On a fight night with such ringside celebrities as former world champion Roy Jones Jr., wrestling legend Bruno Sammartino, Steelers Hall of Famer Franco Harris and Pirates general manager Dave Littlefield, Rankin's Monty Meza-Clay was the main, blood-spattered attraction.

He got a gash over his right eye from an accidental head butt in the second round, and the blood soaked into his eye, down his previously white shorts and even onto his socks. But bothered by either that or opponent Carlos Contreras? Not Meza-Clay, who scored a unanimous decision -- losing three of the 10 rounds, tops -- and earned the respect of the star-studded crowd of some 2,000 huddled around the ring directly underneath the big Steelers helmet in Heinz Field's Coca-Cola Great Hall.

"Yes, I was worried" the ringside doctor might call the fight because of the gash, an exhausted Meza-Clay (24-1) said. "But it didn't bother me. It would get in my eye, but I would wipe it out and keep working."

It was only afterward that the gash got to this International Boxing Association super featherweight world champion. Medical personnel tried to temporarily close it for him, and, well, amazingly, a professional boxer isn't crazy about that kind of stuff.

"The only thing is, I hate pain," Meza-Clay said, fairly screaming when the smarting reached a crescendo.

Meza-Clay, in his first hometown pro bout, probably lost that second round when Contreras (20-14-3), a loser of eight of his past nine fights, bumped heads while the two were fighting in close confines. Contreras, 31, also seemed to win the eighth round, when the cut reopened. Two judges scored it seven rounds for Meza-Clay, the other judge nine of the 10.

"I'm exhausted," Meza-Clay said of a foe who previously fought, and lost to, such names as Johnny Tapia and Daniel Ponce de Leon. "He's a great fighter. He's a Mexican fighter. I'm a Mexican fighter. Mano-a-mano."

In other promoted bouts on the undercard:

Tarentum's Chris Archer ran into a familiar foe in an unfamiliar pose, yet still managed a majority decision over suddenly southpaw Esteban Cordova of New York. Two judges scored it, 39-37, for Archer and the other had it a draw. "I sparred him, like, three years ago when I was an amateur, and he was orthodox then," Archer said. "But he hit me southpaw here. I hate southpaws. That's the fourth southpaw now I've faced [in 10 pro fights, winning nine]. I'm tired of them."

Leslee Perella of Brookline ran headfirst into buzz saw Bam Bam Nunez of New York, who bloodied the veteran female fighter's nose badly in the first round and kept pounding for a unanimous decision.

Juan McPherson of Cleveland, a gent involved in an Olympic Box-Offs controversy that went to four appeals before he was removed from consideration for the 2004 U.S. team in Athens, Greece, registered a unanimous decision over the smaller Charles Norwood of West Virginia.

NOTES -- Elsewhere in local boxing, Jesse Lubash of Munhall reached the Eastern Trials finals by defeating David Roman of Paterson, N.J., in the semifinals, 20-19.

If he defeats Robert Burwell of Orlando, Fla., tonight in the Cocoa, Fla., event, he qualifies for the U.S. Championships next month with a chance to advance to the Olympic Box-Offs.