WATCH: Dalton Smith defeats Jose Zepeda with a stunning fifth round body shot knockout
Dalton Smith defeated three-time world title contender Jose Zepeda with a fifth-round knockout.
Follow Us
Dalton Smith vs. Jose Zepeda (image credit- Boxing Scene)
Dalton Smith gave fans one of the best performances of his professional boxing career. The 27-year-old fought against 34-year-old Jose Zepeda at the Utilita Arena in Yorkshire, England. There was a significant difference in their level of experience since Zepeda has fought 41 fights while Smith has only fought 16 fights. However, the young super-lightweight boxer ended the fight with a devastating fifth-round body shot.
Zepeda is a top contender in the lightweight division and has attempted to secure the world title three times. The veteran showed his prowess at the beginning rounds of the fight and landed several blows. Subsequently, Smith held his own from the very beginning and did not back down when Zepeda charged towards him. In the first round, Zepeda seemed more dominant, but Smith was trying to be cautious. However, in the second and third rounds, both fighters went at it.
As such, Smith was able to keep up with Zepeda’s aggression inside the ring and was successfully landing counterpunches. In the fifth round, Smith landed a thunderous body shot on Zepeda, which damaged the latter. For a brief second, Zepeda froze before he fell to the canvas, which prompted the referee to announce the victor.
Zepeda has now lost two of his last three fights against boxers like Richardson Hitchins and former WBC super-lightweight champion Regis Prograis. However, he managed to fight Prograis for 11 rounds and proved to be a formidable opponent. Hence, Smith’s swift and dominant victory over Zepeda has now proved himself a force to be reckoned with.
Eddie Hearn calls out Dalton Smith’s next opponent
Zepeda’s time as a top contender in the super-lightweight division may have come to an end, but Smith has now ascended to this realm. After his stunning KO victory over Zepeda, his promoter, Eddie Hearn, has already announced their next goal.
As such, Hearn called out the European super lightweight champion, Adam Azim, to fight his fighter next. Azim has an undefeated record of 11-0 with 8 victories via KO. Simultaneously, Smith has a professional record of 16-0 with 12 KO victories. Furthermore, Hearn dared Azim to fight Smith next unless he was scared of Smith.
In addition, Hearn mentioned that the European title and the British Boxing Board of Control have ordered this fight to happen. This is mainly because Smith is the British and Commonwealth champion, while Azim is the European champion. Subsequently, Hearn stated that their goal is a world title fight, but they are ready to do this first.
In case you missed it!
Stay Updated!
Abhijay Roy
(551 Articles Published)