[1] The bout took place on April 9 at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States.

[5] In his first shot at a major world title, Maidana lost via points decision to the rugged Andriy Kotelnik somewhat controversially, a result that had a lot of observers questioning the judges.

The fight became a see-saw affair and then, in the eighth round, Morales hit Maidana with a huge left hook that almost stopped the Argentinian.

The next couple of rounds continued in this fashion, with Maidana using his strength and stamina to bully Morales and the Mexican using his sharper punching and ring intelligence to land effective counters and combinations.

In the "championship rounds" (the eleventh and twelfth), Morales seemed to tire and Maidana took advantage, overwhelming him with his strength and punishing the ageing warrior continually to the head and body.

The true glory on the night however went to Morales, who turned back the clock with an outstanding performance against the odds and against a host of seeming disadvantages, and possibly winning the fight in the eyes of some observers.