By Jake Donovan

Nonito Donaire is once again in possession of a super bantamweight title, but had to work harder than ever before in a fight he declared a must-win scenario.

Win he did, as Donaire outlasted a relentless Cesar Juarez in their savage 12-round war Friday evening at Coliseo Roberto Clemente in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Scores were 116-110 (twice) and 117-109 in favor of Donaire, who is now a two-time super bantamweight champ. A pair of 4th round knockdowns paved the way for the win, but the 33-year old Fil-Am star had to overcome cuts, injuries and strong second half surge from Juarez to prevail.

The packed crowd of 8,133 was there largely to support local favorite Felix Verdejo, who fought – and won – in the main event, but it was the co-feature that boxing fans will remember at least through the end of the year when the best fights of 2015 are being discussed.

It didn’t start out that way, though. For five-plus rounds, Donaire did everything he expected to do in a bout he was heavily favored to win. Juarez looked every bit the massive underdog he was perceived to be, as he was beaten to the punch and taking punishment to the point where it seemed like a matter of time before the fight would be stopped.

An early night seemed well in the works after Donaire floored Juarez twice in round four. A right hand shot produced the first knockdown of the night, with Juarez being sent right back to the canvas moments later courtesy of a left hook.

Juarez managed to survive the round. What followed was eight rounds of two-way brutality that turned a perceived mismatch and rout into a bona fide Fight of the Year candidate.

Donaire slowed down just enough in round five to allow his wounded prey to recuperate. Juarez slowly began to make his presence felt, picking up the pace in round six and never looking back.

“We did what we did in the earlier rounds,” Donaire told truTV’s Crystina Poncher in reflecting on the fight. “We were smart and very precise. There were parts in the middle rounds where I was limited.”

What once seemed like a knockout win soon became a race against the clock for Donaire. His left eye was on the verge of being swollen shut and a cut over his right eye. Another scare came late in the round, when he arose from a slip hobbling on his ankle.

“I have to lift off my leg to get my power,” Donaire noted. “My chiropractor said there were joints in my ankle I probably twisted.”

More concerning was the fact that his energy level dramatically decreased in the second half of the fight. Despite just 20 fights to his name heading in, Juarez was wise enough to pick up on his opponent's declining stamina, going to the body as he began to wear down Donaire.

You can take your pick from a number of rounds in the second half in which to honor come year-end awards seasons. Rounds eight, nine and ten were particularly brutal, with Donaire laying along the ropes, doing his best to pick off the incoming but catching plenty of right hands and left hooks for his troubles.

All that was keeping the former four-division in the champ was his fighting heart and occasional counter left hook. Juarez threw caution to the wind in order to land his shots, which meant leaving himself open on the occasions Donaire was able to return fire.

While momentum dramatically shifted, the underdog brawler from Mexico still needed a knockout to win heading into the 12th and final round. It never threatened to happen, no matter how hard he tried. That's because Donaire dug deep to throw more than the occasional counter shot, landing hard left hooks and right hands to remind Juarez why he was favored to win.

It was enough to finish the fight on his feet and - with the win - begin a second tour as a super bantamweight champ. Donaire picks up his third straight win as he improves to 36-3 (23KOs). It’s his first win in a title fight in more than a year, with a short-lived featherweight reign abruptly ended by Nicholas Walters, who handed Donaire the lone knockout loss of his career last October.

The defeat was his second in a span of four fights dating back to his super bantamweight championship-conceding loss to Guillermo Rigondeaux in April ’13. The two wins he scored in between, including his rallying from behind to knock out a faded Vic Darchinyan in the 9th round of their Nov. ’13 rematch, which came more than six years after Donaire knocked out the undefeated version to win his first championship as a rising flyweight.

Juarez falls to 17-4 (13KOs), ending a Cinderella run that included upset wins over Cesar Seda and Julio Sanchez Jr. earlier this year. He will undoubtedly be back on TV soon enough as he earned the respect of all who tuned in – as well as the man with whom he shared ring space for 12 rounds.

“I'm not going to take anything away from (Juarez). He was amazing, he was strong. I think that was my toughest fight I've been in to date,” Donaire said after the fight.

Having just celebrated his 33rd birthday a month ago, the next milestone comes in February, when he will have completed 15 years in the pro ranks. He’s been in with plenty of great fighters, but is known more for his big wins (and two big losses) more so than epic wars.

In his loss to Walters, he was punched into a state of mind where he physically could not continue. One fight before, he overcame an early cut to floor Simpiwe Vetyeka in round four, one round before the fight was officially stopped and ordered to go to the scorecards, where he won a decision and a featherweight belt.

On this particular evening, there was minimal opportunity to seek the nearest exit. Had he done so, it would have been chalked up to Father Time catching up to him. Instead, Donaire dug deep and for the first time in an already incredible career was forced to persevere in an action-packed fight.

“I’m never going to give up. I was going to keep pushing,” Donaire insisted. “There's a part of you that mentally says ‘No more’, but I've done too much and came too far to go out like that.”

VERDEJO RETURNS WITH KNOCKOUT WIN

With his childhood idol and island mate Felix 'Tito' Trinidad looking on in attendance, Felix Verdejo enjoyed as sensational a homecoming as he could have asked for in his return to the ring. The unbeaten lightweight contender wasted no time in registering his latest win, knocking out Brazil's Josenilson dos Santos in the 2nd round of their truTV-televised headliner.

Given the matchup, the biggest concern going into the fight was whether or not Verdejo's brittle hands would hold up. A quick knockout is the best way to minimize the risk of incurring a new injury or reaggravating an old wound.

It didn't come right away, as Verdejo offered a measured performance in the opening round. He could've stood still for the entire fight and still draw a raucous reaction from his partisan hometown crowd. Fortunately for those in the sold-out venue, he had every intention of delivering a spectacular ending.

"I was taking it easy, fighting composed," Verdejo told truTV's Crystina Poncher of his performance. "I knew eventually the knockout punch would come and I remained calm."

The moment came in a big way in round two. The local favorite feinted with a jab before landing a scorcher of a right hand. The latter shot put Dos Santos on the mat for the bout's lone knockdown.

While the visiting Brazilian was able to beat the count, he was unable to steady himself or give any indication that he was able to continue. Referee Roberto Ramirez Jr. detected this and immediately stopped the contest.

The official time was 2:21 of round two.

Verdejo surges ahead to 19-0 (14KOs), winning his first fight in six months. The 22-year old was out of the ring since June, repairing and allowing time to heal a severely injured left hand that he risked permanent injury going through with his fight with Ivan Najera.

A win came of the night, which was staged at Madison Square Garden Theatre in New York City on the eve of the Puerto Rican Day Parade. Still, he never gained full strength in his hand by the time of his scheduled Halloween clash with Dos Santos, thus forced to pull out of the event in Kissimmee, Florida.

It proved worth the wait - unless you are Dos Santos, of course.

The 30-year old full-time hairdresser comes up miserably short in his first fight outside of Puerto Rico, falling to 27-4 (17KOs). The loss was his third by knockout, this one the quickest he has ever been shown the exit.

As for Verdejo, the sky's the limit as long as he remains healthy. Friday's headliner was his seventh career fight in Puerto Rico, though surprisingly his first in San Juan. The moment came in front of one of the biggest stars to ever come from the island - though the night ending with confirmation of the next Boricua superstar on the rise.

"It was an incredible feeling to be able to perform in front of Felix 'Tito' Trinidad," admitted Verdejo. "As for my future, I'm anxious to see what Top Rank has in store for me."

An entire island and plenty throughout the boxing world share that very same feeling about his next fight and beyond.

Both bouts aired live on truTV in the 2015 season finale of Top Rank's Metro PCS Friday Night Knockout series.

Jake Donovan is the managing editor of BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox