ROSARITO, Mexico -- Former world champion Antonio Margarito reached another milestone Saturday in his comeback as he beat fellow Mexican Ramon Alvarez by split decision in the Baja California Center.
Margarito (40-8, 27 KOs) dropped Alvarez (23-5-2, 15 KOs), the brother of lineal middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez, in the eighth round as he showed he can still be a force to be reckoned with after being out of the ring for more than four years.
Scorecards from two judges favored Margarito 97-92. A third judge saw the fight in favor of Alvarez 95-94.
Alvarez took the offensive in the second round with jabs, trying to keep Margarito at a distance and hit punches to the lower body. At a distance, Alvarez was more consistent against Margarito, who didn't throw many punches.
The 30-year-old Alvarez kept Margarito at bay with straight punches and uppercuts before the Tijuana native started counterpunching and took Alvarez to the ropes.
Margarito's jab took over in the fifth round, sending Alvarez to the ropes while avoiding his counterpunching. From the sixth round on, Margarito kept the pressure coming, taking Alvarez off his fight plan and shrugging off his opponent's intent to control the rhythm of the fight.
Margarito's physical condition took over in the eighth round, and he dropped Alvarez with a straight right. Alvarez tried to rebound in the final two rounds, hitting a left hook that shook Margarito, but it was not enough to change the cards in his favor.
After retiring in 2011, Margarito, 38, returned to the ring in March, winning a unanimous decision over Jorge Paez Jr. He has been vocal about fighting in the United States and getting another shot at a world title.