Bodog Beat

Israel Vasquez beat rival Rafael Marquez by split decision. (AP Images)

It seems the third time is a charm for Israel Vasquez (43-4).

Saturday, March 1 in Carson, Calif, the 30-year old native of Mexico City retained his WBC super bantamweight title by defeating Rafael Marquez (37-5) for the second time. After getting knocked down in the fourth round, Vasquez came back to dominate the last 3 rounds.

Judges scored the fight 114-111 for Vasquez, 114-111 for Marquez and 113-112 for Vasquez. In round 10, Marquez had a point taken away by the referee for hitting below the belt.

In the final seconds of the fight, a furious volley from Vasquez sent Marquez slumping tinto the corner. Although Marquez said he could keep fighting, by the time referee Pat Russell re-started the action, the bell had rung.

In their first encounter, a year ago, Vasquez lost the fight in the seventh round, forfeiting the bout due to an injured nose.

On the undercard, Jorge Paez Jr. (19-1) beat Tomas Barragan (8-3-1) by knockout in the third round.

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