Jan Paul Rivera Pizarro proved too strong for Andy Beltran in a thrilling encounter Friday at Coliseo Roger L. Mendoza in Caguas, Puerto Rico, recording a competitive unanimous decision win.

Puerto Rico’s Pizarro (11-0, 7 KOs) was ruthless throughout the eight-round contest, wobbling Beltran (8-1, 5 KOs) with power shots. The fighters started the bout by exchanging powerful shots, but Pizzaro made use of his jabs to keep Mexico’s Beltran at bay.

In the second round, Pizzaro landed a big right hook that troubled his opponent. Pizzaro followed up with another big right hand that wobbled Beltran, who responded in equal measure.

Moments later, Beltran nearly visited the canvas from a right hook, but he stood firm to take the punishment. The third and fourth rounds saw Pizzaro attack more frequently, landing combinations to the face and body of Beltran.

Beltran did not succumb to Pizzaro’s shots and came back into the fight by landing clean shots. At this stage, the fight started getting intense, as both fighters went trading. However, Pizzaro landed the lion’s share of the punches, connecting with a right hook to the jaw of Beltran.

As Beltran came forward, Pizzaro maintained his composure in the fifth round, eating punches with vigor. In the sixth and seventh rounds, Pizzaro maintained the pressure with two quick left hooks that dazed Beltran, but the resolute Puerto Rican kept his composure.

In the final round, Pizzaro relied on his jabs to keep Beltran at bay, knowing he had cruised to an emphatic win, which the judges scored 80-72, 80-72 and 79-73 in his favor.

On the undercard, Puerto Rico’s Krystal Rosado-Ortiz (5-0, 2 KOs) cruised to a unanimous decision victory over Perla Lomeli (6-3) in a women’s bantamweight contest. Also, welterweight Elijah Flores (9-0, 3 KOs) triumphed over Omar Rosario (13-2, 4 KOs) via an eighth-round unanimous decision victory.

Bernard Neequaye is a sports journalist with a specialty in boxing coverage. He wrote a boxing column titled “From The Ringside” in his native Ghana for years. He can be reached on X (formerly Twitter) at @BernardNeequaye, LinkedIn at Bernard Neequaye and through email at bernardneequaye@gmail.com.