Medina Retains WBO Bantamweight Title vs Curiel

Christian Medina successfully defended his WBO bantamweight title with a unanimous decision victory over Adrian Curiel on Friday night at Domo Alcalde in Guadalajara, Mexico. The judges scored the 12-round bout 120-108, 116-112 and 115-113 in favor of the hometown fighter, who improved his record to 27-4 with 19 knockouts.

Medina, a 25-year-old from Guadalajara, controlled the fight from the outset by leveraging his size and strength advantages. He applied consistent pressure, targeting Curiel's body with heavy hooks and jabs while maintaining a measured pace. Curiel, a 27-year-old former IBF junior flyweight champion from Ecatepec de Morelos, entered the ring for just his second bout at 118 pounds and adopted an aggressive approach, pressing forward to force exchanges. The smaller challenger had moments of success in the middle rounds, landing clean shots including an overhand right in the eighth that briefly stunned Medina. However, Curiel struggled to disrupt Medina's balance amid the punishment to his midsection.

Tensions escalated in the 11th round as the action grew rougher, prompting referee warnings for both fighters. Curiel rallied support from the crowd between rounds...