Maybe you're one of those folks who doesn't think much of Chavez's ability or of his prospects to win a world title or even develop into a serious contender. And maybe you are somebody frustrated by seeing Chavez spoon-fed opponents you've never heard of, especially when the fight is the main event of a $40 Top Rank pay-per-view card. Those are fair criticisms, but one thing is for sure: at least Chavez is being matched in a way in which he doesn't blow out his opponents and the fights are usually high entertainment. With his iconic father, Julio Cesar Chavez Sr., at ringside, Chavez claimed the tight victory in a bloody battle that was competitive and exciting from the outset. Chavez, 23, thrilled the crowd of approximately 22,000 at the main bull ring in Tijuana as he and Cuello, 24, of Argentina, slugged it out at close quarters all night in the main event of the "Latin Fury: Tijuana Thunder" card.

Cuello's face oozed blood from the fourth round on because of a badly bleeding nose and Chavez suffered the first cut of his career over his right eye in the sixth round. By the time the bout was over, both men were covered in each other's blood. Chavez, who looked like he was a full division bigger than the shorter Cuello, pressured Cuello early but resorted to backing up late in the one of the toughest fights of his career. It was surely a good learning experience for Chavez.

A lot of the drama, however, was sapped from the fight because of the WBC's horrible open scoring system. Because one of the WBC's minor belts was at stake, the scores were announced after the fourth and eighth rounds, so everyone knew Chavez was ahead. After the eighth-round scores of 79-73, 78-74 and 77-75 were announced, you knew Cuello, fighting outside of Argentina for only the second time (he also fought once in Spain), was going to lose unless he did something dramatic.

Top Rank's Bob Arum intends for Chavez to have a summer fight against an opponent similar to Cuello but then says he wants to step him up a bit. He mentioned possible bouts with John Duddy (a fantastic action fight that is pretty evenly matched and would draw a great crowd), Oscar De La Hoya (the only interesting fight out there for De La Hoya, should he elect to continue fighting, because of his history with Chavez Sr.), and Manny Pacquiao (a disingenuous suggestion and an absolute joke but probably made by Arum just to get people talking).