(October 4, 2007) Las Vegas, Nevada (Hard Rock Casino)—-

Fernando "Cochulito" Montiel climbed off the canvas to score a roaring 12th round TKO over Colombian southpaw Luis "Surtigás" Melendez. With the jolting victory, the 25-year-old Mexican from Los Mochis, Sinaloa, retained his WBO super flyweight title.

The action heated up in the 2nd and Montiel (35-2-1, 25 KO's) began ripping the challenger with digging body shots. However, Melendez (25-3-1, 20 KO's) returned fire and rocked Montiel (115) twice with hard counter right hooks to the jaw. Melendez (114 ½) continued to let his hands go in the 3rd, and he repeatedly scored with long left crosses and he buckled the champion's knees with a sizzling left hand down the middle.

One minute into the 4th there was a nasty clash of heads and the challenger sustained deep welt on his forehead, while across the ring Montiel's face was a series of small cuts around his right eye and several darkening bruises across his face. Nevertheless, following the headbutt, Montiel, 5'4", doubled up on his offensive output and began ripping into the challenger with wicked body shots that rebounded off of Melendez's ribs.

With 17-second remaining in the 6th, the champion caught Melendez, 5'7", with a whip-like three-shot combination that snapped the Colombian's skull straight back. Montiel showboated for several seconds before bouncing a scalding right hand off of Melendez's jawbone. The champion opened up just before the bell sounded to end the round and he caught the challenger with two more hard left hooks followed by a final volley that dropped the Colombian on the seat of his trunks at the conclusion of the round. The referee Kenny Bayless picked up the count at five and then finished off the mandatory at 8 before sending Melendez to the sanctuary of his stool.

Melendez came back winging shots to open the 7th, and with 2:40 to go in the round, the challenger caught Montiel backing up and he dropped him a sweeping left hook to the jaw. The champion jackknifed off the ropes and fell to the deck and rolled all the way over before catching his equilibrium. Montiel struggled to his feet at the count of nine and he appeared to be done for the rest of the evening. The challenger returned to hammering away at the champion with both hands and by the end of the round, Montiel had escaped to his corner with blood dripping from under his right eye and several other red welts turning the shades of vermilion across his face.

Montiel returned with a vengeance in the 8th, and he continued to hammer the challenger with a series of straight right hands to the face. Within the last 30 seconds of the round, Montiel hurt Melendez with a whistling left hook to the jaw followed by a straight hand down the middle that staggered the Colombian. Montiel simply had the heavier lumber and over the next several rounds whistling right crosses and jackhammer left hooks further drained the challenger's resolve.

With both men battered, bruised and bloody, at the 1:38 mark of the 12th, Montiel scored with a rocket-like left uppercut that caught Melendez flush under the chin. Moments later, with Montiel fighting out of a lefthanded stance and still firing bombs, he drilled the challenger with a searing left hand to the belly. The African dropped to knees with a look of anguish across his face.

Melendez was slow getting to his feet yet he was fully vertical by the count of seven and he indicated he wanted to continue. As soon as the title fight resumed, Montiel unloaded five more brutal shots to the head and belly before the referee Bayless halted the contest at 1:58 of the 12th round.

Despite getting knocked down earlier in the bout, Fernando Montiel was almost dancing, as he pirouetted across the ring after the final volley and then raised his gloves in victory.

--Antillon KO's Alcorro--

Undefeated ranked lightweight Urbano Antillon (20-0, 13 KO's) continued to look impressive in scoring a second round KO over Colombia's outgunned Wilson Alcorro (25-9-3, 17 KO's).

The 25-year-old Antillon (133) from Maywood, California, via Nimiquipa, Mexico rocked Alcorro several times in the opening round with right hands that richochtted off of his skull. Antillon continued to tag Alcorro (132 ½) in the 2nd with digging body shots followed by ringing blasts upstairs when his opponent began to drop his hands. Referee Jay Nady warned the southpaw Alcorro twice in the round to keep his punches up.

Antillon never took a step back but rather returned to landing with crisp, compact, precision-like left hooks and wicked right hand to the belly. Antillon drove his opponent back into the ropes and then sank a right hand to the body that doubled Melendez over before he floored the Colombian with a neck snapping right cross to the chin. Melendez crashed to the floor before rolling over on his stomach near the ropes. At the count of seven, Melendez managed to make it to his knees but he again lost his balance and fell sideways into the ropes before almost going down yet again. The fight was over and the talented Urbano Antillon had scored a devastating knockout at 2:36 of the second round.