By Jake Donovan

Antonio Demarco came out of retirement, trained to no end and fought his heart out, but in the end came up just short in a spirited effort versus Omar Figueroa. 

Their furiously paced 12 rounds of action saw Figueroa claim a unanimous decision, winning by scores of 115-113 (twice) and 116-112. The bout served as the main event of a primetime edition of Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) on NBC, live from AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas. 

Every aspect of the fight proved to be a surprise - from DeMarco returning to the sport, to the change in weight unbeknownst to the boxing public to a surprisingly competitive bout through all 12 rounds. With both boxers coming in at the heaviest weight of their respective careers, it was anybody's guess what would transpire.

Regardless of expectations, the crowd of 5,360 on hand got its money’s worth in a thoroughly entertaining fight, even if at a weight class neither fighter will likely see anytime soon.

Figueroa held true to the original script that suggested he would dominate his fellow former lightweight titlist. The opening rounds saw the unbeaten Texan - who hails from further south in Weslaco - outwork DeMarco, who just six months ago was believed to be done with the game. 

Something clicked in round three, with DeMarco realizing he had a legitimate shot at scoring what would have been one of the year's biggest upsets. His greatest hindrance came of the round, however, as he felt discomfort in his right hand. 

Ever the warrior, the fighting pride of boxing rich Los Mochis, Mexico bit down on the pain and continued to plow forward. It was the inside fight that Figueroa always prefers - and for the most part handled himself well.

The only concern was how to get his opponent to stop fighting back.

“He's tough, we knew this coming in," Figueroa told krikya360.com after the fight, with swelling around both eyes telling the story of the punishment he endured in order to prevail. "I knew I had the fight won, but I also knew he's a warrior that was going to keep coming.”

Come he did, though DeMarco paid the physical price as well. In addition to fighting through an injured hand, bruising developed around his right eye. Worse, he had to contend with a whirlwind of punches all night, with Figueroa throwing 1,092 total punches, nearly doubling up DeMarco’s tally of 587 punches. 

Both were identical in overall connect percentage (38%) as well as power punches (48% to 45% in favor of Figueroa). The difference in the eyes of the three judges was the sheer volume of shots offered by Figueroa, a notorious volume puncher who lives to fight on the inside. 

Still, DeMarco found a way to be competitive after falling behind early. The two traded rounds on the judges’ scorecards throughout the middle of the fight, but the visiting southpaw needed more than to just fight on even terms.

He found that answer late in the fight.

As it turned out, Figueroa – who turns 26 on Sunday - was mathematically far enough ahead to where he could have ran laps around the ring during the championship rounds and have still won the fight. But that’s not who Figueroa is or has ever been at any point in his career.

DeMarco was well aware of this, putting that knowledge to good use in a savage 11th round that drew shades of another famous comeback in his respectable career. The biggest win he’s ever enjoyed came in an unlikely rally versus Jorge Linares, scoring an 11th round stoppage in their Oct. ’11 lightweight title fight in which he was hopelessly behind on all three scorecards.

The deficit wasn’t quite as wide versus Figueroa, but some of that same late-round magic came to surface. DeMarco had his opponent hurt on several occasions in the round, one that drew a standing ovation from the crowd despite the fact that the house favorite took a pounding. 

“I thought I had him, but I knew I had to keep pushing forward to win,” DeMarco told krikya360.com after the fight. 

No stranger to showing his warrior stripes, Figueroa went back to work on the inside in the 12th and final round. DeMarco was happy to oblige, standing toe-to-toe and often getting the better of the exchanges throughout the final three minutes.

It was enough to sweep the round on the three scorecards, not enough to overcome he early hole he dug for himself in settling for a moral victory. 

Figueroa advances to 26-0-1 (18KOs) with the win, though the scale follies raised legitimate concerns as to where he next heads – in fight stature as well as a particular weight class. 

“I can still make 140,” Figueroa insisted, despite having weighed above that mark in each of his past two fights. 

He was originally required to weigh within the welterweight limit for this particular fight, only for things to go south in training camp and requiring a modification in the original bout agreement.

“Things just happened that were beyond my control,” Figueroa said of his struggles to shrink below 151 lbs., his official weight for the fight. “It’s nothing we can’t correct, but just what I was forced to deal with for this fight.” 

As for 2016, rest and relaxation are not on the menu despite his face telling a different tale.

“I want to be as active as possible,” Figueroa said. “I’ll let all this heal, then we will go right back to the gym.” 

Six months ago, DeMarco didn’t figure to ever again see a boxing gym save for the occasional workout to keep in shape. The rapid recovery of his previously cancer-stricken sister enabled the unlikely comeback, with his performance on Saturday undoubtedly opening the doors for far more opportunities than most expected would be the case at this point in his 11-plus year career. 

“My team is back together. My sister’s clean from cancer, thanks be to God,” DeMarco points out. “I’m a different person now.”

Also on the NBC portion, two-time heavyweight title challenger Chris Arreola climbed off the canvas to score a disputed 12-round split decision over Travis Kauffman. 

Scores were 114-113 Kauffman and 114-113 (twice) in favor of Arreola, who was floored in round three. A rally over the final three rounds sealed the win for Arreola, although the final verdict was not favorably met by the crowd on hand or among immediate social media reaction. 

Highlighting the NBC Sports Network-televised undercard, Victor Ortiz and Mario Barrios both kept their fights out of the judges’ hands with one-sided knockout wins. 

Ortiz scored two knockdowns before forcing Gilberto Sanchez-Leon to quit in eight rounds, shaking ring rust in his first fight in exactly 52 weeks. Barrios remained unbeaten with a 6th round knockout of Manuel Vides for his seventh win of 2015. 
 
Jake Donovan is the managing editor of krikya360.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox