Former two-time lightweight titleholder Julio Diaz kept his career alive with a 10-round unanimous decision over former junior welterweight contender Herman Ngoudjo in the main event of an ESPN2-televised card from Primm, Nev., on Friday.

Diaz (37-6, 26 knockouts), who won by scores of 97-93 (twice) and 99-91, outboxed the Canada-based Cameroonian with a busy jab and smart footwork.

Ngoudjo (18-4, 10 KOs) threw the harder punches as he stalked forward for most the of the fight but he missed with many of his power shots and often held Diaz when he lunged inside of the Southern Californian's reach.

Diaz, who was coming off of back-to-back losses to Rolando Reyes and Victor Cayo, easily outmaneuvered Ngoudjo when in close as well as from a distance. The 30-year-old 11-year veteran, who turned up the intensity down the stretch of the junior welterweight bout, landed the cleaner punches throughout the fight.

The 10-round victory was the sharpest Diaz has looked in a few years and gives his career new life in the 140-pound division.

Ngoudjo's loss puts his career in question. The 30-year-old vet is now 4-3 in his last seven bouts. However, it should be noted that two of his losses were title bouts and all four were to quality fighters.

In the co-featured bout of the Friday Night Fights broadcast, talented Southern California junior lightweight Dominic Salcido (18-2, 9 KOs) got a much-needed victory with his eight-round unanimous decision over previously unbeaten Guillermo Sanchez (11-1-1, 5 KOs).

Salcido, who won by scores of 78-74 and 77-75 (twice), merely outhustled the Puerto Rican southpaw, who waited too much and seemed content to showboat and toss out occasional counter punches.