Pacquiao vs. Marquez: Title Win Cements Juan Carlos Burgos as Elite Featherweight

Luis Cruz entered Saturday night's fight against Juan Carlos Burgos with an unblemished professional record and the WBO Latino Junior Lightweight Championship around his waist. He left with a bruised ego, a swelled eye and a loss, however.

Burgos, who had lost just once over the course of his career, proved to be the stronger prospect as he outboxed Cruz for much of the fight and picked up a majority decision as one of the judges scored the fight a draw.

Cruz was believed be the strongest fighter in the featherweight division, but Burgos proved that he has fully recovered from a loss to Hozumi Hasegawa nearly one year ago. Burgos was once ranked as the No. 2 featherweight by the WBC, and I think it is safe to say he has ascended near the top spot.

Burgos frustrated Cruz in the opening bout of the Manny Pacquiao vs. Juan Manuel Marquez undercard. His lightning-fast strikes held Cruz at bay and left him battered and bruised in the end. Two of the judges acknowledged Burgos' dominance, while the other saw the fight as being much closer than it actually was.

Cruz showed flashes of why he was considered one of boxing's fastest-rising prospects as he got into the flow of the fight in the middle rounds, but Burgos' barrage of quick punches was ultimately too much for the former champion.

While Cruz should ultimately be able to bounce back from this disappointment, Burgos has regained the reputation he once had before his undefeated record was tarnished. Burgos moved up from 126 lbs to 130 lbs to fight Cruz, so it will be interesting to see what he does moving forward.

There is certainly no shortage of candidates at 130 lbs, and Burgos has the ability to take on and defeat all comers. Cruz was quickly rising in the rankings, but now Burgos is the fighter who should be considered the present and the future of the featherweight division.