By Jake Donovan

Jose Argumedo enjoyed a favorable hometown showcase, easily outpointing Nicaragua's Julio Mendoza over 12 rounds Friday evening in Tepic, Nayarit, Mexico.

Scores were 119-109 (twice) and 118-110 in favor of Argumedo, who was making the first defense of his strawweight crown. 

The bout and ensuing result were both far less dramatic than the manner in which the title was claimed. Argumedo traveled to Japan, where he went tooth and nail with Katsunari Takayama before their bout ended on cuts after nine bloody rounds of action last New Year's Eve. The 27-year old boxer earned the nod on two of the three judges' scorecards, producing one of the biggest upsets of 2015.

By comparison. Argumedo's first title defense went strictly by the numbers. Mendoza (now 11-5) was not only a heavy betting underdog coming in, but the type of challenger who has no business on the title stage but ultimately lands the opportunity due to the relatively thin talent pool as it relates to lining up a ranked opponent for a voluntary title defense in the strawweight division. 

With that, Argumedo was able to have his way to the delight of the hometown crowd. There were no knockdowns in the bout, nor did the threat of his title reign becoming one and done ever come to the forefront. 

Instead, the defending beltholder picks up his fourth consecutive win in moving to 18-3-1 (10KOs). His next defense could prove to be a bit more challenging, although very possible that it once again lands at home.

Looming ahead for Argumedo is a mandatory title defense. That challenge comes in the form of Colombia's Jose Antonio Jimenez, who earned his place in line by scoring the biggest win of his career, a 12-round nod over former strawweight champ Chao Zhong Xiong on the road in China this past May. 

Jake Donovan is the managing editor of BoxingScene.com. Follow his shiny new Twitter account: @JakeNDaBox_v2