American slugger Ramón “Dinamita” Cárdenas (26-1, 14 KOs) handed Bryan Acosta (20-1, 8 KOs) the first loss of his career, securing a unanimous decision victory and successfully defending his WBA Continental Latin America Super Bantamweight crown.

Cárdenas controlled the fight on the inside and capitalized on counterpunching opportunities, edging out Acosta on the scorecards (95-94, 95-94, 97-92). But as the judges’ tallies indicate, it was a razor-thin contest.

The San Antonio native proved to be the sharper puncher, landing the more effective power shots, while Acosta struggled to fully exploit his reach advantage. The Mexican contender had his best moment in the seventh round, briefly wobbling the champion, but he couldn’t press the attack to turn the tide.

After weathering the storm, Cárdenas reasserted his control, outworking Acosta with superior volume and precision. Meanwhile, Acosta banked on landing a single fight-ending shot that never came.

With this victory, Cárdenas climbs to the No. 2 spot in the World Boxing Association’s super bantamweight rankings, inching closer to a potential world title opportunity.