Clinton Woods (right) put on a show for his Sheffield fans

The hometown hero set aside recent injury woes to take a 117-111 115-113 116-112 verdict from the judges.

But the scorecard did not fully reflect what was a bruising and pulsating bout.

The fighters were evenly matched until round nine, when Woods, 35, began to come forward, almost sending Gonzalez to the canvas in round 11.

He was unable to apply the finish, but had done enough to win the decision.

Woods beat Gonzalez on points in 2005 and was out to knock the Mexican out this time around.

606: DEBATE Is nobody interested in Clinton Woods? If so why not? SteelTownCobra

"What a fighter this guy is," said Woods at ringside.

"I'm tough but he matched me all the way. It's a pleasure to be in with guys like this and to prove to Sheffield that boxing is the best sport there is.

"I thought I had him in the 11th round, but he came back. It was just a tough night."

Gonzalez, who had hoped to fight the rematch in Las Vegas, expressed disappointment with the judges' scorecards.

But he took some heart from his resilience.

I said it would be a tough fight. That will prepare for my next one Clinton Woods

"I wasn't hurt. I'm a warrior. He said he wanted to knock me out but he couldn't," he said.

"True warriors never die. They just keep coming back. He was going to go down, but I just ran out of time."

Saturday's fight was the first for Woods since a fine split-decision win over former undisputed champion Glen Johnson over a year ago.

Since that victory two years ago, the Yorkshire fighter has been dogged by an elbow injury.

"I found it hard to get my rhythm," Woods admitted.

"I've been out with elbow problems. I said it would be a tough fight. That will prepare for my next one.

"I'm a match for anybody and I'll look to be back in the ring in the next five to six months."