Emanuel Navarette was pushed hard by Joet Gonzalez but did enough to retain his WBO featherweight belt on Friday evening.
Gonzalez was defeated on a unanimous decision after the final round, and suffered two cuts close to his eyes, and his face was swollen as a result of the punches he had accumulated.
While Gonzalez was cut as early as the third round, he stuck to his task and was in the mix for individual rounds right until the end. Navarrete was then award the win 118-110, 116-112, 116-112.
Speaking after the fight, the champion praised his opponent, saying: "Joet exceeded expectations, he is a great fighter.
"It was a close fight but my conditioning was the difference between him and me.
"Without a doubt, I hurt him. But he kept coming back and he also hurt me.
"I will give him a rematch.
“It has been an exciting ride so far, and from now on, I want the bigger fights."
Gonzalez acknowledged the defeat, saying: “I thought I had it seven rounds to five, eight rounds to four. I was really surprised by that score of 118-110, I believe. But it is what it is, and I did my best.”