At the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, the Thurman-Barrios pay-per-view opener saw former two-division world champion Luis “Pantera” Nery dropped Carlos Castro in the first round on his way to a 10-round split decision win in a tactical battle between super bantamweights.

“My experience was definitely a factor,” said Nery. “I have three world title fights under my belt and have faced tougher opponents than he has. It showed tonight.”

The action heated up in the first when southpaw Nery connected with a straight left that deposited Castro on the seat of his trunks. The Phoenix, Arizona native managed to rise and survive the frame.

The bout turned into a chess match in the middle rounds as both Castro (27-1, 12 KOs) and Mexico’s Nery (32-1, 24 KOs) had their moments. In the end, Nery’s defense and accuracy proved to be the difference as he won 96-93 and 95-94 on two cards, while a third judge scored it for Castro, 95-94.

“I wanted to show everyone that I’m not just about haymakers,” said Nery. “If I wanna brawl and be tactical, I can do that too.

“I knew I could knock him out, but I wanted to win proving I could box too. I would counter-punch and attack the way I wanted to.”

The bout was the first for Nery since suffering a knockout loss in his super bantamweight unification clash with Brandon Figueroa in May of last year.

Nery should now rise in the ranks, with Castro being rated at 3 by the WBC, 3 by the IBF and two by the WBO.