By Jake Donovan

Streaking bantamweight contender Alejandro “Alex” Valdez put on a boxing clinic as he extended his unbeaten streak to 17 with a wide unanimous decision over Anyetei Laryea.

The bout served as the main event on Telefutura’s Solo Boxeo Tecate, aired live from the Aragon Ballroom in Chicago, Illinois.

Valdez kept it strictly boxing in the first two rounds before finding his groove in the third. The Mexican landed several straight lefts and also touched the body when the two were at close quarters, which was quite often. Laryea had success of his own, with his right hand getting through upstairs whenever Valdez stopped punching, as if to remind the Mexican that the only rest would come in between rounds.

After a tentative fourth round, things picked up in the fifth. Laryea spent much of the round following around Valdez, and paid the price as he walked into a right hook. Valdez went on the attack for the remainder of the round, though the Ghanaian was able to survive.

Back to a phone booth’s distance they went in the sixth round. Valdez controlled the action largely on the strength of his jab, but left his guard down just long enough to get nailed with a right hand straight down the pipe. It was Laryea’s lone bright spot in the round, as Valdez came on strong in the final minute, including a right uppercut to drive his foe into the ropes.

Laryea had modest success in the seventh round, but was thoroughly outboxed in the eighth and ninth frames to where his corner demanded prior to the final round that he let it all hang out for the full three minutes.

Valdez was willing to concede the round – to a degree – but wasn’t about to give Laryea any chance of knocking him out. The southpaw played keep away for the first two minutes before standing his ground and letting his hands go to close out the round and the fight.

There was no question that Valdez won the fight, with only the margin of victory open to interpretation. All three judges generally saw the action the same way, with Valdez winning by scores of 97-93 (2x) and 98-92, to improve to 21-2-1 (15KO) with the win. He is now 16-0-1 since his last loss almost four years ago.

Laryea drops his second straight, both coming in 2008 and in the United States, as he falls to 17-5 (9KO) with the decision loss.

A minor upset occurred in the televised co-feature, with Mexican journeyman Adolfo Landeros riding out an early lead to preserve a split decision over previously unbeaten Alejandro Perez.

It was a spirited affair throughout, with both fighter letting the leather fly early and often. Landeros put in his best work in the first few rounds, including a dominant second round in which he twice rocked Perez with shots upstairs.

Back and forth they went over the next few rounds. Anytime Perez attempted to pull ahead, Landeros was there to remind the Mexican-American that he didn’t come to lie down.

By round seven, Perez’ corner urged their fighter to rapidly pick up the pace and that he may need a knockout to win. Their prediction proved spot on; Perez let his hands go in the in the final two rounds, landing several headshots in the eighth and final round.

In the end, it proved to be too little, too late. His rally was enough to pull ahead on one card by score of 77-75, with Landeros taking it 77-75 on the other two cards.

Having lost seven of his last nine going in, the win over Perez was by far the biggest of Landeros’ career. He improves to 19-10-1 (9KO).

Perez loses for the first time in his four year career, falling to 13-0-1 (7KO).

Local super featherweight Juan Bailon returned to the ring for the first time in 10 years to score a four round shutout over Gerardo Alarcon.

Bailon, who turned 36 last month, was breathing heavy after the opening round, but the sight of his opponent’s blood helped him gain his second wind in a hurry. A clash of heads in the second round left Alarcon with a nick over his left eye. Bailon treated the cut as a bull’s-eye, pumping his right hand throughout the round.

The third and fourth rounds weren’t quite as spirited, but the Chicagoan did enough to take both frames to make it a clean sweep, winning 40-36 on all three scorecards.

Bailon improves to 3-0 (1KO) with the win; Alarcon falls to 0-2.

The show was presented by 8 Count Productions and Top Rank, Inc.