Had Antonio Margarito not been medically cleared by the New York State Athletic Commission, his December 3 rematch with Miguel Cotto would have taken place in some other state. Or, as it turns out, possibly not at all.

Fortunately, we don't have to worry about either one of those scenarios, because Margarito has been granted his license to box in New York, and the bout will take place as scheduled at Madison Square Garden. The hold-up was Margarito's right eye, so badly damaged by Manny Pacquiao a year ago that it required multiple surgeries to repair. no comments

Bob Papa, Max Kellerman and Roy Jones are on the scene in Houston for HBO's Boxing After Dark. We've got just one fight to watch tonight, as the son of a legend, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. goes toe to toe with Peter Manfredo.

Jimmy Lennon Jr. asks the fans to observe a moment of silence for the passing of famed cutman Joe Souza. A memorial ten count tolls for Souza, who was one of the best in the business for over 40 years.

The tale of the tape finds that Chavez enjoys a 2 1/2" height advantage and just the slightest of edges in reach. Both men weighed in just under the 160-pound limit and re-hydrated to around the same weight for tonight. At 25, Chavez is five years younger than Manfredo.

Manfredo, known as the ride of Providence, makes his way out first. He hasn't fought for 308 days, which is the longest period of inactivity of his pro career. Manfredo is 37-6 with 20 KOs.

A mariachi band plays for Chavez on his ring walk. He is making the first defense of his WBC 160-pound title. Junior's professional record stands at 43-0-1 with 30 wins by way of knockout.

The referee in charge of the action is Laurence Cole. Lennon introduces both fighters officially, and we are ready to go for 12 scheduled rounds of middleweight action. 


Round 1

Manfredo tests Junior early with the jab. Chavez responds in kind as Manfredo looks to set up his right hand. Manfredo tries a lead left hook. Chavez walks Manfredo to the ropes and lets him have it with two to the body. Both men work their jabs again. Chavez throws hooks in combination. Manfredo tries the body but eats a left hook upstairs. Chavez's movement looks fluid as he dodges incoming fire. Ineffective jabs fly in both directions. Quiet final 45 seconds to end this one.

Tylwalk: 10-9 Chavez no comments

Fittingly, the first shot of 24/7 Cotto/Margarito is one of Antonio Margarito getting his hands wrapped. We cut to a short training montage as the voiceover sets the stage for the first fight between the two men. Though it was an unforgettable fight, the aftermath became complicated due to Margarito getting caught with loaded hand wraps before he was to take on Shane Mosley.

The first time we hear from Cotto, he leaves no uncertainty, saying Margarito used the plaster when they fought. He says Tony looks and acts like a criminal. Margarito says he is a clean fighter, and there was nothing illegal on that night. The only way to settle this dispute is in the ring. no comments

Who's ready to talk about some boxing outside of the Manny Pacquiao-Juan Manuel Marquez-Floyd Mayweather triumvirate? Fantastic!

Tonight on HBO's Boxing After Dark, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. takes on Peter Manfredo in a fight in which the only visible link to the above paragraph will be the presence of trainer Freddie Roach. At stake is Junior's WBC middleweight strap, though there's also something a little extra (and different) up for grabs for each man. no comments

Ugh. The headline pretty much says it all. ESPN's Dan Rafael is reporting that Floyd Mayweather adviser Leonard Ellerbe and Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer have both been told that Manny Pacquiao will not fight Mayweather next spring, with promoter Bob Arum preferring to put together a fourth bout with Juan Manuel Marquez.

Arum denied the specifics of the report but not the idea that Pacquiao-Marquez IV was a priority. And even as a big Pac-Man fan, one of partial Filipino descent, I have to say that there's no way that this doesn't make Pacquiao look bad. no comments

For disclosure purposes, I scored Saturday's third and supposedly final chapter of the Manny Pacquiao-Juan Manuel Marquez trilogy for Marquez. I scored the second fight in 2008 for Pacquiao, and I wasn't scoring fights back in 2004 for their first meeting but remember feeling okay when the draw was announced.

So while the official records may say that Pac-Man is 2-0-1, in my mind the two fighters are 1-1-1. And that seems fitting, because this fight settled absolutely nothing.

We're almost set to see the third, and most likely final, meeting between Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez. The MGM Grand in Las Vegas is the venue, and the HBO crew of Jim Lampley, Emanuel Steward and Max Kellerman is on hand to call all the action.

A video package narrated by Lampley sets the stage perfectly. Pacquiao went 1-0-1 in the first two bouts despite losing more than half the rounds thanks to a total of four knockdowns. Marquez wants redemption, Pac-Man wants to get the decisive win that has eluded him thus far.

The atmosphere is electric, with a DJ getting the fans psyched up. But Michael Buffer calms things down to pay tribute to the late, great Joe Frazier. A memorial 10 count is held for Smokin' Joe, followed by a video tribute. Three national anthems are up next, for the Philippines (Maria Aragon), Mexico (Christian Castro) and the United States (Thia Megia).

The tale of the tape shows that the two fighters are almost even in height and reach. Marquez is actually two pounds heavier tonight at 150 pounds. JMM is six years older at 38, which may or may not turn out to be significant.

Marquez makes his ring walk first, accompanied by a traditional Mexican band. The former featherweight and super featherweight and current lightweight titleholder is 53-5-1 in his Hall of Fame career with 39 KOs. His only previous appearance at this weight was his one-sided loss to Floyd Mayweather Jr. in 2009.

Decked in his Nike logo gear, Pacquiao comes out second. His music begins with "Thunderstruck" as a tribute to the late Arturo Gatti and transitions to "Eye of the Tiger" with Jimi Jamison singing the lyrics live. Pac-Man is 53-3-2 with 38 knockouts as a pro, with his last defeat coming back in 2005 at the hands of Erik Morales.

Buffer is on point with his formal fighter introductions. The referee tonight is Tony Weeks. We're finally ready for a scheduled 12 rounds of action in the third chapter of this trilogy.


Round 1

They study each other from long range. Manny flicks some probing jabs. JMM feints in response. He tests his jab up the middle. Good defense by both men. Soccer chant going through the crowd. Left hand to the body by Pac-Man, then one to the head. Left to the body by Marquez. Good exchange with body shots landing both ways. Manny just misses a left. Left hands upstairs by both men. Big miss by JMM and a counter by Pac-Man. Uppercut and left hand by Manny, then some body shots by Marquez.

Tylwalk: 10-9 Pacquiao
Parker: 10-9 Pacquiao


Round 2

Boos from the fans for some reason. Manny reaches with some jabs. Left hand by Manny lands down the middle. Triple jab and more lefts from Pac-Man. JMM lands a counter right, his best weapon. Manny touches JMM to the body. Marquez fires the uppercut, a body shot and another uppercut. Counter right scores for JMM as well. Manny rushes in for a left and chases Marquez a bit. Hooks both ways in the final 10 seconds.

Tylwalk: 10-9 Marquez
Parker: 10-9 Pacquiao


Round 3

Marquez comes up and under with right hands as Manny throws lefts up high. Pac-Man lands a left as they circle. Swings and misses by both fighters. Right hand by JMM and Manny bangs his gloves together. Left hand to the head by Pacquiao. Marquez tries to press the issue a bit. He jabs to the body. Both men miss staright shots by just a bit. Right hook by Manny, best punch of the fight so far. More head shots by Pac-man right at the bell.

Tylwalk: 10-9 Pacquiao
Parker: 10-9 Marquez


Round 4

Harold Lederman has it 2-1 for Manny so far. JMM tries the left hook as he backs away. One-two upstairs from Pacquiao; Marquez tries to respond in kind. They touch gloves after a near head butt. Manny partially dodges a left hook. Combination by Manny as he comes forward. Marquez goes to the body with his right, following with a left. Manny pops the left as he dances. JMM is looking for body shots often. Pac-Man lands a short left while moving. Double hooks by Marquez, and they both connect with hard shots as the round ends.

Tylwalk: 10-9 Pacquiao
Parker: 10-9 Pacquiao


Round 5

No knockdowns and just a few explosive moments through four frames. JMM steps in for some hard body shots. Pacquiao jabs and keeps coming. Marquez uses an uppercut to keep Pac-man at bay. Both men are reaching from range. Right hand from Marquez. The fans try to get him going. Both men score with jabs. Hard right hand by JMM knocks Pac-Man back, and they look to trade. Good hooks by both boxers. Right and a one-two upstairs for Marquez.

Tylwalk: 10-9 Marquez
Parker: 10-9 Marquez


Round 6

Marquez looked very comfortable in that last frame. Pacquiao looks a little flummoxed right now as he tries to find a way in. Jabs to the body both ways. Left by Pac-man is blocked. Right to the body by JMM. Two more come a few seconds later. Manny comes in and eats a right to the chin. Manny lands a left and a right hook as the action heats up. Marquez doubles the right and both men connect with hooks. manny tries the body and some more hooks. Right hook by Pacquiao but Marquez responds with double body blows. Close round.

Tylwalk: 10-9 Marquez
Parker: 10-9 Marquez


Round 7

Lederman gave Manny the last round and has him up 4-2. Feints both ways, and Marquez lands a strong right. Pacquiao scrambles but can't find the range with his left. JMM goes to the body and steps away, then uses a sneaky left to the head. Body shot by Marquez is a little low. Pacquiao knocks Marquez back with a left and two rights. Marquez strafes Manny with right hands. Pacquiao tries to throw while he moves, but Marquez settles behind his uppercut.

Tylwalk: 10-9 Marquez
Parker: 10-10


Round 8

Nothing of note lands in the first 30 seconds. Pacquiao appears to be bleeding from the mouth. Both fighters score with right hands. Manny keeps his guard high to block right hands. JMM ducks a Pacquiao rush and ties him up. Uppercut and right hand from Marquez. He reaches to the body and surprises Pacquiao by throwing first. Manny is just a hair off with his left. Right by Marquez. He lands a jab too. A left by Pac-Man lands at the bell.

Tylwalk: 10-9 Marquez
Parker: 10-9 Marquez


Round 9

Lederman has it 5-3 Pacquiao; I have it the exact opposite. Pacquiao blocks tow shots and comes in with a left. Marquez swings wildly after landing a right to the back of the head. Marquez flurries to the head and body. Both men land inside. Manny tries some right hooks. Marquez comes in so they can exchange. They clinch several times to slow the pace. Left by Pacquiao and Marquez tries to answer. Manny lands with both hands and they scramble again. Good action in the final 15 seconds.

Tylwalk: 10-9 Pacquiao
Parker: 10-9 Pacquiao


Round 10

This is shaping up to be another scoring nightmare. We'll see if anyone can put a stamp on this in the championship rounds. Manny tries to come forward and is grabbed around the waist. Hard shots by both men, and JMM is tripped to the mat. Right hook by Pacquiao, but Marquez answers with two rights. Steward wants to know why JMM isn't stepping on the gas. Lampley says Manny is cut above the right eye. Short right by JMM and a clubbing left hook by Manny. Both men land from close range in another close round.

Tylwalk: 10-9 Marquez
Parker: 10-9 Pacquiao


Round 11

The commission rules that the Pacquiao cut was cause by a head butt. The fans chant for both men as they fall into a clinch. Manny turuns counter-puncher for a moment. Pacquiao lands two shots as Marquez fires back with an uppercut. Short right hook by Pac-Man. JMM lands a left-right combo pretty flush. Hooks on the inside as they rotate around each other. Right hand by JMM.

Tylwalk: 10-9 Marquez
Parker: 10-9 Pacquiao


Round 12

Could Marquez be in the driver's seat coming home? It appears that may be the case. Very tentative first minute. Left hand lead by Pac-Man. Marquez flurries but mostly misses. Left by Manny as he ducks away. Big miss by Pac-man hopping in. Both men trying to time each other. Manny's mouthpiece flies out and the action is paused. Forty seconds left. Overhand right by Marquez. Left hand by Manny, not sure why JMM fought so conservatively to close things out.

Tylwalk: 10-9 Pacquiao
Parker: 10-9 Marquez

Tylwalk: 115-113 Marquez
Parker: 115-114 Pacquiao

The judges score it 114-114 and 115-113 and 116-112 for Pacquiao. The winner... and still WBO welterweight titleholder... Manny "Pac-Man" Pacquiao.

An obviously upset Marquez heads for the back without talking to Kellerman. The fans are letting Pacquiao hear it with boos. Kellerman's microphone cuts out too.

Pacquiao says he knows Marquez's fans are unhappy, but he feels he won the fight. He doesn't think JMM was busy enough to win the fight.

Asked about a potential fourth bout with Marquez, Pac-Man says any time, but it's up to Bob Arum. He's willing to fight Floyd Mayweather in the spring if that's what the people want. Manny thanks the fans and Kellerman heads to the back in search of Marquez.

Steward feels JMM didn't do enough to take the title away from Pacquiao, so he can't be upset about the scores. He does say Pacquiao would have no right to complain either if he had lost. Steward says the style of Marquez is always going to give Pac-Man a problem, no matter how old they would be or how many times they fight.

Kellerman tracks down Marquez, who calls this the second robbery in the trilogy, and even more clear than his first loss. Asked about his trainer telling him he was ahead, JMM dodges the question.

Would he do this a fourth time? He thinks it would be difficult because he's be fighting Pac-Man and the three judges. Nacho Beristain blames the commission and the judges, not really answering a query about whether he would have given Marquez different advice if he had known his man was trailing.

Steward wonders if Mayweather would be even more likely to accept a meeting with Pacquiao because he's seen how counter-punching can give Manny fits. That's certain to be the topic of extensive debate in the months to come. 

We've already had two entertaining undercard fights, and we've got one more to go before Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez hit the ring. Timothy Bradley makes his first appearance under the Top Rank umbrella as he takes on veteran Joel Casamayor.

The tale of the tape shows that Casamayor is slightly taller but reach is dead even. Both men weighed in at 140 pounds, but Casamayor is three pounds heavier on fight night.

Bradley is 27-0 but with just 11 KOs. He is making his fourth defense of his WBO junior welterweight belt.

Casamayor is a former super featherweight and lightweight titleholder. He is 38-5-1 but just 2-2 in his last four fights. 

Michael Buffer does his thing, and we're ready for 12 scheduled rounds with the WBO 140-pound title up for grabs.


Round 1

Bradley scores first with a right hook. He's going to stay very busy as he always is. Casamayor jabs from a distance, and there's some wrestling that forces the ref to step in. Joel lands a left but Bradley flurries his way forward. Casamayor leads with his head to force a clinch. Counter left by Casamayor, but he eats a counter right that knocks him back into the ropes. Straight right by Bradley. He lands two more shots before getting grabbed around the waist.

Tylwalk: 10-9 Bradley


Round 2

The ref warns Casamayor early for using his head. Max Kellerman says he needs to be less blatant about it. Lots of clinching break up the flow. Bradley backs up his man with both hands as Casa looks to counter. Casamayor forces some wild misses but he isn't doing much on offense. Three right hands by Bradley as he lets his hands go. He is leading with the right pretty successfully. Casamayor lands a left, maybe his first of the round.

Tylwalk: 10-9 Bradley


Round 3

Casa gets knocked off balance early by a right hand. More holding as things fall into a familiar pattern. The fans don't like it much. Bradley throws a wide right hand and follows to the body. He wobbles Casamayor a bit again along the ropes. Another very wide right scores for Bradley. Two more punches and a clinch. As you may expect, a head butt looks like a distinct threat at many times. Bradley lands two more right hands in the final 20 seconds.

Tylwalk: 10-9 Bradley


Round 4

Marquez told Kellerman between rounds he is looking for the knockout tonight. JMM's English is definitely improving. Meanwhile, Casamayor is docked a point for holding. Bradley looks like he's frustrated with it too. Counter left by Casa but not much steam on it. Bradley comes forward behind jabs, though he walks into a left. Tim works his left hand out of a hold and starts throwing head shots with both hands. Casa is making him miss some though. Bradley lands two left hooks flush. Left by Casamayor, but he takes two more.

Tylwalk: 10-8 Bradley


Round 5

Bradley keeps coming, and he drops Casa with a body shot. Joel beats the count, but he's taking some mean shots to the head and body. He goes pretty low, but the ref may not have seen it. Bradley rips hooks to the body and head. Left hook by Tim before he's tied up for the umpteenth time. Jim Lampley hopes Casamayor will be off PPV cards for good. I think that is almost a given as he takes more abuse.

Tylwalk: 10-8 Bradley


Round 6

Bradley gives Casa more damage to the body, then goes with a left upstairs and scores another knockdown. It was kind of a combo punch/shove, but whatever. Casamayor tries to stand in and trade. Bradley lets him have it with both hands. Tim seems equally comfortable fighting with his back to the ropes. A body shot forces Casa to back up. Bradley lands two right hands as he comes forward. He backs Joel up and hammers home more body shots.

Tylwalk: 10-8 Bradley


Round 7

Casamayor is still trying to time a counter, but he doesn't have many other weapons available. Bradley has numerous ones he can use. He nods his head as he's hit by a rare power shot. One-two to the head by Bradley. He lines up more right hands, stsying very patient. He keeps moving and popping Casa with single shots. Bradley slips down in the closing seconds.

Tylwalk: 10-9 Bradley


Round 8

Bradley is now up 10 points on Harold Lederman's card (plus ours too). You don't get much less drama in a fight than that. More of the same as Bradley lands clean but not especially powerful punches. Casamayor tries to hook around Bradley's guard. Bradley lands five shots in a row, mixing them between the head and body. Double left hooks by Bradley. Now he tries the uppercut in close. Joel throws a rare combination. Bradley slugs away, landing hooks with both hands. Casa goes to a knee right before the end of the round. Joel's trainer comes through the ropes and calls a stop to this. It's for the best, believe me.

The winner by TKO at 2:59 of Round 8... and still WBO junior welterweight titleholder... Timothy "Desert Storm" Bradley. 

We move to the second televised undercard fight on the Pacquiao-Marquez III broadcast. Undefeated Mike Alvarado takes on Breidis Prescott, best known as the lone man to beat Amir Khan.

Alvarado comes to the ring by "I Get Around" by 2 Pac, an old school classic. He is 31-0 with 22 KOs. Prescott is 24-3 with 19 KOs, the most famous one coming in less than a round against Khan.

Michael Buffer introduces the boxers, setting the stage for a scheduled 10 rounds of junior welterweight action.


Round 1

The ref halts things almost immediately to fix one of Alvarado's gloves. Prescott looks bigger in the upper body. He lands an uppercut and some hooks. Alvarado tries to stay low while Prescott comes in. Prescott fires a hard jab and some serious power shots behind it. Alvarado is blocking a lot of these, but he hasn't landed much besides his jab. Prescott scores with his own jabs and tries the straight right. More hooks and jabs from Prescott.

Tylwalk: 10-9 Prescott


Round 2

Prescott keeps working, not leaving much room for Alvarado to get off his own shots. There's the first right hand from Alvarado. He's also dodging more punches as he circles around. Jabs and a right hand by Prescott. He also fires an uppercut through the guard. Prescott is also timing Alvarado well, firing right when Mike peeks out from his guard. They lean on each other and attempt uppercuts. Alvarado spins Prescott around and tries some combination punching.

Tylwalk: 10-9 Prescott 


Round 3

More jabs from Prescott. Alvarado just stays out of range as Prescott swings away. Nasty body work by Prescott with both hands. Alvarado sticks in some jabs as they circle. The HBO crew mentions that Khan is calling this fight on TV for the U.K. Alvarado has some success with jabs, but Prescott comes right back with a right set up by his jab. Alvarado rushes in and is just a hair off. Prescott is warned for low shots. Alvarado can't stop the repeated jabs. Both men wing away with uppercuts in the closing seconds.

Tylwalk: 10-9 Prescott


Round 4

CompuBox has Prescott throwing 40 jabs a round so far. Alvarado steps on the gas, chasing Prescott a bit. Breidis forces him back with multiple shots from both hands. Alvarado is bloody and Prescott is feeling it. Alvarado tries to punch his way out of trouble, but he's still missing something to go with his jab. There's a left hook for him, but Prescott keeps coming. Alvarado lands a right hand, and both fighters have to be pulled apart as they swing past the bell.

Tylwalk: 10-9 Prescott


Round 5

Alvarado's cut is above the left eye, plus he may be bleeding inside his mouth. He scores with a right hand early on. Prescott tries his uppercut, which has been a big weapon. They trade punches with both hands, and Alvarado lands a sharp left hook. Prescott dances without throwing. Breidis unloads body shots, and another one is low. Alvarado doubles his jab as he is now the one advancing. Repeated left hooks by Alvarado. Big swings from both fighters in the last 10 seconds.

Tylwalk: 10-9 Alvarado


Round 6

Harold Lederman has every round for Prescott so far. Alvarado opens his account with a right hand. Prescott stays active with his jab. He lands a combination at close range. Alvarado smokes home a right hand, but Prescott fires right back. An exchange of uppercuts favors Prescott. Good heart shown by both guys as they trade while leaning in. Powerful hooks and uppercuts in both directions. Alvarado is bloody all over his face for the second or third time.

Tylwalk: 10-9 Prescott


Round 7

Alvarado lands a left hook, but the ref sends him to the corner for tape repair work. Prescott moves around while pumping jabs. Alvarado connects with his. Alvarado lands a hard right hand. He can score with that more often now. Prescott tries letting his hands go, but Alvarado sticks in his uppercut. Alvarado corners Prescott and they lean on each other again. Nice right by Prescott. The ref has to pull them back apart. Alvarado's left eye is swelling, and Prescott may also be cut.

Tylwalk: 10-9 Alvarado


Round 8

Alvarado walks through some pucnhes to land his own. He reaches with his jab and gets off first. Prescott tries the body but it's not enough to dissuade Alvarado. They stand and trade from very close range. Here come the uppercuts and hooks again. Alvarado's shots just look a little cleaner and more powerful. Jim Lampley just mentioned that younger fans may not understand what a "fight in a phone booth" would mean. Last power shot is landed by Alvarado.

Tylwalk: 10-9 Alvarado


Round 9

A little more movement from both guys. Alvarado dodges as Prescott swings for the fences. Now Prescott does his own evading. Breidis reaches for a right hand. Body-head combo by Prescott. Jabs and a right hand by Alvarado. Jabs both ways as they fight from a distance. Alvarado switches southpaw for just a few seconds and it doesn't do much. Prescott stays busy to the bell, probably enough to squeak out that round.

Tylwalk: 10-9 Prescott


Round 10

Whatever the official scores, you'd think Alvarado needs to let it all hang out here. He is coming forward but Prescott is still throwing. They wrestle to the ropes and Prescott escapes. Both fighters land hard shots, with Alvarado scoring two nasty right hands. Can he hit the late home run? He finds the mark with a vicious uppercut, and Prescott goes down. He beats the count, but Alvarado is pouring it on. Alvarado rips uppercuts, and the ref calls a stop to it. Drama in the 10th round as Alvarado wins by stoppage!

The HBO crew praises the stoppage as Prescott appeared to be out on his feet.

The winner by TKO at 1:53 of Round 10, "Mile High" Mike Alvarado. 

The MGM Grand in Las Vegas is ready to host the third, climactic meeting between Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez. Before we get to the main event, though, we'll get three televised undercard fights, beginning with a super featherweight contest between Luis Cruz and Juan Carlos Burgos.

Cruz is undefeated at 19-0 with 15 KOs. Burgos has won twice since his lone career loss, and he enters the ring with a 27-1 pro record. The tale of the tape shows that both men are almost even in height and reach, but Cruz has rehydrated to come in about six pounds heavier than Burgos.

Michael Buffer introduces both fighters, and we are set for a scheduled 10 rounds of action.


Round 1

Both men come out swinging with hard hooks. Burgos is advancing, hopping in to touch Cruz to the body. He lets more body shots go in combination. Now Cruz digs in for some of his own body work. Cruz lands a jab as a counter, then falls into a clinch. Left hook by Cruz, followed by a right to the body. Both men are just a hair away from landing some bombs. Five punch combo by Burgos that lands to the body and head. Jabs land both ways. Two punches by Cruz both land upstairs.

Tylwalk: 10-9 Burgos


Round 2

The ref cautions Burgos as he attacks the body again. Some of his shots look a little low. He hooks off his jab to the head as well. Cruz punches out of a clinch; he looks more comfortable on the inside. Nasty left hook by Cruz. He also lands a right to the head set up by his jab. Three punches chase Burgos back. Good body combination by Burgos with both hands. Cruz shows good movement to back away from some incoming fire. Cruz finds the range with his jab, but a left hook by Burgos stuns him in the closing seconds. Close round.

Tylwalk: 10-9 Burgos


Round 3

Each man lands a jab right off the bat, and Burgos goes to his hook as well. Cruz is stunned again, but he's still throwing and manages to score with a left hook. Burgos closes in and wings some wide punches. Cruz lands a right to the body. He settles down behind head and body jabs. Cruz gets nailed again with a left hook while backing up. That's a flaw that the HBO crew thinks could be dangerous. He goes back to single shots from a step back. Cruz swings wildly and does get in a left before the bell.

Tylwalk: 10-9 Burgos


Round 4

Cruz looks a little more assertive in the opening moments. Burgos is still outworking him though. Cruz can land the jab or the right hand, but rarely both. There's a nice combination, but Burgos lands a left hook at the same time. Cruz jabs to set up the straight right. A slower pace seems to favor him more. Burgos moves around and connects with the left agian, though Cruz punches his way through it. Jabs by Cruz to close things out.

Tylwalk: 10-9 Cruz


Round 5

Cruz's corner wants him to work more. He doubles up the jab and tries the left hook. Burgos is warned for a low blow. Cruz ducks and weaves out of trouble. Burgos pops him with the left hook, then a right hand. Both men bounce around as Burgos tries the body again. Cruz lands his own right downstairs. Both men are staying more mobile in this frame. CompuBox has Cruz with no power punches landed this round. Burgos returns to his left hook to good effect.

Tylwalk: 10-9 Burgos


Round 6

Harold Lederman has it four rounds to one for Burgos thus far. Cruz lands jabs, but Burgos connects with a left hook and a wide right. He throws the left to the body again. Burgos can't miss with the left hook. Cruz stalks but isn't throwing. One-two by Burgos to the head and body. Cruz finds a home for the right hand before a clinch. Both men jab as Burgos stays away from the right hand.

Tylwalk: 10-9 Cruz


Round 7

Burgos tries a big right hand that grazes Cruz. He has to stay wary as Cruz is closing the distance, looking to set up his straight right. There's some interior work by Cruz. Burgos sticks in a jab. Left hook by Burgos too, but Cruz keeps coming. Cruz has some swelling by his right eye. He jabs and hooks his way in. Burgos is backing up often now. Burgos lands a left hook as he tries to avoid getting trapped along the ropes. Cruz tries mugging Burgos, but the ref steps in.

Tylwalk: 10-9 Cruz


Round 8

Cruz is clearly feeling more confident now, though Burgos is still working. Cruz doubles the jab to find an opening. Burgos ties him up, then goes back to firing from range. Cruz steps in, avoiding a hook. More jabs by Cruz, and he gets tied up. Cruz tries some body work as he continues to advance. Burgos lands a left while he retreats. Cruz fires a left to the body right at the bell.

Tylwalk: 10-9 Cruz


Round 9

Burgos tries the body, which he's sort of gotten away from. He sneaks in a right hand as well that lands flush. Cruz scores with his own right hand. Both men try hooks, then Cruz resumes his jabs. Burgos goes one-two to the head. Cruz reaches with his jab as Burgos misses with a wild left. There's another left by Burgos that finds the mark. Not a great round for Cruz.

Tylwalk: 10-9 Burgos


Round 10

Lederman also gave that round to Burgos. These fighters are going for it as Cruz lands two right hands. Burgos tries to repsond in kind. Another right by Cruz, but Burgos lands his left. The pace calms while Cruz closes behind a left hook. Burgos seems to be mostly worried about making it to the final bell, and he's not throwing as much. The ref breaks them up with a minute to go. Cruz ducks in for a left to the body. Left hook by Cruz, and we'll go to the scorecards.

Tylwalk: 10-9 Cruz

Tylwalk: 95-95

The judges score it 95-95, and 97-93 and 98-92 for Burgos. The winner by majority decision, Juan Carlos Burgos.