Welterweight contender Errol Spence Jr. said during the buildup to his world title elimination fight against Leonard Bundu that he did not want to just win. He said he also wanted to win impressively and to do so by knockout.Check, check and check.Spence violently knocked out Bundu in the sixth round on Sunday before 3,723 in the main event of the first sporting event held at the new Ford Amphitheater at Coney Island Boardwalk in Brooklyn, New York.I was going for the knockout, Spence said. I was fighting on NBC and I wanted to put on a great performance in front of these beautiful fans.I thought my performance was great. I was shaky in the first and second rounds but was able to get into a rhythm the rest of the fight. Once I was able to catch his rhythm and break him down, I knew I had him.Count Bundu as one of those who was impressed by Spence.He certainly lives up to the hype, Bundu said. He looked fresh in every round. He was really good [and] remained in control.The win, in the Premier Boxing Champions match in the prime NBC-televised slot immediately following the United States victory over Serbia in the mens basketball gold-medal game at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics, earned Spence a mandatory shot at the 147-pound world title held by Englands Kell Brook.Spence (21-0, 18 KOs), a 2012 U.S. Olympian and the 2015 ESPN.com prospect of the year, won every round on all three judges scorecards but took a couple of rounds to really get going before finishing Bundu in devastating fashion.Spence, a 26-year-old southpaw from the Dallas suburb of Desoto, Texas, took control with his right jab and also pounded Bundu with a body attack.Bundu (33-2-2, 12 KOs), a 41-year-old 2000 Olympian from Italy and the reigning European welterweight champion, was aggressive but had little success landing anything of consequence.Spences first big shot landed in the fourth round when he knocked out Bundus mouthpiece.Hes awkward. Hes very awkward, and he came out switching [from right-handed to left-handed] and it took me a little of time to get it together, Spence said. But when I got it together and I started using my jab and started feeling him out, I was able to break him down and knock him out.Bundu continued to take punishment in the fifth round, and in the sixth round Spence unleashed a nasty left uppercut that caught him flush on the chin and dropped him. Referee Johnny Callas was positioned behind Bundu and missed the call. He appeared to believe Bundu had slipped. Callas waved his arms and shouted no knockdown even though Bundu was visibly hurt.When the fight resumed, Spence attacked Bundu again and landed another clean left uppercut followed by a right hand to the chin, knocking Bundu out as Callas waved off the fight at 2 minutes, 6 seconds as a limp Bundu laid on his back, half in the ring and half on the ring apron under the bottom rope.Thats what you want. Thats what you look for, Spence said of the knockout. Thats what I want to do every time I come to the ring.After the knockout, Spence marched around the ring making motions with his hands as though he was strapping a title belt around his waist.Whether Spences world title fight comes against Brook (36-0, 25 KOs) or somebody else for the vacant title remains to be seen. Brook is moving up two weight classes for the opportunity to challenge unified middleweight world titleholder Gennady Golovkin on Sept. 10 in London. Should Brook lose, and he is a heavy underdog, he could return to welterweight and defend the title against Spence. However, Brook has a difficult time making 147 pounds and few believe he will ever return to the weight division, regardless of the outcome against Golovkin.I want a shot at Kell Brook as soon as hes done with GGG, said Spence, whose purse was $250,000 to Bundus $30,000. If hes not going to fight me, he needs to vacate and Ill fight somebody else. But I definitely want that IBF title shot this year.According to CompuBox punch statistics, Spence landed 137 of 388 blows (35 percent) and Bundu connected on 51 of 201 (25 percent).Bundu came into the fight having won two in a row following his only previous loss, a shutout decision against Keith Thurman for an interim world title in December 2014 in Las Vegas.Errol was more precise than Keith Thurman, Bundu said. With Keith, every shot is a power punch. You feel them. Errol threw more, but they didnt all hurt.The knockout shot sure did, though.I really tried to get up and I couldnt, Bundu said. I am OK, though. I feel good.The knockout was Spences eighth in a row and second spectacular one in a row, coming four months after he destroyed former junior welterweight world titleholder Chris Algieri, whom he knocked down three times en route to a fifth-round knockout, also in Brooklyn and on NBC in prime time. 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A lawyer for MLB, Matthew Menchel, confirmed Wednesday the league dropped its case against Biogenesis of America, its owner Anthony Bosch and several other individuals. The lawsuit had accused Biogenesis and Bosch of conspiring with players to violate their contracts by providing them with banned performance-enhancing substances. CINCINNATI, Ohio -- Homer Bailey fretted for a moment as first baseman Joey Votto reached to pluck the ball out of the air for the final out. What next? Raise both arms in celebration. Bailey has this no-hitter celebration down pat -- just like his idol, Nolan Ryan. Another hard-throwin Texan who wears No. 34 made some no-hit history Tuesday night. Bailey threw his second in 10 months and led the Cincinnati Reds infield celebration with arms raised after a 3-0 victory over the San Francisco Giants. There was a bit of been-there, done-that in the humid night air. "Its something Ive already done, so I knew what to expect," Bailey said of his easy-as-could-be step into rare territory. Bailey became the third Reds pitcher with more than one no-hitter, joining Jim Maloney and Johnny Vander Meer -- still the only big leaguer to toss two in a row. Bailey beat the Pirates 1-0 in Pittsburgh last Sept. 28 and got another 17 starts later. This one was at home with 27,509 fans standing and chanting "Homer! Homer!" as he finished it off in a tidy 102 pitches with one walk and nine strikeouts. The defending World Series champions had only one moment when they thought they might get a hit. "It was a pretty easy no-hitter," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. "We didnt hit too many balls hard. There werent any tough plays. We only hit a couple balls decent. He was really overmatching us all night." Yes, it was reminiscent of that Hall of Famer from Texas who holds the record with seven no-hitters. And they now have more than just their home state in common. Bailey threw the last of the majors seven no-hitters last season, and now the first of 2013. The last pitcher to throw one no-hitter and then another before anyone else in the majors accomplished the feat was Ryan, according to STATS. Baseballs career strikeout king did it for the California Angels on Sept. 28, 1974, against Minnesota, and June 1, 1975, vs. Baltimore. "Obviously being from Texas and what a legend he is," said Bailey, who wears No. 34 in tribute to his boyhood hero. "To do it once is extra special. To do it twice -- I dont really have the words for it right now." Try Ryan-esque. "He comes from the state of Texas that has produced a lot of no-hitters," said Reds manager Dusty Baker, who made the final out in Ryans fifth no-hitter. "It means a lot -- and hes still got some time left." Bailey (5-6) dominated the defending champs, who are going through quite a slump. It was so tidy that there werent many close calls. He walked Gregor Blanco leading off the seventh, the only Giants batter to reach base. Blanco advanced on a groundout, then made the out that settled San Franciscos only close call. Buster Posey hit a soft one-hopper that pulled Votto away from first base. Bailey got a slow break off the mound to cover the bag, setting up what would have been a close play. Maybe Posey beats Bailey to the base for an infield hit. "That would have been a sad way to lose a no-hitter," Baker said. Instead, Votto saw Blanco break for third and threw him out. "Joey had a great heads-up play. I was almost a little late getting to the bag," Bailey said. Two innings later, Bailey finished it off smoothly. He jumped to glove Brandon Crawfords high comebacker, struck out Tony Abreu and retired Bllanco on a grounder to third baseman Todd Frazier.dddddddddddd. "Going into the eighth and ninth I just said, Why the hell not? Here we go again," Bailey said. Justin Verlander, Mark Buehrle and Roy Halladay are the only other active pitchers with a pair of no-hitters. Halladay, of course, threw one of his in the post-season against the Reds in 2010. When Votto caught the throw for the final out, Bailey raised both arms in triumph, reminiscent of that grand moment in Pittsburgh last September, then hugged catcher Ryan Hanigan. This time, Baker got to celebrate too -- he was in a hospital in Chicago being treated for a mini-stroke last September. Teammates poured onto the field to celebrate and doused Bailey with a red sports drink. It was the 16th no-hitter in Cincinnati history. No Reds pitcher had thrown a no-no at home since Tom Brownings 1-0 perfect game against the Dodgers at Riverfront Stadium on Sept. 16, 1988. Bailey became the third pitcher in the history of baseballs first professional franchise to get more than one. Vander Meer threw the only back-to-back no-hitters in major league history in 1938, beating the Boston Braves and Brooklyn Dodgers. Maloney had a no-hitter at Wrigley Field in 1965 and one at home against Houston in 1969. The Giants were no-hit for the 16th time. The last three pitchers to hold them hitless were all named Kevin -- LAs Gross in 1992, Floridas Brown in 1997 and Philadelphias Millwood in 2003. Bailey was facing a lineup in a deep funk -- two runs or less in nine of San Franciscos last 12 games. Last year was the season of the no-hitter, with seven in all, which tied the modern record. By this point, five had been thrown. So far in 2013, there had been only two close calls. Texas Yu Darvish was working on a perfect game when he gave up a two-out single in the ninth to Houstons Marwin Gonzalez during a 7-0 win on April 2. Detroits Anibal Sanchez gave up a one-out single in the ninth to Minnesotas Joe Mauer in a 6-0 win on May 24. Bailey became the first to take one all the way this year. Votto had a sacrifice fly off Tim Lincecum (4-9), and Brandon Phillips hit a two-run homer for all the help Bailey would need. Lincecum had some of his best moments last season in Cincinnati. Relegated to the bullpen after losing 15 games during the regular season, he went 4 1-3 innings in relief to help the Giants win Game 4 and, eventually, their division series, the first step toward a World Series title. But there was no stopping Bailey this time. Shin-Soo Choo hit Lincecums fifth pitch deep to right. Hunter Pence jumped above the wall and had the ball deflect off the heel of his glove back into play. The umpires initially ruled it a home run, but overturned the call after a review and gave Choo a double. He eventually scored on Vottos sac fly. Phillips hit a drive into the first row in left field in the sixth inning, his 12th homer for a 3-0 lead. NOTES: Bailey became the 31st pitcher to throw at least two no-hitters. ... The Giants moved LHP Mike Kickham into the bullpen, a day after he took his third straight loss. The rookie lasted only 2 2-3 innings in an 8-1 loss to the Reds. Bochy was noncommittal about how hed reconfigure his staff again when RHP Chad Gaudin comes off the DL from a bruised elbow. Hes eligible to return on Saturday. ' ' '
