ANAHEIM, Calif. — Arnold Barboza Jr. captured the WBO International Welterweight Title with a commanding unanimous determination victory over Kenneth Sims Jr. in a 12-round fundamental occasion broadcast dwell worldwide on DAZN from the Honda Middle.
Barboza (33-1, 11 KOs), combating out of South El Monte, California, managed the tempo of the bout with sharp mixtures and disciplined strain. Regardless of struggling a headbutt within the eleventh spherical, Barboza continued to dominate en path to a decisive win. Judges scored the competition 120-108, 118-110, and 117-111 in his favor.
“That was a troublesome struggle. I went via just a little little bit of a darkish second there, however I pushed via it. Folks had been asking me earlier than the struggle, saying I had fallen off or that I wasn’t the identical fighter anymore. However tonight I confirmed that I’m nonetheless right here,” mentioned Arnold Barboza Jr. “Combating at 147 made a giant distinction for me. I’m telling you, I even had a steak on Tuesday — one thing I couldn’t usually do earlier than. My physique simply felt stronger and extra energized. Credit score to my power and conditioning coach and the work we’ve been placing in throughout coaching camp. I felt like I may have gone one other 10 rounds if I needed to.
Continued Barboza, “Kenneth Sims is a really good fighter. We anticipated it to be a chess match, and it was. But it surely got here right down to preparation. My dad and I put in quite a lot of laborious work. We isolate ourselves in camp, away from household. I even missed my daughter’s birthday on the tenth. These are sacrifices that include the game. Moments like tonight make it really feel value it.”
Sims Jr. (22-3-1, 8 KOs) acknowledged the defeat however remained optimistic about his future.
“Yeah, the scores had been loopy, however the rating doesn’t matter now. I didn’t win the struggle. It’s cool although. I’m a 140-pounder, so I’ll return to the place I’m finest at,” mentioned Kenneth Sims Jr. “I’ve bought to get higher. Get higher, do higher, be smarter. It comes with the territory. I’ve been doing this my complete life, so I do know this sense and I understand how to cope with it.”
Oscar Collazo Defends Unified Minimumweight Titles
Within the co-main occasion, Puerto Rico’s undefeated champion Oscar Collazo efficiently defended his WBA, WBO, and Ring Journal Minimumweight World Championships towards Mexico’s Jesus Haro.
Collazo (13-0, 10 KOs) showcased his dominance earlier than Haro’s nook suggested the referee to cease the struggle on the finish of the sixth spherical. The bout was co-promoted with Miguel Cotto Promotions.
Alexis Rocha Outpoints Former Champion JoJo Diaz
Santa Ana’s Alexis Rocha secured a robust victory in a fan-friendly matchup towards former world champion Joseph Diaz Jr..
The ten-round welterweight contest went the gap, with Rocha incomes a unanimous determination with scores of 97-93, 98-92, and 100-90, bettering his file to 26-2-1.
Gabriela Fundora Retains Undisputed Flyweight Crown
Undisputed flyweight champion Gabriela Fundora defended her IBF, WBA, WBC, WBO, and Ring Journal Flyweight World Titles towards Viviana Ruiz Corredor.
Fundora (18-0, 10 KOs) dominated the struggle, scoring a knockdown within the fourth spherical earlier than forcing a stoppage at 1:25 of the sixth spherical. The bout was co-promoted with Sampson Boxing.
Joel Iriarte Scores Knockout to Open Broadcast
Kicking off the DAZN broadcast, rising prospect Joel Iriarte retained the WBA Continental Gold Welterweight Title with a sixth-round stoppage victory over Rock Myrthil at 2:35.
Rising Prospects Shine on Preliminary Card
The preliminary bouts streamed dwell on the Golden Boy Promotions YouTube channel and showcased a number of rising prospects.
Unbeaten Grant Flores improved to 13-0 after defeating Rashid Stevens by way of unanimous determination in an eight-round tremendous welterweight contest.
Coachella Valley standout Cayden Griffiths delivered one of many evening’s most explosive finishes, scoring a first-round knockout over Omar Munguia after dropping him twice.
Santa Ana’s Fabian Guzman remained undefeated with a unanimous determination victory towards Julian Delgado in a aggressive middleweight bout.
Denver prospect Daniel Garcia added one other knockout to his file, stopping Blas Caro within the second spherical.
Opening the evening, Leonardo Sanchez earned a second-round TKO victory over veteran Cesar Juarez after Juarez’s nook threw within the towel.
Roberto Villa is the CEO, Founder, Govt Author, and Senior Editor of FightBook MMA. Has a ardour for Fight Sports activities and can also be a podcast host for Sitting Ringside. He’s additionally a former MMA fighter and Kickboxer. He’s additionally the principle photographer for the 4CornersMafia Automobile Membership.
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