Marvin Sonsona evens the score on Wilfredo Vazquez Jr. and captures vacant NABF featherweight title at the sold out Madison Square Garden, New York---the "Mecca of Boxing".

Former WBO super flyweight champion Marvin "Marvelous" Sonsona  had his hands raised after 10 rounds of somewhat rough, ugly but close fight, against the man who handed him, his first career defeat: Wilfredo Vazquez Jr. of Puerto Rico, in the under-card of Miguel Cotto-Sergio Martinez middleweight clash.

The Filipino southpaw started strong in the opening round, and floored Vazquez with hard left to the body. Vazquez took a knee but quickly get up on his feet and get right back to action.

Round 2, was obviously another round for Marvin Sonsona (19-1-1, 15 KO's) as Vazquez tried to recover from the previous round knockdown. And tried also to figure out the more mature and stronger opponent compared to the one he met in 2010.

Sonsona first met Vazquez in 2010, for the vacant WBO super bantamweight title. Vazquez knocked out, the then 19 year old in-experienced Sonsona, in Round 4.

In Round 3, it seemed the 29 year old Wilfredo Vazquez Jr. (23-4-1, 19 KO's) fully recovered from the somewhat liver-punch he took from the previous round and started slipping punches and augment his own attacks and counters.

However, from Round 4 on-wards the fight becomes rough as Sonsona tried to clinched every time Vazquez closes the gap for infighting. It was a busy night for referee Steve Willis.

After the fight,Vazquez expressed his disappointment on Sosona's tactics.

"He's a dirty, rotten fighter. I tried to pressure him. He kept holding. He got in one good punch, the one that knocked me down. I thought I won easily." says a disappointed Vazquez.

In Round 6, the 23 year old Sonsona was deducted a point on each judges scorecards for hitting Vazquez behind the head. This even up the knockdown Sonsona scored in the first round.

In Round 7, Sonsona dazed badly after an accidental headbutt on the face---he went down to the floor! The referee give him time to recover.

In the final round, a rare double take-down happened as both fighters tangled up and went to the floor.

Overall it's a close fight to call. But I have Sonsona winning slightly on my unofficial scorecards as he smartly maneuver to make the fight happen only from outside (wherein he utilized his reach and height advantage) than fighting Vazquez's fight from the inside.

The fight could actually go either way or a draw. And it shows the divided verdict of the judges: two judges had it for Sonsona 96-92 and 96-92 and the third judge had it also at 96-92 for Vazquez.