Diaz puts on a late flourish and defeats Morales

ROSEMONT, Ill. -- David Diaz overcame a first-round knockdown and an ugly welt under his right eye Saturday night to keep his World Boxing Council lightweight title with a unanimous decision over Erik Morales.

“I won in the late rounds like I usually do,” said the bruised but happy winner. “I’m thrilled to defend my championship in Chicago for the people.”

Even before the decision was announced, Morales said win or lose, “That’s it for me. No more. I’ll never fight again. I just don’t want to do it any more.”

Diaz had Morales in trouble in the opening minutes, but the challenger countered with a crisp right to the head for a flash knockdown that earned him the first round.

In the sixth round, both fighters kept punching when referee Benji Estevez tried to break their clinch, drawing a warning from the referee. Diaz, swollen beneath the right eye, shouted at Morales. The champion then pressed the attack, muscling Morales backward.

Diaz kept momentum in the seventh, staying close to his opponent and out-punching him.

The eighth round was a war of wills. Diaz tried to smother Morales by throwing combinations inside while Morales scored more effectively when he was able to put distance between them.

Morales landed a solid right early in the ninth, but Diaz shook it off and kept pressing. After Diaz prevailed inside in the 10th, Morales found his range and scored better in the 11th.

Diaz seemed the hungrier fighter in the final round, pushing Morales into the ropes and punching relentlessly. As Morales countered furiously, the crowd of 9,735 in Allstate Arena roared all the way to the finish.

All three judges gave the last three of the 12 rounds to Diaz, and two had Morales ahead after nine rounds. Judge Herminio Cuevas scored the bout 114-113, Robert Hecko had it 115-113 and Nobuaki Uratani scored it 115-112.

Israel Vazquez reclaimed the WBC super bantamweight title he lost to Rafael Marquez in March, knocking the champion down in the sixth before stopping him at the 1:16 mark at Hidalgo, Texas.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.