INDIO, Calif. -- Light heavyweight contender Sullivan Barrera got his chance to fight a big-name opponent in March and lost a lopsided decision to Andre Ward, one of boxings elite pound-for-pound fighters who went on to defeat Sergey Kovalev to claim three world title belts last month.It was a forgivable defeat for Barrera, whose goal was to get back into another major fight as soon as possible, and he may have punched his ticket with a tremendous three-knockdown performance in a seventh-round knockout of Vyacheslav Shabranskyy on Friday night at the Fantasy Springs Resort Casino.With this win, I proved all the people who bad-mouthed me wrong, Barrera said. This win is for all the boxing fans out there. I want to specifically thank my trainer, Derik Santos. He sat me down, we watched the tapes, and he said to me, Sullivan, this is what you have to do to get the win. This proves that my career in boxing is alive. I want a rematch with Andre Ward.Barrera said he also would love a shot at world titleholder Nathan Cleverly and that he would go to his home country of Wales to face him.Headlining an HBO Latino-televised tripleheader, Barrera and Shabranskyy put on an exciting, high-contact fight, but Barreras combination of power and speed carried the day.Barrera, in his first fight with Santos after parting ways with 2015 Boxing Writers Association of America trainer of the year Abel Sanchez, started fast, going at Shabranskyy immediately with right hands. He pounded him with rights and then landed a clean one to knock him down in the first round. Shabranskyy made it out of the round, but he was close to being stopped. Then Shabranskyy came storming back in the second round and knocked Barrera down with a right hand in a back-and-forth battle, although Barrera did not appear nearly as hurt as Shabranskyy had been.Shabranskyy (17-1, 14 KOs), 29, a Ukraine native living in Los Angeles, was down again in the fifth round after getting clobbered with another clean right hand late in the round, and he was taking punishment as the round came to a close.Barrera (18-1, 13 KOs), 34, a Miami-based Cuban defector who had a big amateur career, was in control when he landed another huge right hand in the seventh round and Shabranskyy went down hard, forcing referee Ray Corona to wave off the fight without a count at 2 minutes, 5 seconds.Of course, we would never expect this, said Shabranskyy, who had made his name as a fighter to watch thanks to a decision win against formidable Yunieski Gonzalez in December 2015. We will decide next steps after we get over this.Main Events CEO Kathy Duva, Barreras promoter, said she was impressed with the improvement he showed with Santos as his trainer.I thought it was tremendous, Duva said. I saw such an improvement. The jab, the composure. He and Derik have only been working together for a short time. You step up and take the tough fights and this is what you get.Ellis destroys Gomez in first roundWelterweight Rashidi Ellis scored a highlight-reel first-round knockout of Eddie Gomez in a stunning result.On paper the fight was as even a matchup as one could ask for between two up-and-comers. But Ellis (17-0, 12 KOs), 23, of Boston, steamrolled Gomez (19-2, 11 KOs), 24, of Bronx, New York, in devastating fashion.They felt each other out for the first half of the round, but then Ellis caught Gomez with a huge right hand that sent him to the mat.He beat the count but was a bit shaky when the fight resumed, and Ellis wasted no time launching another crushing right hand to the chin that sent him crashing to the mat again as referee Eddie Hernandez waved off the fight without a count at 1 minute, 19 seconds.I knew he was a good opponent, and we worked on the right hand the whole training camp, Ellis said.The win was the biggest of his career, one he hopes will launch him to bigger fights.It gives me a chance to show the world my talent and what level I am on, said Ellis, who said he was motivated to win by the birth of his first child, a boy, two weeks ago. Ill fight anybody.Rios just in there having funSanta Ana, California, featherweight contender Ronny Rios (27-1, 12 KOs), 26, used an unrelenting body attack to make Roy Pitbull Tapia (12-2-2, 6 KOs), 25, of East Los Angeles, quit on his stool after the sixth round.Rios went after Tapias body from the opening bell and pounded him with both hands. He shook him up with body blows in the third round and targeted his flanks throughout the fight.?When the sixth round ended, he was done and referee Corona waved off the fight. Rios won his fourth fight in a row since suffering his lone defeat, an upset fifth-round knockout loss to Robinson Castellanos in October 2014.I was just in there having fun, Rios said. Im more aware of my surroundings ... I could hear my coach, and relax my arms so much more. I was in the same position Roy is in now at one point in my career, and all I can say is that you learn so much more with a loss than you ever could with a win.Martin stops Suarez in fourth roundLightweight prospect Ryan Blue Chip Martin (18-0, 11 KOs), of Chattanooga, Tennessee, dropped and stopped Yardley Suarez (19-6, 10 KOs), of Sacramento, California, in the fourth round. Martin floored him with a left hook and moments later got the stoppage when referee Rudy Barragan jumped in at 48 seconds.The fight was Martins first with trainer Abel Sanchez, whose camp in Big Bear Lake, California, is where he prepared at. Its the same camp where fighters such as Gennady Golovkin, Murat Gassiev, Andy Ruiz and Denis Shafikov trained.Working in Big Bear has been a great experience, Martin said. Everybody up there is hungry. 2017 is time for me to make a move and thats what my goal is -- to be top a lightweight and be in contention for a belt by the end of next year.ElsewhereJunior featherweight Javier Padilla (2-0, 2 KO), of Indio, California, had the hometown fans cheering as he knocked out Mexicos Jose Mora (0-2) at 44 seconds of the second round. Padilla dropped him twice in the first round and once more in the second. ... Junior welterweight Vergil Ortiz Jr. (3-0, 3 KOs), of Dallas, drilled Mexicos Nestor Garcia (0-2) with a left hook, flooring him hard in the second round, and referee Eddie Hernandez counted him out at three minutes. ... Santa Ana, California, junior middleweight Alexis Rocha (6-0, 4 KOs), half-brother of featherweight contender Ronny Rios, scored knockdowns on left hooks to the body in the second and third round in a shutout decision against Los Angeles Abraham Calderon (1-4, 0 KOs). All three judges scored the fight 40-36. New York Mets Jerseys . The CFLs leading rusher kept adding to his gaudy numbers this season and scored the winning touchdown with just over two minutes to play. The New Westminster, B.C., native plowed three yards into the end zone for the last score of a heated, see-saw battle between the two teams with the best records in the CFL. Gary Carter Mets Jersey . The CFLs leading rusher kept adding to his gaudy numbers this season and scored the winning touchdown with just over two minutes to play. The New Westminster, B.C., native plowed three yards into the end zone for the last score of a heated, see-saw battle between the two teams with the best records in the CFL. http://www.metssale.com/mets-adeiny-hechavarria-jersey/ . -- There were so many positives from the Orlando Magics first victory of the season that it was hard for coach Jacque Vaughn to stop praising his players. Tim Tebow Jersey . 10 Texas Rangers jersey for one last time. Young formally announced his retirement Friday after returning to Rangers Ballpark, his baseball home for all but the last of his 13 major league seasons. Nolan Ryan Mets Jersey . -- PGA TOUR Canada member Steve Saunders took a three-stroke lead Saturday in the Web. Since the college football offseason, we have ranked everything from the weakest position groups to the biggest question marks. This week, using the ESPN College Football Power Rankings?as our guide, we answer this question: Which true freshman has had the biggest impact so far on each of the top 25 teams?1.?Alabama Crimson Tide Jalen Hurts Hurts wasnt supposed to be in the quarterback conversation, let alone the starter. Now the dual-threat athlete from Texas is the first true freshman in more than 30 years to begin a game under center at Alabama. Through two weeks of play, he has completed 61 percent of his passes for four touchdowns and one interception. -- Alex Scarborough2. Florida State SeminolesRicky AguayoFlorida State had the No. 1 class, thanks to a five-star signee, a top-two quarterback and 16 ESPN 300 recruits, but its biggest contributor so far is kicker Aguayo. Hes a perfect 7-for-7 on field goals, and in his debut, he kicked three fourth-quarter field goals to put the Ole Miss win on ice -- which Aguayo let everyone know runs through his veins. -- Jared Shanker3. Ohio State BuckeyesMichael Jordan The most recent true freshman to start the season opener on the offensive line for Ohio State? Just some guy named Orlando Pace. Thats a Hall of Fame standard for Jordan to try to reach, and while theres no reason to start working on a bronze bust yet, hes already making a mark in the trenches. After using his strength and maturity to make an early claim to a starting job, Jordan figures to hold onto it for a while. -- Austin Ward4. Houston Cougars Ed Oliver There is no question that Oliver has been the guy for the Cougars. A five-star recruit, Oliver was expected to have an instant impact, and he did, recording seven tackles and two sacks in the Cougars 33-23 upset win over Oklahoma on Sept. 3. Oliver earned a starting job at defensive tackle coming out of training camp and will be a surefire freshman All-American candidate. --?Sam Khan Jr.5.?Clemson Tigers Dexter LawrenceIt isnt that anyone doubted Lawrences ability before the season. He was Clemsons top recruit and an imposing force in the middle of the defensive line. But just how quickly Lawrence has made his presence felt is impressive. In the opener against Auburn, he was constantly in the backfield, and he recorded seven tackles, a sack and a pass breakup. In last weeks action against Troy, he again tallied seven tackles, including 1.5 for a loss. Through two weeks, Lawrence is tied with North Carolinas Nazair Jones for the most tackles by an ACC interior lineman. -- David M. Hale6. Michigan WolverinesChris Evans Two games into his college career, Evans has more than twice as many rushing yards as anyone else on the Wolverines roster. His speed provides a good complement to the power of senior starter DeVeon Smith and should give him opportunities to contribute throughout the season. -- Dan Murphy7. Stanford Cardinal Nate HerbigIts tough for a true freshman to see significant playing time in David Shaws program -- even Christian McCaffrey didnt get many touches two years ago. But Stanford is excited about 350-pound Herbig, and they used him as one of their extra offensive lineman against Kansas State (the Cardinal fittingly call this the Ogre position). Herbig was in on McCaffreys game-sealing 41-yard touchdown run, as he used his big frame to do some bulldozing on the right side. -- David Lombardi8. Washington Huskies ?Nick HarrisHarris has worked his way into the Huskies offensive line rotation, despite the fact that eight other Washington players came into this season with starting experience. Harris didnt come into Seattle with a ton of fanfare; he held offers from (besides UW) only Cal Poly and New Hampshire. However, Chris Petersen has been very impressed by his motor and physicality at guard. -- Chantel Jennings9. Wisconsin Badgers Anthony Lotti Lotti is the only true freshman listed as a starter on Wisconsins depth chart. He battled P.J. Rosowski for the spot and earned his first two punt attempts in Week 2 against Akron, averaging 37.5 yards. His second try didnt have enough hang time and was returned for a touchdown. Still, the coaching staff thinks highly of Lotti, a specialist who earned a scholarship out of high school. -- Jesse Temple10.?Louisville CardinalsMason KingIts a little tough to pick out an exceptional freshman on one of the countrys most experienced teams. Not a single first-year player appears on the Cardinals two-deep, and besides King, the punter, no redshirt freshman is a starter. So far this season, freshmen -- redshirt or otherwise -- have accounted for just 30 yards of offense and 12 tackles, so King wins by default. He has punted seven times for an average of 41.4 yards, which hasnt mattered all that much, given the points put up by red-hot QB Lamar Jackson. -- Hale11. Texas Longhorns Shane Buechele The Longhorns six-year search for their next great quarterback might finally be over. Buechele has been confident and efficient in his first two starts, completing 71.7 percent of his passes and guiding Texas new-look offense to 91 points in its first two games. The kid throws a mean deep ball too and isnt afraid to take hits in the run game. -- Max Olson12. Tennessee Volunteers Tyler ByrdThe Vols havent had a lot of contributions from freshmen yet. The one to keep an eye on is Byrd, who through two games has one catch for 5 yards. However, the former No. 1-rated high school athlete has a chance to make a big impact on an offense still searching for a more consistent passing game. Byrd could be used all over the place on offense. -- ?Edward?Aschoff13. Michigan State SpartansMike Panasiuk Donnie Corley might be the new name you hear most in East Lansing, but Panasiuk could provide an impportant layer of depth in the middle of ?the Spartan defensive line and could allow star lineman Malik McDowell to line up on the edge as a pass-rusher more often.dddddddddddd. -- Dan Murphy14.? Texas A&M AggiesColton PraterPrater won the starting job at left guard coming out of training camp and has given the Aggies a pair of solid performances right out of the gate, which have helped stabilize a position where the Aggies shuffled players in 2015. Prater is part of a young trio on the Aggies interior offensive line; the team is starting a true freshman (Prater), a redshirt freshman (center Erik McCoy) and a true sophomore (right guard Connor Lanfear). --?Khan15.?Oklahoma SoonersParrish Cobb With Dakota Austin struggling in Week 1 in Houston, the Sooners inserted Cobb into the starting lineup at cornerback in Week 2. With a big performance this week against Ohio State, Cobb will have a great chance to keep the starting gig indefinitely. -- Jake Trotter16. Notre Dame Fighting Irish Kevin StephersonStepherson turned some heads this spring when he enrolled, and he has made the most of his early opportunities among a young receiving corps, including catching three passes for 35 yards and a touchdown Saturday in a win over Nevada. -- Matt Fortuna17. Iowa HawkeyesKeith DuncanDuncan is a walk-on from Matthews, North Carolina, who emerged as one of the surprises of fall camp. He edged redshirt sophomores Mick Ellis and Miguel Recinos for the starting kicking job and has been perfect through two weeks. Hes 12-for-12 on extra points and drilled his only field goal try, a 22-yarder in the season opener against Miami (Ohio). Eight true freshmen were listed on Iowas initial two-deep this season, but the other seven were backups. --Temple18. Georgia Bulldogs Jacob Eason Georgia has a couple good options. Running back Brian Herrien (15 carries, 106 yards, one touchdown) has been one of the feel-good stories of the Bulldogs first two games, and David Marshall (five tackles, one sack, one pass breakup) has already made some noise on the defensive line. But the only real option here is the obvious one. Eason (19-for-32, 335 yards, two touchdowns, one interception) made his first career start last weekend against Nicholls State and will probably make his first true road appearance against Missouri on Saturday. -- David Ching19. Ole Miss Rebels Benito JonesThere are a handful of options here.?A.J. Brown?has already caught a touchdown. Greg Little is earning reps at left tackle. But Jones has been the most consistent and most impressive freshman to this point. In the season opener against Florida State, the former ESPN 300 star had four tackles, including 1.5 tackles for loss. He followed that with five tackles against Wofford on Saturday. Jones might not be starting yet, but Ole Miss cant keep him off the field. --?Greg?Ostendorf20. LSU TigersMichael DivinityLSU has already played a dozen true freshmen, but nobody has made a massive impact to date. Divinity probably gets the nod here after handling extensive playing time at the F outside linebacker spot in the opener against Wisconsin, in which he notched four tackles and a stop for a 6-yard loss. However, Divinity did not play as much last week against Jacksonville State, with the Tigers relying heavily on a nickel defense, which does not feature Divinitys position, against the Gamecocks spread offense. -- Ching21. Oregon DucksTroy DyeThe linebacker was named the Pac-12s Week 1 defensive player of the week after he recorded 11 tackles (including 4.5 TFL and one sack) during the Ducks season-opening win over UC Davis. Last weekend, he followed that performance with six tackles in Oregons win over Virginia. Hes currently tied for third in the Pac-12 for tackles after two weeks and is one of only two freshmen in the top 40 in the conference. -- Jennings22.? Baylor Bears Zach Smith The Bears lost much of the star power from their recruiting class this summer. Receiver Denzel Mims earned a start last week against SMU, but none of 13 true freshmen who played can match the impact of Smith, whose presence allows the Baylor coaches to feel decent about their depth behind Seth Russell. An ESPN 300 prospect a year ago, Smith has completed five of eight throws for 60 yards. --?Mitch Sherman23. Arkansas Razorbacks McTelvin Agim The Arkansas coaching staff knew they were getting a good one when Agim signed with the Razorbacks. He was ranked No. 11 overall in the ESPN 300. Through the first two games, he has already made an impact. The 6-foot-3, 289-pound freshman recorded two tackles in his first college game, and he doubled that total this past Saturday, when he collected four tackles and his first career sack in the double-overtime win at TCU. This is just a glimpse of how good Agim can be. -- Ostendorf24. Florida GatorsJawaan Taylor After starting in Floridas season opener against UMass, Taylor came in and replaced starting right tackle Fred Johnson?and played very well on the outside. Taylor struggled at right tackle in his debut but shined in Week 2 by keeping quarterback Luke Del Rios right side pretty clean in Floridas blowout win over Kentucky. Whether he starts or not, Taylor is a solid option at right tackle for the Gators. -- Aschoff25. UCLA BruinsBrandon StephensThroughout training camp, it seemed like three running backs were in the mix for the starting job -- Soso Jamabo, Bolu Olorunfunmi and Nate Starks -- but a fourth, Stephens, ranks second on the team with 71 yards rushing through two games. He didnt get a carry in the opener against Texas A&M but was an obvious bright spot against UNLV on Saturday. -- Kyle Bonagura ' ' '