Mares dethrones Cuellar, Charlo crushes Williams

Three-division world champion Abner Mares (29-2-1, 15 KOs) dethroned WBA featherweight champion Jesus Cuellar (28-2, 21 KOs) by a 12 round split decision on Saturday night at USC’s Galen Center in Los Angeles.

Two judges scored the fight 117-110 and 116-111 for Mares, and one judge scored the fight 115-112 for Cuellar.

Argentina's Cuellar, who was making his third title defence, had his moments and landed some hard shots but Mexican Mares outboxed him in most of the rounds and scored a knockdown in the 11th to gain the 126-pound belt.

Mares has won world titles at bantamweight, super bantamweight and featherweight.

Also on the card, IBF light middleweight champion Jermall Charlo (25-0, 19 KOs) scored a fifth round KO over previously undefeated Julian Williams (22-1-1, 14 KOs).

Charlo's heavier blows dominated the action althrough the challenger connected with some good punches of his own.

The champion droppied American countryman Williams in the second round and twice more in the fifth before the fight was stopped at 2:06 of the round.