By Cliff Rold 

Staying undefeated isn’t easy, something 21-year old Carlos Diaz (21-0, 10 KO), 134, of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, found out on Saturday night at the Deportivo Morelos in Mexico City, Mexico. Diaz got a stern ten rounds from 27-year old Samuel Gonzalez (11-4, 8 KO), 135, of Venezuela, working through a tough middle stretch of the fight to earn a unanimous decision in a fan friendly affair.

After falling behind in the first three rounds, Gonzalez roared to life in the fourth. Fighting with a swelling under the right eye, Gonzalez started landing hard stuff and backing Diaz up. In the fifth round, he was emboldened, slugging away to the head and body of Diaz. The undefeated youngster went to his corner sucking air.

When he came out for the sixth, Diaz jumped on Gonzalez and then wisely backed off and boxed. Through the second half of the fight, both men continued to land hard but Diaz was doing a better job of controlling the pace. Gonzalez struggled to find the success of the fourth and fifth rounds again.

In the end, it was enough for Diaz to receive unanimous scores of 97-93 across the board  

The televised opener featured eight rounds at lightweight capped off with an upset result.

Unheralded Francisco Gabriel Pina (13-12-5, 5 KO), 132, of Ensenada, Baja California, outhustled 27-year old two-time former Jr. lightweight challenger Miguel Beltran (31-5, 21 KO), 134, of Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico, for a surprising unanimous decision win. It was Beltran’s third loss in seven fights since suffering a split decision defeat to Roman Martinez for the then-vacant WBO 130 lb. title in 2012.

The taller Pina used an effective jab and smart inside defense throughout, frustrating a Beltran who may have been expecting easier work. A furious exchange in the final moments of the bout provided some thrills but did not provide Beltran the knockout blow he needed. Scores came in at 77-76 and 77-75 twice for Pina. 

The card was televised in the US on BeIn Sports Espanol, promoted by Zanfer.

Cliff Rold is the Managing Editor of BoxingScene and a member of the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board and the Boxing Writers Association of America.  He can be reached at roldboxing@hotmail.com