Ward, a 2004 Olympic Games gold medalist, triumphed by the scores of 119-109 twice and 116-112, but the fight was not indicative of the 10-point spreads on the two scorecards: It was a rough, tough, hard-fought and competitive from start to finish.

In front of a hometown crowd of 7,818, Ward retained his North American Boxing Organization (NABO) and North American Boxing Federation (NABF) super middleweight titles, but more importantly moved into the No. 1 spot in the World Boxing Council (WBC) 168-pound rankings, thus becoming the mandatory challenger for fellow unbeaten Carl Froch.

Said Ward after the fight, "This is kind of a bittersweet victory. I am excited and happy for the fans, and there were a lot of them here. But I was not 100 percent happy with my performance. There are things I know I could have done better. But I think I showed tonight what kind of fighter I am and can be.

What's next for Ward isn't known, but if a Froch fight happens, Ward will be ready. "Hey, I'm No. 1. We're both undefeated. Let's get it on," he said.

Miranda, whose previous losses came against world champions Arthur Abraham (twice) and Kelly Pavlik, came to win and never gave Ward an opportunity to relax. Miranda landed his fair share of solid shots, too, particularly in the bout's first half.

"I thought it was going to be a lot easier but he was tougher than I expected," Miranda said. "I came here fully expecting to win.

"But Andre was the better man. I don't feel cheated by the decision. He is the champion. I have much respect for him."

After a competitive first round in the evening's co-feature, Molina dropped Archuleta with a flurry of punches in the second. The veteran beat the count and made it to his feet, but the referee stopped the fight.

"I'm a fan favorite and I really like to entertain," Molina said, "but I was surprised he quit like he did. I knew I caught him good, and if the fight goes on he would have felt my pressure even more.

"I really wanted to put on a show for the fans here and those watching on SHOWTIME. But I can't have heart for two guys."   Close