By Peter Lim

Former light heavyweight world title challenger Cedric Agnew (28-2, 14 KOs) won a unanimous six-round decision over Kevin Engel (20-13, 16 KOs) but not before surviving a dramatic rollercoaster fourth round at the Bayou City Events Center in Houston. Midway through the round the switch-hitting Agnew dropped Engel with a short left to the solar plexus from a southpaw stance.

Engel barely beat the count and Agnew went in for the kill but left himself open for a right to the jaw that dropped him to the canvas. Agnew rose on wobbly legs and appeared out on his feet as he backed into a neutral corner. It was Engel's turn to go for the kill but the bell sounded before he could inflict further damage.

Agnew managed to shake off the cobwebs between rounds and regained control of the fight. Thirty seconds before the final bell he dropped Engel to his knees with a barrage of punches. Engel spit out his mouthpiece to buy additional recovery time and survived till the final bell.

Agnew challenged Sergey Kovalev for an alphabet belt last year and was stopped in eight rounds.

Light heavyweight Cornelius White (22-4, 17 KOs) snapped a three-fight losing streak by stopping William Johnson (10-42-2, 3 KOs) in the second round. Referee Gary Simon jumped in to end the action after White trapped Johnson against the ropes and bombarded him with a volley of unanswered blows. Like Agnew, White was stopped by Kovalev in 2013.

In a battle of undefeated cruiserweights Cortez Coleman (3-0, 2 KOs) pulled off a minor upset when he stopped hometown favorite Robert Silva (7-1, 5 KOs) on cuts in the third round. The fight was evenly contested before Silva suffered a nasty gash over his left eye. Referee Ivan Guzman stopped the fight on the ringside physician's recommendation.

Cruiserweight Craig Hernandez (2-0, 1 KO) scored a picturesque one-punch knockout of Preston Kenney (7-20, 6 KOs) in the first round. Hernandez uncorked a left hook smack on the chin that had Kenney pitching forward and twisting 180 degrees before he hit the canvass.

Middleweight Radmir Akhmediyev (7-0, 6 KOs) saw his six-fight knockout streak come to an end when he was extended the distance by survivalist Vance Garvey (9-43-6, 3 KOs) over six rounds. Garvey fought the entire fight with his gloves glued to his cheeks much like Josh Clottey did against Manny Pacquiao.

Junior middleweight Alberto Robles (5-1, 1 KO) won a third round DQ over Antron Pearson (2-5, 1 KO) after Pearson shoved referee Ivan Guzman in the chest as Guzman was warning him for holding.

Junior welterweight David Limerick (5-0, 3 KOs) outpointed Anthony Hill (1-12) over four rounds.

Cruiserweight Kenneth Allen (1-0) won a four-round decision over Ricky Bing (0-2).

The card was staged by Savarese Boxing Promotions.