Category Archives: FIGHT REPORTS

ZEPEDA OUTWORKS ROACH FOR WBC LIGHTWEIGHT TITLE

Posted on August 2, 2026 | Leave a comment

By Steven Cummings
DestructionAndDestroy@aol.com

William Zepeda won the vacant WBC lightweight title on Saturday night with a dazzling effort against Lamont Roach. in Las Vegas, NV. Zepeda (34-1, 27 KOs) brought his well-known high work rate and put on possibly his best performance in notching a comfortable points win over the respected veteran Roach. Official scores were 117-111, 117-111 and 118-110, all for the new champion. InTheCorner.net scored it 117-111 for Zepeda.

Roach Jr. (25-2-3, 10 KOs) employed his counter-punching technique, largely from in the pocket, and paid the price as Zepeda was relentless from the opening bell. Coming off of a decision loss to Shakur Stevenson in July of 2025, a good performance in a loss to the elite Stevenson, Zepeda looked to be even better against the ring-savvy Roach.

There were times when Roach let his hands go and got some business done, but for the bulk of the fight, Zepeda was forcing the issue, and Roach could only do so much in the face of a two-fisted attack coming from all angles.

While most of the top fighters in and around this weight class are debating on social media, these two warriors agreed to fight and took care of business in the ring. Zepeda was bouncing back from his first professional loss while Roach was coming off of two disputed draws, one to Tank Davis and the other to Isaac Cruz. Both were hungry.

While the scores were one-sided, the action wasn’t boring as Zepeda had his foot on the gas throughout and the crafty Roach was constantly looking for the answer to the puzzle. It was dramatic early but turned into a bit of a coronation down the stretch and Zepeda’s lead grew.

This DAZN Pay-Per-View offering was also the second installment of TNT’s monthly boxing series, The Fight. The undercard wasn’t anything special and the pacing of the bouts was typical of DAZN’s production, which is to say there was a lot of filler between fights. It could certainly be better, but at the same time, we’re getting more accessible boxing so at this early stage, boxing fans need to be happy and home for improvement.

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TSZYU DOMINATES FADED SPENCE JR.

Posted on July 25, 2026 | Leave a comment

By Steven Cummings
DestructionAndDestroy@aol.com

Tim Tszyu improved to 28-3 (18 KOs) with a comfortable win over 36-year old Errol Spence Jr. on Saturday night (in the States). Tszyu was in control from the fourth round on as Spence Jr. (28-2, 22 KOs) had very little to offer after some early-round energy.

Official scores were 118-110, 117-111 and 117-111 for Tszyu. InTheCorner.net scored it 117-111 for Tszyu.

There were many questions around both fighters going in, and all of them were answered in the first half of the fight. One-time welterweight superstar Errol Spence Jr. could not compete at 160 pounds, at age 36 or after a three-year layoff.

Tim Tszyu bullied him.

Social media showed sentimental fans giving Spence Jr. rounds he was nowhere near winning. The judges did better. I gave Spence Jr. the third, the 10th and the 11th, and I didn’t really have to give him that 10th.

Tim Tszyu was too big and too strong and his punch resistance to anything Errol spence Jr. was throwing was obvious early on. Spence stood in and tried to attack but his footwork and balance was problematic. And when he did land, even when he landed flush, it did little to no damage.

All day today I saw concerns of sports books not taking action on this fight and concerns that something was amiss. Turns out the only problem with this fight is that it was terribly one-sided.

You don’t know until they get in the ring together. You might think you’ve done all of the analysis, but when they square off, that’s when we see what the situation really is.

This was a bad matchup for Errol Spence Jr. He made it to the final bell, but the 12th round, possibly the last round of his career, he absolutely mailed it in.

It’s best to keep this one simple. Tim Tszyu was too much for this version of Errol Spence Jr. and Tszyu’s career continues on an upward trajectory, while Spence Jr’s first announced retirement has started in earnest. It wasn’t exactly a mega-fight and we had many questions going in. But now we know.

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PACHECO STOPS ALEEM IN 11

Posted on July 20, 2026 | Leave a comment

 

Unbeaten super middleweight Diego Pacheco stopped Immanuwel Aleem in the 11th round on Saturday night at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, CA. Pacheco (26-0, 19 KOs) was in control throughout, using his length and quicker hands to build up a lead over Aleem (22-5-3, 14 KOs).

Official time of the stoppage was 2:32 of round 11.

After the win, Pacheco, ranked #3 by the WBO and #4 by the WBC, called out all of the champions at 168.

It wasn’t a great showing for Pacheco but he did what he should do against a fighter of Aleem’s caliber. He was never in any trouble and it seemed he was either cruising to an easy points win or working toward the eventual outcome, a stoppage.

On the undercard, Andy Cruz bounced back from his first professional loss with a dominant TKO3 over Abraham Montoya. Cruz 97-1, 4 KOs). It was an explosive effort for Cruz, the Cuban phenom who dropped a majority decision to Raymond Muratalla his last time out.

Cruz blasted his opponent from the opening bell and had the 24-8-1 (14 KOs) fighter from Mexico in trouble nearly the whole time.

After the fight, Cruz indicated he would go down to 130.

The fight card was promoted by Matchroom and broadcast on DAZN.

 

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ENNIS STOPS ZAYAS IN 7

Posted on June 28, 2026 | Leave a comment

By Steven Cummings

Jaron “Boots” Ennis dropped Xander Zayas three times and lifted two super welterweight titles with a TKO7 on Saturday night in Brooklyn, NY. The heavily hyped showdown exceeded all expectations as Ennis (36-0, 32 KOs) outslugged the 23-year old Puerto Rican in a star-making performance.

Official time of the stoppage was 1:49 of round seven when Zayas’ corner threw in the towel after the third knockdown.

Ennis scored a knockdown early in the first round the the tone was set for the rest of the fight. Zayas (23-1, 13 KOs) caught a solid right hand and went down under a rush of punches. “Boots” attacked and Zayas took on a lot of damage in a rough first round.

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COLLAZO STOPS VALDEZ IN 2 AT 112-LBS

Posted on June 20, 2026 | Leave a comment

Oscar Collazo stopped late replacement Neider Valdez in the second round on Friday night, winning a WBA flyweight title in the process. Collazo (15-0, 12 KOs) holds multiple belts at 105, but moved up when original opponent Joey Canoy had visa problems and was replaced by Valdez, who could not make the 105-lb limit to challenge for Collazo’s titles.

Collazo dropped Valdez (15-4-3, 12 KOs) three times in the second round, with the fight being waved off at the 2:35 mark of round two.

Collazo – Valdez headlined the Golden Boy Promotions show at the Frontwave Arena in Oceanside, CA and was broadcast on DAZN.

Valdez was for the challenge of the pound-for-pound star, but Collazo never let him get anything going. Collazo smothered him with pressure and power shots and the knockdowns came in quick succession.

Up next for Collazo could be a showdown for a light flyweight title or a flyweight super bout vs. Ricardo Sandoval.

UNDERCARD

YAIR GALLARDO UD10 over BUNEET BISLA

Light Heavyweight Yair Gallardo (12-0, 9 KOs) weathered a storm against rangy Buneet Bisla (14-2, 7 KOs) for a 10-round unanimous decision. Bisla got up from a second-round knockdown and came on through the middle rounds to make it an interesting fight. Gallardo had too much power and looked to be in control against Bisla’s sharp-shooting.

It was a quick start for Gallardo and he dropped his foe in the second round while building an early lead. But the Canadian kept it together and outboxed Gallardo for long stretches in middle of the fight. The punches did little damage on Gallardo, and the unbeaten Mexican continued to come forward.

Ultimately, the judges saw it for Gallardo by scores of 98-91, 97-92 and 96-93.

RUSLAN ABDULLAEV KO5 over ORESTES VELAZQUEZ

Super lightweight Ruslan Abdullaev of Uzbekistan improved to 5-0 (3 KOs) with a fifth-round stoppage of Orestes Velazquez of Cuba. Velazquez crumbled under the weight of a combination in the corner and did not beat the count. Official time of the stoppage was 1:32.

Velazquez came to fight and stood in against the heavy-handed Abdullaev early on, getting in some quality shots. But the heat was too much and Abdullaev was clearly a class above.

JOSHUA EDWARDS KO2 over GARRETH PAYTON

2024 Olympian Joshua Edwards (7-0, 6 KOs) stayed perfect, winning his heavyweight bout via KO2 over Garreth Payton (7-3, 4 KOs). Payton was not on the level of “Rocket” Edwards and retreated from the power shots from the opening bell. The end was somewhat suspect, as it didn’t appear that a lethal shot was what put Payton on his back, but the end came at 1:06.

CAYDEN GRIFFITHS TKO3 over ALAN CRISTOSTO

Rising Golden Boy star Cayden Griffits got it done with an unsatisfying TKO3 over Alan Crostotsto. Griffiths was clearly the better fighter but his opponent’s corner bailed on the mission after their fighter was dropped by a body shot in the third round. Cristosto appeared to have weathered the storm and was working from the outside to stay out of further danger.

But with just 15 seconds to go, the corner directed the commission representative to throw in the towel and the fight was over. It would have been over at some point in the near future, but it was an odd surrender.

 

 

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‘BAM’ RODRIGUEZ CAPTURES BANTAM TITLE WITH KO6

Posted on June 14, 2026 | Leave a comment

Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez successfully moved up to 118-lbs and lifted the WBA title from Antonio Vargas via KO6 on Saturday night in Glendale, AZ. Rodriguez (24-0, 17 KOs) took some shots from the defending champion but closed the deal with his well-known power. Vargas (19-2-1, 11 KOs) took the fight to Rodriguez and fared well early, but succumbed to the fight-changing power in the end.

Rodriguez, as we all know, is moving up from 115 to set up a high-profile showdown with 122-lb. champion and P4P contender Naoya Inoue. The bantamweight division is expected to be a stop along the way.

Vargas did nothing to avoid the vaunted power of Rodriguez and, early on, he looked to be in good shape as he landed big shots and fought “Bam” to a standstill at the very least.

But the bravado of Vargas proved to be folly as Rodriguez dialed in his attack in the fourth round, dropping the defending champion, then finished matters with a big left hand in the sixth.

The potential big-money fight with Inoue requires Rodriguez to jump two weight classes and Saturday night’s fight may have revealed reasons for concern. Vargas was a busy fighter and stood in the pocket, peppering Rodriguez consistently over the first few rounds. “Bam” has dynamite in both fists and ultimately brought that power to bear as he changed the fight in the fourth.

How would it go for Rodriguez at another weight class higher against a surgical power puncher in Inoue?

We may very well find out. On Saturday night, Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez passed the test and in a very satisfying way. He carried his next-level power up to 118-lbs. and scored a dramatic victory.

As I like to say about the game of boxing, in good times or bad, the story continues.

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0’SHAQUIE FOSTER PULLS AWAY FROM RAY FORD FOR MD12

Posted on May 31, 2026 | Leave a comment

By Steven Cummings

WBC super featherweight champion O’Shaquie Foster retained his title with a 12-round majority decision over Ray Ford on Saturday night night in Houston, TX. Foster (25-3, 12 KOs) came on down the stretch and separated himself from Ford (18-2-1, 8 KOs) with superior boxing skills. Official scores were 118-110, 116-110 and 114-114.

InTheCorner.net scored it 116-112.

The main event of the Eddie Hearn-promoted card featured a grudge match between Foster and Ford, who went at each other in the pre-fight buildup. The early rounds were tense, with both fighters cautiously looking for openings over the first couple of frames. The southpaw Foster and the conventional fighter, Ford, matched up awkwardly, with each stepping on the other’s lead foot over the first few rounds. Plus there was a clash of heads in round two, with no cuts caused.

With Foster narrowly winning a slow first round, the defending champ pushed Ford into the ropes, face-first, and Ford ended up going all the way to the floor. A point could have been deducted, but Referee Jon Schorle chose instead to give both fighters a stern warning.

Foster had the advantage from the outside, darting in for some quick combinations and then moving away from Ford’s counters. The first have of the match was evenly fought but starting in round six, his gameplan remained effective while Ford was only able to get single shots in here and there.

Foster built a lead going into the later rounds. Ford landed a couple of big shots in the ninth and 10th but Foster had his best round in the 11th. A two-fisted attack put Ford on the ropes, bleeding from the nose. Ford went on the attack in the 12th but it wasn’t enough.

Ray Ford had a lot of venom for O’Shaquie Foster in the build-up to the fight and even shoved him at the weigh-in. On fight night, Foster’s skills did the talking. Ford didn’t attack as much as he should have and that was likely because of Foster’s shiftiness. “Shock” could have been more assertive himself, when he took the initiative he got good results. But over 12 rounds, Foster was the better fighter on this night. Neither fighter is known for knockout power, so this one was likely to be a chess match, despite all of the verbal heat being thrown around in the weeks leading up to the event. Foster made the better moves.

After the decision was announced, ringside observer Shakur Stevenson quickly found his way into the ring (of course he did) and engaged in some back-and-forth shouting with Foster.

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KEYSHAWN DAVIS WINS BY DECISION OVER NAHIR ALBRIGHT

Posted on May 18, 2026 | Leave a comment

By Steven Cummings

Keyshawn Davis improved to 15-0 (10 KOs) with a wide decision win over Nahir Albright (17-3-1, 7 KOs) on Saturday night in Norfolk, VA.  It was a rematch of a 2023 decision victory for Davis that was changed to a No Decision because of a positive test result for marijuana.

Davis clearly won the majority of the rounds but it wasn’t an enjoyable fight to watch. The styles didn’t mesh together and would-be exchanges very quickly became clinches. Albright landed one big overhand right in the middle rounds but wasn’t able to do much else.

Davis missed weight by a small amount and then made weight right at the 140-lb limit. Maybe that’s important and maybe it’s not. There’s always a lot going on with Keyshawn Davis and you either like his act or you don’t.

This was the first Top Rank show on DAZN and it wasn’t exactly a dazzling card. Brian Norman Jr. got back in the win column with a quick TKO2 over Josh Wagner, which was the expected result. Davis’ wide points win over Albright didn’t hold much more drama. It’s good to have Top Rank on the platform if you’re already paying for DAZN, which is quite painful at this point, but one would hope they would provide better matchups than this.

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LORENZO POWELL HEADLINES SACRAMENTO SHOW JUNE 20

Posted on May 8, 2026 | Leave a comment

Unbeaten lightweight Lorenzo Powell (7-0, 4 KOs) will be headlining a fight card in his hometown of Sacramento, CA on June 20th. G1 Promotion and Lion’s Den Promotions are putting on the event at the Memorial Auditorium. Powell, known as The Golden One, is coming off of a KO2 of Alejandro Minjares in March.

PRESS RELEASE

Get ready, Sacramento is about to feel the energy again.

After a long wait, professional boxing is officially returning to the historic Sacramento Memorial Auditorium, and the city is already buzzing. This isn’t just another event, it’s a statement. G1 Promotions and Lion’s Den Promotions are bringing fight night back in a way Sacramento hasn’t seen in years, and the anticipation is building toward what’s expected to be a packed, sold-out crowd.

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BENAVIDEZ PUNISHES ZURDO WITH KO6

Posted on May 2, 2026 | Leave a comment

David Benavidez took the WBA and WBO cruiserweight belts from Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez with an awesome display of speed and power on Saturday night in Las Vegas. The “Mexican Monster” dropped Ramirez in the fourth and the sixth, badly damaging the now-former champion’s right eye. The second knockdown in the sixth ended the fight with the official time of the stoppage at 2:59.

The headliner of the pay-per-view show didn’t disappoint as the two cruiserweights traded heavy punches throughout. After two highly entertaining fights on the main broadcast, it would have been hard to match the back-and-forth energy the audience had already enjoyed. But the violence of the stoppage left no one disappointed.

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