By Jake Donovan

The majority draw verdict carried different meanings for Jose 'Wonder Boy' Lopez and Josean Figueroa at the end of their eight-round bout Saturday evening in Carolina, Puerto Rico. 

Lopez (15-0-1, 11KOs) promised a more disciplined performance than what came of his wild brawl with Roberto Castañeda last August, where he survived four 1st round knockdowns in the worst round of his career to score three of his own en route to a controversial decision win. The 20-year old super bantamweight made good on his word, fighting with caution and boxing more than has been the case in past fights. 

What he and his team didn't expect was for Figueroa - out of the game for more than two years - to come out as strong as he did. The mid-fight adjustment was enough for Lopez to escape with his unbeaten record still intact, but also close enough for some of the polish to come off of any remaining new penny shine surrounding his career. 

“He came strong; I didn’t expect that Figueroa was going to come this way,” admits Lopez , still a month shy of his 21st birthday. “We made the adjustments of our last fight but this is boxing. I keep learning.”

For Figueroa, a draw was as good as a win. The 28-year old journeyman hadn't fought in more than two years, with his last victory having taken place three years ago almost to the day. 

The Aguadilla-based bantamweight was well aware that he was a heavy underdog heading into the fight, but treated the fight as his personal winning lottery ticket. 

“We came ready for Lopez,” Figueroa (8-3-2, 7KOs) revealed. “We knew that he has a powerful left hook and he got me a couple of times but our plan was to break him down we knew that he gets tired. I am happy with (Saturday's) performance.”

The bout topped the inaugural edition of Boxeo Al Maximo , a new series developed by Miguel Cotto Promotions (Lopez' promoter) which airs monthly on Univision Puerto Rico. The next show airs March 14, headlined by unbeaten super featherweight Alberto Machado. 

Jake Donovan is the Managing Editor of BoxingScene.com, as well as a member of Transnational Boxing Ratings Board and the Boxing Writers Association of America. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox