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Algieri beats Provodinkov to claim light-welter title

Chris Algieri has won the WBO junior welterweight title, outpointing Ruslan Provodinkov in a split decision Saturday night at the Barclays Center in New York.

Algieri (20-0) was given winning scores of 114-112 from two judges, with the third judge had it 117-109 for Provodinkov (23-3).

Algieri's nose bled after the fifth round and the former kickboxer's right eye swelled and seemed to hinder his sight late in the fight. He absorbed everything that Provodinkov threw at him and won the fight after getting up twice in a short span during the first round.

Provodinkov lost his first title defence since stopping Mike Alvarado in the 10th round last October and also lost for the second time in three fights. His other loss in the last 15 months was a controversial decision against Timothy Bradley.

It appeared early that Provodinkov would dominate the fight. He initially took down Algieri with a jab and then again with a left hook that caused swelling in the right eye.

After that, Provodinkov struggled against Algieri, who frequently moved around the ring.

On the undercard, Demetrius Andrade (21-0) retained his WBO light middleweight by stopping England's Brian Rose (25-2-1) at 1:19 of the seventh round. Andrade dominated the fight by dropping Rose in the first round with a left hand to the chin and again in the third with a right hook.

Rose, making his American debut, lost for the first time in 12 fights. Shortly after his nose was bloodied in the sixth, referee Michael Griffin decided to stop the fight after seeing Rose's corner walk up the steps of the ring.

Earlier, Brooklyn native Heather Hardy (10-0) won the first women's fight at Barclays Center by getting a split decision over Jackie Trivillino (9-8-3). The eight-round fight ended following the seventh after physicians ruled after Hardy was unable to continue following an accidental head butt in the second round.