By Jake Donovan

Bantamweights Yonnhy Perez and Joseph King Kong Agbeko exhausted their bag of tricks in treating boxing fans to a true Halloween thriller Saturday night at Treasure Island Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.

After 12 furiously paced rounds in an instant Fight of the Year contender, it was Perez’ surprising ability to outwork the equally tireless Agbeko en route to taking a unanimous decision and a portion of the splintered bantamweight title in a minor upset.

Both fighters weighed in at the bantamweight limit of 118 lb.

As expected, a fast pace was set from the outset. Rare is the occasion when any opponent is able to outwork Agbeko. Perez, Santa Fe Springs, CA by way of Cartagena, Colombia, didn’t quite manage that, but landed enough power shots late in the round to keep him honest.

Perez’ power game was enough to force Agbeko, Bronx, NY by way of Accra, Ghana, to change roles early in the second, landing out of reaction rather than forcing the action. That changed midway through, when Agbeko landed a right hand on Perez’ chin, but the Colombian was able to weather the brief storm and close the round strong.

Neither fighter gave an inch in the third, though a telling moment came about two minutes in. Both fighters landed long right hands, but it was Agbeko’s that appeared to cause more damage. Perez shook it off and came back with a left to rock the reigning titlist.

Falling behind early, Agbeko tried to close the gap in the fourth in his greatest efforts to minimize any leverage Perez was getting on his punches. It didn’t work, as Perez proved to be just as effective on the inside.

Bodypunching allowed Agbeko back into the fifth, exuding superior head movement to get low enough to effectively land downstairs. Perez was still throwing and showing no signs of slowing down, but was exclusively head hunting and for the first time in the fight fell a step behind during each exchange.

That flaw would be corrected in the sixth. Agbeko remained focused on a body attack, but Perez was able to extend the distance between the two, sneaking in right hands and coming back with the left. Agbeko attempted a shoeshine towards round end, landing a double left hook to the body and head, but Perez kept his composure to put another round in the bank.

Agbeko’s punishing jab had Perez out of sorts as the bout entered the second half, though it came after an accidental clash of heads left Perez with a cut under his left eye. Right hands were landing with regularity, though so too were several more head butts, not all of them of the accidental variety.

Though urged by his corner to box more in the eighth, Perez defied his handlers’ advice and instead took the fight to Agbeko, who spent much of the first two minutes fighting in reverse. Agbeko rallied in the final minute, throwing punches in bunches while Perez was overshooting with the right.

The action was still fast and furious in the ninth, though both fighters understandably showed signs of fatigue for the first time in the fight. Perez was fighting with his mouth agape, while Agbeko was beginning to push with the left rather than throw with conviction. There was still plenty of contact on both sides, though Agbeko landing the more telling blows, particularly with his straight right upstairs.

Ebb and flow was a recurring theme throughout the fight, but never more so than in the tenth. Agbeko began the round picking up where he left off in the ninth, but Perez was slowly but surely working his way back into the lead. The Colombian would gain a big boost towards the end of the round thanks to a blown call by referee Robert Byrd.

A right hand by Perez was followed with a clash of heads that left Agbeko momentarily dazed. He turned his back, believing that the referee would call time, but Perez kept coming, and sent Agbeko to the canvas for the first time of his career, courtesy of a left hook to the body.

Agbeko vehemently protested the call, but to no avail. All he could do was punch his way back into the fight in the championship rounds, though Perez never made things easy. Both fighters gained a burst of energy in what became a high contact 11th round filled with two-way exchanges on the inside.

Both fighters came out for the 12th clearly believing the fight was on the table. Punches were flying throughout the round, with neither fighter ever able to gain control in what was already a nip-and-tuck affair. Perez came on in the middle of the round, while Agbeko tried to gain control as the round and fight came to a close.

The final scorecards would reveal that any rally Agbeko attempted was too little and way too late. The three judges were unanimous in their surprisingly wide tallies of 116-111 and 117-110 (twice) for Perez, who wins his first major title in his four-year young career.

“It was the right decision; I believed I was up by the margins that the judges had it,” said Perez, who improves to 20-0 (14KO) with the win.

Naturally, the decision didn’t sit well with the dethroned titlist.

“I believe I won this fight,” insisted a dejected Agbeko, who falls to 27-2 (22KO). The only other loss in his career came under far more disputed circumstances. Many plead his case as being the victim of a hometown decision in his 2004 clash with Wladimir Sidirenko, who would go on to win alphabet hardware a year later.

Agbeko believed he did enough to win that fight, and also believes that the three judges did him wrong Saturday night in Vegas.

“I’m the champion and I fought as a champion.”

Both fighters fought on a true championship level in a fight that should be remembered in late December when fans and the media are recalling the year’s best.

Was it good enough to warrant an encore? Both fighters are certainly up for it; particularly Agbeko, who believes he shouldn’t need a second try to win back what he believes should still remain in his possession.

“I won this fight,” believes Agbeko, who was attempting the third defense of an alphabet title he won two years ago. “I don’t think the decision is fair; I want a rematch.”

Fortunately for Agbeko, Perez is receptive to the idea.

“Whenever he wants it, I’m here for him.”

DEMARCO MASTERFUL, STOPS ALFARO IN TEN

Antonio DeMarco continues his ascension up the lightweight ranks, improving with each performance. The talented Mexican was masterful in picking apart former titlist Jose Alfaro en route to a tenth-round stoppage.

The fight was one-sided throughout, with DeMarco performing a boxing clinic through nine rounds before turning up the heat in the tenth. Alfaro was game, but could only enjoy small moments of success as he was picked apart. Three knockdowns came in the tenth, the last of which prompted veteran referee Joe Cortez to step in and wave off the contest.

The official time was 2:07 of the tenth round.

DeMarco improves to 23-1-1 (17KO) with the win, his 12th straight and unbeaten over the course of his past 16 fights (15-0-1 over that stretch).

Alfaro drops to 23-5 (20KO), snapping a modest three-fight win streak.

The win puts DeMarco in position for a future shot against current lightweight titlist Edwin Valero, whose visa issues and past medical history have made it difficult to campaign in the United States. Should Valero become unavailable for such a fight, DeMarco will inherit his alphabet lightweight title.

Until then, the 23-year old can sit back and enjoy what has been a breakthrough campaign in 2009. The win comes on the heels of back-to-back ninth round stoppages of Almazbek Raiymkulov and Anges Adjaho, both of which came live on Showtime after graduating from the Shobox level.

Jake Donovan is the Managing Editor of Boxingscene.com and an award-winning member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Contact Jake at JakeNDaBox@gmail.com .