Guerrero outpoints Martinez, Cuellar halts Darchinyan

Former four-division champion Robert Guerrero (33-3-1, 18 KOs) got off the canvas to outpoint Mexican club fighter Aaron Martinez (19-4-1, 4 KOs) by a split decision in a 10-round welterweight bout on Saturday afternoon at the StubHub Center in Carson, California.

The judges’ scores were 97-92 and 95-94 for Guerrero, and 95-94 for Martinez.

The 32-year-old American had trouble early on with the size and strength of Martinez, 33, and he was getting nailed with the harder punches. Martinez trapped Guerrero against the ropes in the 4th and unloaded a combination of punches  to the head and body that dropped him to the canvas late in the round. But, Guerrero recovered and fought the remaining rounds from distance, using his jab to keep his opponent at bay. Guerrero took charge of the action with the more solid work as Martinez tired in the second half of the fight.

Also on the card, WBA featherweight champion Jesus Cuellar (27-1, 21 KOs) of Argentina, stopped former three-division champion Vic Darchinyan (40-8-1, 29 KOs) of Armenia, in the 8th round.

Cuellar, 28, went on the attack from the start but Darchinyan, 39, avoided his power punches using movement and landed his own hard shots in the early rounds. However, as the fight progressed Cuellar's relentless pressure wore down the older, smaller fighter and a right hand dropped Darchinyan in the 8th. He staggered to his feet to beat the count and the referee, unaware that Darchinyan’s corner had threw in the towel, let the bout continue. But he soon called it off when Cuellar punished his opponent against the ropes, forcing the stoppage at 1:04 of the round.

Cuellar was making the first defence of his title since being elevated from interim champion. Jamaica's Nicholas Walters holds the 'super' version of the WBA 126 pound title.