Challenger Jamaine Ortiz boxed well throughout the 12-round contest, frustrating Teofimo Lopez and felt he had done enough to win and dethrone the WBO champion.
However, the judges favoured Lopez’s aggression with all three agreeing he had done enough to keep his belt, scoring the contest 115-113, 115-113 and a very contentious 117-111.
The fight took place on Thursday night to ensure the event did not interfere with the Superbowl Weekend.
The decision was met with boos from the crowd who felt Ortiz should have had his hand raised after two-weight world champion Lopez’s uninspiring performance.
It was Lopez’s first defence of his WBO title after beating Josh Taylor last year, improving his record to 20-1 (13 KOs). Whereas it was the second time Ortiz tasted defeat, with 17 wins and one draw.
Ortiz looked the better boxer throughout the fight, naturally right-handed, the Massachusetts fighter boxed as a southpaw for the entirety of the contest.
The switching of stance seemed to confuse Lopez and allowed Ortiz to box well on the back foot and use his reach to his advantage.
The champion became predictable as the rounds went by, trying the walk his opponent down and land his right hand.
Although it wasn’t always entertaining, Ortiz stuck to his gameplan and tried to pick Lopez off as he stepped forward.
Lopez was the aggressor throughout the fight and constantly tried to make Ortiz to engage. When Lopez did land, he was unable to score with any shots of considerable power.
There was very little to score in some rounds with minimal engagement from early rounds, however, Lopez was trying to apply pressure and increase the pace.
An accidental head clash in the seventh round opened a cut above Ortiz’s left eye which caused a stream of blood, but fortunately his vision was not impaired for the remainder of the fight.
In the final round Lopez stalked Ortiz looking to land heavy punches and was in search of a big right hand hoping for the knockout.
Ortiz again continued to box, picking shots when he could and evading the majority of what Lopez had to offer. Both men raised their hands after the final bell, each believing they had done enough to win.
All three judges favoured Lopez as he defended his belt in a very forgettable contest.
Fans let their opinions known after the fight
Lopez addressed the boos after the result, saying: “You can boo all you want. I tried my best to do what I can for the people. I even tried going backwards and he didn’t want to commit.
“We cannot for one second claim these people, these fighters, that don’t want to come and fight,” Lopez added.
A devasted Ortiz fell short on the cards in his first world title fight and was visually deflated when the result was announced.
After the fight he said: “I stuck to my gameplan, I listened to my corner. I think I won the fight, he couldn’t hit me. I was making him miss all night, 117-111 is just ridiculous.”
Lopez called out pound-for-pound star Terence Crawford after the fight: “I’ll fight Crawford at a catchweight. I’m here, I’m ready, I’ve always been ready. I’m younger, prettier, and two-time unified champion at 25.”
The result continues to add to Teofimo Lopez’s erratic career, with fans unsure what display he will put on each time his steps into the ring.
The Takeover either delivers a world class display like his performances against Vasyl Lomachenko and Josh Taylor, or labour to a decision like tonight and his fight against Sandor Martin.
Davis stars during co-main event
In the co-main event lightweight prospect Keyshawn Davis, 24, continued his quick rise through ranks as he stopped former two-weight world champion Jose Pedraza, 34, in the sixth round.
Olympic silver medalist Davis extended his perfect record to 10-0 (7 KOs) and continued to showcase his potential as he was a class above Pedraza.
Davis got into a ringside argument with Lopez when he called him out after the main event. Lopez dismissed the idea of the pair fighting, but it was clear to see Davis already has world titles in his sight.