Vergil Ortiz Jr produced a turnaround in the second half of the fight to beat Israil Madrimov in gruelling fashion.
Madrimov and Ortiz Jr met in the third fight of the night, a thrilling clash for the WBC interim super-welterweight title on the undercard of Artur Beterbiev vs Dmitry Bivol 2.
The former was looking to bounce back after a narrow defeat to pound-for-pound great Terence Crawford.
Meanwhile Ortiz was looking to reignite his impressive KO streak after a tight decision win over Serhii Bohachuk and continue his march towards a shot at world silverware at 154lbs.
Unfortunately for the American, he was unable to close the show as the fight went to the judges scorecards.
But he was the narrow winner on the scorecards with his work in the second half of the fight seeing the scores unanimously in his favour at 117-111, 115-113 and 115-113.
Madrimov had proven his calibre at the biggest of the stages, an elusive mover and a gifted fighter, and so he proved in the opening stages.
He started the matador boxing well on the back foot, tricky and elite-moving, with Ortiz looking to take the centre ring and play the aggressor and wrecking ball.
The talented American barely landed a blow in the opening rounds with Madrimov proving impossible to hit on the outside, with Ortiz unable to close the gap.
A cut even opened up below the eye of the KO artist, who was taking peppering shots, but was desperately trying to cut the ring off and find the constantly moving target.
Ortiz finally began to turn the screw, doubling up on the jab and finding the chin of Madrimov at long last, with the Uzbek still boxing well and well in control.
Blood trickled from the nose of the normally crunching puncher Ortiz, as the gifted boxer continued to land some long and wiry punches through the guard.
But the American started to rip some shots in more promising barrages, as momentum started to swing in his favour beyond the halfway point.
He continued to plug the gaps, but Madrimov responded well turned the tide again in the eighth with some neat work and a new flurry suddenly seeing Ortiz’s feet stuck underneath him.
The pendulum continued to swing back and forth with Ortiz landing some more stinging shots as the later rounds approached, once again finding the target at will after a difficult three minutes of adversity.
Madrimov looked under the cosh and with his movement slowing, as Ortiz trundled forward like a tanked machine.
Promoter Oscar De La Hoya rose to his feet as the KO artist landed some fierce and explosive shots to the body and head, with Madrimov brave and resistant and not afraid to exchange.
The Uzbek refused to wilt despite the late pressure, and both fighters celebrates suggesting they had won at the final bell.
Crawford watched on from ringside as Ortiz Jr was announced the victor.
The American has called out ‘Bud’ in the past, but a bout has yet to be formally made into anything material.
Crawford will instead face Canelo Alvarez in September in a pound-for-pound war, with his attentions focused to the 168lbs division.
