Julio Cesar Martinez did just enough to hold onto his 112-pound belt.
Martinez never really figured out challenger Angelino Cordova but dropped the Venezuelan twice and defeated him by a majority decision in the seventh defense of his title on the Tim Tszyu-Sebastian Fundora card Saturday in Las Vegas.
One judge had it 113-113 but he was overruled by the other two, both of whom had it 114-112 for Martinez. Boxing Junkie also scored it 114-112 for Martinez, six rounds apiece.
Cordova (18-1-1, 12 KOs) got off to a strong start, taking the fight to a surprised Martinez (21-3, 15 KOs) and landing more consistently in the first few rounds.
Then came the most dramatic moments of the fight. Cordova walked into two stiff left jabs in Round 3 and ended up on his behind both times, giving Martinez a 10-7 round and all the momentum.
The rest of the fight followed a pattern. The fleet Cordova was the busier boxer and rarely stood still, which made it difficult for Martinez to get into a rhythm and find his target.
However, Martinez clearly landed the cleaner, harder shots when he did connect, seeming to hurt Cordova several times.
Martinez suffered a gruesome cut on his left eye brow in Round 10, the result of an accidental clash of heads, but he was allowed to continue and he continued to take the fight to Cordova.
Martinez has now won three consecutive fights since he lost a one-sided decision when he moved up in weight to challenge then-115 pound champion Roman Gonzalez in 2022.