By Mark Vester
At Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, Guillermo Rigondeaux (7-0, 5 KOs) won a close twelve round split decision over Ricardo Cordoba (37-3-2, 23 KOs) to win the interim WBA super bantamweight title. The scores were 114-112 Cordoba, 117-109 for Rigondeaux and 114-112 for Rigondeaux.
At the start, the fight was fought at a very slow pace. Both guys were boxing in defensive manners and looking to counter. The result of their strategic positions produced a very unfriendly fight in terms of action for the crowd. Rigondeaux did the better work with his right hook and a hard jab. In the fourth, a hook to the body put Cordoba down for a count of nine.
In the sixth, a right hand shot to the jaw made Rigondeaux's right glove touch the mat and it was counted as an official knockdown. It may have been the first time Rigondeaux had ever been knocked down as a pro or amateur. After that knockdown, the momentum of the fight changed as Cordoba began to stalk and chase a defensive Rigondeaux. Cordoba could not land enough punches and allowed Rigondeaux to steal rounds late in the fight.