It was all-out war in the first round, with both fighters trading hard punches at close range. Escalera appeared to get stunned, but then landed a hard counter hook that dropped Love. Once he beat the count, they resumed the back and forth war with Love getting the better of the action.
As the fight played out, Love was landed more and more punches, breaking Escalera down. By the sixth round Escalera was taking a beating. During the seventh, a Love combination practically turned Escalera's entire body and sent him flying backwards into the ropes. After taking a good look at him, the referee waved it off and Escalera's corner was ready to throw in the towel.