Ring VI: Live Updates From Shakur Stevenson-Teofimo Lopez

History, a seven-letter word that takes less than a second to say, but years and years to make. For every championship belt Shakur Stevenson has won, thousands of hours were spent in the gym. For every lineal champion Teofimo Lopez has defeated, thousands of hours were spent strategizing and working with his father to perfect his skill. The minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, and years that were sacrificed in the pursuit of something greater have led to this: two men from the tri-state area putting everything on the line in front of a sold-out crowd at the arena they dreamed of fighting at since they were kids — Madison Square Garden.

For Shakur Stevenson, tonight’s main event offers the opportunity to win a world title in his fourth weight class, an accomplishment that would put him in a rare group that includes the likes of Manny Pacquiao, Floyd Mayweather Jr., and even his friend and mentor, Terence “Bud” Crawford. For Teofimo Lopez, a win against Shakur Stevenson would bolster his already strong case to become a first-ballot International Boxing Hall of Fame inductee when his career comes to an end. But more importantly, for both Stevenson and Lopez, Saturday night’s super lightweight bout is about pride.

From the amateur ranks to the pro ranks, both Stevenson and Lopez have believed that they are among the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world. While tonight’s result won’t erase what they’ve done thus far in their careers, a win will elevate them into conversations with Oleksandr Usyk, Naoya Inoue, Dmitry Bivol, and Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez. So, who will it be? Will the kid from Brick City win gold in the pro ranks, or will the boxer out of the Big Apple show that he should never be a betting underdog again?

Austin "Ammo" Williams v. Wendy Toussaint

Result: Williams def. Toussaint (UD, 10 — 98-91, 99-90, 99-90)

Less than 24 hours before stepping into the ring, Austin "Ammo" Williams learned that he would not be fighting Carlos Adames for the WBC Middleweight Championship as he had hoped. Instead, after Adames was declared too ill to fight, he was offered a substitute, a non-title bout against veteran Wendy Toussaint. While Toussaint did not present the same challenge and opportunity that Adames did, he did offer Williams the opportunity to earn some new fans as viewers tuned into watch one of the biggest cards of the last 12 months. However, Williams did not take advantage of the opportunity in that manner. The middleweight hopeful dominated the majority the fight, knocking down Toussaint early, but the fight lacked the excitement, energy, and eye-catching moments that a title fight against Adames may have provided. Still, Williams did what needed to be done and walked away with the win. So, what's next? With Adames still out there as well as champions like Jesus Ramos out there and super welterweight champions like Xander Zayas potentially moving up in weight, there are still opportunities for Williams to make a name for himself. For now, he'll just have to do the one thing that fighter hate to do — wait.

Jarrell "Big Baby" Miller v. Kingsley Ibeh

Result: Miller def. Ibeh (SD, 10 — 94-96, 97-93, 97-93)

He may have lost his hair, but he did not lose the fight. After nearly 18 months out of the ring, Miller trudged his way to victory against Kingley Ibeh, a game yet ultimately outgunned Nigerian-American heavyweight, by way of a split decision. Miller, a Brooklyn native fighting in front of his hometown fans, left a lot to be desired in the early rounds. Getting hit cleanly upstairs early and often, Miller seemed to be on his way to a shocking upset loss. However, the veteran heavyweight was able to use his work rate and weight to lean on, pressure, and ultimately tire out a determined Ibeh late in the fight. At the end of 10 rounds, two of the three judges scored the bout in Miller's favor, but questions still remain. Was Miller's performance in the first half of the fight the result of ring rust or that Father Time is hitting him with some good shots as he approaches his 38th birthday this summer? Time, ironically, will tell as he moves forward to potential fights with heavyweight contenders like Jared Anderson, Martin Bakole, or even the likes of Agit Kabayel and Fabio Wardley.

Bruce "Shu Shu" Carrington v. Carlos Castro

Result: Carrington def. Castro (KO, 9)

When asked how he'd react if he were able to win his first world title at Madison Square Garden, Bruce "Shu Shu" Carrington was unsure. He said that he'd just have to find out in the moment. From shedding tears of joy to letting out a roar as he looked at the crowd, the Brooklyn native expressed every emotion possible as he stopped Castro in the ninth round with a picture perfect combination. With Spike Lee and all of his hometown fans sitting ringside, the roof nearly blew off of Madison Square Garden as he captured his first world title.

With that said, the road Carrington took to this knockout wasn't entirely made up of rainbows and sunshine. After taking the first three rounds, Castro put pressure on the Brooklyn native, putting him in the corner and going to work. However, the newly minted WBC Featherweight Champion was able to rebound in rounds seven and eight as he controlled the pace, got into a rhythm and began landing upstairs against the game Castro. Carrington capped off the rebound stretch by putting Castro on his back and forcing the referee to count to ten.

Keyshawn Davis v. Jamaine Ortiz

Result: Davis def. Ortiz (TKO, 12)

Nearly one year to the day since he won the WBO Lightweight Championship, Keyshawn Davis has returned to the ring for the first time in 11 months. Serving as the betting favorite in the Ring VI co-main event, Davis set the pace and punished Jamaine Ortiz in the second half of the bout. Ultimately, the Virginia native's body punching and consistent targeting of Ortiz's left side nearly closed his opponent's eye completely and sent him to the canvas in rounds 11 and 12. With less than 15 seconds left in the fight, the referee stepped in and put an end to the one-sided fight. Having become the first man to stop Ortiz within the distance, the former WBO Lightweight Champion has put the super lightweight division on notice.

Teofimo Lopez v. Shakur Stevenson

Result: Stevenson def. Lopez (UD, 12 — 119-109, 119-109, 119-109)