Nilo Guerrero has taken a huge step towards contender status.

Guerrero defeated Mandeep Jangra by majority decision on Thursday night at the Legends Casino Hotel in Toppenish, Washington. Judge Alan Krebs (95-95) scored the fight a draw. Vincent Santino (96-94) and Perla Rodriguez (98-92) had enough of Guerrero in a clash of undefeated junior lightweights.

With this victory, Guerrero (10-0, 7 knockouts) won the lightweight world title.

“I’m so grateful for this opportunity,” said Guerrero, a Nicaraguan candidate who lives in Coachella, Calif. “All the sacrifice and demanding work was worth it. Now I’m more motivated than ever to get back to work and try to be better every day.”

Guerrero was the more effective fighter in the first half of the fight, with the undefeated 24-year-old outboxing Jangra, switching attacks and landing combinations to the head and body.

Feeling like he was in the red, Jangra rebounded in the final three rounds, winning the tenth round on two of the three cards. If he had won on Santino’s card, the fight would have ended in a split decision draw.

Instead, Jangra — an Indian-born boxer who now lives in Florida — was forced to suffer his first defeat. The 31-year-old, represented by Roy Jones Jr. Boxing Promotions — who also trains with the Hall of Fame boxer from Pensacola — fell to a 10-1 (7 KO) loss.

In his previous fight on June 15, Guerrero defeated Duke Olguin by unanimous decision. The win over Olguin came exactly four months after Guerrero knocked out Dan Hernandez in the first round.

Guerrero is promoted by Toro Promotions and his manager is Vartan Torosyan.

Two athletes trained by Jones won.

Featherweight contender Dominique Roundtree of Augusta, Georgia defeated Roberto Cantu Pena by decision in six one-sided rounds. All three judges scored the fight 60-53 in favor of Roundtree, who improved to 10-0, 6 KOs.

Cantu Pena, originally from McAllen, Texas and currently residing in Rio Bravo, Mexico, lost 4-4, 3 KOs.

In a junior middleweight fight, Keon Papillion (10-0-1, 7 KOs) of Lafayette, Louisiana, defeated the experienced Rondale Hubbert (16-33-3, 10 KOs) of Duluth, Minnesota, in two rounds.

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Junior middleweight contender Callum Walsh scored a stunning knockout victory over Przemysław Runowski on Friday at the 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland.

Walsh (12-0, 10 KO) stopped Runowski (22-3-1, 6 KO) at 2:06 of the second round, marking a successful comeback for the 23-year-old Irishman, who has never fought professionally in his home country.

Walsh started cautiously, trying to counterattack as the lively Dublin crowd cheered him on. Despite his circumscribed power, Runowski pressed forward but was stunned by Walsh’s left hook behind schedule in the first round. Runowski’s body began to turn red as Walsh ended the round with a keen left jab.

In the second round, Walsh opened with a left-handed body shot, then dropped his hands to his hips in a gunslinger stance. He soon floored Runowski with a powerful left hook after absorbing a right hook from his opponent. Although Runowski beat the count of exactly 10, the referee dismissed the fight.

A 360 Promotions representative confirmed to BoxingScene that the event was sold out with 8,000 people in attendance. The fight, promoted by 360 Promotions, was broadcast worldwide on UFC Fight Pass.

After the fight, Walsh joked about the celebratory atmosphere, saying, “I hope Dana White [UFC’s CEO and president] “he brought an umbrella” – referring to the beer that flew towards the ring after his victory.

Reflecting on his knockout, Walsh added: “It’s unbelievable. They said he never got stopped until he got in my face. I just hit too demanding.”

Walsh, who is riding a three-fight knockout streak, hinted at regular returns to Ireland for future fights. “Dana White told me we’re coming back. This is just the beginning,” he said.

With his eyes set on a bigger challenge, Walsh declared, “I’m a contender, not a candidate. I’m coming for all the belts and I want to give them back to the Irish.”

Hundreds of boxing fans packed London’s Trafalgar Square on Friday to watch the final fight between Anthony Joshua and Daniel Dubois ahead of their IBF heavyweight title fight at Wembley Stadium on Saturday.

Joshua (28-3, 25 KOs) weighed 252 pounds, slightly more than Dubois (21-2, 20 KOs), who weighed the most at 248 pounds.

After dropping weight, Joshua made a plea to his fans, most of whom were rooting for him, not his opponent.

“If I can ask one favor of you, come home tonight and say a prayer for me to succeed tomorrow, to become a three-time heavyweight champion of the world,” Joshua said.

“I consider myself a gladiator, and tomorrow I go into the arena to perform in front of people who love to see blood, guts, and glory.”

Dubois was a bit more reserved and seemed laser-focused.

“I’m ready to fight, it’s just time to get in the ring and fight. I’m ready to fight. I’ve put a lot of work into this, a lot of training. I’m going to win by any means possible,” Dubois said.

The weigh-ins capped an eventful week of fights that took place at some of London’s most iconic locations – including a media briefing at Elderly Billingsgate, a photo op in front of Tower Bridge, a grand arrival in Leicester Square and a press conference at the Guildhall, built in 1440.

“They really push the boundaries in Riyadh during the season. In Los Angeles, we took over the Santa Monica Pier a few weeks ago [and] “The Chinese Theatre,” Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn told ESPN.

“It’s obviously Trafalgar Square… so firstly, it’s a lot closer to home and secondly, it’s a project that requires a lot of capital and investment. [hold events].

“The whole week has been incredible and this is the icing on the cake ahead of a historic night at Wembley tomorrow.

Hearn said Joshua was in the best shape of his career but warned Dubois would be a tough challenge.

“AJ is in a place I’ve never seen him before. I mean I’m always nervous about his fights but he just looks ready mentally, physically. But Dubois is a handful, it’s not going to be an basic fight,” Hearn said.

“But I believe he will win tomorrow and become a three-time heavyweight world champion.

Turki Alalshikh, chairman of the Saudi General Entertainment Authority, confirmed on Thursday that tickets had been sold out. A post-war record of 96,000 spectators is expected at Wembley Stadium on Saturday night.

Frank Warren, Dubois’ promoter, said the event would be unforgettable.

“Bombs down, that’s the way it’s going to be,” Warren said.

“I am very excited, it will be a huge fight and we will see fireworks tomorrow.

“[Dubois] “He’s a youthful man who just turned 27, he showed what he’s all about. He’s placid, composed and collected. You’re going to see something special tomorrow night.”