Mark Breland, Tyrell Biggs Go Distance and Win Decisions

Welterweight Mark Breland, snapping jabs and setting the tempo from the opening bell, dominated the more experienced Troy Wortham Saturday in his first professional 10-round bout.

Breland, 22, knocked Wortham down twice and practically punched at will to win a unanimous decision.

The welterweight match followed an eight-round heavyweight bout that saw Breland’s 1984 Olympic teammate, Tyrell Biggs, win a unanimous decision over veteran James (Quick) Tillis.

Breland (9-0) ruled the fight from Round 1 against Wortham, who has been known as an aggressive, quick starter. Wortham (25-1) was never able to get inside Breland’s 77-inch reach.

“I think that’s when the fight was established,” said Wortham, 21, who weighed 147. “He threw some body shots and established the fight early. It wasn’t one of my better fights.”

Said Breland, who weighed 148: “I thought he was going to come out aggressive. I had in my mind to push him back and be aggressive.”

Breland, a 1984 Olympic gold medalist, knocked down Wortham in the sixth and ninth rounds.

The first knockdown came on a right that spun Wortham around and into the ropes, and two more hard rights to the head.

A flurry of punches that left Wortham hanging on the bottom two ropes accounted for the second knockdown. Wortham was given a standing eight count.

In the heavyweight match, Biggs (8-0) had a considerably closer fight against Tillis (31-8). Biggs weighed in at 217 pounds, Tillis at 214.

“All I wanted to do was go out and establish my jabs and set other things up,” Biggs said. “He was a much tougher fighter than I expected.

“I think it was a real good learning process.”

The fight got off to a shaky start with 1:09 left in the first round when the lights went out. Fight promoters said a car had knocked down a power line outside.

The blackout ended after about six minutes, when a reserve generator was activated, and the fight resumed.

Tillis controlled much of the flow of the match during the first two rounds and showed strength in the fifth and sixth rounds. But Biggs scored heavily in the third and fourth, and ended the fight with two dominating rounds.

For much of the match, Biggs used a tight left jab to set up a strong right or left hook. He staggered Tillis in the third round as the 28-year-old looked tired against the 25-year-old Biggs.

“He’ll go a long way in the game,” Tillis said. “He’s got a good jaw. I thought I hurt him a couple of times. He ain’t got a glass chin.”