Junior welterweight contender Jose Zepeda knocked out Josue Vargas in the first round Saturday in New York.
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.”
