Eduardo Nunez retains IBF title with unanimous decision over Diaz

Eduardo Sugar Nunez retained the IBF junior lightweight title with a hard-fought 12-round unanimous decision over Christopher Diaz on Saturday night at the Centro de Usos Multiples in Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico. The judges scored the bout 117-109, 117-109 and 116-110 for Nunez, who improved his record to 29-1 with 27 knockouts, while Diaz dropped to 30-6 with 19 stoppages, according to official records.

The hometown champion twice floored Diaz in the seventh round, pivotal moments that the judges cited in creating the wide card margins. Ringside reports and postfight accounts described a back-and-forth war: Nunez outworked Diaz with volume punching and body work for much of the middle rounds, while Diaz landed several heavy, fight-changing shots late and opened a cut over Nunez's left eye in the final stanza. Some observers and media outlets questioned the scorecards as too wide given Diaz's late surge, but referees and judges ruled the knockdowns decisive to the outcome.

Nunez, who captured the vacant IBF belt in May by outpointing Masanori Rikiishi in Yokohama, had promised a hometown showcase and framed the night as the first step in a longer mission to become an idol and...