By Jake Donovan

Francisco Vargas walked through hell in order to claim his first major title, overcoming a knockdown and cuts under and over his right eye to stop Takashi Miura in the 9th round of a thriller Saturday evening at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The super featherweight title fight was deemed by many experts as a potential show-stealer leading into the main event between Miguel Cotto and Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez. Both fighter did their part, overcoming adversity in a thrilling title fight featuring several momentum shifts. 

Miura was nearly stopped in round one after catching a straight right hand on the chin. How he managed to remain on his feet is a mystery, but Vargas didn't waste any time in going for the kill. The unbeaten boxer from Mexico City was unable to put him away and nearly paid the price. 

After catching heavy leather through two-plus rounds, Miura turned the tide late in round three. Thudding body shots and sharp left hands upstairs began to take a toll on Vargas, who was forced to contend with a cut under his right eye.

One round later, he was forced to contend with the first knockdown of his boxing life. Never down as a pro or amateur, Vargas hit the deck courtesy of a straight left as Miura treated the cut as a bullseye. The wound developed into a gusher, as Vargas was forced on the defensive while Miura unloaded his offensive arsenal.

The trend continued over the next few rounds, with Vargas' eye worsening. He enjoyed a rally in round eight, only to get caught late in the frame and suddenly forced to deal with cuts now under and over his right eye. 

Whatever speech was given in between rounds needs to be put to print and framed in gyms around the world. Vargas came out with both clips reloaded, dropping Miura early in round nine. The sequence proved to be the beginning of the end, as Miura was never able to regain his legs.

Vargas sensed blood in the water and went in for the kill. Miura threw back just enough to allow referee Tony Weeks to extend the bout further, but an ensuing flurry by the challenger prompted the third man to intervene. 

The official time was 1:31 of round nine. Miura was ahead on two scorecards - 77-74 and 76-75 - while the third judge had the fight even at 75-75 at the time of the stoppage.

With year-end award season just a few weeks away, this bout will certainly be well-represented. For now, Vargas is content with remaining unbeaten, improving to 23-0-1 (17KOs) in winning his first title. 

Miura sees a nine-fight win streak as well as his title reign come to an unfortunate end. Previously tabbed a "Mexecuitioner" for his recent success over fighters from Mexico, Miura heads home with his record now at 29-3-2 (22KOs). He won the title with a 9th round win over Gamaliel Diaz in April '13, making four successful defenses prior to Saturday, which also marked his first career bout in the United States.

His previous loss came at the hands of Takashi Uchiyama - currently the top 130 lb. boxer in the world, who stopped Miura in the 8th round of their Jan. '11 title clash. 

Jake Donovan is the managing editor of BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox