Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada

Sergio "The Latin Snake" Mora, 25, became the winner of one million dollars, a brand new Toyota Tundra and an official "Contender" championship belt after beating Peter Manfredo Jr. for the better part of their seven round match.

The fight was action-packed from beginning to end and Mora suffered a laceration over his left eyebrow, the first cut in his professional career. Manfredo Jr. put on a good effort, but finished the fight on shaky legs, victim of Mora's sharp punches and accurate combinations.

The judges scored the bout as follows: Duane Ford 69-64, Jerry Roth 68-65 and Paul Smith 70-63. "Fair but Firm" Joe Cortez was the appointed referee. With the win, Mora's record improves to 16-0, 3 KOs while Manfredo Jr.'s record drops to 24-2, 10 KOs. Don't feel too bad for Peter Manfredo Jr., though, he picked up a hefty $250,000 purse for his effort.

''The Contender" drew critical praise but low ratings. The NBC series was not picked up for a second season, a decision that led fans in the audience to heckle NBC president Jeff Zucker at the urging of the ring announcer. The NBC VIP, who attended the fight, shrugged.

The finale took on the electricity of the many title bouts routinely held in Sin City. Many celebrities were in the house, including Cameron Diaz and Justin Timberlake, Eddie Murphy, Cuba Gooding Jr.

More on Sergio Mora...

Sergio Mora was born in a tiny apartment in East LA where he lived with his mother and three brothers until just a few weeks ago. At 24, he and his older brother have finally moved out... to the apartment downstairs. He is the first to admit that his family lives in the ghetto but bristles at being lumped into the East LA stereotype. Although he grew up without a father, his respect for his mother and the desire for a better life turned him to sports instead of gangs.

As a teenager, Sergio knocked out many of his friends just "goofing around" in the street. He started boxing at the age of fourteen and is currently undefeated as a Pro. When he isn't training, he works with kids at a neighborhood youth gym built to give boys and girls an alternative to gangs. Sergio trains at the same gym and the sign on the front bears his picture and nickname: "The Latin Snake."

Sergio's dream is to make enough money boxing to allow his mother to quit her job working at a warehouse and send her traveling the world ... without his brothers.