BROOKLYN, New York – Alberto Puello overcame a determined challenge from Sandor Martin to retain his WBC junior lightweight title on Saturday, winning a split decision here at Barclays Center.

The scores were 115-113 and 116-112 for the defending titleholder, while the third had it 115-113 for Martin.

Although it was Puello who finished the fight stronger in the last two rounds, the story of the early part of the bout was the uncharacteristic aggression from Spain’s Martin, 42-4 (15 KOs), who pushed the fight early on with southpaw left hands to the body. Puello – who was fighting for the first time since being elevated from interim to full titleholder after Devin Haney vacated his 140lbs belts – had to accept the role of counterpuncher, finding the holes in the aggression of Martin to land counter right hooks in the third.

After Martin’s strong start, Puello began to claw his way back in the second half of the bout. Puello, 24-0 (10 KOs), made a strong statement in the eighth round, landing two overhand lefts to begin the round. The final two rounds were the best of the fight for Puello, who bloodied Martin with right hooks and overhand lefts.

The loss snapped a two-fight winning streak for Martin, who will likely leave New York to return to Barcelona with a sour taste in his mouth for the second straight time, after losing a disputed split decision to Teofimo Lopez Jnr on his most recent trip here in 2022.

Puello, 30, is now in his second reign as a 140lbs titleholder, having won the WBA junior welterweight title with a split decision over Botirzhon Akhmedov in 2022, only to be stripped of the belt after testing positive for banned substances ahead of his cancelled 2023 fight with Rolando Romero.

Puello-Martin was part of the Gervonta Davis-Lamont Roach Jnr pay-per-view card, which streamed live on Amazon Prime pay-per-view and PPV.com.

In the opening fight of the pay-per-view, Yoenis Tellez scored the biggest victory of his young career, hammering former champion Julian Williams to win a unanimous decision. The scores were 119-109, 118-110 and 117-111, all for Tellez, who picked up the WBA interim junior middleweight title with the win.

Tellez, 10-0 (7 KOs), of Santiago de Cuba, Cuba, was in control from the opening bell, backing up Williams and sapping his strength with left hooks to the body – particularly after he had split the squared-up Williams’ gloves with uppercuts.

Williams, who, at 34, is 10 years older than Tellez, already looked the part of the beaten fighter after three rounds, with cuts around both eyes and blood spewing from his mouth in the corner.

Tellez appeared to be heading for a stoppage win in the ninth round, as a right hand to the body followed by an uppercut to the chin rocked Williams into the ropes. Williams was able to fight Tellez off with a right-hand counter that earned him enough room to breathe. The only mercy the Philadelphia-based Williams would see on this night was in the form of the final bell, which sent him to his fourth defeat in his last six bouts.

Williams, who defeated Jarrett Hurd for the unified junior middleweight title in 2019, has been on a steady descent since then, losing the title to Jeison Rosario by fifth-round stoppage in 2020, followed by an upset decision loss to Vladimir Hernandez in his next fight nearly two years later, and a ninth-round stoppage to Carlos Adames in 2023, which was sandwiched by wins over journeymen opponents.

“"I don't know what was missing,” Williams said. “I'll have to look at the tape. In the end, I hope that the fans got to enjoy a great fight.”

Tellez, who now lives in Stafford, Texas, is now on paper the next in line to challenge for the WBA title that is still held by Terence Crawford.

“"What's next? I don't know yet,” said Tellez.

“The only thing I'm sure of is that I'm ready to face any champion out there, and that the 154lbs division has a hungry Cuban fighter coming for more.”

Ryan Songalia is a reporter and editor for BoxingScene.com and has written for ESPN, the New York Daily News, Rappler, The Guardian, Vice and The Ring magazine. He holds a Master’s degree in Journalism from the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism and is a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. He can be reached at ryansongalia@gmail.com or on Twitter at @ryansongalia.