Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Watch it: William Zepeda’s brutal body shots destroyed Jaime Arboleda on Saturday in Arlington, Texas.
Lightweight contender William Zepeda put Jaime Arboleda down three times with body shots in the second round, the third time for good in the scheduled 12-rounder Saturday in Arlington, Texas.
Check out Zepeda’s brutal blows below.
WHAT A FIGHT AND ROUND.@williamzepeda2 with 3 knockdowns in one round. #ZepedaArboleda | LIVE now on @DAZNBOXING pic.twitter.com/3rTmj5BfsG
— Golden Boy (@GoldenBoyBoxing) April 30, 2023
[lawrence-related id=37098,37088]
Watch it: William Zepeda’s brutal body shots destroyed Jaime Arboleda on Saturday in Arlington, Texas.
Lightweight contender William Zepeda put Jaime Arboleda down three times with body shots in the second round, the third time for good in the scheduled 12-rounder Saturday in Arlington, Texas.
Check out Zepeda’s brutal blows below.
WHAT A FIGHT AND ROUND.@williamzepeda2 with 3 knockdowns in one round. #ZepedaArboleda | LIVE now on @DAZNBOXING pic.twitter.com/3rTmj5BfsG
— Golden Boy (@GoldenBoyBoxing) April 30, 2023
[lawrence-related id=37098,37088]
William Zepeda dropped Jaime Arboleda three times with body shots and stopped him in two rounds Saturday in Arlington, Texas.
No one knows how William Zepeda might fare against the likes of Gervonta Davis, Shakur Stevenson, Devin Haney and Vasiliy Lomachenko, all of whom are gifted, accomplished 135-pounders.
One thing seems certain, though: Zepeda is going to make any opponent earn anything they get.
The punching machine from Mexico demonstrated that again against Jaime Arboleda on Saturday at College Park Center in Arlington, Texas, putting his opponent down three times with body shots and stopping him the second round.
WHAT A FIGHT AND ROUND.@williamzepeda2 with 3 knockdowns in one round. #ZepedaArboleda | LIVE now on @DAZNBOXING pic.twitter.com/3rTmj5BfsG
— Golden Boy (@GoldenBoyBoxing) April 30, 2023
And Arboleda was no pushover. The Panamanian is a former 130-pound title contender with ability and respectable punching power. Still, he was overwhelmed.
“We noticed after the first round that my opponent was lowering his hands,” said Zepeda, referring to the tactic of protecting the stomach. “Throwing to the body was affecting him. That’s why we were able to jump on that.”
Zepeda (28-0, 24 KOs) is coming off a break-through victory over Joseph Diaz Jr. in which he set the 135-pound record for punches thrown, an astounding 1,536, according to CompuBox.
The native of Mexico City needed only 119 to get the job done Saturday on the outskirts of Dallas.
He pressured Arboleda (19-3, 14 KOs) from the outset, which is typical for the volume puncher, but the beginning of the end came midway through the second round. That’s when a wincing Arboleda dropped to one knee after taking a vicious left to the body from his southpaw opponent.
The Panamanian was able to get up and continue fighting but, obviously still in pain, he quickly took a knee again when he was caught by another body shot.
Again Arboleda got to his feet and tried to fight through the agony but the last body blow he took sent him face first to the canvas, where he writhed in pain and failed to beat the count.
The official time of the stoppage was 2:16 of Round 2.
Thus, Zepeda further enhanced his credentials as a legitimate contender in the top-heavy lightweight division.
It’s not clear when he might get a shot at one of his better-known rivals, however. Haney defends his undisputed championship against Lomachenko on May 20. Meanwhile, Davis and Stevenson are coming off recent knockout victories and just beginning to plot their immediate futures.
Zepeda was asked who he’d like to fight. He responded in Spanish before saying in English at the end, “I’m ready.”
“It’s a loaded division,” he said through a translator. “We know that we want to fight for a title. It doesn’t matter who it is.”
Zepeda’s trainer, Jay Najar, feels the same way.
“That’s why we joined boxing, to fight,” he said. “If not, we would’ve joined hockey or ballet. … We’re ready to fight. We’re willing to fight anybody.”
We’ll see if the top dogs are willing to fight him.
William Zepeda dropped Jaime Arboleda three times with body shots and stopped him in two rounds Saturday in Arlington, Texas.
No one knows how William Zepeda might fare against the likes of Gervonta Davis, Shakur Stevenson, Devin Haney and Vasiliy Lomachenko, all of whom are gifted, accomplished 135-pounders.
One thing seems certain, though: Zepeda is going to make any opponent earn anything they get.
The punching machine from Mexico demonstrated that again against Jaime Arboleda on Saturday at College Park Center in Arlington, Texas, putting his opponent down three times with body shots and stopping him the second round.
WHAT A FIGHT AND ROUND.@williamzepeda2 with 3 knockdowns in one round. #ZepedaArboleda | LIVE now on @DAZNBOXING pic.twitter.com/3rTmj5BfsG
— Golden Boy (@GoldenBoyBoxing) April 30, 2023
And Arboleda was no pushover. The Panamanian is a former 130-pound title contender with ability and respectable punching power. Still, he was overwhelmed.
“We noticed after the first round that my opponent was lowering his hands,” said Zepeda, referring to the tactic of protecting the stomach. “Throwing to the body was affecting him. That’s why we were able to jump on that.”
Zepeda (28-0, 24 KOs) is coming off a break-through victory over Joseph Diaz Jr. in which he set the 135-pound record for punches thrown, an astounding 1,536, according to CompuBox.
The native of Mexico City needed only 119 to get the job done Saturday on the outskirts of Dallas.
He pressured Arboleda (19-3, 14 KOs) from the outset, which is typical for the volume puncher, but the beginning of the end came midway through the second round. That’s when a wincing Arboleda dropped to one knee after taking a vicious left to the body from his southpaw opponent.
The Panamanian was able to get up and continue fighting but, obviously still in pain, he quickly took a knee again when he was caught by another body shot.
Again Arboleda got to his feet and tried to fight through the agony but the last body blow he took sent him face first to the canvas, where he writhed in pain and failed to beat the count.
The official time of the stoppage was 2:16 of Round 2.
Thus, Zepeda further enhanced his credentials as a legitimate contender in the top-heavy lightweight division.
It’s not clear when he might get a shot at one of his better-known rivals, however. Haney defends his undisputed championship against Lomachenko on May 20. Meanwhile, Davis and Stevenson are coming off recent knockout victories and just beginning to plot their immediate futures.
Zepeda was asked who he’d like to fight. He responded in Spanish before saying in English at the end, “I’m ready.”
“It’s a loaded division,” he said through a translator. “We know that we want to fight for a title. It doesn’t matter who it is.”
Zepeda’s trainer, Jay Najar, feels the same way.
“That’s why we joined boxing, to fight,” he said. “If not, we would’ve joined hockey or ballet. … We’re ready to fight. We’re willing to fight anybody.”
We’ll see if the top dogs are willing to fight him.
William Zepeda vs. Jaime Arboleda: LIVE updates, results, full coverage.
It’s over already!
William Zepeda put Jaime Arboleda down three times with body shots in the second round, the third time for good in the scheduled 12-round lightweight bout.
The official time of the stoppage was 2:16 of Round 2.
Zepeda (28-0, 24 KOs) pressured Arboleda (19-3, 14 KOs) from the outset but the beginning of the end came midway through the second round, Arboleda took a knee after taking a vicious left to the body from his southpaw opponent.
The Panamanian was able to get up and continue fighting but, obviously still in pain, took a knee again when he was caught by another body shot.
Again Arboleda got up but the last body blow he took sent him face first to the canvas, where he writhed in pain and failed to beat the count.
You can read a full report here.
***
Victor Morales stopped Diego De La Hoya at 1:08 of the second round of a scheduled 10-round featherweight fight.
Morales (18-0-1, 9 KOs) put De La Hoya down twice in Round 2, the first time by a left hook. De La Hoya got up and engaged Morales in a quick fire fight only to go down again from another left.
De La Hoya (24-2, 11 KOs) couldn’t beat the count this time, dashing his hopes of becoming a title contender again.
Meanwhile, Morales, a 25-year-old accomplished amateur from Vancouver, Washington, claimed by far the biggest victory over his career.
***
Ghanaian Fredrick Lawson defeated late replacement Estevan Villalobos of Mount Vernon, Washington, to win a unanimous decision in a 10-round junior middleweight bout.
The official scores were 97-93, 96-94 and 96-94.
Lawson (30-3, 22 KOs) controlled much of the fight from the outside, landing his jab consistently and following with plenty of power shots to win rounds.
Villalobos (16-2-1, 12 KOs) did well in toe-to-toe exchanges with Lawson but he didn’t get enough done — particularly in the early rounds — to win the fight.
Lawson, who is based in Worchester, Massachusetts, has now won back-to-back fights since he was stopped by Charles Hatley in 2021.
Villialobos suffered his first defenat since 2019.
***
Super middleweight prospect David Stevens survived an early knockdown and spirited effort from veteran Marco Antonio Periban to win a unanimous decision in an eight-round bout.
The official scores were 78-73, 78-83 and 77-74.
Stevens (13-0, 9 KOs), a 22-year-old from Reading, Pennsylvania, is a former amateur star. Periban (26-7-1, 17 KOs), a 38-year-old former title challenger from Mexico, is now 1-4 in his last five fights.
***
Rising lightweight contender William Zepeda is scheduled to face Jaime Arboledo on Saturday at College Park Center in Arlington, Texas (DAZN).
Zepeda (27-0, 23 KOs) is a 26-year-old volume puncher from the Mexico City area. He’s ranked in the Top 6 by three of the four major sanctioning bodies
Arboleda (19-2, 14 KOs) is a 28-year-old Panamanian based in Miami. He has won three consecutive fights since he was stopped by Chris Colbert.
Also on the card, Diego De La Hoya will face Victor Morales in a 10-round featherweight bout. And Frank Lawson will take on Estevan Villalobos in a 10-round junior middleweigths.
The featured bouts on the card begin at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT. The main event will take place later in show.
Boxing Junkie will post results of the main event and the co-features immediately after they end. Simply return to this post and refresh when the time comes.
Full coverage – a fight story, photo gallery and analysis – will follow on separate posts the day of the fight and the following day.
Enjoy the fights!
[lawrence-related id=37084,37071,37038]
William Zepeda vs. Jaime Arboleda: LIVE updates, results, full coverage.
It’s over already!
William Zepeda put Jaime Arboleda down three times with body shots in the second round, the third time for good in the scheduled 12-round lightweight bout.
The official time of the stoppage was 2:16 of Round 2.
Zepeda (28-0, 24 KOs) pressured Arboleda (19-3, 14 KOs) from the outset but the beginning of the end came midway through the second round, Arboleda took a knee after taking a vicious left to the body from his southpaw opponent.
The Panamanian was able to get up and continue fighting but, obviously still in pain, took a knee again when he was caught by another body shot.
Again Arboleda got up but the last body blow he took sent him face first to the canvas, where he writhed in pain and failed to beat the count.
You can read a full report here.
***
Victor Morales stopped Diego De La Hoya at 1:08 of the second round of a scheduled 10-round featherweight fight.
Morales (18-0-1, 9 KOs) put De La Hoya down twice in Round 2, the first time by a left hook. De La Hoya got up and engaged Morales in a quick fire fight only to go down again from another left.
De La Hoya (24-2, 11 KOs) couldn’t beat the count this time, dashing his hopes of becoming a title contender again.
Meanwhile, Morales, a 25-year-old accomplished amateur from Vancouver, Washington, claimed by far the biggest victory over his career.
***
Ghanaian Fredrick Lawson defeated late replacement Estevan Villalobos of Mount Vernon, Washington, to win a unanimous decision in a 10-round junior middleweight bout.
The official scores were 97-93, 96-94 and 96-94.
Lawson (30-3, 22 KOs) controlled much of the fight from the outside, landing his jab consistently and following with plenty of power shots to win rounds.
Villalobos (16-2-1, 12 KOs) did well in toe-to-toe exchanges with Lawson but he didn’t get enough done — particularly in the early rounds — to win the fight.
Lawson, who is based in Worchester, Massachusetts, has now won back-to-back fights since he was stopped by Charles Hatley in 2021.
Villialobos suffered his first defenat since 2019.
***
Super middleweight prospect David Stevens survived an early knockdown and spirited effort from veteran Marco Antonio Periban to win a unanimous decision in an eight-round bout.
The official scores were 78-73, 78-83 and 77-74.
Stevens (13-0, 9 KOs), a 22-year-old from Reading, Pennsylvania, is a former amateur star. Periban (26-7-1, 17 KOs), a 38-year-old former title challenger from Mexico, is now 1-4 in his last five fights.
***
Rising lightweight contender William Zepeda is scheduled to face Jaime Arboledo on Saturday at College Park Center in Arlington, Texas (DAZN).
Zepeda (27-0, 23 KOs) is a 26-year-old volume puncher from the Mexico City area. He’s ranked in the Top 6 by three of the four major sanctioning bodies
Arboleda (19-2, 14 KOs) is a 28-year-old Panamanian based in Miami. He has won three consecutive fights since he was stopped by Chris Colbert.
Also on the card, Diego De La Hoya will face Victor Morales in a 10-round featherweight bout. And Frank Lawson will take on Estevan Villalobos in a 10-round junior middleweigths.
The featured bouts on the card begin at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT. The main event will take place later in show.
Boxing Junkie will post results of the main event and the co-features immediately after they end. Simply return to this post and refresh when the time comes.
Full coverage – a fight story, photo gallery and analysis – will follow on separate posts the day of the fight and the following day.
Enjoy the fights!
[lawrence-related id=37084,37071,37038]
Video: William Zepeda and Jaime Arboleda on Friday made weight for their fight on Saturday in Texas.
William Zepeda and Jaime Arboleda on Friday made weight for their lightweight fight Saturday at College Park Center in Arlington, Texas (DAZN).
Zepeda weighed 134.2 pounds, .8 below the division limit. Arboleda came in at 134.6.
Zepeda (27-0, 23 KOs) is a rising star. The 26-year-old Mexican is coming off a break-through victory in October, easily outpointing former 130-pound champ Joseph Diaz Jr.
Arboleda (19-2, 14 KOs) is a 28-year-old Panamanian who is based in Miami. He last fought in August, when he outpointed Jhonatan Arenas. That was his third consecutive victory since he was stopped by Chris Colbert in 2020.
Here are the weights for the other featured fights:
[lawrence-related id=37071,37038]
Video: William Zepeda and Jaime Arboleda on Friday made weight for their fight on Saturday in Texas.
William Zepeda and Jaime Arboleda on Friday made weight for their lightweight fight Saturday at College Park Center in Arlington, Texas (DAZN).
Zepeda weighed 134.2 pounds, .8 below the division limit. Arboleda came in at 134.6.
Zepeda (27-0, 23 KOs) is a rising star. The 26-year-old Mexican is coming off a break-through victory in October, easily outpointing former 130-pound champ Joseph Diaz Jr.
Arboleda (19-2, 14 KOs) is a 28-year-old Panamanian who is based in Miami. He last fought in August, when he outpointed Jhonatan Arenas. That was his third consecutive victory since he was stopped by Chris Colbert in 2020.
Here are the weights for the other featured fights:
[lawrence-related id=37071,37038]
William Zepeda is fighting to claim his place among the best 135-pounders in the world.
The first names that come up when people talk about the lightweight division are Gervonta Davis, Devin Haney, Shakur Stevenson and Vasiliy Lomachenko, all of whom are gifted and accomplished.
There are up-and-comers Frank Martin and Keyshawn Johnson, who appear to have unusual talent but are still in the process of proving they belong with the aforementioned stars.
Then there’s William Zepeda, who fights Jaime Arboleda on Saturday night at College Park Center in Arlington, Texas (DAZN).
Zepeda (27-0, 23 KOs) isn’t as flashy or athletic as some of the above. And he probably doesn’t have the punching power of Davis, who knocked out Ryan Garcia with a single body blow last Saturday in Las Vegas.
But the 26-year-old Mexican’s combination of overall skills, a world class jab, ability to hurt opponents and, perhaps most notably, his work rate make him an important wild card in the fascinating race to become the king of the deep 135-pound division.
Zepeda made a loud statement in his most recent fight, a break-through unanimous decision victory over former 130-pound champion Joseph Diaz Jr. last October.
He’s now ranked in the Top 6 by three of the four major sanctioning bodies (somehow unranked by the IBF).
“There were a lot of comments on social media that this was the toughest test of my career. I passed this test with flying colors and now I’m ready to face the best at 135 pounds,” Zepeda said after the victory over Diaz.
The scoring was an indication of Zepeda’a dominance, 119-109 (11 rounds to one), 119-109 and 118-110. The winner’s streak of 15 consecutive knockouts ended but that was due more to Diaz’s determination and sturdy chin than any deficiency on Zepeda’s part.
What stood out most afterward were astounding CompuBox numbers.
Zepeda broke the punch-counting outlet’s lightweight record for total punches thrown in a lightweight bout, 1,536 (landing 398). That’s 128 (33) per round. He also set a new 135-pound mark for jabs attempted, 787 (157).
CompuBox owner Bob Canobbio called Zepeda a “punching machine.”
“William Zepeda is not only busy, averaging 103.9 punches thrown per round [but] he’s accurate as well, landing 31.3 punches per round, nearly double the lightweight average of 16.3 landed per round,” said Canobbio, referring to the Zepeda fights CompuBox has worked.
That kind of punch volume could give even the best boxers difficulty. And it’s part of the reason that Zepeda’s handlers are so high on him.
“When you have the likes of Shakur Stevenson for instance who is calling out William Zepeda, you know that William Zepeda is doing something right,” said Oscar De La Hoya, his promoter. “William Zepeda is a fighter who is on his way up, he’s a fighter who’s undefeated, he’s obviously a fighter who is exciting to watch.
“… He’s obviously ready to step up.”
Indeed, if he can get past Arboleda (19-2, 14 KOs) and continue to win, it won’t be long before Zepeda has a chance to prove he belongs with the best.
[lawrence-related id=37038]
William Zepeda is fighting to claim his place among the best 135-pounders in the world.
The first names that come up when people talk about the lightweight division are Gervonta Davis, Devin Haney, Shakur Stevenson and Vasiliy Lomachenko, all of whom are gifted and accomplished.
There are up-and-comers Frank Martin and Keyshawn Johnson, who appear to have unusual talent but are still in the process of proving they belong with the aforementioned stars.
Then there’s William Zepeda, who fights Jaime Arboleda on Saturday night at College Park Center in Arlington, Texas (DAZN).
Zepeda (27-0, 23 KOs) isn’t as flashy or athletic as some of the above. And he probably doesn’t have the punching power of Davis, who knocked out Ryan Garcia with a single body blow last Saturday in Las Vegas.
But the 26-year-old Mexican’s combination of overall skills, a world class jab, ability to hurt opponents and, perhaps most notably, his work rate make him an important wild card in the fascinating race to become the king of the deep 135-pound division.
Zepeda made a loud statement in his most recent fight, a break-through unanimous decision victory over former 130-pound champion Joseph Diaz Jr. last October.
He’s now ranked in the Top 6 by three of the four major sanctioning bodies (somehow unranked by the IBF).
“There were a lot of comments on social media that this was the toughest test of my career. I passed this test with flying colors and now I’m ready to face the best at 135 pounds,” Zepeda said after the victory over Diaz.
The scoring was an indication of Zepeda’a dominance, 119-109 (11 rounds to one), 119-109 and 118-110. The winner’s streak of 15 consecutive knockouts ended but that was due more to Diaz’s determination and sturdy chin than any deficiency on Zepeda’s part.
What stood out most afterward were astounding CompuBox numbers.
Zepeda broke the punch-counting outlet’s lightweight record for total punches thrown in a lightweight bout, 1,536 (landing 398). That’s 128 (33) per round. He also set a new 135-pound mark for jabs attempted, 787 (157).
CompuBox owner Bob Canobbio called Zepeda a “punching machine.”
“William Zepeda is not only busy, averaging 103.9 punches thrown per round [but] he’s accurate as well, landing 31.3 punches per round, nearly double the lightweight average of 16.3 landed per round,” said Canobbio, referring to the Zepeda fights CompuBox has worked.
That kind of punch volume could give even the best boxers difficulty. And it’s part of the reason that Zepeda’s handlers are so high on him.
“When you have the likes of Shakur Stevenson for instance who is calling out William Zepeda, you know that William Zepeda is doing something right,” said Oscar De La Hoya, his promoter. “William Zepeda is a fighter who is on his way up, he’s a fighter who’s undefeated, he’s obviously a fighter who is exciting to watch.
“… He’s obviously ready to step up.”
Indeed, if he can get past Arboleda (19-2, 14 KOs) and continue to win, it won’t be long before Zepeda has a chance to prove he belongs with the best.
[lawrence-related id=37038]
