LAS VEGAS – Montana Love went the distance for the first time in four fights Saturday night, but he remained unbeaten on the Canelo Alvarez-Dmitry Bivol undercard Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena.

The 12-round junior welterweight bout between Love and Gabriel Valenzuela appeared promising early, as Love scored a knockdown in the first round and Valenzuela returned the favor during the second round. It was a largely uneventful fight thereafter, though, a 12-round bout the left-handed Love won by unanimous decision.

Judges Eric Cheek, Max De Luca and Patricia Morse Jarman scored the fight identically, 114-112, for Love. Cleveland’s Love remained undefeated (18-0-1, 9 KOs) and ended Valenzuela’s 15-fight winning streak in the co-feature before Alvarez battled Bivol for his WBA light heavyweight title in the main event.

Guadalajara’s Valenzuela dropped to 25-3-1 (15 KOs).

Not much transpired during the final few rounds, not until a right hand by Valenzuela got Love’s attention and made him hold with just over 30 seconds to go in the 12th round. Love moved around, though, and made it to the final bell.

A straight left by Love landed with just over 10 seconds to go in the 11th round. By then, a discouraged, fatigued Valenzuela threw punches infrequently.  

Love and Valenzuela didn’t land many clean punches during the eighth, ninth or 10 rounds of what became a boring bout. A straight left by Love made Valenzuela reset his feet with about 20 seconds to go in the seventh round.

Restless fans began booing during the sixth round, a second straight round in which there weren’t many clean punches landed. Love and Valenzuela mostly missed each other with their power shots during a fifth round that lacked action.

Love made Valenzuela reset his feet after landing a straight left 25 seconds into the fourth round. Valenzuela stalked Love for most of the remainder fourth round, but Love defended himself well.

A straight left by Love landed in an exchange with 1:15 to go in the third round.

A round after Valenzuela suffered a knockdown, his left hook sent Love to one knee 25 seconds into the second round. Love got up quickly, fought back and finished the second round on strong legs.

Valenzuela landed a right hand with just over a minute to go in the first round. Love later knocked Valenzuela backward with a straight left that connected just under 40 seconds on the clock in the first round.

Love then caught Valenzuela with a right hook to the side of his head that dropped him with just under 25 seconds to go in the opening round.

Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for krikya360.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.