Last night at the Domo Alcalde in Guadalajara, an all-Mexican derby took place, promoted by Matchroom Boxing in collaboration with BXSTRS. At stake was the WBO bantamweight world title, held by Christian Medina (27-4-0, 19 KOs), who faced fellow countryman Adrien Curiel (26-7-1, 5 KOs) to legitimize his status as champion.
It was a hard-fought twelve-round contest, at the end of which Medina successfully defended his crown by unanimous decision (120-108, 116-112 and 115-113), remaining champion and delivering an entertaining performance.
After the opening bell, the crowd quickly heats up as the fighters begin with a feeling-out phase. Toward the end of the round, however, the two Mexicans start trading heavy combinations.
The bout immediately looks very tough. In the second round, both fighters begin to dig hard shots to the body, engaging in a close-range back-and-forth.
Curiel is very aggressive and constantly looks to move forward, but Medina is accurate and powerful, setting up his attacks from long range with straight punches before closing the distance. In the final part of the third round the pace increases significantly, with both men accelerating. The champion’s left hand is sharp, even when thrown as a lead hook, but Curiel remains focused and compact.
In the fourth round, both fighters try to work behind the jab. Curiel manages to break through his opponent’s guard with hard right hands, while Medina looks to assert his speed, especially with his lead hand.
Fifth round: Curiel starts aggressively, but Medina stops him with sharp uppercuts to the head. Around the middle of the round, with Medina on the ropes, Curiel presses forward and the two exchange violently—uppercuts, hooks, all visibly heavy shots from both sides.
The two Mexicans show mutual respect in the ring, but both punch with real intent, as their boxing tradition dictates. It is a competitive fight, and at the end of the sixth round there is another thrilling toe-to-toe exchange.
The seventh round begins with Medina controlling the distance, staying away from his opponent, working the jab and quickly slipping Curiel’s counters. The hometown favorite shows good footwork, and the Guadalajara crowd supports him throughout.
In the eighth round Medina tries to build on the work done in the previous frame, but Curiel catches him with a solid right hook. The same situation repeats itself: Curiel is unable to apply the pressure he had earlier, so he shells up and fires another hard right hook at a quick and precise Medina for the remainder of the round.
Ninth round, and the two immediately engage in a head-to-head exchange at center ring—after all, this is a Mexican derby, exactly what everyone expected. Medina’s uppercuts to the head are lightning-fast, and Curiel now seems to be feeling the champion’s bursts of speed.
In the tenth round the pace drops, the fighters begin to feel the fatigue and grow tense. The referee frequently separates them in the clinch, warning both for improper use of the head.
The eleventh round follows a similar pattern, though it is still marked by heavy shots to both body and head.
In the final round, as expected, the two fighters trade fiercely, throwing loaded punches, staying chest-to-chest and firmly planted at center ring.
They thus honor a great Mexican derby, ultimately won by Medina via unanimous decision.
The champion deservedly retained his belt, but credit must also go to his never-yielding opponent. Who will be next for Christian Medina? One can be sure that Eddie Hearn is already mapping out some interesting scenarios.