Eight knockdowns in four-plus rounds? A single-combination knockout to punctuate the mayhem? Genuine concern for a semi-conscious loser after the fact? Fans will never, ever forget what they witnessed on Saturday night.
Jose Zepeda knocked out Ivan Baranchyk with a right-left combination in Round 5 inside the MGM Grand “bubble” in Las Vegas, putting him in a strong position to challenge for a 140-pound title.
But that was only one element in a fight jam packed with drama before and after the knockout.
First, consider the fact that there was at least one knock down in each of the five rounds.
Baranchyk, aptly called “The Beast,” came out like one at the opening bell and put Zepeda down twice in Round 1. They both went down once in Round 2. Baranchyk hit the canvas in Round 3. The Russian went down again late in Round 4.
And, in Round 5, Baranchyk was awarded one more knockdown when the ropes saved Zepeda from going down.
One could just imagine fans all across the United States and beyond standing in disbelief in front of their TVs or devices at that moment and yelling, “Ohhhhh myyyyy God! This is nuts!”
Then came the ending.
Baranchyk was on the attack, as he was the entire fight, when the left-handed Zepeda landed a hard overhand right and followed with a short, but powerful left that knocked Baranchyk onto his back, bending his right knee in an unnatural manner in the process.
There was no need to count. Baranchyk, perhaps rendered unconscious before his body landed on the canvas, lay still when doctors jumped into the ring. It was one of those moments when your heart is suddenly in your throat, when you’re certain he will be OK.
His eyes were glassy but he responded to their questions, which was a good sign. Soon they had him sitting up. And then they helped him to his feet. He walked out of the ring to finally end an emotional roller coaster and was taken to a hospital for precautionary reasons.
The fight was one of the most exciting brawls in recent memory, perhaps one of the best in a generation. Eight knockdowns in four-plus rounds? Crazy. It has to be the Fight of the Year but that award might not be grandiose enough for what occurred.
The knockout was spectacular. Knockout of the Year? It will be in the running.
And the aftermath, which took the edge off the excitement of the moment, reminded us how brutal the sport can be. Two boxers fight with reckless abandon – giving fans the kind of action of which they dream but rarely receive – and one is damaged in the end.
Brutal stuff.
Zepeda (33-2, 26 KOs) was asked immediately afterward what he was feeling.
“I feel great because I won the fight,” he said with less enthusiasm than such a moment typically calls for. “It was a hard fight. I mean, I’m thinking that boxing is hard. It’s no easy game. Boxing is tough. You gotta give it 100 percent. It’s a hard sport, probably the hardest sport.”
One ironic element is that Zepeda is normally more of a refined boxer than a fighter who likes to engage his opponent. The problem was that Baranchyk gave him no choice by attacking him with such vigor.
It seemed as if the winner might be decided by who happened to land first in any given wild exchange, although Zepeda’s punches did more damage than Baranchyk’s even before he landed the knockout combination.
Zepeda, admittedly a self-doubter, said he learned something about his himself in those insane four-plus rounds.
“I know I’m tough,” he said. “I just didn’t know how tough. Tonight I showed myself too. It was the first time I was in a fight like this. I was a great learning experience.
“… I doubt myself all the time. It happens to me every fight. I doubt myself too much. I had only 16 amateur fights, not a lot of amateur experience. That’s why I’m always doubting myself.”
The Los Angeles-area fighter has big plans for someone who doubts himself.
His only loss in the past five years came by majority decision against junior welterweight titleholder Jose Ramirez in February of last year. He’d like another shot at the belt, although Ramirez seems to be on a collision course with fellow titleholder Josh Taylor.
Zepeda will get another chance, though, especially after his performance against Baranchyk. Who wouldn’t want to see him fight now? His problem might be this: How is he going to top what he did on Saturday night?