Tag: boxing news

William Zepeda mauls Maxi Hughes, stopping the Briton after four rounds

William Zepeda mauled Maxi Hughs, stopping the Briton after four rounds

Another fight, another William Zepeda beat down.

The unbeaten 135-pound contender pounded overmatched Maxi Hughes relentlessly until the Briton’s cornermen finally stopped the fight after four rounds of a two-sanctioning body title eliminator Saturday at The Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas.

Zepeda (30-0, 26 KOs) and Hughes (26-7-2, 5 KOs) fought on roughly even terms in the first round but it was all Zepeda after that.

The volume-punching southpaw from Mexico didn’t allow his overmatched opponent room to breathe, throwing 408 punches (102 per round) — many of them to the body — in the four rounds.

And Hughes could do nothing to stop him, at least in part because he didn’t have the punching power to turn the tide.

Hughes began to wilt as early as Round 2 and continued to take brutal punishment until the final moments of Round 4, after which his handlers knew he was finished.

“Thirty different camps, 30 different wins,” Zepeda said afterward. “All I can do is thank my camp, thank everybody. And let’s keep it going.”

Zepeda is ranked No. 1 by the WBA and WBC, whose champions are Gervonta Davis and Shakur Stevenson. His victory on Saturday solidifies his position as mandatory challenger in both organizations.

Meanwhile, Vasiliy Lomachenko will face George Kambosos Jr. for the vacant IBF title on May 12. Zepeda is ranked No. 6 by the IBF.

Davis, Stevenson and Lomachenko are three of the most talented fighters today. However, Zepeda appears to be more and more of a threat to anyone every time he fights.

He knows what it would take to succeed against fighters like that.

“We know whoever is ahead of us, they have a lot of experience. We just have to keep working,” he said. “… I’m ready for Shakur, for Gervonta, I’m ready for whoever is on that list.”

And he served up a bold prediction, describing himself as, “The next champion from Mexico.”

No one who has watched Zepeda fight would take exception to that prognostication.

Roberto Duran being treated for heart issue in native Panama

Hall of Famer Roberto Duran is being treated for a heart issue in his native Panama, according to The Associated Press.

Roberto Duran was receiving treatment for a heart issue Saturday in his native Panama, The Associated Press is reporting.

The 72-year-old Hall of Famer’s family stated on his Instagram account that he has an atrioventricular block, which, according to Yale Medicine, “is a heart rhythm disorder that causes the heart to beat more slowly than it should.”

The Yale website went on: “It’s caused by communication problems within the heart’s electrical conduction system. For some people, the condition doesn’t cause symptoms; for others, it may be life-threatening.”

Duran’s family was anticipating more news.

“We are waiting for results so that we can provide more information on his health,” the family said. “We thank our relatives, friends and all of his supporters who are praying for him.”

WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman posted on X: “His family is joined by the world in prayers for his successful and prompt recovery, he is a champion and will win this fight.”

Duran (103-16, 70 KOs) is one of the greatest boxers of all time.

Some consider the four-division champion the best lightweight who ever lived. However, he attained his greatest fame by becoming the first to defeat Sugar Ray Leonard and subsequent achievements.

He was one of the “Four Kings,” with Leonard, Marvin Hagler and Thomas Hearns, whose fights against one another are legendary.

Roberto Duran being treated for heart issue in native Panama

Hall of Famer Roberto Duran is being treated for a heart issue in his native Panama, according to The Associated Press.

Roberto Duran was receiving treatment for a heart issue Saturday in his native Panama, The Associated Press is reporting.

The 72-year-old Hall of Famer’s family stated on his Instagram account that he has an atrioventricular block, which, according to Yale Medicine, “is a heart rhythm disorder that causes the heart to beat more slowly than it should.”

The Yale website went on: “It’s caused by communication problems within the heart’s electrical conduction system. For some people, the condition doesn’t cause symptoms; for others, it may be life-threatening.”

Duran’s family was anticipating more news.

“We are waiting for results so that we can provide more information on his health,” the family said. “We thank our relatives, friends and all of his supporters who are praying for him.”

WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman posted on X: “His family is joined by the world in prayers for his successful and prompt recovery, he is a champion and will win this fight.”

Duran (103-16, 70 KOs) is one of the greatest boxers of all time.

Some consider the four-division champion the best lightweight who ever lived. However, he attained his greatest fame by becoming the first to defeat Sugar Ray Leonard and subsequent achievements.

He was one of the “Four Kings,” with Leonard, Marvin Hagler and Thomas Hearns, whose fights against one another are legendary.

Great Eight: Juan Francisco Estrada vs. Bam Rodriguez would be rare champ vs. champ

Great Eight: A potential matchup between Juan Francisco Estrada and Bam Rodriguez would pit two champions against one another.

The proliferation of titles makes it difficult for all but the most astute fans to determine the cream of the boxing crop.

That’s why Boxing Junkie came up with its “Great Eight” feature, which names the best fighter in each of the original eight weight classes –heavyweight, light heavyweight, middleweight, welterweight, lightweight, featherweight, bantamweight and flyweight.

Heavyweight includes cruiserweight (and the WBA and WBC’s bridgerweight), light heavyweight includes super middleweight, middleweight includes junior middleweight and so on down to flyweight, which includes junior flyweight and strawweight.

In this installment of “Great Eight,” we explore the possibility of an intriguing development: Two of our champions — Juan Francisco Estrada (bantamweight) and Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez (flyweight) — are in talks to fight one another.

Promoter Eddie Hearn said he’s trying to close a deal for the fighters to meet for Estrada’s 115-pound title on June 29 in Phoenix.

The principals are at different stages of their careers.

Estrada (44-3, 28 KOs) is a two-division champion who has shown no signs of decline — he’s coming off a second victory in his third fight against future Hall of Famer Roman Gonzalez — but he’s 33 and has been fighting professionally for 15-plus years.

The Mexican also hasn’t been active. The second victory over Gonzalez took place in December 2022 and he hasn’t fought since. He had been in talks to face fellow titleholder Kazuto Ioka last December but negotiations broke down.

Estrada has won eight consecutive fights since he lost a majority decision to Srisaket Sor Rungvisai in 2018, a setback he later avenged.

Rodriguez (19-0, 12 KOs) is a rising star. The 24-year-old Texan has reeled off one spectacular victory after another to join Estrada on many credible pound-for-pound lists, including Boxing Junkie’s.

He made a strong impression by outpointing veteran Carlos Cuadras to win a vacant 115-pound title in February 2022 and then knocked out the equally respected Sor Rungvisai in eight rounds in his first defense four months later.

And he was just getting started. He delivered what might be his best performance last December, when, after dropping down to 112 and winning a major belt, he stopped previously unbeaten Sunny Edwards to unify two titles.

“This is a fight we’ve been working on for a long time,” Hearn told DAZN. “I think Estrada against Bam Rodriguez is just a stunner. You keep seeing these small guys give us unbelievable nights.

“Estrada against “Chocolatito” (Roman Gonzalez) so many times, Bam against Sunny [Edwards] last December was incredible, and Estrada against Bam is just a Fight of the Year contender written all over it.”

It would be difficult to argue with Hearn on that point. It doesn’t get much better than one of the best fighters of the generation vs. one of the most exciting young phenoms in the game

And, of course, it would have major implications in terms of Great Eight.

If the fight happens and Estrada wins, he would add to his own Hall of Fame credentials and remain as bantamweight champion here. Rodriguez would become champion in a second Great Eight division if he has his hand raised.

Rodriguez hasn’t said definitively that he’s finished at 112 but that appears to be the case.

Here are the top fighters in the original eight divisions:

HEAVYWEIGHT

Tyson Fury (34-0-1, 24 KOs) – Fury will have a chance to prove his subpar performance against Francis Ngannou was an aberration when he faces Oleksandr Usyk for the undisputed championship on pay-per-view May 18 in Saudi Arabia. Of course, the winner will be our Great Eight champ.

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT

Dmitry Bivol (22-0, 11 KOs) – The winner of the Bivol-Beterbiev showdown on June 1 will determine not only the Great Eight champion but also the best 175-pounder of the era. Few possible matchups in boxing are better or more significant than this one.

MIDDLEWEIGHT

Jermell Charlo (35-2-1, 19 KOs) – The 154-pounder came up short against 168-pound champ Canelo Alvarez but he remains the best at 160 and 154. He had expressed interest in facing welterweight king Terence Crawford but that doesn’t appear to be in the works, leaving his future uncertain..

WELTERWEIGHT

Terence Crawford (40-0, 31 KOs) – Crawford hasn’t fought since his epic beat down of Errol Spence Jr. last July and has nothing solid in the works. One potential opponent would be Israil Madrimov, who stopped Magomed Kurbanov to win a 154-pound title on May 8.

LIGHTWEIGHT

Gervonta Davis (29-0, 27 KOs) – “Tank” remains the most-complete fighter at 135 and 130 but boxing wizards Shakur Stevenson and Vasiliy Lomachenko might have something to say about who reigns in Great Eight before all is said and done. Now we need to see these pivotal matchups.

FEATHERWEIGHT

Naoya Inoue (26-0, 23 KOs) – Inoue gave another dominating performance against Marlon Tapales on Dec. 26, stopping the Filipino in the 10th round to become undisputed champion in a second weight class. Can anyone compete with him? Luis Nery will be the next one to try. They meet on May 6.

BANTAMWEIGHT

Juan Francisco Estrada (44-3, 28 KOs) – Boxing Junkie’s No. 5 fighter pound-for-pound had hinted that he might move up from junior bantamweight to bantamweight but an explosive potential matchup with Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez at 115 might keep him in his current division.

FLYWEIGHT

Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez (19-0, 12 KOs) – Rodriguez supplanted Edwards as champion here after leaving no doubt about who is the best 112-pounder in the world. He’ll almost certainly be replaced if he signs a contract to challenge Estrada at 115 pounds.

[lawrence-related id=40833,38568,34591,34576,34548,40358,40221,40204,40190,40137]

Great Eight: Juan Francisco Estrada vs. Bam Rodriguez would be rare champ vs. champ

Great Eight: A potential matchup between Juan Francisco Estrada and Bam Rodriguez would pit two champions against one another.

The proliferation of titles makes it difficult for all but the most astute fans to determine the cream of the boxing crop.

That’s why Boxing Junkie came up with its “Great Eight” feature, which names the best fighter in each of the original eight weight classes –heavyweight, light heavyweight, middleweight, welterweight, lightweight, featherweight, bantamweight and flyweight.

Heavyweight includes cruiserweight (and the WBA and WBC’s bridgerweight), light heavyweight includes super middleweight, middleweight includes junior middleweight and so on down to flyweight, which includes junior flyweight and strawweight.

In this installment of “Great Eight,” we explore the possibility of an intriguing development: Two of our champions — Juan Francisco Estrada (bantamweight) and Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez (flyweight) — are in talks to fight one another.

Promoter Eddie Hearn said he’s trying to close a deal for the fighters to meet for Estrada’s 115-pound title on June 29 in Phoenix.

The principals are at different stages of their careers.

Estrada (44-3, 28 KOs) is a two-division champion who has shown no signs of decline — he’s coming off a second victory in his third fight against future Hall of Famer Roman Gonzalez — but he’s 33 and has been fighting professionally for 15-plus years.

The Mexican also hasn’t been active. The second victory over Gonzalez took place in December 2022 and he hasn’t fought since. He had been in talks to face fellow titleholder Kazuto Ioka last December but negotiations broke down.

Estrada has won eight consecutive fights since he lost a majority decision to Srisaket Sor Rungvisai in 2018, a setback he later avenged.

Rodriguez (19-0, 12 KOs) is a rising star. The 24-year-old Texan has reeled off one spectacular victory after another to join Estrada on many credible pound-for-pound lists, including Boxing Junkie’s.

He made a strong impression by outpointing veteran Carlos Cuadras to win a vacant 115-pound title in February 2022 and then knocked out the equally respected Sor Rungvisai in eight rounds in his first defense four months later.

And he was just getting started. He delivered what might be his best performance last December, when, after dropping down to 112 and winning a major belt, he stopped previously unbeaten Sunny Edwards to unify two titles.

“This is a fight we’ve been working on for a long time,” Hearn told DAZN. “I think Estrada against Bam Rodriguez is just a stunner. You keep seeing these small guys give us unbelievable nights.

“Estrada against “Chocolatito” (Roman Gonzalez) so many times, Bam against Sunny [Edwards] last December was incredible, and Estrada against Bam is just a Fight of the Year contender written all over it.”

It would be difficult to argue with Hearn on that point. It doesn’t get much better than one of the best fighters of the generation vs. one of the most exciting young phenoms in the game

And, of course, it would have major implications in terms of Great Eight.

If the fight happens and Estrada wins, he would add to his own Hall of Fame credentials and remain as bantamweight champion here. Rodriguez would become champion in a second Great Eight division if he has his hand raised.

Rodriguez hasn’t said definitively that he’s finished at 112 but that appears to be the case.

Here are the top fighters in the original eight divisions:

HEAVYWEIGHT

Tyson Fury (34-0-1, 24 KOs) – Fury will have a chance to prove his subpar performance against Francis Ngannou was an aberration when he faces Oleksandr Usyk for the undisputed championship on pay-per-view May 18 in Saudi Arabia. Of course, the winner will be our Great Eight champ.

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT

Dmitry Bivol (22-0, 11 KOs) – The winner of the Bivol-Beterbiev showdown on June 1 will determine not only the Great Eight champion but also the best 175-pounder of the era. Few possible matchups in boxing are better or more significant than this one.

MIDDLEWEIGHT

Jermell Charlo (35-2-1, 19 KOs) – The 154-pounder came up short against 168-pound champ Canelo Alvarez but he remains the best at 160 and 154. He had expressed interest in facing welterweight king Terence Crawford but that doesn’t appear to be in the works, leaving his future uncertain..

WELTERWEIGHT

Terence Crawford (40-0, 31 KOs) – Crawford hasn’t fought since his epic beat down of Errol Spence Jr. last July and has nothing solid in the works. One potential opponent would be Israil Madrimov, who stopped Magomed Kurbanov to win a 154-pound title on May 8.

LIGHTWEIGHT

Gervonta Davis (29-0, 27 KOs) – “Tank” remains the most-complete fighter at 135 and 130 but boxing wizards Shakur Stevenson and Vasiliy Lomachenko might have something to say about who reigns in Great Eight before all is said and done. Now we need to see these pivotal matchups.

FEATHERWEIGHT

Naoya Inoue (26-0, 23 KOs) – Inoue gave another dominating performance against Marlon Tapales on Dec. 26, stopping the Filipino in the 10th round to become undisputed champion in a second weight class. Can anyone compete with him? Luis Nery will be the next one to try. They meet on May 6.

BANTAMWEIGHT

Juan Francisco Estrada (44-3, 28 KOs) – Boxing Junkie’s No. 5 fighter pound-for-pound had hinted that he might move up from junior bantamweight to bantamweight but an explosive potential matchup with Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez at 115 might keep him in his current division.

FLYWEIGHT

Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez (19-0, 12 KOs) – Rodriguez supplanted Edwards as champion here after leaving no doubt about who is the best 112-pounder in the world. He’ll almost certainly be replaced if he signs a contract to challenge Estrada at 115 pounds.

[lawrence-related id=40833,38568,34591,34576,34548,40358,40221,40204,40190,40137]

Maxi Hughes on fight vs. William Zepeda: ‘I’m here because of merit’

Maxi Hughes on fight against rising star William Zepeda on Saturday: “I’m here because of merit.”

Sometimes the quality of a fighter’s performance is more important than the result.

That was the case for 135-contender Maxi Hughes last July in Shawnee, Oklahoma, where the Briton lost a disputed majority decision to former champion George Kambosos Jr.

Hughes’ strong effort earned him another big fight, against rising star William Zepeda on Saturday at The Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas (DAZN).

The meeting is being billed as an IBF and WBA title eliminator.

“I’m here because of merit,” Hughes said. “The IBF have ordered me and William to fight, so you know, both of us are here on merit, because we are the best next people in mind going forward.”

Hughes (26-6-2, 5 KOs) is a clever, awkward boxer, as he demonstrated against Kambosos. He’s also persistent.

The 34-year-old southpaw has had his ups but also many downs, including a 3-3 record between 2017 and 2019. The last setback in that stretch was a unanimous decision against then-contender Liam Walsh, which seemed to suggest he had reached his peek.

He hadn’t. He won his next seven fights, including a majority decision over former 126-pound beltholder Kid Galahad in 2022.

That earned him the opportunity to face Kambosos, who was fortunate to have his hand raised. One judge scored it a draw (114-114) but the other two had Kambosos winning (a curious 117-111 and 115-113).

Hughes’ former trainer Gary Lockett believes Hughes will have grown as a fighter as a result of the experience against Kambosos.

“A loss doesn’t always finish you,” he told BoxingScene.com. “He’s had quite a few defeats and he’s come out the back end an even better fighter than he’s ever been.

“Look what he did to the guy. OK, he lost the fight, and everyone can pretend – Kambosos’ people and trainers – he didn’t lose the fight but he lost that fight fair and square, and you could see the look on his face at the end.

“You knew that he’d been bamboozled. Maxi certainly goes into the [Zepeda] fight with a lot more confidence. You’ll see a better Maxi Hughes in this fight than you saw against Kambosos.”

That might be necessary for him to have a chance to win.

Zepeda (29-0, 25 KOs) is one of the hottest fighters in the world, a powerful, volume punching machine who overwhelms — and generally stops — his opponents.

The Mexican is around a 9-1 favorite (average of multiple outlets), which is a wide spread.

“You know, William, we’ve watched him, we know what he’s about,” Hughes said. “And we’ve shown him that respect in our preparation. My team down here have put the working day in, day out, and on Saturday night, we’ll get that win and be a step closer to a world title.”

[lawrence-related id=41060,40925]

Maxi Hughes on fight vs. William Zepeda: ‘I’m here because of merit’

Maxi Hughes on fight against rising star William Zepeda on Saturday: “I’m here because of merit.”

Sometimes the quality of a fighter’s performance is more important than the result.

That was the case for 135-contender Maxi Hughes last July in Shawnee, Oklahoma, where the Briton lost a disputed majority decision to former champion George Kambosos Jr.

Hughes’ strong effort earned him another big fight, against rising star William Zepeda on Saturday at The Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas (DAZN).

The meeting is being billed as an IBF and WBA title eliminator.

“I’m here because of merit,” Hughes said. “The IBF have ordered me and William to fight, so you know, both of us are here on merit, because we are the best next people in mind going forward.”

Hughes (26-6-2, 5 KOs) is a clever, awkward boxer, as he demonstrated against Kambosos. He’s also persistent.

The 34-year-old southpaw has had his ups but also many downs, including a 3-3 record between 2017 and 2019. The last setback in that stretch was a unanimous decision against then-contender Liam Walsh, which seemed to suggest he had reached his peek.

He hadn’t. He won his next seven fights, including a majority decision over former 126-pound beltholder Kid Galahad in 2022.

That earned him the opportunity to face Kambosos, who was fortunate to have his hand raised. One judge scored it a draw (114-114) but the other two had Kambosos winning (a curious 117-111 and 115-113).

Hughes’ former trainer Gary Lockett believes Hughes will have grown as a fighter as a result of the experience against Kambosos.

“A loss doesn’t always finish you,” he told BoxingScene.com. “He’s had quite a few defeats and he’s come out the back end an even better fighter than he’s ever been.

“Look what he did to the guy. OK, he lost the fight, and everyone can pretend – Kambosos’ people and trainers – he didn’t lose the fight but he lost that fight fair and square, and you could see the look on his face at the end.

“You knew that he’d been bamboozled. Maxi certainly goes into the [Zepeda] fight with a lot more confidence. You’ll see a better Maxi Hughes in this fight than you saw against Kambosos.”

That might be necessary for him to have a chance to win.

Zepeda (29-0, 25 KOs) is one of the hottest fighters in the world, a powerful, volume punching machine who overwhelms — and generally stops — his opponents.

The Mexican is around a 9-1 favorite (average of multiple outlets), which is a wide spread.

“You know, William, we’ve watched him, we know what he’s about,” Hughes said. “And we’ve shown him that respect in our preparation. My team down here have put the working day in, day out, and on Saturday night, we’ll get that win and be a step closer to a world title.”

[lawrence-related id=41060,40925]

Rising star William Zepeda overwhelming opponents, winning over fans

Rising 135-pound star William Zepeda of Mexico is overwhelming opponents and winning over fans.

A number of talented young fighters are in position to become the face of Mexican boxing when Canelo Alvarez fades from the scene. Emanuel Navarrete, Isaac Cruz and Jaime Munguia are just a few of them.

The best candidate might be 135-pound William Zepeda, who is scheduled to face clever Maxi Hughes on Saturday at The Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas (DAZN).

Fans are falling in love with Zepeda’s seek-and-destroy, volume-punching style and he’s getting results, which is why he’s ranked No. 1 by two sanctioning bodies and breathing down the necks of the top lightweights.

The 27-year-old’s style isn’t complicated: He outworks opponents in training camp – he seems to have inexhaustible stamina — and then does the same in the ring, where he has set eye-popping punch statistic records.

In other words, he throws punches relentlessly until his opponents can no longer defend themselves and are stopped or he wins a one-sided decision.

His machine-like effort in a unanimous-decision victory over former titleholder Joseph Diaz Jr. in October 2022 stands out: He threw a division-record 1,536 punches – 128 per round – according to CompuBox.

He has averaged 99.2 punches thrown per round over his last 10 fights, 42.1 more than the division average.

And he doesn’t simply wing power shot after power shot like some volume punchers: 787 of the punches he threw against Diaz were jabs, meaning his approach to boxing is more methodical than reckless.

“There were a lot of comments on social media that thought [Diaz] was my test,” Zepeda said through a translator immediately after his victory. “I think I passed the rest with excellence. I’m ready for the best at 135 pounds.”

That seemed even more obvious in his next two fights, in which his brutal tactics and punching power were on full display

The 27-year-old from the Toluca area used mostly vicious body shots to drop contender Jaime Arboleda three times and stop him in two rounds in April of last year and delivered a terrible beating in his sixth-round stoppage of former title challenger Mercito Gesta in September.

He has been as dominating as any fighter over the past few years.

“I wanted to fight a guy with experience,” said Zepeda, referring to Gesta. “He gave that to me. I’m going to keep going on my way to becoming a world champion.”

The next step for Zepeda is proving he can continue to succeed against next-level opposition.

Hughes (26-6-2, 5 KOs) doesn’t fall into that category but he made a strong statement in his most recent fight, a disputed majority decision loss to former champion George Kambosos Jr. last July.

If Zepeda has his hand raised, next up could be one of the big boys: the Gervonta Davis-Frank Martin winner, the Vasiliy Lomachenko-Kambosos winner or Shakur Stevenson, among a few other 135-pounders who are deemed elite.

Only then will we know whether Zepeda can join the exclusive club of Mexican superstars. He and his handlers believe he’s prepared to take the next step.

“We want to fight all the champions who are out there,” said Jay Najar, Zepeda’s trainer. “We’re ready for each and every one of them.”

[lawrence-related id=38937,38931]

Rising star William Zepeda overwhelming opponents, winning over fans

Rising 135-pound star William Zepeda of Mexico is overwhelming opponents and winning over fans.

A number of talented young fighters are in position to become the face of Mexican boxing when Canelo Alvarez fades from the scene. Emanuel Navarrete, Isaac Cruz and Jaime Munguia are just a few of them.

The best candidate might be 135-pound William Zepeda, who is scheduled to face clever Maxi Hughes on Saturday at The Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas (DAZN).

Fans are falling in love with Zepeda’s seek-and-destroy, volume-punching style and he’s getting results, which is why he’s ranked No. 1 by two sanctioning bodies and breathing down the necks of the top lightweights.

The 27-year-old’s style isn’t complicated: He outworks opponents in training camp – he seems to have inexhaustible stamina — and then does the same in the ring, where he has set eye-popping punch statistic records.

In other words, he throws punches relentlessly until his opponents can no longer defend themselves and are stopped or he wins a one-sided decision.

His machine-like effort in a unanimous-decision victory over former titleholder Joseph Diaz Jr. in October 2022 stands out: He threw a division-record 1,536 punches – 128 per round – according to CompuBox.

He has averaged 99.2 punches thrown per round over his last 10 fights, 42.1 more than the division average.

And he doesn’t simply wing power shot after power shot like some volume punchers: 787 of the punches he threw against Diaz were jabs, meaning his approach to boxing is more methodical than reckless.

“There were a lot of comments on social media that thought [Diaz] was my test,” Zepeda said through a translator immediately after his victory. “I think I passed the rest with excellence. I’m ready for the best at 135 pounds.”

That seemed even more obvious in his next two fights, in which his brutal tactics and punching power were on full display

The 27-year-old from the Toluca area used mostly vicious body shots to drop contender Jaime Arboleda three times and stop him in two rounds in April of last year and delivered a terrible beating in his sixth-round stoppage of former title challenger Mercito Gesta in September.

He has been as dominating as any fighter over the past few years.

“I wanted to fight a guy with experience,” said Zepeda, referring to Gesta. “He gave that to me. I’m going to keep going on my way to becoming a world champion.”

The next step for Zepeda is proving he can continue to succeed against next-level opposition.

Hughes (26-6-2, 5 KOs) doesn’t fall into that category but he made a strong statement in his most recent fight, a disputed majority decision loss to former champion George Kambosos Jr. last July.

If Zepeda has his hand raised, next up could be one of the big boys: the Gervonta Davis-Frank Martin winner, the Vasiliy Lomachenko-Kambosos winner or Shakur Stevenson, among a few other 135-pounders who are deemed elite.

Only then will we know whether Zepeda can join the exclusive club of Mexican superstars. He and his handlers believe he’s prepared to take the next step.

“We want to fight all the champions who are out there,” said Jay Najar, Zepeda’s trainer. “We’re ready for each and every one of them.”

[lawrence-related id=38937,38931]

Weekend Review: Anthony Joshua embarrassed Francis Ngannou AND Tyson Fury with one KO

Weekend Review: Anthony Joshua embarrassed Francis Ngannou AND Tyson Fury on Friday in Saudi Arabia.

A critical look at the past week in boxing

BIGGEST WINNER AND LOSER
Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury

Tyson Fury must’ve have been embarrassed on Friday night.

Anthony Joshua did what his countryman should’ve done when Fury fought Francis Ngannou in October, which was to demonstrate that an MMA fighter without boxing experience has no business in the ring with a top heavyweight.

Fury survived a knockdown to eke out a pathetic split decision victory in Saudi Arabia. Joshua annihilated Ngannou in the same country, dropping the Cameroonian three times and stopping him in the second round to build on his momentum and restore some honor to the sport.

The difference between Fury and Joshua in their respective fights with Ngannou?

Not complicated: Fury wasn’t professional, Joshua was.

Fury wasn’t prepared – mentally or physically, it seemed — when he stepped into the ring to face Ngannou, who had some experience in the gym early in his combat sports career but was making his professional boxing debut.

The WBC titleholder obviously thought he could defeat Ngannou just by showing up, a notion shared by many. That’s not how it’s done, however. Not even against a rookie.

Fury rallied from a third-round knockdown to outpoint Ngannou, a decision that wasn’t controversial if you understand how scoring works. However, the competitive nature of the bout was mortifying for both Fury and boxing.

Joshua clearly prepared for his meeting with Ngannou as he would any big fight. When he stepped through the ropes, he was at his best. And the former two-time champion’s best was far too good for Ngannou.

Many of those who care about boxing probably had the same thought after they celebrated the slaughter: Fury (34-0-1, 24 KOs) should’ve done exactly the same thing against Ngannou.

The fact he didn’t, the fact he struggled merely to have his hand raised against a newbie is a blot on his resume. It also changed my perception of him. I had predicted that he would beat the crafty, but much smaller Oleksandr Usyk handily when they meet for the undisputed championship on May 18, also in Saudi Arabia

Now I’m not so sure. Now I see it as a 50-50 fight, which shouldn’t be the case given Fury’s ability and massive size advantage.

Of course, the blessing for Fury is that he has a golden opportunity to redeem himself immediately, as a victory over Usyk would do. We’ll see which Fury shows up: the wonderfully athletic, skillful behemoth of the past or the disappointment who fell flat against Ngannou.

Meanwhile, Joshua (28-3, 25 KOs) is on a tear. He’s now 4-0 since his back-to-back setbacks against Usyk in 2021 and 2022 — including consecutive knockouts of Robert Helenius, Otto Wallin and now Ngannou — and bursting with confidence.

I and many others thought Joshua was in the last throes of his elite career after the Usyk losses. Now I have had to rethink that notion, too. The way he has performed of late has me convinced that the 34-year-old once again has the tools to beat anyone in the game.

 

RABBIT PUNCHES

I don’t mean to be too hard on Ngannou. He deserves credit for his performance against Fury. He, unlike Fury, trained to be at his best and that paid off in the form of a strong performance. However, Joshua proved that a fighter with limited boxing skills and experience can only accomplish so much. I hope Ngannou doesn’t go away, however. I’d like to see how he does against second-tier heavyweights – if he’s willing to fight them — and whether he has another surprise in him. … Joseph Parker (35-3, 23 KOs) is another fighter who proved me wrong. I thought the Kiwi was finished after he had two tough fights against Derek Chisora in 2021 and was knocked out by Joe Joyce in September 2022. The 32-year-old former beltholder has won five consecutive fights since the setback, including decisions over Deontay Wilder in December and Zhilei Zhang on the Joshua-Ngannou undercard in his last two fights to reestablish himself as a genuine title contender. He nearly shutout Wilder and deserved better than a majority decision over Zhang, who was coming off back-to-back knockouts of Joyce. The fact Parker had to overcome two knockouts to beat his Chinese counterpart only added to the significance of the victory. Fans love a fighter who overcomes adversity to have his or her hand raised. Make no mistake: Parker is back. …

Can Zhang (26-2-1, 21 KOs) bounce back in his 40s? He established himself as a heavyweight to be reckoned with by stopping Joyce twice. However, his performance on Friday was a significant step backward. He didn’t show much against a good, experienced boxer aside from the two punches that put Parker down. I imagine he won’t walk away now, though. The knockouts against Joyce are still fresh in his mind. And he did lose a competitive decision to Parker. … I get why people were aghast over the announcement that Jake Paul will face 57-year-old Mike Tyson in what evidently will be an exhibition July 20 at AT&T Stadium near Dallas. It has freak show written all over it. At the same time, it makes perfect sense from a business standpoint. Paul and Tyson stand to make untold millions for dancing around the ring for a few rounds because many people worldwide will find value in the event. How many of us, if we had their abilities, wouldn’t do the same thing? Be honest.

[lawrence-related id=41046,41039,41033]