There was a smattering of action below the Rio Grande this weekend and we start off in Mexico where there was a battle for the IBF Minimumweight crown at Loreto in Baja California Sur last night.

Local man Raul Garcia, 25-0-1 (16), walked into the arena as reigning champion and after twelve rounds of combat with challenger Jose Luis Varela, 15-6 (7), of Colombia, still held the title, outpointing the former WBA Fedebol kingpin by wide margins in a rematch.

The two originally squared off in September with Garcia also winning that bout and "Rayito" has now retained the IBF belt on two occasions. Varela has lost his last three bouts, each in world title challenges.

Chief support on the bill was provided by San Antonio, Texas based lightweight Juan Castaneda, 15-1 (12), who dropped Los Mochis battler Abel Berrelleza, 19-10-2 (10), three times enroute to posting a first round KO.

Mexico City super feather Alejandro Sanabria, 19-0 (15), kept on track with a third round KO of 39 year old journeyman Jorge Romero, 8-40-1 (4), and David Gaspar, 8-0-1 (5), captured the vacant WBA Fedecaribe Super Flyweight belt with a majority decision against Francisco Reyes, 4-9-2 (3). More...

A pretty busy weekend in the Land of Silver and this recap of events starts last night at the Asociacion Athletica Quimsa in the northern city of Santiago Del Estero, which has the distinction of being the earliest Spanish established town in the country.

The evening's entertainment was headlined by a barnburner at light welter with Carlos Martin "El Finito" Ahumada, 14-0 (5), of Buenos Aires dropping local southpaw Gaston Sebastian Isasmendi Sellan, 20-10-1 (4), in the eighth before pulling out a ten round majority decision.

Local welter Walter Damian Diaz, 25-7-1 (15), bounced back from his failed bid to unseat South American Light Welter Champ Carlos Wilfredo Vilches in a rematch by producing his second consecutive knockout, ending the ambitions of crosstown rival Ariel Sebastian Villalba, 20-10 (10).

Another area man, Carlos Ricardo Rodriguez, 19-2 (10), came back from his loss to WBC Mundo Hispano Featherweight titlist Felipe Carlos Felix in September with a fourth round KO of La Rioja's Cristian Javier Olmedo, 5-7-3 (1), in a return match to their June bout that Rodriguez won on points.

Also in the north, there were two cards on Friday in Tucuman province with heavyweight action in Graneros that saw former WBC Mundo Hispano titlist Manuel Alberto Pucheta, 21-3 (15), KO Ricardo Zenon Pereyra, 6-13-2 (4), in the second and Sebastian Ignacio Ceballos, 13-6-1 (8), also won by knockout when he starched 41 year old Paraguayan southpaw Nicasio Moray Martinez, 28-21-4 (12), in the fourth. More...