GUAYNABO, Puerto Rico - Joe Mesi unanimously outpointed Ronald Bellamy on Saturday night in the heavyweight's first fight following a two-year force layoff because of a serious head injury.  

"It wasn't my best performance, but I was out of the ring for two years," Mesi said. "I hope to keep getting better as I have more fights... I give myself a C-plus."

All three judges scored the fight 80-72 for Mesi.

The eight-round bout was sanctioned by the Puerto Rico Boxing Commission, the first such entity to grant Mesi a license to step back into the ring after the injury.

"I was not concerned about my health by any means," Mesi said. "I knew I would be rusty, and I was. It was what I expected."

The 32-year-old fighter had his license suspended indefinitely by the Nevada Athletic Commission after sustaining at least two subdural hematomas in victory over Vassiliy Jirov in Las Vegas in March 2004.

Mesi was barred from fighting anywhere in the United States, including Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory. The suspension was lifted through a Nevada court order in December.

Mesi (30-0, 25 KOs) was ranked No. 1 among heavyweight contenders in the World Boxing Council at the time of his suspension.

Bellamy (14-5-4, 9 KOs) dropped his gloves in the middle of the fourth, allowing Mesi to land several combinations to the head. Bellamy had some blood in his nose and mouth at the start of the fifth.

"Bellamy is a strong guy and he was able to resist the attack," Mesi said. "We'll look for the same type of challenger as Ron Bellamy, the same type of fight. We have a lot of offers. We have offers to fight in June or before June."

In the sixth, Mesi had a bruise below the right eye. He tried to grind down Bellamy with his left jab during most of the round.

Bellamy, who landed a hard right uppercut to Mesi's chin in the seventh, was bleeding from the nose when he reached the corner after the bell.

The bleeding continued in the final round, while Mesi's right eye started to close.

Both fighters came out swinging aggressively in the first round, connecting shots to the head and body.