Jose Zepeda made it clear on Saturday that he plenty left at 32.
The two-time title challenger put Josue Vargas down twice and stopped him only 1 minute, 45 seconds into their junior welterweight fight Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York.
The beginning of the end was a straight left in the middle of the round that put Vargas (19-2, 9 KOs) flat on his face and hurt him badly. Vargas was able to get up but never really regained his senses.
Zepeda had Vargas trapped in a corner and landed a series of hard shots, forcing him to slump to the canvas and prompting referee David Fields to stop the fight.
“I told him, and he probably knew I hit hard,” Zepeda said. “I don’t think he recovered after that shot. After the way he went down, I didn’t think [he’d recover].
“He probably was going to get up, but he was going to be wobbly on his feet, and that’s what happened. And I was able to finish him.”
Zepeda (35-2, 27 KOs) has now won five consecutive fights since he lost a majority decision to then-140-pound titleholder Jose Ramirez in 2019, not counting a no-contest.
He would like a shot at undisputed junior welterweight champ Josh Taylor.
“I’m 32 years old, and I’m in my prime,” said Zepeda, who is ranked No. 2 by the WBC. “I want the WBC world title and all the belts, to be honest. I’m ready for it. I showed today I’m ready for the WBC world title.”
Vargas couldn’t say much afterward.
“He caught me with a good left hand, and I tried to recover, but I think I got up too fast,” he said. “That’s what happened. Overall, I’m OK. I’m good. I’m healthy. We’re not stopping from here. It’s on to the next.”