JULIO CESAR CHAVEZ Jr. W10 (split) MATT VANDA

After Matt Vanda’s gritty display against Julio Cesar Chavez on Saturday night I think we’d better hold off on the disparaging comments about midwest journeyman. Although Vanda didn’t win, he gave Chavez the most desperate, toughest fight of his life and almost spoiled the 46th birthday of Junior’s famous father.

If this had been a 12-rounder, not 10 rounds, I think that Chavez would have been stopped in the 11th. The baby-faced light-middleweight was on the verge of exhaustion in the last round. He could hardly keep his gum shield in his mouth. I thought he was on the verge of falling down from fatigue. Somehow he kept going, but he flopped onto his stool as soon as the final bell sounded and slumped forward as if he had reached the absolute limit of his physical reserves — the gas-tank needle was firmly on “empty”.

Chavez showed a lot of character to keep going. He had been looking awfully tired in the eighth round yet made a brave rally in the ninth, throwing everything he had at Vanda. Unfortunately for Chavez, Vanda was still standing, still punching back, and the last round was three minutes from hell for the younger man, who literally staggered to the finish line.

The crowd booed the split decision in Chavez’s favour and paper cups were thrown into the ring, but fans usually do not score round by round and tend to remember the last few rounds.

Vanda was the one coming on strongly at the end, but Chavez had piled up points in the earlier rounds with his hooks to the body and right hands to the head. I thought that Chavez had done enough to win, but this, to me, was Vanda’s night. A big underdog in the betting, he showed that he is a real fighter. He was tough, game and capable. This was the best Vanda I have seen apart from the night he outpointed Yory Boy Campas. He jabbed, landed right hands and uppercuts, put punches together, even traded body shots with the eager aggressor.

In the early part of the fight, Chavez fought better than he has in a long while. He was putting relentless pressure on Vanda, really ripping in the body shots, firing straight right hands to the head. Watching on Azteca America, I wondered if Vanda was going to be able to withstand the onslaught, but he did, and he landed shots of his own, and in the sixth it was Chavez who was the one going back.

The eighth round was harrowing for Chavez and also for his father at ringside as he left his seat and frantically signalled to his son to jab and move.

Chavez looked exhausted in his corner at the end of the round, found the energy from somewhere to make the big ninth-round offensive and then survived his last-round ordeal.

The fight showed, once again Chavez’s limitations. He was being hit far too easily, and he was found wanting in the stamina department. He is game, though, and his fights are entertaining — except that this one was more than that, it was downright exciting, a real thriller with a cliff-hanger finish. Did I hear right that one judge had it a shutout for Chavez? If so it must be one of the worst scorecards in boxing history.

Vanda had said beforehand that he was in great condition for this fight, and so he was. Minnesota boxing fans can be proud of him.

Oh, yes, I have to hand out some praise to Ulises Solis and Glenn Donaire for their excellent 108-pound title fight on this show. Solis boxed beautifully and deserved the unanimous decision, but Donaire was tough and game, and he kept coming forward to the bitter end, landing enough right hands to be competitive even though he was losing the rounds. It was one of the most pleasing one-sided fights that I have ever seen. Solis, a wonderful craftsman, had to box at the top his form in every round — Donaire brought the absolute best out of him, which is high praise for the underdog Filipino.

In fact, the two main bouts made this Azteca America show one of the best I have seen in recent years — I enjoyed every round of every fight, with the last round of the Chavez-Vanda contest providing a dramatic conclusion to a great night of boxing.