It wasn’t pretty but Daniel Roman got the job done.
Roman rallied in the late rounds to pull away from an effective Juan Carlos Payano and win a unanimous decision on the pay-per-view card Saturday in Uncasville, Conn.
All three judges scored it 116-112, eight rounds to four in the 12-round junior featherweight title eliminator. Boxing Junkie had it 115-113 for Roman.
Payano, 35, had been knocked out in two of his three previous fights — against Naoya Inoue and Luis Nery — which led many to wonder what he had left.
Turns out he can still fight at a high level. For most of the fight, the Dominican boxed and moved well. He was an elusive target and threw more punches than Roman, according to ShoStats.
However, Roman (28-3-1, 10 KOs) picked up his intensity and pace in the latter rounds as Payano (21-4, 9 KOs) — bothered by a cut above his left eye — began to fade.
That was enough to secure a decision victory for Roman, a former unified 122-pound champ. He lost his titles to Murodjon Akhmadaliev in January.
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