Two-time title challenger Fernando Beltran Jr. (32-3-1, 18 KOs) kept his hopes for a third title shot alive with a hard-fought split-decision over Miguel Roman (25-5, 17 KOs), who put forth a spirited effort in the main event of the ESPN2-televised main event from Laredo, Texas on Friday.

Beltran, who won by two scores of 115-113, mixed his offense from a distance and in close, alternating boxing with two-to-toe exchanges.

However, it was Roman, who took the fight by a lopsided 117-111 tally on one scorecard, who won over the crowd with his non-stop aggression and relentless body attack.

In the co-featured bout, Siberian amateur standout Ruslan Prodnikov (11-0, 6 KOs) had the look of a future titleholder while brutally out-pointing Esteban Almaraz (9-2, 4 KOs) over six rounds.

Prodnikov employed smart pressure, hard and accurate punches and a precise and persistent body attack to drop Almaraz at the end of the fifth and win the bout by scores of 60-53 (twice) and 59-54.

In the opening bout of the braodcst 2008 U.S. Olympian Demetrius Andrade (4-0, 4 KOs) dropped Arnulfo Romero (2-1, 1 KO) in the first round of their junior middleweight four rounder and then knocked him out with a monstrous left uppercut in the second.