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In boxing, some fights are so controversial that they cry for a rematch. One such fight was the junior welterweight title bout in which Ricardo Torres came back from a knockdown to stop Kendall Holt in the 11th round.

The Holt camp alleges many improprieties on a wild night in Colombia last September, not least of which was the assertion by the Paterson-based boxer that he was struck by a beer can thrown from the crowd.

On Saturday they do it again, this time in America, at the Planet Hollywood casino in Las Vegas, with Showtime televising.

Grainy Internet footage of their first fight didn't offer a clear picture of everything that was going on, though some debris did land in the ring. But onsite observer Keith Idec reported in a New Jersey Herald News column that Holt was "wronged beyond belief" in Barranquilla, Colombia.

However, even without the fuss raised by Holt's camp, a rematch was required. Holt knocked down Torres heavily with a right hand in the sixth round and he boxed beautifully for much of the fight, though in the later rounds the Colombian looked stronger and was closing the points gap.

Holt was hurt by the left hook that put him down in the 11th round, and he was on shaky legs thereafter. Torres landed more punches and Holt, despite protestations to the contrary, did seem to be in trouble when Chicago referee Geno Rodriguez waved the finish.

Perhaps Holt could have made it to the bell, but even so, the 11th would have been a 10-8 round for Torres and it would have pulled the Colombian ahead in the scoring. The New Jersey boxer would then have needed to win the last round just to get a draw.

As Torres the fighter came on strongly, it's doubtful that Holt could have staged the grandstand finish that he would have needed.

Still, it was a controversial fight, and naturally Holt believes that this time he will achieve the victory that, in his view, was unfairly denied in Colombia.

"The first fight against Torres was definitely an experience," Holt said this week. "It was not like anything I have experienced before. I am a man, and if he beats me, he beats me. I just don't want to be cheated.

"This fight is going to be a lot different than the first one. The first fight is out of my mind. I am in better shape than last time. I know Torres is going to come and bring the thunder. I welcome that. I want him to come and bring the pressure."

"Holt is a sore loser," Torres said through an interpreter. "There was no controversy in the first fight. It was a clean fight. I know how Holt fights. I know what I need to do. All I am concerned about is keeping my title and bringing it back to Colombia.

"The key to any fight is preparation, and we have done that. We saw a couple of mistakes that we made and we are going to correct them for next time. The first fight was great, but it is going to be even better this time if Holt is in as great shape as he said he is."

Looking back at last September, Holt seemed to have missed a golden opportunity when he knocked down Torres in the sixth and failed to follow up. The big problem with Holt in these situations is that he is reluctant to go right after a man when he has him hurt. His style is to lay back, let the other fighter come to him, then try to nail the opponent with sharp shots after his mistakes.

Holt has fast hands, and the counterpunching style has worked well for him against top-caliber fighters. He outclassed strong South African Isaac Hltashwayo and almost stopped him, for instance, and he likewise dominated his fight against the Greek southpaw Mike Arnaoutis, who seemed reluctant to press the issue in case he ran into a big punch.

Torres, though, is an aggressively inclined fighter. He will be putting pressure on Holt and trying to hurt him, which makes this one of those classic fighter-versus-boxer matches.

In the first meeting, Holt seemed to be doing a lot of moving without actually punching, allowing Torres to gain ascendancy. He wasn't pumping out the left jab vigorously enough to keep Torres from closing in on him, and once the sixth round passed, Holt never again looked like getting Torres into serious difficulties.

Holt, who is what the boxing trade would call a thinking fighter, seems to realize all of this, saying that he has concentrated on his jab and his right hand during training and "being more active in this fight."

He says he didn't get hit all that often in the first fight -- until the 11th round, anyway -- and he seems to accept the fact that an error at any time could get him into trouble Saturday. He is going to be ultra-alert, seeking to score swiftly and use the ring to get clear of the slower Colombian's attempts to fire back.

"I have superior boxing skills and I have to keep my guard up," Holt acknowledges. "I can't get hurt if I don't get hit."

Holt has to strike a fine balance, however. He has to throw enough punches to put rounds in the bank while at the same time not opening himself up to the extent that he allows Torres the chance to hit him with a big right hand or left hook.

If Holt is too defensive, he could give away rounds. Sometimes, if a round is close, a judge will go for the boxer who is moving forward and looking as if he wants to fight. In his last bout, while Holt seemed to outbox Ben Tackie rather comfortably, one judge had the fight a draw because Holt's opponent always pressed in and did his best to land punches while the New Jersey stylist didn't impose a pronounced supremacy.

Torres will do his best to keep Holt under pressure, but the Colombian fighter knows he has to keep his hands up and be careful not to throw punches from too far back or lunge recklessly. If Torres can safely close the distance, he can let his punches go from medium and close range and perhaps land big enough punches to make Holt cautious, even if he cannot get him out of the fight.

There is risk for each boxer. Each has shown vulnerability. Holt was dropped in his fights with David Diaz and Jaime Rangel and lost in the opening round against the lightly regarded Thomas Davis, when, uncharacteristically, he attacked carelessly after hurting his tall, slender opponent -- a lesson well-learned, I am sure.

Torres, meanwhile, was dropped by Mike Arnaoutis, though he rallied to win, while in his most celebrated fight he was knocked out by Miguel Cotto after dropping and hurting the more talented Puerto Rican -- a loss that was more a victory because the Colombian put up a much better fight than widely expected.

And, of course, each hurt the other in last September's bout.

The rematch could start out as a tactical fight, with each boxer wary of the other's punching power, and yet it could explode vividly if one or the other lands a severe shot that has a dramatic and damaging effect his opponent.

It helps Holt to be boxing in America this time, but I think Las Vegas is essentially a neutral site for a fight such as this; in any case, Torres has fought in the U.S. before and knows the fistic landscape.

As Holt almost won under adverse circumstances last September, this time he can probably get it right, hitting and moving just enough to stay ahead for 12 rounds. Torres, though, will be dangerous to the end. It was the Colombian fighter who looked much stronger in the later stages of the last fight, he has the psychological advantage of winning the initial meeting by stoppage. Even if Holt is piling up points, he will be in danger right up until the contest's closing moments.

Graham Houston is the American editor of Boxing Monthly and writes for FightWriter.com.