LOCAL ROUNDUP

For most fighters, the path to world title opportunities include matches against battle-tested former world champions.

Unbeaten Victor Cayo faced such a test Friday and passed with solid grades.

Cayo, of the Dominican Republic, won a unanimous decision over former lightweight champion Julio Diaz in the main event of a card at the Hard Rock Live Arena.

``This does a lot for my career,'' Cayo said.

Cayo (23-0) used fast hands and feet to frustrate Diaz throughout the 10-round junior-welterweight bout.

His performance was verified by all three judges, who scored the bout for Cayo, 97-93, 96-94 and 98-92.

Keeping distance against the plodding Diaz, Cayo enjoyed a busy first round with lead left jabs to the head and also scored with left hooks to the head and a left uppercut.

Diaz, who held the International Boxing Federation lightweight crown in 2007, tried to shorten range, spending the early rounds combining shots to the body. But a quicker Cayo continued to frustrate Diaz with action leading lead lefts and rights.

Late in the fifth, Diaz (36-6) finally found an infighting situation, keeping Cayo within punching range. However, Cayo enjoyed the best of the exchanges at short distance, scoring with lefts and rights to the head.

The fight remained at short range the next two rounds and Diaz finally had the better of the inside exchanges in the seventh with short combinations to the head.

Cayo resumed his distance in the eighth and landed repeated rights to the head.

The action intensified again in the ninth as both fighters traded at a fast pace. Diaz connected with combinations to the body and Cayo ended the round with a solid right to the head.

-- SANTOS A. PEREZ

In other bouts: Luis Franco scored a first-round TKO over s Leroy Padilla; cruiserweight Derrick Rossi won by unanimous decision over Carl Drummond; welterweight Jonathan Gonzalez scored a first-round TKO over Jorge Barajas; super-middleweight Donovan George knocked out Emmanuel Gonzalez at 53 seconds of the fourth round; junior-welterweight Danny O'Connor won by unanimous decision over James Helmes; cruiserweight Artur Szpilka knocked out Jeremy May at 1:20 of the second round.

HIGH SCHOOLS

• Recruiting: Miami Belen Jesuit senior defensive back Pablo Alvarez announced that he would be attending the University of Virginia. . . . Coral Springs Taravella standout linebacker/tight end Brandon Steg has orally committed to the University of Connecticut.

• All-State soccer: The Florida Athletic Coaches Association has announced its boys' soccer All-State teams. The Miami-Dade selections for Class 6A are American's Mike Barbeto and Chris Torres, Killian's Stiven Salinas, Varela's Jhonny Vidales, Columbus' Pietro Macchiarella and Ferguson's Anthony Amaya. Belen's Nicolas Roque and Monsignor Pace's Lucas Garcia made it for Class 4A. Gulliver's Camilo Ronderos and Rafael Faria, and Ransom Everglades' Ned De Leo and Mike Lloret were joined by Florida Christian's Andrew Quintana on the Class 3A squad. Miami Country Day's Quinton Watson, Jacky Sasson and Tyrone Serrao joined Dade Christian's Leo Estabridis and Westminster Christian's Jake Moffet and Justin Moo Young made it in Class 2A.

• Volleyball: Miami Palmer Trinity girls' volleyball star Paulina Prieto was honored as the ``Best Attacker'' at the 2009 USA Hi-Performance Championship last week in Fort Lauderdale where she competed on the women's International Junior Division. Prieto played with and against college players from the United States, Italy, Canada, the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico.