It was a crossroads bout between Wilfredo Vazquez and Rafael Rivera on Saturday night.

After 10 hard-fought rounds, the untested Rivera took a big step forward, while Vazquez may have to evaluate his career as a contender.

Rivera recovered from a knockdown to win by split-decision before a boisterous crowd at the Osceola Heritage Center in Kissimmee, Florida.

With the win, Rivera improves to 21-0-2, 14 KOs, while Vazquez drops to 24-6-1, 19 KOs.

Vazquez, who has now lost four of his last six bouts, showed flashes of what made him a world title at 122 pounds early on in the fight. After Rivera used his strength and aggression to win the first two rounds, Vazquez struck pay-dirt in the third stanza.

Rivera seemed to stun Vazquez early in the round, following up with hooks and crosses. Moments later, Vazquez unloaded a left hook off the ropes, connecting to the head that dropped Rivera to the canvas. Rivera got up right away and was able to fend off Vazquez throughout the round.

Vazquez was able to build off the momentum for the next several rounds, beating Rivera to the punch, particularly with the left hook to the head and body.

Rivera seemed to stun Vazquez with less than the 30 seconds in the sixth round with a left hook to the head. The fighter from Tijuana, Mexico seemed to step up the aggression as the bout progressed, backing Vazquez up and beating him to the punch. Rivera seemed to stun Vazquez with about 30 seconds left in the 10th round, but was unable to land anything of significance as the final bell sounded.

One judge scored the bout 98-91 in favor of Vazquez, while the other two judges scored the bout 96-93 and 95-94 in favor of Rivera. RingTV scored the bout 95-94 in favor of Rivera.

“We started out strong, but my opponent has a lot of experience,” said Rivera after the fight. “I changed my strategy after I was knocked down in the third round. I want to fight the best in boxing, whether it is here in the United States or Puerto Rico.”

Upon hearing the scorecards, Vazquez stormed out of the ring, similar to what Miguel Cotto did upon hearing the scorecards after his fight against Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez on Nov. 21. Moments later, he did give an interview from his dressing room.

“I’m not frustrated,” said Vazquez, who is from Bayamon, Puerto Rico. “I think there was a ‘black hand’ involved with the decision. I fought a good fight. I listened to my corner. I fought a disciplined fight. I’ll return to the gym. This fight will not destroy me.”

Light heavyweight Alexander Brand survived a first round knockdown to win a 10 round unanimous decision over Medzhid Bektemirov.

With the win, Brand goes to 25-1, 19 KOs, while Bektemirov falls suffers his first defeat as a pro, dropping to 16-1, 12 KOs.

Brand was originally scheduled to fight Andre Ward on the undercard of the Miguel Cotto-Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez. The fight was postponed when Ward withdrew from the fight, sighting a leg injury.

Things did not start well for Brand against Bektemirov, who now resides in Houston, Tex. after growing up in Russia. Midway through the opening round, Bektemirov missed with a left hook, but followed up with a right hand to the head. dropping Brand to the canvas. Brand was not visibly hurt and continued on.

Bektemirov pressed the fight, but Brand was able to effectively counter to the head and body. Brand was content to box effectively from the outside, as Bektemirov looked as though he was trying to load up with one punch.

Bektemirov began to slow down in the second half of the fight, likely due from fatigue. Brand began to land more at will and seemed to be the fresher fighter as the fight reached its conclusion.

One judge scored the bout 95-94 in favor of Bektemirov, while the other two judges scored the bout 98-91 in favor of Brand. RingTV scored 96-93 in favor Brand.

In a non-televised bout, unbeaten middleweight Luis Arias (14-0, 6 KOs) won an eight round unanimous decision over Dionisio Miranda (22-14-2, 19 KOs). Scores were not announced.