For Limón, it represented the biggest opportunity of his career. For Argüello, it was another chance to demonstrate why many already considered him one of the finest pound-for-pound fighters in the sport.
Although Limón was known for wearing opponents down with aggression, he quickly discovered he was facing a master technician operating at the peak of his powers.
Argüello established control almost immediately, using his jab and straight right hand to keep Limón at long range. Before the opening round had ended, Limón was already bleeding from a cut over his right eye after absorbing one of the champion’s accurate combinations.
Rather than fading, Limón fought with the determination that would define his career.
Limón continued moving forward in an attempt to bring the fight into close range, but Argüello consistently met him with jabs and straight right hands.
Limón remained competitive despite the cut over his right eye, but Argüello continued to outscore the challenger through the middle rounds. By then, the champion had opened a comfortable lead on the judges’ cards.
The cut above Limón’s right eye worsened throughout the bout, and after another series of unanswered punches in the 11th round, referee Tony Perez stopped the contest at 1:40, awarding Argüello a technical knockout.
Argüello was comfortably ahead on all three scorecards when the fight was halted, completing another successful defense of his WBC super featherweight title.
The victory extended Argüello’s championship reign. He defended the title several more times against contenders including Bobby Chacon and Rubén Castillo before moving up to lightweight. He later captured the WBC lightweight title before adding the WBA junior welterweight championship, becoming a three-division world champion and cementing his place among boxing’s all-time greats.
The durable Mexican battled his way back into title contention and eventually fulfilled his championship ambitions by winning the WBC super featherweight title. Throughout a rugged career spanning more than 75 professional fights, he shared the ring with many of his era’s best, including Bobby Chacon in their memorable series, Héctor Camacho and Julio César Chávez.
Although it was not as memorable as some of Argüello’s other title fights, the victory reinforced his dominance of the super featherweight division during one of the strongest championship reigns of the era. It remains another example of the precision, patience and punching power that helped establish Argüello as Nicaragua’s greatest boxer and one of the finest champions of his generation.
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