Moments ago inside of the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, Nonito Donaire won a split-deciison over Wilfredo Vazquez Jr.
The fight was tentative early as Donaire was trying to pick his shots while Vazquez covered up. In the opening rounds Donaire was a little bit busier although Vazquez?s tight defense prevented anything dramatic from happening.
In the third round Donaire became a bit frustrated by Vazquez?s defensive ways and began to mimic him and clown a bit. Seconds later and Donaire would connect with a sweeping left hook that buckled Vazquez?s legs. Donaire pounced on him in the corner but was unable to finish things.
Donaire landed some telling blows in rounds four and five, stepping up his countering game a bit as Vazquez was far too passive outside of a counter right hand. By this point in the fight it was hard to conceivably give Vazquez a clear round.
Things picked up a bit in the sixth as a desperate Vazquez tried to engage Donaire, who was happy to return fire of his own. A right hand from Vazquez halfway through the round elicited a roar from the crowd and the Puerto Rican appeared to be working his way back into the fight. Advertisement
The seventh round turned into a trench war for a minor stretch of the stanza as Vazquez worked the body while Donaire countered on the inside. A low blow form Donaire resulted in a warning from the referee with under a minute left. A counter left from Donaire with seconds left appeared to buckle Vazquez but he remained on his feet.
The eighth saw Donaire apply more pressure and it was a clear round for him as he tagged Vazquez with some quick shots but yet still couldn?t seem to put the finishing touches on things.
An uppercut rocked Vazquez in the ninth and seconds later he was dropped by a left hook. Vazquez rose to his feet and smiled but he was in dire straits, retreating for the rest of the frame.
Vazquez showed that he was game in the tenth as he marched forward and began to land as the crowned chanted his name and tried to pick him up. A Donaire salvo in the closing seconds might have stolen the round for him, however.
Vazquez showed some urgency in the eleventh but simply didn?t seem to have engouh firepower to mount a serious attack. By in large it was a round controlled by Donaire, who pot-shotted from the inside and out.
The twelfth was one of the slowest of the fight as Donaire boxed and moved.
After twelve rounds, scores of 117-110 twice were read in Donaire?s favor as the third judge had a surprising 115-112 for Donaire, as he captures a title in a fourth weight division and eyes a big 2012.
