Adrian Curiel found a way to move forward with his career at a time when most of the rest of the boxing world has been put on hold.

The 21-year old flyweight made the most of hometown advantage in outpointing countryman Hugo ‘Verdugo’ Guarneros over 10 rounds Friday evening live on Telemundo from Domo Sindicato de Trabajadores IMSS (Mexico Institute of Social Security).

Scores were 98-91, 98-92 and 96-93 in favor of Curiel, the local favorite on what is perhaps the final show to air on a U.S. platform in front a live crowd for at least the nest few weeks.

As concerns over the rapidly coronavirus arises, boxing shows around the world have been postponed around the world. Friday’s card was one of the few to make the cut, with Curiel fighting accordingly. The locally based fringe contender jumped out to a strong start versus Guarneros, who also hails from Mexico City and who previously boasted a perfect 5-0 mark in Telemundo televised contests.

That streak was clearly in jeopardy from the opening bell, as Curiel was the aggressor early on, connecting with left hooks and looping right hands while Guarneros struggled to find his offense. Two way action would eventually surface, as Guarneros managed to time Curiel coming in with his own left hook.

A pivotal moment came in round four, when Guarneros—who managed to avoid what should have been a knockdown call—was deducted a point after a stray left hook sailed well below the belt. The sequence came just prior to the final minute of the round as the two were trading along the ropes, proceeding to pick up where they left off once action resumed.

Guarneros did his best to make up for lost ground, storming back strong in round five but a frame that would serve as his last shining moment. Cuirel surged ahead in the second half of the fight, by far the fresher of the two in the later rounds and cleanly outworking his countryman in the closing moments of the contest.

The win runs Curiel’s record to 5-0 on capital grounds, which hosted his previous two victories prior to a knockout loss to unbeaten Joselito Velasquez last November in La Paz, Mexico. With the victory on Friday, Curiel runs his career mark to 16-3-3 (9KOs), picking up a regional title in the process.

Guarneros falls to 16-4-2 (8KOs), having now managed just one win in his past five starts (1-3-1 over that stretch).

Friday’s bout was presented by All-Star Boxing in serving as the Boxeo Telemundo spring season finale. For now, the next installment is due to take place on May 1 in Mexico City although that date remains fluid given the current shakeup in the boxing landscape.

Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox