By Scott Shaffer @ ringside

Middleweight John Duddy overpowered Byron Mackie at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City, stopping him in four rounds to improve to 13-0. Mackie, who took the fight on short notice, did not appear to be in great shape, but his effort could not be faulted. He was knocked down four times in the four rounds, tried his best and actually landed a few solid shots. Still, Mackie spent far too  much time standing right in front of the powerful Duddy without throwing any punches, which is a recipe for disaster. Duddy was much stronger than Mackie and the outcome was never in doubt, much to the delight of the packed house. A straight right to the top of Mackie's head resulted in a first-round knockdown, Mackie crumpled under Duddy's assault in the third, and went down two more times before the towel came flying in from the corner of Mackie, who is now 25-12.