminar. And the light heavyweight champion couldn’t help but tweak the undefeated heavyweight who keeps talking about cutting down to 205 pounds and beating him up. “Someone ask DC when his diet starts,” Jones wrote on Twitter.

When Cormier caught wind of the “Bones” tweet, he sidetracked the Q&A session by playfully but forcefully telling the next fan who stepped to the microphone, “OK, your question is to ask me, for Jon Jones, if I’ve started cutting weight yet.” That got a rise out of the crowd, as did the answer Cormier provided the champ: “I haven’t started cutting weight yet. But we can fight at 220 tomorrow if you want. He can walk off the street at whatever he weighs now, and we can fight. Let’s fight at any weight, Jon, you and I.”

Hmm, Jones has been talking about moving up to heavyweight. But dueling bravado aside, it seems more likely that Cormier will aim for a challenge of Jones at 205 at the end of the year. First he plans to trim from his current 235 pounds to 220 for a heavyweight fight in August or September. He expressed an interest in the winner between Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira and Fabricio Werdum, who meet in Brazil in two weeks.

If Cormier should get past one of those heavies, it would be down to 205 for him. That clearly will be a challenge for a man who likes to eat as much as Daniel does. What will he have to cut from his diet? “Gumbo,” said the native of Lafayette, Louisiana. “Jambalaya. Red beans and rice. All of the Louisiana food.” As he said this, he looked sad.

Cormier perked up, however, when he told fans that after the weigh-ins he was planning on taking Cain Velasquez, who defends his heavyweight belt against Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva in Saturday’s main event, out for a movie to relax. Someone asked him if he’d be having butter on his popcorn, and he impulsively answered in the affirmative. Then caught himself. “If I’m going down,” he said, speaking of the long-range weight cut, “well, if I’m going down …” He paused. “Aw, it’s still popcorn with butter!”

–Jeff Wagenheim

All three of SI.com’s UFC experts predict Cain Velasquez (left) to defeat Antonio Silva. (Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

SI.com analysts Loretta Hunt, Jeff Wagenheim and Jon Wertheim provide their predictions for UFC 160, which takes place Saturday (10 p.m. ET) and will be live-blogged on SI.com.

Cain Velasquez vs. Antonio Silva

HUNT: It’s hard to get the brutal image of their first encounter a year ago out of my head. Velasquez fought with a ferocity we hadn’t seen before and violently ripped Silva’s bloodied face open from top position. A loss like that would have broken other fighter’s psyches, though Bigfoot has bounced back surprisingly well. Is the rematch a whole new fight? Possibly, but Velasquez still has the advantage in all areas, including the key wrestling component. Velasquez by TKO.

WAGENHEIM: As much of a mismatch as this fight is, don’t call Silva undeserving. “Bigfoot” earned his title shot with knockouts of previously unbeaten Travis Browne and title-challenger-in-waiting Alistair Overeem. That said, it would be shocking if the bulky Brazilian even makes this fight competitive. (OK, it’ll be more competitive than his first meeting with Velasquez, in which Silva was on his back within five seconds and was assaulted the rest of the way.) Cain is faster, in better shape, is disciplined and has the wrestling chops to dictate where this fight is fought. That means the big fists of “Bigfoot” are unlikely to be a factor, and Velasquez will roll onward, possibly into a rematch with Junior dos Santos. Velasquez by TKO.

WERTHEIM: By sheer “force of force” Bigfoot instills fear. But ultimately this will come down to speed. Velasquez will be quicker to snap off punches and kicks, quicker to avoid and execute takedowns and quicker in transition. Velasquez by decision.

Junior Dos Santos vs. Mark Hunt

HUNT: Has Dos Santos gotten his house in order? He admitted distraction from personal issues walking into his loss to Velasquez last December and it cost him the title. If he’s got his head and training straight, his striking speed and power can break Hunt’s career-resurrecting streak. Should Dos Santos want to take the path of least resistance, six of the granite-chinned Hunt’s seven losses have come by way of submission. But that won’t happen. Dos Santos by TKO.

WAGENHEIM: This is not as much of a mismatch as the main event, but it’s still a mismatch. Hunt has a puncher’s chance, and against Dos Santos, a guy who’s confident in his own standup game and might be willing to trade fisticuffs, that opportunity might dangle in front of the New Zealander for a while. But Junior has been in before with hamhock-fisted sluggers (Roy Nelson, Shane Carwin), and he’s dominated the standup. Plus, something tells me the ex-champ is going to be on a mission to show he’s better than the guy who was battered for 25 one-sided minutes by Velasquez back in their title fight last December. Just as Cain came out like a cannon blast in his first fight after losing the belt to Dos Santos, expect something explosive from redemption-minded Junior. Dos Santos by TKO.

WERTHEIM: The good news: Hunt made it to the fight after his various travel issues. The bad news: it’s hard to see him winning. Credit Hunt for his resurgence (dude turns 40 in March) but — short of landing a bomb — how does he hurt JDS? Much like the main event fight, you have to favor the younger, quicker more versatile fighter. Dos Santos by TKO.

Glover Teixeira vs. James Te Huna

HUNT: This feels like a holdover fight for Texeira as the UFC clears away the debris of Jones-Sonnen atop the light heavyweight division. In short, striker Teixeira has faced much stiffer competition than Te Huna’s lighter docket. Teixeira by TKO.

WAGENHEIM: This is the type of fighter Teixeira has to tear through if he’s to continue his out-of-nowhere rise in the light heavyweight division. That’s not to downgrade Te Huna, but the heavy-handed New Zealander — the other heavy-handed New Zealander, that is —  is not what you’d call a well-rounded fighter. So Glover can test the waters by standing and banging, and if the sea gets choppy he can take the fight to the ground … and drown James. Teixeira via submission.

WERTHEIM: An interesting contrast in styles. The head says Teixeira — a complete fighter who hasn’t lost since 2005 — ought to win. The heart says that Te Huna, a Maori with dangerous power, has a chance. Fight of the night potential. We’ll play it safe. Teixeira by decision.

Gray Maynard vs. T.J. Grant

HUNT: Canadian Grant finally seems to be finding his stride in the big O, and Maynard hasn’t fought in 11 months due to a knee injury. I always thought Grant had the goods and this is the one where he needs to step up and deliver. Is he ready? My gut says Maynard by decision.

WAGENHEIM: Twice, Maynard was so close to the lightweight belt he could smell the leather. But ever since his near misses against Frankie Edgar, Gray has been a missing person. He’s stepped into the cage only once in the past 19 months, and didn’t get to show much that night last summer against Clay “Usain” Guida. I mention this because Maynard can’t afford to be rusty against Grant. T.J. is 4-0 since dropping to the 155-pound weight class, and he’s starting to get a whiff of the strap as well. Can Grant take the fight to the ground, where he paints his masterpieces? That’s tough against Gray. Maynard by decision.

WERTHEIM: Were it not for one lapse against granite-chinned Frankie Edgar, Maynard would have authored a completely different career. As it stands, credit him for putting himself back in the lightweight picture. After a bizarre win over Clay Guida in his last fight, he can make a statement by beating the impressive Canadian T.J. Grant. If he can bring his superior wrestling skills to bear, Maynard should survive. Maynard by decision.

Donald Cerrone vs. K.J. Noons

HUNT: Cerrone is the more well-rounded lightweight and although entertaining, boxer Noons is mighty predictable. Barring another fluke fall-apart from Cerrone like the Pettis loss four months ago, this will be a fun one, however long it lasts on its feet. Cerrone by submission.

WAGENHEIM: As a Jackson/Winklejohn guy, Cerrone has the stronger pedigree. He’s more well-rounded, which gives him more ways to win. And while “The Cowboy” hasn’t exactly been riding high of late, Noons has looked lost while dropping four of five. K.J. is better with his hands, but that won’t be enough. Cerrone by decision.

WERTHEIM: You can’t help feel the matchmakers sympathized with Cerrone, an entertaining UFC favorite. After a rough loss to Anthony Pettis, the Cowboy gets back on the horse against Noon, a dangerous fighter, but one who has lost four of his last five fights. Cerrone by TKO.

Lucas Matthysse knocked down LaMont Peterson in the second round and won in the third. (Al Bello/Getty Images)

ATLANTIC CITY — Three thoughts from Lucas Matthysse’s knockout win over Lamont Peterson …

1. Matthysse is scary good. Yes, Matthysse has two losses on his résumé, narrow defeats to Devon Alexander and Zab Judah. Yes, they were his two biggest fights. But in blowing away Peterson on Saturday, Matthysse firmly established himself as the most dangerous fighter in the junior welterweight division. Because this was never close. Peterson was clearly wary of Matthysse’s power early, fighting backing up, trying to keep Matthysse at bay with his jab. But Matthysse is relentless. He stalked Peterson in the second round, dropping him with a crushing right hand. In the third, Matthysse dropped Peterson again. Referee Steve Smoger allowed a wobbly Peterson to continue — “He’s a champion,” Smoger told me afterwards. “I wanted to give him one more shot.” — but Matthysse stormed in to close the show, dropping Peterson again, forcing Smoger to wave it off. Make no mistake, Lamont Peterson is a very good fighter and a legitimate titleholder. But Matthysse simply destroyed him.

2. Can anyone stand up to that power? Watching Matthysse walk through Peterson made me wonder: How did Alexander and Judah stand up to this? After the fight, Bernard Hopkins walked over to press row and said that if he were fighting Matthysse, the crowd would be booing for the first six rounds. “Because I’d be running,” Hopkins said. “I’d be trying to tire him out.”

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Floyd Mayweather (left) defeated Robert Guerrero via unanimous decision on Showtime PPV. (Robert Beck/SI)

NEW YORK — The Showtime boxing pay-per-view show headlined by Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Robert Guerrero last Saturday will surpass 1 million buys, Showtime Executive Vice President of Sports and Event Programming Stephen Espinoza told SI.com. Espinoza declined to give an exact figure but said “we’re very comfortable saying that the pay-per-view buys for Mayweather-Guerrero will definitely exceed 1 million.”

Twitter was abuzz this week with rumors that early Mayweather-Guerrero numbers indicated the show would finish under a million. Considering the investment Showtime made in Mayweather — signing him to a six-fight deal that could be worth in excess of $200 million — such a number would be disastrous. Espinoza declined to say how many buys over a million the event did, but declared it “a major win.”

“What this does is [it] reconfirms Floyd’s status as the top pay-per-view draw in boxing,” Espinoza said. “Really in all of sports. To do this kind of number without the benefit of a well-known opponent speaks very strongly for his continued drawing power. We look at Robert, and he was very game, he has proven he was among the top of the division. But he is not well known to the general public. His awareness as far as the pay per view goes is still low. To do this number without a well-known opponent established is great.”

One rumor circulating was that Showtime, because of the $32 million Mayweather was guaranteed, needed a big number just to break even, reportedly between 1.1 and 1.3 million. Espinoza called the reports “absolutely untrue.”

“It’s inaccurate,” Espinoza said. “We have talked about it before internally and we agreed that we are not going to go into details of the deal. I can say generally though that there are a lot of mischaracterizations going around. Rumors of financial demise are greatly exaggerated.”

Still, the success of Mayweather-Guerrero may not be a sign of things to come. It’s likely a large number of people bought the pay-per-view to see if Mayweather, at 36 and coming off a one-year layoff that included a two month stint in prison, had lost a step. Mayweather is among the most polarizing athletes in sports, with as many pay-per-view buyers watching to see him lose as there are to see him win. The ease with which Mayweather defeated Guerrero could turn many of those buyers away in the future.

“It is a challenge,” Espinoza admitted. “There is a challenge here when you have someone as skilled as Floyd is, someone who is able to neutralize an opponent as much as he often does, it can become monotonous. There has always been a significant portion of the audience that wants to see him lose. More people will appreciate his skill level when he retires. I wish there was more appreciation for his skill level now while we have him.”

Of course, the buy rate for Mayweather-Guerrero would be boosted by more cooperative fighters. There was no press conference to announce the fight, a shock when you consider that virtually all fights on that level would include a multi-city press tour. Guerrero was largely useless, effectively shutting down after being arrested for gun possession in March. Mayweather, uninterested in delving too deep into his time in jail and problems with the law, repeatedly declined extended interviews before the fight. And viewership for Showtime’s All-Access show struggled compared to HBO’s 24/7 series (box), which has the benefit of a larger subscriber base (29 million to 22 million for Showtime).

“The argument made was because there was a large guarantee, Floyd wasn’t as motivated [to promote the fight] and that assumed something that wasn’t established,” Espinoza said. “That was attributing motives to Floyd that may or may not be there. I think Floyd put forth a tremendous effort, particularly in social media and other non-traditional stuff that we did. He flew across country to do a couple of days of publicity at the Final Four. Some writers out there were upset at not getting the access that they desired. Floyd took this camp very seriously. His priority was being in camp. Some of the media access might have been sacrificed.”

Of course, one way to guarantee financial success in the future is the opponent. Junior middleweight titleholder Saul “Canelo” Alvarez is considered one of the biggest stars in boxing after Mayweather, and certainly one of its most popular. His last fight, against Austin Trout in San Antonio, drew 40,000 fans. Mayweather has yet to say who he will face in September but it’s clear Canelo would generate the most revenue.

“We are actively involved in those discussions,” Espinoza said. “It’s my understanding that everybody involved from Mayweather, to Canelo, to Golden Boy, to Showtime, wants that fight to happen. It’s still a deal that has to get done. The talks are underway and the most positive thing I can say about the prospects of that happening is that everybody wants that fight. It’s not about convincing one side to take the fight. We are past that point. I am cautiously optimistic that it will happen.”

– Chris Mannix

Adrien Broner (right) defeated Gavin Rees to retain the WBC lightweight belt in February. (AP)

LAS VEGAS — The smack talk between Paulie Malignaggi and Adrien Broner has already gone digital, with two of the most social media savvy fighters in boxing spending the last month engaged in a Twitter and Instagram street fight. But last weekend, at a press conference to promote their June 22 welterweight title fight, Broner took it to the next level. Sporting a white t-shirt with the words “Hey Paulette” emblazoned in red letters on the front, Broner stepped to a podium and declared that Malignaggi’s ex-girlfriend, Jessica, was now his “sweetheart.” He then proceeded to call Jessica, and have a conversation with her on speakerphone.

From there it got uglier, with Broner suggesting that Malignaggi used to hit his ex, and Malignaggi — who doubles as a Showtime boxing analyst — degrading her and Broner with a variety of slurs, all in front of an audience sprinkled with women and children.

The two will settle their differences in June in the ring, where Broner, 23, has yet to be beaten. Many have tabbed Broner (26-0) as boxing’s next big thing, a Floyd Mayweather-like talent with sharp defensive skills and blistering power in both hands. Last year, Broner moved from super featherweight (130-pounds) to lightweight (135-pounds), pounding Antonio DeMarco over eight lopsided rounds to win the WBC belt. In March, Broner defended the title, knocking out former titleholder Gavin Rees in five rounds.

As a lightweight, Broner’s options were limited. An anticipated unification fight with Ricky Burns never materialized. And when Broner looked up to the 140-pound division — perhaps the deepest in boxing — all of the top contenders had fights already scheduled. So Broner looked to welterweight (147-pounds) and Malignaggi (32-4), the WBA titleholder, who quickly accepted the fight.

“I was disappointed we didn’t get the Burns fight because the media and the fans wanted it,” said Broner’s trainer, Mike Stafford. “I was happy for Ricky because Ricky was smart enough to know that he couldn’t beat Adrien, and his team protected his business. Other than that, we have to move on. That’s one of the reasons we are fighting Paulie. We have not been getting the notoriety for who he was beating. People still saying we haven’t fought anybody. Paulie was the name that we felt when we beat, people will to start realize that this kid is for real. Because lot of people still think this kid is a joke.”

Stafford says he has no concerns jumping two weight classes with Broner, who often comes to camp in the high 140’s and routinely spars with 150 and 160 pounders.

“Adrien will be much stronger,” Stafford said. “Paulie is not a full-fledged 147-pounder, anyway. It would be different if we were fighting a 147-pounder who has been that weight for years. Paulie just got to 147. When he was an amateur, he was a little guy. His speed got him where he is today. But we have speed and power. Paulie is really not a full-fledged 147. Most 147-pounders walk around 160, 165, then they come down. Both these guys are light guys.”

As for the criticisms of Broner — both in the ring and out — Stafford urges people to get to know him before passing judgment.

“He is still young and most don’t know anything about him,” Stafford said. “They don’t know where he comes from. When Floyd or Oscar [De La Hoya] does something [crazy], they wave it off. With this kid, it’s something different. The world doesn’t know.”

– Chris Mannix

It was an easy 12-round win for Floyd Mayweather over Robert Guerrero in Las Vegas. (Rick Bowmer/AP)

LAS VEGAS — Three thoughts on Floyd Mayweather’s easy win over Robert Guerrero:

A blowout I thought, a blowout I got: Guerrero talked tough before the fight, promising to rough up Mayweather, promising to do to him what no fighter had before. But how many times have we heard that before? When Guerrero did get in the ring, he found himself up against a quicker, stronger, more elusive fighter. The first two rounds were close, but after that it was repetitive. Mayweather pot-shotted Guerrero with right hands, so many in fact that he said he broke it in the middle rounds. Guerrero chased Mayweather around the ring throughout the fight, trying to pin him against the ropes, trying to do to Mayweather what he did to Andre Berto last year.

GALLERY: Action shots of Mayweather-Guerrero

But Mayweather (surprise!) is not Berto. For the most part, Mayweather kept the fight in the middle of the ring, going to the ropes, it seemed, only when he wanted to. When Guerrero did get inside, Mayweather parried most of his punches and kept a stiff guard up to prevent anything significant from getting through. According to CompuBox, Mayweather connected on 41 percent of his punches (to Guerrero’s 19 percent), 19 percent of his jabs (compared to 11 percent for Guerrero) and a whopping 60 percent of his power shots (28 percent for Guerrero). It was a boxing clinic by a fighter taking on an opponent nowhere near his level.

No rust: Mayweather isn’t the same springboarding defensive fighter he once was, the end result of age costing him some of his mobility. But coming off a one-year layoff and a two-month prison sentence, he was more elusive than he was in his last fight, against Miguel Cotto. Time after time Guerrero went for a big hook and came up with air. Time after time Guerrero tried to crowd Mayweather, only to have him disappear right in front of him. Going into the fight, I thought the only way Guerrero could win would be if Mayweather aged in the ring. Put simply, he didn’t.

Where now, Floyd? There is going to be a groundswell of support for Mayweather — who confirmed before the fight he would be back in September and that he intended to fight five more times — to face Canelo Alvarez in the fall, and Alvarez, who has replaced a defanged Manny Pacquiao as Mayweather’s preferred opponent, is a solid choice. But is there any real reason to believe that an inexperienced Alvarez will be able to locate Mayweather any better than Guerrero? Mayweather’s potential pool of opponents — Alvarez, Danny Garcia, Amir Khan — just aren’t on Mayweather’s level. It’s Floyd’s world, as long as he can keep his skills on top of it.

– Chris Mannix

Here it is. Sports Illustrated writers Chris Mannix (119-109) and Bryan Armen Graham (118-110) both scored the fight in favor of Floyd Mayweather.

Ringside judges Julie Lederman, Jerry Roth and Duane Ford each scored it 117-111 in favor of Mayweather, who retains his WBC welterweight title.

Mayweather landed 195 of 476 punches (41 percent) — including an otherworldly 60 percent of his power shots — compared to 113 of 581 (19 percent) for Guerrero.

Gabriel Rosado (right) suffered a questionable split-decision loss to J’Leon Love on the Mayweather-Guerrero undercard. (Al Bello/Getty Images)

LAS VEGAS — Abner Mares scored a ninth-round TKO of Daniel Ponce de Leon to win the WBC featherweight title in the final undercard bout ahead of Saturday’s main event between Floyd Mayweather and Robert Guerrero at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

Mares, who had floored Ponce de Leon in the second round, scored another knockdown with an overhand right in the ninth. Ponce de Leon made it to his feet, but Mares closed in, raining blows on the champion until referee Jay Nagy intervened with 40 seconds left in the round.

“When I dropped him both times, it was hard,” said Mares, who was moving up from super bantamweight, where he holds the WBC title. “I wasn’t just fighting some opponent, he’s my friend. Especially the second time, I hoped he stayed down.”

Ponce de Leon, who insisted the stoppage was premature, said at least three times he wanted a rematch.

“I don’t want to discredit Mares, but I was winning the fight,” Ponce de Leon said. “The ref stopped the fight so quickly.”

Leo Santa Cruz (24-0-1, 14 KOs) finished off Venezuela’s Alexander Munoz (36-5, 28 KOs) with a crushing TKO after five one-sided rounds.

Santa Cruz, a former bantamweight titleholder moving up to junior featherweight, floored Munoz in the third and fifth before one of his corner men entered the ring and referee Vic Drakulich waved it off at the 1:05 mark.

“I wanted to give a good show for the fans and that’s what I did,” said Santa Cruz, who landed 57 body shots and had a 135-26 edge in landed punches over the last three rounds. “I felt strong and confident tonight.”

J’Leon Love (16-0, 8 KOs) stayed undefeated thanks to a highly dubious split decision over gritty North Philadelphia middleweight Gabriel Rosado (21-7, 13 KOs) in the first televised pay-per-view bout.

Boos rained from the half-full crowd after the scores from ringside judges Glenn Trowbridge (95-94 to Rosado), Herb Santos (97-92 to Love, inexplicably) and Dave Moretti (95-94 to Love) were announced.

“I just fought a guy that has world championship experience and I thought I put up a good fight,” Love said. “We can do it again if he wants so we all know who’s the clear winner.”

The action was mostly even during the early rounds, but Rosado took control when he dumped Love to the canvas for the first time in the Las Vegas native’s career with a straight right hand near the end of the sixth. Love recovered nicely in the seventh and even got the better of a series of toe-to-toe exchanges in the eighth, but Rosado opened up in the ninth and landed the hardest shots of the fight, drawing oohs and aahs from the audience.

Love landed 191 of 487 punches (39 percent) compared to 165 of 555 for Rosado (30 percent), yet the Philadelphian was clearly landing the more meaningful blows.

“My performance spoke volumes tonight,” said Rosado, who was coming off a hard-fought loss in January to Gennady Golovkin in a world title fight. “I don’t think I need to prove myself against him again but I’ll fight him if I have to.”

In the final prelim before the pay-per-view telecast, super middleweight prospect Ronald Gavril (4-0, 1 KO) stayed unbeaten with a third-round TKO of Roberto Yong (5-7-2, 4 KOs). Garvil had Yong on the ropes throughout most of the fight, which was scheduled for four rounds, before three straight head shots prompted referee Russell Mora to intervene at 2:12 of the third.

The victory made it 4-for-4 for Mayweather Promotions fighters in the non-pay-per-view prelims.

Luis “Cuba” Arias (5-0, 3 KOs) outpointed DonYil Livingston (8-3-1, 4 KOs) in a six-round super middleweight bout. The Phoenix, Ariz., native overcame a strong finish by Livingston to pull out a majority decision by scores of 57-57, 58-56 and 58-55.

Badou Jack (14-0, 10 KOs), a rising light heavyweight prospect from Las Vegas, scored a third-round TKO of Michael Gbenga (13-8, 3 KOs), of Silver Spring, Md., by way of Accra, Ghana. Jack sent Gbenga to the canvas with a right hook to the body late in the third round. Gbenga made it to his feet but protested to referee Russell Mora that the punch was low. When the fighter refused to continue, Mora waved it off at the 2:26 mark.

In the night’s first bout, Las Vegas native Lanell Bellows (4-0-1, 4 KOs) scored a fourth-round TKO of Matthew Garretson (2-1, 1 KO) of Charleston, W. Va., in a four-round super middleweight fight. Bellows punished Garretson with body shots in the first two rounds before rocking him with a right uppercut near the end of the third. Referee Kenny Bayless put a stop to it just 32 seconds into the final round.

– Bryan Armen Graham

Floyd Mayweather, Jr., and Robert Guerrero each made weight for their upcoming bout. (Julie Jacobson/AP)

LAS VEGAS — Only Floyd Mayweather, Jr., and Robert Guerrero can be in the ring Saturday to decide their fight for the WBC welterweight title.

But Friday afternoon’s weigh-in at the MGM Grand Garden Arena was very much a family affair.

Just minutes after it was announced Mayweather will earn a minimum of $32 million for Saturday’s bout — a guaranteed figure expected to swell to more than $50 million after the pay-per-view receipts are counted — Mayweather tipped the scales at 146 pounds. Guerrero, who will make a career-high $3 million, came in at the division limit of 147.

A capacity crowd of roughly 4,000 fans — with hundreds more denied admission waiting outside — was heavily in favor of Guerrero, who was a 5-to-1 underdog at the MGM Grand sports book on Friday.

After the fighters stepped off the scale and came together for the ceremonial staredown, tensions boiled over between Floyd Mayweather, Sr., and Ruben Guerrero, the fathers of both men who double as their trainers. The elder Guerrero had called Mayweather, Jr., a “woman beater” eight times during a screaming tirade at Wednesday’s final press conference, a reference to the champion’s two-month jail stint last year on a domestic violence charge.

Mayweather, Sr., pointed at the elder Guerrero and made a throat-slash gesture during the faceoff, while Guerrero motioned to his jaw and dared Mayweather to take a swing. After the fighters split, Ruben Guerrero took a Mexican flag and waved it toward the crowd, while the challenger jawed animatedly with two members of Mayweather’s entourage.

“I feel like the trainers should act their age and let the fighters do the fighting,” Mayweather, Jr., said afterward. “Of course, I come from a boxing family. It’s in my blood. It’s embedded in me. I’m going to go out there and do what I do best, and that’s be victorious.”

Said Guerrero, who did not back down from the gum-chomping Mayweather during the 45-second staredown before he was pulled away: “Nobody is intimidating me.”

This is Mayweather’s first fight at 147 pounds since a fourth-round knockout of Victor Ortiz on Sept. 17, 2011. He won a unanimous decision over Miguel Cotto at 154 pounds on May 5, 2012.

Daniel Ponce de Leon came in at 126 ahead of his WBC featherweight title defense against Abner Mares, who also weighed 126.

Leo Santa Cruz (122) and Alexander Munoz (121) both made weight for their junior featherweight fight.

– Bryan Armen Graham