Mendez edges split decision win over Redkach

In the main event of Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) TOE-TO-TOE TUESDAYS on FS1 and BOXEO DE CAMPEONES on FOX Deportes, former world champion Argenis Mendez (24-5-1, 12 KOs), won a hotly contested split decision over Ivan Redkach (20-3-1, 16 KOs) from the world famous Sportsmen's Lodge Event Center in Studio City, Calif. promoted by featherweight world champion Leo Santa Cruz's Last Round Promotions.

Starting slowly and tactical in the first round, both fighters threw caution to the wind commencing with the second stanza as the relentless, attacking style of Redkach clashed with Mendez's more precise combinations. Throughout the fight, numerous clashes heads of heads took place with the southpaw Redkach and orthodox Mendez working to find their footing.

Redkach, a member of the 2008 Ukrainian Olympic team, now living in Los Angeles was also the victim of sometimes unique judgments by the referee, Raul Caiz Jr. In the third round, Redkach was deducted a point without prior warnings for rabbit punches.

With Mendez of Brooklyn, New York, scoring consistently with strong combinations, Redkach started loading up in the second half of the fight including two knockdowns, one each in the seventh and eighth rounds, neither of which were properly scored by the referee.

At the end of the exciting 10 rounds, Mendez was declared the winner by split decision with the scores 96-93, 95-94 for Mendez and 95-94 for Redkach.

Stated a visibly upset Redkach, "The judges were wrong. I won that fight.

"I felt that I knocked him down and the referee didn't call it and he took the point away and that cost me. I never felt any pain. I fought like I wanted to and I thought I did enough.

"They were wrong. This was my night."

Said the happy and victorious Mendez, "I used my skill and my speed throughout the fight, but I waited to come forward until the fourth or fifth round. I knew he wasn't going to be able to knock me out because I have great defense. I see every punch.

"I definitely slipped both times I went down. He didn't even hit me.

"Ivan is a tough warrior. He throws a lot of wild punches and he hit me in the back of the head several times. I thought the scorecards were too close. I thought I won by a much larger margin."