Photo by Naoki Fukuda

Welterweight Chris Algieri wants back in the headline slot, after being there against Manny Pacquiao and then Amir Khan. He needed a W, over Erick Bone, to get back to that caliber of platform, and went to work on that Saturday night in Brooklyn, at Barclays Center.

Algieri had the volume edge and notched a knockdown in round eight, impressing the judges after ten rounds, to scores the tune of 95-94, 97-92, 97-92.

Bone, last seen losing to Shawn Porter, again showed himself to be no slouch. He’s not overly easy to hit and Algieri had moments when he had a hard time getting a bead on him, but was able to ride a stamina edge to the W.

Algieri went 247-645, to 185-694 for the loser.

After the UD, Algieri said that he did what his corner didn’t want him to. He got too excited and fought inside too much, he said. “Bone is a strong and durable fighter and this fight meant everything to him,” he said.

Algieri (WBO No. 6, ex WBO 140 champ), coming from nearby Long Island, was 145.8, while foe, the Ecuadorian Bone was 145.8 as well on Friday.

In the first, Algieri was the aggressor, though Bone countered him sharply a few times.

In the second, Algieri poked the jab, then snapped it, looked to land combos. A left counter by Bone, an Al Haymon fighter, had the crowd wowing. But Algieri was boxing smart, scoring points.

In the third, Algieri ate a lead right, again eating maybe the hardest shot of the round. Then Algieri landed a clean right on Bone coming in, a stiff blow. In round four, Algieri loaded up some, and Bone slipped smartly. This was a match on an even playing field. In round five, Bone backed up, wasn’t bothered by Algieri’s pop, though a right backed up Bone a step, at 1:26. We saw puffiness on the left eye of Algieri.

In the sixth, we saw both men defending adeptly, slipping. Algieri was busier, had luck to the body, in tight, and took the round. To the seventh…Algieri came out hungry. Both men went tit for tat to the body. We saw blood from Bone’s nose, and the men stood toe to toe and looked for openings.

In round eight, down went Bone, off a right. It didn’t look like a hellacious shot, it landed on his left arm. In round nine, Algieri threw nasty and then flurried and the crowd got into it. Four power shots landed clean, solid work from the Islander. To the tenth, we saw both men still able to launch with frequency, if not vicious power. They were in center ring, squared off, heads bent, digging in. To the cards we went..

Browne stops Sierra

Marcus Browne wasn’t bothered when his foe Francisco Sierra was 183 to his 177 pounds at the Friday weigh in.

“It don’t matter, Mike,” he told me when I asked him about it.

It didn’t..Browne, the 17-0 Staten Islander, stopped Sierra in round four at Barclays Center in Brooklyn on Saturday night.

Browne after said, “I saw I cut him early, but I had to stay consistent and persistent. I had to work my jab, keep working it.”

He said he was honored to fight here for the tenth time.

Browne buzzed Sierra in the first, and cut him on the left eye. The doc looked at it after the first and action re-started. Browne, the lefty, popped a long jab, worked from near, mid-range and far in round two. To three…Browne, who told me this week he’s in no rush, is content with how he’s moving up the ladder, had the left eye bloodier. To the fourth, we saw the doc look again at the eye for an extra measure before the round kicked off. He didn’t like what he saw..he pulled the plug, one second into the fourth. Sierra dips to 27-10-1.

Smith outpoints Rosinsky

Firefighter/fighter Will Rosinsky has been in to this point with the better opposition as opposed to his Saturday night foe at Barclays Center, Joe Smith, underneath the Danny Jacobs-Peter Quillin main event, in Brooklyn.

But there was no clear gap in class, and after ten rounds of energetic battling, the judges tabbed a winner: Smith, by scores 98-92, 97-93, 96-94.

I say they got it right; the busier man won, and the tightness of the scores reflected what happened.

In the first round of a light heavy tussle, the Long Islander Smith (19-1 entering; from nearby Shirley, NY) came out winging. Rosinsky, the shorter man, banged to the body, looked to land counter rights, and did well fighting off the back foot.

In the second, Ozone Park’s Rosinsky (19-2 entering) got backed up with a jab, then backed into the ropes from the rangy Smith. Smith stalked, but ate some counters late in the the round. In the third, Smith wanted to jab, jab, land a mighty right. Rosinsky’s merry and loud band of fans, from his fire company, exhorted their bud to land hard and fast. To the fourth…Smith wanted to impose himself on Rosinsky, use the jab to keep him at bay, interrupt his flow. But now Smith was backing up more; the match was looking on even terms to this point.

In the fifth, a smacking right, and a left dug to the body landed on Rosinsky in the first third of the round. His right hand was quieting down the Rosinsky rooters somewhat. To the sixth; would anyone pull away, put a stamp on this tangle? In the seventh, Smith went back to his corner, nodding, liking his work.

In round eight, Rosinsky picked up his pace, again going lefty for stretches. He raised his hands to the air in the waning seconds, telling all he was liking his work. His left eye, a bit puffy, was OK. In the ninth, a right tagged Smith as he backed out, and he kept plowing forward. To the tenth and final round..Smith was the busier to start, with a poking jab. They both mauled, and Rosinsky pawed at that left eye. A left hook by Smith in tight landed clean. Both men worked hard and there wasn’t much separating them.

Heather Hardy wins

Heather Hardy, described by her promoter Lou DiBella as the “Micky Ward of female boxing,” took on Noemi Bosques in a rematch tangle, and if we didn’t see Ward’s trademark liver-obliterator doing damage worse than Jack Daniels, Hardy did impress.

The ladies had the fortune of going on after the slambang affair that was Jacobs-Quillin and Hardy, the fighting pride of Gerritsen Beach, who now lives in DUMBO, Brooklyn, showed that her fanbase is immensely loyal. Hundreds of folks stuck around for this walk-out bout, and the majority clapped when Hardy got the nod. The scores were 80-72, 80-72, 79-73, for the blonde bomber.

Hardy (now 15-0) slipped and move, and struck and slid nicely through two. Bos ate a sharp left hook in the fourth, but kept advancing. She bounced, and tossed but Hardy moves well, and keeps those feet moving. She’d pump jabs, one, two, three, dip low, throw to the body, and then shuffle out. Hardy moved, banged Bosques (10-4-2) , threw uppercuts, strafed with left hooks, mixed punches well…she was giving the hardy Hardy fans good action, making sure they didn’t regret sticking around. To the eighth, two power tosses from Hardy punctuated the round. We went to the cards..