[BigBoyBrackey]

Harry Wills (5) W12 Georges Carpentier (12): This physical mismatch looked like a quick blowout in the early going, as Wills knocked The Orchid Man across the ring with a heavy right cross 20 seconds in, then dug home a series of crunching hooks to the ribs that threatened to break the smaller man in half.

Bobbing and weaving against the ropes for the last half of the first, Carpentier – ceding three inches and 40 pounds to The Black Panther – ate a number of jarring shots, but managed to avoid just enough to make it to the bell.

When Carpentier staggered to his corner at the end of the first and out of it at the beginning of the second, it seemed only a matter of time until Wills would secure his spot in the quarterfinals. But instead, the bigger man had apparently punched himself, doing little beyond stalking as Carpentier’s head cleared and he began to score with quick, if relatively light, jabs to the face and rights to the body.

It was more of the same in the third until the final 30 seconds, when Wills regained control with a bruising jab and a series of damaging body shots.

A pattern emerged in the middle rounds, with Carpentier attempting to force the action with quick flurries before retreating or moving to the side. Wills patiently countered, though, often landing a hard shot or two before the Frenchman was able to flee.

Wills was landing more clean shots and his punches did far more damage, though Carpentier did rattle his larger opponent on a few occasions.

Well ahead going into the 10th, Wills decided to protect his lead, rather than trying to close the show. He became even more passive after a Carpentier right opened a cut over his right eyebrow, though neither the wound’s location nor its severity posed a serious threat.

Wills was content to block punches and clinch through the last three rounds, a strategy which nearly backfired, Oscar de la Hoya-style. But unlike The Golden Boy’s come-from-ahead loss to Felix Trinidad, Wills had amassed enough of a lead through the early going to pull out a majority decision by scores of 115-114, 116-113, while the overly generous third official saw it even at 114-114.

Jack Dempsey (1) TKO5 Quintin Romero Rojas (49): Dempsey’s third fight – the last of the third round -- lasted longer than his first two tournament outings combined, but wasn’t much more competitive than his two-round demolition of Sully Montgomery or his first-round blowout of Fighting Bob Martin.

Rojas, who had the worst career record (25-50-8) in the field, but upset No. 16 seed Bob Roper and No. 17 Bearcat Wright to reach the third round, barely made it out of the first. He failed to land a meaningful punch in the opening three minutes, while absorbing a horrific two-handed beating to the face and body. Referee Sean Curtin watched closely over Rojas for the final minute of the first and, while few would have objected had he stopped the mismatch, was apparently swayed – or mesmerized -- by the Chilean’s ability to stay upright under the onslaught.

Rojas fared little better in the second, third or fourth rounds. In each frame, an equally powerful but less-frenzied Dempsey battered Rojas about the ring, but didn’t have him in serious trouble until the end of the fourth. An overhand right raised rapid swelling under Rojas’ left eye and a vicious right uppercut forced him to hang on. Dempsey freed himself and unloaded a pair of hooks followed by another overhand right that again had Curtin ready to step in when the bell rang.

Rojas had nothing but heart left in the fifth, eating a steady barrage of power shots, capped by a pair of flush right crosses, followed by a right uppercut-left hook-right uppercut combo from Dempsey that finally dropped his over-matched target.

Rojas, his left eye swollen shut and his mouth bleeding, managed to climb to his feet as the count reached four. After wiping off his gloves, Curtin looked ready to wave the fighters together when he thought better of it and wrapped his arms around Rojas, saving him from serious injury.

Two of the officials had Dempsey ahead 40-35 at the conclusion, giving him a 10-8 edge in the brutally one-sided first. The third judge somehow saw fit to give Rojas the second round, cutting Dempsey’s advantage to 39-37.

According to PunchStat, Dempsey landed 207 punches to just 62 for Rojas.