At Toyota Arena in Ontario, California, middleweight contender Shane Mosley, Jr. (20-4, 10 KOs) secured the NABO belt with a seventh round knockout victory over Temple Hills, Massachusetts, D’Mitrius “Big Meech” Ballard (21-2-1, 13 KOs).
Originally scheduled for 10-rounds, Mosley, Jr. controlled the pace of the fight, managing Ballard’s awkward style until the referee called the fight at 1:42 of the seventh round.
Mosley Jr., son of Hall of Famer and three division world champion Shane Mosley, was engaged in a give and take encounter with both fighters having their moments.
The tempo of the fight changed in the fifth, when Mosley rocked Ballard and sent him crashing from a series of a punches. Ballard was able to bounce back in the sixth, as he took the fight to Mosley on the inside.
Once again, Mosley let his hands fly in the seventh. Ballard was once again in serious trouble, but this time he was being battered by heavy punches against the ropes until the referee jumped in to wave off the fight.
“The plan was to take control of the fight from the first round, I was a control freak in there,” said Mosley Jr.
“Control the pace even when he was walking me back it was because I wanted him to walk me back. I put him where I wanted him to be. And you saw when I turned it up, it was too much for him. So I did what I needed to do, we got the knockout. This guy is 21-1 the only person to beat him was the main event, Jaime Munguía. This means I’m on the road to getting that strap, that belt, it’s strap season. I’m going to be the WBA world champion.”