By Scott Shaffer

Humberto Soto showed how dangerous it can be for a boxer to accept a late switch in opponents. Filling in for the injured WBC champion In Jin Chi, Soto upset Rocky Juarez, a top featherweight contender who was undefeated as a pro after winning a silver medal at the 2000 Olympics.  Soto overcame two penalties to outpoint Juarez by scores of 114-113 (twice) and 114-112 in a featherweight bout held in Chicago. Soto is significantly taller than Juarez, and his chin was good enough to withstand Juarez's well-documented power. He also landed enough punches of his own to open up a cut underneath one of Juarez's eyes. Soto, who entered the bout at #24 in the Boxingtalk ratings, had points deducted in the ninth and tenth for hitting Juarez behind the head. But Soto had sparred many rounds with Erik Morales, and obviously was well-prepared for the opportunity of a lifetime. Soto, who picks up the WBC interim title, is a new player in the 126-pound division and can look forward to lucrative potential matches against either Chi or a rematch with Juarez. Soto is 37-5-2, but only one loss since 2000 and looks to be a late blooming Mexican warrior in the mode of Jose Luis Castillo. Interesting side note: Juarez wore a WBC patch on his trunks despite the fact that his promoter, Main Events, is embroiled in an ugly lawsuit with the sanctioning body. Last week, Main Events and Fernando Vargas accused the WBC of, among other things, money laundering to avoid a court order, and the WBC countersued yesterday, claiming Main Events shorted them out of more than $150,000 in sanctioning fees. source:  HBO Boxing After Dark