Magdaleno stops Davis in four on Solo Boxeo

Diego Magdaleno, THE RING's No. 5-rated junior lightweight, extended his unbeaten record to 23-0 with a dominant four-round stoppage of Antonio Davis in a Solo Boxeo main event from in his hometown of Las Vegas on Saturday.

The 25-year-old southpaw controlled the Telefutura-televised bout with an in-and-out attack that relied heavily on body work. Davis, a three-time title challenger from Atlanta, tried to time Magdaleno with hooks and right hands as he moved about the ring but the 40-year-old veteran lacked the reflexes and legs to catch or hurt the young contender.

After rocking Davis with a right uppercut with 20 seconds left in the fourth round, Magdaleno (23-0, 9 knockouts) pressed the older fighter to the ropes and pounded him with unanswered power shots to the body and head until referee Joe Cortez stepped between them with one second remaining in the round.

Davis dropped to 29-8 (13) with the stoppage loss.

The opening televised bout of the Top Rank-promoted card featured two undefeated boxers from Phoenix, Ariz., but only one of them -- Jose Benavidez Jr. -- was a real prospect. The other, Javier Loya, was a sitting duck.

Benavidez, a 6-foot 20-year-old junior welterweight with power in both hands, improved to 16-0 (13) with an easy fourth-round stoppage of his game but undersized and overmatched opponent. Benavides used his jab to control the distance and set up accurate right hands that repeatedly rocked Loya (7-1, 6 KOs).

Benavidez, who scored a first-round knockdown, pinned Loya to the ropes and overwhelmed the 26-year-old Mexico native with a barrage of heavy shots midway through the fourth. Referee Tony Weeks waved the bout off once it was clear that Loya could not compete.