By Jake Donovan

Omar Figueroa never manages to make things easy on himself in any given fight, with his most recent ring appearance no exception. The unbeaten boxer from Weslaco, Texas was given all that he can handle from Antonio DeMarco in a spirited matchup of former lightweight champions last Saturday evening at AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas.

At the end of 12 fiercely contested rounds, most in attendance and viewers watching live on NBC expected a closely scored affair though cautiously awaitng a Texas-sized decision. It didn't quite come to that, with scores of 115-113 (twice) and 116-112 landing in his favor.

The 116-112 tally turned in by Larry Hazzard Jr. didn't quite seem right, but overall the New Jersey-based judge was in line with ringside scorers Glenn Feldman (Connecticut) and Valerie Dorsett (North Carolina) in eight of the 12 rounds.

All three officials were in agreement on rounds 1-2, 4, 6-7, 9-10 and 12, with the rounds nearly evenly split between the two boxers. Figueroa was awarded the 1st, 2nd, 4th, 6th and 10th, while the 7th, 9th and 12th all landed in favor of DeMarco.

Judges Feldman and Dorsett - both of whom scored the bout 115-113 - agreed on 10 of the 12 rounds. Both scores rounds 1-4, 6 and 10 in favor of Figueroa, while the remaining four frames - 7, 9, 11 and 12 - were scored for DeMarco on their cards.

Both judges agreed with Hazzard Jr. on nine of the 12 rounds, though not the same nine. Hazzard Jr. and Feldman agreed on rounds 1-2, 4-7, 9-10 and 12. Dorsett and Hazzard Jr. had the same score in rounds 1-2, 4, 6-10 and 12.

The four swing rounds - 3, 5, 8 and 11 - raised a few eyebrows, also lending credence to those who believed DeMarco deserved at least a draw.

Round three was awarded to Figueroa by judges Feldman and Dorsett, while Hazzard Jr. had it for DeMarco, the first round in which he won on any of the three cards.

Round five was scored for DeMarco by judges Feldman and Hazzard Jr., with DeMarco finally getting some love from Dorsett on her card.

DeMarco didn't claim a single round on judge Feldman's card until round seven. He was mathematically out of the fight on his card after round 10, the 7th and final frame in which Feldman scored for DeMarco.

However, Feldman was also the lone judge to score round eight in favor of the visiting - and recently unretired - boxer from Los Mochis, Mexico.

He also had DeMarco winning round 11, as did Dorsett and just about every other observer. Hazzard Jr. somehow had Figueroa winning that round, thus his having the widest score of the three judges.

DeMarco easily swept the 12th and final round on all three cards, but mathematically already needed a knockout after ten rounds of action.

The overall scoring was far less controversial than the circumstances leading to the fight happening in the first place. The bout was originally announced as an above-the-limit super lightweight affair, although both camps later confirmed it was generalized a “welterweight” fight, which could mean anywhere between 141-147 lbs.

Figueroa endured some physical and personal struggles along the way. The physical part – one of many injuries with which the 25-year old has endured seemingly throughout his career - postponed the fight from its original September 26 date in Birmingham, Alabama. 

Personal issues in camp led to stop and starts that prompted a request for a modified contract limit of 152 lbs., as filed with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. This wasn’t made aware to the general public – or even to more than a small few involved in the promotion – up until Figueroa clocked in at a career heaviest 151 lbs., while DeMarco weighed 149 lbs. after being informed earlier in fight week that he no longer needed to shed any more weight than necessary.

Figueroa advances to 26-0-1 (18KOs) with the win, though damage control is needed to restore his once pristine image. DeMarco – who retired in June following a one-sided loss to Rances Barthelemy – falls to 31-6-1 (23KOs). Despite suffering his third consecutive defeat, his brave showing means at least one more payday in his respectable career.

Jake Donovan is the managing editor of BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox