David Carmona turned around his career in a big way.
All all-out war saw the locally based former title challenger outlast Colombia’s Belmar Preciado en route to a 10-round unanimous decision win. Scores were 97-95, 96-94 and 98-93 in favor of Carmona in their Estrella TV-aired regional junior featherweight title fight Friday evening at Foro Viena in Mexico City.
Preciado was tasked with pressing the action in the early going, as Carmona played defense and counterpuncher. The visiting Preciado was selective yet effective with his punch output while Carmona did his best to pick off the incoming and work his opponent’s body.
The tactic by Carmona proved wise as the bout evolved from a boxing match to a slugfest. Preciado continued to take the lead, coming forward and launching right hands and left hooks with mean intentions. Carmona rode out the storm and remained persistent with his body attack which began to wear down his opponent.
Carmona took over in the second half, connecting with right uppercuts downstairs and then coming up top with crisp right hands. Preciado was briefly stunned in round six from a right hand behind the ear, though managed to remain upright.
The momentum carried over into rounds seven and eight. Carmona’s superior was the difference in most exchanges, drawing in Preciado and then peppering him with counter left hooks and right uppercuts. Preciado was stunned again late in round eight, with Carmona letting his hands go in hopes of closing the show.
Preciado was given time to recover from a low blow in round nine, which drew boos from the crowd who were calling for a knockout ending. Carmona pumped up his local fans, first by motioning his arms for support and then through his fists as he continued to control the real estate.
Both fighters left it all in the ring in a furiously paced 10th and final round. Preciado connected with several straight right hands while Carmona drove his opponent into the ropes with left hooks.
The strong second half surge by Carmona was enough to pull off the upset win, improving to 22-6-5 (9KOs). The former two-time title challenger dropped five of his previous six starts, including a 12-round defeat to Naoya Inoue and a 7th round knockout loss to Khalid Yafai in separate failed junior bantamweight title bids.
Preciado suffers his second defeat in his past three fights, falling to 21-4-1 (13KOs).
The bout served as the chief support to the return of secondary WBA junior flyweight titlist Carlos Canizales (22-0-1, 17KOs), who ends a two-year hiatus in a title defense versus local challenger Esteban Bermudez (13-3-2, 9KOs).
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox
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