Indonesia’s Chris John got a late scare but retained his World Boxing Association featherweight title on Saturday with a unanimous 12-round decision over American Rocky Juarez.
John was in control, despite a swollen left eye, when Juarez connected with a left that had John’s knees sagging with less than a minute left in the 12th round.
An unsteady John managed to hold on and emerge with the victory by scores of 114-113, 119-109 and 117-111.
John remained unbeaten with 43 victories, one draw and 22 knockouts. Juarez fell to 28-5-1 with 20 wins inside the distance The fight, on the undercard of Floyd Mayweather Junior’s ring return against Juan Manuel Marquez, was a rematch of John’s WBA featherweight title clash against Juarez in Houston, Texas, in February, which ended in a draw that let John retain his title.
In that fight, too, Juarez came alive late, but in both cases it was too late to get the victory.
Juarez opened with aggression, but it was John that landed the damaging blows, including a big right and a left hook.
The fourth and fifth belonged to John, with crisp boxing and effective punching.
Juarez stepped up his attack in the sixth, and by the closing rounds John appeared to be tiring, his punches less precise and powerful.
But even when Juarez rocked him in the last, John stayed on his wobbly legs long enough.
John made the 11th defense of the title he won in June 2004.
John is the third Indonesian fighter to own a world title, along with Ellyas Pical (super flyweight 1985-1989) and Nico Thomas (mini-flyweight, 1989).
On the same card, Australian Michael Katsidis outpointed Vicente Escobedo, pressuring the American over 12 rounds en route to claiming the lightly regarded World Boxing Organization interim lightweight title.
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