Brandon Figueroa W12 Julio Ceja... WBA regular super bantamweight titleholder Brandon Figueroa, 122 lbs., of Weslaco, TX, and Julio Ceja, 126.5 lbs., of Palmdale, CA, waged war for 12 action-packed rounds. The fast-paced contest was fought almost entirely in close quarters and featured plenty of thrilling exchanges. Figueroa was the aggressor in the early rounds, with Ceja playing the counterpuncher. The Texan was dictating the pace with his pressure and consistent combinations, but both were eating plenty of leather in fiery exchanges throughout. Much of Ceja’s counter attack was focused on the midsection, which paid dividends later on. Winner of two of his last five bouts coming in, the overweight Ceja was last seen getting knocked out by Guillermo Rigondeaux in June. Tonight, he weathered the storm and gave a relentless performance that pushed the younger Figueroa to his limits. Both fighters proved their chins in the fifth round as each was hit flush by vicious hooks. Because of Ceja’s body work, Figueroa’s punches began to lose steam. However, he emptied his gas tank in the last round to end the bout strongly. The scorecards read 115-113 Figueroa, 116-112 Ceja, and 114-114 for a split draw. Now 20-0-1 (15 KOs), Figueroa defended the secondary WBA super bantamweight championship for the second time since seizing the title on April 20. With Ceja, now 32-4-1 (28 KOs), weighing four-and-a-half pounds above the limit, he was ineligible to win the title. A rematch would be welcomed.
“I think I did win the fight,” said Figueroa. “He put on a lot of pressure, but I fought better in the early rounds and I finished strong. I feel like he won maybe four rounds out of the whole fight. I thought I won the first four and closed out the last few rounds of the fight strong. His body weight was a factor. I couldn't really move him when I hit him. He didn't have to drain himself, but we took the fight and we won't make excuses.
“I basically fought a person in a weight class above mine tonight. I’m pretty sure if he weighed 122, it wouldn’t even be a close fight. We have to run the rematch back, but he better make the weight.”
"This fight is for all of you fans who came here to see me. He was a man about it and he gave me the fight,” said Ceja. “I think I won, but I respect the judges’ decision. I’ll definitely run it back in a rematch.”
