Welterweight contender Brad Solomon won a unanimous decision over Demetrius Hopkins on Friday night.
Solomon, of Lafayette, La., was the busier fighter throughout the 10-round bout at the Hard Rock Live Arena.
The first round was uneventful as both fighters rarely threw punches. Solomon (17-0), the top-ranked welterweight, picked up the pace in the second round and maintained distance with lead rights to the head.
In the later rounds, the fighters went at it at closer range with Hopkins (30-2-1) scoring with combinations to the head. The pace also slowed, featuring repeated clinches.
Hopkins, of Philadelphia and nephew of former middleweight champion Bernard Hopkins, could not mount enough of a late-fight attack to overtake Solomon's early advantage.
Two judges scored the fight for Solomon, 99-91, while the third also had Solomon winning, 97-92.
There were no knockdowns.
Solomon weighed 145 pounds for Friday's bout, two pounds less than Hopkins.
