Francisco Lorenzo’s Disputed WBC Result
On June 28, 2008, Francisco Lorenzo defeated Humberto Soto by fourth-round disqualification in Las Vegas. The WBC did not award Lorenzo the interim super-featherweight title because of the disputed finish. Soto later defeated Lorenzo in their December 20 rematch.
The first Lorenzo–Soto bout produced a rare split between the result announced in the arena and the championship status recognized afterward. Nevada recorded Lorenzo as the winner by disqualification, but the WBC declined to award him the interim belt because of the disputed circumstances. The December rematch resolved the sporting question: Soto won the vacant championship by unanimous decision over twelve rounds. Keeping both outcomes in the timeline explains why the June result remains controversial while the later fight determined the champion (BoxingScene report).
The fight, the ruling and the rematch
The official result and the championship status diverged. Lorenzo was credited with the victory in Nevada, but the WBC did not award him the interim title because of the disputed ending. Contemporary reports described the controversy around the ruling, and the belt remained unsettled after the bout.
The two men met again on December 20, 2008, this time for the vacant WBC super featherweight championship. Soto won a unanimous decision after 12 rounds and secured the title. The rematch determined the champion, while the first fight remained on the record as a disqualification win for Lorenzo.
That distinction is central to Lorenzo’s place in this episode. He officially won the first contest, but he did not become the WBC interim champion; Soto then won their rematch for the vacant belt. Reading the commission record alongside the sanctioning body’s decision explains why accounts of the bout can seem to conflict.
The commission result and the WBC’s title decision answer two different questions. Nevada recorded what happened under the bout’s official ruling, while the sanctioning body decided whether the interim championship would be awarded. That is why contemporary reports can accurately say Lorenzo won by disqualification even though he did not leave the event as champion. The December rematch was then arranged for the vacant belt and settled the championship in the ring. Keeping those records alongside one another avoids treating the June disqualification as a title win (BoxingScene report; BoxRec career record).
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Article Tags
Francisco Lorenzo, Boxing, Boxing History, Championship Results
