Paul Spadafora threw a punch, and the lights went out.

Not on Ruben Galvan, but inside the ballroom at the Hilton Garden Inn Southpointe.

	Lake Fong, Post-Gazette Paul Spadafora, right, lands a punch on Ruben Galvan during their 10-round bout last night at Hilton Garden Inn Southpointe. Spadafora won his 37th bout in his first fight in nearly a year. Click photo for larger image.

The lights dimmed in the second round and went out completely after the third and seventh rounds last night, though it didn't affect Spadafora, who seemed to shine brightly after the seventh round in winning his first fight in 17 months and waging his first fight in almost a year.

Spadafora's footwork, feinting and punches got more crisp as the bout progressed, and all three judges -- Tony Tarentino, George Kachulis and Dana DePaolo -- scored it a 100-90 sweep of the 10-round fight. The Post-Gazette scorecard had it 99-91 for Spadafora, who started slowly in the first round. His fans appeared rusty in the beginning, too: The standing-room-only crowd of 1,600 didn't commence the usual "Spad-dee" chants until the third round.

"I'm glad to be back," Spadafora (37-0-1) said after his inaugural fight at the junior-welterweight 140 pounds. "I got the round in front of the audience. This was more fun that I thought it would be."

It wasn't challenging, though.

Although Galvan wasn't intent on mixing it up with a counterpuncher who scores often, he was highly critical of the hand strength of the former International Boxing Federation champion, who relinquished his 4-year hold on the lightweight belt in June 2003.

"How he's the world champion, I don't know," said Galvan (20-4-2), who knocked out Clifton Woods in his previous fight a year ago in Hammond, Ind. Asked to name opponents who punched with more snap than Spadafora, Galvan listed Jorge Paez, Cristian Bejarano Benitez and "my sister."

"I've been in with better," Galvan added. "I mean, give him credit. He's very hard to hit, man. I can hit my sister. Can't hit him."

Spadafora, who in the early rounds failed to slip as many punches as he probably should have, figured that he only got caught with "one or two" decent blows all fight.

"For a guy that can't punch," Spadafora said, "they respect me enough to lose."

The most recent time Spadafora was seen in a ring was May 17, in an HBO-televised draw against Leonard Dorin. Since then, he was arrested in October for four charges stemming from the shooting of his girlfriend.

He spent the past two months in California, leaving new trainer Emanuel Steward after a brief fling to return to trainer Jesse Reid, who first joined his corner shortly before Spadafora wrested the IBF belt from Pito Cardona in August 1999.

Last night, Reid said he has a three-year contract with Spadafora, an agreement that came at the boxer's request. "I knew I'd be back here," Reid added, "and I will be back here."

"I'm going to stick with my team," Spadafora added.

As he entered the ring, Spadafora got a standing ovation from the nearest side of the ballroom. He wore a jacket emblazoned with "Only God Knows Why?" More quizzically, his nickname was misspelled on the back of his trunks: Spady.

For him, it meant he was seen as a boxer, and not as an alleged assailant.

"The label that's on me, it shouldn't be on me. I'm a good guy. In fact, I'm a great guy," Spadafora said. "Now I can guarantee one thing: I'm going to be clean, I'm going to be sober. I feel so relaxed now. Oh, man, this was like a dream come true. I was so happy to be in the ring."

In the undercard, Dan Harvison of McKeesport (8-0) shook off some six-month rust in defeating Knowledge Bey of Syracuse, N.Y. (3-4). Bey put on a some showboating for the crowd, winding up from his right hip and his right knee for bolo punches, but he refused to buckle against Harvison's punches. "We were laughing at each other," said Harvison, who didn't seem to mind. "Actually, that guy was pretty good. He could take some shots."

Scott Kelly of Homer City (1-1) lost a split decision to Dandre McCole of Akron, Ohio (3-6). And Hector Alejandro of Buffalo, N.Y., registered a technical knockout at 2:27 of the second round against Jeremy Harper of Akron, Ohio.

Spadafora would like another fight in a month and a half, then possibly land a major television fight against the Ricky Hatton, Arturo Gatti or the foe that eludes him still -- Floyd Mayweather Jr.

"I'm ready," he said, "to fight anybody any time."