No recount this time

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After a controversial split decision victory over Matt Vanda in Mexico in July, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. left himself needing to reassure his superiority over Vanda, this time on neutral turf.

Sporting his nations colors, Chavez Jr. entered the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas with tri-color shoes and gloves to Vanda’s matching red and black shoes and shorts in front of lively crowd of 5,414.

It was pretty even exchanges during the first round, as the favored Chavez Jr. found his mark more often than his opponent, winning the opening round. Chavez Jr. continued to find his mark in the second, controlling the pace and taking control of the ring. Vanda landed a big counter right hand that allowed him to show up on the radar with just seconds left in the round.

During the third round, Chavez Jr. continued to find his mark, deeply concentrated on executing his game plan and carefully picking his mark, only trading blow for blow when he wanted not when Vanda chose. At the same time, a ringside fan caused a heck of a disturbance. Although the fighters were unaware an entire section of ringside observers were pestered by a third row ticket holder who refused to sit down, prompting Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Officers in attendance to forcibly remove him and his trendy scarf from his ringside seat, much to the applause of that side of the arena.

Continuing in the fourth, Chavez Jr. worked his left jab well while Vanda occasionally rushed in with big right hooks. Midway through round Vanda began to land, including a big right hook with less than a minute to go that got a response from the crowd. The two fighters traded heavily to end the fourth and touched gloves as Vanda appeared to have stolen the round.

Behind on the scorecards but not out of the fight yet, Vanda entered the fifth with a triple left jab, punctuating his intent to build momentum.

Keeping focused Chavez Jr. stuck with the game plan refusing to sway all the while Vanda continued to come forward. Chavez Jr. complained of a low blow to referee Robert Byrd who, instead, stopped the action to warn both fighters to watch their heads. The sixth ended with Chavez Jr. with his back to ropes hands down to his sides, ducking Vanda’s loaded punches and taunting his opponent.

The action continued in the seventh as the two traded on the inside. A minute into the round, Chavez Jr. again complained of a low blow, unseen, but Byrd warned them to keep the punches up. Shortly after a busy exchange, Byrd broke the fighters and warned Chavez Jr. for leading with his head with less than a minute to go, Vanda tagged his favored opponent with a left hook and managed to steal another round.

The two crowd-pleasing combatants had definitely turned this into as good of a fight as anticipated, with Chavez Jr. not letting off the gas and continuing to control the bout, and Vanda left looking for one big answer in order to catch up. In an awkward moment, both fighters stopped throwing, turned and walk to their corners prematurely, about four seconds before the bell actually rang. 

The ninth round started with the pro-Chavez crowd chanting his name as he came out throwing heavy and landing. Certainly needing a knockout Vanda threw heavier and heavier. Chavez, however, was back on the offensive, tagging Vanda on the ropes. Vanda swung and missed, and Jr. countered, Vanda covered up, neither fighter having gained or lost anything from the exchange. A right hook from Vanda with a minute to go stuck Chavez Jr. on the ropes. From there, the son of a legend answered back with a flurry finishing the round working hard to the end leaving Vanda in need of a knockout.

The final round began with the crowd on their feet and both fighters trading heavily, Vanda mouthing off as he throws, while Jr. pounded his fist on his legs, calling for more as the entire arena chanted his name.

They continued to trade, Jr. landing, then Vanda. As the final seconds ticked away Chavez, shook his hips and danced as Vanda swung and missed. Chavez Jr. unloaded, not willing to cruise to victory, showing he has learned his lesson. 

After the final bell Chavez was awarded his second decision victory over Vanda—but this time, it was unanimous, undisputed even by Vanda.

“He outworked me, he won the fight,” said Vanda post fight “But I think the people got their money’s worth.”

Chavez Jr. acknowledged that this time out he won the fight fairly and clearly.

“I changed up and I boxed him more this time. I dictated the rhythm of the fight,” said Chavez Jr. who landed 28% of 625 total punches thrown, while the game Vanda landed 33% of 505. 

“We fought when I wanted to fight and we boxed when I wanted to box.”

The scores read 99-91, 98-92 and 97-93 opening the door for Chavez Jr. to move past this bump in the road and attempt to achieve bigger better things, including a world title.