Moments ago, at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, former middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. scored a well-deserved unanimous decision victory over very game super middleweight contender Bryan Vera. It was a back-and-forth battle early in the fight. Vera pressed the action with his higher higher workrate, but a much more conditioned Chavez Jr. was able to keep up with the pace as he mixed in devastating left hooks to the body and right hands upstairs. Both fighters traded big shots both inside and out throughout the fight. It was Chavez Jr., however, who was able to land the harder punches, which eventually took their toll and slowed down the naturally smaller Vera. In the end, the judges scored the bout 114-113, 117-110 and 117-110, all in favor of Chavez Jr., who this time earned the victory instead of having it gifted to him.
Also on the card, the extensive amateur experience of Vasyl Lomachenko was not enough to win him a world title in only his second professional fight (or eigth pro fight depending on your record keeping company of choice) as former featherweight champion Orlando Salido won a split decision victory. Salido used all of his "veteran" tactics, including some timely low blows, to hold back the challenge of Lomachenko, who hurt his chances of victory after getting off to a slow start. In the end, the judges scored the bout 116-112 (Salido), 115-113 (Salido), and 115-113 (Lomachenko).
[ Follow Ben Thompson on Twitter @fighthype ]