Sunday 23 April 2017 09:42, UK
Martin Murray kept alive his hopes of another world title fight with a majority decision victory over Gabriel Rosado at The Echo Arena in Liverpool.
The St Helens man produced a disciplined display instead of being dragged into an expected dogfight and took victory with vastly different margins of 116-112 and 119-109, while the third judge made it a 114-114 draw.
Murray, who has fallen short in four previous attempts to win a world title, will be hoping to secure another fight with one of the middleweight champions after moving back down a division.
Rosado swiftly took the centre of the ring, stabbing out range-finding jabs, but Murray was unwilling to give ground and ended the round on the front foot as he answered with lefts of his own.
There was more aggression from Murray in the second as he backed the American into a corner with a barrage of punches, but his tight guard was ripped open by a flurry from Rosado in the third.
After probing for openings, Rosado sent a jolting uppercut through Murray's gloves in the fourth, and spat out a few words of defiance at the end of the round.
Murray punished his opponent in the sixth, firstly earning a rebuke for an eye-watering low blow, before catching Rosado with a big right hand in the closing seconds.
The experienced duo were displaying their ring skills, rather than an appetite for battle, and Murray cleverly worked openings for his right hand in the eighth.
Rosado was finding it hard to put a dent in Murray, even when he landed marginally after the bell in the ninth, although the British man was also warned by referee Howard Foster for another punch below the belt line.
Slipping behind on the scorecards, Rosado staged a late assault and forced Murray into reverse with a hurtful punch in the 11th, but Murray withstood more spiteful shots to earn victory on two of the scorecards.
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