Omar Figueroa Jr. vs. Ricky Burns: Results, Scorecard and Punch Stats

A week after boxing fans paid $100 to watch a low-action, tactical chess match between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao on pay-per-view, Al Haymon's Premier Boxing Championship delivered an entertaining slugfest for free on network television.

In his debut at junior welterweight, former lightweight champion Omar Figueroa Jr. remained undefeated after beating former two-division world champion Ricky Burns. 

With the fight taking place in Hidalgo, Texas, Figueroa was fighting in his backyard and was rewarded by the crowd throughout the fight for every bit of aggression he showed. And he showed a lot. In his characteristic fashion, Figueroa looked to come forward all fight long, applying high-volume pressure.

Perhaps the judges were influenced by the crowd's enthusiasm for the local star, because the margins of victory they had for Figueroa seemed unreasonably wide. Nelson Vasquez had the fight 117-109 for Figueroa, and both Cathy Leonard and Don Griffin had it 116-110. 

The scores were wider than they might have been due to a perplexing officiating job by Laurence Cole. He took points from Burns for holding in both Rounds 8 and 11 and repeatedly grabbed Burns' arm while the fighters were struggling in the clinch. 

It was hard to see how either point deduction was justified, particularly the second. I had a bigger problem with the way Cole was grabbing Burns' arm, though. Neither man was resting in the clinch and yanking on one combatant's arm, while both men were looking to work free and throw punches, was extremely unsafe. 

I had the fight even at six rounds apiece, with Figueroa taking the victory only on the strength of the two questionable point deductions. CompuBox stats underscored that the fight seemed closer than the judges had it:

I find it astonishing that none of the three judges gave Burns the second round. They didn't give him Round 6 or 9 either, which were at least very close rounds. Vasquez didn't even give Round 8 to Burns, which was clearly his round. 

Still, the decision isn't exactly controversial. There's a legitimate argument for Figueroa winning the fight, even if not by the margins that the judges had it.

Figueroa did a nice job of forcing the fight to take place at his preferred range. Burns had rounds in which he did an excellent job of working off his jab at middle range, but Figueroa was mostly able to take his space away. 

By and large, the fight was fought in the proverbial phone booth, chest-to-chest. Burns held his own at close range, showing a lot of physical strength against a fighter who weighed more than him. 

But Burns has recorded only 11 knockouts in his career, fighting at 130 and 135 pounds. He remains a durable, action fighter at junior welterweight, but I can't see him being a true contender there, given his lack of punching power. 

Figueroa came in a pound-and-a-half over the contracted limit of 140 pound, according to Inside the Ropes. So he probably had to pad Burns' purse for the fight. Given that the Scotsman filed for bankruptcy earlier this year, per the Daily Mail, he may not have minded selling Figueroa the extra 24 ounces. 

This performance didn't sell me on Figueroa as a true contender at 140 pounds, either. If Terence Crawford, Danny Garcia or Lamont Peterson, the three titleholders at junior welterweight, had hit Figueroa with the kind of punches that Burns landed, it would have been a rough night for him. 

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But that's ultimately a question for another day. Figueroa's work against Burns proved he remains an exciting, marketable fighter. After a week with a grumbling about the "boring" Fight of the Century between Pacquiao and Mayweather, Burns and Figueroa delivered an afternoon shootout on network television. 

That's the kind of time slot that boxing enjoyed in its golden ages. And while we remember the major stars from any era, it's always been the lunch-pail veterans like Burns and the hungry rising stars like Figueroa who have kept the sport ticking on a week-to-week basis.